London Hiking

 I've always been a walker. Any time there is some free time, we often say 'Let's go for a walk'. 

The problem is in lockdown, we've completely exhausted all of our local walks. So along with a friend, we decided to start exploring further afield. 

Walk 1 was to Richmond. Not so unusual, but we'd usually cycle there or get the Overground. This time we went across Barnes Bridge, up through the Sheen Gate into Richmond Park, across the park, and back home via the river. TOTAL 16 miles, with a lovely lunch stop at the Duck Pond Market. 

Walk 2: Osterley Park, River Brent, Hanwell Park, Pitshanger & Ealing

This walk started off round Gunnersbury Park, up the A4, and then in to Osterley Park. How have I never been here before?!? It's a beautiful National Trust property, and I'll have to try and visit once it reopens. Then across the M4, along the canal for a bit (past the Three Bridges), up the River Brent through Hanwell Park, and round into Pitshanger. Then back streets of Ealing and home. TOTAL 17 miles

Walk 3: Brent Reservoir & Fryent Country Park

This walk started off past Wormwood Scrubs, and up towards my first London home in Willesden Green. It turns out I never went any further north than Gladstone Park, so it was nice to explore what was nearby. Around Brent Reservoir, and across into Fryent Country Park. VERY BOGGY, but beautiful. Then back through Neasden, Willesden, Harlesden & back home. TOTAL 17 Miles

Walk 4: Brompton Cemetery, Hyde Park, Regents Park

This one was meant to be shorter, as we left later as it was raining. It ended up being 18 miles as per usual!! River path, Lillie Road, Brompton Cemetery, back streets of Chelsea, with some lovely Mews roads, Hyde Park, Serpentine, back streets above Oxford Street, Regents Park, back streets of Bayswater, Uxbridge Road & home. TOTAL 18 miles

Walk 5: Putney Heath, Wimbledon Common, Wandsworth

We started with a usual, along the river and across Barnes Bridge. Then up Roehampten Lane and into Putney Heath. Under the A3 (who knew there was an underpass there) and onto Wimbledon Common. Back through Wandsworth towards the River Wandle, across Putney Bridge, back though Fulham and home. TOTAL 18 miles

Leon Cookbook

 Dave often buys very unexpected, but awesome presents. After declaring that we weren't doing presents this Christmas, he changed his mind and went out shopping, thankfully hours before the pre Christmas Tier 4 lockdown!!

One of the presents he came back with, was a Leon cookbook. I've only eaten at Leon a few times - mainly as I never eat fast food - and am not usually a fan of cook books. I tend to find a recipe I like, only to discover that it contains 7 million ingredients, I've never heard of most of them and only have 3 in the cupboard. 

So I was swayed with this one, when the first recipe I opened the book on was Sweet Potato Falafel. It sounded so good and I had every ingredient (of which there weren't too many) already in the cupboard, aside from gram flour. Thankfully, after the great flour shortage of March/April 2020, I knew that the shop across the road sells gram flour, so that was incredibly easy to locate, and I was set to go!

I also then decided to make Leon Gobi to go with it, as I already had everything for that too (aside from turmeric, which I've since bought!)

These were both incredible! They tasted expensive, so many flavours, and also conveniently Vegan. Perfect timing for making an effort towards Veganuary. 

The next recipe, which Dave was drawn to immediately, was the ketchup. As we're not allowed  out, what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon, than make ketchup. We get through a lot of it, and as I insist on buying it in glass, not plastic, it doesn't come in big enough bottles for him!!

It was well worth the effort!! It's less sweet and more spiced than regular ketchup and so good!!

We next tried the Rogan Josh and I decided to attempt naan bread with it too. The curry was quite long winded to cook, but more in a 'do this then leave for 30 mins' way, so not too time consuming!

Naan bread, it turns out, is way easier to make then I expected. Why have I never made it before!!

It looks beautiful as well as containing lush recipes!!

Cardamom rice pudding. Our milkman has started selling cream in glass jars so perfect timing!! 

I've also tried the falafel with butternut squash instead of sweet potato, and although it was a bit softer (I added more flour) it was equally as tasty!!

There are still so many more recipes to try! I'm also a big fan of the Brazilian beans, Pilaff Rice, and the Cauliflower, Almond & Turmeric Soup. The problem is to choose what to try next!!

Happy New year 2021

 Wow - 2021! That crept up on us!! It's strange how quickly the time goes when you are just staying home!!

So far lockdown January has been a great opportunity to restock after a very busy December. Despite all the lockdown time last year, I still didn't seem to have enough stock for December!

Plans for 2021 - keep sewing! I've got a few new mobile ideas in my head, so watch this space for more!

Staying in is not so hard when we have this lovely view!

My trips out are usually to go to the post office - conveniently across the road!

Lots more names to come I imagine!

Still one of my most popular mobiles!

And most popular of 2020! Lets see if that continues into 2021!

Colourful Elepahnt Baby Mobiles

 Elephant mobiles were my first ever mobile design - way back in 2012 ish! 

During this time, I've sewn them in all sorts of colour combinations. Some seem perpetually popular - yellow, white and grey, especially with some clouds too, whereas other combinations come and go. 

Recently I've had some requests for some brighter combinations, so here are some photos...

New Name Banner Designs

 I love sewing name banners, and often let customers look through previous example photos, and they'll spot the perfect one for them, but still regularly have requests for new designs, which I love, and they can be so much fun!

Here are some examples of ones I've sewn recently....

Koalas

Sheep

Llamas & Pompoms!

Fire Trucks

Hedgehogs & Owls

Frogs on Lily Pads!

Serpentine Swimming

 I've been a member of the Serpentine Swimming Club for a few years now, and there is something so special and magical about wild swimming in Central London - despite all the duck poo and pond weed, and occasionally being threatened by swans!

This year it has been particularly special, due to it being closed for so long, there was such a sense of excitement when it reopened. 

After 10 beautiful days - which unfortunately coincided with a heatwave, meaning every member turned up - it was closed again until it could be opened safely, which also coincided with a turn in the weather, which naturally made it less busy. 

It's open from 5.30-9.30am, and is a very pricey £20 for the year. Facilities are limited - change next to the pond, and avoid the duck poo - but it's such a friendly place, it's worth the slightly unusual conditions. 

I tend to go around 6.30am-7am, and it's very peaceful at this time. 

Reopening in May

So beautifully hot and sunny

Beautiful skies early in July

Just arriving for sunrise in September

Slightly misty in the pre sunrise moments in October

It's now dark when we arrive, but gets light pretty quickly. Although there are fewer swimmers now (the water is still 12 degrees so not too icy yet), we are kept company by the joggers and boot campers on the opposite shore. 

I would really recommend wild swimming - for the soul as much as for exercise, and as a fellow swimmer said this morning 'it's cold, but addictive'. So true!!

I Bought An Electric Car!! Nissan Leaf

For years I've been trying to improve my environmental awareness, and try to be as green as possible in the way I live.

I make all my own clothes, won't buy anything in single use plastic, try to buy my food as naked and locally as possible, and have switched to a renewable energy tariff at home. We've also stopped flying as much as we used to, preferring to take the Eurostar when we want to travel in Europe, as we live so near to Kings Cross!

So another big one on the list was my car. I'd had it for 15 years, so that was good in that it had lasted a long time!! However, it was becoming less fuel efficient in its old age, and so I have been thinking for a few years that Electric is the way forward.

We started browsing all the different models available, and looked at Hybrids too, at the start of the year, and then lockdown was the perfect opportunity to really seriously research them all, and decide what to go for.

I mostly just drive locally around London, maybe 30-40 miles each way for some longer trips, but mostly within 10 miles, so I knew an electric car would be perfect for this. My parents live 125miles away, and my boyfriends parents slightly further, but as they are all retired, they love to come and visit us more than we go and visit them!!

The main thing for me was boot space - for markets I shove a lot of stuff in my car, and some of the electric models are tiny!! At one showroom, I was looking in the boots of cars first, before looking inside, and the salesperson was very surprised when I rejected some instantly, without even looking inside!!

I also rejected hybrids pretty quickly, as they are not much better for the environment than some smaller engine petrol cars, and also there are 2 mechanisms to go wrong!

So the Nissan Leaf was perfect - great boot size, great reviews, and happily in budget!

The main thing to decide was which model to go for, as the range in the older ones goes from about 80-160 miles, with the price increasing with the higher mileage.

I've settled on a 66 reg one, which a range of around 110-130 miles. I've mostly been driving it around locally, and it is a dream to drive. In eco mode, when driving around London, it barely uses any charge, as every time you brake, it charges the battery! I was instantly in love!

I'd bought it from near Guildford, so had the experience of driving back on the M25 and M4 as a little taste of motorway, but hadn't fully tested it, or rapid charged it. However, I've just got back from a longer trip, which involved a rapid charge and it was great! Normally I hate driving on my own, as I get bored, but the Leaf is such a dream to drive, I was quite happy!

I'd already made accounts for Ecotricity (who run most of the chargers in UK service stations) and Zap Map (which shows where all charging points are, if they are in use, and if they are broken!) so was ready to go.

When entering the route into the Leaf satnav, it instantly told me that I probably wouldn't make my destination without a charge stop, so gave me a selection of possible stops, and asked me to select one to program in. Brilliant!

Ideally, if I had a passenger, I'd have got them to keep an eye on Zap map, to check if the charging points were being used, before I got there, but as I was on my own, I just went with my plan, but stopped with enough charge that I still could have reached the next service station, should these ones have been out of action.

I have to admit I was a little nervous. Various people had warned me against buying a fully electric car, insisting that I would regularly get stuck without charge, but it all went smoothly, I arrived to 2 working and empty chargers, connected to one, exactly as I should have, and 16 mins and £3.50 later, I was back up to 80% charge. Brilliant.

I also had a lovely chat with a couple who turned up to charge their car next to me while I was waiting, which according to them is entirely normal!

As is usual with review sites, most people only leave feedback when there is a problem, so it can seem daunting to look at Zap Map and see so many problems reported, so I made sure to leave feedback that everything had worked as expected!

I'm still very much a new owner, so will report back in a few months when I've explored more, but for now I am a very very happy customer!