June 2019 Archives

This post covers Raglan Castle, which I visited many years ago in 2008. Raglan Castle is located in Wales and was one of the last castles in the Civil War battle. The castle was seized then, but enough of it remains to make a fantastic ruin to visit. The castle itself was built in the 1430s, though there may have been an earlier motte and bailey on the site previously. The castle also had some work done in the 1600s before the Civil War destroyed it. After the war, the stone was taken from the castle to use in other buildings.

The castle has been improved since I visited, and it was also used to film the BBC series "Merlin". The Great Hall can also be visited now. However, with the carvings and the windows, it is easy to see that this used to be a grand place.

The castle is surrounded by a moat, and there is quite a lot to explore and climb to see some impressive views.

At some point, I should revisit this castle to see what has changed. I do not remember a lot about my visit to it. Have you been to visit it?

Last month, after a visit at a nearby pub for food, I suggested to friends that we should go to Cliveden House to see the bluebells. I visited the Ashridge Estate (Bluebell Forest Walk at Ashridge Estate (Hertfordshire, England)) last year and this year on the previous weekend to see the beautiful bluebells, and I know that Cliveden House is also another great place to go to see them. Unfortunately, we were told that there were not any bluebells by the staff at the entrance, but there actually were (there are two places to visit them) as we found out later the day, so I was disappointed we were told the opposite. We actually did not have very long here at all before the place shut.

So, we checked out the main garden near the house (now a hotel) first. The house cannot be entered by anyone who is not a guest of the hotel. So, we just wandered around the gardens here. The history of this property is that it belonged to the wealthy American Astor family. There were three houses on the site, but today's dates to the mid-1800s. Because of the popularity and influence of the family, the house attracted many politicians. Nancy Astor was the first female MP in the 1920s, and the house was given to the National Trust in the 1940s. Many celebrities have stayed at the house, including Meghan Markle and her mother who stayed on the evening before the wedding to Prince Harry.

The gardens at the back of the hotel are beautiful with views across the countryside, and the Thames can also be seen below.

One room was open at the bottom of the hotel, showing a small circular room (through the closed gates).

A walk down to the Thames also leaves from the top of the estate where there is a beautifully-decorated Astor Chapel, which is also the burial place for Nancy Astor and a couple of other members of the family. From here, there were many steps to walk down to get to the river. Once down at the river, boat journeys could be purchased here, and the cottages are also rented out to guests. This is where the famous 1960s Profumo Affair happened. Because the grounds were always popular with politicians, two of the callgirls here ended up with the State of War, Profumo. But one of the callgirls was also entertaining a known Russian spy. With this knowledge, people were worried that Russia was getting secrets. It was a huge scandal because of the Cold War.

The walk back up those steps was not fun, but I had a wander around the gardens.

Then, we went for afternoon tea in the tearooms in the cafe, which were not the cleanest and which were a little too busy.

After this, we walked around the water gardens, but we couldn't see much or go into it closer because they were closed. 

I also completed the hedge maze, which was a little bit tricky. This marks the middle of the maze.

I am hoping to get back to Clivden House next April or early May to see the bluebells since I purchased National Trust membership this month. Also, we did not get to see much as we arrived so late in the day, so this was a very short visit. So keep checking back for more updates. 

Dating from the Neolithic period over 5,500 years ago is this long barrow (ancient tomb) Wayland's Smithy. The landscape was filled with these tombs, and this one is located in the Uffington complex where there is the white chalk horse, Uffington castle hill fort, and other attractions (Uffington Castle and White Horse). A little further south from Uffington are Avebury Stone Circle and the more famous Stonehenge. Wayland's Smithy is the location of two tombs; an earlier one where several people were buried over the course of 15 years, and the earlier one with the remains of more people. This one had been damaged by other people throughout the age by the time it was examined in 1920. In 1920, it was a cave with flanked rocks, but it was repaired to the structure seen today with the stones replaced to what is expected to be the original positions.

Wayland's Smithy is one of the best surviving examples of a long barrow (ancient tomb) in this area. These tombs were construced by people who had probably settled the land and wanted to lay claim to it, so they buried their people here. The location is secluded in a small copse of trees and down a long trail; it is over a mile away from the famous Uffington White Horse.

I started down the trail in order to find Wayland's Smithy. Overall, it took me approximately 20 minutes to walk down the trail to the tomb. When I arrived, I had the place to myself, and it is an atmospheric place.

You may be wondering how the place got its name. It is a local legend dating from the early 1700s and regarding an invisible blacksmith who would replace your horse's shoes if you left money here, left, and then returned a bit later. Until 2010, an information panel informed visitors of the legend and allowed them to leave coins here, but it became too difficult to manage because people were leaving them between the stones, so this information has been removed.

Based on previous examples of visits to long barrows, people would have been able to crawl through it to deposit the bones of ancestors, and there are multiple chambers within the barrow. The flesh would have been cleared before the bones were placed in the barrow, and these bones must have been used in rituals or for the people to go back to re-visit the dead. The barrow is now open so that visitors can look inside it.

After my visit, it was a walk back to the car parking on the hillside opposite the Uffington White Horse. The fields had beautiful yellow plants in them, and I do miss the countryside now that I've moved to London, so I took so many photographs of the yellow fields and the flowers. 

On the way back, the large hill and ridge was easy to see with the man-made hill fort (Uffington Castle) on top. Just behind the castle is the white chalk horse. The walk was a peaceful one, but I met a few others going the opposite way or walking back slower than I was.

Overall, it was a good day out visiting Wayland's Smithy and Uffington white horse and castle. For more information about the white horse and castle, see my post here: Uffington Castle and White Horse

I used to live in Basingstoke, and this little town has seen a number of changes over the nearly ten years that I lived and worked there. One change was that in the late summer of 2015, Sundaes Gelato opened up. It opened in the same building where one of my favourite restaurants in town was located and sadly closed. I left Basingstoke in the autumn of that year, but I got to try Sundaes Gelato before I left and when I've been back to visit, which isn't too often but perhaps once a year.

On my last visit, I ordered a sundae that will appeal to anyone who loves coconut. Now, I disliked coconut when I was a child, but I enjoy it now. I like coconut gelato, and this one included coconut gelato, a Bounty bar, strawberry sauce, and lashings of desecrated coconut.

The gelato here is really good. It is smooth and has a lot of flavour. In short, if you are planning on visiting Basingstoke or passing near, I recommend a stop at Sundaes Gelato. It is located at Basingstoke's "Top of Town" on Winchester Road. In addition to a large selection of ice creams, sundaes, milkshakes and other desserts, I am sure that you can throw your own little ice cream party as they have plenty of seating.

UK-based street artist Dan Kitchener (alternatively known as Dank) paints cityscapes and portraits of women. Most of his artwork is influenced by the city of Tokyo, geisha girls, and futuristic cityscapes/people. The artist has been painting in London for quite a while, and I always enjoy seeing his work as it somehow just gets better and better. Ok, so admitedly, a few of these photographs were taken over the past several months, but I've just found it a little difficult to get to east London regularly, and there's been a lot of tagging/destruction of artwork happening not long after the pieces are added to the street, which is always a big shame.

The above mural is on Curtain Road. It is of a geisha girl, and it replaced a similar girl painted previously, which I took a nice close-up of. 

The newest piece is actually the replacement of his work on Pedley Street off Brick Lane, but it was tagged over before I got to see it, so here's the finished piece from the artist's Instagram.

Another was painted in one of the four panels on Great Eastern Street. It is a London scene with a red bus.

And, finally, I captured this storefront by the artist for Green Papaya restaurant.

For more work by Dan Kitchener (DANK) featured in this blog, please read the following links:

Dan Kitchener Paints 'Ghost Cities' on Pedley Street
Dank Paints 'Ghost Cities - Bristol' for Upfest 2018
Dan Kitchener Paints "Meeting of Styles"
'Future Tokyo and Tokyo Ghosts'
Dank "London Rush"
Dan Kitchener's Street Art on Sclater Street and More
Street Art: Dan Kitchener
"Downtown" Mural by Dan Kitchener
Goswell Road

I have not come across Flavourtown Bakery before my recent trip to Fulham last weekend, but I think I recognised their cakes on a visit to Selfridges awhile ago. Flavourtown Bakery bake cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and other items that they can deliver across London or can serve from their shop in Fulham (near Parson's Green tube station). Their Fulham shop opened up at the end of December 2017 and has been serving the area (and London) since, and this is their first shop. 

The rainbow cakes and cupcakes are their trendy item, and they seem to specialise in this the most. In fact, one of the cupcakes that I bought was one of the little unicorn cupcakes because it looks very cute. The unicorn cupcake is made using their funfetti sponge recipe, and it is a vanilla sponge with sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) added to the mixture in order to create a colourful sponge.

Their shop was selling all sorts of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies as well as drinks. They had a few offerings for Father's Day, including a cupcake with a mustache.

The award-winning peanut butter cupcakes do look spectacular, and I understand that this is something special to this shop. This is probably a musy-have for peanut butter fans, but sadly I am not one of those.

Instead, I opted for the unicorn cupcake, chocolate cupcake, carrot cupcake, and a vegan raspberry cupcake. The vegan cupcake was a good alternative but less sweet than the other cupcakes, but the texture was very much the same. I loved the cute unicorn cupcake, but my favoruite has got to be the carrot cupcake.

It's a little bit expensive, but the cupcakes really do go the extra mile for the "wow factor". They're decorated beautifully, which is evident in the photographs above. In terms of taste, they are not my favourite London cupcake. The icing is a little bit on the oily side and not as sweet, though I am also not a fan of the sickly-sweet cupcakes either (Primrose Bakery is my favourite London cupcakery as I think they get the mix just right). If you're looking for an awesome cake with an emphasis on a great design and something not too sickly, then Flavourtown Bakery is the one for you. 

Earlier this month, I visited England's most famous and oldest white chalk hillside horse, Uffington White Horse, and Uffington Castle on the same hillside before going to Wayland's Smithy (a long barrow burial tomb). Uffington Castle and White Horse is located on the fringe of the Chilterns in southern England. Both date from the Iron Age, from 300BC to 43AD, just before the Romans arrived. I've visited all of the other English white horses on a "White Horse Grand Tour" many years ago, but I never got to the oldest one here at Uffington as I ran out of time, so this was my first visit to England's oldest visible white chalk horse. Yes, the white horses are cut into the hillside and then lined with bright white chalk so that it can be seen from below, but we are not sure why they have been carved into the hillsides. In addition to a few white horses on the hillsides, there is also a giant man.

The White Horse is located on top of a hill, but there's actually no great places to stop to see it in all of its glory due to erosion. The horse itself is re-chalked (scoured) every year or so, and it was just completed earlier this spring, so it does stand out, but the way that the hillside has fallen and eroded has meant that it's impossible to get a photograph of it unless you take it from the sky.

One way to view the white horse is to climb up the hill to see it close up. On the way up the hill, the views are impressive. One structure that stands out below and toward the bottom of the hill; it is a small hill with a plateau on top and is known as Dragon Hill. According to legend, this spot with the bare mark on top of the hill is where Saint George, England's patron saint, slew the dragon. It was probably associated with the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, but no one knows what it would have been used for.

The views over the ridge got more impressive as I climbed the hill. The picture below shows The Giant's Stairs, an interesting stair-like feature of the hillside. It is thought that medieval farming has caused this to form in the manner it is.

Finally, I arrived at the White Horse. The round circle in the photograph below is the eye of the horse, but it is difficult to make out the rest of it because of the way that the hill is formed with dips. It is not 100% sure that the figure is of a horse, but it is highly likely as other stylised horse figures appear to a similar design, and it may have been a mid-winter festival event related to the horse.

The white horse is said to come alive and grazes on the steep hillside below it, known as the Manger.

After visiting the chalk horse, I climbed further up the hill (though not much further) to discover Uffington Castle. This castle is an old hillfort with a ditch and bank. The Ordanance Marker is located here as well, and this point marks the top of the hill as the best castles were always at the top vantage point. It is possible that when the scouring of the horse (re-chalking) was completed, a festival was held here.

The ditch and bank of the Uffington Castle (hill fort) are well-preserved and can be seen from below to one side of the hill.

Visitors can walk along the castle and around the white horse, but be careful not to damage it as it is an offense to do so. When I visited, there were a group of people flying a kite near the castle, which had a great amount of wind from the top. So, try your luck at kite-flying if the weather is nice.

Below is a photograph of the span of Uffington Castle; this would have certainly been a very impressive structure in the Iron Age. Now, sheep graze on these fields.

Below is the best photograph of the white horse that I could get from the ground. There is no better spot to get a clearer picture of the white horse, sadly. The only other way to get a photograph would be from the sky. Note that drones are not permitted to fly on this land.

After visiting the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, I walked to Wayland's Smithy. Wayland's Smithy is a long barrow, a type of prehistoric burial tomb made with mounds of earth and slabs of rock. These tombs are where the prehistoric people held bones of the dead. The one here is about a mile and a half from the main parking at the white horse. It is mainly a single track between fields that visitors can walk or cycle down, but cars are not permitted. Wayland's Smithy is sign-posted down here. It took me a little over an hour to walk to it and back again. Keep watching for my post with photographs of it. I walked alone, so it was a little eerie.

Street artist Dale Grimshaw is an artist known for very detailed portraits. For the past few years, many of the portraits are of people from West Papua because he is highlighting the issues between West Papua and Indonesia through his street art. Earlier this spring, the artist painted a new mural on one of the walls at Hanbury Street at the corner of Brick Lane. This was painted ahead of his exhibition at Well Hung Gallery.

I'm always amazed when I see Dale Grimshaw's work because of the attention to detail and the bright colours he uses to create artwork that simply cannot be ignored. The detail in the eyes, including the wrinkles and the strands of facial hair help make this West Papua man come to life in east London.

Previous work by Dale Grimshaw featured on this blog can be seen below:

Dale Grimshaw Paints For Manchester's "Cities of Hope Festival"
Dale Grimshaw Paints the Village Underground Wall, Part 2
Dale Grimshaw Paints Hanbury Street Ahead of "Pride and Prejudice" Exhibit
Dale Grimshaw Paints the Village Underground Wall
Dale Grimshaw Mural in Support of Papua New Guinea
Street Art: Dale Grimshaw, Icon, Code FC, Low Bros, El Mac and others

Last Saturday I went to afternoon tea at Sketch for a pre-birthday treat (Birthday Afternoon Tea at Sketch Gallery), but I did not get to do anything on my actual birthday, which was on Monday. So, I decided to tick another item off of my London Bucket List: a visit to the Little Blue Door. The Little Blue Door opened up after The Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill, which I had been wanting to visit for a few years but never got to go to. The original Little Yellow Door has since closed, and The Little Blue Door was open last spring. The concept is that the house is owned by flatmates that run the house and invite friends and guests over for drinks and meals. It is meant to provide a more intimate feeling instead of a standard restaurant. So, this is my experience.

I visited The Little Blue Door earlier today for their Sunday Roast lunch option. I was the first to arrive, slightly early due to having to drive there because of works on the London underground. Today is also Father's Day, which meant that most people seemed to be visiting to celebrate that. 

The building takes up two buildings along Fulham Road in Fulham; the nearest station is Parson's Green. Walking along the road there, I came upon the little bright blue door flanked with bay trees. If I was not expecting it, I would have walked right past it. I rang the doorbell and was promptly showed to the table in front of the bar/fireplace.

The next entrance to The Little Blue Door was wide open with a separate seating area, which followed through to the bar area (where I was seated to enjoy the Sunday lunch).

I went to check the other facilities, and there is a games room here as well, and guests can play games or Mario Kart.

Cocktails were on the menu with a few single cocktails and pitchers of cocktails on offer.

Another room included a separate bar area with larger tables and additional seating.

I loved the shelving, which made a little nook seating, and the trinkets and plants on the shelves.

The first cocktail that I had was "Yellow Submarine", which contained Limoncello. It was meant to be served in a teacup, but it was served in a glass. The bloke had a fruity "Crimes of Passion", which came with marshmallow on top. The cocktail was a little strong.

The Sunday roasts are served on a giant platter so that guests can pick and choose what they want to eat. This also included a chicken gravy and a beef gravy. Vegetables included carrot, cabbage, pea shoots, roast potatoes, and sweet potato. The meat included beef, chicken, pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon), and meatballs. A Yorkshire pudding each was also served. (I would have preferred a little more carrot, actually, and the uncooked pea shoots were a little odd.) The food that we had was very delicious, and the chicken was tender. It was actually just the right amount of food for us too!

I had another cocktail with my meal, and this cocktail was the "Emperor's New Groove", which is a blueberry-flavoured cocktail. It certainly looks pretty, doesn't it? I did need another drink with my meal, and I received a free glass of Cola on account of it being my birthday.

Dessert was an extra cost, and the only option was a chocolate pudding dessert, served in a teacup with a small dish of salted caramel ice cream.

I was glad to visit The Little Bloor Door finally, and I also see that The Little Yellow Door has opened a new venue (or were able to reclaim their original venue) in Notting Hill, so I'd like to visit that at some point. I'm not sure if the people who are working there are actually flat mates or if it is part of their concept for an intimate dining experience. Have you ever had a chance to pay them a visit? Perhaps the original was a little more intimate than the current incarnation, which was extremely popular today.

No Make No Life is a monthly beauty subscription box that sends Japanese and Korean products. The subscription box contains six or seven make-up and beauty-related items, but this month, we received an extra item. The box also comes with a small magazine that contains information on the items in the box, tips, horoscopes, and more. This is my fifth No Make No Life beauty box, and this month's box is the "Rise 'n' Shine" box. The products in this box are geared to help subscribers begin their morning routines. Read below to see what I received in this month's No Make No Life box.

Etude House My Beauty Tool Eti Hair Band: This is a fun cat hair band, which has been designed to help keep hair away from the face when applying make-up or masks. I struggle with getting strands of hair covered with foundation and keeping my hair out of my face when applying masks, so this will come in useful for me, and it's also very cute.

Angel Heart Cheek, Eye & Lip Cream: This cream can be used to add a little bit of colour to lips, eyes, and cheeks. It's also a cute product because it comes in a lip-shaped container. I received a hot pink colour.

Choonee Water Lip Tint Balm in 'Grapefruit': This lip balm contains a moisturising formula with shea butter, jojoba oil and grape seed oil. In addition to the lip care properties, it is pigmented too. I received the "grapefruit" colour, which is a deep pink-orange colour.

Etude House Oh M'Eye Line Liquid Eyeliner: This cute little vase-shaped pot contains eye liner to help achieve the cat-eye flick with a fine tip without too much effort.

Lip Moist Oil in 'mellow orange': Lip Moist is a product that can help dry lips recover, and subscribers can receive one of two colours: mellow orange or cool lime. The product can be worn by itself or before application of lipstick on top. I received the "mellow orange" colour, though I would have preferred the lime colour instead. I am not sure how tinted it is.

Juicy Bottle Mask in 'shea butter': This facial mask is shaped like a bottle. I received the purple one, which is the shea butter edition. There are other colours as well that subscribers may receive, and each of them has its own strengths. The shea butter will probably add moisture to the skin.

Oshima Tsubaki Hair Cream: This yellow tube is a hair cream (leave-in cream conditioning product). It will leave hair shiny and moisturised. The ingedient is camellia oil, which is designed to keep hair beautiful. I will be looking forward to using this to see if it can help keep my hair looking nice. 

Lucky Trendy Hair Curler Set: The final product in this month's box is a hair product to help create a wavy hairstyle. I am not sure about this product as I am pretty useles when it comes to styling my hair and I will probably do more harm than good, but I will give it a try sometime.

I found a gem of a restaurant the last time I was at Seven Dials/Covent Garden in London - Flesh & Buns. Flesh & Buns is a Japanese restaurant with a Peruvian twist based in London. Their first restaurant is based in Covent Garden, near Seven Dials, but they launched a new and larger one near Oxford Circus with a "push for pisco" button (a slightly different take off of the "push for champagne" button that other restaurants have). The first Flesh & Buns has been a popular restaurant for Londoners. I visited alone for lunch during the week. So, what did I have?

To start, I ordered a grapefruit-based cocktail, which was very refreshing. Then, I ordered a main meal, which had the option of coming with two buns for a slight additional cost. Now, I expected these main meals to be smaller portions to fit into a couple of buns. So, I ordered a side of steamed rice as well. 

So, the main meal comes out, and it's huge. I had ordered the Japanese fried chicken. This came battered in buttermilk with green chilli, and it had a wonderful blend of spices. Some of the chicken is on-the-bone, and some of it is chunks of breast meat. The chicken was delicious, but there is a little too much for one person here.

The buns are the traditional Japanese style milk buns, which are very light.

The restaurant also offers desserts, but after the amount of chicken received that I couldn't finish (along with the rice), I did not bother with dessert. I found that the rice and main that I had would certainly serve two people. However, the S'mores are a popular option and the option that I would have had. But, since the meal was so good, I hope to return and maybe to check out the new branch. Bottomless brunch is available on weekends, so I'd be tempted to try this with friends.

I recently discovered that Revolution Beauty had some nice products, and some items were on sale and also offered free items when spending over a certain amount. Tempted by sale items and free items, I decided to purchase from their online store. I wanted some new make-up because I am now based working in an office again.

I Heart Revolution Fixing Spray in 'Peaches and Cream': This fixing spray smells of peaches, and it helps to fix make-up so that it can last the day. Unfortunately, the lid of the product was not screwed on, so over half of it had seeped out into the packaging materials and boxes of the other products that you can see above.

Revolution Glitter Bomb in 'Interrupted': This is a gold colour of sparkling glitter eyeliner, and I think it will be perfect for parties.

Revolution Glitter Paste in 'All or Northing': This is a silver glitter paste that is used as an eyeshadow. I think that it will be perfect for evening wear.

I Heart Revolution Chocolate Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette: I loved the chocolate bar-inspired eyeshadow palettes from I Heart Revolution. These come in a variety of colours; I choose the rose gold variety, which adds a bit of sparkle to my make-up bag. The palette includes several neutral and bold colours, which are primarily in red/pink hues.

I Heart Revolution Easter Eggs in 'Chocolate', in 'Chick', in 'Candy': These Easter Egg eyeshadow-blush palettes were on sale on a special offer, and I could not resist trying the different palettes in egg-shaped containers. The 'chocolate' palette features a selection of natural colours with brows, pink and green. The 'chick' features brighter and bolder colours, and 'candy' features a selection of purple hues. Each eyeshadow palette is accommpanied by a highlighter/blush duo.

The following items were sent to me as free items for purchasing a certain amount of make-up products. These are generally items that are not selling as much. 

I Heart Makeup Unicorn Tears Silicone Sponges: These silicone sponges are used for make-up application, and they promise to save the amount of product applied (because it does not get absorbed into the applicator). 

I Heart Revolution in 'Mermaid's Heart': This palette is inspired by the sea with several blue and green colours and yellow sandy colours. Out of all the free products, this is the one that I am the most excited about because I think it will really suit me.

I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in 'Shockwave': This lip gloss is a bold purple colour. I'm not sure that I will be finding much use for this product because it is so bright.

I Love Makeup Parental Advisory Explicit Content eyeshadow palette: This eyeshadow palette offers several darker and dark-natural shades, many of them with a glittery style.

That concludes my purchase and free items from Revolution Beauty. Keep checking back to see my review once I have finished the items.

Wallingford is a historical market town located in Oxfordshire and built along the river Thames. Wallingford has much history dating from the Civil War, and most of the history of the town (or what it is remembered for) relates to this period in history, and in part, this relates to its famous castle, which was once one of the most famous and developed strongholds in England. The castle's rich history and demise also relates primarily to this period of history, although the castle is much older than this. Today, very little remains of the castle, but the grounds have been donated to the city of Wallingford for the local community to enjoy the large parkland.

There are many legends relating to the Civil War period in the town, including in the High Street's George Hotel. This hotel has the "Tears of Heartache", dating from this period when a royalist was murdered in the hotel and his betrothed became so upset that she mixed her tears with soot from the fire and painted the wall with teadrops; these can be seen 400 years later.

The town is also associated with Highwayman (the name for a travelling robber who would rob carriages on the highways into London) Dick Turpin. It is said that he escaped from a hotel on his horse here, and he also used tunnels under the town to make his escape. While there are some underground tunnels under some buildings in town, there's not really any concrete evidence to this story or what purpose some of these tunnels served.

Just outside the old walls of the modern day castle park is Old Hallow's Church. The only remains of it are a couple of gravestones and a memorial. The church was located next to the College of St. Nicholas, and it provided the priests for the church; both were dissolved due to Henry VIII. 

Wallingford Castle dates from around 1067 when William the Conqueror ordered it built. In the 13th century, it was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War. The College of St. Nicholas is also in the castle grounds, and its ruins can be seen today. The castle was enclosed by walls and had a motte and bailey structure. The castle was the last stronghold to be conquered by Cromwell during the Civil War. It was ordered to be demolished afterwards.

In 1652, the castle was ordered to be demolished. However, before it was demolished, the largest ever jousting competition was held in the grounds in honour of King Edward II. Piers Gaveston put on the large jousting competiton here for the king; it was actually rumoured that he and Edward II were lovers, and men could not love other men in this day, and the relationship with Gaveston made others angry at this time. Gaveston was therefore beheaded. 

In 1977, the owners of the castle grounds presented it to the local council for all to enjoy, and the only "payment" was for the council to plant a flowering shrub each year on the grounds on Michelmas Day. Prior to this, it was a landscaped Victorian garden. Today, the larger grounds is also used for wildlife and cattle grazing, but in the castle's heyday, it was a lavish home for royalty and nobility as well as a stronghold.

After entering the castle grounds from the closest gate from the town and parking, visitors are presented with a large mound with stairs up and part of an old tower. This is part of the old wall that used to surround the castle.

Just behind the plateau of land (on the other side) are some ruins. These ruins are not ruins of the castle but are ruins of the College of St. Nicholas. The college was disbanded after Henry VIII ordered all monastaries to be demolished.

Opposite the ruins of the castle is a wooden walkway. This walkway spans down and across the former moat and to the motte and bailey site, which would have been the oldest part of the castle. This large hill can be walked up to stand where the castle's tower once stood, and it is a long way up, winding up a circular pathway around the hill until the top.

The view from the top looked out over the town and river Thames (to the left in this photograph). This viewpoint would have been important for William the Conqueror to defend the area from the river, so it was an important strategic location. 

After walking down from the old motte-and-bailey part of the castle, I walked toward the large part of wall to another footpath area to access the fields. Cattle were grazing on the fields when I visited, and I went to explore these remains of the castle's inner and outer baileys. Not much remains of these areas of the castle as it is just pasture today, but the earth has been worked, so visitors with imagination (through the help of the various boards dotted around the site) can envision what it was like.

Only a couple of ruins of the castle remain in the grounds in between worked earth, which marked where additional walls were and additional moats. These moats between the walls would have been connected to the River Thames. In the below photograph, this part of the outer wall is all that remains of the royal apartments. This area would have also contained the kitchens and great hall, and it is located on the river side of the site.

Looking further afield were banks and ditches, marking where moats and walls used to stand. Beyong would have been the hunting grounds of the castle.

Below is another small section of ruin, part of the outer walls.

This short walk meant that I went back to the original location where I entered the grounds. The moat here is reinforced by a newer wall.

On my way out, I noticed a lion peering from the castle's tower on the old remaining section of wall.

This would have been a fantastic castle to see and visit, and I am sad that it was destroyed and hardly any ruin of it remains to be seen today. However, it was a nice little walk around the site to try to envision it as a bustling castle grounds that saw festivities and conflict.

I think that everyone has a bucket list of things they would like to do or see in life. I have a London bucket list, and for quite a few years now, afternoon tea at Sketch has been on that list. I've seen it reviewed, and it comes across as quirky and a little bit different, plus a bathroom visit it a must as it has the unique pods that many a person has taken a selfie in. I'd actually enjoy going to more afternoon tea experiences, but I don't have many people to go with as the bloke doesn't care for them. It's also sometimes a hassle with dietary requirements for us as we both dislike most sauce/mayonnaise in sandwiches. As it is my birthday on Monday, I justified a trip to Sketch Gallery for afternoon tea this afternoon.  

Sketch is located on Conduit Street (number 9) in Mayfair, just off Regent Street. It has been open since 2003 and was voted 18th best restaurant in 2005 and has two Michelin stars in 2012. The room for afternoon tea is called the Pink Room as it's dressed completely in pink. The chairs are pink, and the walls are pink, and the bar is a bronze-pink. The room was designed by artist David Shrigley. If you recognise the name, you may remember that he was responsible for the giant "thumbs up" sculpture "Really Good" that was on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth a few years ago. Shrigley created all of the artwork on the walls and the designs of the plates/dishware.

The menu was a step-by-step guide of the afternoon tea, complete with nice vintage illustrations to accompany each stage of the afternoon tea experience at Sketch, which is a little bit different than what other venues do. As for the tea selection, there were three or four pages of the teas alone to choose from, and visitors could choose a different tea to try. I had the Darjeeling, followed by a Romance blend (pink fruity tea), then Ceylon and Rose. I didn't care for the blend, and I normally prefer Darjeeling, but I would have to say that my favourite was Ceylon & Rose this time.

The first stage was champagne, which was an optional stage. As Monday is my birthday, I opted for champagne. 

First up was the caviar man and egg with soldiers. The egg was actually a creamy cheese with a little bit of egg yolk, cheesey bread slices, and caviar.

After the eggs and soldiers and caviar, our afternoon tea was served with a selection of savouries and sweets. The savouries were all a little unique in offering with truffle and egg, foie gras tart, asparagus and cucumber, and salmon. They were presented well. I didn't actually care for any of the savouries; none really stood out to me and all tasted a little too strong. We also received a couple of extra items, such as one dry and flavourless cake with guacamole on top and a spinach samosa, which was a little too greasy.

The sweets were "hit or miss" with me. From the top, we had the raspberry and rhubarb cheesecake and a Malabar Marshmallow (bubblegum flavour). I enjoyed the raspberry/rhubarb sauces, but I dislike cheesecake so was never going to appreciate this item. Alternatively, I loved the marshmallow.

On the middle tier, we had a lemon tart, hazelnut and praline choux, and rose and lychee macaroon. I thought that the lemon tart would be my favourite, but it was my least favourite item. I thought the choux and macaroon were delicious. I think my favourite was the macaroon, served with an edible rose petal on top.

The dishware included Shringley's designs, which was pretty simple with text. The little milk dish said "dreams", and the bottom of the teacup said "forget about it", encouraging a relaxing time.

The sugar pot included the simple word "food".

After we finished the savouries and sweets, we had the scones. The scones came out warm with clotted cream and a small pot of blueberry/blackberry/Earl Grey jam and strawberry jam. The scones were a little dry, and we would have appreciated more jam as there was not really enough.

Our final course was one last cake, a Victoria Sponge. The Victoria Sponge was a little lighter and less sugary, and it was made with a large amount of cream and not much jam. I personally prefer it to be a little sweeter with more jam instead of being cream-heavy, but the cake itself was light.

And, since it was my birthday, I received a little birthday message that came with a slice of coffee cake.

If visiting Sketch Gallery, a trip to the toilet is a must. The toilets are little pods in a room above a small domed bar. The toilet room is very colourful and unique with these little pods. These are perfect for selfies and to make Instagram photos.

On the way out, I snapped a photograph of the hopscotch game in the entrance/exit area.

Overall, Sketch afternoon tea was a unique experience to enjoy in the quirky surroundings. It's not my favourite afternoon tea in London, and I think you're really paying for the quirky experience over the quality/taste of the food. I probably would not go again, but I am happy to have experienced it once.

Chin Chin Labs use nitrogen to create tasty ice cream. I visited their branch in Camden several years ago (Chin Chin Labs Nitrogen Ice Cream in Camden), and they launched a new shop in Soho since. I think that the new Soho shop was launched in 2017. I've stopped by a couple of times in Camden and once in Soho. Their Camden shop is a smaller shop that looks very basic and 'factory-like' in appearance, and it only offers a couple of seats. It fits well in the street food market area of Camden. The Soho branch appears like an ice cream parlour with more seating and has a nice finish.

Here's the exterior of the shop in Soho, branded Chin Chin Dessert Club. (This is in contrast to Chin Chin Labs in Camden.)

The winter menu had a cherry pie offering with a scoop of ice cream and dollup of whipped cream, so I gave this a try. The sour cherry filling was very scrummy, though I felt that there was a little too much pie crust. It's not often that I find a nice sour cherry pie, which is more common to America than here in London.

Chin Chin also offer hot chocolates with toasted marshmallow. These were available in the shop and also at their pop-up at Winterville in Clapham Common over the holidays in December. I had one of them during my visit then, and I also had another in their Soho Dessert Club. While the hot chocolate is ok, it is actually the toasted marshmallow that makes it good. The hot chocolate itself isn't that rich or isn't as good as other hot chocolate that I have had.

There's a few more bits and pieces that I'd try at Chin Chin, and they also sell large-sized cakes at their Soho Dessert Club. On my last visit to Camden, I had a red cone with toasted marshmallow. 

If you are interested in Chin Chin ice cream, see my other two write-ups. I can thoroughly recommend the brownie ice cream sandwich, and this has been my favourite of their treats that I have had so far.

Chin Chin Labs Nitrogen Ice Cream in Camden
A Visit to Winterville and Backyard Cinema's Christmas Labyrinth

Almost a year after my first visit to Alto by San Carlo in Selfridges (see my first visit here: Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges), I visited again at the end of March. I really enjoyed the pistachio cake that I had on my first visit and wanted to try some of their other dishes, and I was in the area for a late lunch, and it seemed like a great chance to plan my visit. Alto by San Carlo is an Italian restaurant located on Selfridges rooftop. In the past, the restaurant on the rooftop of Selfridges changed according to the season, but this restaurant has been in residence for a couple of years now.

The restaurant was decorated for the autumn and winter months when I visited, but the menu is also not seasonal anymore.

I had the following dishes: truffle chips, Melanzane Parmigiana (layers of aubergine, parmasan, and tomato), and a cocktail called "An Hour Back", which contained Limoncello, Vodka, and raspberry. 

I also kept room for dessert for the pistachio cake that I had last year (Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges) and regarded as the best dessert that I had. This time, however, it didn't have much flavour at all and didn't taste much like pistachio like it did last year. I suppose that this may be due to using less pistachio, or the pistachios do not have much flavour because they are seasonal? Also, it didn't contain the blueberries on top like last time and contained crushed pistachio instead.

Overall, the food was decent this time, but it wasn't as good as it was on my previous visit. Unfortunately, it just was not consistent.

After a difficult couple of months and some changes, I needed to buy some new beauty products for new routines. For the past year (until the beginning of March this year), I've primarily been working from home on two projects with extremely tight deadlines. Since I didn't need to go out and would not leave the house for days as there were many days where I'd just wake, work, and sleep, I got used to not worrying about make-up and not having time for it. These circumstances have now changed, and I am going into an office now for most of the week, so I needed some new beauty products and felt like treating myself with some new ones.

First up, I bought a few items from I Heart Revolution, a beauty brand that I have purchased from before. They had an offer on for their birthday that you would receive a free gift if you spent over a certain amount. So, I picked up the following items.

I Heart Revolution Sprinkles Blusher/Highlighter: This set of blusher-highlighter contains flecks to help add dimension to cheeks and corners of eyes or wherever you wish to use them. The colours can be used individually or blended together.

I Heart Revolution Fixing Spray in 'guava & rose': This fixing spray promises to help keep your make-up in place throughout the day. There are a couple of different scents available, and I bought the guava and rose scent.

I Heart Revolution 'Starry Eyed': This attractive glittery case (see the first photo above for a better photograph) was what really attracted me to this product, and there are a couple of other designs with different colours. This pallette contains a lot of blue-turquoise colours, which match my eye colour and also look good next to the bronze.

I Heart Revolution 'Blushing Hearts': This is a triple-baked blusher product with three different colours of highlighter-blush provided to mix or use separately to achieve your style.

In addition, the I Heart Revolution beauty range included a free product in Superdrug when I purchased over a certain amount of products. The above products came in a box and were some of their best-selling products. The products in this box are pictured above:

I Heart Revolution Strobe Highlighter Moon Glow Lights: This highlighter helps to capture an illumination strobe effect when worn.

I Heart Revolution Retro Luxe Kits Metallic Sovereign Liquid Lips: This product contains a lip liner and a lip liquid, so the liner can be used to outline the lip and the liquid to fill it in to create a metallic effect, which is perfect for the evening or a party.

I Heart Revolution Rose Gold Lipstick Chauffeur: This product comes in a beautiful rose gold metallic container, and it is a muted pink-rose shade of lipstick. This colour will go well for me with any outfit, and it's a suitable colour for me to wear.

I Heart Revolution Redemption Palette 'Iconic Elements' Eyeshadow Palette: These natural tones in different medium to dark tones are a perfect palette for everyday wear. They work well blended together, and the palette is a popular one with very wearable colours.

I go through a lot of foundation, so I bought three new ones with a goal to check them out to see which is the best one for me. Last time I purchased Rimmel, I thought that the foundation had decent coverage, so I thought that I would try them again but decided to try different ranges. All of these come with sun protection. Lasting Finish, Lasting Finish Breathable, and Match Perfection were the three options. I got one with a slightly lighter shade because my skin is a little lighter coming out of the winter months.

INC.redible Jelly Shot Lip Quencher in 'Ex-revenge' and 'Watch Me Go': These lip products help moisturise the lips and act as balms as well as help to add a bit of gloss and colour to lips. The 'Watch Me Go' looks like a green colour, but it leaves a subtle pink on the lips. The 'Ex-Revenge' is a clear/transparent colour with gold flakes in it. These products contain little flowers inside them.

Of course, watch my "empties" posts to see what i thought of the products, though it will take me a little while to use all of these products up.

Santa Barbara Castle is located in Alicante on the top of a steep hillside. The castle, which can be seen from the city as it towers above, can be visited. The castle dates to the 9th century and dates from when Spain was under the control of Islamic people. The castle was captured by the Arabs in 1248 and then named after Santa Barbara because the day it was captured was the feast day of this saint. 

The castle saw its fair bit of battle and then became a prison in the 18th century. In 1963, the castle opened to tourists. Tourists can walk up the mountain (as I did) or take a lift up at a small fee; this lift is free for older people. The lift is also free to use when descending the castle. 

There are stunning views over Alicante from the castle.

Have you ever visited this castle at Alicante in Spain?