April 2023 Archives

I'm a little bit late writing this post from last year, but I wanted to post about my exprience to VIP Cineworld in Stratford. This was the first time that I have been to a VIP screening at Cineworld, and I am a member of the Cineworld Unlimited card. This helps to give discounts at restaurants and snacks at the cinema. Card holders can also get other benefits, such as advanced screenings of films and discounts for VIP or upgrade to IMAX. I decided to try it out. The VIP experience allows visitors to have food before the screening, and visitors can get as much popcorn and drinks as they wish during the screening. 

The was a selection of hot food and desserts. However, these were not the best quality food items. It was set up as a buffet, and hot food kept coming out when it was ready. I ate the chicken curry dishes with rice but little else; there was pasta as well. I am vegetarian but do eat chicken sometimes, and there were certainly more options there. There was also a range of desserts, but these were standard as well and not the best quality.

I always like popcorn at the cinema. They had free salt and sweet, but there wasn't a lot of flavour to the popcorn. I guess that they have to watch the budgets at these buffets, so items are not the best quality.

Would I go again? No, I don't think it was really worth it in my opinion, but I think it would definitely suit others who wish to have a bit more of a meal before going into the screening.

Welcome to my fall and winter 2022 edition of empty products that I have used up in the past seasons as I get through my skin and beauty care products. The purpose of this post is that I wanted to post products that I used up to help me remember which ones I would purchase again, and it may help others with deciding which products to purchase too.

Bath and Body Works Liplicious Lip Gloss in "Maple Sugar": The lip gloss is a brown shade in colour, and it is high gloss but is sticky. The autumnal "Maple" scent was delicious. Would I buy it again? Yes. The product is sticky, but I would consider a re-purchase of this colour or another one.

The Body Shop 'British Rose' Body Scrub and Body Butter: I received the body butter and body scrub as a gift one year along with some other bath products of the same scent, and I finally used up the last. The scrub was not worth it as it didn't actually scrub and was more of a gel. The body butter had a nice scent, and the scent was not over-powering. However, it did not really absorb into the skin. Would I buy it again? No.

The Body Shop 'Sweet Lemon' Body Scrub: I love the lemon scent and the scrub, which does leave skin smelling of lemon and soft after use. Would I buy it again? Yes, I would buy this scent too.

Lush Vanishing Cream: This cream helps to keep skin with moisture. The product absorbs into skin, but it must be used up quickly or it will dry out or being clumpy. Would I buy it again? Yes, but only if I was able to justify it to use it up.

Bath and Body Works hand soap in 'Fresh Balsam': I love this brand, and I love the seasonal soaps and products. I purchased this for the guest bathroom, and it was a treat to use over Christmas. I got many good comments. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Balance Me moisturising body wash: This body wash had a lovely scent and was a treat to use in the shower. I enjoyed the product. Would I buy it again? No, but that is only due to the fact that I have other brands that I use that I prefer. This is still a good product.

Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask: I loved this product. It easily absorbed into the skin and softened the skin. I loved the scent of the product too. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Aliver Exfoliating foot mask in 'Lavender': This product acts like a sock dripped in moisturising oils that smell slightly of lavender. The product is meant to help moisturise and exfoliate feet. Would I buy it again? No, it did not work for me.

Opatra Nourishing Day Cream: The product absorbed into the skin and had a nice scent, and this helped to keep my skin moisturised. Would I buy it again? I would consider it, yes.

Heidi Klum eye liner in 'Licorice': This eye liner is a black-green colour, and I like the colour on my eyes, but it was a little difficult to apply and clumpy. Would I buy it again? No.

COBigelow Rose Salve lip gloss: This lip gloss also works as a moisturiser and leaves lips nourished. The product smells of rose, and I loved the scent and the product. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Bath & Body Works shower gel in 'Bonfire Bash': This is an autumnal offering of shower gel, and the product smells like marshmallow and sugary but smokey bonfire season in the U.K. In America, it's all about the bonfire with cooking marshmallows. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Bee Good Hydrate Smooth and Prime Serum: This serum helps to keep skin nourished. However, the product was too clumpy and did not apply well for me. Would I buy it again? No.

The White Company shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, and body lotion in 'Noir': This is a lovely grown-up scent with sandalwood and amber. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Miss Sporty French Manicure: This is a white nail polish, which takes several coats to apply. Would I buy it again? No, the product does not dry quickly and takes several coats.

Chapstick: This chapstick promises to keep moisturised lips, which is an issue in winter. Would I buy it again? No, there are better brands that absorb into the skin more. This one did not absorb well.

Clinique moisture surge: This product promises to deep moisturise skin, especially dry skin. Would I buy it again? No, I have gone off this brand and find that other products tend to work just as good or better.

Frizz-Ease Hair Serum thermal protection: This product is used before straightening hair to help keep it protected. Would I buy it again? No, I found it too oily for my hair type.

BFFLove bath salt in 'cherry blossom': Bath salts help the body when soaked, and this has a cherry blossom scent. Would I buy it again? No, I've used much better bath salt.

Nails Inc Special Effect in 'London Lane': This nail polish is a glittery one with blue glitter, and I enjoyed wearing it in January to bring a pop of colour. Would I buy it again? No, the product dried out too quickly and was a pain to apply to nails and a pain for it to dry.

Burts Bees hand cream: This hand cream is made from natural products and helps to noiurish skin. Would I buy it again? No, iI found it to be too oily and left a residue behind.

The Body Shop candied lip balm in 'gingerbread': A Christmas offering, this gingerbread-scented lip balm kept lips moisturised in the winter months. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Nuxe Prodigieux: This product softens and nourishes skin, and it has a beautiful orange blossom scent to keep skin smlling nice. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Around the corner from Petticoat Lane is the Bell pub, and this wall has been a regular for street artist Zabou over the past few years. At the end of last year, Zabou created a collaboration mural with street artist JimmyC. The title of the peiece is "Self Reflection" and features Ninette Osei. Zabou's style is realistic, and the realism can be seen in the portrait to the right. JimmyC's work is more expressive and features the subject rendered in dots.

More artwork by JimmyC that I have posted about in this blog are:

JimmyC Street Art - Spring
JimmyC Paints "Vaccine Nation" Street Art in Shoreditch
London Cityscape at Blackfriars by JimmyC
JimmyC Swan Street Art by Borough Market
JimmyC Updates South Bank Shakespeare Mural
JimmyC Paints Wall of Hearts to Honour Victims of Borough Market Attack
JimmyC Paints "Royal Wedding" Mural for St. Christopher's Place
Mick's Hands
'Open the Mind'
JimmyC Redchurch Street Heart
JimmyC Paints Shakespeare on South Bank
Street Artist JimmyC Paints Caledonian Road
RIP David Bowie & An Afternoon in Brixton
New Mural in Ever-Changing Shoreditch by JimmyC
New 'Spring Offering' Mural by Bailon and Sliks (JimmyC, Zadok Sonar Uno)
New JimmyC Mural on Joe's Kid (Cafe), Fashion Street
JimmyC Street Art - New Inn Yard, Brick Lane, Hackney Road
New Street Art by JimmyC
Street Art: JimmyC

Other artwork by Zabou on this blog can be seen in the below posts:

Zabou Street Art in Penge
Zabou - Gordon Gibbens in Penge
Zabou Refreshes Brick Lane and Salvador Dali Artwork
Zabou Paints "Good Vibes"
Zabou Paints "Sisters" on Kingsland Road
Zabou Paints Audrey Hepburn on Brick Lane
Zabou: "Jack the Ripper" Street Art
Zabou: 'Racism is a Virus' Street Art
New Murals by Zabou in East London (Clockwork Orange, Sherlock, David Bowie)
Zabou "The Shining" and Refresh of Salvador Dali in Spitalfields
Villana and Zabou Collaborate on Amy Winehouse Street Art
Zabou paints Sid Vicious from 'The Sex Pistols'
Zabou Paints Freda #2 at Broadway Market
Zabou Paints Salvador Dali on Commercial Road
Koeone and Zabou Collaborate
"Keep Out!" Street Art by Zabou
Zabou's 'Cabinet of Curiosity' Street Art
Leake Street Tunnels Street Art, Spring 2016
Recent Street Art by Zabou
Street Art: Zabou

Most of my readers may have noticed that I have not been publishing as much as usual for a few months. The reason for this is that I've had to take a little bit of a break from my blog and do not have the content written and ready to publish, although I still do have a lot of street art left to post. However, I have struggled with the time to post content and also getting out of the house to have nw adventures and to visit new places. This was not my intention, but work has taken over to a large extent here as my hours are consumed by that, and I've also had some personal goals to achieve that are not related to my blog. Although I have not been going out to gather more content recently, I do not wish to give up on my blog as it has allowed me to have some release and interest and meaning. I will be continuing to publish, even though it may be a little quieter.

Spring has gone in the blink of an eye here, and the weather has been less than ideal. The coronation is coming up, and things are starting to look promising. I have not been able to get out and see the spring blossoms, but I do hope that readers will enjoy my recent visit to Eactcote House Gardens.

Please keep with me until things quiet down and I am able to post more regularly and have new content.

Street artist Irony, who is known for creating reaistic-looking murals featuring animals or people, painted an anglefish in Penge. The palcement of this piece is wonderful because it is located in a narrow lane between buildings. These fish lead other fish to their doom by luring them in with a lantern or light. Unknowingly, they follow the light to meet their doom. This anglefish seems to lure people into this narrow alleyway.

More street art by Irony (collaborations or otherwise) on this blog:

Irony Paints Molly the Dog in Penge
Irony Street Art in Penge - dog, cat and other work
Badger Street Art in Penge by Boe and Irony
Portrait Street Art by Irony in Camden
Boe and Irony at Upfest 2018
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Meeting of the Styles 2018
David Bowie and Brixton Street Art
Street Art by JimmyC, Boe & Irony, Trust Icon, and Others on Paradise Row
Street Art: Artista, DecoLife, Binty Bint, Ino, Irony, Pixie, SeaPuppy

Street artist Irony painted a mural in Penge with Molly the bull terrier dog as the model in January of 2020. The mural is painted on the front of a wooden gate and featurs the dog with a spreay can in her mouth. Irony's work mainly features animals but can also feature portraits of people. This is a stunning portrait of the dog.

More street art by Irony (collaborations or otherwise) on this blog:

Irony Street Art in Penge - dog, cat and other work
Badger Street Art in Penge by Boe and Irony
Portrait Street Art by Irony in Camden
Boe and Irony at Upfest 2018
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Meeting of the Styles 2018
David Bowie and Brixton Street Art
Street Art by JimmyC, Boe & Irony, Trust Icon, and Others on Paradise Row
Street Art: Artista, DecoLife, Binty Bint, Ino, Irony, Pixie, SeaPuppy

In the summer of 2021, Laylas Murals painted a wall around the corner from Penge East station, injecting colour and personality into this part of London. The mural features a Staffordshire terrier paying with bubbles on a colourful green background. The artwork is located in a residential road, and no doubt that it brings a smile to many faces who enjoy walking their dogs.

In the summer of 2020, street artist Dotmaster painted three walls in a car park in a housing easte around Anerley Park. The walls contain the stenciled pattern and "Rude Kids" stencil styles with the children interacting in different ways, such as grafitti and spray painting framed portraits, fighting over a toy, making rude gestures, and using mobile devices. The artist, Leon Sussix, has been painting London's streets from the 1990s. 

For more street art by Dotmaster on this blog, see:

Street Art in Penge by Dotmaster
Eine and Dotmasters Collaborate in Camden
Eine and Dotmasters on Ebor Street

Dotmaster (Leon Sessix) is a London-based street artist and is known to create a few different styles of street art with influence on grafitti and graphic design. He started to paint in the early 1990s in Brighton and was inspired by stencil artists such as Nemo. His work usuaully evokes humour. I captured a few pieces from the artist in Penge. 

The first style from the artist is the depiction of trash, which blends into the street. There are two of these along the main street in Penge.

A second style, which is often seen around east London, is the "rude kids" featuring children in rebellious poses or actions. This could be sticking up the middle figner, spray-painting grafitti, or something else.

The third style is "dot2dot", which are black and white and appear to be based on the connect-the-dots type of books or games for children.

More posts featuring the work of Dotmaster on this blog can be seen below:

Eine and Dotmasters Collaborate in Camden
Eine and Dotmasters on Ebor Street

Street artist Aspire (Aspire A51) is known for painting murals of birds, although sometimes other animals are featured. Aspire's work is detailed and realistic and brings an element of nature to the city walls and streets. I captured several street art paintings by the artist across Penge on various visits, and below is a sample of the artwork from Aspire that I have managed to capture.

More artwork by Aspire on this blog can be seen below:

Aspire Street Art in Camden
Airbourne Mark and Aspire Collaboration - "Music to Prey To"
Bristol Street Art Round-Up 2018
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
London Street Art Review Round-up 2016

To celebrate a friend's birthday, a group of us went to Home Bar in Ickenham for an Elton John tribute night. We ordered the three-course meal and received a welcome drink. Various faovurites of Elton John's songs were played, although they missed "Yellow Brick Road" (my favourite song) and played "Daniel" twice. Overall, it was a good night followed music afterwards. Some of the style of music was a little too old for my taste (a lot of 1980s), but I enjoyed the other music. 

We received a welcome cocktail on arrival. It was fruity and tasted good.

I ordered the vegetarian options. I actually forgot to take a photo of my main, but it was a vegetarian risotto.  

I ordered a cocktail, which had a kick of spice to it and which was very good. 

We listened to the Elton John tribute act sing and play piano.

For dessert, I had the cherry and chocolate cake.

I was exhausted after a long week of working, but it was an enjoyable night. 

While in Munich for work in February, I spent a little bit of time exploring on the weekends. One of the places that I visited was Munich Residenz. The Munich Residenz (Munich Residence) was a residence and government office of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings from 1508 to 1918. The building, which was originally a castle, was transformed in the late-1300s into a palace with courtyards, fountains, and a grotto over the decades. The palace was the principle seat of government from the House of Wittelsbach; it opened to the public in 1920. There are over 130 rooms on display with Renaissance, Rococo, Early Baroque, and Neoclassic styles. The building suffered great damage after World War II, so some of the artwork had to be reconstructed.

The building is located in the northern part of the city centre, and it's quite a large complex with interior courtyard.

The northern side of the palace contains gardens.

A statue of Poseidan (Neptune), the god of the oceans, greets visitors toward the entrance. After entering, I paid in the gift shop and then started the self-guided tour.

One of the most beautiful rooms was the Ancestral Gallery of the House of Wittelsbach. The room is considered to be one of the masterpieces of South German Rococo. Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria, Charlemagne, and the first duke have portraits here. The room has gilded decorations and beautiful ceiling paintings.

The Grotto Courtyard was created under Wilhelm V, and it was built in the late 1500s and inspired by Italian Renaissance gardens. It shows the gods of Olympus and Ovid's Metamorphoses and is created from shells and crystals.

The next room, which is off the grotto, is a long room called the Antiquarium. It was built in the mid-1500s to show off antiquities. It is the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps. A royal table would have sat in front of the fireplace at the head of the hall when the Duke wanted to dine publicly. A small collection of sculptures and fine china with blue and yellow colours can be seen here. The long room is decorated beautifully with paintings decorating the rows of arches and ceiling.

On the other side of the hallway is a sculpture called Venus Monacensis, known as Munich's goddess. Venus is attempting to cover herself with drapery in this puece by Antonio Canova, whose work was very popular in Europe.

The Black Hall was up next, named such due to the black door frames.

The Chapel, known as the former Cecilia Chapel, was destroyed in the second World War. It dated from the late-1600s, and it was inspired by oval Italian churches. There were some fine examples of china and trinkets around, such as a tea set and other items.

After this room, I came upon a series of lavishly-decorated rooms - such as antechambers and dining rooms. These form the Electoral apartments, which are in Rococo style. The elected would live in the apartments here. 

The Court Church of All Saints was commissioned and built by King Ludwig I in the mid-1800s. It suffered much damage in the second World War and was not open until 2003.

The next set of rooms on display are the Court Garden and Charlotte Chambers. Connecting corridors were created with apartments leading off. 

No palace is complete without a music room.

A model of the palace could also be viewed in one of the rooms here.

The Ornate Rooms were lavishly decorated in the mid-1700s by Emperor Karl VII, and they represent ceremonial events with splendour and status. The Conference Chamber is designed in a similar style, and this room was for private audiences.

The Green Gallery is a picture gallery built in the mid-1700s after the Ornate Rooms. The ceiling details were destroyed in the war.

The State Bedroom was not a private bedroom by the elector. It was used for representative purposes.

The State Bedroom leads off to two lavish rooms - the Cabinet of Mirrors and the Cabinet of Miniatures.

Cloakroom.

Red Room and Heart Cabinet; the bedroom was destroyed in 1944 but was a very private room.

Queen Mother's Staircase

Queen's Throne Room

The King's Reception Room has influences of Pompeii wall paintings.

King's Throne Room

Wedding Hall - depicts scenes from the Saxons and Danes disputes. There are a few of these rooms called the Nibelungen Halls, which contain the frescoes depicting the various scenes of the medieval poem "Nibelungenlied", an epic German heroes tale.

The Nibelungen Halls were beautiful and depicted several scenes from the poem. The Hall of Vengeance depicts the last part in the "Nibelungenlied" with the battle between Burgundians and the Huns and the downfall of the Burgundians.  

Several additional rooms contained various displays of items, such as pottery and ceramics. I did not linger in this area too long.

I enjoyed my visit to Residenz in Munich. There were many rooms to explore, and many of the rooms were decorated beautifully. For those interested in other places to visit in Munich, check out Nymphenburg Palace.

Israeli bakery Donutelier by Roladin opened its doors at the end of last year, bringing a range of designer doughnuts to London's streets. The bakery is located on Charing Cross Road, around the corner from Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Their doughnuts are famous in Israel with special seasonal ones for Hanukkah. I visited in time to try the Easter treats as they do bring out seasonal designs, and the Easter selection includes vanilla, chocolate, or pistachio doughnuts with a chocolate and almond egg nest on top. 

I had the pistachio one as pistachio is one of my favourite flavours. It did not disappoint. The doughnut itself is light and flufffy, and it was packed full of filling - a pistachio cream. I also had a hot chocolate to wash it down with.

I also photographed some of the other options on the menu.

The cafe is located at the corner of Charing Cross Road and Great Newport Street, so literally near Leicester Square and Covent Garden. I walked down from Tottenham Court Road.

After having the doughnut in the cafe, I bought two more to take away to try and to offer to a friend. I bought the Pink Royal, a doughbut that tastes a lot like an English Eton Mess with raspberry, cream, and meringe. I also bought the Chocolate Sprinkles, which is a sweet chocolate doughnut covered with multi-coloured sprinkles; it looks like a celebration birthday cake.

After the doughnut, I had a walk to Covent Garden and admired the different floral displays, including a special "Peter Rabbit" theme for Easter.

Happy Easter to all of my readers.

Ham House is located near Richmond in southwest London, and I visited it for the second time today. My first visit was during the lockdown, and the house was closed. Today, I got to visit inside the house for the first time. The house is one of the best examples of Stuart houses, and it was a gift from King Charles I in 1626. It was built in 1610. Much of the interior of the house dates from the 17th century, and it is a rare example to this time period. 

This was my first visit to a National Trust property so far this year, and it was good to get out and enjoy nature and see something new. However, being a Bank Holiday meant that the area was extremely busy with many people visiting the house but many more strolling along the Thames, where the house is situated. 

The first room entered is the Great Hall with esquisite marble flooring and the Round Gallery above.

The Great Hall

The Great Staircase

North Drawing Room

The library was sealed off in a room that you could peek in behind glass. I did not realise that I caught the reflection of someone not wanting to wait their turn to have a peek in.

Queen's Bedchambers

Long Gallery

Queen's Bedchambers

Chapel

Withdrawing room

Dining room

Duchess' Bedchamber

Private bathroom

Kitchen

Sugar cones in the kitchen. This is how sugar was purchased.

Dried flowers

After exploring the house, I had a quick wander around the grounds. The tulips were coming out, and the daffodils were just past their peak.

See my previous visits to Ham House on this blog below:

Winter Visit to Ham House (National Trust, London): Lockdown Edition

A couple of years ago during the first easing of the pandemic year, I visited Exmoor in Devon. In the village or Porluck, which is on the eastern edge of Exmoor, I came across Whortleberry Tea Room. I had a scone and jam. This was the first place that I tried whortleberry jam. I had never heard of whortleberry, but it is also called huckleberry and whinberry. It's very similar to the blueberry, and it looks like a blueberry. I found that it tasted like a blueberry to me, but apparently it is a little bit stronger in flavour. 

The scone was served with jam and clotted cream and tasted nice.

I hope to re-visit Whortleberry Tea Room again in the future.

Street artist Ben Eine painted a "tunnel" under buildings on Manette Street, leading into Soho in London. The artwork was painted last June, but I've only just been to visit it. On the wall opposite is an abstract work with a Lego man. I'm unsure who painted those, but Eine's "Soho" fits into the street it his iconic and colourful typeface style.

More street art by street artist Ben Eine on this blog can be seen below:

Eine and Nerone Collaborate on "Unity" Street Art in Penge
Eine and Dotmaster's "Chase Your Dreams" in Camden
"I Don't Like This Anymore" Ebor Street Collaboration with Eine and Dotmaster
New Ben Eine Street art "Love" in 2019
Ben Eine "Peace is Possible" Street Art
Street Art: Ben Eine
Ben Eine Paints 'Like Nothing Else' on Ebor Street
Ben Eine Tribute to Grenfell Tower Victims
Ben Eine 'Last Days of Shoreditch'
Ben Eine New Street Art Summer 2016
Ben Eine 'Extortonists' Refresh

London-based street artist Woskerski painted an advertisement on Hanbury Street last summer. Normally, I do not like to feature advertisements, but I am doing so because Woskerski's work usually features around London in a silly and expressive style. In this piece, different objects have merged into the wall, keeping in line with the style of the artist's work.

More street art by Woskerski on this blog can be seen below:

Woskerski Street Art in Penge
Recent Street Art by Woskerski in East London
Woskerski Street Art in East London
Woskerski Paints Toynbee Street for London Mural Festival
Most Recent Street Art by Woskerski
Street Art: Woskerski
Recent Spring 2018 Woskerski Street Art