October 2023 Archives

Halloween is increasing in popularity in London, and I enjoyed visiting to see what there was to see. I visited Selfridges to see the Halloween treats, and I also purchased a small cookie cake from Blondies with the Halloween theme. The food hall at Selfridges was not short of Halloween-themed snacks.

I also ordered a pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie from Blondies; Snickerdoodles are my favourite and it was moist and delicious.

One of the other sellers in the food hall were selling pumpkin pies, which is what I would normally have for Thanksgiving. However, Thanksgiving is not celebrated so they sell the pumpkin-flavoured treats around Halloween.

I also managed to see a few decorations. Annabel's always has decorations, and they did not disappoint. They had a masked face, and the eyes moved and changed from human eyes into fire.

Down the road at Hedonism Wines, they covered their shop in old mirrors and creepy decorations.

I absolutely love Halloween, so I enjoyed seeing the decorations and the treats.

While in London toward the end of September with friends, we had lovely weather. It was unusually warm and sunny. We decided to find a rooftop bar and have a drink. We headed to LSQ Rooftop at Leicester Square. The cocktails are all named after rooftop views or tall structures, such as The Shard, London Eye, Walkie Talkie, or Nelson's Column. I had the London Eye cocktail and ordered a bottle of wine and truffle chips.

The views spanned across London with the London Eye and City skyscrapers in view.

Also, we could see Canary Wharf further in the haze, but we had a good view of London's skyline. There's so many new structures now that the skyline has changed and the Gherkin, which used to be seen prominently, is no longer in view and obscured with other bigger and taller structures.

It was a lovely afternoon with friends.

One of my friends and I went out to Arens restaurant in Ruislip for their special themed Halloween events ahead of the big day. We had meals and cocktails, and they had people dressed up in costume for entertainment. We each had a meal and starters, and we had the Wednesday Adams cocktail, which was dyed black and turned our lips black. There were Halloween gummy candies and gold coins insid with a couple of plastic spiders.

The creme brulee I had for dessert. 

We also had the skull cocktails that we had previously last Halloween, and these came with a syringe and a gummy.

Overall, it was a good night but we did not stay out too late. Happy Halloween!

Street artist Jim Vision, who is very active at painting London's walls, created a new mural over several walls on Grey Eagle Street later this past summer; the work was done in collaboration with other street artists. The walls are made to appear like a comic book and tell a story of "King of Nowhere", a chimpanze character who is shown in different styles based on the collaborations with the other artists.  

Below are some of the street art murals by Jim Vision that I have spotted over the past several years.

Jim Vision and ThisOne Collaborate on Old Street
Jim Vision Street Art in East London
Jim Vision's Street Art Tribute to Stan Lee
Street Art: 2Square, CodeFC, Jim Vision, Mr. Cenz, Peter Drew, Zadok
Jim Vision "Battlechasers" Street Art
Jim Vision "Lost Paradise" and Other Street Art
Jim Vision Adds to Tagged ROA Hedgehog and New Work
HumanNature Endangered13 Street Art Paint Jam, Day 2
New 'Star Wars' Street Art in Shoreditch

Tuesdays are Italian Night in Zaza restaurants, and visitors can get a meal deal of a sharing starter, a main, and a bottle of wine. The wine used to be unlimited, but it is now limited to one bottle of either red or white. I have visited here a few times with my friends, and it is always a fun evening. We ordered pastas and the white wine each. As we are both vegetarian, we ordered the vegtarian sharing starter. This came with breads, mushrooms, olives, mozarella, and slices of tomato. This is pretty good value.

We also had dessert, and I ordered the chocolate brownie. 

The Halloween products have been out for some time now, and Lush has created a lot of new items this year for the big day. Each year, Halloween seems to get more popular. I purchased a few of the items as the cooler winter months mean that times in the bath are welcoming. Mummies, vampires, pumpkins, bats, aliens, skulls, and ghosts all featured.

Ghostie Bath Bomb: This product has popping candy inside it to create a fizzing noise when used in the bath.

Black Rose: This one is not technically Halloween, but it can pass. It is actually one of my favourite bath bombs and smells like rose.

Sparkly Pumpkin shower jelly: This is a fruity scent that livens up shower time.

Pumpkin Spice Melt: These melts get added to the bath and are highly-moisturising and highly-scented. They can also be used as a wax melt. Break off one or two squares for the bath.

Ghost in the Dark soap: This is glow-in-the-dark soap; this product was available in previous years.

Punkin Pumpkin Bath Bomb: This is a citrus-scented bath bomb in the shape of a jack o' lantern pumpkin.

Pumpkin Crumble Bubble Bar: This is a citrus scent, and the product is highly-moisturising as it contains shea butter to soften the bath water.

Alien Bubble Bar: A refreshing scent, bergamont is used for uplifting.

Bonehead Bubble Bar: A minty scented bubble bar shaped like a skull.

Bat Art Bath Bomb, Ghostie Bath Bomb, Screaming Banshee, and Lush Bonehead Bubble Bar

The summer went very quickly this year, and I have not been keeping my blog as up to date as I have done in previous years due to my work situation. I have not wanted to spend more time on front of my laptop as that's what I have been doing all day. So, things that I have enjoyed in my previous life have got a bit neglected this year. Most of the summer was a wash-out and cold. We had a few days of warmer weather here and there, and we had a few glorious days in September. Below is a few things that I managed to get up to.

I ordered some garden furniture, and it took ages to arrive. It finally came in September, just in time for a few days of warm weather. I tried to sit outside as much as possible after work and in the remaining sliver of light before the sun went behind the houses. I would have an ice-cold drink. On the weekends, I would have my lunch or dinner outside. I invited friends over for drinks and dinner too.

In September, I was invited by a friend's daughter to Bingo. This was held at the Ruislip Rugby Club. I nearly got one filled out, and the remaining number I needed was 13! They called 14 instead, and someone else had that number as their last number. Bad luck. Our table did manage to win a few sweets.

Earlier in the summer, I went to Westfield shopping centre, and after looking around the shops for some new clothing (as one big thing is that I am losing weight as I put a lot on especially over the pandemic), I had lunch at Indi-go. It serves traditional Indian food. It was very filling.

I then managed to save room for a miniature pistachio ice cream from Snowflake, which was near to Indi-go.

Of course, I mentioned a lot of lunch or dinner dates with friends. We had several dinner evenings where one of my friends would cook at their house. I hosted a couple of these as well. Everyone likes pasta, and it's quick and easy to make, so these turned out to be pasta evenings.

I did try to walk every day in order to lose weight and get the exercise needed as I have spent so much time in front of computers this year. On the warm evenings after work, I managed to do the long walks that I used to get to do in the last company I worked at because I had a good work-life balance there. I would walk from Ruislip Manor to Eastcote. I did not get to venture the full walk to Pinner this year, however. I did visit Eastcote House Gardens a couple of times.

The yarn-bombed post boxes do pop up every once in a while. I managed to take a photograph of this one by the Royal Mail post office featuring the character "Postman Pat". 

Of course, with autumn coming, the sunrises look spectacular with a lot of colour. The days are getting shorter.

During my walks, I also would visit Ruislip or walk around the local fields to get my exercise. I worked all the way to and around Ruislip Lido as well.

On one of those days with the beautiful weather, I popped into an Indian restaurant or a cocktail bar to get a drink or two and enjoy the warm evening as much as possible.

There was one of the days toward the end of last month that I went to see the butterfly trail with my friends and her daughter, and I suggested Chin Chin Labs for ice cream. Due to autumn starting, they had a special candied corn ice cream treat with pumpkin ice cream. My friend's daughter got a sundae.

After walking around for a little while, we enjoyed cocktails. I ordered a bowl of this cocktail. We ended up in Leicester Square at All Bar One. The cocktail bowl was very colourful with real edible flowers and orange slices.

All year, I kept thinking that work would quiet down, but it has not done. I don't see it quieting down at all now until the end of the project, which may be in March. I am constantly feeling drained and losing motivation. I feel like I do not have much of a social or personal life at the moment.

Last weekend, I visited a couple of groups of friends that I have not seen in awhile, and we met up at their house in Whiteley in Hampshire before walking to the town and having lunch at Bar+Block, which is a steak house primarily. They have vegetarian food and non-steak options for those who (like me) do not eat beef. I had the Chimichurri Mixed Vegetables, which was a huge portion of grilled vegetables in a red pepper-based sauce. I also ordered onion rings to share.

The mocktail was recommended to me; it was the Cherry Bakewell. It tasted like a Bakewell Tart, which has a cherry and almond marzipan taste.

My friends had a voucher that gave each of us a free dessert, and I had the Belgian Chocolate Cookie Dough, which was served with ice cream and can in an iron skillet. It was delicious.

Overall, we ate well and then caught up, and it was great to see my friends again.

Stainsby Mill is part of the Hardwick Estate and is maintained by the National Trust. The mill is located in Derbyshire and part of the wider Hardwick Estate. A mill stood on this site since the 13th century. The mill became run down in the mid-1800s, so it was partially rebuilt. It was opened to the public in the early 1990s. Visitors can see the mill and get a tour from one of the guides on how the mill works. The tour guides were vry friendly and knowledgeable, and they explained how the mill operated and a brief history. The water wheel was not working, but it was under repair at the time of visit and expected for the work to be completed by late summer.

There is not a lot of room to park for the mill, but there is parking outside and a short walk to the mill.

We were first taken to the back of the building and then looked at the water wheel. 

And we were told about the grinding stones and how these stones had different grooves and made from different stone in France.

W were then shown the interior and explained how it works.

And the drying floor...

The tour was good and the guides knowledgable. This was my first visit to the mill.

"The Butterfly Trail" is an immersive mixed reality trail that visitors can visit for free. The location of the trail is next to Tottenham Court Road station in the relatively new Now Building, and it was designed by Pixel Artworks. There are two rooms to explore, and both rooms are covered with television screens across the walls and ceilings, making the audience feel completely immersed. With their mobile phones, visitors can release butterflies and see an updated counter of all the butterflies released by others on the day. Visitors can also hold a butterfly in their hand.

The immersive reality was set around a greenhouse and a professor's study with virtual butterflies. Visitors could easily explore and locate new things.

Th immersive butterfly experience will be shown until near the end of the year, and it was widely discussed. I visited with friends and one of their daughters.

While I was looking through some of my unpublished posts, I discovered some of Nymas Gardens. I primarily took photographs in the gardens at the height of summer on a beautful summery day. I took the photographs last year once some of the lockdown restrictions had lifted and some of the house was open to the public. 

Additional posts about Nymans can be seen below:

Nyman's Gardens in Autumn
A Visit to Nymans (National Trust, West Sussex): Lockdown Edition

In the middle of September, Frieze Sculpture returned to Regent's Park for 2023, and the sculptures are on display until the middle of November. Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park is in its twelfth year this year; the sculptures used to be displayed from July, but this changed during the pandemic, and they are shown for the autumn months to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair in October. I recently visited and enjoyed seeing the different range of sculptures this year. 

Here is a run down of the sculptures for 2023.

Suhasini Kejriwal - Garden of Un-earthly Delights: These painted bronze sculptures appear like painted cactus plants.

Hans Rosenstrom - Unfolding Silence: This installation includes an accompanying soundscape in a secluded area with a stone podium bird bath and a broze ear in the centre. 

Amy Stephens - Waking Matter: This sculpture celebrates nature by showing off a piece of marble on top of a steel pedestal. It shows the natural with constructd steel.

Holly Stevenson - The Debate: The sculptures are created in ceramic and show two geese with an oversized egg.

Zak Ove - The Mothership Connection: The large totem of a rocketship is brightly painted with African and Caribbean style colours and masks, which tell the story of lost cultures.

Temitayo Ogunbiyi - You will carry dreams, memories, and new beginnings (48 days): Lagos-based artist included casts of 48 grinding stones to map a 48-day walk from Lagos to London.

Hank Willis Thomas - All Power to All People: This artwork shows an African pick and 'Black Power' salute for empowerment.

Tony Matelli - Sleepwalker: This shows a sleepwalking man, which represents a sense of crisis as being physically present but not in mind.

Catherine Czudej - Fat Man with Flowers 2 and Man Kneeling with Flowers: These are balloon sculptures.

Josh Smith - Friend: This bronze sculpture depicts the grim reaper, which is a symbol of death.

Yuichi Hirako - Yggdrasill / Books: The character symbolises nture on top of a stack of books.

Li Li Ren - To find a way home: The two abov sculptures were accompanied with a few scattered amongst the grass. There were six in total created from bronze and aluminium and depict sea creatures.

Leilah Babirye - Gyagenda: This bronze sculpture depicts a community of queer Buganda clanspeople. It translates to young people going out into a wider world. 

Gülsün Karamustafa - Monument for the 21st Century: This is a red plinth. 

Louise Nevelson - Model for Celebration II: This includes angular shapes and symbolises darkness.

Ayse Erkmen - Model for a Moss Column: The large totem sculpture is wrapped in moss and draws a line with a connection to nature.

Tomas Saraceno - Silent Autumn: This sculpture has autumnal colours, which depict the changing leaves.

Ghada Amer - My body my choice: This sculpture explores identity through culture and religion with understandings of the self.

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA - Material (SG): This British-Nigerian artist used the steel sculpture to signify issues of race and class the sculpture is created to appear as if a piece of fabric in the wind.

This wraps it up for Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park for 2023. For previous years, see my posts below:

Frieze Sculpture 2022
Frieze Sculpture 2021
Frieze Sculpture 2020
Frieze Sculpture 2019
Frieze Sculpture 2018
Frieze Art Fair 2017

Hello, readers! Craft Gin Club is a monthly subscription box for lovers of gin. It includes a full-sized bottle of gin, mixers, snacks, and a "Ginned!" magazine with cocktail and food recipes featuring gin. This post features October's box, which just arrived. This month's full bottle featured gin is from Mexico and celebrates the festival Day of the Dead. The gin is Condesa Gin Sahumerio, which was created for Craft Gin Club. The ingredients are marigold flower and Mexica copal bark, which are used in Day of the Dead rituals. It is a smokey and floral flavour.

The October Craft Gin Club box came with the following mixers and snacks:

Britvic Indian Tonic Water: This tonic pairs with the gin of the month and is a popular tonic with a citrus and slight bitter taste.

Karma Orangeade: This orange drink is made from Mexican oranges, and some of the profits goes to charity to support education and communities of Sierra Leon.

Blanco Nino Smokey Chipotle nachos: I love nachos, so I was happy to get these in the box, and they go along with the Mexican theme. They are created the traditional Mexican way with fresh ingredients.

Hip Pop Passionfruit and Guava CBD Kombucha: These are tasty drinks for the stomach and are low calorie and gluten-free. It is one of the mixers with the gin.

Tony's Chocolonely Littl' Bits - Milk Caramel Sea Salt and Biscuit Mix:  The chocolate uses good quality ingredients and is passionate about helping the cocoa farmers and stamping out modern day slavery.

Lonewolf Original Juniper Gin:  This gin is made from a vodka base and uses juniper from Tuscany.

LOVE Corn Sea Salt: This dried corn snack is addictive and one of my staple snacks. It uses natural ingredients. 

Margarita Cocktail Syrup: This cocktail syrup is created by Craft Gin Club to create the monthly cocktail, which pairs with the gin of the month. It is a citrusy flavour.

Orage Slices: Orange slices are used as a garnish to pair with the gin and Britvic Indian Tonic water.

I was invited by neighbours and friends to Middlesex Stadium for an evening with ladies' known as Bare Essentials. This featured one of my friends and neighbours entertaining with a drag queen and another entertainer. I went with a group of neighbours. The event took place on a Friday night, and we enjoyd some bubbles. I had skipped lunch due to being over-worked, which was not a good idea and there was not much food on offer. I managed to get some nachos and a brownie. 

We were seated in the VIP section as my neighbour is married to one of the entertainers.

Overall, we had a great time.

What a fun night!

"I want someone to look at me the way I look at pizza" is the pink neon sign that lights up the interior of the restaurant seating area of L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. This pizzeria is a chain with the original being founded in Naples, the birthplace of pizza. The pizzeria in Naples started operating in the late 1800s and had a cult following. Da Michele family have been making pizzas for five generations. The pizzas are made from the best natural ingredients and is well-known in Naples. The pizzeria in London in Soho opened at the beginning of 2020. I visited the pizzeria for lunch toward the end of September. 

Today's post covers my visit to Auckland Castle in Bishop's Auckland, County Durham. I visited the castle in the middle of August and had a good look around. First, I'll discuss a brief history of the castle. This castle replaced Durham Castle as the official residence of the bishops of Durham in the 1800s, but the castle history dates to the 12th century. It was popular as a deer park, and a house was set up at the end of th 1100s. The house had additional rooms added onto it, including a chapel, great hall, and defensive walls. This medieval building was replaced by a new castle in the 1600s. The castle sits amongst 800 acres of deer park and woodland. The castle was reopened to visitors in 2019 and restored with funding and has a couple of additional museums under construction; it hopes to bring people into the town for a longer duration of time. 

Access to the castle is through a gated archway, and down the hillside on the left is the walled garden. There was construction work happening, and the walled garden did not look too interesting from above, so I gave it a miss.

I entered the castle, and the first part of the castle to visit is the chapel, known as St. Peter's Chapel. This chapel is at the heart of the castle and has been used for over 350 years. It was created from the remains of the medieval Great Hall.

After seeing the chapel, it was a walk across another room to the staircase.

The throne room was the next room to visit, and it was constructed in the early 1800s.

The Long Dining Room was the next room to see, and it features a collection of paintings calld Twelve Sons, which feature "Jacob and his twelve sons". This features a set of twelve of originally thirteen paintings. All but one of the paintings (the thirteenth) were purchased, and a replica of the unpurchased painting was created. The paintings date from the 1700s. The paintings were offered to be sold in 2001, but they were saved in 2011 and donated to Auckland Castle Trust to enable the public to view them. Prior to this, the paintings could only be seen on arrangement.

Afterwards, I checked out another room of paintings.

Next to see were some rooms of the Bishop, and these held paintings and other interesting items.

Th Bishop's Study features a layout from the late 1930s with the bishop standing against dictators (namely Hitler) and standing against war. The bishop helped to stand up for Jewish people and attempting to bring together unity for all. Another room off this study mentions that the bishop's wife planned events for the community and supported rights of miners. She held a party for the miners and their families.

The additional rooms featured the bishop's private rooms along with history through the ages. The bishop and his family still live in one of the wings of the castle.

When I visited the castle, there was an art exhibition to also see, and the exhibition was about the seven sins. I saw a lot of artwork relating to the seven deadly sins (from the Bible), and Tracey Emin "It was Just a Kiss" was one of the pieces in neon. I captured a few of the artworks below.

The Deer Park features the Deer House, which is also worth a visit to see. I covered the deer house here: Deer House at Auckland Castle

Auckland Castle Deer House is located in the deer park at Auckland Castle in County Durham. The deer house was built to give deer food and shelter, and it also provides visitors with a place to sit and enjoy the views while taking a break from hunting or to enjoy time socially in the park. It was built in 1760 and is a Gothic Revival architecture style.

The deer house is located in the park about a ten or fifteen minute walk from the castle. 

Th interior has a row of columns and an open area in the centre, which cannot be accessed but which can be viewed from the house.

The open area below is where the deer would go, but it is blocked off.

The deer house is easy to access and near the bottom of a small hill. The building is managed by English Heritage.