May Photo a Day

I have been waiting for the start of a new month so I can start doing this 'Photo a Day' thing that is all over Twitter, various blogs etc. I love the idea that you snap away on your iphone/smartphone every day and upload a photo a day to correspond with the list. I found a photo list for May on an Australian blog called Fat Mum Slim via another blog I love called A Beach Cottage. I have uploaded the list from Fat Mum Slim below so if anyone else is up for the challenge, check out the list below.

So from tomorrow, and for every day in May, I will  be taking a photo and uploading it here and also on Twitter (#photoadaymay) and Pinterest to correspond with whatever is on the list for that particular date. I am probably mostly excited about this because of my somewhat obsessive use of Instagram at the moment, but I also think it's a great way to connect to other bloggers around the world. It will also give me a focus for the photos I'm taking, rather than aimlessly taking pictures of anything and everything (and probably continuously boring my followers on Instagram who have to see the fifth picture of the cat or my favourite drink!).

So check back tomorrow for my first photo...Hmmmm, peace is a difficult one...

Restaurant Review: Babylon at Kensington Roof Gardens

Following on from my review of Côte restaurants this week, I wanted to tell you about another brilliant restaurant I recently visited with my friend Alex. Now I don’t want people to think I spend my days lunching at fabulous restaurants (I wish!), but we went to Babylon at Kensington Roof Gardens during London Restaurant Fortnight and so managed to get an amazing deal for lunch. London Restaurant Fortnight normally occurs in March/April and is brilliant because it lets you dine at some top restaurants that you might not normally be able to afford unless on a special occasion, but for much much less. The deal we had was a two-course lunch for £15. 

 

I am sometimes hesitant to go on these ‘cheap’ set menus at the more high-end London restaurants as you often get seated at a table in the corner by the toilets, there is limited menu choice and you generally get treated like second class diners. Babylon, however, was exceptional both in the service and the menu choice. I have always wanted to go to Kensington Roof Gardens so I had high exepectations as we arrived in the lobby just off Kensington High Street. It looked more like we were entering an office block than a posh restaurant/bar, but we were immediately greeted by a lovely receptionist who led us to the lift and told us where to go when we arrived upstairs. Again, when we got up there we were greeted by the maître d who took our coats and led us to our table; in fact he let us choose our own table so we were lucky to get one right in the window with views over London. I was impressed with this as he clearly knew that we were on the cheaper set menu! Our waiter was an old school-type and was great, recommending a wine to drink that was reasonably priced and bringing us complimentary bread while we looked at the menu. I find you rarely get complimentary things when you are not ordering from the à la carte menu.

Now to the menu. We were pleasantly surprised that each course had a choice of four dishes, and we both decided to go for a main course and dessert. Both of us chose the roasted chicken with Shiitake mushrooms, Ragout shallots and Madeira cream sauce, which was absolutely delicious and not a small portion either! For dessert, Alex had the crème caramel with Calvados compressed apples and I had a dark chocolate mousse with caramel ice cream, which was homemade and tasted divine. We ordered coffees to finish the meal, which arrived with a selection of petits fours in the cutest little box (below), another nice touch even though we were on the cheaper set menu. We were not hurried or made to feel like we were not proper customers because we were dining off the cheaper set menu; in fact looking around at most of the other tables a lot of diners were on the Restaurant Fortnight set menu. There was a relaxed and pleasant vibe to the restaurant and we were made to feel very welcome.

I would definitely recommend Babylon at Kensington Roof Gardens if you find yourself in the area, or are looking for somewhere to have a special lunch as they still do the set menu at the slightly higher price of two courses for £20 or three for £23. In fact I will be taking my Mum there the next time she comes into town. With the fantastic service and the little attentions to detail, it is definitely worth spending that bit extra, not to mention the fantastic views over London. 

Babylon Restaurant at Kensington Roof Gardens, 99 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA. Access is via Derry Street. W: www.roofgardens.virgin.com T: +44 (0)207 368 3993. Images from the Babylon website.

The lazy girl’s guide to exercise

I find the problem with exercise is the faff of getting ready and going out, and where we live it’s also finding somewhere to park near the gym (I cannot walk the mile back after a workout as my legs normally turn to jelly!). I’ve had a gym membership for the last four years, but rarely used it and finally cancelled it last month, but only because our move abroad spurred me to do so. I’m fine when I get there, or get to my local Zumba class, but 50% of the time I just can’t be bothered to leave the house, so I don’t. With the goal of looking my best on my wedding day, I lost over two stone on the Dukan Diet last year. I don’t want to wax lyrical about this diet as it is pretty unhealthy (no fruit is allowed at all and veggies are only permitted every other day during the second stage, which lasted four months for me), but it worked wonders for me and I found it pretty easy to do as the Mr was also following it (he lost nearly five stone). However, since the wedding I have been terrified of putting the weight back on, so instead of making myself eat nothing but protein again I have bought a pile of exercise DVDs and Wii games on Amazon. I thought I’d share my favourites with you below.

1. Davina McCall’s DVDs

I already have two of Davina’s DVDs (Davina Fit and Body Buff) and I’m about to buy the next one which has just been released. I find these really are the best exercise DVDs as they are separated into two cardio routines and then shorter routines targeting specific area such as arms, legs and tummy/core. I normally find myself doing an hour's workout and not even realising it as I alternate between cardio and the other routines. I even invested in some weights at the end of last year just before my wedding and I sometimes find myself doing some of the exercises from the DVDs using the weights in front of Eastenders in the evening. I try to use one of these DVDs 2-3 times a week for an hour, and it's good to alternate them so you don't get too bored, although you do end up knowing every single word Davina and her trainers say after a while! 

2. Pilates with Lynne Robinson

Again, I have a few of Lynne Robinson's DVDs as I think she is the best when it comes to Pilates. I have been to a few classes over the last ten years or so, and I would recommend going to a class if you have never done Pilates before, as it is important to learn the basics before attempting them on your own. However, I've had these DVDs in my collection for a while now as I find Pilates helps an old back injury I've had since I fell down the stairs in my teens, so when I'm feeling stiff or my stomach muscles need a good workout (!) I'll get my trusty DVD out and do 30 minutes or so with Lynne. It's also a great way to wake up in the morning. Many of her DVDs are still available on Amazon.

3. Wii Just Dance

Now this isn't technically an exercise video, but I was introduced to Just Dance by my good friend Alex one Saturday night at her place a couple of years ago. It was great fun and I immediately went out and bought it (and Just Dance 2 a year later), and it has often came out at various parties we've had since, along with SingStar. However, when I was looking at potential Wii fitness games to buy I thought why not just use the dance games I already have, seeing as they make my heart pump and seem to give me a proper cardio workout. When Just Dance 2 came out in 2010 it seemed that the makers also thought the same thing as they added a 'Just Sweat' mode, not quite how I'd put it but it does spur you on to put your all into your dancing. To start with it was a bit difficult to do this without the aid of a few glasses of wine, but if you're on your own who cares?!

4. Wii Zumba Fitness

When I first started my pre-wedding diet/fitness regime last year I went to a few Zumba classes, but mostly with one of my friends and it was rare that both of us could make certain classes. So I went on Amazon again and bought the Wii Zumba Fitness game. I didn't have high hopes for this as the fun I experienced at Zumba class was mostly due to being in a classful of women all laughing and joking, and generally having a blast. This was the case to a certain extent as it isn't as much fun when you're dancing around your living room alone with only a computer-generated Zumba teacher, but it is still better (I think) than a lot of exercise DVDs out there. There are a lot of different routines ranging from beginner to expert in all forms of dance, including salsa, merengue and hip-hop, and it also comes with a very fetching belt that holds the Wii remote, but is actually easier to wear than I first thought it would be. This game also provides my husband with many laughs when he walks into our living room and sees me shaking my hips à la J-Lo (but unfortunately not looking much like her). I keep trying to persuade him that he'd enjoy a Zumba class...

Let me know in the comments box if you recommend any other exercise DVDs as I don't think you can ever have too many!

 

I’ll get my Côte...

I’m not a massive fan of chain restaurants so I'm lucky that we live in a part of the country where there are so many great one-off, independent pubs and restaurants, which I would much rather visit. However, my experience at Côte might just have changed my mind. Recently I have noticed a number of Côte restaurants springing up around North London, with the latest one having just opened in Camden, and I wondered if they were any good as they seem to have gone from nowhere to everywhere in the last 6–12 months. My Mum has been a couple of times to the one in Guildford with her friend and has always sung its praises, so when we went shopping together yesterday in Reading (my hometown) I suggested that we try the new one that has just opened in the main shopping mall, The Oracle.

Côte Reading (image from the website)

It was very quiet when we arrived just after 1pm, but I would put this down to it being a Monday and the fact that the restaurant is not in the main thoroughfare in Reading. However, we were greeted straight away by a very pleasant waitress who told us we could choose any table to sit at (this always scores highly in my book!). The decor is smart and not as in-your-face as some chain restaurants; it really does have an air of chic parisian bistro (proper napkins included!).

There was a special lunchtime menu (until 7pm) which was £9.95 for two courses so we both decided to have that as the choices sounded amazing. I had pork, duck and chicken terrine with toasted sourdough and cornichons, Mum had whitebait and we both had salmon and smoked haddock fishcakes with spinach and a poached egg on top (we also had a side order of frites to share but I'll probably get told off for mentioning that!). The portions were very generous seeing as we were on the cheaper menu, and we both felt nicely full at the end. We also ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc each as a treat, which was very reasonably priced at £4.95 a glass (house wine is £4.30), and were also offered complimentary filtered water in a lovely bottle.

The à la carte menu is also very tempting, with prices between £4.90 and £7.95 for starters including tomato and black olive tart, calamari and tuna carpaccio. Mains are between £8.75 (for mushroom and gruyère cheese crépes) and £17.95 (for a fillet steak), so you probably wouldn’t go here if you wanted a cheap ‘I can’t be bothered to cook’ dinner. For a something a bit more though I think it is great value for money, particularly in comparison to most London prices. 

So I will definitely be going back to Côte - I have been told that the chicken and walnut salad is amazing so I have to try that next time, although I will also have to secretly order a side of frites of course!

Friday picture post

Just a short post this afternoon. As it's Friday I thought I'd share some of the Instagram photos I've taken of a few of my favourite things over the last few weeks. I am slightly obsessed with this app at the moment as I only downloaded it last month, so I find myself taking photos of anything and everything so apologies if this is a bit of a boring post!

My morning cappuccino in the sun (when it was sunny).

Oooh, the glamour of the rugby - at least it was Sauv Blanc!

The beautiful view from Primrose Hill, North London.

Don't look at the price...I can but dream (btw, the bag doesn't have '5' written on it, this was taken from a mag!).

Lovely bluebells outside our kitchen window.

Love this card I found this week.

And on that note, hope you all have a lovely Friday evening! Now the sun has finally come out we're off for a walk and then to the pub for a couple of pints/G&Ts!

My Australian visa process so far...

As my blog is partly about making the move down under I thought I’d share my experience of the visa process so far. I’ve found it useful to look online to see what other people have done and how long it has taken. I looked on forums and the occasional blog, but they mostly related to the skills visa (if you are hoping to go to Oz based on work skills) rather than partner or family visas. I hope that others reading this will gain something from my experiences.

My new husband, Steve and I decided to make the trip to Oz last year when we were busy planning our wedding (see forthcoming blog posts for our wedding experiences!). We got married in the UK but Steve has wanted to go back to Australia for the last few years and I believe I owe him a year or two of my life to try it out. Thus we decided to apply for a visa straight after the wedding when I could apply as a Mrs and we had the whole stress of planning a wedding out of the way. We thought that we could get a visa within 6-8 weeks of applying, as our friends had done a couple of years ago when they were first married (same situation as us – he is Australian; she is English). How wrong we were. Lots of looking at online forums later (Poms in Oz is a great source of help and support) told us that most people were looking at a four month wait at best, and at worst six months. 

Bondi Beach.

We had to get a move on then. When we’d finally said goodbye to all the Aussies staying our place after the wedding, it was mid-February and I got down to researching what had to go in the visa application and getting my passport changed to reflect my new surname. This took 10 days to be returned to me, so we were now at the end of February and still no nearer to getting the visa. The next week/10 days was spent getting together all evidence I could find that Steve and I had been living together for the six years we claimed to be living together – this included rental agreements from our last three rental properties, bills and bank statements addressed to us both at the same address at the same time. We had a problem in that we do not pay any joint bills at our current abode, as we have a lovely landlady (the mother-in-law of a good friend of mine) who includes all bills in our monthly rent, so we had nothing to show in that respect. We also included emails dating back to when we first started seeing each other, and numerous photos from our travels, wedding, my graduation and at various parties with friends and family on both sides. These were returned pretty quickly when we did send the application off though, so I don’t think these make much difference. I did, however, include at the last minute copies of invitations to weddings with both of our names included as well as various Christmas, Valentine’s and birthday cards between the two of us and from both sets of parents.

We sent the application off on 8th March 2012 and had an email confirming receipt from my assigned case officer (CO) on 12th March 2012, which also confirmed our fears that it will probably take 5-6 months to be approved. My CO requested that I go for a medical as soon as possible so I booked in with the Knightsbridge Doctors at their West End branch. I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a panel doctor in the South East as they were super efficient and really lovely when I nervously arrived a few weeks ago! The examination took 40 minutes and included a chest x-ray, blood test, urine sample, eye test and general poke around (although nothing invasive!). I had a really nice and down-to-earth female doctor, who explained to me everything that she was doing. It is pricy though, at £270. However, it was all uploaded online and sent to Australia House within three days so it is speedy.

And so now we are playing the waiting game...hoping it’s not going to take the full six months that they have suggested.

In summary, we sent the following to Australia House (recorded delivery):

• Statutory declarations from Steve’s cousin, best friend in Oz (who we lived with for a year in London) and father.

• Emails between us from the beginning of our relationship, and from friends inviting us both to various events.
• Copies of greetings cards to each other and from families and friends to both of us, joint invitations to weddings, christenings. 
• Copies of bank statements and letters from the council showing us both living at the same address over the last five years.
• Copy of car insurance documents showing me as the policy holder and Steve as a named driver for the last few years.
• Copies of rental agreements at the three properties we have lived in together, and a letter from our current landlady stating how long we have been in our current flat and that she knows us as a couple in a committed relationship (she attended our wedding).
• Copy of a statement from our joint bank account.
• My police check certificate.
• Copy of our passports, birth certificates and marriage certificate.
• Photos (these were sent back straight away; can’t hurt to send them though).

And off I go...!

Hello and welcome to my blog. I have decided to start writing as I prepare to move to Sydney, Australia with my husband in the next couple of months. I have been lucky enough to be able to give up my job and concentrate on the move, and at the moment I have some spare time, although I am sure this is just the calm before the storm! I found a lack of current blogs for people like me who were looking to make the move down under, particularly those doing so on a partner visa, so I thought I would blog about my experiences as they happen. As this may be quite boring for those who stumble across my blog and are not looking to move to Australia(!), I will also blog about the things I love on both sides of the world, the things I don't, and anything else in between! When I (finally) arrive in Sydney in the next few months, I will continue writing about how we are settling in and what life is like down under.


I currently live in North London with my husband of three months (our wedding will feature in another blog post), where we have been for nearly five years.

Sunset from our kitchen window in North London

We both love living here and can't imagine residing anywhere else in the UK; there is a reason why it is one of the most expensive areas to live! We are surrounded by brilliant pubs (again, another blog post in due course!), fantastic parks and can get into central London within 15 minutes, so leaving is going to be an enormous wrench.

Our nearest 'park' - Hampstead Heath

But...we are both incredibly excited about how the next couple of years will pan out in Oz.We hope to be living pretty close to this:

Sydney Harbour Bridge from The Rocks

Or this:

Palm Beach (Summer Bay for all you H&A fans!)

Chances are we won't be living in either one of these places, but we can but dream!

Please keep checking back for new posts - I will aim to post at least once a day!