Adios!

Just for a few days as I'm off to Barcelona on a long-overdue break with my hubby (we didn't get a honeymoon). Will be back with more posts next week!

H x

London: what will I miss?

As our potential moving date is getting ever nearer, I have been thinking recently about all the things I’m going to miss about London. As I go about my current life, I occasionally wonder how many more times I will get on the tube/bus to go into town, go to a specific bar or café, or my favourite shop. So here are a few of the things I am really going to miss about London and life in the UK (not including family and friends which is a given).

Pub culture

This is a big one for me as what I’ve always loved about the UK, and London in particular, is the pub culture. Unhealthy I know as it obviously centres around booze, but I’ve been going to pubs from an early age (sounds slightly dodgy but I promise you it wasn't) as my Dad was Operations Director for a number of major pub companies before he retired. Nowadays, Steve and I are often found in one of our favourite locals (normally the fabulous Junction Tavern) at least one night a week. We even organised our family pre-wedding lunch there! I just love the feeling in winter of sitting by a roaring fire drinking a glass of red, or finishing work on a summer’s evening and heading to a pub garden to share a bottle of chilled white with friends or colleagues. I know there isn't really this type of culture in Australia, particularly amongst work colleagues, and I think both of us will miss this.

Hampstead Heath (and other London parks)

My favourite thing to do at the weekend is to put on a pair of comfy trainers or boots and head up to the top of Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath with the husband (unless it's pouring down of course). It's such a lovely place and you completely forget you are in a city until you get to the top of the hill and get a glimpse of the fabulous views of London. There are also some beautiful lakes on the Heath where you can feed the ducks or even watch crazy people swimming! We normally get in a good hour or two of walking and then head to the pub (see above!) to recover and have a rewarding beer. I will definitely miss this part of our weekend ritual but I am looking forward to finding lots of new walking routes in Sydney - along the beach, over the Harbour Bridge, around Darling Harbour etc etc. 

Old things

And by this I mean buildings and the general history, particularly in London. I know us poms can be quite rude about the lack of old buildings and history in Oz, but it will definitely be something I miss when we leave London. Like many other European cities, I like the fact our capital is a bit grubby (and by this I don't mean untidy or littered) as I think this adds to the history of the place. Even though I do love Sydney and I'm really looking forward to living over there for a while, I sometimes find it a bit clinical compared to London, Barcelona, Paris... Having said this, being a bit of a History buff, I am going to make sure I read up on Australian history as I really don't know anything about it, and perhaps this will change my mind on the historical side of Sydney.

Routine

Having lived in London together for six years, and being in the same area for five of those, we have built up a good routine here and a great network of friends. This is the part that scares me the most about leaving - losing that routine, and not knowing where to go, what to do, and when. This is also quite exciting I suppose, and we're young enough (well I am, not sure so much about Mr G!) to give it a good go. I know we will eventually have our routine in Sydney and we already have a good group of family and friends established in Sydney, which many people don't have when they emigrate. Still...I will miss our London routines which include most of the above.

Enjoying our weekend routine of walking in Hampstead Heath before a trip to the Junction Tavern.

Photo a Day May: Nos 10-15

Apologies again, I have been really bad with putting these up as we've had a busy few days with a wedding, various get-togethers with friends and family and then getting over all the get-togethers!

So here are my photos 10-15.

No 10. A favourite word.

Happiness. No explanation needed really.

No 11. Kitchen.

Sadly this isn't my kitchen, but one of the many I ogle over in various interior design magazines that litter my flat.

No 12. Something that makes you happy.

A sunny day. And would you believe it we actually had one on Saturday!

No 13. Mum

Due to it being Mother's Day in Australia and not in the UK, I wasn't with my Mum on Sunday. So instead I took a picture of a great card I bought for Mother's Day over here a few months ago, but forgot I had it and gave her another instead. Like mother, like daughter...

No 14. Grass.

As I live in London we don't have grass in the garden, just patio, so this was a hard one as I was out in Oxford Circus all day yesterday (where there is also NO grass). So this is from a magazine. One day I will have a proper garden, with grass and everything...

No 15. Love.

I couldn't really do anything else but include a photo from my recent wedding.

Did you think it would be of my new husband?!!

Some good news!

We've had some good news this morning regarding my visa. No, my partner one hasn't been granted, but I've been told by my case officer that I can definitely travel over to Australia on a three-month visa and wait there until my partner visa is finalised. We already knew that this was possible, but it's great to finally have it in writing from someone official! So we will be booking our flights at the end of the month, to leave in July. This has come at a great time as Steve has found lots of good jobs online so can now send out his CV with a definite arrival time in the country. It would be really handy if he has some interviews, or fingers crossed even a job, when we arrive as I won't be able to work on this temporary visa. On a grey day like today, this news has made us smile!

Photo A Day May: No 9. Something I do every day

Drink my morning cup of coffee...

Oasis: My Go-to Shop

It is no secret to those who know me that my favourite high street shop is Oasis. Most days I look down at what I'm wearing and about 75% of my outfit is normally from there. I have always found their jeans the best fit for me on the high street as they are actually made for someone who has a bum(!), and their range of dresses is fantastic for day and evening, normally between £40 and £75. In fact most of the dresses I wore around W-day at various pre-wedding dinners, drinks and even my hen do, were from Oasis.

Oasis dress, £65, for my hen weekend in Cannes. 'Scuse the tiara...

And my lovely winter coat this year was also from Oasis. I was adamant I didn't want black AGAIN, but I fell in love with the amazingly soft texture of this wool coat. It was also one of the few I found that were knee-length, which was one of my stipulations when looking!

I am off to Barcelona next week for some much-needed sun, and Oasis will be my first port of call for these lovely items... I already have a pair of the crop jeans in dark blue, and I love the style as they are the right length for me (that's another problem I have with jeans as I am quite short!), so I will be buying them in this beautiful bright blue colour as well.

Oasis have just launched their scarf prints range as well, which I think is fab. I will definitely be purchasing the maxi dress for a wedding I have in Sydney next year as I think it would be perfect for waterside nuptials!

Oasis Stores www.oasis-stores.com. All images from the Oasis website.

Photo a Day May: Nos 4-8

I've had to combine the last five days of Photo a Day May as I've been away in Norfolk with NO internet whatsoever. So here are my photos for 4-8th May.

No 4: Fun! 

This was the scene at 11pm on my Dad's birthday in our rented holiday cottage in the depths of North Norfolk. It was a fun evening, but then it normally is when we get together over good food (we did eat more than cake) and good wine!

No 5: Bird

We spent the day dodging the rain on a tour of North Norfolk, stopping off for coffees at a hotel in Wells-next-the-Sea which was part of the Flying Kiwi Inns, so I thought it would be safer to take a picture of the Kiwi on the menu rather than venture out in the rain and wind to try and find a live bird!

No 6: You

This was taken on Sunday, again having dodged the wind and rain, sitting in the car on the way to the pub! Note, I'd had enough of the lousy weather by this point...I should not be wearing gloves in May.

No 7: Someone that inspires you

I cheated a bit with this one in that it is more than one person, and I have used a photo from our wedding. But it would have to be my best girls who were with me on my wedding day and who all inspire me for various reasons.

No 8: A scent you adore

My favourite perfume, and it has been since it first came out. Chloe eau de parfum.

Apologies for the lack of blog posts but I will be back with an extra long one tomorrow...I promise.

Friday Picture Post

Just a quick picture post this morning. I'm off to the wilds of Norfolk for the weekend for my Dad's birthday! Not sure if they have decent internet up there (!) so won't be blogging until I get back on Tuesday. Here are a few Instagram photos from the last week or so.

My fillet steak being cooked by Dad on my weekend with the parents while husband was away.

Although I do quite like it when he goes to the US for work trips...!

I discovered a new green tea flavour! I love lychees (particularly in martinis).

We went to our friends' beautiful wedding last weekend.

Lovely rosebud tea wedding favours...

 

And a beautiful wedding cupcake which I consumed as soon as we got home!

Lillies in our kitchen, trying to bring a bit of sunshine into our lives.

Sunday lamb shanks with chorizo, washed down with...

A real treat for a Sunday evening.

The cat sunbathing with me on the one day of sunshine.

My attempt at pasta making...

And I did it!!

Have a fantastic bank holiday weekend!

Photo a Day May: No 3. Something I wore today

Actually it's something I wear most days, especially at the moment as it's still so chilly. My favourite scarf by Lola Rose.

Scents and Sensibility

The bad weather has left me holed up indoors recently, writing blog posts and trying to keep up to date with emailing friends to arrange meeting up before we leave. I seem to only really venture out to grab a cappuccino (and to vote today!) and then scurry back inside. These dark afternoons/evenings have had me reaching for my favourite candles to cheer me up. I have even started burning my treasured Diptyque Mimosa candle which has been kept for special occasions since I was given it for my birthday 18 months ago... So I thought I'd list my favourite scents that I've used for the home.


1. Lily Flame candles. I've had a few of these over the last couple of years since I was bought the Lavender and Lime one as a present. They smell divine and last for ages, and they only cost £8.50 (direct from the website and also from John Lewis) so it means I don't feel so guilty when I burn them! I've since bought the Frankincense and Myrrh for Christmas time and the Sweetpea one when I was down in Devon last Summer and now it reminds me of a lovely summery weekend spent there with my friend. But my favourite has to be Rose Petal which I have actually just finished (so I've just bought a new one online!). I definitely find that these candles are the best value for money and they have a wide range of scents, perfect for Spring, Summer and Christmas. I now need to try their reed diffusers, in rose petal of course...

Image from the Lily Flame website.

2. White Company scents. I love the White Company, not just for candles and other scented loveliness, but also for clothing and kitchenware. Most of my friends and family know this as I normally end up with at least one thing from there for birthdays and Christmases! It is also my go-to place for presents as they have some great gifts within the £20 mark, and then better still within the £30 and £50 area. I have bought presents for most of my friends there, as well as my Mum (a beautiful cashmere scarf for her birthday a couple of years ago) and my Grandma (a lovely white leather washbag for her 90th). My husband bought me the white lavender scent diffuser from there at Christmas, and it has only just run out. I think £35 for four months of lavender scent is pretty darn good. Now to somehow sneak in a white rose diffuser without him noticing...

Image from the White Company website.

3. Diptyque candles. Now these are definitely the higher end of the scent scale (from £38 for a standard), but I have been lucky enough to receive a couple of these as gifts over the last few years (Mimosa and, again, Roses) and the smell really does linger for ages after they have been blown out, which you don't really get with the cheaper candles. I am currently burning the Mimosa one which has a lovely floral scent, and makes the whole house feel clean and fresh (which makes up for it not really being clean and fresh!). If you have the cash to spend then I would definitely recommend these candles, or if you're lucky enough to receive one as a gift then savour it!

Burning my fantastic Mimosa candle when it was cold and grey at the weekend.

Photo a Day May: No 2. Skyline

Apologies for the late and very short post, but I've just got back from drinks in town and it's still the 2nd May. So here is my photo number 2 - skyline. It's not great, but it was my view from the front of the bus on the way to drinks this evening.

Leaving London: the top 5 things I need to do

So we probably only have a couple more months left in the UK. I will be so sad to leave London. I absolutely love this city; in fact I think it is by far the best city in the world. As I am not working until we leave, I have the perfect opportunity to get as much out of this beautiful city before I go. Unfortunately the recent weather has made me want to stay indoors and only emerge if we run out of food (which has been happening for the last week or so). But I am determined to get out and about in our big, bad city and soak up as much as I can. So these are my top 5 things I want to do before we get on that plane to the land down under. 

1. Visit as many museums and galleries as I can. The Victoria & Albert Museum has always been my favourite since I was in my early teens, mainly because of the fantastic costume design exhibits they have. They will shortly be opening the newly refurbished fashion galleries with an exhibition called Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 (from 19th May). I am so excited about going to this and luckily I have roped my Mum into coming with me pretty soon after it opens. I also need to spend more time in the National Gallery (I normally just go there for the cafés or bar) and both Tate Britain and Modern. So best get going soon then...

The Victoria & Albert Museum (Image from the V&A website).

 

2. See a West End show. I haven’t been to the theatre for about four years which is really bad seeing as we live so close to the West End. It’s like everything I suppose; when it’s on your doorstep you don’t really make use of it, but I know when I leave I will kick myself that I didn’t see more plays and musicals (I LOVE musicals – please don’t judge). I really want to see Jersey Boys or Singin’ in the Rain, so I will probably have to again rope my Mum into coming with me.

 

3. Do a London bus tour. I went on a bus tour with my now in-laws when they came over from Australia to stay in London about five or six year ago. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to it as I thought ‘I’ve lived near/in London most of my life, I know all there is to know about it’. Naive I know, but I thought a bus tour was just for tourists. I was so wrong. I think I actually enjoyed it more than my in-laws did as we were not only told about the obvious tourist sites (Big Ben, Bucks Palace, Tower of London etc), but all these amazing stories emerged about little alleyways and hidden streets that you never even notice when you’re a Londoner as you rush around with your head down. It also gave me the opportunity to actually look UP rather than down, and see the beautiful architecture we are surrounded by on a daily basis. I think being in London with Australians (which I did again in January when some of Steve’s family came over for the wedding) makes you realise just how amazing our city is, as you look at it through their eyes. The fact we have pubs that were originally built in the 15th century completely blew their minds, and we had to go in every one we came across (shame). But I digress. I would highly recommend doing a bus tour if you are a Londoner and you have a spare day free, and I am going to make sure I drag the hubby on one before we go (he didn’t come with us when I took his parents all those years ago). 

British Museum taken from Centre Point.

4. Go on a walking tour. I am particularly interested in the tours that take in East London as I very rarely venture there, which is a shame as there is so much history and interesting places to visit. I have always been tempted to do a walking tour from London Walks as they have been recommended to me by many people. I now have the time and a deadline by which to do it... when the weather brightens up a bit. I would ideally like to do the Jack the Ripper one but it takes place at night and I know I would probably freak out, so I think a daytime tour is best for me.  Perhaps I’ll settle on ‘Hidden London’ or ‘The Hidden Pubs of London Town’ (the hubby would definitely come with me for that one!). 

5. Eat at Le Gavroche. This is the spectacular restaurant of Michel Roux Jr that Steve and I have wanted to visit for years, even more so since we saw him on Masterchef: The Professionals. If we can’t get in here we would of course settle for any of the other restaurants on our list: The Ledbury, Dinner by Heston, Pied à Terre, Roux at the Landau...our list is endless. This one might have to wait for our return as it will probably cost at least £100 a head if we want to properly enjoy it.

So there you have it – five things I am determined to do before we leave London. I will blog about each one as and when I do it. For all you Londoners, if you were in my shoes what would be in your top 5 things you would do before you left? 

Photo a Day May: No 1. Peace

And here is my first photo for May! Today is 'peace' and can be anything that represents peace in your life (if you ever get any!). This is my idea of peace, just five or ten minutes in the morning with the paper and a cappuccino from my favourite coffee shop down the road.

Just to remind you in case you have decide to embark on the #photoadaymay challenge from today, the list is as follows:
 

I will also be posting my photos on Twitter (@hollygalt) and my Pinterest account, so please follow me on those too!

Happy May Day!

Recipe: Chicken and Chorizo Stew

Since I finished my job I’ve found myself taking the time to cook and bake and actually enjoying it, which I never really did when I was working full time. Steve and I normally ended up just eating the same quick and easy meals that one of us could knock up in under an hour when we finished work. For Christmas, my loving husband (then fiance) bought me a recipe holder as a hint so I could collect any good recipes I came across. The only reason I really use it is because it's from Emma Bridgewater and it's quite cute.

This is actually a recipe that I put together myself (with a little help from the hubby!) as we had leftover chorizo and some chicken, and it was yummy! Seeing as the rain has made a not-so-welcome return today, I thought this would be a perfect warming meal for dinner tonight. It is super easy and you can throw in any leftover veggies you have lying around in the fridge, such as courgettes, mushrooms etc. 

 

Chicken and Chorizo Stew

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

Chorizo (I normally use about half of one of those chorizo rings you can buy in the supermarket)

1 medium onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 red or yellow pepper, chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes (390g)

A good squeeze of tomato purée

A glug of red wine (optional)

Pinch of mixed herbs

Pinch of paprika

Salt and pepper

Any other vegetables you have lying around, such as mushrooms, courgettes.

 

 

On a medium heat, fry the onion and garlic for about five minutes or until soft, and then add the chicken and cook for 5–10 minutes until it is cooked through. Add the chorizo and cook for a further five minutes. Add the chopped pepper and cook until it starts to soften.

Poor in a big glug of red wine, if using, and allow to bubble for a few minutes to reduce the alcohol. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, mixed herbs, paprika, chickpeas and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil again and leave it simmering with the lid on for at least 30 minutes. I normally cook it for about an hour so it becomes a lovely thick stew.

Serve immediately with mashed sweet potatoes and lots of green veg (and preferably with a big glass of red!).