I can't believe it's been a whole week since my last post! It seems like it was just a few days ago! It's been busy and eventful!
So, my last Saturday was great! I walked down Chiswick High Road and found a adorable little antique book shop. If you know me well, you know how I adore books and have a modest antique book collection. Well, I was in heaven in this shop! I could have spent hours and hours in there, just breathing in the smell of old books. They had these amazing old leatherbound copies of classics like Dickens' "The Pickwick Papers", and beautiful old Books of Common Prayer. Also lots of framed illustrations from old books on the area, old land deeds (from early 1800s!). It was incredible! I was glad I got out of there without spending too much money!
I then walked down to the river Thames. The road along the Thames is called Chiswick Mall (pronounced "Chizzik Mal"), and it is a quaint road, with lot of houses with names, and a sidewalk made of flat rocks sort of like slate. There were also numerous notices that the road and environs have a tendency to flood, so park your car at your own risk! There's a bit of a drought here right now, so there was no danger of that. The river was very low. On the river side of the road, there are a bunch of yards without houses - this is where the houseboats usually are. Because the river is so low, the boats have left so they don't get grounded. I don't know where they've gone! So there are all these cool little yards with fences and statuary and everything! Click on the link for pictures of my stroll through Chiswick and by the River.
http://www.chrisinchiswick.zoomshare.com/1.shtml/Chiswick
So after that, I was quite tired. Stopped at a little pub down by the river for a half-pint. Actually, by the river is a brewery. In England, there are two major breweries, and they own most of the pubs. So all you can buy at those pubs, apart from a few imports, are that brewery's beer. The one down in Chiswick by the river is Fuller's, which is the same brewery that owns The Old Packhorse, which is right by my flat. The picture is at the above link.
Anyway, came back, got some groceries and went home. Rested for a while and then went off to Jane's place for supper. It was lovely, as always. Jane is a fantastic cook and her and Bernard are lots of fun to be around.
Sunday I was very lazy - got up late, hung around watching tv, and finally got my act together and headed down to Covent Garden. A very cool place! There is this great market with stalls and shops, lots of unique stuff. There are street entertainers all over the place and great little cafes. I'm looking forward to taking visitors there!
Covent Garden, besides being known for it's market, is also know for being in the theatre district and having great restaurants and pubs. So it's a very interesting, vibrant place. I would love to live there, but it's expensive. In Covent Garden is the Maple Leaf Pub. Yes, the one and only Canadian pub/restaurant in the whole city! Great wings and real Canadian beer! I went there to hear some familiar accents and had a good time. I discovered that on Sunday nights they show the taped Hockey Night in Canada from Saturday night in Canada, so I stayed for that - met some people It was all good!
The week has been busy. We're getting ready for meetings in Calgary (yes, I'll be back in Calgary for about 10 days in less than a week) and working on the annual report. It's been busy and long days. But I'm really enjoying the challenge and the work! I will be in Canada from the 16th to the 25th of March with work and cleaning up some loose ends, and getting my visa replaced after the fiasco of having to get a new passport!
Today I walked though the park on my way into the office (yes, I'm working today) and it was so nice. The spring bulb flowers are just starting to bloom and there were crocuses all over the place. Lots of ducks and geese and swans on the river. What a beautiful and interesting place I live in!!
3 comments:
Sounds like you are enjoying yourself. I see you left some things out of your blog, however. I guess I get the inside scoop on MSN, eh?
I'll cheer on the boys for you tonight at the 'Dome as we're taking on Colorado. Should be a good bout.
Hope the date went well.
S
argh, now you really ARE making me homesick. Covent Garden.... *sniff* First-rate tandoori, second hand bookshops, Kensington, history every where you look...man, I miss London.
Good memories...
Interesting reading, Chris, Life is an adventure if you choose it to be. My grandparents were married in Ireland, my uncle was born there. 'Lace Curtain' Irish, kind of Irish Gentry. The family place--Grenera--has been in the family for over 500 yrs. Large, by Irish standards--they don't chop it up for descendants, the oldest son typically gets it. Another son became a doctor--died in smallpox epidemic on Blackfeet Res in Montana--another a priest, his travelling trunk is on stagecoach in Virginia City, Montana. My grandfather, Dan, was to be apprenticed in the linen business, made a deal with his dad to get the costs involved and his inheritance and 'Go West'. Landed in Canada, spent the winter working for an 'on his uppers' Scots stockman. The boss would borrow Grandpa's good clothes to go to town, the bank, etc. Grandpa said he left next spring with no wages, had eaten pretty good, and his good clothes half wore out! Saw a poster in RR depot "Young man--looking for Adventure and Opportunity, etc? GO WEST!!" was promoting the Burton Bench, a new area opened up to homesteaders in Montana. So he did. This all happened some time ago, my grandad died about 1960, was 100. Montana, by the way Chris, is the state immediately s. of alberta--not wyoming. Been meaning to point that out to ya'--lol!
At any rate, as I said--the place is still in the family, has actually raised horses that won Irish Sweepstakes, etc. My daughters visited there about a yr ago. P'haps when you get travelling a little more broadly, you'll be able to stop there--and see where handsome, personable Irishmen such as myself originate from! :-) Warmest Regards. P.T.
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