Liz and Ian in London

So so busy busy.

All the way back in last week, Eric's mom and brother came to visit. We did everything: hit most all of my favorite spots, and quite a few new things I hadn't experienced before. We went to Borough Market, Leadenhall Market, the Tate Modern, stopped by St. Paul's, Hyde Park, The Orangery, Harrods Food Court, Abbey Road, Liberty of London, The British Museum, and this is all before our bus tour on Monday.

New to me in London: The Orangery.
I had heard about this from my lovely cousin Macy (thank you). This place is right by the Kensington Palace on the West side of Hyde Park. Probably the best place in London if you want to have the "High Tea" experience. Super tasty.

Harrod's Food Court.
A few weeks ago, I went into Harrods. It's probably 4 times the size of the Macy's in San Francisco. Once I was on the bottom floor, it literally took me 5 minutes to find a door out. I didn't see the food court last time I went in, but I did this time, and it was amazing.

Liberty of London.
This store was right off Regent's street, around the Oxford street fancy shopping district. They have everything from clothes to furniture, housewares to fabrics. I guess Target carried some of their clothes last year. Everything there was pretty expensive, but if I won money that had to be used towards shopping for myself, I would outfit myself and my house with things from here. 

Abbey Road.
Abbey Road Studios, Ian signed the wall, pretty area of town, we walked across "The Crosswalk".

The highlight of Liz and Ian's visit was our bus tour on Monday. We went to Oxford, Stratford on Avon, and Warwick Castle.

I believe this was taken in Stratford, home of William Shakespeare. It was a great little old town. Liz did some quick shopping and got a beautiful jacket. I went into this milkshake place called Moo Moo's. They had probably more than 100 flavors, but I didn't really get a chance to look at all of them (we had about 5 minutes until we had to be back on the bus), so I got an Oreo shake - so smooth and creamy.

Warwick Castlle. This place was really great. There was tons of history, through it was very amusement park-esque.

This is a view from the back of the castle. I can see why someone would want to build their castle here.

Aww.

 

And here is Ian as a gargoyle.

The whole weekend was awesome. I am so glad that we got to show Liz and Ian such a fun time, but now we just miss them.

A Lady of P Leisure.

Yeah, yeah, I haven't blogged for a while. This is because I have taken to becoming a Lady of Leisure. Ironically enough, the English actually pronounce "leisure" like "pleasure" but without the "p," when in fact, being a Lady of Leisure is no pleasure at all.

Back home in Colorado I was very involved with my church, work, dog, friends, gardening, book club, the list goes on. I was always busy; I was always happy (with the exception of crazy hormonal outbursts).

Here I am in London, not a part of anything - and it's tough. Earlier in my stay here, I tried to volunteer, but I had to be a UK citizen, etc. I can't get a job. I have one friend, Amy, but we can't hang out every day. I am not a part of any clubs, I'm not involved in church, so what is a girl to do? Well, I'll tell you what I do:

1. Sleep in (I feel like a bum).
2. Watch Gilmore Girls and Smallville almost every morning.
3. Do laundry on Mondays (it takes over 2 hours to WASH one small load, and the drier doesn't really work so I have to hang up everything to dry).
4. Go clothes shopping (amazing story about new jeans Abelow).
5. Grocery Shopping
6. Marthastewart.com and I have become very close friends.
6a. Plan my friend Emily's baby shower for when I get home.
6b. Plan for things I am going to do to my house when I get home.
6c. Find awesome recipes.
7. Read other people's blogs.
8. Exercise.
9. Clean - except on Wednesdays because the house cleaner comes that day. Really.
10. I have taken a few classes at the Apple store, which have been fun.
11. Walk to new parks.
12. Read - a lot. The sunny days where I am able to read outside in the sun, or even on my bed in the sun, have been delightful.
13. Skype with Mom.
14. Plan for visitors.
15. Cook (see new recipe below)

This all sounds fun, but like I said earlier, it's rather tough not being a part of something significant. I am going home a month from today, but Eric is not :(sad face. But the good news is that April will be full of things to do! This Thursday, Liz and Ian (eric's mom and brother) are coming for a few days! Then Eric and I are going to Germany that next weekend! And then, My parents are coming to visit and we are going to Somerset with them after they see London! Wow. Or as the French say "Extra!" So. Much. Fun.

Picture and recipe time:

I found this gem (yes, the cupcake is sparkly, though you can't really tell) after one of my classes at the Apple Store in Covent Garden at a palce called Ella's Cupcakes. Not extremely tasty (I do have high standards for cupcakes), but really pretty.

I got these at Waitrose on clearance for £3.49 about a week ago, and they are just now starting to wilt.

About my new jeans: A miracle happened. I've been thinking about looking for some new jeans for a while now. Last week, I went to go get my face waxed at a place in a shopping center, but I was about 15 minutes early. Not expecting to find anything, I went to this store called Mango that was right next to the waxing place. I walked around, picked up these jeans, tried them on, and they fit!!! They are a bit long, so I will have to hem them when I get home, but can you believe that? If anyone has ever been jean shopping, they will know that you don't just fit into the first pair of jeans you try on. But the best part is...they were only £24.90. Miracle.

British Fish and Cheese Quesadilla

You will need:
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese (or the like)
Cod, Talapia, or another kind of white fish fillet
Spinach
Lemon Juice
Cream (optional)
Garlic Powder
Fresh Black Pepper

1. Heat up the fish in your favorite way, no need to season though. I get the frozen fillets and just nuke them. If it's a fresh fish, put it in the microwave in a bowl with olive oil, cover it with a few layers of plastic wrap and cook it for 3-5 minutes.
2. Shred fish with fork.
3. Put it all together like a quesadilla. If you have never made a quesadilla, google it.

Things I like in London: Meat Pies

I have heard about meat pies. I watched Sweeney Todd and did not think that meat pies were a good idea, but since being in London I have tried my fair share, and I love them.

I got this chicken pie from a place right around the corner from us called "Food Hall." It always has really good food for pretty cheap. I also like to get my fresh bread and cheese there.

I concur.

The best pies are from a place in Borough Market at a stand called Pieminister.

So Yummy looking. I really like them from this place because the pies aren't just filled with meat; they are more like chicken pot pies.

This one is called Mr. Porkey. It's filled with pork, bacon, and vegetables. I really love the creamy sauce they mix it all together with.

Typically, pie is my least favorite dessert. I feel like pie crust is not sweet, nor does it belong with fruit. But after having so many delicious meat pies in England, I have some great motivation for learning to make pie crust.

Jaime in Edinburgh

This weekend Eric and I went to Edinburgh for a mini vacation. I absolutely loved it! The architecture was magnificent, the people were very friendly, and the mountains and hills reminded me a lot of home. The weather wasn't very pleasant, but everything else was.

Taken from the Edinburgh Castle - rainy day.

Eric from (almost) the top of The Scott Monument.

287 narrow steps to the top.

Me from (almost) the top of The Scott Monument.

Edinburgh Castle.

NE Edinburgh.

Holyrood Park in the background, or as Eric and I named it "The Great Wall." Don't you love the buildings?

Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle, again.

Edinburgh to the South.

Another picture of "The Great Wall"

John Knox was buried under that yellow box. Back in the 16th century, Knox was considered the founder of the Presbyterian denomination in Scotland. His wish to be buried near the church (just behind where the picture was taken), was kept. He also wasn't very well liked, which is why he remained there after the area was not longer a burial ground.

The oldest building in Scotland.

On top of the building are the two symbols for Scotland and France, symbolizing an ancient treaty to help each other when Britain attacked either one.

Edinburgh Castle from the back.

Bobby dog.

Bobby was the dog of a night guard for the Grayfriars graveyard. After His owner had him only 2 years, the man died of TB, and was buried there. The dog came back to the man's grave every day for the next 10 years until Bobby died. He is now the most loved and photographed dog in Europe.

Forsyth - like our last name. I actually ordered an ancient Forsyth tartan scarf that I will be getting in a few weeks. I'm excited.

Charming Victoria Street in the middle of Edinburgh.

We ate at this delicious place called Monster Mash. I had a sausage and about a pound+ of mashed potatoes and gravy. Eric had haggis, tatties & neeps (haggis, turnips, mash). For those of you who don't know how to make haggis, you take a sheep's stomach, grind up its liver, heart, and lungs, oats, and herbs, and stick them in the stomach. Boil it. Eat it. I tried it, and it was okay. I don't need to ever have it again. But I will need to go back to Edinburgh again.

Jaime in Paris - Day 2

Day 2 of our adventures in Paris:

Eric in front of the Arc de Triomphe and La Concorede

Jaime in front of the Arc de Triomphe and La Concorede

Le Louvre

More of Le Louvre

Notre-Dame

Eric and the doors to the Notre-Dame. We saw a few sets of Mormon missionaries from Utah here and chatted with them for a while. One said he wanted to go to school at CU in Boulder. Small world.

Loved all the beautiful stained glass in here.

Flying Buttresses in the back of the Notre-Dame

Here I am behind Notre-Dame.

And again in front of the Pompidou Museum.

Here I am again - my feet were really tired. We walked all day.

Paris was beautiful and I loved it. Tomorrow we head out for Edinburgh for more adventures.