London on Christmas Day

What a lovely idea to do on a Christmas morning. One day we will try to do the same! Imagine pictures of London without people. Amazing? Spooky? Romantic?

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Pub Lunch

found here

We recently went for a lovely autumn walk in Richmond Park and parked at Sheen Gate. Since the above picknick option looks tempting but is obviously hardly feasible in real life, we opted for the next best thing and went to the Victoria pub, which is a 10 min stroll away from the gate through quiet streets, situated in the original part of Sheen (church, school and pub all on one street - as it should be!).

found here

The atmosphere is nice and relaxed, the food is good. On weekends you have to book well in advance for lunch and dinner since it seems that most of Sheen can be found there enjoying their roast. It's not cheap, but I think well worth a trip. 

Easter at Ham House

 HC for 

greyorgreen

Happy Easter

Dear All
Just wanting to wish you a very happy and sunny few Easter days. We will be spending Easter in the Capital but will try to avoid public transport and stay at the periphery since major rail works will hit some of London's busiest stations (check here).

Apart from looking forward to a visit of the Easter Bunny at our house we will go to Ham House for our traditional Easter Hunt at this National Trust property. The whole family loves this place, we go there in all seasons, enjoying the space, the gardens (they have a superb kitchen garden) and the secrets around the house itself. Walk to the river and you will find a little ferry which will get you across to a huge playground and more open space. The ride is only 2 min but the kids LOVE it. Ham House itself has a very good restaurant but if you want to spoil yourself, check out Petersham Nursery, 15 min walk away. You need to book a table for lunch but they also have a cafe with a now slightly extended menu. The setting and the food are superb but very, very expensive (more about this place in a later post, promise).

Kew Gardens offer chocolate on trees, but should you be suffering from hay fever or want to avoid the sun, pay a visit to German expat Haendel's House where the kids can hunt for eggs and everybody can enjoy music performances throughout the afternoon.

greyorgreen

Happy Easter!

Green London

I am not always hunting for the colour green here in London, but today was gorgeous and our trip to the Wetland Centre, 10 min from Hammersmith and Putney (with bus connections) did transport us into another world. It will be busy during the holidays, but come early (we arrived at 10 am) and you have a fairly peaceful hour before it gets a bit busier. The walks and hides are lovely, the playground an absolute must for families (a Tip: bring towels for the kids). The restaurant is good value, with a lovely outdoor seating area (beware though, there is some building work still going on, but mainly inside) There is also a little kiosk at the playground in case you need a sugar high.

You don't need to be a bird watcher to enjoy this space and even without trying you will see some amazing flight manoeuvres.

The centre opened just before our daughter was born and we still love to go come rain or shine. They have an indoor viewing platform and infotainment for kids as well, so you do not necessarily have to get wet, but wellies on a rainy day are recommended.

But for now, enjoy the sun, the chicks and the Easter egg-stravaganza

I have to apologies for the quality of the pictures, I only had my iPhone, but I wanted to share.

Italian Cinema London

Le Quattro Volte

found here 

The coming weekend promises sunshine! What about combining Italian culture with a lovely walk along the Thames? The Italian Cinema London Film Festival is on till Sunday and they show quite a few films at the Riverside Studio near Hammersmith.
Now, you could take the tube to Putney Bridge and walk along the river on the South side, crossing over at Hammersmith Bridge from where you will see the sign for the Studio on the other side already. It should take about a very leisurely hour, and although you won't be passing any ice cream parlours to get you into the mood there are pubs on both ends, next to the rowings clubs either on the Putney side at the beginning of the walk (maybe not such a good idea if you still want to make it to the festival) or when crossing Hammersmith Bridge turning West (just next to the bridge, you cannot miss them). Inbetween there is only beautiful Green! And the path is also good for cycling, by the way.

Have a lovely weekend!