Author: melisajohnson

Saturday Markets

I started out the day icing my poor toe.  Then I went down the block to the Notting farmers market and Chedworth Farm Shop all providing local produce.  It was so refreshing to see all the local produce and it was so cheap!  

I then took a bit of a nap and rested my foot before heading out to explore Kensington and Hyde park.  The park was fairly quiet- full of happy dogs running around and trees just starting to bloom.  There were two places I wanted to see- the gardens at Kensington place and the memorial to princess Diana.   They had a beautiful tulip exhibit in the gardens it was a tribute to princess Diana. 

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 Then I had always heard about the water feature that was a river flowing in Hyde park (once again for princess Diana).  I have to say I was very disappointed in it.  I expected quite a bit more.  

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After the park I started to slowly making my way down Sloan street to Partridges champagne bar for a refreshing glass or two before my market tour.  The market first booth was full of champagne… so a different type of farmers market and definitely made me miss Jo! 

We made our way through the market, but I wouldn’t call it a farmers market as most of the stalls had freshly prepared foods.  I had some of my Sicilian favorites…  I was really happy!

Then we made our way to Cobble Lane Cured to learn about how they make their products.  It was a great little local shop.  We enjoyed a brief tour and then some beer and a tasting of the meats.  https://www.cobblelanecured.com

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by Categories: London 1 Comment

Tooting London market 

Last night I went to an old market in London in the Tooting area it was interesting as you could see the parts that hadn’t changed in 60 years mixed in with 2-4 new stalls.   The area is mostly made up of Pakistanis, but there is starting to be some others.


After the market we went to a great little restaurant (Pakistan food of course).  It reminded me a lot of the food we ate in India a few years ago.


We finished the meal with an interesting tea.  It is a traditional tea made with green tea, cardamom and saffron with plenty of sugar and topped with a bit of mint. Very interesting.

by Categories: London Leave a comment

Pizza on my wood fired oven

Well tonight is the 2nd try to make pizza on my wood fired oven outside.  The first attempt failed miserably, my dough was just not right. 

So today it was back to the store and I am going to try again.  The dough is almost perfect this time, but I think my timing is off as it was ready to go in and I had not warmed up the green egg… so the pizza started to stick to my board. 


I decided it was better to put it in now while I could still get it off the board, but now I cannot get the green egg hot enough as it is supposed to be 600 degrees when I put it in.  

All I can do is sit and wait now without opening the lid!  

by Categories: Cayman Leave a comment

Bàcaro

In early 2017 Bàcaro opened as Cayman’s only authentic Italian tapas restaurant and wine bar. It was inspired by the traditional “Bacari” of Venice, their menu features fresh, delicious and small plates.  It is easy to relax on the beautiful terrace which overlooks the Yacht Club while with a glass of wine and some small plates.  It has quickly become our new favorite restaurant.

by Categories: Cayman 1 Comment

Birthday morning

It has been a great birthday so far.  I started off with breakfast and opened some gifts with Richard. 

 

Then I went off to the spa at the Ritz for a facial.  They brought out some treats for me to enjoy after my service as well!  Let hope the cats have left my flower alone!

by Categories: Cayman 1 Comment

5 regrets of the dying

I know this is an odd post to put up on my birthday, but there is a great blog I read called Becoming Minimalist.  I thought that this blog had some good points as we all get so busy in life.  I think the top 5 posts would apply to most people.

Eventually, in a book about the experience, she would distinctly identify “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.” They are:

  1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
  2. I wish I hadn’t worked so much.
  3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
  4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
  5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

To read the full blog click here.

by Categories: Random Thoughts Leave a comment