Within this week..

•  Inaugurated my week by accidently stumbling upon Adrian Whittle Photography @ Barbican Library during my lunch time walk. The photographs were from Asia / Africa and Latin America depicting everyday life of people 

•  Listened to podcast Stories of our times -" The best letters to the editor of 2022" 

• Watched very boring and fluff " Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton" series 3. This is about World Boxer  champion Amir Khan and fashionista wife Faryal. Unlike last seasons I could not maintain my attention and just could not be bothered to finish the episodes 

• To compensate, watched " Mumbai Mafia" on Netflix. The documentary centres around Mumbai and its   underworld.. rise and fall of Dawood Ibrahim. Explores time in Mumbai in 90s when it was a violent city where gangsters often wielded power more than police 

• Weekend started with quick trip to Bond Street to enter the world of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama pop ups along the street. Both of them have reunited after 10 years to bring the artist's emblematic motifs to life 

• Dashed off to Harrods and bought x 2 chocolate bars - Milk and Dark for my sister. Then had our usual meal of Coffee / Chai / Cheese and Jalapeno pasty / Vanilla Sponge cake / Chicken tikka roll 

•  Last destination of the evening was attending the Winter Lights festival @ Canary Wharf. The place was heaving and looked as if whole of London descended upon this place

 

 

 

 

Notes from the week gone by

•  Commenced my New Year by going for a guided walk following City Walks Guide to in and   around  Sloane Square. The pack of 50 interesting walks has been with me for donkey's years  but   never formally followed a walk. So what better way to start New Year's Day !! 
• A & N reluctantly accompanied me but at the end they enjoyed having to be just able to get out of the house. I couldn't follow the walk to the T but nevertheless covered quite a bit. Points of interest for me was Buddhist Temple from Chelsea Embankment / Carlyle House / Cheyne Walk / Chelsea Physic Gardens ( closed )
• Concluded our day with visit to our friend's house for Dinner of Gujrati delicacies / Chilli Paneer / Mix Pulao / Ice Cream
• Watched " My Old School" on BBC I Player. The movie is about Brandon Lee who falsely enrolled himself in a secondary school claiming to be a 16 year old when in reality he was 30
• Kids back to school mid week and ultimately back to reality about getting back to routine
• Picking up listening to Podcasts which got side tracked for months now.. This week I listened to " More or Less Behind the Statistics: Numbers of the Year 2022 and Can China's data on Covid deaths be trusted? 
• Walked to Gidea Park Library.. and both A&N got a book each. N is into learning French so she got one covering that and A got a Step By Step Chemistry book
• Kicked off my Reading Challenge for 2023 by a book from Avni Doshi "Burnt Sugar" which is part of a book club from work
• Made Chole / Rajma Rice / Methi Aloo / Tindora Sabzi / Palak Paneer over the weekend

Back to Work

After almost one year of maternity leave i am officially back to work!!! Its been a week already and it doesn't feel too bad. I do get exhausted by evening but i have quite a support at home at the moment so it is all right to manage.Aayush has taken the change very nicely and enjoys his time with his grandparents. In the meantime these are some of the few things i did before starting my full time job:-

• A Visit to V&A Museum on a rainy Sunday.
• For the first time i had the chance to Vote and i did exactly just that.
• Bollywood Movies seen -"Rajneeti" and "Housefull".
• Attended a "Real Food Festival " at Earls Court and had lunch at "Masala Zone".We bought some very fresh Mozzarella Cheese;Real Mexican Salsa,Shahi Masala Mix and Kadai Masala Mix.
• Aayush had his Mundan Ceremony and also we conducted a Satya Narayan Katha.Food made was Pooris,Chola,Imli Aloo,Shahi Paneer,Aloo Gobhi,Jeera Pulao,Masala Bhindi and Kheer.
• I passed my Driver Licence Exam in the first attempt.... with only 6 minor mistakes.
• Joined two Baby and Toddler Groups in my local area.I think it was a good decision as Aayush loves the place and also this has become a good ground for Nursery as this gives him exposure to different kids.
• Made two friends out of these Baby Groups - Vaijenta and Jyoti.
• Met my colleague for lunch at O2 and Thai Lunch of Vegetable Spring Rolls /Thai Green Curry with Rice.
• Purchased an I-Phone for myself and downloaded apps such as Pedometer/Use your Handwriting.
• Books finished reading - "The Gift " by Cecilia Ahern;"Motherhood" by Judy Reith;"Love Over Coffee" by Amrit N Shetty;"The Vine of Desire" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
• Saw "Merchants of Bollywood " at the Peacock Theatre.
• Tried loads of curries from Tarla Dalal "Desi Khana" - Ceylonese Curry;Cauliflower Curry;Mixed Vegetables-Patiala Style;Green Peas and Mushroom Curry;Tava Mushroom;Mughlai Aloo etc
• Also made Pineapple Cake from Manjula's Kitchen Blog;Kutchi Dabeli from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Spicy Chaat from Tarla Dalal's Desi Khana;Mexican Rice Casserole from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Black Eyed Peas Vadas from Mahanadi Blog;Singapore Noodles from Good Food Magazine;Mix Veg Risotto ;Vegetable Pasta Bake etc etc.
• Saw Shrek 3 D in my local Odeon Cinema and hated it.. The movie is too boring and doesn't capture my interest at all.
• Did some clothes shopping for myself --- a motivator before joining work..Bought Skirts/Tops and Formal Trousers from Marks and Spencer and John Lewis.

Hopefully things will be fine for the coming weeks and i will be able to strike a good balance between my work and home...

Return Home

It has been a month exactly that i came back from India and it feels as if i never went away.Days are filled with eating, going out and finding out ways to keep an 8 month old baby occupied.

• Lunch at Pizza Express with my Sister in Law and Niece.I had Nostrana Salad which had New Potatoes,Avocados,Red Pepper,Green Beans, Mixed Leaves,Parsley and a free range Egg with house dressing.I substituted Chicken with Mushrooms.
• Made a trip to Coram Fields which was on my list ever since i was pregnant and i was waiting for the day when i can take my baby there since the entry to the park is restricted to only people who are accompanied by kids.
• Browsed Bloomsbury area and had coffee and cake in Carluccio's.
• Aayush was due for his second photo session locally and so i took him there. He behaved nicely in the session and some very gorgeous pictures have come out.
• Whenever i see Aayush is getting all cranky being at home i take him out in his buggy and go for long walks in my area.He loves looking out and grasping everything around him and i get some much needed exercise.Sometimes it happens twice a day which really tires me up in the evening.
• I have been doing a lot of cooking in this past month.I made a colourful Mexican Rice Casserole,Cheese and Vegetable Muffins,Semolina and Bottle Gourd Pancakes,Vegetable Fajitas, and Kutchi Dabeli.I also dared to make Strawberries dipped in Chocolate and Fruits with White Chocolate.They didn't turn out the way as i expected them to be.
• I also had our friends Gaurav and Mughda for dinner one Saturday and i made Chana Paalak,Tawa Paneer,Salad,Boondi Raita,Vegetable Pulao and Fruit Cream for dessert.
• Movies watched this past month were :- "Housefull","The Proposal";"35 Shots of Rum" ; "Julie and Julia"and"An Education" from Blockbuster Rental.
• I finished reading Shobha Narayan's "Monsoon Diary"and "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown and "The Immigrant"by Manju Kapoor.
• For the very first time in my life i cast my vote. I never knew that i can vote in UK. I was under the impression that voting is reserved only for citizens but i was wrong.
• On a rainy Sunday we decided to visit V&A Museum.I would like to go there again when the museum will be a bit empty as it was too crowded that day.
• Browsing magazines such as Time Out (London),Prima,Country Walking,Living Etc,BBC Good Food,Good Housekeeping,Cook Vegetarian,Weight Watchers etc.
• On one of the weeknights i went out for Dinner with my Office Colleagues to a French Restaurant "One Lombard Street".We had a 5 Course Dinner Menu of Grilled Marinated Provencal Vegetables Pesto,Tapenade and Saffron Veloute (Starter),Spinach Risotto with Garlic and Nutmeg Nut Brown Butter ( Mains) and Bitter Chocolate Marquise Raspberry Coulis and Creme Chantilly (Dessert).

39 Weeks

• My parents arrived this week. This is the first time they have stepped outside India and i think we both were anxious for their trip.Everything went off smoothly.They are loving London and appreciating little things which we used to take it for granted.
• I am now tired of carrying the huge bump and want to get it over with as early as possible.
• Temperatures in London have gone really high touching 29C and that is not helping me either.
• Despite the rising temperatures and my rising bump i have been fairly active this week.Went to Cambridge for a day trip/ had lunch in Tiffin Bites/Took my parents to Westminster to see Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and also running around to finish errands.
• I was reading somewhere that women do experience the sudden spurt of energy before the onset of labour- i think i am experiencing that.
• Started reading the "The contended Little Baby Book " by Gina Ford.

30 Weeks

• Attended my first Parenting Workshop at the King George Hospital-The midwife discussed about stages of Labour/ Birth Plan/Pain relief available and various other things. I think it was helpful as it really if someone talks about these things in person. I knew quite a lot of stuff but i still learnt few things and was reassured on many topics.


• Baby is kicking extremely hard these days.. and nights. Sometimes i wake up in the middle of night and just cant go back to sleep after that.


• Currently reading "Ask a Midwife" by Catharine Parker-Litter and also while commuting " Interpreter of Maladies " by Jhumpa Lahiri.This is my second time reading this book. The last time the book was borrowed from my College Library.That time i didn't even knew the author name and just picked up the book as those days i was interested in reading short stories.


• These days i need rest after short periods as i can't over strain myself. If i do that i get such a bad body ache which goes out completely out of control.


• I had my 3D scan done last week at a private clinic in Docklands. It was amazing to see the baby's features so clearly on the screen. We got a DVD made of the whole session and bought one color photograph and two B&W images.Baby was not in a mood to be disturbed it seems and was sleeping i suppose..the person who was doing the scan said the baby is very "cheeky".


• Also visited Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane Market- it was interesting to see so many cuisines from all over the world gathered in one place.There was Ethiopian/ Macay/ Mauritian/Brazilian/Thai/Italian/ French/Spanish/Chinese/Japanese.. to name a few.I had vegetarian momos/Chow mien/ mango juice/ homemade lemonade.
  Also walked to Brick Lane market- and tasted the very famous Bagels from Beigel Bakery.The shop was so crowded and small.. We bought Cream Cheese bagels. They were fine .. definitely fresh but were not warm.

17 weeks

• Feeling good this week as no throwing up.
• Indulged myself in pamper session- a deep cleansing facial,luxury manicure/padicure and a hair cut at my local beauty saloon.
• Saturday was bright and sunny- went for a stroll in St Paul's/had a lazy lunch and strolled towards Tate Modern.
• Marvelled at the amazing art pieces from various artists.
• Friends came over and had a Wii session for 2 hrs or so.
• Sunday was not that great and was tired all day -maybe because of the over exertion on saturday.
• Had a quite dinner of daal and aloo sabzi with rice.
• Plan to start my Yoga on Wii next week.
  

Christmas Lights

This year i decided that i will try and see as much as Xmas lights in and around London.Malls,streets and stores.. i just love seeing the lights and Xmas tress everywhere.A made a very brave attempt to accompany me on my mad trip and took some pictures for me.

We started with Westfield London which is a new mall opened only a few months ago. It is spacious and beautifully decorated.Just loved browsing around and doing nothing particular.

Next week i dragged A to come along with me to go to Oxford Street.We began with Carnaby Street which is dominated by giant snowman all over.They are quite huge and give a very snowy feeling everywhere.

Then came John Lewis, House of Fraser and Debenhams which are the most popular and decorated stores in Oxford Street.

Bond Street was almost shut when we could make it there.Stores were all packing up and we did some window shopping before we dragged our self back towards Oxford Street.

A wanted to buy Xmas gift for my niece and so we headed towards Hamleys.The pic below is of the Hamleys Store from inside.The place was jam packed and it was difficult to even stand on two feet and so we came out as quickly as possible.

Other places we saw where Xmas was at its peak..

• Somerset House


• Lakeside Mall


• Epping High Street


• St Paul's Cathedral


• Canary Wharf Mall

Open House Weekend

I was looking forward for this event since last year and boy what an amazing those two days were.. and amazingly A was really sweet in giving me company despite the fact that he was not really interested in seeing historic buildings.. Thanks a lot A.
Saturday we started with Royal Courts of Justice.The highlights were seeing Entrance to the cells/Unfinished Pillar/Memorial to George Edmund Street-the architect of the Royal Courts of Justice/Bear Garden/Lord Chancellor's Court.Organizers gave us a handout which guided us through the building.Very informative and gorgeous Gothic structure mesmerised me.

Main Hall -It is 238 feet long, 80 feet high and 48 feet wide.The mosaic floor was all individually hand laid out.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office - again very elegant working office with larger than life paintings and beautiful interiors.Major attaractions in the building was Durbar Court/Locarno Suite/The Locarno Dining Room/The Grand Staircase.

Durbar Court-The name dates from 1902 when some of the Coronation celebrations of King Edward VII were held here.In March 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended an evening reception for President Leburn of France,during which young Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud acted the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Statues from left to right Sir Eyre Coote,The Marquess Cornwallis,Richard Marquess Wellesley, and the Duke of Wellington.

The Grand Staircase- designed by George Gilbert Scott.He saw the Foreign Office as 'a kind of national palace,or drawing room for the nation' and his use of lavish decoration to impress foreign visitors is exemplified by his Grand Staircase.

We lunched at a small pizzeria of Tomato Basil and Mozzarella Salad with Californian Pizza washed down with a large glass of coke.
As we had enough time on our hand we walked around the Charing Cross and browsed some paintings at National Portrait Gallery.

Our last stop for the day was Canada House.Contrary to my expectations Canada House did not impress me much.

Sunday i decided to take it easy as i was tired from last day's events ... i first stopped at Apsley House. We did a quick round of the house looking at the huge marble statues and gorgeous paintings.Highlights of the place was a huge Napoleon Statue and Waterloo Gallery.

It is one of London's finest mansions and is still the residence of Wellington's descendants.

My next and last stop was at Westminster Hall.It was amazing to see such a huge and palatial hall. It is the oldest extant building at the Palace of Westminster and is one of the largest medieval halls in Europe.The hall was the most frequent meeting place of the King's Great Council from the late 11th century and the principal home of the Courts of Justice since 1178.

Weekend Doings

Sunday- started with Badminton session in our local Leisure Center.Afternoon was spent walking in High Beech and Connaught Water with orange lollies in hand.The weather was lovely and we enjoyed the walk around the lake.



Evening was a more noisier affair as we had our friends N&M and their two kids came down for dinner at my brother in law's place.We had Rajma/Mattar Paneer/Aloo Chole/Dum Aloo/ Puris/Rice finished by Rasgullas and Ice cream.Unfortunately i could not take any pics.

Saturday- Morning A had to give our car for servicing and i stayed at home doing cleaning/cooked dry vegetable made up of Bell Pepper and potatoes/ bought fruits and vegetables from East Ham and played with my 4 yr old niece.
In the evening we decided to venture into the city .. so we started walking from Bank of England passed St Paul's Cathedral/ Blackfriars Bridge/ South Bank/ Royal Festival Hall. There we came across these handmade crochets which replicates the forms of natural coral.They were so bright and colourful that i could not help myself but take a few pics.


Then came London Eye followed by London Aquarium.Since the weather was so good, the place was full with people enjoying the sun set.





We continued towards Houses of Parliament / Downing Street/ and reached Trafalgar Square.There we browsed some of the restaurants like The Texas Embassy,A Local pub,Maple Leaf-Canadian Restaurant,some Greek eating places and number of Thai eateries but finally ended up eating in a very chic place called Bangalore Express.

A had complete Indian Thali served with spiced yogurt curry, roasted aubergines,tempura salad,rice,cucumber raita and naan served with paneer and vegetables.



I had an Indian style Pizza stuffed with spiced paneer, mushrooms and peppers served with cucumber raita and onion tomato salad.



Friday- we started our weekend "Gone Baby Gone".After a very tough day at work i was not in a mood to watch such a heavy movie with lots of twists and turns.I think i would have enjoyed the movie on any other day but Friday. We reached home late and didn't bother to cook but ate precooked Garlic Herb and Cheese bread.