Summer, Part 2 (it's nearly Autumn - yay!)

14th century De Vere House in Lavenham, Suffolk.
You can now stay here, as it's rented out as luxury accommodation

Hello again, and welcome to Part 2 of 'summer'.

It's been a very eventful past month, and this is a quite lengthy post so I hope you'll stick with me.

Some weeks ago we took advantage of a special deal at one of our favourite vegetarian/vegan restaurants, The Gate in Hammersmith, and as usual it was a truly fabulous meal. Anyone who still subscribes to 20th century idea that plant-based meals are boring and tasteless really needs to visit The Gate and have their eyes opened.

My delicious starter - artichoke terrine with hazelnut and truffle, and a sundried tomato chutney.
A glorious symphony of flavours and textures

Kevin about to tuck in to his mushroom risotto cake

Our indulgence was worked off by trudging around the Tate Modern, for the purpose of seeing the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, In Real Life.  This Icelandic-Danish artist expresses himself in many different mediums and it's no wonder this exhibition is such a hot ticket. His work is very current, with a focus on nature and climate change.

The Tate Modern

The definition of Arctic Scandinavia

A whole wall of lichen, the food of reindeer. Patrons are invited to touch and smell this living wall of art

Lichen detail - the aroma made me long for Norway

Walk towards the light:
the interactive exhibition Your Blind Passenger requires you to walk through a long corridor filled with fog, with varying light levels. It was very disorienting and a tad creepy, but a memorable experience.
In this section I felt I was on the set of Bladerunner 2059

The following weekend we visited our friends Roy and Tracey in Buckingham, and spent a number of hours exploring Bletchley Park, which is only about a 20-minute drive from their house. 

If you've seen either the 2001 Kate Winslet film Enigma or the 2014 Benedict Cumberbatch film The Imitation Game, you'll be familiar with the story of the invention of the 'Enigma' code-breaking machine which helped Britain turn the tide in the Second World War.

Visitors can walk through the recreated huts, including Alan Turing's office. Just incredible to think so many people lived and worked under a veil of secrecy for so long. Can you imagine such a thing being kept quiet these days, in our world of instant information sharing?

The Mansion at Bletchley Park

Alan Turing's office in Hut 8 at Bletchley Park

Block B, which houses the main museum at Bletchley Park

Some weeks after visiting us at Frensham, Lesley was pet-sitting in Suffolk so we took our last opportunity to spend a few days in her company before she travelled back to Canberra. We had skirted the area some years ago en route to Norfolk, but really this county was fairly new to us. 

On the way to Suffolk we stopped for a lightning tour around Anglesey Abbey in Lode, just outside Cambridge, as we had to almost pass it. What a beautiful National Trust property! We raced through the house at warp speed, however we spent long enough there to feel that Anglesey was one of those properties where you could imagine living. It wasn't so very grand as to suspend your imagination of domestic life, despite various royal personages having stayed there. 

Anglesey Abbey viewed from the lawn

One of the staircases at Anglesey Abbey, joining the first floor with The Tapestry Hall 

Alabaster 'Medusa' wall lamp in The Long Gallery at Anglesey Abbey

The kitchens at Anglesey Abbey

A quiet little entrance to Anglesey Abbey, tucked away around the back of the building

And so we drove on to Suffolk, where we spent three days wandering around the towns of Long Melford (where Lesley was staying), Cavendish (where our AirB&B was located), and the market town of Lavenham which is arguably Britain's best preserved mediaeval town. It is incredible, with over 300 grade listed heritage properties. 

Fun fact: Lavenham was used in the Harry Potter films as Godric’s Hollow, where Harry lived as a child with his parents before they were murdered.

We were impressed with the area and hope to return to explore further. It's yet another fascinating place that is only a couple of hours' drive away, and we're grateful to Lesley for the introduction.

Multicoloured mediaeval houses in Lavenham

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Long Melford,
constructed between 1467-1497 in the late Perpendicular Gothic style

Cottage in Long Melford, Suffolk

Just look at that gorgeous summer foliage!
This cottage was in Cavendish, Suffolk

Kevin dwarfing the tiny front door of a cottage in Cavendish, Suffolk

The Guildhall in Lavenham, dating from the 16th century.
It houses an absolutely fascinating museum, as this building has been used for many purposes through the centuries, 
including a gaol and workhouse

Wisteria covered mediaeval building in Lavenham

Just take a look at the lean on this little pink number!
(that colour is a traditional one, known as Suffolk Pink)

We never tire of the vast array of witty dog poo community notices that abound in this nation of dog obsessives.
This one was in Cavendish, where we were staying

Warm ochre tones - this timber framed building is just behind the Guildhall in Lavenham

Kevin picked up this bottle of gin for me at a boutique brewery near Long Melford.
The packaging is emblazoned with one of the images from my favourite building 
in Surrey, the Watts Chapel (under proper licence, of course)

After being thwarted for months by the vagaries of weather and mutually difficult social calendars, we finally managed to 'christen' our patio terrace a few weeks ago, by hosting drinks and dinner one evening. It's tricky to catch these pesky teachers who all flit off in different directions for the summer holidays.

It will come as no surprise to any of my regular readers that naturally TMC* was in full force for this auspicious event.
* The Maree Curse

Yes, despite several weeks of very enjoyable, mild weather in the low/mid 20s, the day in question was the hottest day on record, coming in at a hideous 38.7ºC, with high humidity. I had suffered through a whole day at work in those conditions (36ºC interior temperature) and it's fair to say that by the time I got home, I was not exactly in 'party mood.' Nonetheless, with the worst of the heat starting to recede by early evening, I rallied and a good time was had by all.

Recovery was aided by one of my current favourite cocktails - Strawberry Vodka and Tonic. Muddle a couple of strawberries in the bottom of a glass, add ice, a shot of Absolut Strawberry Vodka, and top up with tonic water. Extraordinarily refreshing on a warm afternoon! One of these under my belt by the time our guests had started arriving, and the world was looking a little rosier.

This summer's favourite cocktail - Absolut Strawberry Vodka & Tonic

Summer evening in our backyard

Thankfully this past couple of weeks has seen a return to the more traditional temperatures of an English summer, and we spent last weekend in Bath - a trip at fairly short notice, with our friends Roy and Tracey. The reason for the trip was to celebrate Roy's 50th birthday.

I've visited this beautiful Georgian city many times (in fact, my last trip was only about six months ago), but it has a lot to offer. If you have any interest in history, architecture or Jane Austen, Bath is the place for you.

Underwood Bar & Kitchen on Bath's Pulteney Bridge

The Royal Crescent

Pulteney Bridge and Weir at night

It was a fabulous weekend, briefly marred by a diabolically bad dinner experience at a restaurant associated with a very famous chef. After two underwhelming courses and a truly perplexing experience with inept staff, we fled Koffmann & Mr White's in high dudgeon. (We asked them to remove the discretionary service charge from the bill. Service? There was none)

We were all very disappointed that Roy's special birthday celebration was not what we had hoped.

However, I am happy to say the evening was redeemed by the friendly, experienced and knowledgeable staff at nearby hotel Browns, whither we had dejectedly trudged after leaving Koffmann & Mr White's. 

What a difference good staff makes to an evening. We left Browns feeling our night had been a success after all, having consumed delicious desserts and cocktails. Rave reviews from all four of us now may be found on TripAdvisor, with particular mention of our server Yee Lin who was an absolute delight.

Birthday boy Roy, and wife Tracey, enjoying afternoon tea in The Pump Room, Bath

Every time I visit Bath, one of my favourite things to do is have a sticky-beak at the fabulous basement gardens.
This was a particularly large one, belonging to the corner townhouse at one end of The Royal Crescent

I loved the gorgeous blue door and curved stone entrance of this house on Sydney Place

Who'd have thought visiting The Roman Baths could be improved?!
Indeed, they have been - now you may wander around with a glass of bubbly in your hand!

As I mentioned in Summer, Part 1, on 4 August it was exactly five years since we once again uprooted and returned to the UK. That anniversary signals the approaching expiry of my second 2.5-year spouse visa. It's crunch time for me - in a few weeks I'll be making my application for permanent residency which involves not only the usual gigantic wads of paperwork and an eye-watering fee, but also a written exam on 'life in the UK'.

*sigh*

I confess to more than a little trepidation about the whole process, because I've truly come to feel that Britain is home - bloody infuriating Brexit and all. And on that note, we await with trepidation the antics of our new PM, Buffoon Boris (as I like to call him). As I write, No-deal Brexit dangles overhead like Damocles' sword, with fears of a plunge into instant recession.

But I digress.

To expand on the Life in the UK test...

For several weeks I used the handbook pictured below, and two different apps on my phone, to study and undertake mock tests. Every day I spent hours inventing clever rhymes and puns to help me remember scintillating facts like:

• the year the Romans successfully invaded Britain, after their previous failure - 'In AD 53, the Romans came to this coun-try'

• when the English Civil War commenced - 'The Civil War was quite a coup, it began in 1642'

• when the Saxon invasions were considered to be successfully completed - 'Six hundred Saxons! Six hundred Saxons!' - ie AD600)

• and the year the Scottish Parliament was elected - 'And those Scots are gonna party like it's 1999!' (with grateful thanks to Prince).

Happily, I can report that I absolutely blitzed the exam - completing it in what is surely some kind of record. After practically strip-searching you for hidden microphones, notes, devices and even tissues (!) you are admitted into the exam room. They allow you 45 minutes, but I was finished in - seriously - 4 minutes! They don't give you a mark, just a Pass or Fail (and the pass mark is 75 per cent). I know for a fact that I answered all but one question perfectly - and with only a modicum of doubt, I'm pretty sure I got that one right, too.

Nearly 200 pages of stuff that most Britons wouldn't have a clue about!

Hopefully by the time I next blog, I will be a card-carrying Permanent Resident of the UK, and the next step is citizenship, for which I understand I may apply once I've been a PR for 12 months. 

I hasten to add that if they don't let me stay, this is likely to be the final post on Tunnels of Green, as I will have been booted out of the country!

It's now almost exactly a year since we moved back on-site to Frensham Heights, and I can say unreservedly that each day here has been an absolute delight. Even the bad days are more bearable living in this gorgeous environment - the memories of which I carried in my heart for nine years, longing to be back after we left in 2009.

As an illustration of the delights of this area, please enjoy the sounds of Farnham on a summer Sunday,  complete with chap on a bicycle, with cute dog trotting alongside:

To quote Lady Catherine de Bourgh, if I am ejected from the UK I shall be 'most seriously displeased.'

For starters, I'm sure our resident family of pheasants would miss us.

Those of you who were readers of my Hello from Surrey! newsletters back in 2008-09 will remember we had an almost tame pheasant as a regular visitor, whom we named 'Mr P.' He was often accompanied by his lady wife, 'Mrs P.'

I'm happy to say that ten years later we have a new Mr & Mrs P...

Our new Mr P....

PLUS BABY P's !!!  ♥️♥️♥️

After a short absence of some weeks, we were delighted when Mrs P reappeared with not one, not two, but three babies in tow. 

Apologies for the poor quality of the photo.
 You'll have to take my word for it that those blobs are indeed baby pheasants

Some weeks  later and it would appear one of the babies is no more :-(

Mr P is now brave enough to come and tap on the window, when there is not a good enough supply of seed / fat balls on the ground

I am also pleased to share with you the exciting news that at long last, after many years of wishing, hoping and waiting, we finally have badgers in the garden - two dear, stripey-headed creatures, as you see in the (very poor quality) photos below. Colour us both *thrilled*

In fact one of these lovely Brocks (that's the older, Celtic name for badgers) has visited us every night for the past two weeks, sometimes joined by the younger cub - double the excitement. I guess the fact that each night Kevin lays out peanuts and a crumbled fat ball (such as we buy for the birds) has probably helped with the return visits.

One of our regular visitors - at long last, a badger in the garden!
*squeeeeeee*

Look at that dear, stripey head!

In contrast to the enjoyment our current home affords us, it really has been a fairly sobering time recently.

A young friend in New York came close to death following surgery which should have been routine, but which resulted in serious complications due to surgeon error. It was touch-and-go for many weeks. She was in ICU for over a month, and though she's on the mend now, she has been in hospital for nearly three months in total, and it will take many more months of physiotherapy before she can return home and start living life again.

Another very close friend has in the past month been diagnosed with a serious illness, and we're anxiously awaiting confirmation about treatment and what can be expected in the longer term. 

Some recent events in Australia have also made me feel the geographical distance from family, with the passing of my dear Uncle Spiro after a long illness - sadly just a couple of weeks before my Aunty Jan was to celebrate her 80th birthday. 

I fervently wished I could be in Australia to share in the celebration of my uncle's long life, and my aunt's milestone birthday. Aunty Jan and Uncle Spiro, and my cousins Marina, Kristina and Julia, were a huge part of my life growing up and well into adulthood. Every birthday, Christmas, Easter and significant family event was spent together, our two families marking life's passage with celebrations. 

With both my parents gone, and now Uncle Spiro, it brings home what a fleeting moment we have in this life.

Just take a look at this suave chap from Corfu.
Is it any wonder my Aunty Jan fell head-over-heels in love with Spiro?

'Spiro' - the weeping Cotoneaster we planted in our garden on 14 July, in  memory of my uncle

Indeed, all of these ups and downs reinforce the fact that life is short, and full of uncertainties. Kevin and I are determined to reach some kind of balance between work, family and community obligations, and finding happiness and contentment. These elements don't always coincide, and our distance from Australia is a reality that does cause us anxiety from time to time. 

Meanwhile, we thank our lucky stars that we live in an age when we can easily connect with loved ones far away, via social media, Skype and so on. I remember what an occasion it was each Christmas and on 13 January (my grandmother's birthday), when Dad would book an international phone call to Norway days in advance, so we could speak with my grandmother for a precious few minutes.

An espresso in one of the Russian coffee cups I inherited from my Norwegian grandmother.
I often sit on our terrace, enjoying the amazing view, and thinking of family and friends far away in Australia.

We're heading to Norway next week, our first summer visit in six years because we usually go at Christmas time. So stay tuned for what I expect will be, as usual, beautiful images of that glorious country, and the opportunity to once again connect with the Norwegian side of the family.

Until next time (if indeed there is a next time - pending residency status),
- Maree  xo

Another snowy Scandinavian Christmas

Happy New Year to my readers!


Well, in fact Christmas and New Year have come and gone, and I am perhaps a little tardy in publishing a post on our festive season activities... but here goes.

Our Christmas location - Gyl, just outside Tingvoll, in Norway

Once again we have had the privilege of spending Christmas with family in beautiful Norway, and despite some very mild and rainy conditions in our first couple of days, the weather gods eventually came good and provided us with the necessary white stuff.

We were off to a good start as we arrived in Oslo, awaiting our connecting flight. Oslo has had a huge amount of snow this winter and the picture below was taken through a window at our departure gate. For all that it's a picture of industrial buildings at an airport, I feel the image has a stark, monochrome, wintry beauty.

Monochrome beauty at Oslo Airport

Clear skies above Kristiansund

After a connecting flight from Oslo to Kristiansund on Norway's west coast, a 45-minute drive from the airport brought us to the tiny village of Gyl, where we have visited my cousin Marion and her family numerous times over the past 20 years.

Previous stays have been in the lovely white timber building that was Marion and Erik's home for about 25 years, and was once the local school (where indeed Marion's husband Erik was educated in his early years). However, a few years ago two elderly spinster sisters made the decision they could no longer live in the house in which they were born and had spent their entire lives. Like Erik's family, their clan has farmed in that location for about 600 years. There was no question of them putting their 170-year old home up for sale on the open market; it was in an almost original state - right down to the fact that they had no running hot water inside the house.

Marion and Erik made an offer, and they became the owners and caretakers of this piece of local history. Over the next few years plans were drawn up to build their dream home as an annexe to the existing dwelling.

The new house, with the original one on the right

A lot of the building work was done by Erik himself over the course of two years, with the assistance of adults sons Jo Eirik and Jørn Henrik, as well as a contracted carpenter who lived with the family for a month or two at a time (Gyl is not a metropolis, and commuting would have been impractical). This really was a labour of love, with most of the timber coming from the family's own woodlands, and cut and shaped in their barn.

The house has a traditional turf roof, and it's an incredibly energy efficient home with lots of light, generous spaces and mod cons - all whist maintaining a rustic character to blend with the original house adjacent. 

The heating system is amazing; there is a single fireplace on each of the two levels, but there are no radiators in any of the rooms. Yet the house has a constant, reliably warm temperature, even in the depths of a snowy nordic winter - achieved via the impressive piece of engineering in the photo below, a Swedish system that uses the oven to heat water which is pumped into pipes under all the flooring.

It's also connected to an electric water heater, so that if the temperature drops below a certain level (eg overnight), the heater kicks in to maintain a certain minimum level of warmth so that you're not trying heat a cold house in the morning. It also means you don't have to feed the fireplace before you go to bed.

Of course, it really helps if you have your own forests to supply the wood.

This Swedish heating system is a real piece of eco-friendly engineering
- it heats water which is pumped into under-floor pipes throughout the house,
ensuring even temperatures throughout

Marion's a renowned cook and this new home gave her the opportunity to design the dream kitchen with seriously gigantic walk-through pantry, including enormous freezer space to hold all her preserved fruits, home-baked bread and locally caught fish. 

That freezer also holds the bounty of the family's hunting pursuits. Like many Norwegians, some of my relatives enjoy hunting which of course does not really fit with my philosophy, but it's not my place to criticise. Erik and the boys are carrying on a traditional pursuit that, whilst it still involves killing animals, is a vastly more humane method of sourcing meat than heading to the supermarket for a clingfilm wrapped, styrofoam tray of intensively reared, chemical laden flesh. They are incredibly mindful of the environment, and respectful of the animals they kill. It's done with accuracy and the minimum of stress, and every part of the animal is used for something - nothing is wasted.

Whilst I'd wish for everyone to be vegetarian, vegan, or even pescetarian as an initial step, I'm more comfortable with this family's meat pursuits than most people's.

(I should add that the family is also very conscious of my sensibilities - whilst the subject of hunting is by no means 'taboo', they do limit their discussions of that topic in my presence, and take care that I am not needlessly exposed to the evidence of their activities.)

View of the porch from the dining room, with the fjord beyond

Obviously the deer's head is not something I'd have in my own home,
but as noted above, this is a family that hunts

The original entry to the old house

A new experience for Kevin was the obtaining of a Christmas tree from the family's own woodlands. Erik and Kevin travelled by tractor up the mountain (another first for Kevin) and spent a considerable time selecting the perfect specimen - apparently this is more difficult than you would imagine, as Marion has very exacting standards! Kevin was then given the honour of cutting down the chosen tree.

The woodlands above the house - site of the Christmas tree selection

Kevin in action. 
No, he's not cutting down the dead-looking one

Driving home in the tractor with the prize in tow

Preparing the tree for its new indoor life -
it needs to stand in warm water in the barn for half a day to stop the needles dropping

The finished article

As usual I found our trips to the supermarket a delightful experience. I always enjoy visiting grocery stores, no matter where I travel around the world - it's an opportunity to get a feel for what the locals buy and consume. But Norwegian stores at Christmas time are particularly filled with interesting and festive items, as noted at length in last year's Christmas post. This year was not a disappointment.

Don't forget to stock up on Julenisser whilst purchasing your Christmas groceries!

Our days leading up to Christmas Eve were very leisurely - strolling around the village and surrounding forests, enjoying the neighbours' Christmas decorations and admiring local quirks. 

Yours truly, in her natural environment - snow makes me happy

Neighbourhood cabin

Mailbox in Gyl - for all you Star Wars nerds

Have snow boots, will travel

Christmas Eve, as always, was a truly special day. We'd had light snowfalls over the preceding couple of days, and snow continued to fall in the morning of the 24th itself. 

Everyone busied themselves with preparations for the evening event - Marion cooking, cooking, cooking. Erik and Kevin stringing up lights on the barn and the old house, to welcome guests. Neighbours dropping by all day long to present bottles of wine and chocolates, as well as things like salmon which they'd caught and smoked themselves. The menfolk of the house belatedly wrapping their Christmas gifts, literally in the last hour before the scheduled mealtime.

The new house under snowfall

Eric (up ladder) and Kevin (supervising)
- decorating the barn with Christmas lights

Every Christmas Eve in the late afternoon, either Erik or one of the boys dons the official julenisse disguise and heads off to terrify - *oops* I mean 'delight' - some of the local children. As far as we know, this is usually very well received... though the image below would cause most people to question that! I think Erik looks like he's about to hold up a bank, or take somebody hostage.

YIKES! Erik (as 'julenisse') off to terrify the local children

Earlier that afternoon we took the traditional Christmas Eve trip to the local cemetery, to place Marion's handmade wreaths and also lanterns at the gravestones of departed relatives. This is such a nice practice - taking time out of your day to remember those no longer with us. In all the bustle of preparations for Christmas dinner, this is a very welcome pause, a time for reflection.

Tingvoll Church - constructed sometime between 1150-1200

The cemetery in Tingvoll

Entrance to the sacristy at Tingvoll Church

The vicarage opposite Tingvoll Church - happily situated right on Tingvoll Fjord

Some of you have probably heard of the 'slow TV' phenomenon that was pioneered in Norway about ten years ago. In recent years this has expanded to include a 7-hour program that tracks the slow cooking of Norway's traditional Christmas Eve meal - ribbe, or slow-roasted pork ribs. 

Kevin is completely fascinated by the concept of slow TV and having discovered the ribbe program last Christmas while we were in Finnmark, he was very much hoping it would be reprised this year. His hopes were fulfilled, and despite the fact that of course we don't indulge in the consumption of animal flesh, there is something very telling and pleasing about the Norwegian psyche, that they devote a television program to something like this. 

Kevin particularly likes keeping an eye on the temperature reading and pondering the science of the cooking process. For myself, this program is not only about the ribs - the channel plays a continuous stream of vintage jazz / 50s / Christmas music for the entire seven hours. Consequently a lot of households have this program on in the background while they ready the house and themselves for dinner.

Slow TV for your viewing pleasure: the traditional Christmas meal, ribbe
- 7 hours of slow roasting pork ribs

Kevin can't wait for Christmas Eve dinner to be served

We had a superb evening, kicking off festivities off a glass of Jansz (Tasmanian) Méthode Champenoise that we had brought with us from the UK. Guest of honour for the evening was one of the sisters who used to own the house (the other sister having passed away a year or two ago). Kevin and I were fortunate to receive a great haul of lovely and thoughtful gifts, much of it hand-made by family members (cloudberry jam, mittens of traditional Norwegian design, and even cold smoked salmon caught and prepared by one of the boys).

As usual, on 25 December we strolled up the hill to Erik's brother's farmhouse to eat and drink copious amounts with the extended family. I am fortunate indeed to have such wonderful relatives who all welcome us warmly and provide generous hospitality.

Heading up the snowy (and icy!) road to Erik's brother's house

Tunnels of... white
- on 26 December we took a long walk up the mountain to a friend's cabin.
My word, the wind! It was truly glacial and we needed every one of our thermal layers

The view over Tingvoll Fjord from the mountain cabin of a friend
(about 45 minutes walk from the house)

Erik was pretty sure this was the footprint of a Eurasian Lynx
 - the print was just a bit smaller than my hand! 

So another marvellous trip to Norway, another truly beautiful Christmas. It was particularly nice to spend time with my cousin, as her mother passed away just a few months ago. Both of us were very glad to have had that memorable Christmas with my aunt in far north Norway last year.

Sunrise in Gyl

The house in sunshine, on our day of departure

The barn and house looking suitably Christmas-y, on 24 December

Back home in Farnham, loaded up with Marion's homemade
multesyltetøy (cloudberry jam) and store-bought strawberry and raspberry jam
...because Norwegian jam is the best in the world

Neither of us is fussed about New Year's Eve, so that was spent quietly at home with a bottle of Prosecco - which suited us just fine.

Some of you will know that I am one of those unfortunates whose birthday falls very close to the festive period. In Australia this is a particularly negative thing for me because it's high summer. At least here in the northern hemisphere the weather is more to my liking.

This year my birthday fell on a Friday, so I made all the arrangements myself to mark the day. I travelled into London to see an exhibition of Soviet-era art at the Tate Modern, and then attended a rare screening of one of my favourite films, Love and Death on Long Island (dir. Richard Kwietniowski, 1997), at the BFI. This was followed by dinner at my favourite vegetarian restaurant in London, The Gate in Hammersmith, where Kevin joined me.

London looking twinkly on a cold January evening


Below:
Just a man under Blackfriars Bridge playing 1920s toons on a flaming tuba.
As you do.

I hadn't been to The Gate for about 18 months because (a) it's pricey, and (b) the last time we went I was disappointed to find that - like every other vegetarian dining option in the UK at that time - most of the dishes were based around dairy. 

The UK seems to have been much slower than the rest of the world in embracing vegan options (which are generally my dining preference), but I'm happy to report that in the past 6-12 months there really has been a significant change - so much so that even local pubs are now offering at least a couple of vegan options, and sometimes even an entire alternative vegan menu. 

My birthday dinner was one of the best of my life. I selected Miso Glazed Aubergine as a starter, moved on to Rotolo for main course (pommes dauphinoises filled with North African style vegetables and chickpeas), and we shared an incredible dessert called Dark Chocolate Snowball. All of this was 100% vegan and TO DIE FOR. Worth every penny.

One of the best meals of my life
- the vegan wonders of The Gate restaurant in Hammersmith

It hasn't been a very cold winter, though we have had a couple of days of light snow and a few more of sleet. While everybody else is now eagerly awaiting spring, of course I am lamenting the signs that winter is on the wane (as much as I do enjoy the spectacle of spring). All the trees are already starting to bud and snowdrops are popping up all over the place.

The first snowdrops have arrived in Farnham

For now I'll enjoy the cold while I can. The memories of yet another snowy Christmas in Norway will have to sustain me, as the days grow longer and the temperatures start to rise.

Until next time,
- Maree  xo