christmas chimes

Ultimately we did make it to midnight mass and at St. Paul's Cathedral -- the largest mass in London.


We waited over an hour in the queue with another 2,000 or so, but it was worth it for the beautiful spectacle, angelic choir, and absorption in holiday spirit.

Recent days have started with bubbly -- Christmas was no exception. Nicholas has perfected his ability to shoot the cork without shooting any champagne.

Max has perfected his art of mimosa consumption.

On Christmas afternoon, we joined other members of the College for port and stilton in the Churchill Room - an English tradition that extends beyond the College (or so I understand from a little bird that spoke with Pat Frey). It is a pretty mean combination.


We were happy to discover the stilton was from Neal's Yard Dairy.

Still, it couldn't touch our Christmas cheese plate. Thanks again to the cheese fairies.

Mexican Christmas dinner was also a wild success -- putting Max into a deep food coma.


-- especially when coupled with Nicholas' outstanding Mexican chocolate and chilli tart.


We did attempt a 1500 piece Renoir puzzle after dinner, which may be the most difficult jigsaw ever created -- that's impressionism for you. It is now under our table cloth -- we've been dining on it for days.

Since Christmas we've been eating our way through Nicholas' cookies, reading new books, and wandering around the boxing week insanity. Yesterday we were almost trampled to death in a panicked frenzy at Harrods... before we made our way to the food hall... for a £14.50 take-out smoked salmon bagel. Whoa, kidding.

t'was the night before christmas

... and everything is pretty relaxed around here.

Max arrived a couple days ago and we've been wandering through museums and markets, dodging shoppers and generally eating too much.


The longest lines are around the food shops. Here Max and Nicholas queue up at the Neal's Yard Dairy. We are planning to survive on cheese and carnitas until the new year.


Yesterday we went to Ye Old Cheshire Cheese for a drink and some chips. The pub has been around since the mid-17th century... and hasn't changed a bit.


Here are the lads again in action -- in their woollies.


The night before Max arrived we went to Royal Albert Hall to see the King's College Choir. (Goodenough College has a box at the Hall, so we get tickets cheap, cheap, cheap!) We're hoping to weasel our way into a midnight mass somewhere tonight.


Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas. Cheers! xoxo Mia

jackson pollock of holiday baking

We recently splurged on measuring cups and spoons. No more using old yogurt containers as measuring devices -- no sir-ee! Nicholas has been putting them to good use.

two new objects

In the last couple of weeks two wonderful objects entered our home. The first is a small electric heater. Oh boy, life is good.

The second is a capital, seen here upside down. Nicholas took an architectural stone carving workshop last week and made this little baby with his own sweat and tears. It's the perfect stage for a rotating cast of strange postcards and curios.

winter wonderland

It seems my last post about snow was a major false alarm. Yesterday we really got hit!

Compare this shot, taken from our bedroom window yesterday, with the one I posted on Dec 3rd.

The high streets are really messy, but around Mecklenburgh Square (where we live) the snow looks fresh and perfect and is still crunchy under foot. Here's looking towards the Square from our front door:


The Square itself is lovely: mature trees, benches, bbq pit, tennis courts, and now snowmen.

This is Mecklenburgh Square's resident fox. He was running around, digging things up, burying them again...

He's pretty brazen -- not bothered by us at all.





This is the path behind Coram's Field, which leads us westwards, to groceries...

... and to Russell Square. Here's Hotel Russell peeking over the trees:


It sounds like the UK post has been frozen, but I think we'll still be getting Max for Christmas. Fortunately he's flying into Stansted, not Heathrow.

this little piggy went to market

Where have I been? Why, at the Market!


Well in fact the last two weeks I've been very hard at work (it's not all fun and games in PhD land), but today I finished by last paper and we trotted off to the Borough Market, cruising by St. Paul...


... and over the muddy River Thames...


Beside a great excuse for a (long, brisk) walk, we heard the Borough Market is really the only place to find Mexican ingredients in London. We are planning a Mexican feast for Christmas. (I don't trust the oven. It's a long story.)


We didn't find the stall we were after -- perhaps the owners headed to Mexico for the winter, and I wouldn't blame them-- but we did find a great number of wonderful things. Pigeon, anyone?

We also found adjacent Southwark Cathedral -- one of the oldest gothic churches in London -- where we were able to warm up AND listen to a rehearsal of the Messiah. The tenor's aria is still in my head.... Every valley, shall be exalted....

ch-ch-ch-changes

Here we go! Another day of dynamic weather in London:


The snow was much more exciting.

snow day

I am working on a teaching certificate above my PhD requirements and was supposed to trudge out to Egham today for courses. But classes are cancelled. London has been frozen for most of the week. Winter is here!


Here's a view from our bedroom window when the snow began to fall on Tuesday morning:

Sometimes on Fridays we eat breakfast in The Great Hall, in the College's other building: London House. After breaky today we went up to the roof garden. Here's the London House courtyard, looking south.


Over to the southeast you can just make out St Paul's Cathedral. (click on the image for a greater view)


William Goodenough House (where we live) is separated from London House by Mecklenburgh Square. Like many Squares in London, it is gated and private, and only adjacent residents (like us) have access. You can almost see the front door of our building through the trees.

The snow hasn't bothered us, but people here are generally ill-equipped for this kind of weather. (Oh, the Brits and their umbrellas!)