I entered 2019 hoping for stability and to look after myself, as I've been neglecting myself and putting other things ahead of my well-being. Unfortunately, 2019 has not been kind in that respect. I did make an effort, but this year has been a total struggle for me; it's been such a bad year overall. Even my best intentions and plans did not go according to plans, and I was a victim of being cast into whatever direction fate had for me.
January: The year came to a start with signalling the end of the festive season. I celebrated Twelfth Night on the South Bank in London (Twelfth Night Celebrations at Bankside, London) outside Shakespeare's Globe theatre, then wassailed with the group or actors, spectators, and the Holly Man to one of London's oldest pubs in Borough to continue the festivities. Twelfth Night was traditionally celebrated more than Christmas itself. This annual and colourful event, created and performed by the acting group "the Lion's Part", does attract a large audience. It was a very good way to put the old year behind me.
Also, I visited a part of London that I had never visited before primarily to see a collection of neon artwork and street art, but this also coincided with an art festival. The location is Walthamstow in north London, and the borough was the winner of a year-long art festival with the opening night of festivities dubbed "Welcome to the Forest" (Walthamstow is London Borough of Culture; Opening Ceremony of Waltham Forest "Welcome to the Forest"). I checked out a few local attractions as well, including the William Morris Gallery (William Morris Museum (Art and Design) in Walthamstow, London) and Vestry House Museum (The Vestry House Museum, Walthamstow). I'd been wanting to visit "God's Own Junkyard" (A Morning at God's Own Junkyard, London) for several years and finally got there, and it was even better than I imaged. It was also a perfect cure for the dreaded month of January.
Lastly, Winter Lights returned at Canary Wharf, and I went along to that one fairly windy evening. You can ready about it here: Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2019. This year was the fifth year of the annual event, and it was a real treat. It attracted much larger crowds and included more interactive installations than previous years. The installations were also easier to locate with maps provided. In the past, the maps have not always been accurate, but they really hit the mark this year. Unfortunately, that also meant that the installations were very busy. I am hoping next year is as good or better.
February: At the beginning of February, I met up with friends to celebrate Chinese New Year (Celebrating Chinese New Year in London at Barshu Restaurant, Caffé Concerto, Soft Serve Ice Cream); we went to a restaurant in central London to celebrate the Year of the Pig and had a great time, nice chat, and a nice meal.
Unfortunately, I received bad news in February and was told that a lot of jobs were lost at the company I was working at. My role was meant to be a long-term one, and the company wanted me to cut my rates because of that. So, for it to only last fourteen months was very annoying for several reasons (such as unclaimed overtime, long hours, cancelling holidays, cutting rates, etc). My last day would be in March, and that time of year is the wrong time to look as it is the end of the financial year, plus the political climate meant that all of the companies were waiting before making budget decisions. So, this marked the start of an extremely difficult time for me. I'd spent the majority of the 2018 year working extremely hard and long hours for the client, which meant cancelling milestone birthday plans, seasonal holidays, and other plans to work weekends or long hours during the week. Although we were told that the company were trying to secure another client, we all felt on edge.
Due to all the overtime I put in unclaimed, I left work a little earlier one day in order to check out Anya Hindmarch's chubby balloon heart at Wellington Arch: Chubby Hearts Float Around London. She'd displayed a few in front of various London landmarks the previous year, but I never got to see them because I was not working in central London. Before work one morning, I also went to visit Élan Cafe Pink Love Hearts in Knightsbridge to avoid the crowds. I found the food pleasant and enjoyed the Valentine's Day theme with the heart decor and pink furnishings.
March: Although February was the start of the bad period, March was the low point of the year. On the same day that I worked the last day of my job, I was told that my remaining grandfather had died. I had only just seen him in October. Although he was old, he had generally been in good health, so it was not expected. I could not go to the funeral in the states because I had interviews lining up.
I had spent so much time working fourteen months of long hours and weekend work that I struggled to relax and felt immediately displaced when I didn't have work to do. I felt like I lost my purpose; I'd put so much effort into the project. However, I also wanted to go away because travel is one of my biggest interests, and breaks are important. I did go to the states for a couple of weeks for my cousin's wedding, but it was a busy couple of weeks, and I didn't get to relax or recover. I wanted to go away this month anyway, but the bloke's workplace would not let him until the end of the month, and I didn't really want to go somewhere on my own.
I actually had received a job offer early in the month one morning, but they cancelled it later that day for an unknown reason. Other companies were interested but waiting on budgets to go through. Nothing was happening because of Brexit, which was originally due to happen at the end of the month (but then did not). It was a case of waiting for a company to sort out their budget or receive another offer.
I tried to keep myself occupied on my first "free" day. I went to enjoy pancakes on Pancake Day at "Where the Pancakes Are", but it ended up being a bit of a nightmare! They forgot my order and kept me waiting for over an hour (Pancake Day at "Where the Pancakes Are" in Flat Iron Square, (Borough, London)), which meant that I didn't get to do all I wanted to do and had to rush to get to Ely's Yard off Brick Lane as I hoped to see the Spitalfields Pancake Day Race.
I got to Ely's Yard only to discover the pancake race was not happening, and no one knew about it. I looked for other pancake day races and found that I could get to Leadenhall Market in time for the Leadenhall Market Pancake Day Race and free pancakes. During the racing, a group of boys from one of the banks standing behind me were making sexist and cruel remarks about some of the runners, and it made me angry. Since writing this, I discovered that the workplace of those "boys" has public problems regarding behaviour of their staff and are trying to address it.
I mentioned that the earliest that I could take time off was toward the end of the month, so I did not delay in booking it in as I wanted to and needed to recover after a dismal time. I visited Bruges (A Day and a Half in Bruges, Belgium) and Ghent (Half a Day in Ghent, Belgium) in Belgium for a long weekend. It was the only time that I could take because I wanted my primary focus to be on finding a new job; I had to take an interview and calls while I was away, and everything was on my mind, so I tried my best to relax. I did really enjoy Bruges, and the weather was nice there. Ghent would have probably been nice as well, but the weather was not the best; it was gloomy and overcast.
I also visited Chiltern Open Air Museum (A Visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum (Open Day, 2019)) at the end of March. The Chiltern Open Air Museum is not too far from where I live and is a folk museum with preserved buildings and equipment to show how people lived in the past and the buildings that they lived, worked, studied, and socialised in.
Apirl: Early April did not bring about any changes to the work situation. In early April, I visited the recently-opened Peggy Porschen cafe on King's Road in Chelsea (Easter at the New Peggy Porschen Cafe, King's Road) in time for Easter. This branch of the cafe is quieter, and I did not have a problem with getting a seat, getting some good photographs of the decor, and consuming some yummy food.
While meeting with a potential client in Victoria, I finally got the chance to see Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre (Theatre Trip: "Hamilton" at Victoria Place Theatre). I did not know what to expect at all prior to my visit, but I thought that it was a good show with good music and choreography. "Hamilton" is still expensive and difficult to book tickets to, but I managed to wait for the early afternoon performance and get a decent ticket at a discounted price, so I was able to tick that off my list. The historical musical with a minority cast was actually refreshing and different, and I am glad that its popularity is helping to get more people interested in history.
In the middle of April, I finally started my new job working for two large companies, and I was really excited to get into a new project just in time for Easter. Over Easter, the country had beautiful weather. I went out for one day to see Bekonscot Model Village and Railway (A Visit to Bekonscot Model Village and Railway (Buckinghamshire, England)), which is an amazing and large model village near Beaconsfield, located not too far from where I live. On Easter Monday, the bloke wanted to visit Colchester to see a car, so we ended up visiting Colchester Castle and its facinating museum about the Roman town (A Visit to Colchester Castle, England) and St. Botolph's Priory ruins (A Visit to St. Botolph's Priory (Colchester, England)). The weather was beautiful, and I finally felt content for the first time in the year.
May: In early May, the country continued to have beautiful weather, and I went to Leeds Castle Motor Show, Motors by the Moat to see classic and new cars and to tour the castle. I previously visited Leeds Castle in Kent in the early summer of 2000. Buying a ticket to the castle is costly, but it grants visitors access for a year, and Leeds Castle also host other events during the year that are included in the admission price. In addition to seeing the cars, I visited the castle's rooms because I could not remember much about them when I visited nearly 20 years ago: A Visit to Leeds Castle (Kent, England).
June: The month began with nice weather carried over from May, and I finally got to visit Uffington Castle and White Horse. When I made my original "white horse tour" route nearly fifteen years ago, I never got to Uffington and had never seen it until this month. The chalk horse on the hillside is the oldest of the white horses, but it's actually hard to see or photograph unless you're in the air looking down on it. The views from the top of the hill above the white horse are breath-taking. While in the area, I also took a long walk to Wayland's Smithy Long Barrow (pictured below). There are several prehistoric sites located within walking distance.
June is my birthday month, and I ended up doing two items that have been on my London bucket list for a few years. The first one was to have afternoon tea in Sketch Parlour in the pink rooms with a stop to see the colourful toilets. You can read more about my experience here: Birthday Afternoon Tea at Sketch Gallery. The experience was actually a bit dull, and I found the food to be bland, so I would not recommend this afternoon tea in London as there are certainly much better ones. The completely pink room where the afternoon tea is served is is in the middle of buildings without natural light, and I found it slightly dated and dark. However, I liked the colourful toilets (pictured below). There are mixed reviews about Sketch with the failings mainly being on the food and service.
The next visit for my birthday was to enjoy Sunday lunch at The Little Blue Door in Fulham (Sunday lunch at The Little Blue Door). I never visited the original Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill that was popular a few years ago, even though it was on my bucket list then. I had a delicious birthday roast lunch. However, the staff there forgot that it was my birthday as Father's Day celebrations were in full swing at the venue; my birthday takes place just before Father's Day, and some years, the closest weekend to it (when it falls on a weekday) is Father's Day weekend.
In June, the bloke and I also joined the National Trust for the year because some of our friends are members. There are several National Trust places I've wanted to visit over the years, and now I am able to see as many as I like with the yearly membership. In the past, we would just buy entry for a day to the properties we wish to visit, even though we don't really visit National Trust properties much, so this gave us an excuse to see more places for the remainder of the year. The first place that we visited was Kingston Lacy with friends. This is where we took out the membership.
The highlight of June was a visit to the Yorkshire Dales with a short drive through part of the Lake District (A Weekend in the Yorkshire Dales). We saw caves, ate cheese, visited abbey ruins, went to Piel island, went on a short walk, visited several castles, and went to Manchester on the way back to London to see friends from the states who were visiting there. Besides seeing my friends in Manchester, the highlight of the short trip was to Piel Island. On Piel Island, there are castle ruins and beautiful sea views. The sea views were the highlight, and I sat at the pub garden over-looking the sea where I saw a dolphin and seals and people jet-skiing. On the last Sunday of the month, we stopped in Manchester and took my friends from the states to the Peak District and had Sunday lunch and walked around Castleton; we saw some well-dressings: Well Dressings in the Peak District, England.
July: Nice weather continued into July, and the first of the month brought the annual Pride celebrations to London. This year, I watched the Pride parade (London Pride 2019) in central London. This was something that I have wanted to do for several years now but only just got around to do this year. The following day, the friends that I saw in Manchester arrived in London before their flights back to the states, and I had a couple of days off to spend with them, but everything seemed to be conspiring against us. We had plans, but they all fell through; I am blaming Mercury Retrograde here because it just started when my friends arrived to London and left three days later!
July also marked fifty years since the moon landings (Moon Landing 50th Anniversary), and this seemed to be heavily-talked about for a couple of weeks. I watched a film and documentaries about the moon landing because I never knew much about it. I didn't even realise until fifteen years ago that there are people who claim that it is fake.
The weather for most of July turned wet and cold, but the country did have a few nice days. One day was enjoyed toward the end of the month at The 2019 Uxbridge Auto Show. I enjoyed seeing the classic cars and the entertainment, but it wasn't quite like the fun times that I have had at various MINI-related events and shows.
August: After a fairly quiet July, August was much busier. One of the highlights of the month of August was Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' Immersive Experience, which I saw near the beginning of the month. Visitors were transported back to Victorian England during an alien invasion based on the H.G. Wells novel "The War of the Worlds". I really enjoyed the experience, and I recommend it for those who are interested in interactive theatre or enjoy the story. I've never seen the musical before, but it's now on my list to see. I've read the books, of course, and I enjoy H.G. Wells' novels. "The Time Machine" is one of my favourite.
One weekend in the middle of the month of August, I went to Kent to visit two National Trust properties. The first visit of the day was to Winston Churchill's Family Home, Chartwell (Kent, England). This included a tour of the house and a walk around the gardens. The gardens were beautiful here, and the weather was warm and partially sunny. After Chartwell, I went to visit another property not far away from Chartwell, Emmett's Garden. Emmett's Garden is a series of landscaped gardens and an arboretum.
On the same weekend, I spent the day enjoying The Weald and Downland Museum (Living Museum), which is located on the south coast near Portsmouth. This is a large folk museum with old buildings and homes where people lived and worked. Many of the old buildings would have just been demolished, so they were moved here so that generations could enjoy them and see how people lived. Some of the buildings contain model trains and boats, so it is more than just a museum of old buildings and equipment; it is a place where people can take up their hobbies. There is also a working mill and demonstrations at the museum. I visited with the car as part of the "Saddles and Steam" event, and this included other attractions and demonstrations throughout the day, such as horses and various steam engines and steam-powered machinery. It was actually a very good day out, and the grounds are several acres with plenty to explore.
On another weekend day in August, I went to Kew Gardens to see one of the best art installations of the year, Dale Chihuly at Kew Gardens: "Reflections on Nature". Many large-scale glass sculptures, which were created by Dale Chihuly, were placed around Kew Gardens to see. I also had a long wander around Kew to see some of the other attractions in addition to the Dale Chihuly glass sculptures.
At the end of the month, I visited two additional National Trust properties, Upton House (National Trust Property in Warwickshire, England) and Canons Ashby (National Trust Property in Northamptonshire, England). Upton House is noted for being the home of the founders of fuel company Shell. Canons Ashby, by contrast, was a modest home owned by a religious family with the last owner's father (who was instrumental in the upkeep of the home) having a keen interest in the world, specifically archeology as the location here was a former old town that was abandoned. Canons Ashby became one of my favourite National Trust properties with its beautiful garden and the medieval house.
That brings us to the end of August, and the annual Bournemouth Air Show and Fireworks 2019 took place on the last weekend of the month. At short notice, I enjoyed a day out at the beach watching the planes fly overhead. The weather rained at the start, but it cleared afterwards. The weather was not nearly as warm as last year, but it was comfortable enough, and the crowd-pleasing Red Arrows were not a part this year. However, I saw the amazing vintage aircraft dating from the wars, and I also stayed for the fireworks on the beach.
September: September brought some nice weather days, and one of the better days was near the beginning of the month when I visited another National Trust property, Hughenden Manor, in Buckinghamshire. The home was owned by Benjamin Disreali, a former prime ministor from Queen Victoria's days; it was also used for map-making during World War II. The house also has some items on show given by Queen Victoria. I really enjoyed my visit to this secluded country mansion and enjoyed the beautiful garden.
Also in September, I visited Leeds Castle to see their annual "Festival of Flowers" ("Leeds Festival of Flowers" marks 900 years of Leeds Castle). Every September, the castle's rooms are decorated with beautiful flowers that have been arranged by professional florists, and I really enjoyed seeing the creativity of the flowers to complement the different rooms. My favourite room floral design, pictured below, was in the Great Hall. It was decorated with golden wheat and flowers in pink, dark red, and white colours. It reminded me of the country.
I also visited Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens, another National Trust property and a very popular one located south of London. It was not my favourite property, but it is more famous for the beautiful gardens rather than house. I wanted to see this property earlier in the summer, but by the time that I had a chance to visit it, most of the flowers in the garden were over. The orange garden by the cottage did look pretty, though. I may have enjoyed the property more if I had visited a couple of weeks earlier.
I also visited Hampstead in London at the end of the month where there are two National Trust properties. The first one was Fenton House (Apple Day at Fenton House (National Trust in Hampstead, London)), which hosted its annual Apple Day event. The house has a collection of ceramics, but the main highlight at Fenton House are the gardens and orchard. On Apple Day, it is extra special with apple-related products and crafts for children. After visiting Fenton House for the popular Apple Day, I walked to Willow Road to see the modernist home of architect Erno Goldfinger (2 Willow Road in Hampstead).
After work at the end of the month, I also got to see the first phase of the illuminated bridges on the Thames (London Illuminated Bridges (Phase One) 2019). I have rarely worked in London this year, so I had to make a trip in to London after work in order to see them.
October: October went very quickly. It was enjoyed by taking a walk to see some autumnal colour at Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire, England. This is a very large National Trust property to walk around, and classical statues and buildings (many created for the artistic and classical beauty) are dotted throughout the walk. I also visited The Vyne in Basingstoke (Hampshire, England) with friends.
Near the middle of October, phase two of the home renovations also started. Instead of going out, I had to spend a little bit of time and effort sorting out and moving boxes and items of furniture out of the way for the work to begin. The work is still on-going, but I imagine that it will not be completed until the end of January next year.
With the home renovations taking place, Halloween came and went. To get out of the house and try to appreciate Halloween, I explored London in search of London "Happy Halloween" Foodie Treats. I stopped off at Milk Train, Yolkin, Bubble Waffle, and a few other places in search of Halloween treats. I really enjoyed the macaroons from Yolkin (pictured below), and I really enjoyed the Bubble Waffle pumpkin ice cream too.
November: November came along quickly. I did not see the Guy Fawkes Bonfire Day fireworks this year. The weather was not good for fireworks anyway because of the wind and the rain, and I needed to sort out bits and pieces for the renovations, so my mind was far away from thinking about Bonfire Night. Although I saw some fall colour in October, November is the month where the autumnal colour was at the best. At work one day in the middle of the month, I did walk around the lake on site to enjoy the fall colours, which were at their prime then (Autumn Photographs at Feltham/Sunbury "Chertsey Road" Lake/Pond).
Toward the end of November, the Christmas season officially kicked off for me. I do not like celebrating Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I did break this tradition this year. A group of friends and I went to Waddesdon Manor to tour the house and grounds to visit the illuminated light trail (Christmas and Winter Light at Waddesdon Manor (Bucks, England)). This year, the theme of the Christmas trees and rooms in the house was based on Christmas music. In addition to seeing the house, there was also a Christmas market and two illuminated trails. We ran out of time to see the market and one of the trails, but I enjoyed the main illuminated trail. This was my first visit to Waddesdon Manor; I attempted to go at the end of April, but it was too busy. I will have to visit in the spring, and I would love to return next Christmas.
Toward the end of November, I went to Wembley Park after work to see the first ever Winterfest illuminations for Wembley on its launch day. Winterfest at Wembley Park is designed to bring people into the area to shop while they enjoy the lights (Winterfest in Wembley Park: Christmas in Technicolour). One of the highlights is Sonic Runway, which combines patterns of colour and a soundscape that visitors can walk through.
For Thanksgiving this year, I started the day with Christmas cocktails at Miracle pop-up at Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden. I went last year to the pop-up bar, and I found it to be amazing. After cocktails, I slowly made my way to the Riding House Cafe for Thanksgiving dinner (Thanksgiving Dinner at Riding House Cafe). Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the food at the Riding House Cafe, so the Thanksgiving meal was my least favourite that I have had in the UK.
The day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), I spent the day at Longleat and enjoyed the Festival of Lights (Longleat Festival of Lights: "Myths and Legends"), went on the safari to see the animals, saw additional animals in the park, and visited Longleat House. Longleat was a great day out and provided a much-needed break: Winter Safari and a Day Out at Longleat.
December: December has gone quickly, and the renovations are still in progress. Since it is in progress, I have still been living amongst boxes and do not have room to decorate for the holidays this year. The holidays and Christmas are very far from my mind, but I did go to a couple of places to enjoy their decorations. The first place that I visited was Leeds Castle, which decorates its rooms for the season and has a Christmas market. The theme of the rooms at Leeds Castle was feathers and birds: Christmas at Leeds Castle: Magical Birds and Festive Feathers.
I also had a trip to the theatre to see "White Christmas" at Dominion Theatre, London. The show included some great music and helped get into a Christmas mood at a time when Christmas is so far from my mind.
I also met up with friends at Kingston Lacy House again, and we explored the house and a winter light trail. The house was decorated with a few Christmas trees, and the illuminated light trail was a nice walk through a colourful forest: Christmas at National Trust's Kingston Lacy House (Dorset, England) and Winter Light Trail at National Trust's Kingston Lacy House (Dorset, England). I also enjoyed seeing London decorated for Christmas, including Covent Garden for Christmas. I was also able to check out London's lights and decorations throughout the past six weeks.
Since the house renovation work was not completed in time for the holidays, I decided to take the opportunity to wake up early in order to go into London on Christmas Day and to see it without the usual crowds. London on Christmas Day was pretty amazing as it only took half an hour to drive to Marble Arch and not long at all to get to Tower Bridge. In all of the ground covered whilst driving, I only saw seven places open for coffee or souvinirs. I'm not including restaurants or hotels because hotels would be open, and some restaurants would have opened later if they planned on hosting for Christmas.
After the trip into London, Christmas lunch had to be enjoyed at a restaurant/pub this year, so I booked Christmas Lunch at The Apple Tree, Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire a week ago. The food and drink was really yummy.
I've spent as much time as I could working this year, especially as March and April were low points, so I have spent the time in between Christmas and New Year working. When not working, I've been painting the house, cleaning the grime from the building work, and attempting to get some items out of the way.
I did not live up to my promises for 2019 at the end of 2018, but I do hope that 2020 will allow those to come to fruition. Stability and success was what I was looking for from 2019, but it did not happen. I am in the process of making some changes, so readers will just have to see what happens in 2020. My goals, the same as before, are to take better care of myself and not work myself to death, plan days to look forward to, and travel. Happy New Year!
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