December 2024 Archives

Happy New Year's Eve to all of my readers, and I hope that the 2024 year was a good one. For me, 2024 was a mixed bag, but I know others had a very challenging year. For me, it was a year of hard work, long hours (although not as difficult as last year), and I did finally get to do some travel for the first time in a decade. At the end of last year, I was disappointed, so I decided against setting any expectations for this year to prevent disappointments that I have faced in the previous years. Below is my review of each month of 2024 with what I got up to, and I will finish with some hopes for 2025.

January: 

January started quietly for me, and I enjoyed some Saturday morning wanders around a quiet west London where I explored a couple of new restaurants and cafes that I wanted to try. One that I visited was Attendant Coffee Roasters, which is located inside a former Victorian public toilet; I used to work not far from these public toilets before they were opened as a coffee shop, so this area of London brought back some memories for me. My visit reminded me of those few early Saturday morning visits into London while many were slumbering after the holidays.

In the middle of the month, I visited the annual Winter Lights at Canary Wharf 2024. This has become an annual tradition for me. I enjoy seeing the light installations across Canary Wharf as they bring much-needed colour to the dark January days. I saw a mixture of different displays across Canary Wharf, and although the temperature was cold, I was glad that Canary Wharf was not as busy as the previous year or two.

February: 

In February, I took the first holiday abroad in many years. I opted to go to Brussels on the Eurostar Premier class as I had a lot of annual leave to use. I stayed at Hotel Amigo in Brussels, which I found welcoming and in a good location to explore the city. I enjoyed seeing Brussels at my own pace on a long weekend a day before Valentine's Day. Visiting at this time was a good choice because Belgium is known for its chocolates, and the shops were filled with the Valentine's Day theme (Brussels Valentine's Day). Although it was not exactly tourist season, I got to see the following attractions during my visit: Atomium, Manneken Pis and Other Urinating Statues of Brussels, Brussels City Museum, 'Le Cat' sculptures, Design Museum in Brussels, and Brussels Town Hall Tours. In the Town Hall Tours, I was able to climb the clocktower for some great views. On one of the evenings, I listened to some wonderful jazz music at the hotel bar.

Another attraction that I saw is Autoworld in Brussels, and I happened to visit at the weekend when there was a special Volkswagen car event being held at the museum due to it being the weekend before Valentine's Day: Love Bugs at Brussels AutoWorld. I enjoyed seeing the different cars arrive in front of the museum, and it reminded me of the events I used to do with MINI and the friends I made, but I have not been to any event for many years now.

Pancake Day took place a the day after I returned from Brussels, and I had half the day off in order to watch one of the pancake day races. I wanted to watch the one at the Guildhall, but it was cancelled due to the wet weather. Instead, I found myself at Leadenhall Pancake Day Race 2024, which I attended a few years ago. 

I also enjoyed pancakes on Pancake Day. Valentine's Day fell on the day after Pancake Day, and I went to Feya cafe at Marble Arch and enjoyed a pink cocktail and pancakes made for Valentine's Day. The cocktail (mocktail) could have been fuller or had more ice in it to top it up for better presentation, and the staff were not so friendly at the cafe. The pancakes were pink with fruit and white chocolate and cream, and I enjoyed them.

Toward the end of the month, I used a couple of days of annual leave for a short break at Landmark London Spa. I had the use of the spa, a massage, champagne, and breakfast. The food was delicious, and the room was beautiful and spacious. I used the fitness room and spa. I want to go back next year.

March: 

In late March, I went to Ohio to see my parents and family. I visited until the middle of April. I had a lot of annual leave to use, so I decided to coincide my visit over Easter. I expected nice weather as March can bring warm weather and sunshine, but I was not so lucky. However, I still enjoyed Easter in Ohio, which took place at the end of March, and tried to make the most of Ohio in the spring. This is the first time that I have been "home" in the spring since I left Ohio a couple of decades ago. I coloured some brown farm eggs with nieces and nephews out of a colouring set that I bought.

April: 

April was a busy month, and I was in Ohio for the first half of the month. I stayed for the Total Eclipse, which I watched from Buckeye Express Diner in Bellville, Ohio inside the totality zone. My parents live only about a twently-minute drive from the "totality zone". The total eclipse was one of the most impressive natural events that I have ever seen, and I am glad that I got to witness it. I've seen other partial eclipses in Ohio and once in London (over cloudy skies), but the "totality" eclipse is awesome. I will always remember this experience. I watched it with my mother, and we were blessed with clear skies.

Later in the month after I returned from the states, I had Bottomless Brunch at Teatro Hall in Ealing for a friend's birthday. We received a delicious rum punch, Prosecco, and a selection of different flavours of liquer to create our own cocktails. The food was good although it could have been more filling, and we drank far too much. 

As if April was not busy enough, I ended up in Brussels again for a long weekend at the end of the month. There were a few attractions that I never got to see when I visited in February (Spring and Winter in Brussels). One of the attractions that I saw on this visit was Mini Europe.

I also saw Beersel Castle, additional Mannekin Pis outfit changes, Comic Book Street Art in Brussels, and the Brussels Chocolate Museum. I spent a little bit of time relaxing in the hotel and enjoying the relaxed breakfast and drinks in the bar on this visit.

I also visited the artwork at Brussels Art Museums and Art Mountain and discovered some sculptures on display by Jean-Michel Folon. The tulips were mainly over during my visit, but the city still seemed to be under the spell of spring.

May: 

For the first time in my life, I got to see the Northern Lights in London (via my camera's mobile phone due to the light pollution in London making it otherwise impossible) when they made an appearance in mid-May. I had never seen the northern lights before, and I do wish to see them without the light pollution at some point in the future, but the northern lights are elusive even if in the right place in the world.

As I had a lot of annual leave to use, I took a day off at the end of the month and went to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and this was my second ever visit to the event. I went during the weekday, and the event got exctremely busy by mid-morning. The previous day had hard rain, but my visit was dry. I ended up losing one of my daisy ear rings as it must have come off when I was trying to lift my camera above the crowds of people. The event was far too busy to enjoy. I thought that it would be less busy during a weekday, but I was wrong. I also had booked a meal at the event to enjoy something a little different on my day off. I really liked the National Autistic Society Garden (pictured below), the garden inspired by the show "Bridgerton", and the Roman villa garden. The Roman villa garden was my favourite.

I also visited Chelsea in Bloom, and the theme this year was Floral Feasts. I have enjoyed seeing these free displays for the past few years now, and this year was one of the best for the creative displays after a disappointing year or two. The event coincides with the Chelsea flower show and is only available to see for a few days.

At the end of the month, a friend that I have known for years came to visit me in London for the weekend, and we enjoyed Bottomless Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Montague on the Gardens. 

The last piece of news involves my website. From early May, my website domain jenikya needed to be renewed, and I tried my best to renew it. I contacted the company and previous friend who used the registration company, but their account was locked, and a few of us tried and tried to contact support, but none of us could renew it. I tried for many weeks, and we got nowhere. In the end, my domain could not be renewed, and I had that domain since 2001. It looks like someone else has registered it now, so I had to purchase a new domain name. I am not at all happy about this. Yourwebhosting-inc.com is the incompetent company in this matter. I had to register a new domain name.

June: 

My birthday month is June, and to celebrate my birthday this year, I had my second trip abroad to a new place for the first time in several years. I went to stay at Barcelo Mar Resort in Fuertaventura. I have never been to an "all inclusive" resort, and I wanted a mixture of relaxation and sight-seeing, and I was able to get that here. I enjoyed the trip, even though it was for less than a week. I wished that I could have stayed longer as the break really was not long enough.

While in Fuertaventure, I had a couple of days of sight-seeing via package tours. On one day, I went on a Fuertaventura Northern Visit of the island and saw some beaches and towns in the northern part of the island, including sand dunes. The next day, I went to the southern part of the island (Fuertaventura south of the island) to see some good views, and there was also a visit to Ajuy in Fuertaventura to see the sea caves. This was a memorable place with beautiful views. 

Toward the end of June, I went to enjoy Bottomless Birthday Brunch at Chin-Chin in Pinner. This is an Asian restaurant, and they served up several courses of food with bottomless Prosecco, and we also had additional cocktails. The weather was scorching hot, and that heat combined with simple exhaustion made me to just want to fall asleep. We ended up at the pub opposite and had some more drinks, and I was struggling to keep awake.

The nice weather continued, and I decided to take off another day of owed annual leave, and I visited Kenwood House and had a walk across Hampstead Heath. On a weekend, I also met some friends at the Frog and Wicket pub, and we had a delicious lunch. We were supposed to visit The Vyne afterwards, but England were in the World Cup playing the final or semi-final, and my friends wanted to get home to watch that instead. So, we decided to plan a "part 2" later in the year to continue this original plan.

July: 

Toward the middle of July, I spent a long weeknd in Oxford and had wonderful weather. I went to see the OxTrail Sculptures that appeared across the city for the summer months. I did a lot of walking and saw some beautiful places in and around Oxford. I came across a field in Christchurch Gardens with actual Oxford cattle and pleasant views, and this was my favourite spot in Oxford. More about my visit to Oxford can be read here: A Weekend in Oxford..

When I was in Oxford, I decided to stay at the former castle and prison in Oxford, which is a unique experience as I was able to stay in a former prison cell (Hotel Stay at Oxford Castle Prison - Malmaison). This was a unique experience and had to be done, but the service and experience was not what I would consider "luxury", so I would not stay here again. It is good to visit for the novelty factor.

A couple of the attractions that I did in Oxford were the Oxford Castle and Prison and Oxford Botanic Garden. The Botanic Gardens are next to the river/canal where the punting is, and I got a wonderful photograph of the flowers next to the riverside, and the gardens were in full bloom.

I did not do the punting on the river in Oxford, but I did do an Afternoon Tea Cruise on the canal boat on a beautiful warm day and enjoyed a couple of cocktails ahead of the visit. I spent time walking around the city and enjoyed some cocktails with a book. I normally prefer to stay at the hotel and relax, but I couldn't open the windows, and the hotel room did not feel it was a place to really relax in, so I spent time outside.

At the end of July, I headed down to the New Forest and Salisbury in order to see a friend for a long weekend. We visited Mompesson House and Salisbury, and we indulged in a bottomless brunch at Salisbury's Cosy Club. All of this brought back memories of almost two decades ago when I called these places "home", and the feelings all came back to me. I have always been fond of the city of Salisbury, and we had a nice walk through the water meadows, which is one of my favourite places. 

While in the area, my friend and I had a day in Southampton to wander around and to see the Light the South Lighthouse Sculptures in Southampton. Southampton, another place that was "home" to me for a time, has also changed. I enjoyed wandering around the city and exploring the sculptures.

My friend lives in Fordingbridge in the New Forest, and we enjoyed our time there and had a drink at the pub on the river before I returned to London. The weather was beautiful.

August: 

The weather was not great for the majority of the summer, and August was particularly wet. I spent a day in London and visited Primrose Hill, and this was my first ever visit to this part of London. On that day, the weather was warm and pleasant. I admired the view from Primrose Hill. 

At the end of July, I had the second part of the visit to the Vyne with my friends which was postponed in two parts (The Vyne), and a few days later, I enjoyed a short visit to Worcestershire and Shropshire. I visited Greyfriar's National Trust and explored Worcester to see the Penguin Sculptures, Waddle in Worcester. It was a fairly long walk to see all of the sculptures, but I managed to do it in a day along with some National Trust places.

I also visited Kinver Edge National Trust, which is a few sets of "rock houses" created from caves in the soft rock. There was a bit of rain on this day, and I explored the houses and trail on my own and walked up the hill to the Iron Age fort site. Additional notable National Trust and English Heritage places that I explored on my short visit were: Witley Court and Gardens, Dudmaston Hall, Stokesay Castle, and Wightwick.

After a night in Worcester, I stayed for a couple of nights in Bridgnorth (Bridgnorth visit in Shorpshire), at a bed and breakfast. I was not aware of a music festival taking place on that weekend of the visit until the hosts at the bed and breakfast informed me. The bed and breakfast was located directly above the bottom of the funicular railway and served as a waiting room, so this was another unique place that I was able to stay at this year. Bridgnorth is a good base to stay at as there are several attractions near it. It is known for its ruined castle, so I had a wander around the ruins at Bridgnorth castle too. 

On the last day of the month, I visited the Bournemouth Air Festival on the Friday. The day was warm, and the air show is always pleasant when the rain and cold stays away. I enjoyed watching the planes during the day and stayed for the night shows and fireworks, which I always enjoy.

September: 

At the beginning of September, the country had another pleasant day of hot weather. I had Sunday Lunch at Boater's Inn in Richmond with my friend's daughter who works there. The restaurant / pub is located along the river Thames, and we watched the boats from our seat outside. This was the first time that I visited this part of London, which is a bit awkward to visit.

I had received some bad news toward the end of August, and this was followed by an additional two sets of bad news toward the middle of September, but this is too personal to post. I was not feeling in a good place at all. In all three instances, I felt betrayed, and this coloured my mood and made me feel very depressed and unappreciated. I have not had the best of times for a long while, and I have been trying to enjoy life and be happy. This put me into a place of depression. 

To get my mind off of the problems, I went to ROXYFST in Roxbourne Park, Harrow and Dog show; the weather was hot, and I tried to make the most of it although my mind was not in the right place. I have been wanting to visit this event for the past three years but never got to before. I did struggle to really enjoy it due to the problems going on. I watched a couple of the dog show events before walking to Eastcote House Gardens, which also had an event on that day.

Frieze Sculpture in Regnt's Park took place again as it does every year, and since the pandemic times, the sculptures are now being placed in September instead of July. I went to see them after work one evening.

The most exciting activity that I did in the month of September was a short last-minute trip to Munich to visit Oktoberfest in Munich. I also met the colleagues that I have been working with for the past two years, and one of the bad news items was being rolled off the project that I've been part of for two years and had put a lot of my own personal time on. I had a lot of annual leaves owed to me, so I took a couple of days off to visit the city and enjoy Oktoberfest, and I am glad that I finally got to visit it and see some of the colleagues that I worked with. I visited the beer "tents" and had a delicious meal in the wine "tent". I've always wanted to visit Oktoberfest, so I am glad that I got to visit.

October: 

October was another busy month, and it started with attending Hertfordshire Oktoberfest with friends. The Northern Lights made a second appearance earlier in the month, and I got better photographs and could even see glimpses of the northern lights with my eyes this time, although the best view was still via the camera on my mobile phone due to the light pollution in London.

The friend who visited me earlier in the year also visited me again in October, and we enjoyed Botanical Afternoon Tea at Lanes of London and bottomless brunch at The Arth Indian restaurant. We had a long weekend of catching up and trying to get my mind in a better place.

I also went with a different friend to the themed Bottomless Halloween / Day of the Dead Afternoon Tea at Roast at Borough Market in London. My friend and I both love Halloween, and we tried the three different Halloween cocktails that they had. The service was very chaotic and slow, and they were under-staffed. Afterwards, we had a couple of drinks at the London Bridge Rooftop bar and enjoyed the pleasant evening and vowed to enjoy more times together.

In the middle of October, I saw the Halloween Dog Show at Duck Pond Market in Ruislip with my friend and her daughter, although we had a very wet and rainy day for the event. The dog costumes were creative; there were dogs dressed as spiders and characters from different films and cartoons. "Beetlejuice" was popular as it seems to have had a reboot this year. The most creative were two dogs; one was dressed as the boy scout from "Up", and the other was dressed like the house with the balloons from "Up". I also enjoyed a dog dressed as the van from "Scooby Doo", and the dog looked like the title character.

I also had a short break away for a couple of nights in the middle of October, and I enjoyed a couple of Halloween trails. I went to Halloween at Quarry Bank (pictured below) and Halloween Lakeside Light Trail. These were the first Halloween trails that I have ever been to. Both were located near Manchester.

While I was on this short break away near Manchester, I visited a mixture of National Trust and English Heritage sites. These included: Little Morton Hall, Speke Hall, Quarry Bank, Dunham Massey, and Shugborough Estate. I enjoyed visiting a different variety of places. At Quarry Bank, I had tours of the worker's home, the apprentice home, the house, and the mill. The house and mill are self-guided tours. This place was the most memorable because the tour guides brought it to life. Speke Hall was also decorated for Halloween, but this was mainly an evening event; I also caught some of a tour of the grounds with a woman dressed in medieval clothing. Shugborough Estate was also unique as the owner who kept some apartments there was a photographer, and some of his photographs of famous people and the royals were on display. Some of the settings for the photographs were shot at the estate.

At the end of the month on Halloween, I took a half of a day off to spend with my friend and her daughter, and we explored Halloween in London and went to Kensington. Afterwards, I went home to surprise the local trick-or-treaters  and get everything ready for Halloween. Diwali also fell on the same day as Halloween this year.

November: 

November started with a bang. The fireworks took place over a couple of nights for Diwali and also for Bonfire Night weekend. I went to watch two consecutive displays at the start of the month.

After watching the two displays, I was promptly off to Tallinn in Estonia for a quick break the day after. I've never been to Tallinn nor Estonia (November Visit to Tallinn). When I was in Tallinn, I explored the Walls and Bastion Tunnels at Tallinn and Seaplane Harbour Martime Museum. I spent a lot of time wandering around the city.

Due to plans to spend Christmas in Ohio this year, I informed my friends that this year's traditional festive afternoon tea would have to be done in the middle of November as this was the only time that we could find that worked for everyone. This year, we had Festive Tea at Hotel Royal Cafe, and all of us were impressed with the food and service. This will be one festive aftrnoon tea that we will not forget. Afterwards, we walked to see some of the Christmas lights at Fortnum and Mason and Mayfair. We also went to see Lucy Sparrow's Festive Felt at Dipytique. 

At the end of November, a couple of friends and I stayed overnight in Winchester on the first weekend of the Winchester Christmas Market. Unfortunately, it was the first of two bad storms that we had this autumn. The next bad storm would come three weeks later. We endured the Saturday afternoon and evening with the rain and wind, and we had mulled wine before finding a pub to enjoy more wine. The Sunday, we had a nice meal at a pub, and we started to head back to the market. Due to the storm (which was not nearly bad on Sunday and was not raining), the market was shut before we could go back and get items that we wanted to buy. We left disappointed. Despite the storm, we made the most of our visit.

For Thanksgiving Day, I went to enjoy Thanksgiving at Smith and Wollensky. The food was decent, but the turkey was far too dry to be enjoyed. After the meal, I went to Fulham Palace Illuminated Light Trail, which I was not at all impressed with either. 

December: 

December was a busy month, and it started with a visit to Windsor Great Park Illuminated with a couple of friends. I went a few years ago, and this year had different displays and more in the way of food and other attractions. It had improved from the first visit. 

I also made my own Christmas wreath for the first time at a special Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop at Browns in Ruislip, although the second storm destroyed it a few days later while I was in Brussels for the Christmas market. I visited Brussels over a couple of days and went to enjoy the Brussels Christmas Market and Christmas Light Show. This made my third visit to Brussels this year, and I am glad that I got to see it.

As usual, I also went to enjoy London's Christmas lights and decorations. The lights and decorations are always enjoyable in London, and one of the big themes this year was for the "Wicked" film, based on "The Wizard of Oz". London is always beautiful to see during the festive season. There is just something magical about it.

Toward the end of the month, I headed to Ohio in the USA to spend Christmas with my parents, brothers, and the rest of my family. The short visit was to catch up with family, so I did not get to see any friends, and the festive season was split over multiple days due to everyone's availability. There was a lot of stress with lack of time, and we had some unfortunate circumstances, but we did the best with what we were given. I did get to see the Cambridge Courthouse Light Show and the Victorian Dickens figures, which I have previously seen. I also went to visit the "Garden of Lights" trail featuring the story of "Alice in Wonderland".

I returned back to London at the end of the month as I will be starting a new project and wanted to enjoy a couple of days before January and before the new year begins. This year finally brought some travel after many years where I was unable to, and although I was not able to set boundaries at work all of the time, I did manage to set them some of the time. My mental health still has not been perfect, especially when receiving some bad news, but I am trying to look after myself. I hope to travel more in 2025 and visit some new places, and I need to continue to prioritise myself and look after myself.

I hope 2025 is a good one.

I visited Duck and Waffle a couple of weeks ago as I was in the area and it has been years since my last visit. I also saw that they decorated for the festive season, and the past couple of years I never got to visit. This year, they transformed the restaurant and bar area into Narnia. Duck and Waffle is a restaurant with a view and is located in the City of London on th top of the Heron Tower.

The views are always amazing over London's skyline, and London has developed more buildings and sites since my last visit.

Snowflakes and white Christmas trees filled the rooms.

I had a seat at the bar and had a spicy cocktail with a nice view.

For the festive season, they had a roast turkey on the menu. I opted for this, and this was served with cranberry sauce, puree carrot, parsnips, sprouts, roast potatoes, and pigs in blankets. (I said no to these, but they still put it on my plate.)

For previous visits to Duck and Waffle, see the below links. This was my fourth visit as I had also taken my parents here in 2017:

Brunch at Duck and Waffle
Birthday Brunch at Duck and Waffle

Welcome to another post about festive afternoon tea. I headed over to the Savoy with one of my friends to indulge in my second festive afternoon tea this year. I last visited the Savoy for festive afternoon tea in 2022 (Festive Afternoon Tea at The Savoy), and this year was very different. The room had been renovated and much more less intimate as so many are packed into a small place, and there is now a bar at the end. I was told that it only opend about three weeks ago. 

We had a late sitting for afternoon tea from 5:00. It was proving to be popular, and we had to wait in a queue with others for ten minutes. and some people on the side were waiting for a bar stool. This was not the standard that I was expecting from the Savoy at all, and th service was rushed and not personal. Normally, they offer to take the coats, but nothing like that happened, and we were crammed into seats with the room being at least twice the number of occupants compared to previously.

There was also a lack of decorations; last time, there were trees. This time, they use every bit of floor space for patrons. It just felt impersonal. 

We had a glass of champagne to start. We received a selection of different sandwiches, such as cheese and chutney, cucumber with butter, turkey, and cabbage slaw. We also received an egg roll and a parsnip, carrot, and thyme mini muffin. The savouries were good.

The egg one came decorated with gold leaf.

We had live piano music, and a couple of singers and a cello player provided some music. The singers were barely audible as the acoustics were very loud. I wished that they would have played festive music, though. It just did not feel very festive.

Next up were the scones. We received a plain and a raisin scone, and these were both very light. There was strawberry jam, clotted cream, and lemon curd.

The pastries followed. We received the following selection of pastries: Mon Blanc - chestnut cream with meringue; Santa - vanilla cake, chantilly, and redcurrant glaze.

Christmas Bauble - white chocolate mousse, lemon sponge, and blackberry. Chocolate and tonka bean - chocolate sponge and ganache.

Overall, I was a little disappointed as I compared this to my previous visit. 

I wanted to post some photographs that I have been taking over the festive season with some of the things that I have gotten up to. I am currently celebrating Christmas in Ohio this year, but I have not come for long and will be back in London by the time this post has been published. I've been walking every evening or day in December while I was in London, and I love to check out the local Christmas lights and decorations.

I also went to St. Paul's Church to listen to a concert / band by the Northwood Royal Navy band. They played a selection of Christmas music, and they were really good. I also won a gift in the raffle for the first time ever.

My friends and I visited the White Bear in Ruislip for our festive meal and Secret Santa in the middle of the month. The food was not that great; one of my friends last year went and enjoyed it, but all of us were not too impressed by it. We also should have gotten a Christmas cracker. The portion sizes were very small, and we all left still feeling hungry.

Duck Pond Markets also had several special evening and full weekend Christmas markets in Ruislip, and I visited them starting in the middle of November and enjoyed browsing. 

The time really went by quickly, and I struggled to keep up with my blog this year.

This year, the holidays have crept up on me, and my friends and family have said the same. The time has gone by so quickly. It does not feel like it should be that time of year again. I hope that all of my readers are enjoying their day and have had all of their dreams come true. Enjoy the day and happy holidays.

I am currently celebrating Christmas in Ohio.

Welcome to 2024's edition of London's Christmas lights, displays, and decorations. This year, London decorated much earlier than it has ever done before, and many of the displays were in place from the middle of November. The earlier start meant that I was able to venture out to see the displays and lights without enduring the crazy crowds that were in place last year when I found it much too busy to enjoy myself.

Fortnum and Mason: The well-known department store has been decorated like an advent calendar for the past few years with the date displayed on the side. The windows are also always worth a look as they are clever, and this year features cute animals along with festive scenes and merchandise.

Hedonist Wines: This wine and alcohol shop in Mayfair always decorates for Christmas and Halloween. This year, it has created an advent calendar with gingerbread houses where people can open the doors to see little scenes featuring their products.

Neill Strain Floral: This shop front floral specialist always decorates for special events, such as Halloween and Christmas. This year, its shop front is transformed by red and silver baubles.

Mount Street: A few of the shop fronts and restaurants here decorate, and the street has gotten new Christmas lights this year in the shape of golden pine trees.

The Strand: New lights with fairies, stars, and snowflakes have come to the Strand this year.

Harrods: Harrods has decorated a lot this year with features of production of textiles in the windows.

Knightsbridge: Along with Harrods, some of the other brands have decorated.

Liberty: Liberty department store always have their Christmas trees decorating their building, and this year they are green. Inside the shop and in the windows, they are advertising the "Wicked" movie.

Holborn: Holborn's lights are the same as last year with baubles.

Covent Garden: The market always dress nicely for Christmas. Inside the hall are the bell decorations, and there are always opportunities for photographs with their Christmas tree and floral displays.

The Ivy: The restaurants this year have a ski theme with large snowmen.

Covent Garden's cafes and restaurants also decorate.

Seven Dials Market: This year, the market has added lights and a tree.

Neale's Yard and Seven Dials: This nice spot in London has lights and a tree, and this mimics the column in the middle at Seven Dials with the light display.

St. Martin's Lane: The past couple of years, the theatre Christmas lights return to pay tribute to this area.

The pubs also decorate.

Trafalgar Square: The Christmas tree is launchd in early December each year, and it comes from Sweden. The square also hosts a Christmas market, and carols can be caught at the church St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

Soho: The past few years, Soho has displayed the children's drawings Christmas lights on the lampposts. Also, the Soho lights are back.

Regent's Street: The angels are back and an icon of Christmas time in London and are probably London's most beautiful lights this year.

Burlington Arcade: The arcades around Mayfair always decorate well, and Burlington Arcade has festive decorations.

Mayfair: Large brands in Mayfair, such as Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, and several others always decorate their shop fronts. This is one of the best places to see Christmas lights. Mayfair's street lights this year have also been upgrades and include Chanel branding.

Anabell's: This night club for the wealthy always decorate. This year, it has transfromed into a peacock snow globe.

St. Christopher's Place: Off Oxford Circus, this is a "blink and you will miss it" street with restaurants. The decorations are the same as last year with coloured dots. 

Oxford Street: The star lights return.

Selfridge's: The building glows in pink, and the shop windows are very colourful and remind me of the 1980s with multiple colours. 

Carnaby Street: See my post here.: Carnaby Christmas.

Connaught: See my post here: Connaught 2024 Christmas Tree.

City of London: The building at Bank is decorated with red ribbons.

Previous London Christmas lights are below:

• London's Christmas Lights and Decorations 2023
• London's Festive Christmas Treats, 2023
  London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2022
• London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2021
• Where to see London's Christmas Lights and Decorations in 2020
• Where to Buy Christmas-Themed Treats in London (2020)
• Where to see London Christmas lights and decorations (2019 Edition)
• Christmas in London 2018 - Lights and Displays
• Where to see London's Christmas Lights 2017
• London's Christmas Lights 2016
• Christmas Lights and Windows 2015
• London Christmas Lights 2014
• London's Christmas Lights 2013
• London Christmas Lights and Window Displays 2012

Previous London Window displays are below (I've phased these out as they have not been as interesting the past few years and more interest seems to be on the facade of the building as opposed to displays inside the windows):

• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012

Earlier this month, I visited Brussels for the Christmas season and to see the Christmas market. This was my third ever visit to Brussels having visited twice already this year in February and in April. With only a two-hour journey via train from London, Brussels is a quick and easy trip for a long weekend. For the festive season, Brussels hosts a Christmas market and a a light show projected onto the Grand Place square. There are also other activities and shopping, tourist attractions, and more festive cheer.

I watched the light show projections onto the Grand Place, which I enjoyed and covered in a separate post on this blog. You can see my experience here: [INSERT LINK]

Brussels' famous icon, the Manneken Pis also is worth seeing, and there's a couple of different costumes of a festive nature that he adorns in December. One of them is Saint Nicholas. You can see photographs here: [INSERT LINK]. I also saw someone dressed as Saint Nicholas and his sidekick known as "Black Peter" as I visited on Dcember 6th, which is a special day in Belgium.

In the Grand Place square, there is also a large nativity scene.

And someone with some vintage cars was offering rides.

I then headed to the markets. Most of the Christmas market stalls are near Saint Catherine's Church. There are a few clusters on the way from the Grand Place to Saint Catherine's. I browsed at the items and bought some items, including a nice perfume, fruit jam, nougat, hot chocolate, caramels, and cuberones.

The man who made the flowers out of soap told me of the carving process. I didn't have anyone to gift these to, and I wouldn't use such an item collecting dust. However, they do look pretty.

There was a model city or nativity scene in one of the stalls on display.

Saint Catherine's area has most of the stalls and a giant ferris wheel. I spent awhile browsing here.

I bought a hot chocolate, which tasted delicious. You pay for the cup, but you get the money back for the cup if you return it. This helps sustainability. I also bought a mulled flaming wine later one, and this is pictured at the top. They lit a brown sugar cube on fire for it.

There are different Christmas lights around the city, and I photographed some of them.

The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert are always worth a visit. There are some expensive shops and a fair share of chocolate shops to visit. Inside, it is decorated for Christmas.

The below light sculpture is located near Art Mountain, which I suppose is an appropriate place for it. There were a couple of food stalls near here.

And lastly, I enjoyed delicious ice cream (despite the weather being a little bit cold) from Gaston near the Christmas markets. I had the pistachio and the speculoo ice cream, and these were both delicious.

I enjoyed the visit to Brussels at Christmas. It's definitely worth a visit.

I always love to do an illuminated light trail during the festive season to help cope with the fact that the days are shorter and darker, and this also helps to get into a festive feeling. I visited Windsor Great Park Illuminated this year after having been for a visit in 2022 at the beginning of January. (You can see my visit from 2022 here: Windsor Great Park Illuminated). Keep scrolling down to see my photographs of Windsor Great Park Illuminated.

When we arrived, we were greeted with a large area of rides and food stalls, and this area marked the entrance and exit of the venue as it was next to the parking. The route this year was backwards from the route that I did for the 2021-2022 season. We first headed down the road with illuminated poles on both sides, over a bridge with the "Windsor" sign illuminated.

Off to the left, the path continued with multi-coloured trees.

The trees were lit in rainbow colours, and some glowing orbs in changing rainbow shades were overhead. As we walked, the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" song was being played.

We finally arrived to the edge of the lake where we could see the illuminated trees on both sides, and we saw an illuminated art sculpture inside the lake. It looked like flames and had an orange glow.

We continued on the walk around, and the next part reminded me of "Narnia" with various lamp posts, a large clock, and there was fake snow falling.

Further ahead, we saw signs for Santa, and we saw the man himself and his reindeer with Rudolph leading the way.

Finally, we came to the middle of the trail, which was set up as an elf party with elf DJ and disco balls. Some people were dancing, and this was a place to get some food and drink. I got a waffle on a stick.

When we continued the trail, we saw an illuminated white reindeer walking through the forest.

And the trees had an eerie glow around their trunks.

We came to another light sculpture with pulsating orbs that changed pattern and colour, and this tunnel of orbs we walked through.

This eventually led to an illuminated area with bright lights that changed pattern and colour, and a smoke machine emitted lights that shone onto the smoke and created awesome effects.

The trail continued around with bright trees illuminiated in multiple colours and a wave of pools that illuminated like a road, changing colour and simulating movement.

We arrived at another stop with a couple of food stalls and marshmallows, and this offered some rest where my friend's daughter enjoyed some marshallows. After the break, we continued around and watched an illuminated tree with pattern changes set to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song.

There's always a tunnel of light, and we walked through this.

There were several illuminated sculptures around as well with photograph opportunities.

We then arrived at the glowing fields of orbs set to music. This was the same as my visit at the start of 2022, and it is really beautiful as the orbs change colour and pattern set to music.

We then got to the other side of the lake again where we watched a fountain set to music with different colours and patterns.

This led up back around toward the exit.

The last illumination was a face onto a tree, and it spoke to us about the forest being old and tired and left with a parting farewell.

At the end, we enjoyed some food, and my friend's daughter went on a ride. I had Chick'n'Sours, and you may remember my visit here: Chick'n'Sours in Haggerston.

Windsor Great Park Illuminated has been going for a few years now, and it improved since my last visit. I enjoyed my visit.

Earlier this month, I went to Brown's restaurant in Ruislip where Nadine from Ruislip Flowers was hosting a festive wreath-making activity with buffet provided. I have always wanted to try wreath-making. We could get drinks from the bar, and there was a buffet put on for us to enjoy whilst we were making our wreaths. 

We could choose from a selection of decorations to add to our wreaths from orange slices, cinnamon sticks, baubles, faux plants (roses, holly, frosted pines, flowers), candy canes, bows, pine cones, lotus hads, and ribbons. I selected the cinnamon sticks, frosted faux pines, and orange slices. I gave up on the orange slices as they would not stick.

We were shown how to add the stems of pine and evergreenery to the wreath.

At the end, I had created a gorgeous wreath.

We had a buffet that contained a mixture of fish, salmon, mini hamburgers, mini turkey sandwiches, fries, potatoes, sweetcorn fritters, and salad. We also received a cracker, and I got a small thimble in mine.

I can a picante cocktail that I sipped during the wreath-making. 

I was exhausted after the long day. This activity would be better to do with friends, but I went on my own.

The wreath is now hanging on my door and looks very festive.

The Christmas tree this year at St. Pancras International station in London celebrates the story of "Wicked", which is a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" story, and it is a major theatre production and now a film. The story covers the characters of the wicked witch, Tin Man, Scarecrow, the good witch, wizard, and other characters. To celebrate this, a Christmas tree in the shape of the "emerald city" has been placed at the station. 

In addition to the tree, there is a display of some of the props from the film, such as the wand and broomstick and a model of the train at "emerald city". Inside the "tree", visitors can view one of three "windows" to see a model of the "emerald city", witch's castle, haunted forest, poppy fields, and other sites from the "Wizard of Oz" and "Wicked" story.

A giant face of the wizard also appears on the structure. I love the movie "The Wizard of Oz", so I will no doubt see the new film. 

St. Pancras International has promoted many brands over the years with their Christmas tree, which is a tradition starting from 2013. The past ones include:

• Book publisher (2023)
• Prince's Trust (2022)
• London Zoo (2021)
• EL&N cafe (2020)
• Lancôme (2019)
• Tiffany & Co (2018)

Earlier this month, a group of friends and I went on our annual festive afternoon tea tradition. This year, we had it a little earlier due to availability, and we ended up at Hotel Cafe Royal at Piccadilly Circus as they were one of the first to launch their festive afternoon tea offering. We could not have been happier. The food was delicious, and we were looked after very well by excellent service. 

The interior of the cafe was designed like a Parisian cafe. Many famous people have dined here from Winston Churchill to Louis Armstrong, and we were sat at the table where Louis Armstong sat.

I had a glass of champagne with my afternoon tea.

The first course was the amuse-bouche, which is a little starter. I had the vegetarian option, which was a parsnip and apple panna cotta. 

My non-vegetarian friends had the truffle scones of chicken liver parfait and Port jelly.

Next up was the sandwiches. I had the vegetarian sandwiches, but I am ok with chicken and turkey so I had the turkey. The vegetarian options that I had includedroasted pumpkin with chickpea, cucumber, egg, and roasted chestnut. Salmon and turkey was on the non-vegetarian menu. 

Next up are the scones. We had clotted cream and two types of jam. One type of jam was with Earl Grey tea, and the second was a spiced plum and cinnamon. I really liked the spiced plum and cinnamon jelly.

Next up is the sweets. One of my friends is completely vegetarian so had a selection of the sweets which did not contain gelatin from animals. They are photographed below.

For the rest of us, we had the following options: Chestnut mandarin and yuzu compote with gingerbread sponge, a winter cherry mousse with chocolate sponge, coconut ganache with meringue and blueberry, and a prune Cognac with speculoos tart. One friend doesn't like coconut, so he had a strawberry tart instead. I really liked the tart, which was shaped in a rectangle with a Christmas pattern in white chocolate.

We also received a small slice of cake at the end. Christmas cake was the offer, but they accommodated me when I informed that I dislike Christmas cake. Instead, I recived the lemon drizzle slice. My friend received a birthday Christmas cake slice.

The hotel was also decorated with all of the festive flair. 

Everyone loved the experience, and I would definitely return to Hotel Cafe Royal for their afternoon tea.

For the festive season each year, the Grand Place in Brussels puts on a light show in the evenings until 10pm at night. The show lasts for five miniutes and runs every thirty minutes. The light show changes each year and is projected onto the main buildings in the square, such as the city hall and the guildhalls. This year's light show is called "Echos of Colours". 

"Echoes of Colours" is a celebration of colour with different colours projected onto the buildings, highlighting the architecture and height of the building and set to soundscape.

The light show is visible until the 5th of January from 5-10pm except on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and I enjoyed watching it.

The fountain statue of the urinating boy, named Manneken Pis, is a symbol of Brussels and a top attraction of the city. It has inspired popular culture and attracts tourists from all over the world. The fountain has its own wardrobe, and on some days each month, it is dressed in a unique outfit celebrating a country, charity, event, group of people, or character in popular culture. When I visited Brussels in early December, I saw two outfit changes on the three days that I was in the city. The second day of my trip was the feast of Saint Nicholas, and this is a big day in Belgium for children for the Christmas season. 

Manneken Pis was decorated as Saint Nicholas, which was an inspiration for "Santa Claus".

On the first day, the little statue was not in an outfit. 

The fountain was dressed festively with lights and decorations. On the final day, the statue was dressed as a beekeeper to celebrate Saint Ambrose.

Additional posts featuring Manneken Pis on this blog can be seen here and here and here.

Earlier this month, I went to Fork N' Film's showing of "Home Alone" in London. I love the film "Home Alone", and it is one of my favourite Christmas films which features a young boy named Kevin who finds himself home alone during the holiday season while his family leaves to go to Paris, and he finds himself protecting the family home from burglars. Form N' Film decided to host the evening at Eight Embankment, which I had an awful time locating as online maps told me the wrong location. When I finally arrived, I just made it on time, although the movie did not begin until much later. 

Eight Embankment is located just on the north side next to Waterloo Bridge.

When I entered, I was greeted and given a cocktail (Prosecco and orange juice) and shown to my table. A live band was playing Christmas music to get us into the Christmas mood. 

I ordered a Prosecco at the bar while I waited. We were given popcorn to share. As I was on my own, I was seated at another table with a couple and their sister.

Before the movie started, we were also given a festive-looking wreath of mozarella and tomato and rocket for "Season's Greetings".

The film started with cheers, and we were promptly given the second and third items. 

The ice bucket came onto the screen with the old man using salt from a trash can to clear the sidewalks, so we received a cocktail with a shovel served in a metal bin bucket (trash can). This was the Shovel Snowcake Slipper and was a wintery version of a Pina Colada cocktail. Coconut flakes were served on the side to give an indication of snow.

Next up, we had the cheese pizza, which came in a miniature pizza box. This came at the start of the film as well with the family having their pizzas delivered.

The next surprise came when Kevin finds he is at home alone, and he makes an ice cream sundae. We received a miniature version of the ice cream sundae complete with marshmallows and a cherry and syrup. 

There was a bit of a wait for the next items. We were meant to get the shrimp or prawn cocktail as seen in the film when the family are in Paris, but it never materialized. When asked about it later, I was told that the menu had changed and they were not doing the shrimp / prawn cocktail.

So, we had to wait awhile to receive the firecracker pot roast, which I had the vegetarian version of as the non-vegetarian version is beef. I cannot remember which part of the film would have inspired this.

At nearly the same time, a Christmassy cocktail in a bauble was delivered. This "Christmas Tree Cosmo" is a version of the Cosmopolitan cocktail.

The macaroni and cheese dish came at the point in the film where Kevin sits down to enjoy his dinner before the clock rings with the time to let him know to prepare for the burglars. I had the vegetarian version which came without lobster meat.

Toward the end of the film, we see Kevin leave cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve. We were given an eggnog cocktail and a couple of M&M cookies. 

The cookies did not look so great and the presentation was not so well here with half of a cookie missing.

Would I recommend Fork N' Film? Fork N' Film is a different concept of having food and watching a film inspired by the food. I've done this before with Edible Cinema (which I blogged about here), which doesn't seem to host events since I went many years ago. Fork N' Film is expensive. The online ordering system isn't great as they only had vegan and standard options, but I informed over email that it's vegetarian, though they did not have this listed as they should have. Also, locating the venue was difficult and instructions would have helped. The venue itself was adequate, but the tables were difficult and small and items kept being dropped and there wasn't always enough room. In terms of food, the food was average. The alcoholic drinks did not taste of alcohol at all, and the presentation on some of the items (cookies) was not great. I feel that it is a little bit expensive, but I've always liked this concept of dinner and film tied together.

Carnaby Street's Christmas lights went up this year in early November, and they change each year. This year, Carnaby Street have a simplistic Christmas lights display dubbed "Into the Light" which features giant Christmas crackers and stars. The display this year is set to be reused for the next five years as sustainable with different designs for the display possible.

In past years, the lights on Carnaby Street have been more colourful. This year, the yellow-white giant crackers rise above the street. 

I visited the Fulham Palace Illuminated Light Trail at the end of November. I tried to get tickets to another well-known and long-going light trail in London, but when I last looked to book, the day that I went to book had sold out on all tickets. So, I was left with the opening day of Fulham Palace Illuminated Light Trail. My photographs are below.

First, the cafe next to the palace entrance was open, so I had a hot chocolate.

Finally, we got to enter. We walked past the small Christmas market, which consisted of about four stalls, four of which were selling food items and one selling crafts and jewellry. In front of us, the palace was illuminated with snowflakes.

The trail commenced with a heart tunnel.

In the distance, we saw some illuminated animals, but these were rather far away to really appreciate.

We saw a couple illuminated trees, but I was expecting a lot more than this.

Another illumination was a bauble, which I walked through.

The rest of the trail continued with some quite small displays and immersive "selfie" displays. The angel wings and sleigh allowed some photographs. There were a few other small displays of trees, polar bears, and penguins. These were all very small lights.

A couple of the trees were also covered in lights.

And some lanterns were hung around here and there but did not make too much of impact.

More light illuminations on the trees would have had a nicer impact.

The trail was also a little confusing in knowing which way to go. Santa was there outside of the walled garden, which we entered to see more lights and had a multi-colour light tunnel.

The greenhouse was also illuminated and one of the glass houses contained a row of illuminated nutcrackers.

We had another light tunnel.

A small herd of illuminated deer lit the grounds.

The illuminated tree looked like it was not completely finished.

A "Cinderella" style display was at the end of the light trail with pumpkins and illuminated carriage, dress, and slipper.

We walked back out through the same gate and went past the Christmas market.

Overall, I felt that this was very overpriced and did not offer a good value for money. There were not too many illuminations, and what there was was at a very small scale with a couple of strands of lights here and there. Also, there wasn't any music except for two small points of very quiet music on the trail. I do not know if they were having trouble with the displays. There was also meant to be a magician. I was very disappointed in this trail. 

Each year, The Connaught hotel in Mayfair, London have a Christmas tree in the front of their hotel that celebrates an artist's work. This year, the tree has been designed by British artist Conrad Shawcross. The artist was inspired by visiting the hotel when he was younger and being served delicious food, so he used copper lanterns (like the pans used to cook with) that are designed with geometrical patterns.  

Previous Connaught Christmas trees that I covered on my blog are below:

Dunham Massey Hall and estate is located near to Manchester, and the estate is maintained by National Trust. The hall itself dates from the 1800s, and the estate is famous for the deer park. Visitors can walk the grounds and deer park, gardens. and visit the house and a small mill. The hall was used in World War II as a military hospital. The National Trust took ownership of the property in the 1970s.

To get to Dunham Massey house, visitors must pass the restaurant and old stables.

The house is split into the servants' quarters and the main house. I first checked out the servants' quarters. There were different rooms for food preparation and cooking and cleaning. 

Afterwards, I toured the rooms in the house.

The state bed was owned by the family, and these were important possessions passed down to family members. It was restored and repaired to display to visitors.

After the house, I went outside. A tour of the mill was starting, but unfortunately it had already started by the time I arrived.

I saw deer walk right up and lying in the grass in front of the hall.

I had a quick look around the gardens as well, but due to the time of the year, there was not much going on. A few autumnal flowers could still be seen.

This was my first visit to Dunham Massey, and I would like to visit again.

Over the past couple of years I've decided to not have an advent calendar, but my last one was a gin one, and I don't think I ever posted it. This year, I opted for something different or traditional in chocolate advent calendars but from different chocolate brands and not the mass-produced brands. I ordered one from Melt, which is based in Notting Hill and have delicious chocolate. 

I was instantly drawn to the little Portabello Road street scenes, though I thought I was ordering the calendar that features their different selection of chocolates. Instead, I ordered the wrong on with simple pieces of milk chocolate in different shapes. The chocolate is still delicious, but I was expecting to try something different and loved the design of the advent calendar. I opened a few of the little boxes so you could see some of the different shapes. The chocolate really is delicious.

I didn't expect to order two chocolate advent calendars. However, the Handmade in Chilterns chocolate maker was back in Ruislip Duck Pond Market selling chocolates and last year they offered an advent calendar, which I didn't buy because it had coffee-flavoured chocolate in it. This year, it is without the coffee, so I was talked into ordering one of those as well. 

The chocolates look as good as thy taste. My favourite is the apple crisp.

I hope that I do not put on too much weight! I think I will be gifting some of these.

This October, I visited Shugborough Estate, which is located in Staffordshire and managed by the National Trust. This was my first visit to the estate, and there is a lot to see here. Visitors can view the house, which includes open state rooms, the rooms used by servants to run the house, and the apartments of photographer Lord Lichfield until 2005. There is a photographic exhibit in the apartment rooms. The estate also contains grounds to walk, a walled garden, water mill, arboretum, and farm. With the amount of things to see and do, I think many could spend at least half a day here.

The walled garden is set away from the house, so it was what I went to see first. It contains the kitchen garden as well as a garden of flowers. This was the end of the season and harvest time, so the flowers were late summer and autumn ones. Squash and pumpkins were growing in the garden.

A lot of pumpkins, gourds, and squash were on display in the walled garden.

Dahlias were in bloom, and I photographed a few of them. I love them.

I passed the working buildings with clear water. I enjoyed seeing the parkland with cattle grazing and the autumn colours.

After the walled garden, I walked to the house and past the farm. The "Tower of the Winds" is on the other side of the farm from the house, and it is a folly. Follies, of which there are a few at Shugborough, and bridges serve a purpose to create a pleasant parkland.

Finally, I got to the house and saw the servant's area first. This separate part of the house can be visited to see where the servants lived and worked and their daily insight or activities into their lives.

This was the servant's dining area with table and some homely furnishings. Off to the side were other rooms, including a collection of the family's silver on display.

The laundry would have been hard work, and I saw that next.

Next up were the kitchens and pantries.

After the visit to the servant's quarters, I went into the house.

The first room to see was the Drawing Room, which contains paintings and beautiful ceiling pasterwork and artwork. This room was the first entered and designed to impress. A lot of inspiration of the room is from Egyptian and Greek style.

The green room had two rooms leading off of it.

The Red Drawing Room includes original furniture for the room and dates to the end of the 1700s.

The next room which led off the above green room included information about the brothers who lived in the house, and there is a lot of information about their travels across the world and items in their collection.

The next room is the library.

The last room marks the start of information about photographer Lord Lichfield and his apartments on the first floor. He was the last to live in the house and paid the National Trust a small rent for the apartments. He passed in 2005, but the apartments contain his living quarters and are now set up as an exhibition of his work. In many of the rooms, we see the subjects in his apartment settings, such as Princess Diana. Unfortunately, photographs of his apartments were forbidden due to copyright reasons. He is famous for taking photographs of Diana and Prince Charles' wedding, and he also took a lot of photographs of celebrities and royals through the 1960s.

After the visit to the house, I went outside and had a quick walk around the estate to see the views and get some photographs.

I came across this bridge across the river.

The Chinese house, pictured below, is one of the follies created on the parkland to make it pleasurable. This was one of the first buildings influenced by China in the country.

This Doric temple was another interesting folly in the parkland near the house.

At the back of the house is a fountain and the river.

After the visit to the grounds, I had a quick look around the farm. There were som farm animals there, and I could also look through the different rooms in the barns and farm buildings, such as the mill. There is a lot to see, read, and interact with at the farm.