April 2025 Archives

At the end of March, I had a long weekend in Wales. On the first day of the visit, I had booked Sugarloaf Winery for lunch and a wine tasting. The weather was beautiful with full sun. Sugarloaf Winery is located near to Sugarloaf mountain outside Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales.

I had the wine tasting, and this included the following: Chapel Down Flint Dry white, Y Fenni dry white, Sugarloaf Blush, and Deri Coch red. Three of the wines are from the winery, but Chapel Down is a replacement as they had run out of some of their wines.

I enjoyed the Y Fenni the most and had a separate glass of it. 

I ordered a cheese board, and this came with a lot more than I expected - different types of Welsh cheeses, breads, crisps, chutney, salad, and olives.

Afterwards, I had a quick look at the vines. As it was the end of March, the vines were still in hibernation from the winter months. 

I enjoyed the wines, and this was a nice little venue to enjoy some lunch and drink.

This Easter has been a quiet one, and I've just been using this weekend to recover from work as the past couple of weeks have been busy. Last Easter, I was visiting my family in America, and it fell on the last day of March. I always prefer a later Easter because the weather is normally a little warmer. However, it has not been as warm as it was predicted to be a week ago.  

The hot cross bun is not an American tradition, but these are sold here over the spring months in time for Easter, and I enjoy toasting them and putting some butter on them. I saw some home-made ones in Greenwich in Peyton and Byrne bakery, and it was delicious. Marks and Spencer did some chocolate hot cross buns, which were tasty, and new "Dippy Eggs". These are hot cross bun with a chocolate cream egg (similar to the popular Cadbury's one) chopped inside, and I bought them but they were mouldy. 

The bakery also had some egg nest cakes and biscuits/cookies with Easter shapes.

This year, I tried three new Easter Eggs. I like Melt chocolates, and when I went to their shop, I saw two eggs that I would like to try. I love coconut, so the first was a coconut Easter Egg, textured like a coconut. It was so good. Inside was a coconut chocolate.

I also had the popular Dubai chocolate Easter Egg, a Breton-style egg which is shaped in doughnut rings. One ring was a milk chocolate with pistachio chunks, and the next layer was a pistachio-Dubai type of chocolate. They were not filled; this was solid chocolate in rings. It was also delicious.

Humble Crumble also did their Mini egg crumble nest but with a hot cross bun filling and crumble.

Tulip season is still here and in its prime for the past week, and I discovered some amazing tulip gardens in St. James's Park last week when we had some nice weather. The bright colours and floral blooms are very spring-like and remind me of how Easter should be.

Peggy Porschen Cakes always do seasonal cupcakes, and I liked the edible daisy ons, the carrots, nests, and bunny cakes.

I tried the chocolate nest one and the bunny one, which was their strawberry flavour.

The last Easter Egg that I got this year was Handmade in Chilterns, which comes to the market in Ruislip. I was not going to get another Easter egg, but their chocolates are nice, and this was a unique one. You can get different sizes and a choice of two colours, but the egg itself has a layer of caramel inside it. 

Below is the rich carmel, and it was delicious. 

Today, I went for a walk and enjoyed seeing some spring blossoms.

I walked in Ruislip Woods, and the bluebells in this woodland were in bloom.

I also went to Eastcote House Gardens to see the tulips and flowers in bloom, including more bluebells and a beautiful orange blossom.

I hope that all of my readers have had a great day no matter what you got up to. 

Hello and welcome to my post covering my unblogged events from the winter this year; it's a little bit late in being published as the past couple of weeks have been busy, and then I was in Wales at the end of March. Winter was busy this year, and I had a lot of different things to cover from holidays to birthday days out with friends. I also caught the illness that everyone else seemed to have in early March, and it took most of a month to finally recover from it fully.) Winter seems like a long way away now with the nice weather we have had (at the time when I wrote this post, but now it seems cold and wet again). 

First up is Chinese New Year, and one of the events that I did not write about previously was getting a Chinese takeaway on the day and enjoying a Xi Home Dumplings dumpling shaped like a dragon. It was vegetarian, and they do different shapes for different seasons. It was very good. 

I also received some pastries inspired by Chinese New Year at a work bake sale.

Next up, I had a few trips to Sloane Square's Saturday market. On one visit, I bought some delicious choocolates.

I also brought back Dubai chocolate from Vienna when I visited at the end of February.

The blossoms started to make their appearance, which was welcomed as the winter has been particularly cold and miserable.

I had several days of just relaxing at home with the Maine Coons, Merlin and Sir Lancelot.

Humble Crumble has been one favourite of mine since I discovered them at Canary Wharf before they were popular, and they brought back their creme brulee crumble topping for January, which I tried.

Next up is Valentine's Day, and I received an afternoon tea box with scones and rose Prosecco, chocolate, and fudge. It came with candles and rose petals too.

My friend and I went to enjoy breakfast at The Ivy, and we went to the branch in Kennsington High Street. She wanted to do something different each month this year of items on her "bucket list", and visiting the Ivy was on the list. I had not been there for breakfast myself. 

I also enjoyed a Saturday lunch with a lot of two-for-one cocktails at Ego at Pomeroy, which is based in Little Chalfont near Amersham. The meal included a starter of corn fritters, and I got the chicken as a main and a dessert with small portions of their popular desserts - crumble, creme brulee, lemon tart, Eton mess, and brownie.

Toward the end of winter, Holi was celebrated. I invited friends over for dinner (they won't eat Indian food as they do not like the spice, so I made pasta as we were planning to have a pasty dinner party anyway), and we threw coloured powder at each other. 

The beautiful spring flowers started to become available in shops toward the end of winter, and I had to buy some to enjoy the colour.

Goodbye to winter, and hello to the much-awaited spring and hopefully nice weather ahead. I hope this year has a proper spring and summer and is not a wash out.

When I was in Vienna at the end of February, I stayed at Imperial Hotel. This hotel was a former palace build as a wedding gift. I made my home in a wonderful suite with a balcony for three nights and enjoyed the luxury fittings and caught up with my cousin who is staying in the city for a few months. 

The bathroom was spacious with marble walls and flooring, and ther was a large bath and a bath tub.

The bar area is located off the lobby, and I enjoyed a couple of cocktails here.

I also got breakfast, and it was a champagne breakfast with choice of hot dish and a larg range of buffet style breakfast.

When I arrived, I received a small sweet from the hotel. The hotel is amso famous for their chocolate torte.

The Imperial Torte can be enjoyed in the bar or cafe, and I enjoyed on in the cafe. It is layers of chocolate cake and cream and chocolate.

I enjoyed this hotel room and the location of the hotel.

Skenfrith castle, located in Monmouthshire in Wales, is one of three castles (the others being White Castle and Grosmont Castle) in the region that was built to protect lands against the Welsh. The castle originated during the Norman rule shortly after 1066, but the stone structure dates to the 12th century. The castle was not used as a fortress for too long, and it became a ruin in the 16th century. The castle contains a large wall with a circular keep in the middle.

I visited the castle on a warm and sunny day at the start of my visit to Wales. There is parking near it, and visitors can enter via the "back" of the castle where the wall has collapsed, but this was also the main castle entrance and would have had a moat on this side into the river beyond and a drawbridge. But, the moat has gone. The castle itself was built on a flood plain and due to this and flooding in winter time, it is likely the castle was abandoned.

The site is free to visit and maintained by National Trust and Cadw.

Once inside the complex, it is a large grassy area with some former building foundations on the right and the circular keep in the middle. On the left is also a set of stairs that go down and outside the castle walls. The circular keep is an empty structure open to the elements with nothing to see inside.

On the right side of the keep were a set of foundations of buildings that were multiple floors.

And on the left is a set of stairs that lead down and outside the wall.

The stairs lead down to the River Monnow. The location of the castle was placed to protect shipments from river transport. At the time the castle was occupied, the stairs would have gone right down to the river. Today, it is a secluded walk with river views.

To read about the other two castles that make up the three, see:

White Castle
Grosmont Castle

White Castle, located in Monmouthshire in Wales, is a Norman castle built to defend against the Welsh. The castle, along with Skenfrith and Grosmont, make up a trio of castles close together. The castles existed as wooden structures with moats, and White Castle was built in the 11th century, and it is further from the English border. The area where the castle is was controlled by Welsh lords, and White Castle was the first one where the building work was started.

I visited it at the end of March on a sunny day. Upon entering the location of the castle, it is easy to see that the ruins were once an imposing structure with high walls and a deep moat, and there would have been a drawbridge over it.

White Castle was known as Llantilio Castle originally.

The structure really does look imposing, even in a ruinous state.

Grosmont is one of three Norman castles (including White Castle and Skenfrith Castle) that make a trio in this part of Wales. The castles were built to control Wales after an invasion in the 11th century, and Grosmont looks out over England. The castle at Grosmont was altered to create a retreat, but it was taken over in 1405 and became a ruin afterward.

I had a look around the castle on a sunny day at the end of March. It is located in the centre of the village just behind some houses.

A wooden structure (motte and bailey design) was located at Grosmont before it was constructed in stone in the 1200s.

There is a quick climb up one of the towers to a small section of wall where visitors can look down at the ruins.

The daffodils were out in bloom, and the castle now has a modern gate over the woodn drawbridge with the name of the castle spelled out in the iron gate.

I visited Vienna at the end of February, and one of the attractions that I went to was the famous emperor's palace at Schonbrunn. The palace is set amongst many acres of gardens and park land, and there are a couple of garden houses to visit: the dessert house and the palm house. The gardens themselves come to life in the spring and summer, but they are hibernating in the February. However, it is a good month to visit the palace and avoid the crowds.

I could imagine how beautiful the grounds look in the summer when the grass is green and when the flowers and other plants are out in bloom.

On a cold February day, even the ice had settled in the fountains.

I first decided to explore the palm house, and this contained different temperature and humidity-controlled rooms. There were a lot of plants out in full bloom in the palm house and som rooms with goldfish, butterflies, and small birds. 

The flowers were beautiful and offered much-needed colour for this time of the year.

Inside the palm house, there were a few different species of plant in bloom.

After exploring the palm house, I went across the way to the dessert house, which contained a collection of plants for the dry, hot climate and some species of animals as well. There were some birds, a couple of large tortoises, and reptitles.

The tortoises had a large area to roam around in.

The gardens also have a maze, but this is closed until the spring months. I hope to return to Vienna in the spring so that I can see what the gardens look like in their prime.

China Girl Tile is a street artist from Germany who creates ceramic tiles and pastes them on walls in different locations around the world. I previously saw her work in cities such as London and Bristol, and I was happy to come across one of her ceramic tiles in Vienna in the Museum Quarter. Her work is often witty and depicts social concerns. Violence, greed, animal rights, survelliance, and environmental concerns are some of the messages of her work. The piece in Vienna seems to be a theme in some of her work from several years ago with foxes. In this one, the fox is leaping into an open soup can. It was placed in 2017.

On the opposite wall is a cube-like structure, and there are additional pieces by the artist, but I did not see them at the time and didn't get a better photograph. They are a school of green and blue fish with printed money print on top of them. On the other side of the structure is another ceramic tile. I am not sure if it is China Girl Tile, but it appears to be a gruesome Disney-esque figure.

Previous posts on this blog that feature China Girl Tile's work are below:

China Girl Tile in Camden
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Tour
Bristol Upfest 2018
ChinaGirl Tile at Upfest 2018
ChinaGirl Tile Pastes up Street Art Mosaics in London
Street Art: St8ment, Grafter, Stra, ChinaGirl and others

When I was in Vienna, Austria at the end of February, I decided to go to a concert at the famous Musikverein building, which was conveniently located near the hotel that I was staying in. I had not been to a classical music concert for several years, and Vienna is notable for its classical music. I did not really know what to expect, but I was interested in enjoying a concert at Brahm's Hall in Musikverein. The hall is gilded in gold and detailed, and it is a beautiful space.

The concert was nearly all string instruments, and I did not find the depth in the instruments. It did not peak or flow, but it seemed mainly a constant sound which lacked depth to my ears. It just wasn't for me, but others enjoyed it.

When I was visiting Vienna in February, I discovered a couple of murals side by side next to a playground outside the centre of the city. The artwork features the work of two artists - Millo and HNRX. Both artists have painted in London, so their work was instantly recognisable to me.

HNRX creates street art that is in a "comic surreal" style, and many of his pieces feature food items combined and matched into surreal items. In this work, it shows a deconstructed sandwich with the ingredients located on the wall above each other.

Millo is an Italian artist who creates illustrations in a black and white style with his character being a part of the work, and he usually creates cityscapes or geometrical patterns. His work reminds me of comics or graphic novels. The work usually incorporates the design of the building. In the work, the character is shown with a backdrop of the cityscape holding onto a corner and appearing to fly. 

More work by Millo and HNRX on this blog can be seen below:

2014 Street Art in London
2015 Street Art in London
Street Art
Millo and Hunto
HNRX Large Murals
HNRX, Frankie Strand, ThisOne
Street Art Round-Up January, 2018
Street Art: HNRX and ThisOne
Street Art: This One
Street Art: HNRX
Leake Street Tunnels, Spring 2016
Street Art Murals in east London by ThisOne
ThisOne and Koctel Collaborate on Street Art in Shoreditch

St. Michael's Church in Vienna is one of the oldest in the city, and it dates from the mid-1200. It is built in the Romanesque style and next to the imperial court buildings. The church has death masks of Mozart on the entrance, and this is where his unfinished music was played upon his death. The funeral service was held here. There are some old wall paintings here that look medieval in style. The church is free to visit.

When I was in Vienna, Austria at the end of February, I had a visit on a damp Sunday morning to the Art History Museum (Kunsthistorisches). The museum is impressive in architecture with beautiful detail, marble floors, and archways. The museum has a huge collection of paintings, statues, and other items from throughout history. There is the gallery of paintings, Romans and Greek art and sculptures, Egyptian art and jewellery and statues and mummies, metalwork, ceramics, and much more. The museum also hosts the most picturesque setting for a cafe, and this in itself had a long queue.

The entrance hall is grand.

I first went to check out the art gallery.

The cafe, as seen from above, had a long queue, and it is a beautiful setting.

I looked at the artwork made of metals and glass.

I saw some old Roman coins and rings.

There was a large room with fragments of stonework and carvings from the Greek and Roman times.

The Egyptian room has a lot of sculptures, jewellery, mummies, and more.

There was so much to look at and so many beautiful items.

I enjoyed my visit to the gallery and wish I had stayed a little bit longer and enjoyed the cafe.

When I was in Vienna at the end of February, I discovered some street art in the Museum Quarter that reminded me of some of Banksy's most recent work in London. In London last summer, Banksy went on a spree of painting various animals across walls and buildings in London. The street art is located next to a footbridge that has been tiled by Space Invader. The artwork features three gorillas appearing to hang from the limbs of trees. When the trees are in foilage, these gorilla silhouettes may not be visible, but they are a part of the artwork. Now, I am not sure if they are by Banksy as I could not find anything out about them, but they do match the silhouette style of some of the artist's work last summr in London. There's not much stenciling design on the work, but there wasn't in some of his work last summer as well, possibly because in some locations, he had to rush.

Work by Banksy on this blog:

New Banksy Animal Murals Appear Across London
Banksy's Artwork in Art'otel in Shoreditch
Banksy's Guard Dog vs His Master's Voice
Where to Find Banksy's Artwork Across London
Banksy on Old Street
Banksy's Snorting Copper
Banksy Tribute to Basquiat
Banksy's 'Les Miserables' Mural
Banksy's 'The Stinker'
Banksy's Dismaland 
Banksy's "Girl with the Pearl Earing"
Banksy's Car in Ely's Yard
Banksy in Bristol
Diamond Jubilee
Banksy's Diamond Jubilee Art
Banksy at Bristol Museum

Last summer, the wall outside of Zetland House in Shoreditch was re-painted by street artist Lily Mixe. Lily Mixe is known for painting illustrated designs with patterns inspired by floral designs, nature, and the animal kingdom. The pattern painted onto Zetland House is of a series of spotted gold and black toads on a blue background.

Lily Mixe is an artist from France who currently lives in London. She is inspired by the natural world, and her artwork features sea creatures, coral reefs, and floral designs.

For more street art by Lily Mixe in this blog, see:

Street Art Round-up in 2015
Shoreditch Street Art Round-up 2014

When I was in Vienna in February, I came across street art by British street artist David Shillinglaw. The street art is at "Dirty Paradise" along the canal in Vienna, which was not open when I visited but which may be a summer bar and entertainment area. David Shillinglaw's artwork is inspired by tribal, abstract, and pop art and uses bright colours and an illustrative style. Painted in 2016, the artwork looks pretty good considering that it is nearly ten years old.

More posts on this blog with David Shillinglaw's work is located here:

David Shinnglaw Street Art at Camden Lock
David Shillinglaw in Salisbury
David Shillinglaw New Mural at Zetland House
Street Art: David Shillinglaw
Street Art Round-Up to July 2015
Malarky Returns to Create Street Art on East London Shutters