November 2025 Archives

At the end of August, I visited Birmingham Back to Backs (Court 15), the largest surviving court of back-to-back houses built in Birmingham; they are known by this term as they all back into an internal courtyard that contains an area for play, socialising, work, and communal facilities. This was a fairly small court, and the majority of Birmingham was filled with these houses, many in much larger courts, to accommodate a huge population influx due to the industrial revolution. The back-to-backs were deemed unfit to live in, and they were largely destroyed in the 1970s and residents moved to new council housing and other redeveloped areas. This small example of back-to-back is maintained by the National Trust as a musuem; booking is essential to visit as the tours are guided.

The houses faced the street with shopfronts, and these shopfronts were in use until the early 2000s. The last shop was a tailor, a man called George Saunders from the Caribbean, and he left his unused materials and items that he made but the owner never reclaimed.

The downstairs contains a second hand book shop, and the upstairs contains a couple of exhibitions. One exhibition shows photographs of back-to-backs and the residents, offering a slice of life and also to understand the conditions. The other exhibition features LGBTQia+ with Pride and artwork showcased.

The guided tour started outside, and we were told the history of the homes and about some of the residents who lived there.

In the courtyard is also a laundry where the people could wash their clothing. They would have had to carry water from the nearest well, which would have been about a ten minute walk away.

The largest house faced outwards onto the main street, which was more desireable for those with a little more wealth. The family who lived in this house was Jewish, and the house is a little larger. We were shown the rooms of the house and told information about the family.

The daughter would have slept in the same room as the parents, and it would have been down to her to do errands around the house and to get the water buckets and empty chamber pots.

The boys' bedroom also contained the work area. The boys would have followed the father's profession, which was to make parts of clocks.

The other part of the upper floor is left empty.

We then managed to go from a doorway at the top into another one of the terraced homes, starting from the main bedroom where the children slept and where they would have had a lodger on the next bed.

The parents' bedroom is on the floor below.

The ground floor had the living area and kitchen.

In the courtyard outside, children would have played games together, and it would have been a very communal area.

The last house was decorated for the 1930s.

From the top floor, we then went into another door to go into the last of the houses that we would see. This belonged to the Caribbean tailor and contained a lot of his items leftover from patterns to cloth and equipment. Others would have also been working here at the same time.

On the ground floor is his shop where he could do measurements.

The court contained three outdoor toilet stalls. The first was in a phase before it would have been hooked up to the sewers. It had a pot, and people would have to dump the pot in a huge barrel with ash. The second stall would have been in later years with flushing toilets.

The tour of the back-to-back houses was very interesting, and I recommend it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I have had a memorable Thanksgiving Day this year. I am in New York City, and I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live this year, and it was amazing. A post will follow with photographs at some point. I went to the famous Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village. (I actually have their cook book, and the recipes make the best desserts.) I have a few quick photographs to share of New York.

West Village had some lovely houses with pumpkin and gourd displays on the steps, and the trees still had some foliage, which looked autumnal.

In Hudson Yards, I bought a chocolate turkey and a chocolate corn on the cob in line with the Thanksgiving Day theme from Li-Lac, a chain of chocolate shops. The turkey was six ounces of solid chocolate and very good quality. 

I had a miniature pumpkin pie from one bakery too. It has been awhile since I had pumpkin pie, and I always enjoyed it.

I bought a couple of Thanksgiving Day cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, and they used the same cupcake decorations that I grew up with and remember from my childhood.

After the parade, I met my cousin at Bryant Park. There is a Christmas market here, and it was busy with visitors after the parade, which made it difficult to browse. My cousin and I bought some macaroons, and these were delicious.

After a quick look around the Christmas stalls, we went to enjoy our Thanksgiving lunch at Bryant Park Grill. I was recommended this venue for Thanksgiving, and it did not disappoint.

For the starter, I had the pumpkin soup. We were served white rolls with butter. I also had a cockail.

I had the free range turkey main, and this was served with cornbread stuffing, glazed carrots, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

For dessert, I had the black and white layer cake served with ice cream and whisky whipped cream.

My cousin had the pumpkin cheesecake.

Afterwards, I went to watch the Rockettes perform in their 100th annual Christmas show at Radio City, which was very festive and got the audience in the festive mood with many sequins, fairy drones, snow, and glamour in festive colours of gold, silver, red, and green. 

This was truly a magical Thanksgiving to remember, and it was good to see my family and enjoy the day.

I visited the city of Lindos in Rhodes in early August. The city is one of the most popular attractions on the island, and it is known for its acropolis dating from 280 B.C., which is built on top of the hill, and its 14th century castle (from the Knights of St. John), forming the level below the acropolis. The city has narrow streets that wind up the hillside, a variety of restaurants and cafes, a beach, and it is a popular destination with tourists. 

I enjoyed exploring the city and finding little hidden viewpoints - attractive architecture and white-washed buildings, staircases, snoozing or playing cats, beautiful flowers, and views over the beach.

The donkeys are a popular sight to see in Lindos and can give rides, but they were just hanging around in the shade with their owners.

The city itself is packed with tourists, and there are many shops selling souvenirs.

I caught views of the old castle from the city below, and above the castle is the acropolis.

Of course, I enjoyed looking inside the shops.

I wanted to take a boat trip to some caves, but there wasn't anything. Boats can be hired, and there are also tours that visitors can book onto in advance. The beachfront also has a few restaurants.

I ate at one restaurant, but I stayed indoors as the weather was quite warm. The rooftops look amazing to enjoy, but the humidity was strong. I enjoyed feta cheese in batter. The feta cheese tastes amazing in Rhodes.

I also sipped on a mocktail, and it was refreshing.

I also walked up to the acropolis, but I will post more about that later as it deserves its own post.

On the way out of town, there are beautiful viewpoints of the city and its famous acropolis.

Lastly, I visited the Virgin Mary of Lindos Church, known as Panagia. This church does not look too much on the outside, but inside is covered with 15th century paintings. It really is beautiful inside, and it is worth to visit for a small fee. There is also a museum inside the church with some of the religious items and information for those interested to read it.

Lindos really was a highlight of my trip to Rhodes, and I recommend it. Note that there are multiple streets that eventually merge together to reach the top of the acropolis, as long as you keep walking up. It does feel very maze-like. Keep coming back to read about the acropolis and to see my photographs.

The acropolis at Lindos was first settled in the Bronze Age, and the main temple dedicated to Athena is dated to th 9th century BC but likely after a previous cult had occupied the space and dedicated it to a female fertility goddess Lindia. The acropolis hillside had additional fortifications during Byzantin, medieval, and Ottoman rule with the Knights of St. John stationed here. After some conflict, the Italians restored some of the structures. I had a day trip to Lindos and explored the acropolis during my visit to the town.

To get to the acropolis, visitors can walk through the old narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets of Lindos. The streets in Lindos are very touristy, and it gets busy. I suggest to walk up to the acropolis in the morning before the mid-day heat, and I suggest to take water. As soon as I arrived in Lindos, I found my way to the top. I was not exactly sure how to reach it, but the roads all led to the top. I admired the views over the beach and village.

The views are spectacular on the walk up the path.

There are also cats up on the here; the cats are everywhere and I saw a few on the way up the hill. 

At the base is the castle.

There is a carving into the rockface of a stern of a warship. This dates to the 2nd century BC. It shows Mikion, a local hero from Lindos who won a naval victory. The sculptures of Rhodes often depict ships due to the maritime history and significance.

After climbing up through the castle / fortress, I passed a covered area with a lot of carved stones before coming into an interior courtyard with an olive tree.

There was another room which led into the acropolis at the lower part.

I went outside to explore this.

The main column temples are the most recognisable for the structure of Lindos acropolis. They are doric design of the columns, and it was built in the 3rd century BC with staircases up to the top of the rock.

Climbing up provided more beautiful views.

I explored the site and walked around the ruins.

At the very top is the temple of Athena Lindos with the panaromic views all around.

There were other ruins on the far hillside that I noticed but blocked off from access.

The town of Lindos can be seen below with some additional ruins of what used to be an ancient theatre. This was not accessible from the acropolis nor the street below as it is fenced off.

The interior of the temple cannot be entered, but it is open for view.

In various places were stones with inscriptions and a description of what they read.

The below building, which was located below the acropolis stairs, appeared to be a more modern structure with the castle and fortifications period of settlement, but I am not sure.

Below shows the newer buildings of the castle.

The newer buildings and the acropolis.

The lower part of the acropolis rock.

After having my look around, I descended back down the hill into the town of Lindos.

Before we headed back and away from Lindos, we stopped off for a viewpoint of the town and the acropolis on the hillside. This was a memorable day visit and is one of the best attractions in Rhodes.

I enjoyed my visit to Lindos and loved the narrow streets and the walk up to the acropolis, although it was a little bit too touristy here.

Last month, a friend and I went to local Ruislip restaurant Anabella's for their "Pizza and Pornstars" offer; the "Pornstars" refers to the "Pornstar Martini" cocktail, which is also known as the "Passionfruit Martini". The restaurant serve this bottomless drink and pizza from 4:00 in the afternoon, and I went to try it. The offer includes bottomless Pornstar Martinis, Prosecco, or beer. As it was close to Halloween, I wore my new shirt with a ghost "I'm just here for the boos". 

Both of us had the bottomless Pornstar Martinis.

There was a choice of "pizza" to have. One option included standard pizzas with one of five options to select from. My friend had a meat one, and I had the vegetarian one "Feta Giardino", which included a selection of vegetables and feta cheese. There were also "pizza salads" which included a salad on a herby pizza bread and garlic bread (which could also be a side and charged additionally).

I enjoyed my pizza and drinks. The pizza was tasty.

The sitting includes a live DJ spinning out tunes. However, I did not see anyone else enjoying the bottomless drinks with pizza.

Earlier this year, Hanbury Street became the location of a new street art mural collaboration between several street artists. The artists included Micho Gato, Cranio, Jay Kaes, and Otto Schade. Micho Gato is a Spanish street artist who has painted cartoon cat creates across London for the past few years. Cranio is a street artist from Brazil who paints blue native men in some rebellion against greed or other destructive factors. Jay Kaes is a London-based street artist who paints portrait close-ups with an illustrative style; his work has been appearing in London often over the past few years. Otto Schade uses an illustrative "ribbon" style of street art.

Micho Gato's yellow cat appears to be peeking from a window at Cranio's blue tribal man, who is using an axe and surrounded by mushrooms.

This leads to Jay Kaes' illustration of a woman's mouth and her hands holding a cube with a heart on it.

Next to that, a ribbon finger by Otto Schade points toward Jay Kaes' work with ribbons coming off it. Under the street sign is another of the cats by Micho Gato.

On the end, Micho Gato has stacked some cat heads in various shades of colour from white through to yellow, orange, browns, and black. At the top is the had of one of Cranio's blue figures.

I also captured one of Cranio's "Batman" figures. This was in Dalston at the back of the gallery.

Previous artwork by Cranio on this blog can be seen by following the below links:

Cranio STOP WAR
Street Art by Cranio in Summer 2022
Cranio and Phlegm Collaboration in Dalston - War
Collaboration Street Art: Cranio & Fanakapan
Cranio - Collaborations with Himbad, Zadok, & Kazz
Cranio's Newest Mural on Pedley Street: Blue Natives 
Cranio Repaints His Wall on Brick Lane
Cranio's Mural on Great Eastern Street
Recent Street Art in Early 2014
Street Art: Cranio, Senna, HIN, and Mo
Street Art: Cranio
Cranio Returns to London in 2020 and Paints Brick Lane

For more work by Jay Kaes on this blog, see the links below:

Jay Kaes Beyond the Illusion
Recent Jay Kaes Street Art in London 2022
Street Art by Jay Kaes
Meeting of Styles Wall 2018
Jay Kaes Refreshes Pedley Street's Street Art
Jay Kaes and Falko One Murals on Old Street
Jay Kaes on Pedley Street
Early January Street Art and All-Female Paint-up in Blackall Street
Mural on Old Street by Kaes and Core246
The Final Days - Leonard Street and Blackall Street (Street Art)
'Meeting of Styles' London Street Art Festival 2014

I've previously posted about Otto Schade's street art in the following posts:

Otto Schade in East London and Hoxton
Otto Schade 2024 Street Art in Camden and Brick Lane
Otto Schade - Bull in a China Shop and Other
Otto Schade - The Viaduct and Other
Otto Schade on Farnshaw Street - Eva's Green Apple
New Snoopy Street Art and Other Street Art by Otto Schade in East London
Otto Schade Paints Donna Summer on "Bull In A China Shop" in Shoreditch and Others
Otto Schade Murals on Kingsland Road
Long Street - Otto Schade, CodeFC, The Krah
Street Art by Otto Schade
Otto Schade Paints "The Lady Don't Protest Enough" Mural on Bateman's Row
Otto Schade "Jack the Ripper 2040" Street Art
Otto Schade 'The Believers' and 'WTF'
'Bull in a China Shop', 'Osch-car' and 'Flies Around Sh*t'
Otto Schade 'Peace and Love on the Streets'
Street Artist Otto Schade Paints Southampton 'Zany Zebra' for Charity (and other work)
Street Art Round-up: Spring & Summer 2015
Otto Schade's New Street Art (Meerkats, Portraits, & More) in East London
New Street Art from Horror Crew, Swoon, Otto Schade, HIN, and others
Street Art: Otto Schade

Another season for this year is now in the past. Like the previous months this year, autumn came and went, and it was a busy one. I did not post about all of my activities this month because there were a lot of different things. I could not write about all of them separately. I love autumn, and I am sad to put it behind me. The weather has gotten cold in the past few days, and I am not enjoying that.

Autumn colour in Covent Garden

At the beginning of September (technically still in summer, but not far from autumn), there was a lunar eclipse. The sky was cloudy, but I managed to see a glimpse of it.

I had some early autumn walks around Ruislip Lido and saw some amazing skies and beautiful fall colour around the area.

Also at the end of September, I met up with some ex-colleagues and enjoyed lunch at a nice Thai restaurant near Liverpool Street. Afterwards, the small group of us went to Eataly to the patisserie and enjoyed dessert. I had the delicious pistachio dessert.

Also in September, one of my friends and I went to Fait Maison to have their special afternoon tea. I booked it, but they did not give us the discount, so I am not planning to return. The food also is not as good as when I first went several years ago.

There were a couple of trips to London in September where I wandered around.

As the nights were getting longer and colder, I enjoyed some afternoon reading and a cup of tea and a pumpkin biscuit. The biscuit was bought at the local market.

There were so many acorns this year.

At the beginning of October, one of my friends outside of London got tickets to watch "Michael McIntyre The Big Show" live as it is being recorded for the new season. This is being filmed at Drury Lane. We got the VIP tickets, which were stalls (I'm probably going to be on television), and then we wandered around Covent Garden.

We had lunch at The Ivy outside.

Then we went into the theatre. It was a very long evening. The special guest was Frank Skinner.

I had to go into the office, and I spent some time walking around to see the autumn decorations after work.

I read an autumn book and enjoyed a cocktail or two.

Back at Covent Garden again at the end of October, and another friend got more Michal McIntyre tickets for "The Big Show". I had a wander around the wonderful pumpkin display at Covent Garden.

I also went to Selfridges to see the cakes.

This production was a lot more interesting but a lot longer. Instead of stall seats, we were sat at the Grand Circle. There were three special guests this time: Rob Rinder (Judge Rinder), Romesh Ranganathan (comedian), and Joe Marler (rugby player who was on the celebrity "Traitors" show that finished a couple of weeks ago).

The autumn colour was beautiful this year.

I love autumn, and I am sad to see it go. I am not enjoying the longer and colder nights at all and the lack of sunshine. 

Audley End House dates from the 17th century, and the house and gardens are managed by English Heritage. The property, located in Essex, is only a third of its original size today. The location was the former site of a monastery, which was then converted into a house by the owner who was gifted it by Henry VIII after the monasteries were dissolved. This house was visited by Queen Elizabeth I, and the original was demolished for a grander one to impress King James I. The family were disgraced after being found guilty of embezzlement, although the house was later given back to the disgraced family by King Charles II. This was my second visit to the house, and my visit was in mid-October.

I first went to check out the gardens, which were looking lovely with fall colour and late summer flowers still in bloom.

Dahlia and zennia flowers made a lot of colour in the gardens.

When I first visited the house, there was a pandemic, so I did not get to check many of the rooms. The garden buildings were open to visit, and I got to take a look inside the walled garden working gardener houses and the bothy, which some of the staff lived in.

Three men lived in the small garden building.

The fruit trees were laden with fruit - apples and pears.

I helped myself to a free apple.

After a quick walk around the pond and bridge, I made my way to the house to check out the formal gardens. The gardens were landscaped by Capability Brown.

Although it did get sunnier a bit later, I still appreciated the view and landscaped park land.

I then went inside the house. The first main room was the Great Hall.

There were a series of other rooms, such as this room used by ladies to withdraw to after supper. The ceiling is beautifully painted with scenes from the classical Greece period, and the walls were designed in Egyptian style.

This cozy corner of one of the long gallery rooms looks beautiful. It may have been a breakfast area.

A lot of cabinets of taxidermy were also located in the house. Most of them were birds, but there were also some mammals, including a house cat.

There is also a chapel inside.

A large nursery also takes up a large area upstairs.

There is also a coal room for heating water.

After the visit to the house, I enjoyed a pumpkin spice scone from the cafe. It was delicious.

The last rooms to visit were the kitchens and the servants' rooms - the milk room, laundry, larder, game room, and more.

To see my previous visit to Audley End House and Gardens, see below.

Late summer Visit to Audley End House and Gardens

Avora is an immersive theatre and cocktail experience based in east London, and I finally got to visit in October. The experience entitles each person to three cocktails and an immersive experience with actors and actresses to bring the story to life. The story is based on a fantasy land to a mystical planet to meet the people of Avora and to enjoy the cocktails (meant to contain a sacred ingredient from the planet to help aclimatise ahead of the planetary visit) and natural beauty. 

After entering the area, we first were told to dress in the outfits to go to the planet. Each of us had to dress in a jumpsuit.

After putting on the outfits, we were briefed on the visit; we were able to enjoy our first cocktail here. The cocktail was two ingredients to mix togther, which glowed and changed colour when mixed.

The "planet" features some glow-in-the-dark scenery and sets to appear as a natural beauty spot, and we met the first Avorian person here. We also took a cocktail to enjoy while waiting for the story to unfold.

We were then taken on a short journey to locate the source of the special ingredient in the sacred tree. We had to cross a couple of bridges.

We received our last cocktail here, which glowed in the dark. 

I enjoyed getting away from the world and spending 90 minutes in this world and enjoying some nice cocktails.

Avora is an immersive cocktail theatre experience location near Hoxton in East London. The event is held most evenings and throughout the day on weekends. 

When I was in Rhodes in early August, I had a tour of some of the sites that were away from where I was staying in Rhodes city. The tour bus drove up into the mountains where we stopped at Elafos Hotel and then Saint Nikolaos Fountoukli church where we could also explore the church. This is a rural part of Rhodes and picturesque, much different than the coastal areas and did not feel as warm either.

The journey up the mountain was filled with some beautiful views and many pine trees. It almost did not feel like we were in Rhodes.

There had been forest fires some years before, and we could still see the damaged caused in places.

On the mountain is the Elafos Hotel, which looks out of place in Rhodes but more like it belongs in Switzerland. We were able to go inside the hotel and have a drink and then visit the church next door at Profitis Ilias. The interior of the hotel has large windows with some views over the valley. The hotel dates from the late 1920s and the objective was to build a hotel in the beautiful scenery where the local deer (Dama Dama deer) are. The deer is a symbol of Rhodes. The hotel was expanded in the 1930s to what is seen today in the Alpine style.

After a drink at the hotel, I went to quickly explore the church next door.

It is a more modern interior.

Further up the road, we explored a very old church Saint Nikolaos Fountoukli. This church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The paintings are 15th century, and the church was built by Italians and part of the monastery.

A very old olive tree is located in front of the church, and there are also fig trees.

The sheep were wandering in the road around this area, which is a rural location. 

Also opposite the church is a fountain and artwork with the deer.

I found it to be a tranquil place to visit.

Another place we stopped at was a former monastery which was later converted into community use and used in World War II. The Italian fountain was built here and does contain fish. It is located in Psinthos.

Further along is a deer sanctuary. These deer have been brought to recover. This started with the fire, and the deer are cared after and can be seen along the road in this sanctuary.

There are many amazing things to see in Rhodes, and it was good to see a little bit of the island.

Birmingham's Roundhouse was built next to the canal in the late 1800s and used as a stables and storage. It is built in a horseshoe shape. The building has been preserved and renovated to serve a new purpose as an events venue, office space, and restaurant. The building is Grade II listed and is maintained by the charity and the National Trust who have space here. Next door is a distillery (pub), and I had a gin and tonic using the Roundhouse Distillery gin.

At the building is a working building, visitors can visit the public spaces, such as restaurants, and walk around the outside of the building. The distillery is next door to the Roundhouse.

It is located right along the canal with an entrance to the towpath of the canal.

I visited the Rhodes Archeological museum in early August and on the day when visits to state run museums were free to visit in the evening. The museum is located in the former Hospital of the Knights. Inside the building is a garden, which is much like an oasis in the old town of Rhodes, Greece. There are a few galleries to see as well as the outside areas. Photographs are only permitted in the outdoor areas. 

Outside were various items, such as fountains, sculptures, and grave stones dating from the Ottoman occupation period.

Beautiful mosaics covered the floor.

A couple of the rooms at the top were also open, and these rooms were from the Ottoman occupation and were okay to photograph.

The museum also has a resident cat that was relaxing in the garden.

Another museum with a lot of archeological material is located at the castle, and there is a lot more content to see and those interested in the history can take photographs of the information boards and items there to read later. I like to do this because I get museum fatigue as I find all of the items a little bit overwhelming. So, I did not get too much out of this museum other than admiring the outdoor areas, mosaics, and sculptures. Some of the exhibits featured finds from different graves.

A few weeks ago, I visited Dave's Hot Chicken, and I had been wanting to visit for some time. I ordered the meal with one slider, one tender, fries, and a drink. A slider is a miniature burger, and the spice levels and toppings can be selected. There are different spice settings, and for the burger, I opted for the extra hot sauce. The sauces come in plain, mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and reaper. I decided to try the reaper sauce with the chicken tender, unknowingly that I would have to sign a waiver. The order came with crinkle fries, and I had a strawberry slushie.

Dave's Hot Chicken is a chain with a few restaurants around the United Kingdom. I visited the branch at Shaftesbury Avenue in London.

I didn't want the pickles or sauce. The extra hot burger was very juicy and tender. The spice level was not very hot (I am used to the spicy levels, so this should probably be taken in caution for those who do not have it), but it was a delicious burger. 

I didn't realise I would have to sign a waiver for the reaper sauce for the tender, but I did. The sauce was very spicy, and I managed to eat a third of it at the restaurant and the rest of it the next day for lunch, though I did find it to be very spicy and perhaps a large jump of five times the spice level of the extra hot sauce.

The chicken tender was also tender and juicy. I enjoyed the meal, so I would go again. However, the reaper sauce is a novelty. I would not recommend anyone order that for their whole order; trying one is enough as a novelty or dare.

I received the monthly subscription box from Craft Gin Club for September 2025. The Craft Gin Club subscription box contains a full-sized bottle of gin, mixers, snacks, and a magazine (rebranded from Ginned! to The Stir) with gin cocktail and food recipes for ideas to either pair with the gin or that use gin as an ingredient. In this post, I cover the September 2025 subscription box. This month's full bottle of gin is from Tasmania - Forty Spotted Pepperberry & Mandarin gin.

The gin of the month box contained the following snacks and mixers to pair with the gin:

Luscombe Grapefruit tonic water: This tonic water is a grapefruit flavour, which pairs with the pepper and mandarin flavours of the Tasmanian gin.

Quenched Orange soda: This sparkling orange soda uses natural flavours and was used for the cocktail of the month and a mixer.

Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop in Melon flavour: This is a gin-in-a-can with fruity and refreshing melon flavours, all ready to drink.

Angostura Orange Bitters: This citrus essence is added to drinks, particularly cocktails, for an orange citrus flavour.

The Good Crisp Company crisps in original. Subscribers would have received original, sour cream onion or salt and vinegar flavours. I received the original. The crisps are made of mashed potatoes and formed into a wave shape like another brand's design. These ones are free from artificial ingredients.

Gouda Cheesies: I've had these cheesies before, and they do pair well with gin. They are bites of cheese that have been baked to a crisp.

SugarSin Summer Wine: Subscribers would have received these gummies in summer wine or berry bramble flavours. I received the summer wine, and they were fruity.

Peach & Jasmin Highball cocktail syrup: The cocktail paired with the gin is the Peach & Jasmine Highball. It was a fruity cocktail with peach flavours.

Dried passionfruit: I received dried passionfruit to use with the gin and tonic.

I visited Hinton Ampner in October to see their harvest and pumpkin displays and the autumn colours during their "Harvest at Hinton Ampner" season. Over five hundred pumpkins are on display at National Trust property Hinton Ampner, which is located in southern Hampshire. I visited with friends and had a wander around the gardens and grounds to catch some of the colour.

We first had a wander around the walled garden and enjoyed seeing the remaining flowers and plants in the garden before the colder weather came in.

Large pumpkins were growing in the gardens.

Many vegetables and fruits were either harvested or ready to harvest.

Around one of the archways in the garden were gourds.

There was also a small display of pumpkins in the garden and information about how they grow.

The dahlia flowers were still in bloom.

The pears looked ready or almost ready to pick too.

At the front of the house at Hinton Ampner were the pumpkin displays. The pumpkins were placed on a wagon and onto shelving or crates to create a beautiful display.

We also went on a short walk in the countryside and admired the beautiful fall colours.

We walked through a field of grazing and sleeping sheep.

And we also admired the views over the house. This was my first visit to the meadows in front of the house.

When we got back, I had a quick wander around the gardens.

The leaves are beautiful colours this year because of the warm summer and dry autumn.

Additional posts that I've covered about Hinton Ampner are below.

Hinton Ampner in July 
Hinton Ampner Bluebell Walk
Hinton Ampner (Hampshire National Trust): Lockdown Edition
Hinton Ampner Spring Visit

The Milbury pub and restaurant is located in Beauworth in Hampshire, and the restaurant serves up small plats of food that are made to share so that people can try each other's dishes. The focus is to create great-tasting meals with the freshest seasonal and local ingredients. The menu changes with the season, and the small plates are a great way to try something new. I visited the restaurant with friends twice this year. The first visit was for the mid-summer menu, and the second visit was the autumn menu. Some of the dishes on the menu were available in both seasons. Afterwards, we had a wander around Hinton Ampner, which is located a short drive away.

Strawberry and basil pavlova

The owners behind the project had renovated a Michelin-star hotel in France, and then returned to the UK for a new project, The Milbury. The Milbury is a Grade II listed building, but it had not been refurbished since the 1980s. The pub has a modern and light feel.

I tried a few different plates, sharing with friends. I had only vegetarian meals.

Garlic and Thyme Burrata on sourdough with watercress pesto

Grilled St. Ella's Goat's Cheese with carmelised onion, truffle, crackers

Roasted curried cauliflower

A couple of friends had the truffle parmasan fries, grilled tender stem broccoli, and garlic and herb chicken legs. They raved that the chicken and fries were very good.

Another friend had the iced peanut parfait.

And another one had the rum-poached pineapple.

After eating, we went to enjoy the views over Hampshire and a beautiful golden field of wheat and green hills.

On the second visit, which was in October, we enjoyed the autumn menu.

I got the goat's cheese with the crackers and carmelised onion. I shared this with a friend.

One of my friends had the Scotch egg.

This time, I tried the garlic and herb chicken and also had the honey-roasted butternut squash, which I wanted to try last time as it was on the menu then as well.

Anothr on of my friends had the steak.

For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse. It was delicious.

My friends got the rice pudding, and this was served with a selection of different toppings.

Another friend got the lemon and raspberry tart.

Afterwards, we went to check out the views over the hills. The wheat had been harvested, and it was now a meadow of flowers, and some autumn colour was showing.

The food does not disappoint at The Milbury. We enjoyed the different plates of food. My favourites were the curried cauliflower, the pesto burrata, and the goat's cheese, and both desserts (the strawberry pavolva and the chocolate mousse). The chocolate mousse was perfect.

When I first moved to the United Kingdom, Halloween was not a day in the calendar. Some shops sold pumpkins and costumes, but this was a very small range. With the American imports, Halloween has come to be more popular over the years as more families have adopted it fueled by what they seen on television and in films. Each year at this time, there are haunted walks and Halloween parties, costumes, themed foods, and children's trick-or-treat. 

With the days getting colder and shorter, I have been staying in with a cup of tea. I bought a new autumn mug at one of the shops, and the pumpkin jack o' lantern biscuit came from a seller at Ruislip's Duck Pond Market. It was pumpkin-spiced flavour.

There are a few shops and restaurants that get into the autumn and Halloween theme in London. Hedonism Wines is one of those, and this year was all about neon "Help!", fake "blood" on the pavement, and purple and black cloaks. These were some serious vampire vibes here.

Another place not far from here at Berkeley Square is Anabell's in Mayfair. This exclusive club always decorates, and this Halloween, they decorated their club with a giant Viking ship and had a Viking theme. The eyes glow, and it looks red at dark.

Of course, the bakeries, patisseries, and restaurants embrace the Halloween themes with different treats. EL&N, Selfridges, Caffe Concerto, Lola, and others decorate their standard items with a Halloween theme.

Blondies Kitchen also had some Halloween cookies.

Leadenhall Market in the City of London has been putting up the purple tentacles by Purple Cephalus, and they also host some Halloween-themed events - ghost stories, walks, crafts, and more.

Halloween at Krispy Kreme this year brought three new doughnuts, including a pumpkin spice cream one that was delicious.

One of the biggest places in London for Halloween is High Street Kensington. Here they host a lot of Halloween events, a trail, and many of the houses decorate for Halloween and partake in "trick or treat". They also have a lot of decorations around the streets too, such as eyes in the trees; I never got to visit it this year. I went last year, and I covered it and posted some photographs here: Halloween in London 2024.

The Halloween Dog Show at Ruislip Duck Pond Market is an annual event held around Halloween. This year, the dog show was held on the Sunday after Halloween. Many dogs had come to the market with their owners, all dressed in fancy dress. Some real efforts were made with some of the costumes, and some of the dogs were very cute in the costumes. Duck Pond Market happens two times a month on Sundays, and market days bring a lot of sellers of crafts and food and street food. 

There were different prizes for the dogs - scariest, funniest, cutest, best owners and dogs, and most creative. Before the dog show, I had a wander around the market but realised I didn't get many photographs. The market was very busy.

I then watched the dogs.

To see the previous years of the Halloween Dog Show at Ruislip Duck Pond Market, see the below links.

Halloween Dog Show at Ruislip Duck Pond Market 2024

I watched the fireworks at the Ruislip Rugby Club last Saturday with friends again this year. The Ruislip Rugby Club fireworks is an annual event happening on one of the weekends before or after November 5th, Bonfire Night. I captured a few photographs of the fireworks again this year. Luckily, the wet weather kept away during the show.

Happy Bonfire Night!

China Girl Tile is a European street artist who specialises in creating fired street art using the same materials as pottery. Her work often has a social and environmental message and uses animals. I have captured some of her work from previous Bristol Upfests some time ago. The artworks photographed in this post were from Bristol.

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

China Girl Tile in Vienna
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

Lady Dinah's Cat Cafe (Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium) was the first cafe of its kind to open the doors in London and one of the first in the United Kingdom. The Bethnal Green Road (near the top of Brick Lane in east London) cat cafe opened in early 2014 with a crowd-funded campaign, and the cafe was at risk of closure earlier this year, but I am glad that they have managed to remain open. I first visited the cat cafe when it opened, and I worked about a ten-minute walk away, so it was easy to pop in for a snack and adoration of the cats. I always had cats when I was growing up, but after my Bells cat passed away, I was cat-less for a decade by the time I first visited, and it was another couple of years before I got another cat. These photographs show my third and final visit to the cat cafe; I have not returned since then, but I have been wanting to see the new cats.

While looking through some old photographs, I discovered some of the original cat crew with Mue, Petra, Indiana, Loki, Adamska, and Wookiee. These were the first resident cats. 

I suggested that they have some cat-shaped food items and drinks, cocktails, and other items named after and themed-after cats. So, I noticed that in this visit, they had taken the advice on board and had drinks named after Mue, Petra, and Indiana. They also had Brick Lane bagels and a selection of cheeses and other finger foods.

Everyone loved Wookiee. He was one of the most chilled-out cats, and he's now with his forever home.

I believe that the cakes were from local bakeries and served at the cafe, such as this rainbow cake.

Indiana was also very chilled and a playful boy.

I definitely need to return and meet the new cats.

If you enjoy cats and cat cafes, you may wish to check out my other cat cafe posts:

Tea, Cake and Cats at London's First Cat Cafe
Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium: London's Cat Cafe
A Visit to London Cat Village
A Visit to Manchester Cat Cafe
Nottingham Cat Cafe
Zanesville Ohio Chatty Cat Cafe

Dalson Eastern Curve Garden hosts a pumpkin lantern festival each year at the end of October and in time for Halloween. The community come together with children and adults carving a pumpkin to display in the garden. The pumpkin jack 'o' lanterns are then lit each evening in the run up to Halloween with "Light Up Nights", bringing visitors into the garden and encouraging donations and money spent in the cafe. I visited the garden last week and was amazed at the number of pumpkins, each uniquely carved and displayed.

Some of the pumpkins were placed inside a small greenhouse and lit, and they looked amazing.

I enjoyed seeing the different carvings and displays.

The garden was filled with pumpkins with plenty of space to sit.

The coffee shop was selling snacks and hot drinks, including mulled wine. I bought a cookie which reminded me of my favourite cookie, the snickerdoodle.

This was a wonderful and picturesque community event, and I encourage others to visit and make a donation.