Results matching “paint”

London Mural Fest saw many new murals and walls being used as canvas throughout London. One artist, MadC, returned to London to repaint her wall on Chance Street. The wall had been repainted or touched up a couple of times with her artwork, and one of the original murals on the building can be seen here: Street Art: Murals by Reka and MadC on Chance Street. This time, she had some help from Rosie Woods, who left her own mural opposite. 

MadC was born in Germany and has always had an interest in art, grafitti and graphic design. She has exhibited in many shows worldwide and also painted many walls. Her work uses bright colours and patterns, and her wall on Chance Street has been used for the backdrop of many photographs, selfies, and videos because of its colourful pattern.

Rosie Woods is an artist that I have not come across before, but I do recognise the shapes and patterns and have definitely seen some of her work on London's walls in the past. She is based in London and has painted walls worldwide. Her wall is located on Chance Street, opposite MadC.  

Previous posts with MadC's work on this blog are located below:

Street Art: Murals by Reka and MadC on Chance Street
Open Day at the Street Art House, Dulwich Arts Festival: Part 2
Baroque the Streets: Dulwich Street Art

Street artist Airbourne Mark has been painting a series "Origami Riots" for the past few years, and this recent edition to the series of an origami horse is located in Camden at the Stables Market. The origami horse painting was inspired by a fan who sent the artist an origami horse from Cape Town, which was used as the model for the artwork.

For those interested in seeing more form the artist, I previously covered some of Airborne Mark's work, in with a round-up of other artwork in early 2014 here, a round-up in 2015 here and here, in early 2016. In addition, see the below:

Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Airborne Mark Paints "Greek Mask" - Origami Riots
Airborne Mark Paints 'African Mask' - Origami Riots
Airborne Mark Paints "Paper Sprite" - Origami Riots

In time for London Mural Festival late last summer, street artist Zabou completed a large-scale mural on Brick Lane of film icon and actress Audrey Hepburn. The mural is located near the section of Brick Lane that crosses with Hanbury Street, a popular place for street art. Zabou, who currently lives in London but was from Paris, paints photo-realistic murals primarily of portraits. I love seeing her work across London, and she continues to keep producing many new murals to add colour to London's streets.

Previous Zabou murals that have appeared on this blog include:

Zabou: "Jack the Ripper" Street Art
Zabou: 'Racism is a Virus' Street Art
New Murals by Zabou in East London (Clockwork Orange, Sherlock, David Bowie)
Zabou "The Shining" and Refresh of Salvador Dali in Spitalfields
Villana and Zabou Collaborate on Amy Winehouse Street Art
Zabou paints Sid Vicious from 'The Sex Pistols'
Zabou Paints Freda #2 at Broadway Market
Zabou Paints Salvador Dali on Commercial Road
Koeone and Zabou Collaborate
"Keep Out!" Street Art by Zabou
Zabou's 'Cabinet of Curiosity' Street Art
Leake Street Tunnels Street Art, Spring 2016
Recent Street Art by Zabou
Street Art: Zabou

I am assuming many of us want this year to disappear, and oh has it been an interesting and terrible challenging year. I think a lot of people had high hopes for 2020, but we are probably all in agreement that this year has been terrible in one way or another, although people have come together for a sake of community, which is one good quality to take from it. There is much uncertainty and a lack of stability around the world at the moment. Some people have gone through much worse this year, so do not take my words the wrong way; I won't reveal it all, but it has not been a very kind year for me/my family. Of course, it could always be worse, but it's been rough and challenging. I'm still alive. I have a job. I am grateful for what I do have but regretful of various things that have been out of my control.

Personally, I entered 2020 on a high; it was going to be "my year" because the past several have not been kind. January marked seven years of freelancing, and despite the first contract (which ended up lasting two years), I have endured a few long-term rolling monthly contracts and full-on 24/7 contracts that contributed to a lack of stability. In that time, I was told to cancel holiday plans, including milestone birthday plans. I was messed about with contract cuts due to outsourcing and budgets. I had to take on more workload because the company required more work and/or did not have others with the required skills. I did spend some of those holidays working too. Being in this lifestyle prompted me to work extra days and avoid any long-term planning. It simply was not possible to make any plans. On the occassion where I did have a longer-term contract, I was messed about with cuts at the last moment and then had a booked holiday that affected being able to start another new project. It was the first holiday I'd booked after two years, and it screwed up my chances of securing a new project. (I could not cancel that holiday as it involved other people from overseas.)

After such a challenging time, my goal was to rectify the past few years where I had been longing for stability and wishing to focus on my well-being. This has been a goal that had been carried over the past few years, and frankly, I failed for a few years in my promises to myself in my 'New Year Resolutions'. Now, part of that was just being unlucky with the contracts secured and poor timing. Sadly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of my hopes remain unfulfilled. This year leaves me feeling incomplete....so many words, but 'incomplete' is probably the best to encapsulate all of the feelings.

This wave somehow sums up my feelings of 2020...

This prolonged lack of stability and inability to take time off to travel (something I enjoy immensely) is why I made the decision to accept a permanent job toward the end of last year. I started the new job before the mid-March lockdown. This was the first step in solving my problems. Like everyone else, I had plans. (Obviously, some people went through a lot worse than I have, and I am blessed in a lot of areas so far and despite the before-mentioned challenges, I do not want to jinx anything.) I'm just continuing/trying to be patient and optimistic, but it can be very difficult to do so at times. It has just been a very difficult and disturbing year.

Like many, I have felt largely in limbo, and I've felt so many other feelings. I, like others, have suffered in my lack of enjoyment of life and of not being able to do the little things that I enjoy from life. I think most have felt the same, and yes, it could be worse if measuring it against others who have not been as lucky. Despite all that, it has been challenging personally for me, and I think we should be allowed to admit and say that, despite whether or not we have lost someone and not been there to say 'goodbye' or lost our incomes. This will echo most people's feelings perhaps. We are all traveling our own paths, and it's not possible to measure what others are going through nor fair to compare to what others are going through.

'Social distancing' was a term coined for this pandemic

For me, part of this situation that I find myself in this year largely seems like a continuation of the past few years for me, although only on a personal scale. Like I mentioned earlier, I had to cancel my plans (milestone birthday, birthdays, visits to see family) or postpone them. I expected to "work hard, play hard later". Though, the "play hard" has not yet come, and the last time that I really felt really content was in 2013. When I think about it, I really could not have done anything differently, though. I was messed around, and that had consequences. Then, the right permanent job came along at the right time. Unfortunately, this "right time" was the time when "something" happened in China in 2019 to cause a global-scale pandemic.

We celebrated hope with rainbows...but it also is Pride

In keeping in line with the previous years, I thought that I would take a look back at this year 2020, although writing this has been far less than enjoyable than in previous years. This is certainly one year that I am glad to see the back of, and I just hope that 2021 is a much better year overall, although unfortunately I do not see any positive changes for several months. I am hoping for things to feel a little safer and "better" by the end of summer, 2021. If it happens sooner, then even better. I guess we just have to be patient a little while longer. It's not even the end of 2020 yet, and I am so frustrated about it.

January: The year started with my final month of contracting, which included finishing up and handing over my busy workload. During the cold January, I found myself at South Bank on my final busy day, walking around in the cold and gloomy weather in my least favourite month. I got to explore this area a little more during the past few months, but I was not based at South Bank that often as I was working on site at Sunbury-on-Thames or from home. The first time that I got out this year (in mid-January) was to enjoy afternoon tea with my friends at Rhinefield House in the New Forest, although I had to drive myself and my back was in terrible pain because I slept twisted. It took a couple of days for my back to recover, so I struggled through and left early.

Scones at Rhinefield House

Once again, Canary Wharf's Winter Lights appeared for 2020, filling the gloomy January days with some bright lights. It was bigger and better this year with a lot of larger, interactive artworks. The crowds were also out in full numbers this time, and it gets larger every year. The event has become a popular one now due to the interactive nature of the artworks and social media. There were even more street food options on the route as well. Unfortunately, the one or two-week event will not run in 2021 for the obvious reasons, but there will be artworks on display over a couple of months that will also enable visitors to come and view the objects from a distance and to avoid crowding. It won't be the same, but it is something I am really looking forward to next month.

Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2020

The end of the month brought a wonderful orange sky on my visit to Bournemouth (Lunch at Bournemouth's Urban Garden) to see family. We enjoyed a lovely meal out at Urban Gardens restaurant near the Lower Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth, and the food was amazing. After eating, we had a walk with my two-year-old nephew around the beach, and a beautiful sunset filled the sky.

Bournemouth January sunset

The 31st was a Friday this year; it was my last day contracting, and it was also the day that we found out that Brexit was going ahead and when it would happen. I began mentally planning the places that I was going to visit in Europe before the end of the year and after I passed my new job three-month probation, so I was expecting a holiday in the middle of May, and Berlin was my first choice destination. I couldn't afford to book before-hand because of the costly home renovations. (At the time of publishing this post, the majority of the work has just recently been completed.)

London is Open tube sign

February: The first day of my new job was on the 3rd of the month since the 1st fell on a Saturday. I spent this month settling into my new job. I was enjoying the walking in my morning commute from Holborn through Covent Garden to the Strand. I love this part of London, and I had the chance to explore it a little more and enjoy my lunch walks and trying new places. One of the lunch highlights was the cheesey pizza from Pizza Pilgrim's and The Cheese Bar. I was really looking forward to enjoying this area in the different seasons, especially at Christmas. I have fond memories of my little morning treks to the office.

Pizza Pilgrims and The Cheese Bar extra-cheesey pizza

Near the beginning of the month, I visited my friends at Kingston Lacey for a snowdrops walk. The snowdrops here are beautiful with so many different varieties, and I did not realise there are so many different varieties of snowdrop. We got lucky with the weather as our planned visit coincided with sunny weather. We enjoyed a pub lunch before our snowdrops walk. I had a great time and took so many photographs, and I thought that some of the photographs I took turned out really good. I hope I didn't drive my friends crazy by taking so many photographs.

Snowdrops at Kingston Lacey

Valentine's Day was a low-key event this year. I actually did not see it advertised a lot, and companies seemed to be late to market it for some reason. Anyway, I enjoyed the giant cookie cake from Blondies Kitchen, and you can see more decorations in London here: Valentine's Day 2020 in London.

Blondies cookie cake, based in Selfridges

The end of February brought Pancake Day, and I was happy to find that there are a few pancake lunch options at Covent Garden. Since I was working this year, I did not attend a Pancake Day Race like I have done in previous years, although the best Pancake Race, located off Brick Lane, does not seem to happen anymore. Instead, I got to induldge on pancakes. This time, I opted for Pancs in Covent Garden, and I tried their special Oreo pancake. It was very filling and sweet. I sat outside on the table in the courtyard of the market and listened to the singers and bands that perform daily here. It's always a great atmosphere here. 

Pancake Day at Pancs

My pancake visit was also the first time that the coronavirus was being mentioned a lot in the news, so I remember being extra careful to sanitise my hands and not touch my face. I always carry hand sanitizer with me and use it before I eat if I am unable to wash my hands, but I was extra cautious at around this time. Of course, there were not any restrictions yet, so everyone was just living their lives normally besides the extra caution. I don't think anyone would believe how quickly things would change.

March: March was the month that life completely changed. Before the change, however, I spent the first day of the month at the Desire Jewellery & Silversmithing Fair in Chelsea Hall, and I loved looking at the beautiful creations and colourful gemstones. The coronavirus was still in my mind, and everyone was being careful, but we were not frightened. We just went about our lives.

Desire Silversmithing in Chelsea

One exhibition that I had been wanting to visit for a few months was Troy: Myth and Reality at the British Museum. I enjoy this period of history and the story (although it is fiction, there are some elements of fact to the story as well), but I did not book the exhibit right away. The weekend dates kept selling out almost a month in advance, so visiting on a whim was not an option. As the exhibition was so popular, booking three or four weeks in advance still meant that the weekend dates had sold out, so the only time for me to visit was on its last day. The museum was popular that day, and the exhibiton was over-crowded. Coronavirus was in my mind with the large crowd and people coughing around me. The exhibition was interesting with information about the story and its influences in art and media from the past to the present day.

Frieze of the Trojan horse from the exhibition in the British Museum

In early March, I continued to enjoy my lunches and exploration of Covent Garden and Soho. I was excited to explore more and excited for the spring and summer to arrive when London comes alive. We'd had a particularly wet time throughout February and March, so I was looking forward to better weather. Two of my lunch highlights were Lunch at Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (Leicester Square, London) and Lunch at Shake Shack, Covent Garden. At the end of February, Leicester Square launched a sculpture trail with iconic film characters (Leicester Square's Iconic Film Characters Sculpture Trail: "Scenes in the Square"), so I spent one lunch looking for them in early March.

A delicious Coco Ichibanya chicken katsu

On the 16th of March, everything changed for me. On the end of that day, we were told to work from home due to the coronavirus. This led to the start of my 100-day confinement and the change to the world as we all know it. The official lockdown did not happen for about a week later, but I was already well into lockdown before it was then enforced. All plans for the year were then cancelled (or postponed and cancelled later) from here on out, although at the time, no one really knew how long things would take or that we would be continuing to deal with them today.

A rainbow during lockdown

April: The next three months (spring) really is going to be boring to read. I continued working from home, which was basically a continuation of my life from the past few years. Easter came and went without any interaction nor celebration. April had a pink super moon. People on my street stood outside to clap for the nurses, doctors and other staff that make up the NHS and key workers. Rainbows were used as a symbol for hope and for the NHS with banners and drawings hung in house windows. City centres and roads were empty. Shops, pubs, and restaurants closed. Even McDonalds closed for a few months. The weather was wet for the start of lockdown, but we also had some very nice sunny days. I saw beautiful rainbows. The whole world seemed to look to the skies and also to nature with the lack of pollution and road traffic. There was an anxious and eerie feeling. I continued to work through it. Many could not work and were either furloughed or became unemployed.

April's Pink Moon

We were blessed with some amazing weather, and I had afternoon tea delivered to me on one of these hot spring weekends. The afternoon tea was from a local Ruislip company called Honey Bee Cakes, which delivered through one of the delivery companies. I spent a lot of time in the warm sun in the garden listening to jazz or swing music, sipping drinks, and reading magazines. I spent hours talking to friends and family on the phone. I spent some time trying to get the house and garden in order, although the builders did not finish everything, so it was tricky. I was able to read my backlog of magazines, though.

Afternoon tea in my garden

May: In early May, we had a long Bank Holiday weekend for the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and many events were due to take place. Due to coronavirus, these were all cancelled. Instead, some streets had street parties, including my street. The road that I live on also hosted a party on VE Day seventy-five years ago, and one neighbour printed photographs and made a banner about it. I sat outside in my front garden, listened to the VE Day special, and had afternoon tea. After the tea, I had socially-distanced discussions with neighbours on my street. We had a sense of community. It isn't the weekend any of us had planned, but we still celebrated safely.

VE Day street party, socially-distanced of course

Over the course of the lockdown, I ordered some home-delivery treats to keep me going and to obtain some sanity. I'll note a few of my favourite ones: Popadoodledoo, Dollies Cookies, The Botanical Baker, Me You Meringue, The Cookie Mail, and Jo's Cake Co. Anyone who knows me knows that I have always had a real weakness for cookies, and cookies seems to be a popular lockdown treat.

Popadoodledoo skeep cake pops

In late May, protests also started to happen for Black Lives Matter, and this became a hot topic across the globe, especially for the next few weeks. This led the way to many discussions and changes. 

'Racism is a Virus' mural by Zabou, photographed during the summer after the lockdown

June: June is my birthday month, but we were still in full lockdown then. I had a lockdown birthday and ordered the smallest cake I could order from a local baker. Due to my lockdown birthday, I have postponed birthday plans for a proper celebration once it is safe to do so. I shall be deferring this year's birthday to another day next year (hopefully, although I will probably have to defer next year's too). The queen does it. She has two birthdays a year. I shall be doing the same to make up for birthdays I could not celebrate! It is only fair.

Lockdown birthday cake

In late June, I also celebrated one hundred days of lockdown during which I did not leave the home (or block as I did technically leave once on VE Day for a walk around the block). On the 100th day, the weather was gorgeous, so visited Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, and it felt very strange to see the world outside of my home again. It was also a frightening experience to be outdoors again and to see other people. I am sure that many other people are struggling with coping too. The day after also a lovely day, so I went to Coombe Hill in the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire after work for a walk and some much-needed exercise.

Coombe Hill in Buckinghamshire

Also at the end of the month, Merlin the cat decided to eat part of a dried lily. The lily came in a birthday flower bouquet. Merlin had to stay overnight at the vet's, and he cost me a lot of money. Merlin costs a lot of money by getting into things that my other cat (Lancelot) does not. Merlin needs to be pet-shamed.

July: By the middle of the month of July, some places were gradually reopening across the country. I took the advantage to book a long weekend away in Northumberland in the middle of the month and another long weekend away to Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire at the end of the month. I also spent a lot of time out on walks, making up for the lost time spent stuck at home and indoors for nearly four months. When I was not working, I spent the month "making up for lost time".

Claremont Landscape Gardens

I am a member of the National Trust, so I started to explore National Trust properties again, such as Claremont Landscape Gardens. I am disappointed that the houses have been shut since the middle of March. A few buildings and houses did partially reopen at the end of summer for a month or two, but none of them were fully open, and most of the National Trust buildings remain closed during the autumn and winter months anyway. The gardens and parks on some of the properties were open so that people could get out. I personally enjoy the houses and buildings more, but I made the most of my membership. One of the highlights for me was my visit to Sheffield Park & Garden. It was one of the first properties that I visited after the lockdown, and it offers beautiful walks around ponds. The ducks enjoyed my company as well, and there were many ducklings and ducks looking to be fed. I ate a scone at one of the benches on the side of a pond, and they came up to me to beg for crumbs.

Sheffield Park Gardens

Another highlight was Nymans Gardens, although I did not stay long because it was an afternoon visit, and it was just a little bit too busy for me to feel comfortable around people. The house was closed, but the gardens and park could explored. The gardens here are beautiful, so I am looking forward to visiting it another year when it is kept up to its best. Many of the gardens were shut down and neglected during the lockdown, so they are not at their best this year. Also, I missed all of the spring colour this year due to the properties being closed all spring.

Nymans Gardens

In the middle of the month, I visited Northumberland for a long weekend. Hadrian's Wall has been on my list of places to visit in England, and I felt that it was a safe visit since the ruins can be enjoyed outdoors. Most museums, historical sites, and castles had not yet re-opened from the lockdown, so this was a tour to see as much of the wall as I could while getting some exercise and trying to increase my fitness levels from the 3.5 months where I did not leave home. It was hard work in places. I did see some amazing and beautiful places and learned a lot about Roman history in Britain. I visited so many great places (read about them here: Hadrian's Wall), and I also walked a couple of small sections of the wall. Milecastle 39 to Sycamore Gap is an amazing walk, and Walltown Crags also offers some expansive views of the wall.

Walltown Crags views of Hadrian's Wall

Another breath-taking place that I visited in Northumberland was National Trust's Wallington Gardens. Like all of the other National Trust properties, the house and buildings were closed, but we could walk around the grounds and walled garden. The walled garden is a must-see, and it's a huge place to explore. Even though the staff were not gardening and maintaining to the full levels over the lockdown, I could see that this is a beautiful garden, and do hope to return some day.

Wallington

At the end of July, I visited the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire area. By then, even more attrractions were open. I primarily visited this area because it is an area that is not too touristy and not full of people who may be passing viruses around. I was able to visit a couple of National Trust properties, such as Kedleston Hall and Gunby Estate, to have a walk around the park and gardens. Kedleston Hall has expansive park land with wildflower meadows, and Gunby Estate has beautiful gardens filled with butterflies. I would love to visit the houses in both properties, but I have to wait for that.

Kedleston wildflowers

The weather during this final week in July was hot and sunny, and one highlight for me was a fleeting visit to Skegness to see the beach. I enjoyed an ice-cold slushie on the beach and visited Skegness Model Village. I did not stay for long as there were small groups of people in some areas, and I did not want the risk. I would love to return to this area again once it is safe to do so.

Skegness Model Village

Other highlights on this visit included the ruins of two monastaries: Roche Abbey and Monk Bretton Priory. Roche Abbey was located down a long cobbled road that winded down into a valley, and Monk Bretton was located inside the subburbs of the city of Barnsley. Both set of ruins were interesting to walk around, even in the scorching weather. I had Monk Bretton to myself; it is free to visit but both are maintained by English Heritage.

Monk Bretton Priory

August: After an eventful July, August became just as eventful. For the first time since mid-March, I ventured back into London at the beginning of the month. The streets were quiet, but the nice weather had brought some people out. Going into London the first time on the tube was daunting, and subsequent visits have been equally daunting. My first visit was to Covent Garden, which I felt may be quieter and a good re-introduction to London. I did not have any problems on this visit. Covent Garden had some artwork, including a rainbow and a large-scale print "Love, Hope, Joy" by Anthony Burrill.

Love, Hope & Joy in Covent Garden

I also visited London in the middle of the month to see street art in Camden and then to visit Mercato Mayfair for lunch. Mercato Mayfair was on my list of places that I planned to visit in March, but I did not get to visit due to the lockdown. This beautiful church between Marble Arch and Bond Street contains a variety of street food sellers, and visitors can enjoy their food inside the church or on the rooftop terrace. I was able to enjoy lunch here on a Friday, and I virtually had the place to myself. I will return to try additional street food, but the pizza hit the spot on the day that I visited. (When doesn't pizza hit the spot?!) 

Pizza love at Mercato Mayfair

At the end of the month, re-visited Northumberland, but the purpose of my trip this time was primarily to see the castles and ruins that were not open during my mid-July visit but that had since re-opened. I saw so many amazing castles and ruins, and two of my highlights included the large Warkworth Castle, which has tunnels and a large keep to explore, and the fortified English-Scottish border house of Aydon Castle. Both are very different examples of castle in Northumberland.

Warkworth Castle

On one particularly windy day, I spent part of the morning exploring Tynemouth Castle and Priory. The views were amazing, but it was so windy that the visibility was not great. Not all of the buildings were open, but there is a mixture of an old monastary ruins and a battery from the second World War. Although I did not explore it this time, the village of Tynemouth looks lovely too with a street of independent shops and pubs that lead up to the castle, and I do hope to return once it is safe to do so. Hopefully, the weather will be nicer when I do return. 

Tynemouth Castle & Priory

The highlight of the August Northumberland visit for me was Dunstanburgh Castle. This is an amazing castle, which is really just a long wall with a keep and impressive views. There is a walk to the castle from the nearest village, and the walk is along the coast with views over the sea and of the castle. The weather that day was perfect for it as well; it was not too hot and not too cold, and the sun was bright.

Dunstanburgh Castle

Another English-Scottish border castle visited on this trip was Norham Castle, which is considered to be one of the original Victorian "romantic ruins", which were fashionable ruins to visit in Victorian times. This castle inspired many paintings and poems as a result of its status in those times. The castle did have a fair number of visitors when I visited it toward the end of the afternoon. The weather was perfect during the visit.

Norham Castle

September: September was another busy month of making up for lost time, and the middle of the month was the highlight for me because I had a long weekend in Exmoor. I have never been to Exmoor before, so this was a "taster" trip to explore the area. It is an area that I certainly will be returning to. Although the trip was for a long weekend only, I was able to enjoy an evening wander around Ilfracombe after eating fish and chips. I do wish to return for boat rides and other attractions that are currently shut due to coronavirus.

Ilfracombe harbour

During my visit to the area, I revisited Tintagel Castle for the first time after my very first visit fifteen years ago. The castle is now more accessible with a bridge so that visitors do not have to walk up the steep steps to visit. The views are impressive, and this castle has always been one of the best castles to explore in England. After Tintagel Castle, I visited Boscastle in Cornwall. Many of the attractions were shut here, so I do hope to return to Boscastle. I did climb the hill for amazing views, and I'd love to walk to the waterfall at some point. I had amazing weather for it; it was sunny and not too warm.

Tintagel Castle

One of the highlights for me was a quick walk in the Valley of Rocks in Exmoor. This coastal path has amazing views and a tearoom a short walk away. I plan to return here one day and walk to the village to visit the attractions there. Many attractions continued to be shut during my visit, and I would not have had enough time for them on this visit anyway.

Valley of Rocks in Exmoor

Additionally, Dunster Castle and the iconic and infamous Tarr Steps were also nice places that I visited in Exmoor. Dunster Castle was partially open for visits, and it is a fascinating place that I hope to return to when it is safe to do so; it also has a lovely village and mill. Tarr Steps is an ancient stone bridge that visitors can walk across, and I ended up on a long woodland riverside walk here as there was a one-way system in place due to the pandemic.

Tarr Steps in Exmoor

Another highlight of September was a visit into London to enjoy afternoon tea at Fait Maison. This was my farewell to summer. I love the beautiful decor at Fait Maison, and the bright and sunny day made my visit even more special. I find that September's weather is often nicer than August's, so sitting outside was not a problem.

Fait Maison afternoon tea

I did also enjoy a couple of National Trust properties in September, and Standen House was the most memorable; I visited at the end of September as the leaves were starting to transform for autumn. Standen House was one of the first National Trust buildings to partially-reopen as they started to slowly reopen some from mid-August. The whole house was not open, but visitors could explore a few of the rooms. The Arts & Crafts house is worth a visit in the future, once it is fully open of course. 

Standen House

October: At the beginning of October, I visited Chiltern Valley Winery for a wine, beer, and liquor tasting and tour. I took half the day off work and went to Basildon Park earlier in the day to enjoy a visit to the part of the house that was open and to walk around the grounds. After Basildon Park, I had a meal at Henley-on-Thames before the winery tour. We learned about Chiltern Valley Winery's history before walking into the vineyard where the grapes had been harvested that morning. We saw the bottling process and the beer-making process. It was an enjoyable day out.

Wine tasing and tour at Chiltern Valley Winery

London hosted two sculpture trails in October: Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park and Mayfair Sculpture Trail. I visited both of them at the beginning of the month. Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park normally takes place between July and October, but I am happy to announce that they still managed to host it for a couple of weeks in October. I saw a few people visiting the sculptures. The Mayfair Sculpture Trail is new for this year and was hosted with a special gallery weekend as well as a month-long sculpture trail that visitors could navigate. Some of the sculptures were placed for the trail, but others are permanent. The creative fields are suffering at the moment, so I am glad that both events went ahead as we all need the arts.

Frieze Sculpture Trail

For the first time since early February, I caught up with friends for a meal and had a walk around Mottisfont Abbey. This was the first time that I've had any face-to-face human contact with anyone I know outside the house (excluding neighbours). This was my first walk around the estate and grounds at Mottisfont Abbey, and it was a pleasant walk along the water.

Mottisfont Abbey

The autumn colours looked gorgeous this year, and I got to escape the house a couple of times in order to enjoy them. I visited Sheffield Park Garden and Winkworth Arboretum. Unfortunately, the sun did not shine during either of my visits to see autumn colour this year, but I thought that both Sheffield Park Garden and Winkworth Arboretum are great places to visit in the autumn. Maybe I will be luckier next year with the weather. All of the sunny days, and we did have a few, were during the weekdays when I was working.

Sheffield Park in the autumn

At the end of October, I visited east London to see new street art. At the end of my walk, I visited Spitalfields Market and Humble Crumble, which were selling their tasty crumble in a miniature pumpkin/gourd. As well as being delicious, the crumble was also cute and seasonal. I also spent a lot of time throughout the month of October helping organise a community fund-raiser and Halloween trail. Part of this fund-raiser ended up being due to a terrible tragedy involving a little girl that took place in the community toward the end of the month.

Humble Crumble pumpkin crumble

November: On the first day of the month, I met up with the friends that I saw at the end of October for Halloween afternoon tea at Waddesdon Manor. This was the first time that I have been to Waddesdon Manor for afternoon tea. The food was delicious, and the service was also very attentive; I could not fault it at all, and I loved the Halloween-themed desserts.

Waddesdon Halloween afternoon tea

Unfortunately, the country went into a lockdown again on the fifth of November, cancelling my plans for the month, which included Thanksgiving and a light trail at Stourhead. I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas, so locking down for "people to have a normal Christmas" is controversial because many others do not (or will not, due to the virus) celebrate Christmas. Even if I did have my family near, I do not think it would be a good idea to meet up with them anyway, so locking down in November means others have to suffer at that expense. (I would have preferred that businesses stay open with social distancing and mask-wearing instead of the message to get numbers to fall for some less strict measures at Christmas, which is sure to end badly.)

On the day before this second lockdown, the country had sunny and fairly warm weather, so I took a half day off at short notice to explore Donnington Castle and Ludgershall Castle and just escape the house. I had previously visited Ludgershall Castle in the summer, so I was surprised to see how different it was in the autumn.

Donnington Castle

Bonfire Night (November 5) was the day that the lockdown took effect. Those who wanted to celebrate had to have lockdown bonfire night fireworks. I enjoy a good fireworks display, so I had to settle with a bottle of Prosecco in the loft while looking out the window to watch garden displays. I saw several fireworks from a distance but nothing remarkable. (Of course, Diwali happened a week later, so there were some fireworks for that too.) I love this time of the year with Halloween and fireworks. I know some people do not like it.

Lockdown fireworks for Guy Fawkes and Diwali

On that first weekend of the lockdown, I went to a local park known as Northala Fields. It is located in West London in Northolt, and on a clear day, visitors can see all the way to Canary Wharf. It was still a bit foggy when I visited, but the fog was clearing into a clear day. It's actually a really nice place with four constructed mounds that can be climbed, fishing ponds, a cafe, and a playground.

Northala Fields

Due to the lockdown, I did not get to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and weekend as I had planned, so I had a lockdown Thanksgiving. I had to cancel or reschedule my plans for those few days. I did find a hotel that prepare Thanksgiving Day meals that you could take home to cook from home. Unfortunately, that ended up being an extremely stressful experience and my main oven not working. (It's a long story, but I've been waiting for the electrician to fix my oven since the beginning of the first lockdown.) A few people on the street suggested a socially-distanced chat and drink on the street in front of the houses in honour of the lockdown Thanksgiving, and some mean person reported it as a rave. It was literally about eight of us socially-distanced into two groups in conversation for about an hour until the police came in a large van expecting a rave, but they left again because we were not doing anything wrong.

Lockdown Thanksgiving

December: On the 4th of December, the second lockdown ended. I took a trip into London on the Friday of that week to see the Christmas lights and decorations (Where to see London's Christmas Lights and Decorations in 2020). I enjoy seeing London's decorations every year. It was obviously a low-key affair this year. Some had not decorated at all, and others were late to decorate. In addition to London's decorations, I also spent some time walking around my local area to see the Christmas lights and map out trails. Unfortunately, due to the November lockdown, the first visit to London was particularly busy, which was a result of the November lockdown.

Christmas lights in London

Due to my booking for the Stourhead light trail being cancelled in November, I had to rebook it for the middle of December; I did not have many options of availability for the re-booking. Stourhead's light trail was definitely the highlight of December for me.

Stourhead light trail

Unfortunately, later in the same week that I went to Stourhead, new restrictions were placed on the area that I live in and then tightened a couple of days after that, so all other plans were cancelled. I did not have Christmas plans involving other people, but I did have other plans involving countryside walks and another light trail that were cancelled. The short-notice cancellation and changes for areas meant that those affected were placed in danger with mass exodus and supermarket chaos. If I have gotten the virus, it will be due to that lack of government response. I felt safer on the tube and in restaurants than I have on that visit to the supermarket.

My Christmas was a quiet one. Now, the virus is spreading again, so there are more restrictions. The government has been slow to react and has failed in the timely measures. The vaccines have been approved and started with the elderly and NHS staff, so these are being rolled out. I just hope that the government does not mess them up. After previous issues with the "track and trace", testing, and other communications, I do not have much faith in the government. However, I am trying to remain positive and hope that they do succeed this time.

Regent Street Thanks

I think that most people will be looking forward to this year ending with better hopes for 2021. I do not see changes happening right away, though, and I am thinking that the best case scenario to "normality" being by the end of next summer.

In short conslusion, I had put things in place for 2020 to be an amazing year to finally get the stability and travel and take better care of myself. Unfortunately, none of those could be achieved this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. I've been beating myself up a bit about the past few years, although there is nothing I can do about that now except to try to be patient and wait for the "normality" and threat to go away.

Due to 2020 being an all-around poop year, I will just have to wait for change in 2021. My new goals are to take better care of myself and not work myself to death, plan days to look forward to, and travel (once it is safe to do so). I will probably not travel abroad next year, even if it is safe. I do not have any hopes for immediate change, so I will just have to see what happens. Until then, I have to do what I have done the past few years and live one day at a time. I would love to get to the place again where I could plan things to look forward to, but it's not safe yet until the vaccine programme is rolled out further...and then we still do not know if we will need a vaccine each season (if our body's immunity wears off of the virus changes considerably). Anyway, all I can do is live one day at a time and think about what I want to do when it is safe again. Once these things are in place, I can defer my goals of travel and stability. Happy New Year! Here's to a much better one for us all!

Each festive season, London's cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and shops offer a selection of festive treats. I love when London's cafes, hotels, and restaurants offer themed seasonal treats. I've tracked a few places down for you this year to help get you in the festive mood and to support our local businesses. I wrote the majority of this article before the new lockdown restrictions broke, so please try to support these businesses (and additional ones) by using takeaway or delivery services. Keep reading and scrolling to see where you can get Christmas-themed and festive treats in London.

First up is Bill's restaurant, which has several branches throughout London. I visited the branch close to Seven Dials. The restaurant are serving up a special festive menu, and one of their desserts is the mousse shaped like a Christmas tree in a flower pot. The flower pot is made out of white chocolate, and the tree is made of a mousse-marshmallow with berry coulis. It sits on top of cookie crumb soil with pumpkin seeds and blueberries dusted with edible metallic paint. Definitely visit on a hungry stomach because the treat is very filling; it's best to share with a friend.

One of my favourite cafes to visit for themed treats in London is Yolkin. I visited them last year, and they had the same treats on offer, minus the macarons. The giant ice cream macarons come in four flavours, which are the same as last year: candy cane snowflake, salted caramel reindeer, Christmas pudding, and Santa belly milk and cookies. I had the salted caramel reindeer this year, but my favourite is the candy cane snowflake. You can see more photographs from last year here: Yolkin Ice Cream Macaron Sandwiches - Christmas.

Fait Maison on Gloucester Road (the one closest to the station) has been offering festive treats for the past couple of years, and I visited last year (Fait Maison Brunch and Holiday Cupcakes) where the selection was different. This year, the cafe has gone with a swan theme, so you will find cupcakes and biscuits with the white swan design. The swan also features on the floral display on their shop front. Other cute treats include gingerbread cake pops, snowflake mousse, and snowflake triple-tiered macarons. There is also a messy hot chocolate, which is served with a festive twist and gingerbread man.

Next up is the Milk Train festive potted Christmas tree ice cream. This is similar to some of their other themed seasonal treats. There are a couple of festive flavours of ice cream to try with it - eggnog or chocolate orange. Not being a fan of either of those flavours, I had chocolate. Green cotton candy (candy floss) is used to create the pine tree with a chocolate stick for the trunk. A sugary snowman sits at the base, and a star is plucked on top. It is very festive indeed.

EL&N (also known as Elan) have also created various festive treats from eclairs printed with Christmas icons and other pastries created in the shape of pink baubles, snowmen, pine cone trees, Santa hats, and pink Christmas trees. EL&N are noted for their wonderful displays that feature a lot of pink, and they recently opened up a new branch at King's Cross St. Pancras station. They have placed the King's Cross Christmas tree in the station this year.

Humble Crumble is a new pop-up that started in London at the beginning of the year. I first visited them in January when they had a pop-up kiosk at an event, and later in the year, they opened up a permanent kiosk at Spitalfields market. They have sense expanded into Borough Market, following one of the surprising successes of 2020. Their crumble really is delicious, and they have been creating seasonal themes, such as this crumble with Christmas trees made from marshmallow. Visitors can customise their crumble with custard or cream and the type of crumble, and so on. Be warned that it can get very messy. They do serve in three sizes, and the one below is a medium.

Peggy Porschen bakery have two cafes - their original on Elizabeth Street and their King's Road cafe. They always offer seasonal treats, and this year is no exception. This year, they are offering a gingerbread cupcake topped with a sugar snowman. Last year, they offered a peppermint cupcake with polar bears of penguins, which you can see here: Peggy Porschen Winter 2019. I was not as keen on the gingerbread one, but it does look very festive, and their shop front always changes with the season. This year, it features gingerbread.

The Treats Club are located at Seven Dials Market, and they sell coffee and doughnuts on the ground floor. For the festive season, they have created nutella-filled doughnuts with salted caramel icing in the shape of Christmas trees. They also have other themed doughnuts.

Doughnut Time, which has several branches in London (the one I walk by most often is the one on Drury Lane), has seasonal doughnuts. The gingerbread one is vegan and is a biscoff biscuit. 

Bubblewrap, one of Chinatown's sought-after bakeries (the ice cream and bubble waffle blended treats), also have their own Christmas treat. This is a bubble waffle wrapped with chocolate ice cream in the shape of a popular red-nosed reindeer. 

Of course, there are more places to get seasonal treats in London. Whipped, known for its cheese cakes, have opened a new cafe on Endell Street and are serving cheesecake slices with shortbread antlers. Soft Serve, located in BoxPark in Shoreditch, are serving ice cream with snowman marshmallows on top. 

Norham Castle was built from the 12th-16th centuries by bishops of Durham to control the English-Scottish border. In 1513, King James IV of Scotland did damage to the castle, but it was repaired. The castle is situated along the River Tweed and was a spot where attacks would happen suddenly, and the castle was damaged a few times. Queen Elizabeth I refused to pay for the upkeep of the castle, so it was left to decay in the early 1600s. The castle has often featured in poems (Sir Walter Scott) and paintings (J.M.W. Turner). This is certainly a picturesque castle.

The gatehouse was the entrance to the castle, and a moat before it adds extra protection, and there would have been a drawbridge where there is now a wooden bridge for visitors to walk across. 

The main ruin on the site of Norham Castle is the tower. It was changed over time to serve purposes of defense and a residency.

Norham Castle is maintained by English Heritage and is free to visit. There is a large spot for parking at the top of the hill, although this is a little overgrown. 

Street artist Camille Walala has painted on the 'Rich Mix' wall on Redchurch Street for London Mural Fest, which took place in September. The street artist has painted walls in London before with a couple of other large-scale pieces, one near King's Cross station and the other near Old Street station. The artist has painted a couple of large-scale murals this year, and this is one of them.

Camille uses bright colour and geometric patterns and often uses the architecture of the buildings to create her contrasting murals. She started out in textile design, which she studied at the University of Brighton. Since then, she has also become interested in interior design, and these interests reflect in her artwork.

This is a particularly playful mural, and it adds a lot of colour and character to this street. The wall on the right used to have street art and street art advertisements painted on it, but it had lately become dull, particularly since building work was done here a few years ago.

London-based street artist Fanakapan is known for chrome-style street art, and he recently painted a new mural off Hoxton Square with Chloe and another off Brick Lane. These two new murals are his latest edition in the Halloween street art, which the street artist paints every year for Halloween.

This year, the subject is a smiling jack 'o' lantern pumpkin in Hoxton Square. Meanwhile, a smiling chrome spider appears off Brick Lane in the entrance to Star Yard.

For more Halloween street art, see:

Halloween Street Art (2018 and 2019)

More street art by Fanakapan is located here:

Fanakapan Street Art on Mornington Crescent and Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints PacMan Pizza on Brick Lane and Other Street Art
Fanakapan Star Yard MagnaDonuts Mural
"Follow the Leader" by Fanakapan
Peace for Manchester
Fanakapan Paints Shoreditch Clowns
Chrome Balloon Dog in Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints "Power Tools" on Village Underground Wall
Fanakapan Paints "Drunk Glass Elephants"
Fanakapan, Horror Crew, & Jerry Rugg
Louis Masai and Fanakapan: "Freedom?"
New Chrome Street Art Mask by Fanakapan
Balloon Animal Street Art
Cranio & Fanakapan
Fanakapan and Horror Crew
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Halloween Street Art (2018 and 2019)
Cranio Returns to London in 2020 and Paints Brick Lane

Halloween was yesterday, but I went out for a post-Halloween Halloween afternoon tea earlier today with friends. This is the second time I have seen any of my friends since the start of February, so I was have been looking forward to it for a couple of months. The Halloween-themed afternoon tea was enjoyed at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. Continue reading about my Halloween tea at Waddesdon.

Waddesdon Manor is a very large mansion owned by the Rothschild family, and I previously visited here in August, but my first visit was last December. I had been planning to visit the house this summer, but that did not happen for obvious reasons, and I have heard that the house takes a long time to walk through as it is so large. I hope things can be normal soon so that I can visit it.

The afternoon tea was located in a room that appeared to be the old kitchen, and various gourds, squash, and pumpkins decorated the old kitchen cabinets and worktops. These made an excellent autumn display, and my photographs of it remind me of a painting.

All of the afternoon tea was served with a glass of Prosecco. I forgot to take a photograph of the tea pots, but they were unique and of Asian style. Visitors could choose their tea, and I choose the Darjeeling.

Next up were the sandwiches. Waddesdon offers a great selection of different types of sandwiches and bread with their afternoon tea. These included a selection of rolls, croissants, tarts, and flat bread. The sandwiches included: Pumpkin, spinach and goat's cheese tart; Haddock, leek and chive tart; Egg and cress slider; Beet root cured salmon and dill cream; Smoked chicken croissant; Roast beef and horseradish. I substituted for an avocado mashed on flatbread.

After the sandwiches, we had a miniature three-tier stand with two layers of pastries and a scone with clotted cream and jam. We moved on to the scone. I forgot to photograph the scone, but it came with a little pot of clotted cream and jam, which was just enough for it.

The pastries included the following:

Death by chocolate opera gateaux. This had a dark chocolate skull and dark chocolate coffee bean on top. It had a slight hint of coffee, but thankfully it was not too much as I dislike coffee.

Toffee apple cinnamon spiced panacotta. This was served in a tall glass shot glass and was a creamy apple and cinnamon treat that I enjoyed. I didn't really taste the toffee.

 Raspberry pistachio bat-enberg. This is a batenberg cake that came with a white chocolate bat. I enjoyed it, but I didn't really taste pistachio or raspberry flavours.

Mummy macaron. This was a vanilla macaron with a strawberry or raspberry jam in the middle.

Pumpkin and pecan cake. This little cake had a pecan on top and tasted like a spiced pumpkin cake flavour. (For some reason, they gave me a millionaire's slice instead of this, and I traded it.)

My favourites were the pumpkin and pecan cake, toffee apple panacotta, and the macaron.

After the afternoon tea, we had a quick walk around the grounds and saw a new sculpture with elephants being installed. These elephant sculptures were created in India by local people out of an invasive plant, which is wrapped around a wire frame. The elephants are a part of a charity work that will take place in London's parks next spring to draw attention to the endangered animals. There will be eighty of these sculptures placed around the parks.

The winds have been high for a few days as well as last weekend, so unfortunately, this has caused many of the beautiful autumn leaves to fall off the trees earlier this year; it has also been the wettest autumn for many years. However, there was still a bit of colour at Waddesdon. I wish that we could have enjoyed the autumn colour for longer, though, particularly as every weekend has been cloudy or wet weather while the weekdays, while I have to work, have usually been bright and sunny.

For more posts about Waddesdon on this blog, see the below:

Morning at Waddesdon (National Trust, Buckinghamshire): Lockdown Edition
Christmas and Winter Light at Waddesdon Manor (Bucks, England)

 Sr. X is a Spanish-based street artist who visited London earlier this year, painting in Shoreditch this mural: "The Back of Your Mind", New Street Art by Sr. X. The artist paints an illustration and graphic style with subjects who show exaggerated emotions. Camden was the location that the artist painted in this summer, and two murals appeared here. I managed to get photographs of both pieces.

The first mural features the portrait of a woman against a yellow and red background. The woman's face seems to be coming off, showing a mixture of natural elements - leaves, roots, fish.

The second mural has a label on the lower right hand corner: "The real art of street art rocks". It features a portrait of a man with flames and a segmented face. This is similar to the artist's most recent pieces of the vintage illustration.

Other artwork by Sr. X (Senor X) on this blog can be seen in the below posts:

"The Back of Your Mind", New Street Art by Sr. X
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Sr. X (Señor X) "The Rapture" Street Art on the Village Underground
Sr. X (Señor X) "The Itching" Street Art off Brick Lane
New Sr X Octopus on Hackney Road
Sr.X Paints Village Underground Wall
Sr.X "Buy Shit!" Sign on Village Underground
Sr X Collaborates with Zabou