An Unusual London Forecast: Snow!

View from our balcony near Canary Wharf

London's winter weather is typically a given:  it's cold and wet.  And that wetness is generally in the form of rain or mist, as the air temperatures rarely dip below 0 degrees C/32 degrees F.  So when we woke up today to a winter storm, we were quite surprised, while Londoners were gritting their teeth.

You see, the UK, at least in the southeast, is not kitted out to deal with snow.  The trains cease to run on time when the rails are dusted with the stuff.  Roads become slippery, as they are not cleared.  Motor vehicles slip and slide on the narrow streets, and accidents DO happen -- many of them. 

And while the average Brit would love to stay home with a hot pot of tea and a good movie on the telly, today is Friday, a work day, so they must carry o.  So off they rush to try to get to work on time and slip and slide their way there, all the while wondering how they will get home in one piece.

Here in the Canary Wharf area, we have it easier.  The office is a short, 5 minute walk from the flat, and the noise of the workmen preparing the new restaurant adjacent is muffled by the blanket of snow that is growning thicker and thicker.

Ice Fairies on Stilts



It's little details like this that you have to take care not to miss here in the city:  nature is still around us, you just have to pay attention and allow it to help you to stay calm.

On a brighter note, last weekend was the London Ice Sculpting Festival.  We attended this event, which was actually an international competition of professional ice sculptors, the evening before the final, so we were able to see the artists at work.  There were also snow fairies on stilts with lighted costumes that changed colors, fire jugglers and a winter market that served a variety of international foods.  It was a chilly, fun time.


When is a park not a park?



Kew Gardens (architecture.com)

When it is a garden, a heath, a common, or any of the wide range of British vocabulary for tracts of land provided for us to enjoy.  London is full of open spaces, places where you can enjoy a breath of fresh air, a moment of quiet and a picnic on a beautiful day.  Some even offer summer concerts, where you can pass the evening with friends, uncork a bottle of wine and enjoy all the beauty that London can offer. 

So what do these different words for open space mean?  Let's take a look, one by one (be sure to check out the embedded links!): 

First, there are many gardens in London.  A garden can be one's own back or front yard, or it can designate a cultivated plot of land which is open to the public.  A great example just outside the city is the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, located in Richmond-on-Thames, just southwest of London, in the county of Surrey.  It is easily reached via the London Underground (Kew Gardens Station), and is well worth the time and effort it takes to visit.  Kew contains 6 glass houses, a treetop walkway and 300 acres of plantings and displays. 

If Kew seems a bit too large for your time or taste, then perhaps the Chelsea Physic Garden would be more to your liking.  Located on a quiet residential street in the heart of London's Chelsea district,  this garden is the oldest botanical garden in London, and dates from 1673.  In keeping with its origins as a garden for apothecaries, this beautiful plot holds up to 5,000 varieties of edible, medicinal, useful and historical plants.

Chelsea Physic Garden (www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk)



The spaces I most enjoy here in London are much less manicured than these two gems.  They are the heaths, which are beautiful, open tracts of land, which rarely see a mower, a rake or gardener, except to clear dangling, dangerous branches and fallen trees.  These are the heaths, and Hampstead heath is a huge breath of fresh air after a week of running around on pavement.  The heath provides you with the chance to get your feet wet, muddy even, and to feel free of city life.  Check out this video, which provides a sample of Hampstead Heath, which is beautiful in all seasons.


Hampstead Heath (londontown.com)


The Blackheath Common is the last of the open spaces on our list.  A "common" is a typical bit of land that is left open for community use in a town or village.  Although it is often centrally located and often has the town church at one end, the one in Blackheath, London, is actually located a bit away from the town center.  It is, however, still in use as a common, being the location for the annual Blackheath fireworks display and fair.

So, on your next visit to London, do spend some time in a park, heath or common.  You will see the city from another perspective, one which will help you to see it as its residents do!

Blackheath Common (visitlondon.com)















Passing the Holidays in a New Place

Snow Man at West India Quay

London is a wonderful place to spend the winter holidays and to celebrate the arrival of the new year. You might think that Christmas and New Year's are much the same sort of holidays in London as in the United States.  Actually, they are quite different, as we discovered by choosing to stay here to celebrate them in a new place.

First, there was the weather:  London has a reputation for being rainy, and it delivered, along with some cold, gusty days.  There was even some snow outside the city and a dusting that immediately melted -- or was it ash or lint?  One will never know, but we were happy to have no snow to shovel this year, and we didn't worry about a power outage.

Other sights to enjoy:  Bond Street's elegant shop windows and building decorations, Carnaby Street's tribute to the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary, Sloan Square, Regent Street's Twelve Days of Christmas cross-street banners, and Oxford Street's Marmite-focused decorations.

Asprey - Bond Street


What we learned was that religious holidays are truly honored here in England.  You must prepare in advance for restaurant and store closures on both Christmas and Boxing days, as even convenience stores remain closed.  It is refreshingly clear:  you should stay home and enjoy time with family and friends, so stock up!

We also discovered:  Turkey with stuffing is the meal of choice for Christmas, since Dickens' goose is wildly expensive.  Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding is a second or additional choice for a crowd, and desserts, known "puddings" include mince pies, trifle, Christmas puddings (usually a spiced cake mix of dried fruits and bread along with suet, steamed, flambéed and topped with brandied cream or custard).  Ginger cookies are also tops on the sweets list, but the stacks of Christmas cookies we make in the US are virtually non-existent here.  As for vegetables, Brussels sprouts and parsnips are the traditional choices, being easily available during the winter season.

London puts on its party hat from the beginning of December.  In fact, from Halloween on, the decorations begin to appear.  Throughout the city, ice rinks are set up in beautiful spaces, surrounded by trees lit by blue lights.  There is a list, which includes:  Tower of London, the Natural History Museum, Somerset House, Canary Wharf.  Each of these and other sites are special in their own way and are worth a visit, as they last till mid-January and then are gone till the following year.

And, just to be sure you are in the proper mood by Christmas, be sure to attend one of the myriad concerts!  We attended a Christmas Sing-Along concert at Royal Albert Hall, presented by candlelight by the Mozart Festival Orchestra (dressed in 18th century costume) and Chorus.  Wonderful.

I send you my best wishes of the season.  May this new year bring you great happiness, good health, love, spiritual fulfillment and some challenges to help you continue to grow as a person -- nothing beyond what you are capable of, just enough to stretch your understanding of yourself and the world around you. 

Carnaby Street's Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tribute (timeout.com)