LONDON (Updated January 1st)

My Tess was born this month and since I had to go on a business trip to London 💂, she was going to go with me so that we could celebrate her big day across the pond. Tess has wanted to go to England all her life but never had the opportunity, so I was really excited about getting to be the one to show it to her. But then...... a few days before we were supposed to leave she was "under the weather" and decided to stay home. I was really disappointed and so was she (she hates to fly so she wasn't disappointed about that) and I flew ✈off by myself and proceeded to be miserable. And so was she.

Well, the story has a happy ending but I won't tell you here. 😈 I made a video for her.

 It's a bit rough (a bit !!!😩 That's an understatement.) but I showed it to her at lunch and she loved it 😍(even though she says I look "liberties" with her character. ie: the hair curlers).

Tess will take it from here.......

We finally had time to do some sightseeing and we began with The British Museum. I had no idea that it was so large! (I was used to the faux version in The Mummy Returns) I also had no idea that it is free to all visitors! How lovely. 

The British Museum was established in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759. It is filled with statues, artifacts and antiquities from all over the world. Since My Mr.Cham has been there before, we saw what I wanted to see and we began with The Enlightenment Gallery which shows how the museum was created in the 18th c. with the vast collection of curiosities of Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and naturalist who bequeathed his collection, for the nation, to George II. We then moved on to the Medieval and Renaissance collection of Baron Rothschild. (We wanted to see the special Thunderbirds exhibit but then we found out that it had nothing to do with our favorite Gerry Anderson show and we were disappointed but soldiered on). 

Next, we went upstairs (in the lift, even though I do not like them, I dislike stairs even more) to see the European collection and finished up with the Egyptian collection. And yes, we saw the mummies, but we did not see Imhotep. Darn it.
We were going to stay for lunch, but some other visitors who had only come from The Pizzeria, informed my pizza purist that they did not serve his trademark trio and so we decided to find somewhere else that did. I cannot imagine ever seeing the entire museum, even if I lived in London, but it has an amazing collection and certainly something for everyone.


KEW GARDENS, etc.
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It looks like a doll's house!

(photo: Kew Gardens Website. I would need a plane to take that shot!)

As a chef, avid gardener, and anglophile I have always wanted to visit Kew Gardens. I also have a connection with George III so it was inevitable that we should put this at the top of our list. What a beautiful place! 

Later, we attended one of the Georgian cookery demonstrations which were happening on the day we were there (I found out in advance and the next one was not until August!). The kitchens are amazing and huge! The menus were enormous and not very health-conscious, but of course that was before anyone knew better.

We then saw Queen Charlotte's cottage where I got a few decorating ideas and The Queen's Garden including this beautiful (but deadly) Laburnum Pergola.

 It reminded me of the wedding in Breaking Dawn, except that was white Wisteria (which I am hoping to have at my wedding...someday.)

(photo: Kew Gardens Website. I ran out of film!)

I had gone online to look at the menus from the five onsite restaurants and as I suspected, I would need to bring along a picnic. So, off I went to SAINSBURY'S (where I have always wanted to shop since first watching Grace and Favour , The "Mr. Slocombe" episode.) and bought the supplies, brought them back to the hotel and put together a suitable repast and stored it overnight in the unusually ample "mini-bar" (why do they call it a mini-bar anyway? There was not a drop of alcohol in it!) The next morning, armed with our picnic basket (I brought one of mine along on the boat), tablecloth, blanket, cushions, and my UV parasol (yes, I am one of those South Park "Gingers". At least I am in good company. Bryce Dallas Howard uses one too!) we went off to spend the day at Kew Gardens.

For lunch we had hard boiled eggs (made with my Bento Box molds- heart,star,bunny and fishy.That star always cracks. I do not know why.),

cheese, olives and baby carrots, lovely bread, fresh strawberries, and the last piece of my second birthday cake. And I froze our water bottles the night before.

It was so much hotter here than I expected! Luckily, I do not pack lightly, so I was prepared. My Mr. Cham is laughing at that. (He wants his lunch. Pardon me for a minute.)

(My Tess' idea of packing "lightly" !!!)

Oh,hush. That is not my luggage, it is Lady Penelope's (it really should have been pink).

And now he is pouting because he did not want a lovely salmon and quinoa salad. (Eat it. It is good for you.He has been eating too much pasta in my absence.)

I only took a few pictures at the gardens. This is a Golden Pheasant, originally from China. Like the peacock, the male is the fancier of the two genders. (Not if we are anything to go by.)

This is what the chicks look like at one week old. Beautiful eyes! (A special thank you to Nigel, who emailed me this photo the next day because I wanted to know what they looked like as babies.)

                                                       Two handsome male peacocks.

We had a lovely day at Kew Gardens.


WHIPSNADE ZOO
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We had planned to go to The London Zoo, but when I inquired about it, our concierge said we would have a better time at Whipsnade Zoo (which I had honestly never heard of). When she said there were no elephants at The London Zoo, that made the decision. 

Whipsnade Zoo was opened in 1931 in Bedfordshire north of London. It is on 600 acres and is a beautiful zoo and safari park. There is a herd of nine Asian elephants (the youngest, a year old female named for Queen Elizabeth II on her birthday). So sweet. She plays with big "footballs" and enjoys the water sprays that are hidden in the rocks. The elephants have a 30 acre paddock as well as large indoor quarters. It snows! I wish we could have gone over in the winter.

This one is adorable and is apparently a daily event,so I had to include it. (From TripAdvisor)

There are also TIGERS, lions, 

 ZEBRAS,giraffes, camels,

CHEETAHS, penguins,chimpanzees,

FLAMINGOS,chimpanzees,

 BEARS,

and OTTERS,

and a butterfly house. There are daily Sea Lion and Birds of the World shows and a petting zoo. 


We were "naughty" (you have to be sometimes!) and had pizza and ice cream but we brought a small cooler bag of frozen water bottles because I simply cannot bring myself to spend over a dollar for a bottle of water!

We saw this lovely waterfall and wanted to dive in, but we waited until we got back to our hotel and went for a nice, long, proper swim. Then my Mr.Cham had his peppermint foot massage and fell asleep. It has been a lovely trip. But I will be glad to be home again.

                                                                                              Tess🌷

UPDATE: 

Tess loved Whipsnade so much on her first trip that we came back and this time we stayed overnight (Don't tell Mrs. D. ! 😉) at Lookout Lodge. (Ours is the one in the middle.)

  It was a lot of fun and COLD ⛄ but we were cozy 💏 (There are heaters). Good food😋, beautiful animals🐘🐪🐯🐻🐍🐒🐊🐉, GREAT STAFF ! 👨👩

I sneaked this photo of My Tess while she took a picture of our lodge.She's standing on the picnic bench and I'm standing behind her so she doesn't fall. I asked our host to take the picture while she was distracted. And then he cut me out !!!😖 I still tipped him, because I didn't know until I had the film developed.

  To be fair, there is about a two foot height difference, but really !!! 😠😢 This is as close as I get to having our picture taken together because she's insanely camera shy (and she's beautiful so it IS insane !!!) Don't you love the hair !!!😍 I didn't see it down until she'd been working for me for almost a year and then I caught her one morning before she'd put it up. 😯  She blushed for the rest of the day. So adorable.😄 She agreed to wear it down that day on one condition - People like to touch it to see if it's real (it is) and I had to promise to punch anyone who tried. I promised. No one was punched during our entire stay. 👊💪 A little kid reached out to touch one of her braids when we were waiting in line for pizza, but his mother pulled him back. Whew !😅 That was a close one !
It IS tempting, I know. If I had a bucket list, one of my wishes would be to be tied up with it. (I shouldn't have said that.) 😬 Oh, what the heck, it's true !!!

They told us to dress casual and comfortable. Tess thought I took them too literally. Then she said she couldn't wait until I "took that OLD shirt off  !!!"  😊  Yippee !!!

Don't tell Mrs. D.😉

National Strawberry Sundae and Chocolate Day!!!

The film that set a little Southern girl on the path to burgeoning womanhood. (Not literally!)             No one has ever made a piece of fruit look more sensual, forbidden and tempting.  Except for perhaps, Eve and the apple. Or the pomegranate, depending on which version you believe.

My love for this film gave me my nickname (and years later, my username.) I actually looked for dairymaid jobs in the newspaper that summer. 

 If you have not seen it, please do. TESS (1979) Now available in the Criterion Collection.

I💓 strawberries. Not only are they delicious, they are wonderful for you!
They are a perfect source of Vitamin C and laboratory tests have shown them to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. They are also very low in calories.

I love strawberry preserves, 

and strawberry ice cream and frozen yogurt and unfrozen yogurt with fresh berries makes a delicious breakfast!

But I have never been a fan of either strawberry pie or chocolate covered strawberries.

I do a strawberry exfoliating facial that is very complicated, very expensive, and very time-consuming so you might want to write this down. (it is actually none of those. I do love to tease you!)

STRAWBERRY EXFOLIATING FACIAL
***********************************
Wash your face as usual.
Cut one strawberry in half (usually the one that looks a bit sad, but not sad enough to be discarded, but not the moldy one!
Rub the cut end of the berry all over face (not too close to your eyes though because the citric acid does burn sensitive areas!) and neck, elbows and hands. Let dry. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. 
You can also mash up the berry with a tablespoon of plain yogurt.
I usually do this while sitting in the bathtub so sometimes I forget to rinse it off and when I get out and look in the mirror it is a bit of a shock because it looks a little gory. Anyone seeing you will say "What happened?" with a stricken look on their face but you will have fresh baby skin after you rinse.

(DISCLAIMER: Do NOT do this facial if you are allergic to strawberries!)

I also wash and dry all of my strawberry leaves and save them in a jar. You can make a tea from them which acts as a natural diuretic. 2 Tablespoons of dried leaves in a large cup, cover with boiling water.
Let steep,strain and drink.

(DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. I think you already knew that.)



We used to have this cookie jar when I was a child, in fact our entire kitchen was strawberries, but it was accidently broken a long time ago by "someone".

Possibly, this little person.

No, this is not me. (Or is it?)



CHOCOLATE DAY!
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Chocolate. Nothing soothes, calms, or lifts your spirits as well as this decadent yet saintly substance.
Did you know that chocolate is actually a vegetable? It comes from the cacao trees that grow in tropical rain forests. So, chocolate is healthy,good for you, and children (and grown men) should be encouraged to eat their vegetables, the best being chocolate!

I love brownies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate ice cream and I made these for a dinner party once. Molten Lava cakes. They were a lot of work and not really worth it. Chocolate cake made with mayonnaise is much easier and far more appreciated.

I was weaned on See's Candies. Every holiday and special occasion saw one of the sacred white boxes brought forth from their secret hiding place (we were unapologetic chocoholics and could not be trusted with the box within our reach on a daily basis) and we were allowed to choose two pieces before it was taken away again. It is still my favorite chocolate, Cadbury being second with Nestle Toll House semi- sweet morsels being my baking chocolate of choice. I have tried many others but these three remain my favorites.

One Christmas, the precious package was left out on the dining room table and we returned home to find a trail of little brown fluted paper cups leading to my mother's bedroom where we found our 120lb. Great Pyrenees dog lying in the middle of the bed, surrounded by more little brown fluted paper cups and a slightly chewed white box. She had eaten every single piece of the two pound box. No dog ever looked so innocent. Or more satisfied.

Contrary to the belief that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, she did not die. She was not even sick.
But we were.

(DISCLAIMER: I am not a veterinarian. But you already knew that.)

Interesting Note: This is the same dog who once ate two whole, raw chickens, bones and all. 
(Apparently, she did not share my love of FRIED chicken.)

As my  contribution to Strawberry Sundae Day and Chocolate Day, I made these little frozen yogurt sundaes and a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I found this picture (and the recipe) while looking for others for this post. TURTLE BROWNIES!   (do not contain turtle). Chocolate, caramel and pecans. My personal holy trinity. I will be making these at the first possible opportunity.

Heaven help us. Oh, yes!

                                                                                                           Tess🌷

National Fried Chicken Day!!! (Oh, Yes!!!)

                             
               

I LOVE fried chicken! That is probably not an unusual thing for a Southern girl to confess, I admit, but I truly do. As more than half of all chicken entrees ordered in restaurants are for fried chicken, I am certain that I am not alone in this. I make it often, order it in restaurants (not only to check out the competition, but because I am truly in love with it) and when it is too hot to cook, I send someone (I do not drive) to pick some up. 

So, I think it is perfectly fitting that my all-time favorite (savory) food has been given it's own holiday and so to celebrate, I fried a chicken (actually,two). Isn't it pretty? I think so. I am not given to bragging about my cooking, but if there is one thing I am certain of, it is that I do know how to fry a chicken.

I refuse to feel guilty about the calories (I swim every day and do a ballet barre workout and practice hula/tahitian dancing three times a week) and there are countless other things I can "give up" if I have to in order to account for my poultry indulgences. This is also why I have never owned chickens. Geese, yes. Chickens, no. I have never eaten goose and I never intend to so I do not have to feel guilty. I also enjoy "Babe" several times a year with a clear conscience because I do not eat any pork products. I still have to go out of my way in the grocery store to avoid the lobster tank though. Not because I have ever eaten a lobster, which I have not, but because I always get an insane urge to put them all into my cart and drive like crazy for the nearest ocean. This is one of the reasons that I have my groceries delivered. Asked what I wanted for my birthday one year when I was a child, my mother says that I asked for lobsters. I did not receive them. My significant other orders seafood risotto and I shudder because the menu says it contains baby lobster tail. BABY LOBSTER TAIL!!! 😲How could this otherwise kind and gentle man do such a thing? And with such obvious relish? It sends a chill up my spine. 

I know, my reasoning is strange. How do I scold him and then enjoy the fried grown up version of fuzzy yellow baby chicks? I do not know. Perhaps I should be ashamed of myself but then I have never raised a fuzzy yellow baby chick into a chicken. If I had, I know I would feel quite differently about it. I was a vegetarian some years back for health reasons and I craved fried chicken like crazy. I tried using the same batter on eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, tofu and Portobello mushrooms, but alas, although very good "substitutes" for a sworn vegetarian, nothing came close for me. So eventually, I went back to chicken.

I also made deviled eggs. But while the chicken may be a "sin", the eggs are not because I buy them every week from our local farmers market from an organic farm that does not keep a single rooster on their property,(yes I have been there and it is true) thus ensuring that the eggs they sell are never fertilized (no baby chicks). So I eat them (five a day) with a clear conscience. 

Now, if I could only get the batter to stay on the egg, I would be set.

                                                                                                            Tess🌷

I had to add this!

This is what I want for my birthday next year!

( I am going to find a reason to make one before that. But with cream gravy.)

"Happy", 4th of July.

This is not a holiday that we celebrate in our home.

As an amateur historian and lifelong Anglophile, I have often wondered what this country would have been like with a Monarch rather than a president, but as my father used to say "If wishes were horses......." which brings me to a little story.

I had a horse who lived for thirty-two years despite the fact that he was deathly afraid of fireworks. The sound, the sight, the smell, or of anything that remotely sounded like fireworks and so every Fourth of July was spent in the stables from just before sundown until the last pop had fizzled. 

By then, my poor Maximus (not his real name, but the similarities between the equine star of "Tangled" and my own white dream come true horse, are too numerous to mention ) was exhausted from running in circles, stopping only to take treats from mine and my mother's hands meant to calm him but sadly, nothing ever did. Eventually, when he realized that they had stopped he would calm down gradually and we would stay with him until he was cool and had a drink and more treats and felt safe enough to eat his forgotten dinner and we all heaved a sigh of relief that it was over for another year. I have no idea why it affected him so. Having known other horses that barely acknowledged the sound, but had other triggers of their own, I can only imagine that before we met he had a bad experience involving fireworks that no amount of soothing could ever heal. 

He was so brave and strong in so many other ways. He loved baths, shipped like a trooper, would cross water with very little urging and boulevards like a parade horse, he was a sweetheart for the farrier and the vet, had the patience of a saint for grooming and braiding including the ribbons and flowers I adorned him with to match his wardrobe of browbands, saddle towels and polos. He ponied younger horses and was a wonderful teacher, he opened and closed gates so that I never had to dismount (which I appreciated as it was a long way down and back up again) and he posed for pictures (after his introduction to the flash which made him freeze the first time) like a movie star on the red carpet. 

Thankfully, we moved eventually and his last years were fireworks free, but there was still the occasional backfiring of a car, a rifle shot, a sputtering plane overhead, a champagne cork. These at least were brief and few and far between.

So, my only thought on this Fourth of July is, I miss you, but at least you were spared this day for one more year. 

And in my heart I hope that there are no fireworks in Heaven. 

At least not where you live.💕

                                                                                             

                                                                                        Tess🌷