Architect's daughter

That's right, my lineage has paid off. I successfully built my own bed all by myself yesterday. The jolly John Lewis (UK department store) delivery men told me it would take two of us an hour. This IKEA graduate did it in 45 minutes, solo.  

Bedroom before

Bed built by Wynne

Cozy, isn't it? That's a "small double" size bed which is 120 cm or 47.2 inches wide.

All made up

From my bedroom window I have a lovely view overlooking the gardens (backyards).

Out my bedroom window 

As you can see our garden is a bit unkept at the moment. Maria and Hraquel (our upstairs neighbor) are on a mission to improve it with our downstairs neighbor's approval. See the garden is actually his. I will keep you updated on their mission.

Garden to the right

Garden to the left.

What's with the trampolines? Must investigate the British fascination with trampolines. 

Ice cream, you scream...

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

Despite the wacky weather we've been having in London, Monday night was an ice cream party. Here at Bake with Maria, that means making it yourself. Mary made rhubarb and tarragon while Maria made vanilla with chocolate chips. After 30 minutes churning in the ice cream maker, heaven! Both were scrumptious! Good thing this "lactard" brought plenty of her Lactaid pills!


I assisted with the sugar cookie cones. See the very professional white cone form in the background? Yes, that's a piece of paper. The secret is forming the cones immediately after taking them out of the oven. The cone on the left cooled prior to shaping. They were delicious none-the-less!

Mary scoops for Maria.

Mary enjoys her hard work.

Shalom!

Holla for Challah bread! Friday was Jewish-style bread day at Bake With Maria.

Chantelle, the Jewish baking consultant, demonstrates the challah plait for Maria. 

And another holla for Chantelle's challah rolls.

It's absolutely no fun making bagels!

Shaping the pretzels.

My pretzels.

Can't forget the egg wash.

Boiling the bagels then dipping in sesame and poppy seeds.

Holla for Challah bread, bagels and pretzels!

Getting sorted

I've been busy the last few days getting settled or "sorted" as the English say.

IKEA
Although I'm closer to the homeland, Ikea is still the same. It sucks you into the maze, where you wonder for hours, loading up on cheap items, only to be surprised at check-out with the expense of it all! Instructions with cheerful stick people are the same too.

Rec Center
Excellent idea... live in the borough and pay dues for the local recreation center with a swimming pool, fitness classes, gym equipment, "soft play" for kids, squash courts, climbing wall, sauna, etc. Unfortunately, residency in the borough is not enough. You must also have a UK bank account along with 2 utility bills in your name proving your address. Yours truly does not possess any of those.... still I am a proud member of the Rec Center!

Since this is a different country with their own way of doing things, it wasn't so easy. Thanks to a lovely Membership Coordinator for offering to do something "dodgy". He loved looking at my American passport and was easily distracted by the loud infuriated American woman (not me) yelling at his colleague. When I conspiratorially explained that her obnoxious behavior was embarrassing me, he decided to do me a favor and set up my illegal membership. Thanks cranky American lady!


Clarification - That American woman was not me! I've been here before. I know that American-style customer service does not exist here. Brits "can't be bothered". The more someone yells and fusses, the calmer they remain. They'll never offer a refund and don't care about the scene being created.  To the British, you're a crazy American who will be laughed at later. 


Mobile
Ah, the feeling of connection after activating my smartphone! (Actually the device is on loan from Maria.) After a confusingly simple £10 SIM card purchase, I have unlimited internet, 500 MB data limit and 300 text messages for the month courtesy of my pay-as-you-go plan! Again, no UK bank account, no monthly account option. The bizarre thing is that after almost a week of use, I still have the same £10 balance. Apparently I only get charged when I go over my data limits or make calls. Receiving calls is free. That counts towards the other person's minutes. Point for London.

Bake with Maria

Welcome to Bake with Maria! Come on into the baking lab....
www.bakewithmaria.com

That's Maria sitting at the table. Upstairs is the office.

Cookbooks, supplies and merchandise.

 Maria with her fresh rye breads. She uses KitchenAid ovens and mixers.

The sink (AKA dishwashing central).

Join Maria for a class the next time you're in London!

The Norwegians are coming!

That was my first thought when I awoke this morning. I must admit I was a tad bit nervous... not to meet 9 Norwegians but to act as Maria's assistant. It had been 2 years since I'd baked with her and never for profit. No worries though, it went just fine and she'll let me help her again.  I'm an excellent dishwasher which is the main skill required when assisting in her Intro class. I even improvised when the hot water ran out by boiling water in the kettle. Come to find out the hot water switch was accidentally turned off. I blame it on a Norwegian. Lovely people though.

Only 7 Norwegians made it. 2 were sick thanks to the brilliant London weather which is cold and rainy. People are wearing winter coats. This Georgia Peach is missing the hot Spring she left!

Since Danish (Maria's native language) is very similar to Norwegian, she taught the class in that. That's right, I was the smiling American mute dishwasher who took pictures. I know you all are chuckling at the thought of me being silent for a solid 3 hours!  

The Norwegians couldn't stop laughing. I think that means they had a great time. Today's class was a team-building exercise. The group is in London on a strategy retreat for their bank. They'll each return to Norway with rolls and loafs of foccacia and soda bread, assuming they didn't eat them already.  

Who knew Norwegians bankers had such a sense of humor! A few photos of the happy baking bankers.

Arrival day

Cheers from London! 

The good flight was made better when the flight attendant encouraged my seatmate to move up to a vacant pair of seats prior to departure. He was an older stout Englishman who'd been enviously eyeing my meatloaf sandwich (Thanks Mom!). When I thanked her for making the suggestion, she admitted to being a bit claustraphobic. She saw the surprise on my face and laughed, acknowledging the irony. She likes to spread people out so everyone feels more comfortable. Who doesn't like more room?

I worked my Southern charm and cleared customs with only a few questions about my 6 month stay. The real test is whether I bypassed the Heathrow Injection - the 15 lbs long term visitors gain during their stay. 

The Southern charm worked again when I made a friend on the Heathrow Express who was happy to help get my 98lbs of luggage on the train. For the record, he befriended me. Listened to his tails of London in the '70s and being in the marine reserves. Chatty 50+ guy with a thick New Jersey accent and a bad rug. 

Took a taxi from Paddington to the flat where Maria was waiting for me. Her descriptions were accurate - bright with plenty of natural light, high ceilings and large (by UK standards) open kitchen and living room. Also accurate - the smallness of my bedrom! She was quick the measuring tape to demonstrate where the single bed will go alongside the large window overlooking the gardens (ours and the neighbors backyards). Good luck welcomed me when I noticed two ladybugs on the window sill.

After freshing up we popped out to run some errands. Maria's kept me awake with shopping and coffee. She received a surprise booking for 9 person class of Norweigens on Thursday morning. We bought the ingredients for their intro to baking class. I'll play her assistant.

Long and exciting day all around. Tomorrow Ikea trip, mobile phone  purchase and rec center registration!