Tuesday 10 November 2009

Just a quick note to say im heading to India tomorrow and will be back by December end..well just before Christmas to be honest (Now who wants to miss the Boxing Day Sale right). After a wee bit of travelling till end of this month, il be more or less jobless after Dec first week. Hope to catch up with all of you and blog a bit then.
Till then its bubbye from me and hope you all have a great winter :)

PS: Thanks a lot reflections for writing in to see if i was busy. Now you know why i absconded:)

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Four years...but does it feel like forever?

...is what i keep saying when someone asks how long me and Ro have been together. Yes, four years back, this day Ro and me met for the first time. Err to be more precise, it was sometime between the 20th and the 27th...lets put it that way. Its so weird that its usually the women/girl in the relationship that remembers the dates... birthdays, the day they first met, the day they first held hands and so on. I am nothing like that. I am still confused about Ro's birthday in spite of it being the same month as mine, but i rem my best friends b'day again in the same month...weird? I thought so too! I don't remember the day we first met and so every year i conveniently announce a day or 2 before hand that 21st or 22nd or whatever will be x number of years since we met. So today, i have decided its 4 years and whats different...nothing:)
Ro is working from home and as usual eating my head every five minutes asking me for food or coffee or juice or whatever. I am watching Gilmore Girls (ya...absolutely lame..don't ever start watching it) and waiting for the next season of Everwood to start on Channel 4 and simultaneously typing this out. I made Tiramisu yesterday and its chilling in the refrigerator. I have become a pro at it and I'm slowly losing the enthusiasm at making it, since its now no longer an achievement. If you are thinking its damn difficult, its not at all. I also have decided we are going out to dinner..i am yet to figure out where.
Our first date was at this really sad coffee shop in Chennai called Java Green..i was so adamant about not meeting Ro when my parents called up and asked me to do so. Whatever bit of excitement was left, was ruined when he suggested Java Green and to this day i take his trip on that, to which he holds the fact that he was based in Mumbai, and had no clue about places in Chennai. Although the fact that he took me back to the same place a year later was incredibly sweet. I wore torn jeans and an even worse top...purposely looked like a college girl and i had my friends call me every now and then to make him realise i had better things to do...which i honestly did. He however, happened to be in Chennai for a week and asked me out a couple more times..actually twice or thrice a day, the entire week, took me to expensive restaurants, bought me flowers and completely wooed me into it. I was so stupid to fall for all that shit. That's probably the first and last time he ever bought me flowers..er and also when i quit my first job cos he thought id be upset. Well anyways, what i was trying to say is..if you think its gonna be the same even after you get married, its not....and i thought it would be.
Now when i ask Ro why he doesn't get me flowers, he's like..there are way too many varieties and i don't know what you like, so why don't you go pick up any flower you like..well, that's the whole point....dumbo! get to know what flower your wife likes, and what colour she likes the most. To which he replies, ' you are confused yourself....what flower do you like N? Err mmm..tulips, no no wait roses...no no no I'm sure i like the daisies or maybe even the white lilies..oh no not white, cos it will look too plain in our apartment.' Well, i think he just proved his point. 'Why don't you make an effort to know what i want and buy it for me..surprise me..the fact that you made an effort is good enough (not actually..id like to get it too).' What do you want for your birthday? Oh baby, i don't want anything (means...i obviously want something, but i shall not say what...you need to enter my mind and play along with it every minute so you would, at the end of it all figure out what i might want). When that doesn't work, i throw hints..hmm I've always wanted a pair of Jimmy Choos, that trench coat sure would help stop the gusty wind hitting my thighs, my sunglasses are broken (or it will be soon). After all this drama....N, here's some money, go buy what you like...is what i hear. Well, the fact that i exchange most of the things Ro's got me is another thing, but he could still make an effort right.. well this went on for quite a while and initially it used to upset me so much because i make such an effort at things like this. Now i have resigned to the fact that i should just tell him what i want, or even better I'm completely OK with the fact that i get gift money and i can do whatever i want with it. In fact i think I'm beginning to like this arrangement a whole lot better.
See i have evolved from a hard core romantic to a more practical woman....well mostly. And Ro...from a person who thinks birthdays and anniversaries are over rated, has come this far to play along with me and humour me. And this is just one of the simpler things that both of us have learned to accept about each other. We have had our share of terrible times when all i wanted to do was run away which i sometimes feel now as well, but i know that at the end of it all, i would run back to him...Ro this is to you..who is a complete pain in the ass most of the time, but the bestest friend ever..muah!

Tuesday 29 September 2009

He proposed to him...

So we were out at the movies last weekend and thoroughly enjoying it when this guy in front of me puts his hand around the guy sitting next to him. He was so tall that it actually blocked the view and thats how i noticed. I nudged Ro and he thought i was doing so generally( ya why would i generally nudge him????) or with relevance to some scene in the movie and he just shrugged. I then had to be more obvious and then both of us couldn't concentrate on the movie after that. How insanely rude right..us i mean! So after the movie we got out and on the escalator, these two love birds (henceforth LB1 and LB2) were right in front of us and they started smooching...and the bloody escalator was about a mile long (well exaggerating a bit to be more dramatic). It was never ending. Ro and myself along with a whole bunch of others were quite embarrassed.
The next day was the Greenwich half marathon and it was passing right in front of our apartment complex. We heard loud cheers and music and so threw on our slacks and ran to the main road to catch a glimpse of the marathon. It sure was exciting. There were people dressed up as bananas sponsored by leukaemia research and i decided i was gonna cheer for them. So off we went to the finish line after about an hour and we were lucky enough to catch the first lady win the race. Well more importantly, while we were out there cheering the bananas Ro noticed it was one of the love birds (LB1) from the movie who was in front of us clicking pics. As usual i made up a whole story as to why he is there and his partner (LB2) must be in the marathon and what not...i get a kick out of it, no idea why :)
So anyways, LB2 was running and as he approached the finish line, he shouts out to LB1, 'marry me' and LB1 almost faints with bewilderment. I couldn't contain my excitement that Ro was actually embarrassed to be right next to me. I thought it was utterly sweet and all Ro could wonder was, 'who'd be on top?' How predictable men are i say!
I love spontaneous proposals and its the 3rd time I'm seeing something like this. The next day we saw them again at the cinemas (yes we do frequent the cinemas quite a bit) and they were just being normal, not coochie cooing or not even holding hands.. and it was story time again for me..i figured it out all in my head why LB1 wouldn't have accepted the proposal. That's the most my brain has worked all week i think.
Though i got Ro to go down on his knees and propose, i would have loved it if he was more creative. Men are boring..except the gay ones of course!
BTW this was a vague post. I had to jot it down cos i still am pretty excited about the proposal

PS: still using someone's wifi and hate it!

Saturday 19 September 2009

Warning: Awfully long post ahead, and one filled with complaints

We have finally moved into the new place and this move was comparatively less hectic than all others, maybe because we were moving just across the road and also because we had the keys one week before we had to give up the apartment we were in. We started moving things bit by bit and so it was not that much of a problem. Still, cleaning up the other apartment was a task. They deduct the deposit money if we don't leave it spic and span and also have to leave the apartment as how we found it. Basically we had moved stuff around to make more space and we forgot what went where at the end of it, leaving us utterly frustrated and irritated. So we left it as is and the agents haven't complained till now, so i presume its alright. We also had to go back and clean the windows which we conveniently forgot and they were nice enough to let us do it, otherwise 125 quid for four small windows. The new apartment is amazingly spacious, which means more space for junk. We have no clue how we accumulated so much of stuff in spite of living in fully furnished apartments all throughout. God forbid we will not have to leave UK after 6 months for Ro's next project. If that's the case we have quite a bit of stuff to be thrown out. It breaks my heart to throw off stuff that have been barely used.
Coming back to the apartment, we tremendously miss the views and privacy we had on the 5th floor. Now on the first floor, we have to draw our blinds because one side looks into the neighbours' apartments (more or less) and the other into the courtyard, which is alright but Ro being the incredibly private person he is, doesn't want to leave the blinds open there as well. I feel claustrophobic and most of all miss watching the rains. The locals have absolutely no issues with privacy and no one peers into apartments, but us desi's are really nosy. We have a couple living diagonally opposite, who are always out on the balcony and very OBVIOUS. If you know what i mean!
There is still some more cleaning/fixing work to be completed and Ro is eating the agents head about it. I would have given up long back. The apartment has been vacant for a long time and so things are not in the best of conditions, which means loads of cleanliness issues, lights/ switches not working etc. hoping to be fixed by next week latest. Sometimes i think the 'improper' way of doing things back home is such a blessing. You call someone up and the persons at your door that very day or max the next day..electrician, plumber or whoever it is. No appointments, nothing! For an Internet connection here...mind you, this is just a transfer from one building to the other, the exchange is the same, and no one needs to come fix stuff or anything.....we need to wait 10 working days. C'mon how on earth can it take this long in this day and age?????????? It irritates me like crazy that i don't have Internet. Oh btw right now I'm getting someones open wifi which has really really low connectivity. But somethings better than nothing right?Also, i need the Internet for my cooking. I have no clue how to even make a simple chutney without a proper recipe. I'm lost without the net and the dependency kinda scares me, seriously! I am now bored outta my mind because day time TV sucks big time in UK. They have the most boring, uncreative programmes and BBC has full control over the entire system, which means American sit. com.'s etc. are all shown in ration, that too reruns and old old old episodes. When we were in Chicago i used to be so confused as to what to watch because each and every channel had interesting stuff. Why Chicago, i think India has more interesting programmes than out here.
Since I'm on a complaint spree i shall ramble for some more time about things that bug me. I recently called the NHS practise to fix an appointment, regarding a rash on my face. The earliest available appointment was a week later. I went ahead and fixed it, but after about three days my rash disappeared. How am i supposed to go to the doc and say. I had a rash that looked somewhat red and was obvious but its no longer there, but can you anyway tell me what it is. DUH! (Secretly i am kinda happy about it because i hate hospitals and docs and I'm scared of even a blood test. I have sleepless nights and butterflies in my stomach the moment i realize i have to go see the doc). This has happened to me twice already. Health care in UK is free and probably that's why the GP's really don't care a damn about you. We have been talking about going the family way and so my husband being the research specialist he is, wanted to know all proper details. Well, we wont have a doc doing check ups etc. any time during the term unless there is a complication...and that too it has to be really really complicated for the doc to come take a took, so I'm told by friends working in hospitals. We either have a nurse or a mid wife doing the needful. They told us not to make a big deal out of something as small as having a baby. Well, for them it might be the millionth case, but for us its the first time and we are apprehensive and scared. We deserve much better. Back home, you all know how different it is! A close friend was given a wrong diagnosis, which almost cost her life, and later was apologised to...like that solved all issues!
Ro on the other hand thinks its Gods gift to us...the free medical treatments. And to make matters worse, the NHS walk in centre is just around the corner, exactly 3 mins walk from our apartment. He goes to the GP for even the slightest ordeal. Like the other day he made me fix an appointment because he noticed his nail had ridges on them and was worried (yes, i laughed too). I insisted i go along with him just so i could take his trip later on. The doc had no idea what the hell Ro was so worried about and she said she cant even feel the ridges. Ro gave her major gyan saying his research on the net proved he had iron deficiency. She said usually women have iron deficiency and not men. But no, my man wont take that for an answer. He insisted something was wrong and then the doc opened a book and started referring it (this is where we start questioning the medical service we get). I was almost about to burst out laughing, seriously! And then she suggested a blood test so he could be sure. How happy Ro was, but to his disappointment the blood test was just fine. I still take his ass about the ridges on his nail. If you think this is weird, i am not even gonna start on his other issues. All i can say is, not many docs like it if you question them and Ro is an expert at that.
Settling into the current apartment is a tedious job, with figuring out the controls on the complicated shower, topping the list. Ro and myself have already started fighting about where to put what...Ro being more practical, and i being more 'but it doesn't look pretty there' orientated. I have an empty shelf staring back at me and its depressing. I cannot spend lots of money, nor can i accumulate stuff, but i need to put something or the other on it. Do pass on affordable ideas so i can work on it till i get my Internet connection back. I will try my best to visit your blogs, thanks to someones' wifi connection, but do pardon me if i don't leave comments, since it keeps disconnecting every now and then.

PS: Will upload pics later. Like i mentioned, limited connectivity.

Monday 14 September 2009

A post long overdue


Its been about 2 weeks since Nottinghill Festival and i have been too busy (for once) to actually pen down the details. Well, better late than never right?
I have been hearing about the Nottinghill Festival for a long time and last year we couldn't make it in spite of being in Nottingham, cos we decided to head down to Wales instead. A good decision indeed. So this year, i had to go no matter what, and i also had to cover the event for a mag, so that meant no ditching at the last min. Friends and news channels warned us about the number of people who had come into London for the carnival, but that didn't stop us from going. So the event was over 2 days, but we decided to go only for the main parade which was on day 2. Day one was mainly kids activities etc. We got there way too late and thought the parade would have already started and that we would have missed out on stuff. Well...no way, the parade hadn't even started and we had a to wait a good one hour till it was in full swing. Well, i would honestly have to say i was a wee bit disappointed. I expected it to be extravagant. It was colourful and loud, but extravagant, not so much. There were prizes to be won for the best float and so people did go out of their way to be creative. Music was loud, Jamaican, Caribbean and Chinese food were in plenty, people were dancing all over the place..well grinding to be exact...and the crowds were way too much in some places. We had to walk quite a bit and by the end of it was so so tired. Got back home with aching feet. I don't think i would go for the festival ever again, its definitely a one time thingy.
There are way too many pics, so i have uploaded it on to an album. Will post it once i figure out how to put it here.
Summer has come to an end and so has the fun outdoor events London throws at you. Yesterday was the last one..the Mayor's Thames Festival happened over the weekend and it was awesome. Cold, but awesome. Loads of street food, arts and craft stalls, live music, dance, cocktails, a nice parade and the best of all..an awesome display of fireworks..well coordinated and much appreciated by all Londoners. Again, we had to walk so so much and i complained all night about leg pain, Ro wouldn't carry me piggy back in spite of cribbing non stop. He just went on and on about how stupid i was to wear my knee length boots (which btw kept me warm) instead of sneakers. It was a nice way to bid adieu to the Summer of 2009. Did take a few pics, but none came out that well because it was dark and the flash was not as powerful as i thought it would be.







I am gonna be a bit aloof for the next one week because my Internet conn. is being transferred to the new apartment and yes it will take one week to just shift it to the next building. I will have to connect via my phone and that's a bit frustrating, so i have decided to let go of FB and orkut and the like for a week. Gonna see if i have the will power to stay away. So when i write in the next time, it will be from our new pad. Till then ciao!

Sunday 30 August 2009

Amsterdam...and a lil bit of everything

I know I haven't been updating this blog for a while now and I'm about 2 weeks late on my Amsterdam update (yes, we took a short break and headed to Ams for 4 days). Now i cant seem to remember half of what we did/saw..intricate details i mean... and most of my readers (yeah i have a total 6 or 7) would have seen all the pics on FB and orkut and so I'm not gonna bore everyone by going on and on about it again. For the others, me and Ro had a gala time relaxing and taking in all that Amsterdam had to offer...well almost. Except for the first day, where we took an organized tour of the Dutch Countryside, we soaked up the sun in the cafe's and went totally wild at the 'coffee shops,' if you know what i mean! My whole perspective of a holiday has changed, i must add. Initially i used to love going around, catch glimpses of the local attractions, shop and do major touristy stuff without even taking a breather and at the end feel so pooped and tired and wait for the hustle bustle to end. My parents keep going on holiday to these resorts and do nothing but eat and sleep and not even step foot out of the resort. I used to shout at them saying they are such losers and have been to so many places, but haven't actually 'seen' any. I now know what exactly they mean. Its probably signs of getting old. I just love to relax...in the hotel by the pool, or at a cafe sipping Iced tea's and Sangria..which is exactly what we did in Amsterdam. The cafe culture in Europe is just amazing. Its popular here in London as well, but because of the crappy, unpredictable weather, cafe's are not the most fun thing to do when you want to sit with your jackets and shawls and umbrella. Amsterdam was laid back, but filled with tourists and so commercialised. The countryside was good, but even that has been preserved as an attraction and infested with tourists. We missed the tulip season, which was something i actually wanted to see so so badly. But if you ask me if i saw the famous Rembrandt and Van Gogh museums in Amsterdam..no i didn't, did i see the cathedrals and shop, no i didn't do that either. But what i did was completely relax and eat and sleep and took a real holiday for once. The last time i remember doing this was on our one week honeymoon in Goa (i would have to admit that was the best trip i ever had). Came back and it took me one week to recover and get back to routine (read boring) life. Posting some pics, just to add to the rant.

The cheese factory. Was so sick after tasting all the varieties of cheese.

The beautiful, but awfully uncomfortable clogs

What gets served in the 'coffee shops'

The beautiful Dutch countryside

The Alkmaar Cheese Market, where buyers and sellers come face to face.


Taken on our canal cruise. The canals are a major attraction and are filled with houseboats. We thought of renting one, but they were incredibly expensive.

The wild part...in the Red Light District

Tulips (wooden, plastic) at the flower market

Orchids @ the flower market

Street side entertainment. This old man was very popular with his wacky moves and skimpy thongs

One of the cafe's we lounged at

I had mentioned previously that we were apartment hunting and that we were almost gonna make an offer on one. As usual with Ro breaking his head on the pro's and cons and by the time we decided to say yes, someone had already done the deed. We were quite bummed by it, so gave up our hunting and decided to stay put in our one bedroom abode since winter was approaching and we didn't have any family visiting us till next summer. Friends have our pull out sofas to crash on :)
But just last week we went and saw an apartment just for the heck of it and we liked it. But they were asking for about 200 bucks more than what we are paying now and we still battled the odds and said no. the agent harassed us to make an offer anyways and so we went ahead and made a bizarre offer which surprisingly got accepted....even the terms and conditions. I now keep asking Ro if there is something seriously wrong with it, that the LL agreed to it. I shall update you on that once we move in. We are, however, going from amazing views on the 5th floor to absolutely no views on the 1st floor. The only draw back, but not bad enough to say no to the apartment and moreover with winter fast approaching, the views and balcony wont be of much use. So yes, we are moving in by Sept 2nd week and i am looking forward to setting up the new place, but dreading the packing.
Talking about winter, i completely dread it. Temperatures have already started dropping below 20's and it gets dark by 8. Before i know, leaves would start changing colour - Autumn and then the horrific winter. We are getting ready to pack our fans and get our thermals out. In fact according to BBC, the coming week will be the last of sunshine and warmth we can enjoy. Yeah i know, weather has become an important part of our lives and i have begun to appreciate the sun and warm weather just like the Brits. No wonder they all come out in shorts and bikini's the moment the temperature hits about 23C. 25 above will be declared as heat wave and they make such a big deal out of it.
Its nice to catch up with this space after a long time. I have been completely hooked on to my food space and been ignoring this one long enough. I enjoy pouring my heart out on this one, but most of the time laziness gets the better of me and i chuck my random musings for easy-to-type out, brainless recipes.
Its a long weekend and the last of the bank holidays that we have this year. The Nottinghill Carnival is on and i am covering it for a mag. So, long day tomorrow, but sooo looking fwd to it. Will be back with pics. Till then, ciao from me.

Monday 3 August 2009

The London Loop Walk..finally!

After a really late night on Friday we were woken up pretty early on Sunday by Ro's friends asking if we wanted to join them on the London Loop Walk to Richmond. Since we were anyway awake, we decided to give it a shot, and boy did we make the right decision. The day was as gorgeous as ever and the place even more beautiful and serene. We were about 5 adults, 1 three year old, 1 baby and 1 over enthusiastic dog. The trip started off with us missing the first train to Richmond and commotion at the ticket gate when the 2 buggies got stuck and Auro (the dog) wouldn't barge without his master. Me and Ro stood back and enjoyed the commotion (how very helpful right?). So we managed to take the next train out and got to Richmond at about 11.30am. The town is pretty quaint and the shops there gave me a feeling it was very expensive. Other than the big brands, there were also individual labels which are usually a sign of being in a high-end area. We walked further down and got to the river and voila..was i right or what..huge mansions by the river side and apartments with great views, offered for a minimum rent of 3000 quid a month. Expensive restaurants, swanky yachts, joggers with expensive dog breeds etc. are some of the other qualities that made me realize it was an expensive area. So, down the drain went my dream of living there. Like a friend mentioned, 'you have to be rich to be living in Richmond.' After taking a nappy and feeding break for the kids we decided to trek up Richmond Hill and on to Richmond Park. At one point me and Ro were stuck with a buggy and Auro and we were completely lost. Ro even banged the buggy on a tree in his struggle to get it moving. And Auro gets very restless when he doesn't see his master who, by the way, was very brave and brought along his 8 month old so the mommy could have some alone time. I think that was a very kind gesture and he was unbelievably awesome with the baby and she, a darling to the core, not bothering anyone.. all the time cooing and smiling and then sleeping in her buggy. Auro required more attention than her. But the good part was...we now know what buggy to buy and how to handle it to an extent :)
Richmond Hill apparently is/was home to a lot of celebrities the most known of them being Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones). The houses were massive on the hill top and the views from there were so beautiful, it would have cost them a bomb to stay there. The restaurants and pubs on the hill were also on the expensive side and quite empty as for that matter. We made our way through to Richmond Park which stretches for acres and acres and is supposedly three time bigger than Central Park in New York and the largest park in London. After the boys spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure our where we were on the map and how to get to point B where we would have lunch, and after a few phone calls to locate a pub which was child and dog friendly (yes they are very strict on that), we made our way through the park. We spotted a few red and fallow deer and Ro managed to get a few close-up's which was pure luck though. There were a few weddings taking place in the park and we saw the grooms-men and ladies in fancy dresses and hats make their way through to the scenic areas. It was a glorious day to have a wedding, i thought aloud. The walk was longer than expected but built our appetite quite a bit. We waded through thick flora and fauna and at certain points the views were brilliant. After a one hour trek through the park we finally made it to the New Inn, a child and dog friendly pub with a huge beer garden. Settled down with our drinks and the rains welcomed us. Bag, baggage, buggie, baby we rushed inside and restlessly waited for the food. Stuffed ourselves with BBQ ribs, Chicken Fajitas, Pork Chops, Lamb Cuts, Fries and Cheese and pints of cider and beer. The bill came up to a whopping 100 odd and we were convinced that Richmond was definitely not the place for us. For the money we paid, the food didn't come up to mark, but left us satisfied for the time being. We were in no mood to walk again after the heavy meal and so decided to take the bus back into Richmond town and then take the train out from there into Central London. The day didn't end that way. We headed back to a friends place and stayed there till the wee hours of the night, partying and merry making and was so so pooped by the time we got back, we didn't wake up till 11am the next day. Aching legs and back didn't stop us from staying at home on Sunday..shopped till we dropped and caught a movie too.
On another level, we have started house hunting again and cant believe 6 months just passed by so quickly. For those of you who have been following my blog from day one, you would have read the drama attached to the house hunting session. I completely dread the whole scene all over again, but looks like we are lucky this time. Its very rarely that me and Ro agree on the same topic, but we somehow seemed to have agreed on a particular property and am keeping my fingers crossed on this one. Its a 2 bedroom property and our only logical reason for moving into a bigger apartment was either because we had family visiting or we were going the family way. Winter is approaching and no family is visiting us for another six months..and the family way..we still haven't reached a conclusion on that. But taking everything into consideration i think this is a good deal, money-wise and also apartment-wise. Will update on the scene laters.
In the meantime, here are some pics of the Richmond trip. Not the best because it was a bit over cast at times.

Riverside apartments




The expensive Gaucho restaurant

Auro

Trekking up Richmond Hill


View from the hill

Align Centre
Richmond Park

Deer spotting in Richmond Park

Notice the houses on the right...bloody expensive i presume

View from Richmond Hill



Lamb Chops at the New Inn Pub

Pork Roast

Sunday 26 July 2009

'Cinema under the stars'

caught my eye while surfing the 'whats on in London' web page and i decided i had to go for it. What came to my mind immediately was the scene from 'The Wedding Planner' where JLo and Matthew McConaughey watch a movie in a park eating M&M's. The event was over a span of 5 days and i had seen all the movies mentioned except the one called 'Funny Face,' a 1957 musical starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. What could be more romantic than watching a classic under the star studded sky? So I quickly did some research on the park in which it was being screened, timings, how to get there etc. and sent it out to Ro hoping he would be as enthu as i was. To my surprise he replied saying we should get a bottle of wine and just go. I was thrilled and i went a bit overboard preparing an entire picnic.
Syon Park, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, was the perfect venue for the evening. Although getting there was a bit of an issue, with us forgetting to get off at the required stop (which Ro claims was because of my non stop chit chat that we didn't notice the stop and over shot) and the sudden down pour which put us in a state of bewilderment on whether the show would take place at all, we were relieved to see a whole lot of cars at the car park and people walking in with huge picnic baskets. After paying 25 quid for both of us (yes very expensive indeed) we made our way to the park. It was so beautiful with well-manicured lawns and pretty flowers and trees breaking the monotony. There was a big glass conservatory, maintained in tropical temperature, growing all sorts of vegetables, creepers and palms. There was also a lily pond and an entire section on Cacti. The movie was supposed to start at 9pm, but it still wasn't dark by then and so we ended up finishing off our food and half the bottle of wine. There was a good crowd and most of them came fully prepared with portable chairs and huge picnic baskets and even umbrellas (which we also had brought along). By about 9.30 the movie started and everyone settled down pretty fast. The movie was ok. I expected it to be like the 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' type, but it didn't come close to that. Audrey Hepburn is gorgeous as ever and Fred Astaire is old. Towards the end, it started getting a bit chilly and the wine had made us pretty tipsy and we completely started fooling around and i secretly hoped the movie would come to an end because of the cold winds. I must admit, the whole idea of a romantic evening under the stars, huddled together with a blanket, was more appealing than the movie itself, though 25 bucks for a night out was a bit on the steep side, but what the hell...these are things you do once in your life.
There are more outdoor movies coming up in September at the South Bank Centre and are fee of cost. Only thing is, they are showing movies like 007 and Slumdog Millionaire which i cant really associate with 'romance.' I would however like to go see 'Mamma Mia,' the sing-along version again, just so i can scream out the songs :)
Events like these make me feel happy being in London.
I kicked myself for not taking my camera and had to make do with Ro's phone camera. So please bear with the 'not so perfect' pics.

The Great Conservatory, Syon Park



One of the Lily Ponds

A huge Cactus

Enjoying the picnic. See how bright it was...time was around 8.40pm


The huge screen

Thats the last part of the movie. Its not too clear.