Last week an old friend of mine came for a visit to London. She
stayed till today. With her as an excuse we went out a lot, had dinner here and
there and allowed ourselves to go a bit wilder than normal. For example Friday night
we went to a bar in the Shoreditch area that organised a swing party. I’m
talking about Swing and Charleston dancing, not the other type. My friend is
part of a dancing group in Greece and organised to meet some dancers in London
for a night out.
Unfortunately that specific party wasn't that well
organised. It took place in a popular bar. The music changed from mainstream pop
to the oldies around 9pm. By that time, the people already in the bar had more
than a couple of drinks and didn't leave. The place remained really busy and
there was no place for actual dancing. Also, the floor was the wrong type and spilled
with sticky beer to allow the quick steps that some of the dances required. However, there was a number of people dressed
in 40s and 50s retro clothes and haircuts that with the music gave a nice
feeling to the event. The dancing remained at a minimum but was still nice.
Also, last Monday was my birthday! I happily turned 33! Yay!
Since it was on a Monday, I decided to celebrate it on Sunday. So I invited
some friends over for brunch, tea and coffee on Sunday afternoon since we would
all be having an early morning the next day. I baked a traditional spinach and
feta pie and some cheese bites. Our guest made a lovely quiche Lorraine and JJ
made a milk tart, an apple tart and a chocolate cake where I blew some candles!
Considering the fact that there were around 8 of us in total, I can say we ate
a lot! The day was really nice and sunny. After weeks and weeks of raining,
London was actually enjoying a sunny weekend. I hope my guests had a nice time!
I know I did and I thank them all for coming.
Our table is never empty (yes, that's my pie at the front)
On my actual birthday I brought lots of treats to the office
for the guys in my department. I've just moved to that building, so I don’t
know everybody that well. But I found all their emails and told them to help
themselves. I got a couple of replies from some people I closely work with but
other than that nothing! I even came face to face with a couple of people over
the coffee machine or the corridor but they didn't mention a thing! I wasn't
expecting to start a huge conversation, but a simple happy birthday would be
nice! The vast majority of developers are really antisocial! The ‘Big Bang
Theory’ is based on actual people! So, I’m still eating chokies at work from Monday.
J Afterwards, JJ, our
guests and me went to a nice Thai restaurant for dinner. Yummy…
So, as I was saying, the last week was a week of overindulgence.
I’m not complaining though, I had such a nice time. At the moment I’m thinking
of a small detox that might help my preparation for my half marathon next week!
Oh, look. Another cookie…
Belatedly: wishing you a very happy birthday with many happy returns.
ReplyDeleteThank you DTaylor. All the best to you too
DeleteIt sounds like you had a wonderful time - I'm so happy! Pardon my ignorance but what is a milk tart? All the food you described sounds yummy! I'm glad you had a great birthday, Nik! Behr Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMilk tart is a desert my boyfriend makes using his mother's recipe from South Africa. It's a very light desert with a fluffy sponge bottom and milk top with cinnamon. It's delicious and not that difficult to make. Should I find a recipe for you?
DeleteFirst time commenter here. I love this blog! I see your comments over on Jim's Stuff, and thought I should check out your blog. Looking forward to reading more. Oh, and the post about the "The Countryside" in the Peaks District was awesome. I want to get there some day.
ReplyDeleteI love England and everything about it (except driving on the wrong side of the road - who thought up that nonsense?). Been there twice, coming back again.
Peace <3
Jay
Thank you so much for the kind words Jay. I'll definitely take a look at your blog too.
DeleteThat Sunday spread looks pretty darn delicious. Belated birthday wishes.
ReplyDeletePS - I would've had some of your treats.
Thank you so much for the wishes BosGuy. :-)
Deletehappy (belated) birthday! all that food on the table looks delicious, you sure can cook up a great meal! somehow doesn't surprise me that developers are antisocial….anyway, hope you had a nice day :)
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteYes, my birthday was actually very nice... :-)