2011 - A Year in Review
2011 Country of Living: England in LONDON!
A bit of a mixed year of fortunes. We were told we had to leave our flat at 22 Noko in July so we had to find a new place to live. Luckily we found a wonderful house with a front and back yard a few miles away from our old flat but the same distance from the city. The house is nice but transport is not as good as the old flat.
Mel had eye surgery on October 22nd so she no longer has to wear glasses. Something she always wanted to do…She looks very different now!
A new addition to the “family” is Casper - A 6 year old Persian cat that we picked up from a shelter on October 5th. He had some problems (he came to us shaved) but he is much better now. He does look a bit odd though…
Ok, he looks a lot better now than this early picture shows him…
Travel
Not a lot of travelling…
- April - Rome for Easter
- August - Visit to Canada to see family
We also had some visitors…
- January - Mel's friend Heather from her Chorus in Canada (North Metro Chorus and her husband met us for dinner (and some music) at Sarastro's
- April - My friend Sian I knew from my volunteer work in The Gambia (now living in Malaysia) came to visit for a few days.
- June - My aunt Elaine and my cousin Jenny, both of whom I have not seen in years, came to visit.
- October/December - Mother visited on her way to volunteer again at the hospital in Zimbabwe and again on her return visit in December.
Events
Every week I try to attend a free recital held during lunch hour on Wednesdays just down the road from my office at The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West. Earlier in the year I also attend free concerts at the City of London Festival as well (free concerts during lunch hours as well).
There were quite a number of interesting things we saw throughout the year such as:
February
- 6th - London (Trafalgar Square) - Chinese New Year
- 11th - London (Prince of Wales Theatre) - Mamma Mia!
- 25th - London (British Library) - Tour of the British Library
March
- 3rd - London (New Wimbledon Theatre) - Jekyll and Hyde
- 6th - London - Kensal Green Cemetary Catacombs Tour
- 11th - London (Criterion Theatre) - 39 Steps
- 26th - London - THE Boat Race - Between Oxford and Cambridge on the Thames - We were there
- 29th - London (Cineworld Haymarket) - Brazil - Presented by Jonathan Pryce
April
- 14th - London (Novello Theatre) - Betty Blue Eyes
- 27th - London (The Mall, Buckingham Palace) - Royal Wedding of Prince William & Catherine Middleton - Yes, we were on the Mall all night waiting - Was worth it!
- 30th - London (Little Venice) - Canalway Cavalcade 2011 (Canal Boat Festival)
May
- 7th - London (Excel) - Grand Designs Live
- 10th - London - Wicked Outing with Whatsonstage.com Theatre Club
- 16th - London (Cadogan Hall) - CVMS School Concert
- 17th - London (Barbican) - 39 Steps with Paul Merton
- 24th - London (Cineworld Haymarket) - Monty Python Live of Brian - Introduced by Terry Jones
June
- 4th - London (Regents Park) - Green Day
- 5th - London (Regent Street) - Taste of Spain (Food and Culture)
- 17th - London (Regents Park) - Taste of London
July
- 9th - London (The 02) - Neil Diamond
- 16th - London (Open Air Theatre, Regents Park) - The Beggar's Opera
- 23rd - London (Olympia Two) - Hyper Japan 2011
- 30th - London (Arts Theatre) - Park Avenue Cat
August
- 6th - London (Barbican) - Watch Me Move: The Animation Show
- 13th - London (Walpole Park Ealing) - A Fistful of Film (MGM film festival featuring a “Fistful of Dollars”)
September
- 10th - London (Hyde Park) - Proms in the Park
- 18th - London (County Hall) - 2011 Matsuri Japan
- 18th - London (Westminster) - Open House London
- 24th - London (British Library) - Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it
October
- 2nd - London (Wigmore Hall) - The Purcell School Solo Recitals
- 9th - London (Oxford Circus) - Dinner at Ping Pong
- 18th - London (BFI Southbank) - “Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below” Premiere as part of London Film Festival
- 18th - London (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) - An Evening with Terry Pratchett
- 19th - London (Aldwych Theatre) - Cool Hand Luke
November
- 5th - London (Ravenscourt Park) - Bonfire Night
December
- 6th - London (Kensington) - Whole Foods - Festive Meat Masterclass
- 12th - London (The Old Vic) - Noises Off
- 20th - London - Oxo Tower Restaurant - Anniversary
Reviews of the Year
Books
- And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer (2009)
- chindi by Jack McDevitt (2002)
- Embassytown by China Miéville (2011)
- Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett (2003)
- Old Twentieth by Joe Haldeman (2005)
- The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (1987)
- The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (2009)
- The Gunslinger by Stephen King (1982)
- The Waste Lands by Stephen King (1993)
- The Winds of Dune by Kevin J. Anderson, and Brian Herbert (2009)
Films
- 9 (2010)
- Australia (2008)
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
- Monsters (2010)
- Senna (2010)
- Summer Wars (Samâ uôzu) (2009)
- The Help (2011)
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
Restaurants
- Benares Restaurant and Bar (Indian) London Mayfair
- Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers (American/British) London Kensington
- Cafe Pacifico Covent Garden (Mexican) London Covent Garden
- Chilango (Mexican) London Holborn
- Fire and Stone (Italian) London Covent Garden
- Giraffe (American/British) London Stratford
- J Sheekey Fish and Sea Food Restaurant (Seafood) London Covent Garden
- Jom Makan (Malaysian) London Shepherd's Bush
- Jumbuck's Cafe (Australian) London Shepherd's Bush NOW CLOSED
- Kimchee (Korean) London Holborn
- Koya (Japanese (Noodle Bar)) London Soho
- Mister Pumpernink (Pizza) London Holland Park
- OXO Tower Restaurant (French) London Southwark
- Pizza Metro Pizza (Italian) London Notting Hill
- Pu's Brasserie (Thai) London Holborn
- Roux at Parliament Square (French) London Westminster
- Sagano (Japanese (Sushi)) London Shepherd's Bush NOW CLOSED
- Spuntino (American/British) London Soho NOW CLOSED
- Sushi Hiroba (Japanese (Sushi)) London Covent Garden
- TGI Friday's (American/British) London Covent Garden
Next Year
The Olympics finally arrive in London! In 2011 we learned that we received tickets for quite a number of events (after coordinating ticket purchases by both myself and Mel here in the UK and my mother in Canada). Mother and I are going skiing in March (Val d'Isere), which will be nice after a few years hiatus.
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Visit here for my review of 2010.