From A to B Via One Wheel

I’ve just been watching BBC One’s ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’ where one of the specialists purchased a unicycle. It reminded me of a rather unusual commuter experience I had last year – enjoy:

As I walked across the iconic London Bridge, the mandatory sea of people greeted me. As repetitive as this can be, I’m always on the lookout for that standout commuter: an exquisite scarf adding a brief colour-pop to the grey mass, a head-bopping suited-and-booted type in a world of his own, the tie-around-neck “late for work” semi-jogging businessman or my personal fave, the unicycling dare devil! Yep, you read that correctly, unicycling dare devil.

At first, I couldn’t quite fathom the young man’s motion. Roller skates, skateboard, levitation? As he approached, and the reactions of those around him became more obvious, I could see he was travelling on a unicycle! My initial thought was, how incredibly dangerous! But I quickly saw he was not only very skilled (and loving the attention) but providing us commuters with such a novel experience that his impromptu method of transport would’ve cheered up even the bluest of Monday’s.

This got me thinking. If I could travel to work my any means possible, how would I do it? The obvious spring to mind: jet pack, helicopter, teleportation. But, I would absolutely love to be able to get from A to B by gigantic zip line! Oh come on, who wouldn’t want to fasten themselves up for the rush of a life-time, every morning? Imagine the views, the lack of congestion, the sheer thrill of it all.

If anyone fancies pooling their savings to create such a thing, please get in touch, I’m game it you are!

Have You Seen Any A.R.K Recently?

Acts of Random Kindness are few and far between. I have been pleasantly surprised by the A.R.K witnessed recently: A bus driver saw a lady struggling with her shopping as she attempted to run to the bus stop; he deliberately pulled over, let her on and continued on his way Train driver makes an impromptu announcement hoping everyone on board was safe during the recent storm  Two teenage boys get up from their seats to assist an elderly gentleman struggling to alight the train  A train conductor goes out of his way to explain to a Spanish tourist the best way – on foot – from Buckingham Palace to Oxford Street – diagram included! A little girl compliments an exquisitely dressed lady on her “really pretty shoes”  A young boy’s phone battery cuts out mid-conversation so the passenger next to him offers the use of her phone See, us humans can be nice, it’s easier than you might think to brighten someone’s day. Go on, give it a try!

How to Nuke A Fish

It would appear the now ubiquitous TV cookery shows have taught us nothing. Please observe:

“Can you microwave a fish?” Mr Inquisitive.

“I’m sorry?” Mr Confused.

“Can you microwave a fish. How would it stay fresh tasting. Do you know?” Mr Inquisitive.

“Um, no. I have have no idea, mate,” Mr Confused.

It soon became apparent that the two men were unacquainted. Mainly by Mr Confused’s speedy attempt to find something interesting on his mobile phone.

“My wife doesn’t like microwaves. She won’t go near them,” Mr Inquisitive, “Do you know why?”

“I don’t. Why?” Mr Confused.

“She still thinks anyone who uses one will nuke themselves. She’s stuck in the old days,” Mr Inquisitive, “Well, I’ve bought us fish for dinner and I’m gonna try it out. I bet Nigella would know how to microwave a fish.”

“I’m sure she would,” Mr Confused, if a little amused.

I desperately wanted to hear the naturally logical outcome of this conversation, but alas, my stop was fast approaching. As I left the train, I could see Mr Inquisitive striking up another conversation with Mr Confused. Perhaps he was asking how to boil an egg. Now we all know, that’s one for Delia.

Somewhere Over the Rainbows (plural intentional)

There’s no denying it, the British weather has always proved fascinating to us natives. If we’re not talking about it (whether with genuine interest or as a means of small talk to get one out of an otherwise ‘awkward silence’ situation) we’re watching it: on TV, from the window of our home, car, work desk.   

After last night’s lashings of wind and rain (at one point I thought my fiancé had secretly fitted an open-air wet room to the kitchen – so much rain!) I was eager to see what, if any, damage had been done and what I could expect for the day ahead.  

Pleased to report all of our bins were still in tact, the neighbour’s chilli plant was still in its rightful place and the beautiful array of autumnal coloured leaves still on the tress – glorious. The forecast was mixed: “Another wet start to the day but sunshine for many of us this afternoon.” Hello brolly.

I’m quite a fan of rain as it happens; the after effects often so refreshing and calming. If I could bottle that ‘just rained’ smell it would be high on my fragrance list.    

As expected, my journey this morning was a little damp, but as my train left the station, a beautiful sight filled the window frame. Not one, but two rainbows! Rain may not be the most popular weather genres, but it certainly has its moments and this was definitely one of them. Enjoy!

 

What’s that Smell?

“It’s heavenly. Can you smell it?” girl with stylish grey beanie.

“Yeah. I love it,” girl with immaculate French mani, “smells like turkish delight. Oh, I could just do with a bar of that.”

I consider myself to have a highly developed scent detector; perfumes are most definitely my thing (read previous post – 5th July 2013). But my nose was failing me on this one, no taste of the turkish from where I was sitting.

“I feel like I’m sitting in a sweet shop,” girl with stylish grey beanie.

Still nothing. I decided to decipher, by process of elimination, which fellow commuter was wearing this “heavenly” scent:

1. Mature lady with Selfridges bags in tow – she would wear a perfume with authority and strength – high floral notes would feature in her signature scent. Dior’s J’adore, perhaps?

2. Burberry brolly lady – Burberry Weekend, naturally. A loyal customer who knows her own mind.

3. Toe-tapping iPod teen – Nothing too detailed, a unisex Calvin Klein with a fruity kick, ck be, the ideal candidate.

I was out of potential wearers. But the scent was starting to reach me; subtle floral notes, palma violets and all things sugary sweet. I was also getting a sudden craving for a bar of turkish delight.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I ask what scent you’re wearing?” girl with immaculate French mani.

“Sorry, I’m miles away,” flabbergasted MOI! “Am, it’s Guerlian’s Insolence. One of my faves.”

“We love it. Thanks,” happy girl with immaculate French mani.

I cannot deny it, I left the train with a rather jolly spring in my step, leaving an invisible trail of all things sweetness and light. Two rather stylish young ladies were admiring MY scent. It’s nice to be the wearer, it’s usually me asking those kind of questions (still a little embarrassed I completely overlooked the fact that I was wearing the “heavenly” scent).

 

 

 

Who Fancies Another Royal Wedding?

“It’s got to be her. One day she will be walking down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. You wait and see,” commuter A.

“Mmm, I’m going for her. More real-life, and that seems to appeal to them both. A sense of reality,” commuter B.

An article in this month’s Tatler magazine had definitely gripped the two ladies sitting opposite me. But I thought we knew who Harry was set to wed. Cressida Bonas, right?

“Do you think they planned it. The conception? commuter A.

“Ha, of course not. Well, I wouldn’t have thought so,” slightly hesitant commuter B.

Now I was getting confused; are we expecting another royal baby or a royal wedding, or both. How I longed for X-ray vision, or ‘Go Go Gadget eyes!’   

“If you and the other half get to it, maybe you’ll be the next grandma Middleton,” smug commuter B. 

“Alright, enough from you,” eyebrow-raising commuter B.

The ladies continued to scrutinise the pages, and as I left the train, I was able to sneak a peek at what they were reading. Finally it all made sense, a feature entitled: Who Will Marry Prince George? Of course! And who knows, perhaps I was sitting opposite a future royal grandma?

 

Is that an umbrella in your hand or are you just pleased to see me?

We’ve all been there, that unavoidable moment when our automatic umbrella unleashes its power without warning. Thankfully, my incident occurred in private. Knocking the release button as I packed by bag, I accidentally opened the umbrella into my stomach, and let me tell you, those things pack a punch! 

This evening’s bus journey was cold, damp and busy. The windows were condensed beyond belief and I was willing the traffic to move at the (safe) speed of light.

Passenger after passenger came and left; soaked to the skin. One young lady began to make her way to the exit door, her neon scarf catching my eye, as it appeared to bring the only colour-pop to this otherwise dull scene. As she stood at the door, there was a sudden jolt about her person, followed by a rather unexpected: “Ouch!”

“I am so sorry. It just went off. I am really, really sorry,” apologetic man.

I couldn’t quite work out what had happened. Had he trodden on her toe, beat her to the buzzer, perhaps? Slowly, it all fell into place.

It became apparent that the gentleman’s umbrella, now fully unfastened, had prematurely opened, into the young lady. Utterly embarrassing, but ever so slightly amusing.

The sheer suggestiveness of the whole incident had clearly caught not only my eye, but also my fellow passengers.

There’s a lesson for us all in this cautionary tale: Umbrella users beware; they are clearly weapons far, far beyond our control.

Magical Mystery Michelin Tour

I received a mysterious text from my brother on Thursday evening: “I’ve booked us into a restaurant in London Saturday evening. Michelin star. That cool with you?”

Hmm, let me think. Firstly, what a lovely gesture, secondly, we can catch up on my latest wedding plans and lastly, Michelin Star! Absolutely!

As we left for the city, my brother was keeping the location and cuisine close to his chest. And to be honest, not knowing where we were going made it all that more mysterious. I had no idea what was in store and I was super excited.

As we made our way across Waterloo concourse to the underground, I had a hungry spring in my step. “We’re going to a Michelin star restaurant” I wanted to shout to the weekend commuters, families and tourists. I deemed this slightly inappropriate and settled for a Cheshire cat style grin.

Alighting at Moorgate, my brother informed me we were going to HKK London, the cities latest restaurant to gain the much-coveted Michelin star.

As a devoted fan of Asian cuisine, and a soon-to-be Mrs Chan, I was delighted. As we entered the dimly lit HKK, I could see the chefs hard at work; the kitchen is in full view of guests and this added to the authenticity of our experience.

HKK pride themselves on their traditional style and constantly evolving menu. We were booked in for their eight-course taster menu, sampling some of the restaurants glorious banqueting style dishes.

From start to finish, we were treated like royalty. The staff were more than attentive, polite and informative, explaining each beautifully crafted dish in detail and going out of their way to reassure me exactly how the vegetarian dishes I was sampling, had been created.

Attention to detail is in every part of HKK, from the delicately placed orchids to the beautiful lighting that punctuates the restaurants moody décor. But the food is where things truly come to life.

From the first course, we were left open mouthed at the quality of produce, presentation and taste. The delicately placed Vegetarian Dim Sum Trilogy, with accompanying paintbrush and dish of soy sauce so exquisitely placed, left me speechless. Each dish looked too good to eat. The Jasmine Tea Smoked Vegetarian Duck with Pan-Mee was so full of flavour that if I shut my eyes, I can still taste every little morsel.

Vegetarian Dim Sum Trilogy

 Jasmine Tea Smoked Vegetarian Duck with Pan-Mee

I am all too often left uninspired by the lack of variety and quality seen in vegetarian food. There are so many fantastic ingredients available and in my opinion, HKK has completely revolutionised any past experience I have had. The eight samples I tasted have set a completely new benchmark for vegetarian food and I can say with confidence, they could easily lead the way in this genre of cooking.

My brother’s meat dishes were equally as divine and he was as taken-aback as I was. The quality was unquestionable.

The refreshing desserts were so thoughtfully choreographed that every ingredient was given a chance to shine.

As our experience came to an end, we were introduced to the chef behind our stunning meal; he stamped our peronalised menus and appeared as happy to be serving us, as we were to eat his spectacular food.

Our entire experience at HKK was one we will always remember. This is not something most of us get the opportunity to do every day but if you get a chance to visit HKK…GO! The authenticity of their cuisine and immeasurable service was second to none and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

Personalised menu

You Are What You Read

People’s reading material on public transport always intrigues me. The tabloid freebies, crosswords and the latest literary fads are a given, but when I spy something a little unusual, my mind gets to work on ‘the person behind the pages’.

I’ve seen some corkers this week and now have another collection of must-reads to add to my list:

• The female reader of Leon is clearly planning a culinary extravaganza. Being an avid customer of Leon’s, I can guarantee the recipient is in for a fresh, wholesome feast – lip-smackingly good.
• Katie Fforde’s, A Perfect Proposal, a true romantic or a heart-broken beauty? Couldn’t make my mind up about this mysterious lady, but she was more than engrossed – page turner would be an understatement.
• Next up, an intense character who craves knowledge. The Proper Study of Mankind: An Anthology of Essays, Isaiah Berlin, not for the absent minded or easily distracted. This gentleman thrives in a structured, focussed environment, not great at multi-tasking though, had trouble opening the train window (happens to us all).
• My dark horse of the week goes to the timid looking school girl with a penchant for good taste, The Man Who Sold The World: David Bowie and the 1970s, Peter Doggett. An iconic musician who is no doubt well on his way to inspiring this young girl, like many before her.

It makes a change to see some real books on the move. And trying to figure out the person behind them, makes a creative out of us all.

Now There’s A Plan!

Discussing the economy, claiming benefits and unemployment will never go out of fashion. Each generation will have difficulties to overcome.

It’s comforting therefore, to hear the far too often negatively labelled ‘yoof of today’, maturely discussing their future plans; analysing the options available to them along with their career aspirations.

Overhearing two young ladies have this very conversation as they made their way to Clapham Junction’s platform 11, made me feel…well, words couldn’t possibly explain.

“I can’t wait to leave college. I’m gonna get myself pregnant, have a couple of kids and live off benefits. I’m sorted.”

Bless ’em. Almost future proof.