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Dr John Hawkins
Welcome to my bit of the Maison de Stuff,
home to a huge load of pictures,
and my daily blog.
My email address is as above - I've put it in an image in a vein attempt to reduce the amount of spam I get.
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- Recent Entries:
- Paris
Wednesday in Rome
Tuesday in Rome
Monday in Rome
Genoa and Pisa
Florence and Pisa
London to Florence
Wedding Anniversary
Protest
Arrivals from Japan
Sunday
Cereal Killer
Wednesday
Greek Gods
Matilda the Musical
Japanese School and Nerf
Friday
Chie Off to Japan
Jelly Tots
Rain
Vegan Sushi
Polegate to Berwick
Cider Fair
Soho
Sugrue Harvest Box
Crisps
Alice's Party
Friday
The Bounty
What a Difference a Day Makes
Garden Check
Monday
Erika's Birthday Party
More Porcini
Porcini and Primrose Hill
Heron Farm
Erika's Birthday
Monday
Dimsum and Shoe Shopping
Gardening and Courgette Flowers
Pineapple and Champagne
Back to London
Monday in Monaco
St. Paul de Vence to Nice to Monaco
Saturday in St. Paul de Vence
To The Cote d'Azur
South Downs: Hassocks to Fulking
Bang Bang and Wines of England Tasting
Camber Sands and Rye
Garden by Candlelight
Ice cream
Tomatoes
Whitstable
Cissbury Ring to Chanctonbury Ring
Lost Boys Pizza
Wednesday
Lunch at the Pineapple
Heading Home
Day After Vera's Party
Vera's 100th Birthday
Arriving at the Farmhouse
Bluberries
St Pancras
Sabrage
Sunday
Greenwich Park
Friday
Dentist and Oliveto
Back to London
Tuesday in Devon
Burgh Island
Dartmoor
Dawlish
Office
Internet Troubles
Welsh Sparkling Wine Tasting
Tuesday
Din Tai Fung
Hitchin Lavender
Henfield to Steyning
Last Day of Term
Davenport
Lavender
Vine Leaves
Dinner with Kyle and Al
Chap Flaneur Walk
Saturday
Primrose Hill
Heron Farm
Temple of Seitan
Ethiopian Food
Monday
Sunday
Japanese School Sports Day and Summer Fair
George Inn
BBQ
Champagne For a Change
Sports Day
Garden Check
Picnic on Hampstead Heath
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- Paris
 [Friday 25th October 2019]
Most of the morning on the sleeper train, arrived into Paris towards the end of the morning and proceeded to have a not particularly successful time in the French capital before eventually just giving up and getting an earlier Eurostar back to London.
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- Wednesday in Rome
 [Wednesday 23rd October 2019]
Went to see the Forum and the Colosseum in the morning, then did nothing much in particular for the rest of the day other than eating and drinking.
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- Tuesday in Rome
 [Tuesday 22nd October 2019]
More sightseeing punctuated with food and drink, the main event today being a visit to the Vatican Museum.
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- Monday in Rome
 [Monday 21st October 2019]
Took the Frecciabianca from Pisa to Rome in the morning, then spent the afternoon and evening in Rome exploring the sights within walking distance of our apartment there - the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.
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- Genoa and Pisa
 [Sunday 20th October 2019]
Took the Frecciabianca from Pisa to Genoa in the morning where I met up with Ricardo and Katherine who were also in Italy for a few days, and had lunch at old favourite Osteria di Vico Palla. Back to Pisa towards the end of the afternoon to meet Chie, Erika and Yoko-san who had flown there from London and would be joining me for the rest of the trip.
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- Florence and Pisa
 [Saturday 19th October 2019]
Spent the daytime in Florence chez Lorenzo, ending with a shortened version of the traditional Negroni crawl (at old favourites Rivoire and Gilli), then moved on to Pisa in the evening.
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- London to Florence
 [Friday 18th October 2019]
Eurostar from London to Paris, TGV from Paris to Turin, then Frecciarossa from Turin to Florence.
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- Wedding Anniversary
 [Thursday 17th October 2019]
Chie and I went out for a quick drink as a nod to our wedding anniversary.
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- Protest
 [Wednesday 16th October 2019]
Went to the office today, and was actually trapped in around lunchtime for a couple of hours thanks to Extinction Rebellion protests.
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- Arrivals from Japan
 [Tuesday 15th October 2019]
Chie flew back from Japan today, and brought her Mum back with her.
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- Sunday
 [Sunday 13th October 2019]
Erika went to a party in the afternoon and I opted for some grown up time in the pub with Ricardo.
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- Cereal Killer
 [Saturday 12th October 2019]
Took Erika to Cereal Killer, the cereal themed cafe in the morning.
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- Wednesday
 [Wednesday 9th October 2019]
Erika went to play at a friend's house in the early evening so I had a quick visit to the Pineapple.
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- Greek Gods
 [Monday 7th October 2019]
In the evening Erika and I made some drawings of Greek gods, in keeping with her current topic at school.
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- Matilda the Musical
 [Sunday 6th October 2019]
Took Erika and her friend to see Matlida the Musical. Both Erika and I thought it was very good.
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- Japanese School and Nerf
 [Saturday 5th October 2019]
Took Erika to her Japanese school in the morning, and tried to pass the time while she was there in Brent Cross shopping centre, which was frankly hard work. Bought ESW and Nerf guns which provided the entertainment for the remainder of the day.
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- Friday
 [Friday 4th October 2019]
Was hoping to have an end of the week drink but the bottle was faulty! Later on took Erika for an ice cream.
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- Chie Off to Japan
 [Thursday 3rd October 2019]
Chie flew off to Japan today. I took Erika and her friend out for dinner to Wahaca in the evening.
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- Jelly Tots
 [Tuesday 1st October 2019]
Erika and I had some Jelly Tots.
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- Rain
 [Monday 30th September 2019]
It was raining today.
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- Vegan Sushi
 [Sunday 29th September 2019]
Went to Selfridges to try vegan sushi. It wasn't very good to be honest.
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- Polegate to Berwick
 [Saturday 28th September 2019]
Went for a walk in the South Downs, from Polegate to Berwick.
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- Cider Fair
 [Friday 27th September 2019]
Went to the cider fair at Canopy Market for a bit.
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- Soho
 [Thursday 26th September 2019]
Met up with Jim and Ricardo in Soho for a bit in the evening.
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- Sugrue Harvest Box
 [Tuesday 24th September 2019]
Received a Sugrue "Harvest Box" today and tried one of the bottles in the evening.
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- Crisps
 [Sunday 22nd September 2019]
Erika and I went for a walk to Hampstead Heath and sat on a bench eating salt and vinegar crisps. It was lovely.
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- Alice's Party
 [Saturday 21st September 2019]
Lunch at the Pineapple followed by Alice's party.
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- Friday
 [Friday 20th September 2019]
Lunch at Temple of Camden.
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- The Bounty
 [Thursday 19th September 2019]
As it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day I had arranged to go to The Bounty (the most piratey pub I know) with a couple of friends who still live in the Reading area, and coincidentally are both called Simon.
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- What a Difference a Day Makes
 [Wednesday 18th September 2019]
Much progress in the garden just in the last 24 hours!
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- Garden Check
 [Tuesday 17th September 2019]
Usual check on the state of things in the garden - another rose has bloomed and two of the tomatoes are a really good size now.
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- Monday
 [Monday 16th September 2019]
Spent most of today being annoyed by various things.
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- Erika's Birthday Party
 [Sunday 15th September 2019]
Erika's birthday party at Jackson's Lane Theatre.
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- More Porcini
 [Saturday 14th September 2019]
Went to Borough Market to buy some hideously overpriced porcini (one of which turned out to be infested with maggots!). Also bought an English black truffle which seemed like comparatively good value and was in much better condition. Porcini for a late lunch and truffles with spaetzle for dinner.
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- Porcini and Primrose Hill
 [Friday 13th September 2019]
Went for lunch at Olivomare as it was porcini season and they had fresh porcini on the menu. In the evening went to Primrose Hill for a late picnic with one of Erika's friends from school.
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- Heron Farm
 [Thursday 12th September 2019]
Tried another vintage of the sparkling wine from Heron Farm this evening, a vineyard owned by one of the fellow attendees on my viticulture course.
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- Erika's Birthday
 [Tuesday 10th September 2019]
Just a couple of pictures from Erika's birthday today, with the party still to look forward to this coming weekend.
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- Monday
 [Monday 9th September 2019]
Just one picture of an amusing poster I saw at work.
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- Dimsum and Shoe Shopping
 [Sunday 8th September 2019]
Went into the centre of London for dimsum at our usual haunt followed by some shoe shopping.
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- Gardening and Courgette Flowers
 [Saturday 7th September 2019]
I went to Parliament Hill Farmer's Market this morning, and amongst other things bought some courgette flowers. Went with Erika in the afternoon to buy compost for the tomato plants and then in the evening fried courgette flowers for dinner.
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- Pineapple and Champagne
 [Friday 6th September 2019]
Persuaded the usual suspects to come to Kentish Town for the evening, starting at the Pineapple for beer and Thai food then onto the French deli / wine bar place for some nichey small grower Champagne.
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- Back to London
 [Tuesday 3rd September 2019]
Breakfast out on the terrace of our hotel before heading back to London.
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- Monday in Monaco
 [Monday 2nd September 2019]
Breakfast at our hotel, lunch at the pasta place in La Condamine market, then most of the rest of the afternoon spent back at the hotel on the beach and in the swimming pool. Dinner at Il Giardino later on.
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- St. Paul de Vence to Nice to Monaco
 [Sunday 1st September 2019]
Checked out of our hotel in St. Paul de Vence and decided to get a taxi to Nice for a very early lunch at Rene Socca, then took a second taxi from there to our hotel for the next two nights in Monaco.
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- Saturday in St. Paul de Vence
 [Saturday 31st August 2019]
Breakfast at our hotel, followed by a morning swim, then a stroll into town for lunch at Cafe de La Place. After lunch we walked to the Fondation Maeght to look at some sculpture, then back to the hotel for another swim. In the early evening, back into St. Paul de Vence for an early evening aperitif at Chez Andreas, then dinner at Obatik, then finishing off with gelato and aa digestif on the ramparts catching the tail end of the sunset.
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- To The Cote d'Azur
 [Friday 30th August 2019]
Flew down to Nice, and then headed from the airport to St. Paul de Vence, where we'd be spending our first two nights.
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- South Downs: Hassocks to Fulking
 [Monday 26th August 2019]
A fairly randomly planned route today, mainly chosen because I wanted a relatively short train journey and wanted to see what the pub in Fulking was like. It actually turned out to be a very pleasant walk though - despite the heat - and I took in some lesser known paths which turned out to be quite lovely.
Read more here.
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- Bang Bang and Wines of England Tasting
 [Sunday 25th August 2019]
Lunch at the food hall in Bang Bang, the East Asian shopping centre in Colindale (which many years ago used to be Yaohan Plaza), followed by the Wines of England tasting at Canopy Market in Kings Cross.
Read more here.
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- Camber Sands and Rye
 [Saturday 24th August 2019]
Took Erika to the beach at Camber Sands then dinner in Rye on the way back.
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- Garden by Candlelight
 [Friday 23rd August 2019]
A picture of the garden by candlelight in the evening.
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- Ice cream
 [Thursday 22nd August 2019]
Took Erika for a late ice cream (well sorbet) in the evening.
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- Tomatoes
 [Tuesday 20th August 2019]
Checked in on the tomatoes growing in the back garden.
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- Whitstable
 [Sunday 18th August 2019]
Daytrip to Whitstable in the now time honoured tradition to sit on the balcony of one of the fishermen's huts drinking ESW.
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- Cissbury Ring to Chanctonbury Ring
 [Saturday 17th August 2019]
Took Chie and Erika down to the South Downs for a walk from Cissbury Ring to Chanctonbury Ring.
Read more here.
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- Lost Boys Pizza
 [Friday 16th August 2019]
Went for dinner at Lost Boys Pizza in Camden with Erika and Ricardo.
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- Wednesday
 [Wednesday 14th August 2019]
Got a base for the compost bin today, which meant taking all the compost out of the bin and shoveling it all back in again in the evening. Rewarded myself with some GevCham.
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- Lunch at the Pineapple
 [Tuesday 13th August 2019]
Back at work today, but went for lunch with Erika and Chie at the Pineapple.
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- Heading Home
 [Monday 12th August 2019]
Left the farmhouse this morning, and popped in to Vera and Robin's house briefly to take a look at the card from the Queen and say our goodbyes before heading back to London.
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- Day After Vera's Party
 [Sunday 11th August 2019]
Festivities continuing at the farmhouse in between a steady steam of goodbyes.
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- Vera's 100th Birthday
 [Saturday 10th August 2019]
The main event of Vera's 100th Birthday weekend.
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- Arriving at the Farmhouse
 [Friday 9th August 2019]
Took the train from London to Bristol in the morning, then picked upa Zipcar in Bristol and drove to Abergavenny. Did a bit of shopping at Waitrose, and made a quick visit to White Castle vineyard, before heading over to the farmhouse where we'd be staying for the weekend, and spent the rest of the day greeting various relatives as they arrived.
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- Bluberries
 [Thursday 8th August 2019]
Picked some blueberries from the blueberry bush in our garden.
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- St Pancras
 [Wednesday 7th August 2019]
Met up with Chie and Erika in St Pancras after work so we could get Vera a birthday present, then took Erika for cocktails (!) at George's Bar at Gilbert Scott, followed by dinner at Diwana on Drummond Street.
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- Sabrage
 [Tuesday 6th August 2019]
Spot of sabrage in the evening to reward myself for dealing with boring domestic issues today - our bins hadn't been collected for the last few weeks.
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- Sunday
 [Sunday 4th August 2019]
Mostly stayed at home, and had a foodie sort of a day - Lion's Mane mushroom for breakfast, and Erika's home made soup for lunch.
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- Greenwich Park
 [Saturday 3rd August 2019]
Florian and family were visiting London for the weekend, so we went to see them for a picnic in Greenwich Park this afternoon.
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- Friday
 [Friday 2nd August 2019]
Worked from home, lunch at the Pineapple.
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- Dentist and Oliveto
 [Thursday 1st August 2019]
Went to the dentist followed by lunch at Oliveto and gelato at Olivogelo.
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- Back to London
 [Wednesday 31st July 2019]
Morning in Starcross, lunch in Exeter Quayside, then the train back to London in the afternoon.
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- Tuesday in Devon
 [Tuesday 30th July 2019]
Breakfast on Burgh Island before reluctantly checking out. Got a taxi from there to Tones, where we stopped off at Blue China to do some pottery painting, before getting the train back from there to Starcross. Dinner at the Anchor in Cockwood.
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- Burgh Island
 [Monday 29th July 2019]
Went to stay on Burgh Island.
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- Dartmoor
 [Sunday 28th July 2019]
Went to Dartmoor for the day.
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- Dawlish
 [Saturday 27th July 2019]
Got the train down to Devon in the morning, and spent the afternoon in Dawlish.
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- Office
 [Friday 26th July 2019]
Picture from the terrace at the office.
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- Internet Troubles
 [Thursday 25th July 2019]
Broadband still very unreliable. Took a picture of the "cabinet" out in the street as I had a theory it was overheating.
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- Welsh Sparkling Wine Tasting
 [Wednesday 24th July 2019]
Held a Welsh sparkling wine tasting at the London Welsh Centre this evening.
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- Tuesday
 [Tuesday 23rd July 2019]
A few random pictures.
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- Din Tai Fung
 [Monday 22nd July 2019]
Went for dinner at Din Tai Fung, the new Taiwanese dumping restaurant in London.
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- Hitchin Lavender
 [Sunday 21st July 2019]
Went to visit Hitchin Lavender for the afternoon.
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- Henfield to Steyning
 [Saturday 20th July 2019]
I decided today to walk part of the route of Hilaire Belloc's The Four Men, from Henfield to Steyning.
Read more here.
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- Last Day of Term
 [Friday 19th July 2019]
Erika's last day of term, school finished early so I took the afternoon off work and took Erika to the cinema to see Secret Life of Pets 2.
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- Davenport
 [Thursday 18th July 2019]
Some Davenport Limney Estate in the garden.
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- Lavender
 [Wednesday 17th July 2019]
Just one picture, of the lavender.
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- Vine Leaves
 [Tuesday 16th July 2019]
Inspected some of the leaves from the vines in my back garden.
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- Dinner with Kyle and Al
 [Monday 15th July 2019]
Out for dinner with Kyle and Al in Fitzrovia.
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- Chap Flaneur Walk
 [Sunday 14th July 2019]
Joined the Flaneur Walk through St. James's and Soho organised by the Chap Magazine.
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- Saturday
 [Saturday 13th July 2019]
Hat shopping in the morning in St. James's then spent the afternoon with Erika in and around home.
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- Primrose Hill
 [Friday 12th July 2019]
Drinks on Primrose Hill because Gemma was back in town for a while.
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- Heron Farm
 [Thursday 11th July 2019]
Tried the sparkling wine from Heron Farm this evening, the vineyard owned by one of my fellow students from the viticulture course.
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- Temple of Seitan
 [Wednesday 10th July 2019]
Went to Temple of Seitan for lunch.
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- Ethiopian Food
 [Tuesday 9th July 2019]
Erika had a late playdate so Chie and I went out for an early dinner at one of the nearby Ethiopian restaurants (yes there are several!).
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- Monday
 [Monday 8th July 2019]
Went out for breakfast with Erika before school, and got the result from my vinegrowing course today.
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- Sunday
 [Sunday 7th July 2019]
Played Sylvanian Families with Erika in the morning, and she went to a party in the afternoon.
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- Japanese School Sports Day and Summer Fair
 [Saturday 6th July 2019]
Busy day, with Erika's Japanese school's sports day in the morning followed by her regular school's summer fair in the afternoon.
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- George Inn
 [Friday 5th July 2019]
Early evening drinks at the George Inn.
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- BBQ
 [Thursday 4th July 2019]
Nice weather so had a barbecue this evening.
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- Champagne For a Change
 [Wednesday 3rd July 2019]
Champagne rather than ESW for a change.
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- Sports Day
 [Tuesday 2nd July 2019]
Erika's school sports day.
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- Garden Check
 [Monday 1st July 2019]
Current state of the garden.
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- Picnic on Hampstead Heath
 [Sunday 30th June 2019]
Went for a picnic on Hampstead Heath for lunch.
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