PhotoHunt ~ Public

The PhotoHunt for today is Public

Public transportation is the ONLY way to get around London . . . This is the view form the Number 11.

Check for all the other Public Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Gray

Today we are photohunting Gray ~

London can be a very 'gray' town.
No matter what the season.

Except for the pop of Red.

That bit of red in a phone booth, a train or a bus . . . just brightens things up.

I LoVe London.

Check for all the other Photos in Shades of Gray on The Saturday PhotoHunt

Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~Boogie

The PhotoHunt for today is 'Boogie'
Here my sister Holly and I are ready to go high steppin' in London.
I'm just glad there isn't a video of us doing the Boogie ~

And Boogie we did ~

Check for all the other Boogie Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

It's beginning to feel like market season~

I haven't been very good about posting on Traveling Tuesday ~ But it is beginning to feel a little like spring here.
That means Market time~

Markets in Alabama are a long way from the street markets in London ~ these photos are from Holly's local Pimlico Organic Market.
Maybe they aren't so different after all. . .

I'm thinking Fried Green Tomaotes ~
It's always fun to wander . . . and have a 'taste and a chat'

Even the signs are so very british.

Maybe we should have picked up one of 'lil Jack Horner's pies'

I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Swanky

The PhotoHunt for today is 'Swanky'
I could have posted photo's of us at Mardi-Gras ~ putting our 'swank' on . . .

Instead, I think I'll share a swanky pub in Brighton . . .
'The Riddle and Fin'

It is beautifully casual ~ SWANKY for sure.

and a great place to get champagne and oysters. . .

Isn't that what everyone eats when they take a day trip from London to Brighton Beach?

Check for all the other Swanky Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Scrumptious~

The PhotoHunt for today is 'Scrumptious'

The perfect opportunity to scrounge through my photos from London . . .

The local market in Sloane Square was a scrumptious place to do our Saturday morning shopping.

Little pies from 'Little Jack Horner'

Scrumptious locally grown tomatoes . . .
and fresh eggs.
I see a proper breakfast right around the corner.

Literally . . . just a walk around the corner.

Check for all the other  Scrumptious Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

~ Malta ~

I am going to combine my ' Monday Blues ' and my ' Traveling Tuesdays ' . . . with a trip to the beautiful blues of Malta.

I can't exactly say the bright and sunny blues of Malta . . .
Because, we were there for the windiest and rainiest weather they had seen in months.

The Maltese islands are south of Sicily and north of the North African coast. 
Imagine the wind and rain being carried with the sands of the Saraha desert.
Their culture is an interesting mix of Italian, Arabic, and British.

We had a fabulous guide ; Victoria Bezzina is a young Maltese local who kept us amazed and entertained with her stories about the history of the island. This is her link On-Line

We learned a lot about the Maltese Knights, or as you might have heard 'The Knights of St.John'. You could see the old Maltese cross on most of the 365 churches in the country.
I didn't realize that they were a catholic order, straight from the Vatican.
The 8 points of the cross, represented the coutry origin of the knights . . . Except for the little problem when King Henry VIII changed to the church of England.  THAT is history!

With all the churches in Malta . . . there are even more harbors.
Of course there is a strong history of pirates in the Maltese Islands, and trade of salts and spices from the Mediterranian.

During the second world war, Malta was a British colony and was heavily bombed.
The Maltese people lived behind these city walls to survive.

Malta is not a place that I had ever thought of visiting... but luckily I was able to tag along with my sister's friends from the American Women's Club of London.
Not a place that had been on my 'bucket list' ~ but I'm so glad I was able to experience it. Especially with friends and Victoria as our guide.

The last day we were able to get a peak of the blue skies . . . along with a couple more of those 365 churches in Valetta. I'll take you traveling there another day . . .

Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues and Boogie Board Cottage for Masterpiece Monday.
Y'all enjoy ~

Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Flow

The Photohunt for today is Flow.

What better than the FLOW of London traffic?

Check for all the other  Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesday ~ Day Tripping

This Traveling Tuesday ~ let's hop the train and go day tripping to Brighton.

Just a hour or 2 on the train south from Victoria Station . . . and you come into the beautiful Brighton rail station.
This is just the beginning of the amazing Victorian style in this town.

The most amazing building in Brighton is the  Royal Pavilion . . . and I mean the most amazing as in I HAVE EVER SEEN.
It was built in the 1800's for the Regent Prince ~ soon to be King George IV. It was first his play house, then his show house.
It is so over the top, with ginormous chandeliers, and ornate oriental/Moroccan design. No photos inside ~ but they wouldn't have shown the scale or magnificence.
It's no wonder that Queen Victoria found it to be gaudy.

We then wandered through the narrow lanes to the Brighton Pier. (with a little shopping along the way) Of course we had to stop for some fish and chips.

If it looks cold . . . that's because we are on the coast of the United Kingdom.
It was wet and COLD!

But fun ~
No wonder King George and all his friends loved to go day-tripping to Brighton.


Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

High Tea on a Blue Monday

What would a trip to London be, without going to High Tea with your girlfriends?

We had a special reservation at the Fortnum and Mason's Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon ~ so special.

Fortnum and Mason is the place to buy loose tea and all kinds of goodies . . .  Everything is packaged in the iconic tiffany blue ~ .

I quickly learned that there is a certain art to enjoying a proper tea.
We each had our own individual tea pots with a silver tea strainer. We had a sip of bubbly champagne and a toast to new and old friendships.

Our table was soon crowded with 3 layer tea stands. Each stand had a collection of sandwiches; cucumber with mint, salmon with lemon, and beef with onion preserves. Then the plate of fresh scones with clotted cream and lemon curd. The top plate was a collection of sweets.
Even better . . . ours were all gluten-free.

My favorite was the coronation chicken salad ~ a special recipe for the Queen.

The beautiful blue and gold tea service was so special . . . I resisted bringing one home.

Having tea at home would just not be the same without the baby grand playing in the background.

Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues and Boogie Board Cottage for her Masterpiece Monday.
Y'all enjoy ~

Sandi

Friday Favorite ~Hats

Have you ever heard the saying "he could have fun with a stick"
Well . . . just imagine me.
with a camera.
in the hat department at Peter Jones in Sloane Square.

I had the time of my life ~

Like a kid in a candy store . . .

acting like a queen ~

or perhaps the Duchess of  Cambridge.

What is your favorite today?
I am linking to Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest. (especially since I only played, and didn't buy a one of them)
Y'all join in~
 Sandi