To Do List 2

In 2008 I made a To Do list of things in London I wanted to get around to doing. I thought it was time to revisit my list, especially as my life is about to change so dramatically.

This is my list from 2008.

• See a play (or two) at the Globe
• Join an orchestra - done, see www.rodingplayers.co.uk
• Go to the open air Shakespeare at Regent's Park
• Go on the London Eye - done (twice, but always worth a go, and never without a camera)
• Go on a Jack the Ripper tour
• Visit Spitalfields Market
• Find a good, and not extortionate, Sushi restaurant

My mum brought up a couple more:

• Visit Columbia Road Flower Market
• Visit Petticoat Lane

To my shame I have only got around to completing three of those goals, and I had already joined the orchestra. To my further shame, a lovely sushi restaurant opened up in Barking, virtually on my door step, but I only went twice, and now it has closed down. Not my fault entirely, I know. Perhaps Barking is just not ready to swap chicken and chips for sushi, but I could have patronised it more regularly. I have been to Spitalfields a couple of times now and think it is wonderful. Definitely somewhere I'll go again especially since they are dog friendly.

So my new list goes like this:

• See a play (or two) at the Globe
• Go to the open air Shakespeare at Regent's Park
• Go on the London Eye with my daughter and a camera
• Go on a Jack the Ripper tour
• Visit Columbia Road Flower Market
• Visit Petticoat Lane
• See WestSide Story at Sadler's Wells
• See War Horse

I am sure that there are more things I can add, but at and average of 3 met goals in 5 years and the hopeful addition of a daughter next month, I think it will do for now!

My Little Wildlife Sanctuary

I recently had a visit from a council tree surgeon regarding the big Leylandii trees overhanging my garden. He concluded the trees were fine and healthy, so I'll have to live with them. However he was also quite taken with my garden. He liked the willows and commented the garden was 'lovely and a haven for wildlife'. A few days later he was proved right. This beautiful bird sat in my largest willow for long enough for us to see it, exclaim, run up the stairs for a camera, take a photo and watch it some more. I'm not yet convinced of the species of bird. We think it might be a sparrow hawk, but I welcome other suggestions!

Garden Restructuring

It is very useful having your own Ground Force team, and mine are the best going! Mum and dad came to visit for a special garden weeding and planting week. This ended up being, as always, a much bigger job. We ended up hacking back the honeysuckle (4 birds nests hidden inside and all saved for a display in my classroom), creating a completely new bed and turfing over an unsuccessful one.

I bought a lot of plants to give summer colour and mum and dad bought me a lot more for my birthday coming up. These have made a stunning difference and the garden is now full of colour - something it desperately needed.

It was a hard but very rewarding week and the garden looks fantastic. To top it all the weather was perfect, great all week and poured on Saturday, watering in the plants beautifully!

Molly Doesn't Like Snow

It's been snowing hard in London and I woke up to this magical sight this morning.

I was very excited when it started settling last night, but this morning was a real wonder - I haven't seen snow like this since Christmas in Vancouver! My spirits were lifted even further by the phone call to let me know that the school was closing for the day.

So I donned boots and coat and picked up my iPhone (now my only camera since my trusty Canon PowerShot A75 died last night), and trudged out into the virgin snow.

I was loving it. Molly, on the other hand, did not know what to make of it. It took several minutes of hard thought on the door step before she decided to venture out and then it was with carefully placed paws in my footsteps.

Eventually she found somewhere she felt comfortable.

I left her there for a while but when I went to let her in I found only deep paw prints in the snow leading in a little loop of the garden, and then they vanished. That was when I heard a pitiful mewing from the other side of the fence where I can only guess she fell off! Trauma over. She is back inside and now apparently happy to stay on the sofa all day. I wish I could wake up to such amusement every day!

Last night's snow fall

The snow wasn't so deep last night - but still a little daunting!

To Do Lists

I am a list maker to the core. I have lists for everything. I have even been known to add things I have already done to new lists, just so that I can cross them off! I find list making incredibly cathartic, in fact I don't think I could function properly without them. So here is my latest list (and I might keep adding to it, but you can also be sure I'll get things crossed off); things I want to do/ see in London.

• See a play (or two) at the Globe
• Join an orchestra - done, see www.rodingplayers.co.uk
• Go to the open air Shakespeare at Regent's Park
• Go on the London Eye - done (twice, but always worth a go, and never without a camera)
  
• Go on a Jack the Ripper tour
• Visit Spitalfields Market
• Find a good, and not extortionate, Sushi restaurant

Hmm, the more I add, the more I feel is missing...