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Allow me to travel back in time to before my trip to Copenhagen. Now, I realize that this takes me back into November so I ask that you bear with the belated update.
At the beginning of this November I once again celebrated bonfire night. This year I went to a display of fireworks near Canary Wharf with a few friends. After the fireworks we had a bit of fun with some sparklers. In traditional cautious British fashion, my friends determined to wear gloves or socks to handle the sparklers just in case sparks went flying. I was the only daring one to use my bare hands.
Other November adventures included:
- A hunt for sloes with Mick...we found many bushes and only one lone sloe. However, the park we scoured provided for easy access to the Dulwich Picture Gallery!
- A Live performance of Disney's Fantasia in Royal Albert Hall by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Directly underneath an enormous projection screen, the orchestra performed pieces from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 as well as one unreleased piece set to Clair de Lune.
- Tea in a small shop called Yumchaa off of Oxford Street with a colleague from the Churchill War Rooms- delicious tea and even better company!
And...
- An afternoon of Sushi making with most of the proper materials. Depite not having a bamboo mat, we were pros in no time!
More Asian food was in store for the future as well. In a decision to have a cultural exchange of food, my friend Kaiyin came over to cook up some traditional Chinese dishes. On the menus was: chicken with potatoes and a noodle soup. Both were delicious and had a spicy kick! I also got to spend time with Kaiyin later in the month in Kensington. We went there to see the exhibition of photography at the natural history museum. Following our viewing of the exhibition, we grabbed a "greedy" hot chocolate and took a walk to view the Christmas lights in Sloane Square.
On the 27th of November, we decided to celebrate an early Thanksgiving meal, complete with all the proper fixings of the traditional meal: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato mash with marshmallows. Both Alex and Mick helped to prepare for the evening by cleaning the house and providing assistnace with the turkey. However, I was the only one who could stomach the final steps of turkey prep: putting seasoned mayonaise on the outside of the bird. While this final step does keep the meat moist and produces a lovely golden layer to the end product, the sensation is a bit like putting suntan lotion on a strange albino child. Everyone who came brought delightful food (such as apple pie!) and company, making for a fantastic eve.
The days surrounding the 8th of December proved to be a very exciting time. The day before I was visited by the amazing Orwin family, who came to the Churchill War Rooms for a visit and then for a night out for dinner. On the 8th, not only was it my birthday, but it was also my final day of work at the Churchill War Rooms. The day began with a fantastic surprise from my wonderful housemates, Mick and Alex. When I came down the stairs I was met with a pan covered by two towels. On top of the towels was a small note reading "lift my skirt" and once uncovered another note identified the birthday cake as butterscotch ("there's a butterscotch cake in my pants"). I decided to wait to cut into the cake until the evening, when we could all enjoy it together. Once at work I was greeted with another cake and many sweets courtesy of my colleagues. As it was my last day at work, the staff had prepared a few small going away gifts including a t-shirt with Churchill on it. That way I can wear him wherever I go.
Once home I impatiently waited for both Mick and Alex to come home so that we could enjoy the cake together. While I sat on the couch, I overheard much swearing coming from the boys' attempt to light the candles. When finally lit, the cake was brought in with some disgruntled, bit well intentioned singing. The perfect end to the day!
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