Wednesday 27 May 2015

Edamame

Hurray for Half Term! Despite E having one more exam to go, the fact that we have a week off means that there has been time for a few fun moments, for which we are very grateful. Thursday afternoon saw us driving to Oxford to give L a good luck present (her exams start, just as E's finish!). 
We sat in the sunshine here, waiting for L to finish her lecture: 
Then picked up some bubble tea from our favourite tea place and walked to the park (sadly made famous by events later in the week). We passed the Natural History museum:
 .... and then sat on the grass, half way between a cricket match and people playing Ultimate Frisbee. The frisbee was really serious and injuries were witnessed! L sometimes plays a gentler version in college with some of her more mathematical friends, called ....... Penultimate Frisbee!
 Presents were opened. Meet Aloysius, named after Sebastian's teddy in Brideshead Revisited:
 Then we started to feel a little peckish, so walked through the park with a certain destination in mind:
 We did, however, get a little side tracked  here:
 I have rather a soft spot for cemeteries. As a child my walk to school used to take me through the local cemetery and I loved it. It was always so peaceful and I really enjoyed reading the names and dates on the headstones. I remember my favourite stone commemorated a lady called Rose Ann Fell! Holywell cemetery was another little gem. Not very big but with some lovely gravestones and wild flowers.


 Finally, our hunger pangs urged us on and we arrived here:
This is such a sweet, family run restaurant on Holywell Street. It is really popular and the queue snaked out of the door (hence the lack of photo from the outside). Luckily the service is amazing and the turnover very quick, so we didn't have to wait long. Thursday night was sushi night and we had a selection of veggie sushi, along with hot sake! I became rather overexcited when the waitress brought round a bowl containing a selection of the cutest little pottery cups for the sake; we chose one each (E had the tiniest taste but wasn't really keen anyway). The food was absolutely delicious; I'd love to go again to experience their lunchtime noodles.


 Oops, I forgot to rotate this one!
 It was such a lovely afternoon/evening and E and I were sorry to have to leave. Oh, I forgot to show you E's present from L:
A good luck cuddly woodlouse! Who could fail to be cheered?
 Other happies this week:
The bumble bees are back in residence in our sparrow box (a row of 3 terraced boxes - the bees occupy the box on the right) - I don't know which are the noisiest neighbours with all the tweeting and buzzing!
A river side barbecue. Note to self: strim the grass on the edge of the bank!
 Phyllis and Harriet dozing on R's lap:
 Cheering tulips:
 The first cut roses from the garden this year:
  Doing the first tricksy couple of rows for my coastal ripple in preparation for Dorset. Thankfully, my counting went OK this time!
 A bike ride with E and a scratch picnic by the canal:
 I did rather like this boat, Sea Witch - great name.
So, as you see, a few good bits this week. E is now back at the books and I'm just off to make some Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi for dinner. Enjoy the rest of half term; I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to.
Toodle Pip for now. x

11 comments:

  1. A fun week indeed! I love Japanese food AND gnocchi :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  2. What a nice week and the food looks and sounds delicious. I love edamame, it's a perfect appetizer because you don't feel too full after eating it. I'm glad you had a good outing and it's nice to see your crocheted jar jacket. Hope you enjoy the rest of the week. :)

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  3. Gosh you have been very busy indeed!!! So much going on. Glad that you have been having great times, I hope the continue!!! xx

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  4. This looks like a fun-packed week so far! I've never heard of bubble tea before, and your meal out sounds delicious. The cuddly woodlouse is brilliant, and the sleepy hens are so sweet - I didn't know they sat on laps! The ripple blanket will be a perfect coastal crochet project. Hope the rest of your half term is as good as the first half :)
    Cathy x

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  5. I gotta say that those roses from the garden are stunning! And that shot of your feathered friends is so sweet! So glad to hear you all had a lovely time out and about after the lecture was finished! Your shots of the cemetery are very intriguing and yes like you I enjoyed them too when I was young and still do! All of your eats look and sound amazing!! And here is to more goodness for the end of the week my friend!!! Nicole xoxo

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  6. What a lovely 'exam sandwich' day out! That looks an absolutely classic English cemetery. I can understand why you find them fascinating.
    No half term here - one child finished university exams for the year and now on a choir tour round England, and the other has graduated. I'm not sorry to be done with school exams!
    Queuing outside restaurants isn't something we're keen on in Scotland. Perhaps because it's often too cold!

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  7. St Anta church in Lelant has a 'living graveyard' It is full of the most wonderful wild flowers and is pollinator heaven. Oh and my oldest friend used to live opposite a spiritualist church and graveyard, although I always found it rather spooky!
    Leanne xx

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  8. Good luck with the exams completed and those to come! Aloyisus is so sweet! I always enjoy wandering around old graveyards, seeped in history and they are becoming marvelous havens for wildlife. The food looks lovely, you always seem to find such veggie food....hope you get to sample the noodles, I could live on them!
    The hens look adorable and those nesting bees had me smiling, they certainly are noisy!xxx

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  9. Love the photo of the hens snoozing on your husband! I like mooching around cemeteries too. Have a good week.

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  10. Sounds like a really busy week! Lovely photos and I love the wee woodlouse toy! I've never seen a cuddly wood louse before...although for some reason we call them slaters here.
    Marianne x

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  11. Such nice light on all those pictures! Love them!

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