Hampton Court Palace and Gardens

Rear wing of Hampton Court palace with formal gardens

With my parents visiting and the summery weather, we've had a good excuse to visit London and south-east England attractions. Some of our outings have been free and local and others more adventurous - a key highlight being a visit to Hampton Court Palace last week.

Front courtyard entry to Hampton Court Palace

I've wanted to visit Hampton Court since we moved to the UK in mid-2014. Consequently, I was very excited to finally get there. As some readers may remember, I am a big fan of historical fiction and Tudor-period history in particular. To see where so much of that history took place was both surreal and inspiring. However, even if you aren't already a fan of Tudor history I suspect that Hampton Court would impress. The palace is huge and its architecture inspiring, whilst the gardens are expansive and beautifully designed.

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20 vegan friendly (and everybody friendly) picnic ideas

The first week of English summer has not been very summery. I know this sounds like a stereotypical British claim, but we really have had some remarkably wet and stormy days, complete with associated rail and road disruptions. Before summer, though, Mr Bite and I took advantage of sunny spring weather to have some low key picnics in nearby parks and nature reserves.

My recent picnic efforts have been simple - usually rolls with hummus and salad, plus some accompanying items like biscuits or fruit. However, I idly searched 'picnic ideas' online the other day and was impressed by the variety of options I found. So, I thought I'd share a round-up inspiration post. If it's summery where you are, take advantage of it. If it isn't? You can always embrace picnics in cars, under shelters, or on the floor in your living room...

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Two years in the UK - a celebratory day trip to Lewes and Brighton

Today marks 2 years since we flew into London from Australia. In many ways, it feels like much longer. The last year has been particularly eventful - we moved out of London to Kent, bought a car, and consequently made it from almost the bottom of the UK (Cornwall) to the top (Scotland), as well as seeing lots of places in between. I smiled when I re-read my post from last June on 'One year in London'. I spoke then about adjusting to life in a one-bed flat without a car, and it is safe to say we have since adjusted out again to life with more space and driving. Overall, I would also say that we are very settled now into life in the UK.

Lewes Castle

To mark the 2 years since our move, we ventured south yesterday to Lewes and Brighton, both in Sussex. I don't think I'd ever been to Lewes before and we were both impressed by the town, which is dominated by an impressive castle (above and below) and has a mix of attractive streets and parks.

Lewes Castle

Whilst Brighton is a hot-bed of vegan food, I knew we would struggle to get there for lunch and so directed us to Laportes in Lewes instead. Laportes is a cafe and food store with an emphasis on fresh, local, organic produce. They aren't specifically vegan or gluten-free but cater to both of those requirements if required. They also have an attractive garden at the rear of the cafe for outdoor eating when the weather permits.

Laportes lunches

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Out and about in England: Norfolk

It's been a long weekend here in England and Mr Bite and I have just returned from 2 nights in Norfolk. I organised the trip as a birthday present for Mr Bite, although given his birthday was in April, it's been a rather delayed present for him to experience!

Norfolk flowers

Norfolk was one of the few counties we hadn't visited as a couple and I don't think I had visited it at all. It's not really en route to anywhere else and it doesn't have any 'star attractions'. However, the county has a character all of its own and the main city, Norwich, is particularly appealing. We had an enjoyable and relaxing few days exploring the area, and so I thought I'd share some highlights in photo form.

Norfolk Broads

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Out and about in Kent and Sussex #2: Beachy Head walk and pub

I planned a few outings in honour of Mr Bite's birthday. One is a weekend away in about a month, over one of the May bank holiday weekends. The other was a more local outing, taking in the sights of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters Cliffs and eating lunch at The Beachy Head pub.

Beachy Head

You may have heard of Beachy Head as one of the UK's top suicide spots. This is, I hope it goes without saying, not why I chose it for a birthday walk. It is also part of a beautiful stretch of the Sussex Heritage Coast, not far from Eastbourne, and accessible thanks to the paths of the South Downs Way. The whole area is a stunning mix of limestone rock, ocean views, and steep paths. It's about an hour by car from where we live, but feels like a different part of the country.

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Out and about in Kent and Sussex #1 - Scotney Castle

Are you glad it's the weekend? I have had a particularly hectic week (thus no blog posts since Tuesday!) and am extremely pleased to have reached Saturday morning. The fact we get an extra hour of sleep tomorrow, with the end of daylight savings, is a bonus.

Scotney Castle, Kent

With being grateful for this weekend, I thought I would share one of our weekend outings from earlier this month. I have previously posted Out and About posts for Perth and London, but this is my first for our new county (we are on the border of Kent and East Sussex).

Scotney Castle is a National Trust property about 10 miles south of Tunbridge Wells. Like many National Trust properties, there is a lot to the estate. The original Scotney Castle, pictured above, is a 14th century semi-ruined castle set in beautiful gardens and woodland. There's lots to explore just with that, but you can also tour the newer country house that was built to replace the castle around 1840.

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Out and about in London #6: Cycling to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

Today was the culmination of a long-held cycling dream: cycling from our home in south-east London to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, via the Mall and Buckingham Palace. Before returning home we had a park-based lunch complete with sunshine and grassy reading time. It was a 20 mile (32km) or so journey, we were out for about 5 hours, and I loved every minute of it.

The journey was aided by Mr Bite planning our route around cycle paths and on road but cyclist friendly cycle routes. We had a few busy stretches but they were minimal (getting on and off bridges to cross the Thames were the most trying sections). We had our first experience of London's 'cycle superhighways' and also benefited from the closure of some central London roads to Sunday traffic.

A traffic-free Mall, approaching Buckingham Palace

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Out and about in London #5: Museums, Regent's Park, the Grand Union Canal and plenty of vegan food

After their arrival 18 days ago, my parents are now en route back to Australia. They returned to London for their last couple of nights and we enjoyed playing tourist again and seeing some new-to-us places.

Traflagar Square - not new, but delightfully balmy on a summer evening (this was about 7.00pm)

On a rather mammoth day yesterday, we took in the Foundling Museum and Sir John Soane Museum, before browsing in Foyle's bookstore and walking through Regent's Park and along the Grand Union Canal. I don't have pictures of the museums but would highly recommend both. The Foundling Museum tells the story of London's Foundling Hospital, set up in 1739 by Thomas Coram to care for babies at risk of abandonment. It was an impressive effort and similar work continues today through the associated charity Coram. Sir John Soane's museum is an incredible - mind-blowing - collection of art and architecture. The building itself is a delight and the contents span from paintings to scultpures to a full-size Egyptian tomb.

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Mr Bite's birthday, and a veganised chocolate mud cake

Last week was distinguished by Mr Bite's birthday. To celebrate, we had his usual dense chocolate mud cake. This year, though, his usual cake underwent a few adaptations to make it vegan. This wasn't Mr Bite's request (although he kindly let me experiment), but stemmed from the lack of family members to help us eat birthday cake and my recent discovery of vegan soy cream. I thought the cream would work in the ganache icing, and the other non-vegan ingredients were easily tackled using standard ingredient swaps. 

I relied on Mr Bite's comments to compare this version to the non-vegan ones of recent years. He said that it tasted the same, but also that this one was fudgier - denser and less fluffy. This may stem from my use of egg replacer instead of eggs, or my UK oven being different to my Australian one. It may also have something to do with me halving the ingredients to make a smaller cake. Regardless, it was still pronounced good, and having enjoyed some slices myself, I can say it is definitely fudgy and mud cake-like.

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Out and about in London #4: Raw food at Vantra Vitao and more Wholefoods eating

Continuing my recent food-focused 'out and about' posts, I was pleased to finally make it to Vantra Vitao last week. Located on Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road, Vantra Vitao specialises in raw food as well as a selection of carefully cooked hot dishes. Everything is vegan, most things are organic, and they have a lunchtime buffet using the pay-by-weight approach.

Vantra Vitao buffet selection

I follow Vantra Vitao on Facebook and had been admiring their dessert photos for months. They are also quite well reviewed, and so I entered with high expectations. The restaurant has minimal street space but is long and narrow, with 10 or so 2-seater tables and perhaps half a dozen larger ones. The interior is quite dark, and I apologise for my poor phone photos, but is attractively set up. I liked the wooden tables and the bathrooms at the back were clean and well maintained.

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Out and about in London #3: Vegan eating at Tibits and 222 Veggie Vegan

Tibits and 222 Veggie Vegan are frequently reviewed online, so this post isn't exactly novel. Nonetheless, I thought I'd share my experiences with these well known London veggie hot spots.

Outside at Tibits
(taken in summer, when evenings were light!)

I first visited Tibits in August last year, and will forever link it with my mother visiting from Australia. We went at the start of her visit, and given that all three of us liked it (Mr Bite, my Mum and me), we went again before she returned home. It is a great place to go if you want to cater to varying tastes, and unlike some vegetarian places, I think it would easily cater to meat eaters too. It is set in a large building in central London, with indoor and outdoor seating and attractive decor (albeit dark for photography purposes). You only need to book if you have more than 8 people.

Tibits food boat buffet

Tibits' business model is that you pay for what you select: there is a buffet of hot and cold dishes, all vegetarian and mostly vegan, which range from raw salads to vegetarian versions of classic meat dishes (think sausages and potatoes). After selecting your food, you take your plate to be weighed and pay by the weight of what you've selected (£2.60 per 100g at dinner and £2.30 per 100g at lunch). The same principal applies for desserts. This means you can try a little of lots of things, which I like a lot.

A modest dinner plate - Tibits visit #1

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Out and about in Perth #7 - Hillarys Marina

We have been packing a few outings into our recent weekends. Most notably, we have actually been to the beach. I know this may not sound very eventful, especially during Australian summer, but there are all sorts of barriers that usually prevent our beach attendance.

Hillarys Marina, late afternoon

For starters, Mr Bite and I share an unhelpful ability to burn within 15 minutes of sun exposure. Sun cream is no guarantee of avoiding this outcome. Going to the beach during the middle of the day is pretty much never going to happen.

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Australia Day weekend: Australian celebrations, my Mum's birthday, river-front activities, and much food

When the British First Fleet reached Sydney harbour on the 26th January 1788, I wonder if they knew how subsequent Australians would appreciate their timing? The Australia Day public holiday does, after all, work wonders at easing the post-Christmas return to work.

Vegan lamingtons

I would still swap the date, happily, for one that does not mark the anniversary of British culture invading indigenous Australia. We may have that shift in the future. I will welcome it if it comes. For now, though, I have enjoyed the opportunity for a 3-day January weekend that celebrates Australia and overlaps with my Mum's birthday all in one.

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Out and about in Perth #6 - Subiaco Common

At the end of a scorching Saturday, Mr Bite and I visited Subiaco Common to soak up the setting sun, sea breeze, and cooler temperatures. The common is a man-made park and lake set against modern housing developments, tucked into a quiet corner of the leafy Subiaco suburb. It's not far from us, but this is the first time we've explored it fully.

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Bickley Harvest Festival - metal art, a garden lunch, baby kangaroos, and carob

Last Christmas, Mr Bite and I gave several "experience" presents to family as a way of complementing "thing" presents. One was a  movie voucher and babysitting offer for his sister and brother-in-law, who have three exuberant children aged between 4 and 9. Another was an outing to the Perth Hills for his mother, specifics left somewhat open to allow for adjustments to weather and seasonal events.

Last week, we reached May and neither of these experience presents had been put in to place. On the babysitting front, we had tried once but needed to reschedule when one child was sick. On the Perth Hills outing? There we were just disorganised.

Prompted in to action, we identified the Bickley Harvest Festival as a possible outing to aim for. The festival is held annually on a weekend in early May, and aims to showcase the Bickley Valley region of the Perth hills, about 40 minutes east of Perth. The region is home to forests and walk trails, wineries and restaurants, various small businesses, and local produce stalls. It seems that the festival event has run for the past sixteen years, so it was a little perplexing to discover it for the first time this year!

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Loving this week {March 2013}

I am linking this into cityhippyfarmgirl's 'loving this week' post for March. It's a little late, but I blame Easter!

The 'loving'this week' posts are all about the little moments in your days and weeks that have tickled your heart.

Loving...memories of Beelu National Park, where we walked a 9km loop on Good Friday.

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ANZAC Day

This ANZAC Day (the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War), we did the same as last year and headed out of the city.

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themelves...

A different sort of Wednesday, that is for sure. Quite a lot better than a day spent sitting at a desk at work!

For fellow Australians, what did you get up to yesterday?
For those elsewhere, did your Wednesday involve anything out of the ordinary?

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Hillside wanderings, with ants

With the weather warming up, Mr Bite and I are on a race against nature to squeeze in walks and outdoor activities before it becomes too hot.

Those of you who don't live in Australia (and, admittedly, some of you who do!) may not grasp this reluctance to engage in outdoor activities in summer. Suffice to say I am not fond of temperatures above 30'C, and temperatures above 35'C make me feel Icky with a capital I.

I know, I live in the wrong country.

Recently, we combined two brief walks on one weekend afternoon, in the hills East of Perth.

There were (modest) waterfalls...

...and shaded water pools...

...and the afternoon was rather enjoyable.

There was one problem though. It seems that the weather is already warm enough for ants.

Imagine this path:

And now imagine it crawling with ants, big ones, for many, many metres.

Imagine that you run through these ants, in an escape to get past them, but discover that their territory doesn't seem to end.

Imagine that you climb up on a large rock, with your partner / accompanying foolish walker, and discover that ants are on your socks, crawling in your shoes, and perhaps even crawling up your legs. The ants that accompanied you on to the rock do not leave quietly.

Also imagine that you have to return up the ant-covered path in order to return to your car.

You may find that you can run quite fast when confronted with a situation like that.

Fortunately, if you're lucky, you'll find somewhere to cool off later, and soothe your ant-bitten feet.

Summer is coming too soon for my liking, that is for sure!

Are you a summer or winter (or spring or autumn) sort of person? 
Do you have ant stories or any other insect-related nature experiences?

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An active weekend

My best run in months, with beautiful weather and muscles that seemed to work without any effort at all...

...combined with a Sunday outing...

...with a (slightly cheating!) picnic...

...made for a delightful weekend.

I only wish there was another day in there before the working week rolled around again!

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