Sometimes You Just Need to Slow Down

5 April, 2017

As I may have previously mentioned, my wife is battling chronic kidney disease. This slows us down a bit from time to time, and today was one of those days.

A late morning was topped off with a "Full English" breakfast at Caffee Forum on Gloucester Rd. While some places will pass off a "Full English" as eggs, bacon, and beans with toast this establishment goes full-tilt with the inclusion of sausages, mushrooms, and grilled tomato. The first 100 coffee purchases each day get a free croissant, so if you end up hungry after all of that you may need to make an appointment with your doctor!

We've been periodic customers here for a decade and are fans of their breakfast baguettes as well as their croissants and sausage rolls for takeaway. If you need a bit of encouragement to get your crowd moving in the mornings it has been my experience that the aroma of fresh baked goods is a sure-fire method of coercion, and it also gives you the opportunity to grab a coffee beverage that is on-par with all the large chain shops. A case full of pastries and other deli offerings provides enough selection to satisfy all but the most extreme picky eater.

A lazy-day late breakfast led to a fabric shopping expedition just around the corner that lasted a couple of hours. Selecting, choosing from the selections, determining how much of each selection is wanted (is it for a future garment? a quilt project? a friend? or for the 'stash' - which is quilter-speak for "fabric I really like so much I might not ever use it.") - all of this has to be taken in to consideration!

My wife was still in recovery mode after the shopping expedition, so we returned to our rented flat at the apartment-hotel so she could relax and prepare for her visit the next day to the "Mothership" - Liberty London for the remainder of her fabric shopping "needs." Anyone who knows a quilter completely understands what I'm referring to.

Given a perfectly reasonable pub is located just around the corner I had no problem staking out a stool at the bar and enjoying a few beers over the afternoon while chatting with the New Zealand-born pub manager and whomever else happened by. Have I mentioned how entertaining and enlightening random pub conversations can be? In general the citizens of London are more worldly than the average American, and conversations lean more towards national and foreign policy than sports - although a pub on the day of a prominent rugby or football (soccer) match puts American sports bars to shame. Another major difference is the ability for people to have spirited discussions, even about their favorite sports team, while maintaining a decorous atmosphere. Insults and jabs will fly freely, but always in good fun and people tend to take as good as they give. Quite a contrast to what you might see at home.

What do you do for dinner in London when you want good food with minimal hassle? We go to Pret a Manger for a sandwich. Everything is made fresh and in many, many years we have yet to have anything that wasn't tasty. If you've had your fill of pies, roasts, and ethnic foods there's nothing wrong with a nice sandwich and a bag of crisps to satisfy an appetite.