The weather ramped up the wet condition on Sunday. Rain was more frequent and heavier! Ugh. So we had to improvise our plans.
We started the day a little later than usual, as the toasty warmth of the bed over the wet conditions outside was much better. But we had to get going; we are not in London to stay in bed!
Royal Borough of KensingtonBreakfast
We walked over to the Royal Borough of Kensington for brunch before making our way to the Diana Memorial. Then it rained.
The Diana Memorial
So we took cover in Fortnum & Mason. And since we were there, we bought tea and more tea! Hehe, why not? When the rain let up a little, we trodded on to Buckingham Palace to do some touristy picture shots.
At the Buckingham Palace
Although the rain derailed our plans, it did not upset us. We walked, we saw, and we discovered new things. My only regret is we missed out on The National Art Gallery. Oh well.
The Borough Market was a pleasant discovery! The myriad of fresh produce colors was a delight to the eyes, a nice change from the dull gray skies. I was amazed that a simple staple like cheese had so many vendors showcasing their variety of cheeses. The fresh vegetables were very colorful and made great photography.
All kinds of cheese!
By then, we were tired because of the weather. However, by five, we decided to head back to our hotel to freshen up because, at nine, we had a Candle Performance, Tribute to Hans Zimmer, to attend in Central Hall Westminster.
Candlelight Performance
We had great Kodak moments, taking pictures of landmarks nearby before going for the live music performance. The soothing string quartet lulled me to nap and have a good rest, I have to admit because I was so tired then.
After the performance, there was worry that the Tube service may be disrupted because of some impending strike. So we hurried as best as we could in the rain and cold. When we reached our hotel, I wished I could swap my overused legs for new ones! Even my Blundstones could not help me with the 22,071 steps and 14.44km adventure!
Sometimes weather plays a role in determining the outcome of a holiday outing is a success or not. It drizzled yesterday morning, but we were unfazed by it. I was clever enough to pack an umbrella, and it came in handy!
Tempting displays caught our eye!
We had another pastry breakfast to start our day. Luckily, the rain was light, and I did not need to open the umbrella. But when I had to, it was cold. Brr. I had to wear my gloves.
Pastries and sandwich for breakfast
We passed St Paul’s Cathedral and headed towards the Millennium Bridge to check out Tate Museum. The timing was perfect as we spent two hours indoors, staying warm and out of the drizzling conditions.
St. Paul’s Cathedral Uber Boat anyone?
There were many interesting art pieces on display. However, two works caught our eye, not so much for their visual impact but for the lack of it instead. What qualifies these two non-visuals as art, displayed at Tate Modern? The concept? The process? They were blank canvases, for goodness sake! It baffled us to no end.
This is art? Or is this art?Two embossed circles and dots make this art?
After Tate, we headed to Starbucks for a quick bite and cold coffee to refuel our energy. We passed Amazon Fresh and trodded on toward the Shard for a picture opportunity and discovered the Borough Market in that area. What a pleasant discovery!
Last week, I had this brilliant idea to DIY a bird feeder instead of buying one from the pet store. I had this sudden urge to train the freeloaders that come daily for their bird seeds to eat from a feeder. With my being in and out most time these days, it’s hard to feed them at the expected time.
There are days when the birds would come into the garden porch, looking in through the glass door for me, and expect me to serve them! Well, sometimes I do so but not always.
I googled up ideas and found the easiest contraption, using recycled things that I found in the kitchen. And voila! I have a bird feeder that I thought was brilliant. But the birds do not think so.
Several days have gone by, and they are still wary of the thing, thinking it’s some weird new garden ornament. But I have stopped feeding the birds to train them on this new arrangement, and the feeder remains in the garden under rain and shine. However, being the rainy season, when it rains, the bird feeder gets drenched by rainwater. Sigh.
The only animal not cautious of it is the garden squirrel! I have spotted it a few times, running toward the feeder and having a quick bite. Well, when choices are limited, hunger precedes caution.
After several days of rain, one part of the feeder came out, but I did not fix it. My bad, for the next thing I knew, the wet seeds started sprouting! Hahahaha. My goodness. This DIY bird feeder does not quite work during the rainy season, so I have to go back to the drawing board on it.
The rainy season has begun, causing headaches, not just for humans but for four-legged furries too. It has been raining daily, and we suspect the rain has flooded some underground homes of the furry pests within our housing estate.
In a spate of one week, we encountered four rats! First, it was the mama rat, a rather plump but angry one. I think it was upset for getting trapped. Then, two days later, a baby appeared. And the next day, another baby appeared.
If we didn’t look properly, both the babies could be mistaken for being Roborovski Dwarf hamsters! Don’t be fooled by their cuteness and size. They escaped the water and ended up in our kitchen. We found them snuggled comfortably in the warmth of two separate kitchen rugs on both days. Ugh.
The fourth rat was not so cute and found itself inside the trap set out by hubby. I don’t feel sorry for it, though, as these critters can be a nuisance. I shall not elaborate on how we got rid of all of them. And yes, I threw away both the rugs as well. I hope this is the last of the furry lot.
Although these are not pleasant encounters, I find it funny that the idiom of raining cats and dogs during this rainy season is raining rats for us instead! Hahahahaha.
Sometimes we lose track of time, having forgotten today is a public holiday. It rained in the early hours of the morning and woke me up. But I was thankful I did not have an early morning golf game in this situation and went back to sleep. It’s nice to relish the break.
Tomorrow will be a busy day being a short four-day work week. And before we know it, the weekend is here! One could get used to a four-day work schedule and a three-day weekend. Wishful thinking, ha ha ha!
I have not ventured out to the garden lately. There is just too much to do inside the house besides my being out for golf. Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it has been raining quite a bit, so there’s no reason to go to the garden.
Yesterday morning, I went out to the garden because it was nice and cloudy. To my horror, the place was a mess with leaves scattered everywhere caused by strong gusts of winds. Leaves aside, I see the Creeping Charlie growing everywhere too! It has sprouted in places that they’re not supposed to be.
Be gone you creepies!
So I had a field day, battling with the weeds. When we were under the MCO (Movement Control Order) last year, external helpers like gardeners and domestic cleaners were not allowed to come into the estate. But now, with no more lockdowns in place and our gardener coming regularly, I don’t understand why we still have the Creeping Charlie growing in abundance. Sigh.
It will be quite a chore to get rid of them because I cannot wait for the gardener to sort this out. I hope I will win this round of the battle.
I have not bought a new pair of golf shoes for some time now. The last two, purchased from the sports store, Decathlon, have lasted pretty well. Recently, a girlfriend of mine invited us to take advantage of some super savings at the Adidas Brand Center, and we jumped at the opportunity.
I indulged myself and bought a sweet-colored pair of Adidas golf shoes because golf shoes are the most used item for me, instead of running or walking shoes. For the record, past golf shoe colors are typically white, dark blue, or black with a slight tinge of color. But nothing like this latest pair, a pretty peach shade for the whole shoe!
My peachy golf shoes
Now the shoes are too sweet to be worn, methinks. So it may not see action soon as the rainy season is here. I better be mindful of the weather to ensure the pretty new shoes don’t get wet and dirty if I want to wear them sooner than planned. Hahahaha.
During rainy days back in the dinosaur era when we were young, we used to think that playing in the rain was fun but were told not to do so. If we did, we would fall sick, and that’s not good. And if we choose to defy this, just be prepared for the consequences, be it a scolding or punishment, for not listening.
Strangely, as we get older, do we follow these rules set out for us when we were young? Of course not! A case in point is yesterday.
I woke up to the sound of a slight drizzle in the morning. Uh oh, a golf day, and it’s drizzling. It continued when I left the house but let up a little to allow us to tee off.
But after two holes, the drizzle turned to constant rain, and we were soaked instantly! We decided to wait it out at the nearby halfway hut. Fifteen minutes later, the rain let up a little, so we resumed play. Woefully, it did not last, for it rained again after another two holes. Sigh, and the second wait was longer.
Taking shelter to wait out the rain
It was not the most comfortable situation, with wet gloves and grips, not to mention clothes and caps as well. The umbrella did not help, unfortunately.
The two pauses in between rain and game were disrupting the game momentum. Yet, we continued or tried to continue. The situation changed when it thundered, and it was not feasible anymore.
We had to stop because it was dangerous to be out in the open with lightning charges in the atmosphere. It was the shortest game I have played in a long time, with only six holes completed.
The myth of playing in the rain being fun has been proven wrong! It was not fun playing golf in the rain at all. Maybe I should have listened to myself instead of braving the rain to play on. I hope I won’t fall sick from this outing.
I have decided to name the four fig trees Eeny Meenie Miney Moe. And they are proving to be a handful, more so than a new pet!
Every day, hubby shifts the pots out from the terrace to be under the sun. But when the weather changes from sunny to cloudy, the reverse takes place. Even though they are named Eeny Meenie Miney Moe, we cannot be selective. If one moves, everyone moves.
Eeny Meenie Miney Moe enjoying some sun
I hope with all this care and attention, the least the fig trees can do is to reward us soon with some fruits!
Angieneering 
Remarks