Training Update: 24 May 2009

Lately, I haven't really been hard at work, training for the big challenge.

My physiotherapist was out for most of April due to a vacation and illness, which delayed things a bit. I was just OK-ed to start cycling again around a week ago. Since then, it has rained whenever I do have free time; although, I finally got my bike out for the first time this year during this holiday weekend.

As for actually running again, not yet! My latest jog for the camera shows I'm still not ready yet. I have been led to believe that I'll be back running sometime in June, though, so the battle is still on.

Needless to say, all this waiting has led me to pursue workouts on my couch, often accompanied by a brick of cheese and a can of beer.

I should enjoy it while I can, eh?

Hi-Viz: The Mantle of Health & Safety I

One thing I noticed early on in my time here was the popularity of wearing florescent yellow when cycling, doing construction work, or possibly even, knitting a sweater. It's just everywhere.

Why being swathed in what is locally known as, "hi-viz" is a source of such comfort to the locals, I'm not really sure. What I do know is that back on my home planet, my cycling jacket was black, and that the only thing to get me to consider wearing a bright yellow jacket was an REI super clearance sale.



In an effort to try to explain the sheer volume of it worn around London, I've attempted to document any and all Hi-Viz sightings throughout a given day. Unfortunately, there's often just too much.
The other day, I saw an entire class of schoolchildren walk by, each one wearing a reflective vest. Unfortunately, my blackberry was a bit slow, and I only got the tail end of the reflective entourage.


Thus, I've decided to give this another go, only this time, I plan to document all the discernable (to yours truly, at least) reasons why Londoners choose to don their Hi-Viz

So, I left my house, and between here and work (640am departure) with a stop at physiotherapy near the train I managed to snap a pic of:

1. A bit of hi-viz on this scooter driver ---

2. This gentleman wearing hi-viz collecting litter ---

3. Riding a motorcycle ---











4. Delivering Newspapers ---

5. Potentially Repairing Scooters---











6. Cleaning up the train at Edgeware Road
(see the reflective stripes)---


7. Fixing the sidewalk ---

8. Riding a folding bike ---













9. Having a chat ---

10. Eating
(So blurry. I'll redo this one next week.)










...and that's all before work starts. More to follow in part II!

The Plough, East Sheen

This Sunday's Roast Trek brought us to The Plough in East Sheen, which is deep into Southwest London. We faced potential rains in our trek via Southwest trains on this fine Sunday, but fortunately, the weather held up, mostly!


Joining us today on the quest were our Amerifriends Bridgette & Pete, Tamara & Shaun, and Tamara's mom, Debbie, who has been visiting from New Orleans.





The menu looked great; although I dropped the ball and neglected to grab a picture of it. I did document this anecdote up on the bar, though. (Note to self, don't open a pub!)





Dishes Ordered: (clockwise, starting from the top left)
Fish & Chips, Burger, Bangers & Mash, Panna Cotta, Banoffee Pie, Beef Roast with Yorkshire Pudding,






Overall, we were happy with our food. I think this may be my favorite roast yet. I particularly liked their outdoor garden, and will likely want to give this one another try on a sunnier day. Many compliments were paid to their bathrooms, so much so that it, too, was documented. (thanks, Darren)




The Score: 3.96 yums
breakdown of individual scores:
3.50 Yums- Bridgette (Fish & Chips, Banoffee)
3.00 Yums- Pete (Burger, Banoffee)
4.00 Yums- Tamara (Roast, Banoffee)
4.25 Yums- Shaun (Roast, Banoffee)
4.00 Yums- Debbie (Roast, Panna Cotta)
4.50 Yums- Darren (Bangers & Mash, Banoffee)
4.50 Yums- Franc (Roast, Panna Cotta and quite a bit of Darren's pie)

Our Updated Map of Eats:
*note: Pubs are noted with their scores in parentheses

View The Quest for the Best Sunday Roast in a larger map

The Perseverance, Camden

This week's quest brought us to The Perseverance, which is at the southern end of Camden, not far from Russell Square. We've been doing a bit of neighborhood research in preparation for our next move in London, and this area has appealed to us based on its proximity to the City and the fact that it isn't dead empty on the weekends.

Representing for the cause today were just myself and my husband, Darren. The Perseverance didn't have a Sunday Roast, but we managed nonetheless.

The menu looked pretty good, and it offered standard pub fare. Unfortunately, the picnic tables outside were taken when we first arrived, otherwise we would have had a much sunnier lunch.

We went for the Bangers & Mash and the Fishcakes


The Bangers & Mash were much enjoyed, and I liked the presentation of the fishcakes on salad. Pub food can often be heavy, and these Fishcakes absolutely hit the spot.

The food was good, but it wasn't extraordinary in any way, which is reflected in our scores.

The score: 3.25 yums
breakdown of scores:
Darren: 3.5 yums (bangers)
Franc: 3 yums (fishcakes)

Our Updated Map of Eats:
*note: Pubs are noted with their scores in parentheses

View The Quest for the Best Sunday Roast in a larger map

The Tea Cake

The tea cake is the one UK sweet that I remain powerless in the presence of.

Take a cookie, place a gooey marshmallow on top, and then cover the lot in either milk or dark chocolate, and you have a teacake. My favorites (above) are made by Tunnock's, a Scottish company.

They're a bit like the American Mallomar, which is only made seasonally due to its low melting temperature.

Thing is, the Mallowmar's marshmallow is very firm and feels somewhat fake, whereas the Tunnock's marshmallow Fluff- like filling tastes much less synthetic. The addition of English chocolate, which is much less waxy than that in the US, puts the Tunnock's version in a league of its own.