Thursday 20 October 2016

Random Ramblings

I missed blogging.  
I wanted to write a cohesive post but editing all my back up posts was overwhelming.   Alas, I could only come up with this post as I have jet lag again and my body is in shock from the cold after getting used to sunny weather for nearly a month in Korea.


My family worry about me when I start taking pictures of what is mundane to them.

Take this hand dryer / infrared steriliser for instance.


I think my out of town hick ways embarrass them sometimes.
I hope this catches on in London.


In the spirit of trying to get into shape but have fun while at it, I tried aerial yoga which works your body in a different way than any other exercise.  I did have fun learning new muscle memories but don't think I will keep it up in London.

Globalisation does indeed make jet lag the main reminder that you aren't in the proverbial Kansas anymore and yet there are those little touches that make you realise that you are in a different place.


Prada bags are being sold on TV which I found odd but then I was reminded of Net a Porter so I must be more open minded.

Autumn in Korea and most of East Asia is absolutely glorious.

But the cosmos flower fields of Korea are synonymous with fall.


We went to a park that was the former city dump of my youth - there were signs saying to be careful because of all the fumes due to the garbage underneath.





My family gave me a proper tutorial in making the national dish of kimchi.

There are so many different types but we went through a simple recipe of radish kimchi.
Koreans are so healthy and manage to keep trim considering how much they eat and I am sure kimchi is part of the reason.

It wa great catching up with old school friends.
Any Seoulite who were and are expats will tell you how central the Hyatt hotel is to them. 


The airport in Seoul was voted one of the best in the world and the shopping rivalled any world class shopping centre.

I saw these traditional brass dinnerware with lids to keep rice and soup warm.

I would have bought this monkey print based on a calligraphy painting but it wasn't for sale.


I am planning to do a Korean beauty post as I learned a few more tips this trip.

I bought so many sheet masks because in Korea the latest motto is one day/one sheet mask.


I just adore tagging along with anyone who is looking for a flat.


Never gets boring.


It is like art and science and math coming to life.


I nearly froze to death but it was such an emotional reunion seeing these two doggies the other day.


I really do hope to catch up on blogging as I didn't end up posting as much as I would have liked.

Did you see instagram is now doing a Facebook and I got an email the other day suggesting that I should follow my brother's former flatmate from a decade ago, my builder I fired more than a decade ago, a friend of a friend who I find incredibly boring, and the mother of one of my husband's god children.

For that reason, I have put my Instagram account on private. But is it all a futile exercise?

I am going to be a spoil sport and not engage in any Halloween activities but look forward to all of yours x

30 comments:

  1. I await your Korean beauty post with enthusiasm.
    I loved Seoul, great city!
    Dogs are the best people.
    And fermented foods are the best .

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    1. Dogs are indeed wonderful creatures! i need more fermented food in my life.

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  2. Welcome back! So much to absorb in one post but it looks like your fortunate readers are in for a treat with another of your Korean beauty posts.

    Kimchi is something I was introduced to when I moved to California and enjoy eating it on occasion (it can be addictive). You must share your family recipe if you have the energy and inclination after you've warmed up, of course. I miss chilly London evenings.

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    1. Kimchi being different from a pickle of course - to be frank the recipe was a crude one and a starter recipe to account for my making it ( possibly ) and for the ingredients available overseas! I tell you I am freezing right now and having a hard time with the cold...

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  3. LOVE YOUR CATCH UP!
    WELCOME HOME!I look forward to YOUR beauty TIPS..........I'm counting the lines around my eyes.....they are multiplying at GREAT SPEED.Have been in terrible back pain the past three weeks....and it is showing on my face!
    IS CHELSEA SOLD OUT for next SPRING?I'm trying to talk the ITALIAN into a ROMP across the pond............wish me LUCK on that VENTURE!!!

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  4. Leslie in Oregon21 October 2016 at 00:21

    I enjoy all your posts, but particularly the ones about your trips to Korea, a country about which I know far too little. The photograph of the cosmos is lovely, and I will remember the tip that "Autumn in Korea and most of East Asia is absolutely glorious." Since I live on the northwest coast of the U.S., Seoul is just one relatively mid-range flight away.
    Best wishes with the jet lag and temperature change adjustment. I well remember those challenges, as I used to fly for Pan Am. Drink lots of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated liquids.

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    1. People dont' worry about lines - it is more about the quality of the skin I look for. I will see although I did buy my tickets already but will let you know :)

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  5. Welcome home! Love this post, and all the little details about Korea. Those brass bowls are beautiful, and I am interested to hear about the beauty stuff. They've finally started bringing in all the beauty brands that are big in Asia, but not so much here now (like Shu Umera, not sure why that has pretty much never been sold here, but it's still only available at DJs in Sydney and Melbourne where there are big Asian populations to support it). All the different lotions and potions are so different from the other brands (cliniques 3 step seems positively archaic. And basic).
    That flat in London is so beautiful. I really hope your friend buys it!! The bookshelves are just fabulous. xx

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    1. I love Shu - it is a favourite of make up artists. I do love korean cutlery but couldn't justify as my husband doesn't really like Korean food.The flat was in HG a few months ago and a lot smaller in real life but still so cosy xx

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    2. I thought it looked familiar!! Why were they selling I wonder? Looked pretty much perfect to me...

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    3. The developer got married and had a baby.

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  6. Love kimchi! There must be a correlation between slendernesss and good gut health.

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    1. I completely agree that kimchi is a panacea of sorts

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  7. Hello CSW, It's so nice to be home and to get reacclimated to everything that is so familiar. Remember, the secret to delicious kimchi is to omit all ginger! I have thought of trying to make kimchi myself, but it is rather an odoriferous endeavor, and also the quantities usually are large for a single person. In Cleveland, a Korean lady taught me how to make those sweet/salty Korean black beans; perhaps I will try that again when the weather cools a bit.

    By the way, do those brass bowls need to be kept polished?
    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jim, indeed ginger can ruin it but then I think in some provinces they prefer it. Like all metals - the more you use it you don't need to polish it seems to tarnish when unused - screaming out for attention perhaps?

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  8. Welcome back! Jet lag feels terrible, I hope yours goes away soon. Bundle up in lots of layers, it sounds chilly there, we've had an odd fall with very little cold weather. I'm still waiting for it.
    I am not a fan of Halloween and so I only ever do the minimum. XO

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    1. Everything is a blur Dani - too much brain fog for too long now so I am looking forward to a clear head soon! the coldest it got was 19 for one morning but otherwise it was mid 20's the whole time. I am also a Halloween voyeur! xx

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  9. It's nice to hear from you. I would love visit Korea - have thought about it for quite some time. The food, kimchi included, would be a huge attraction. I hope the jet lag fog clears up - it's a terrible state.

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  10. Thank you for the update! It's nice hearing from you. We need those hand dryers with no nasty splash back! I hate jet lag. It makes me monstrous for weeks. Best of luck with yours. xoxo

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    1. I really do think those infrared things make a difference and I like the extra touch. I am still monstrous xx

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  11. Welcome back, Naomi!! I am totally fascinated by that hand dryer/sterilizer gadget! If it gets rid of cold/flu viruses, I would love to have one. That's quite the haul of sheet masks!! I cannot wait to read your beauty post - you are like my inside line on upcoming beauty trends!

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    1. I wish you could go for a beauty tour along with all the dermatologists there - they have so many good treatments that I don't know where to start!

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  12. Welcome home! One of my cousins is married to a Korean woman and she and I always mean to make kimchi when she's here but it's usually amid wedding or funeral madness and we don't get to it. She always gets a kick out of how fat Americans are even though we waste so much food at parties. My cousin was deployed all over the world and she is especially heartbroken to have moved from Italy to Orlando. I'm heartbroken because it means they won't be bringing me cheese and wine at Christmas.
    I love tag along real estate too. So much easier and more fun. Funny to see Prada like QVC but a lot of the women I know who love QVC spend serious $ on there so maybe that ought to be more of a thing. One of my neighbors is amid a nasty divorce and her husband subpoenaed QVC to prove that she has more $ than she's letting on. She had his car towed while he was at the gym with his mistress so it's all been quite theatrical.
    I might give it up and use ig. If so, I hope I'm not kept locked out!

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    1. I love the non party disclosure from QVC and the car towing story!!

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    2. So hilarious SAJ! Koreans eat so much yet manage to stay slim in comparison. I really need to eat korean food full time but it is rather fussy to make. IG nowadays seems like email - you have it just so you don't have to keep explaining why you are not on it.

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  13. Glad to read a post from you again! I hope I will be deemed worthy of staying in your IG inner circle. I need updates of Millie, who always brightens my day. Those cosmos flowers are lovely, I wish I had some kimchi right now, and thank you for a spot of VCA. Did you see this year's holiday pendant? Onyx with a diamond in pink gold. It is lovely. It is terribly tempting! xx

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    1. Of course you are already in Jill!! I did see that but I am still wondering about the malachite and lapis. More lapis bc I am going through a soft of blue green phase. Is there a teal stone I wonder? xx

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