Sometimes I like to hop from one friend's blog to another blog to someone else's suggested blog and end up somewhere interesting. As I mentioned recently, I frequently get asked about things to do and see. Well, if you're coming over my way and you have a big thing for British accents, tea and the monarchy, you may want to have a look at Anglotopia. Stealing the words from their page:

Anglotopia is run by me (Jonathan Thomas) and my lovely wife Jackie. I’ve been obsessed with Great Britain since I was about 8 years old. I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. I love everything about Great Britain. I know I’m not alone in this, so I decided to start this website so that fellow Anglophiles could gather and discuss what they love most: Great Britain.

The website has a lot of fun articles and good tips. I especially like the article written for those who want to check out the Royal wedding but dont know what else to do then. There's a really good, active thread on the post. Check it out! If you find any other good blogs on London or the UK that share good tips on what's happening - please let me know!

Oh London, I've missed walking along your streets in the cool, crisp air.

Many people have been writing their year end round up of best eats, sleeps, sights, and posts. I can't really look back on this year to do that because I was a very bad blogger indeed. The reason I have this blog is to let my family and friends know about my adventures in London, and all I can say is that 2010 was busy. I began a job that had me online 8 hours a day. I had events to attend after work, and most were not the kind to share. On my free nights, I wanted to cook, clean, catch up on laundry and tv. I thought I'd blog on Sundays. I was going to do it, dang it! Then, that failed too. Mostly, there was nothing to report. I woke up, went to work, eventually came home, went to bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. So what can I do other than look ahead to 2011 and how I want to live life and perhaps document a bit of it: About London I am constantly asked for tips on day trips or how to conquer London on short visits. I should share my usual routes, sights, and eats so that I can just link to it instead of writing it out every time. I will also write up some of my favorite free things to do. London can be expensive, but there are ways to see a lot without paying a cent - or pence! I also would like to set the record straight about the 'big smoke', if London is really as foggy and rainy as people think (it's not), and other stereotypes. Travel I want to travel more this year. I will take advantage of airline sales and package deals and go. No more waiting around to make things happen. I am making a list of places in the UK and in Europe/N Africa and I will conquer my list. Somehow. I will share my tips of traveling to/from London while I'm at it. Qype I have been involved with Qype for two years. It has led me to all sorts of new discoveries around London. I will be a more active community member and be sure to cross post my reviews on the blog. This way you can see where I'm eating, sleeping, visiting, and shopping around London (and outside of it too). Mobile blogging I downloaded the Wordpress app to help me blog more often. It worked on my trip to Cornwall, but then I forgot about it again. I recently used it to write up my Number 10 report, but there was confusion over how to attach the image and POOF! My whole post was gone. Reminder to self - learn the dang thing before losing work again. I plan to use it more this year. Sites While there are a few bugs with DLT from a server change, things here will mostly stay the same. I do plan to give katematlock.com a new look. It's time. Heck, it's more than time, but there again is that whole time issue thing. Other The usual resolutions include being healthier and happier by some sort of change in behavior. Yes, I will *try to* go back to the gym, drink more water, eat healthier, get more sleep, etc. Mostly I just want to make sure I do this year proud in case it's my last here in London. (Visas are hard to come by, don't you know?) So that's it, folks. That's my aim for 2011. May you all be as successful with your New Year's goals.

Yesterday I learned someone I had met just 6 weeks ago had killed himself. I barely knew him, yet I feel quite shocked and saddened by it. I interviewed him and his band for my client, and they all were having such a good summer. There were lots of gigs, festivals and a tour in Australia coming up. Details can be found on so many sites right now. I'm sure more information will be released, but my mind is still processing it and wondering what was going on that would cause him to do this. My heart goes out to Charles's family and the OELSP guys. My heart breaks for you all. For some reason, this song keeps playing in my head: Hold On, by Magnet. ** Update: It appears that Charles did a stage dive into the audience after their show and a girl was hurt in the process. It was thought that she had broken her back and would not walk again. It is perhaps due to this incident that Charles killed himself. The girl, though she broke 4 vertebrae in her back, is expected to make a full recovery.

Another reason to love this country ... It has fun with their prized author/characters. And then this happened...

After a peaceful sleep in Plymouth, we woke up to a gorgeous view of Plymouth Sound and the Hoe. A quick stop for breakfast and gas and we jumped on a very short ferry ride to go from Devon to Cornwall. Beautiful, winding roads lined with trees were conquered by the curve hugging wheels of our Mercedes while TomTom shouted directions to us. We saw a sign for a castle, so drove up a narrow road to find Restormel Castle, a stronghold for the Black Prince. Located just outside the village of Lostwithiel, it was used as a miniature palace to provide lavish accommodation for the Dukes of Cornwall and his guests. Now in ruins, only a small part remains. We cut through St Austell and went south to the fishing village of Mevagissey in search of lunch and fudge. We found both, successfully. I had a huge bowl of mussels in a white wine and cream broth, while B had an amazing salad of handpicked crab and boiled potatoes. Both were delicious. The town of Mevagissey itself is quite small and touristy. Other than a few small harbor-side restaurants and gift shops, the town does not hold much attraction other than its small town charm. Between dodging seagulls, we wandered in and outside the shops where I picked up some pirate themed items for the niece and nephew. B bought a selection of fudge, including a Scotch fudge that gave me a toothache from its sugar content. Next, we retraced our route back into St Austell in search of the local brewery, where we sampled some ales and purchased a selection before heading toward the coastal town of Tintagel. Tintagel is where King Uther Pendragon and Igraine conceived King Arthur. The castle is long gone, but for a few ruins and rocky outlines of where homes or rooms once stood. On the beach below, the Atlantic breakers crash against the cliffs and into Merlin's Cave. The whole experience, while filled with many steep steps, was a bit magical. (Being a total fan of Disney's The Sword in the Stone, I got a bit excited when we passed Arthur's Stone as we left town. Too bad it was already closed.) Rounding out the evening was a lovely curry dinner, complete with surprise entertainment from the townsfolk. We watched as couples whizzed by - one riding in a wheelbarrow, while the other pushed. Each team was dressed in themed outfits. From Star Wars and Top Gun to men in womenswear and green-faced zombies, we watched as each team ran at full speed down the road. The race ended with a large group of men pushing a bed frame decked out like the car from The Flintstones. We drove back early enough to enjoy more of the beautiful Cornwall countryside as the sun set.

We are in the car (hello, Mercedes) and on our way to Plymouth. So far we've seen lots of nice country and Stonehenge. More to come...

The Big Lunch is an annual event that takes place across the country. I was unable to participate last year, so I was excited to be involved this time around. The website helps locate lunches in your neighborhood. You can start one if you feel there is a gap, or join someone else nearby. I joined a group called Latitudinal Cuisine, a supper club that prepares foods based on a latitude marker.

Longitude 199 East means we’re about to enter our third century of scans, and feels like we’re already racing back home to 0. The stream of local latitudinal fare’s still way non-mainstream; We start our cooking trail at the Cook Islands, 15 tiny volcanic islands and atolls covering 2.2million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. Mangaia is notable for its abundance of coconuts (zzz) and pupu (sic) – the snail shells painstakingly threaded into its famous ‘eis’ neckbands, while pukapuka, like our group, is renowned for its beautiful girls ;) No kidding: the US once claimed sovereignty over many of the islands under its 1857 guano act – paraphraseable, pre-Rumsfield, as ‘your shit is my shit.’ Further North Jarvis island was mined for just this poopoo prize. Its sole resident committed suicide in 1883 and the island is now uninhabited, “unincorporated and unorganised.” The adjacent Line Islands stretch over 2,000 km from the confetti of Kiribati (or Gilberts) in the West towards Hawaii. Kiribati has its own London & Poland on Christmas Island Though one of the world’s poorest countries and dependent on exports of fish and coconut, the former has also been home to all sorts of hi-tech developments, from the laying of the Pacific cable to Japan’s current development of a Spaceport. J. Maarten Troost wrote the autobiographical “The Sex Lives of Cannibals” here. Smiling whilst dancing is generally considered vulgar here. And then, at last, as we alight on mainland Alaska, we find our 2nd US state: the nineteen moments of Hawaii (once Sandwich), where everyone greets each other with love and their traditional feast is called a luau. Like so many of these gorgeous Pacific islands, Hawaii seems to exemplify our Latitudinal travels, blending tourism and agriculture, its islands awash with macadamia, papaya, coffee beans and drinkers. Martha says she’ll join us with her hula later. Avarua or Arorangi, Hanapepe or Honolulu, Kekaha or Kilauea, who’s hitching a Shoreditch ride with us?

So there I was at Shoreditch Church and enjoying a beautiful day of sunshine and a whole lot of strangers - the nicest strangers ever. While they weren't all from my neighborhood, they were all frequent participants in the Latitudinal dining scheme. Everyone brought a dish inspired by one of the countries on the 199 marker, which meant lots of fish, fruit, salad ... and a surprising lack of SPAM! Each person had an opportunity to talk about what they brought, ingredients, cooking methods, etc. Everything was good, but my vote goes for the slow cooked chicken legs. Tasty! [caption id="attachment_880" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Photo via Latitudinal Cuisine"] [/caption] I made an 'Alaskan' salmon and dill dip, which I spread over some salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and served with lemon on the side. The dip is quite good and easy to make. The recipe follows:

1 (14 3/4 oz.) can salmon, drained [caption id="attachment_879" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Photo via Latitudinal Cuisine"]

[/caption] I also made Hawaiian nut loaf. It took a bit more than the 50-60 minutes it stated on the recipe, but other than it being quite crumbly, the taste was good.
Ingredients * 2 eggs * 1/2 cup butter, softened * 1 cup white sugar * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1/8 teaspoon salt * 1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained * 1/3 cup chopped walnuts Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. 2. In a large bowl, cream together eggs, butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the pineapple and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
There were a lot of wonderful dishes to try and everyone was so nice. It really is a great event and such a nice way to meet other people. I hope to meet up with the Latitudinal group again as they continue to travel the world culinarily.

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Polynesian - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars - Cocktail Bars - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars I have heard of Trader Vic's before, but had no idea what to expect. When I stepped through the door and was greeted by Polynesian statues, I got the giggles - this would be fun, I thought to myself! As I walked down the stairs, there was a mix of decor - from the carpet that seemed like it belonged in a Ruby Tuesday's to the coral, shells, tiki men and ... oh my gosh is that really a canoe filled with fruity cocktails?! Indeed, folks! This place is full-on themed from the walls to the staff. It seemed out of place for the location, but the clientele was easy on the eye! ;) They had a great bar and the staff was very attentive. I cant say much about the food, as I only had a (pretty decent) BBQ rib, but this place could be a whole lot of fun for a party.