Backtracking to Greenwich

Before I post a proper blog, I would like make sure I briefly highlight the last couple of days we spent in England. We stayed with my mum’s cousin Carl, his wife Philippa and her sister Yvonne in a town called Greenwich on the outskirts of London. I have only met them each a few times in my life but we had such a good time. The highlight was seeing Carl and Philippa’s 10 month old baby Alfie, who I dub the friendliest baby in the world. He would let everyone hold his two arms as he flailed his legs precariously in an attempt to run across the floor, and never failed to give a massive grin when you looked his way. (I was definitely getting the motherly urges!)

On the first night, when Alfie was put to bed, we enjoyed bangers and mash over a glass of wine and a melodic ambiance created by the music of Frank Sinatra. I could almost see the musical notes dancing around the dining table under the dim light of their London flat, but that was probably the wine speaking! The second night, we went to a fancy pizzeria where I had a delicious anchovy, mushroom, and olive pizza doused in garlic. We drank so much water and wine that by the time we were through, we were waddling home, bursting for the toilet – but it was all part of the fun!

The flat was also an interesting place to stay. It was one of the flats that missed being bombed during the Second World War, and thus retains most of its Victorian charm, though certain parts have been renovated for modern use (i.e. the kitchen). It has five floors connected by a long, narrow staircase and if you laid it out flat, you would probably end up with the same surface area as our house. However, since flats in Greenwich are so close to downtown London, the prices are easily five times as much as that of an equally sized place here.

If I get the chance, I may be able to meet up with Yvonne while I am in Japan since she often goes on business trips for her company, Monsoon Accessories, so that will be nice. I guess it all depends on how busy I am and where she is at the time!