Categories
Going out

London with a dog

Frank at Forty Hall

I am a cat person, but after we lost both our cats recently (one literally lost, the other died from a long-term kidney issue) we decided to get a dog.

Having a puppy (a whippet, his name is Frank) is almost like having a baby again. For one, like babies — and unlike cats —, you have to teach them everything. Also, you have to do some planning when going out: do they let dogs in (or, do they have space for buggies, are they child-friendly), how long are we spending in the car/train/walking, how are we going to entertain him, can we time things so he’s tired and napping?

It’s interesting to see London from this new perspective, it’s like discovering an entire new city I hadn’t really noticed before.

For example, last weekend we visited Forty Hall in Enfield. We already loved their wines, and found out it’s dog and child friendly so we thought it would be a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was. Before Frank, I’d have been happy to just keep buying their wine from our local deli without setting foot on the estate.

I must confess though, I can’t wait for him to grow out of the crazed puppy months (years? it’s getting better…), and I’m very jealous of any well-behaved, calm, well-trained dog I see. I imagine that once he’s at that stage, we’ll be able to take him to even more places, or at least stay in the places we already enjoy for longer. I guess time will tell.

Categories
Food Going out Kids

East Village

Rafael running around E20
Photo by me

Typical weekend conversation in my house: “What shall we do today?” “Don’t know.” “E20?” “Sure.”

The site of the 2012 London Olympics has everything we need to hang out with Rafael: cheap parking (or more expensive parking if we feel like charging our electric car), nice coffee places, large enough areas that are safe for a toddler to scoot and run around, green spaces, ducks, a playground, it’s not too far from home, Westfield Stratford shopping centre for some more hardcore shopping, the Sunday market, a bike shop, a kids shop, nice restaurants. I could go on.

We usually try to think of something different to do, somewhere else to go, but the fact of the matter is that E20 is becoming one of the best places to spend a few hours with my family. And we keep coming back.

Categories
Food Going out

Oceano Restaurant

Sardinhas assadas
Photo by me

I am delighted that Oceano got the award for best restaurant in Leyton and Leytonstone in the Time Out Love London Awards. We have been going there since we moved to London — not as often as we wished, but as often as we can. The food is tasty and it makes me a little less homesick.

We tend to go quite early in the evenings, around 5.30pm so it’s usually quiet by then, but it can get pretty busy, especially if Portugal are playing and everyone is out to watch the game.

If you go there, don’t forget to try the soup.

Categories
Food Going out

The Red Lion

Photo by me
Photo by me

If you’re trying to figure out where to get a scrumptious Sunday roast, look no further than Leytonstone. I can recommend The Red Lion, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the tube station. The pub is big and beautiful, with a large outside space for when the weather allows, and the roast is excellent — even Rafael approves. If you arrive at 12pm you probably don’t need to book, but any time after 1pm I’d say booking is a must. Go there.

Categories
Going out Kids Sports

London Aquatics Centre

London Aquatics Centre
Photo by Forgemind ArchiMedia

Whenever we have time (and aren’t too lazy), Nicklas and I like to take Rafael to have a little swim in the London Aquatics Centre. The facilities are excellent for families, with family changing rooms, dedicated space to park the buggy and training pool.

If the weather outside is kind, there are few places in London as nice to walk around with children as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Or you can have a cheeky Mexican lunch at Wahaca, or Italian at Jamie’s, in Westfield.

Categories
Food Going out

All You Read is Love

Rafael and Nicklas in All You Read is Love
Photo by me

It was only in the last couple of months of my maternity leave that I found All You Read is Love, a super cool café in Leyonstone that has everything I could ask for: cocktails, wine, coffee, teas, cakes, biscuits, sandwiches and even books, if I’m that way inclined.

We go there often now. Sometimes for a tea or a coffee, sometimes for a cocktail or a beer. Rafael loves the little play area at the back, with Lego and children’s books. And it’s on the way to his nursery (a total coincidence…).

I bought an English copy of José Saramago’s “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ” for Nicklas there once — one of my two favourite books and one of my two favourite authors.

Our fingers are crossed for more places like this to open in Leytonstone and in Leyton, but in the meantime, we have everything we need over on the side of the train tracks.

Categories
Going out Mood

Back home

Rafael with his grandparents  in Covent Garden
Photo by me

After 25 days away, we’re back home, ready to start the next chapter: I’m going back to work and Rafael is starting nursery soon.

My parents travelled with us from Portugal, so we’ve been spending these last few free days walking around town. And such a beautiful town it is. I feel so lucky to be able to call London home.

Categories
Going out

Vintage Furniture Flea

Nicklas and Rafael at the Vintage Furniture Flea
Photo by me

I rarely miss a Vintage Furniture Flea in Bethnal Green. They happen about every 3 months and you pay £2 to get in (£3 if you want to get in half an hour earlier, which I always do).

I thought I was going to miss one last year, which was only a couple of days after my son’s due date, but he was 6 weeks early, so we managed to not miss it and he’s been coming with us since he was super tiny.

Lately we haven’t purchased anything (apart from delicious cake), but we’ve found some great gems before — cheap and beautiful — and always arrive with a mental wishlist of things we want/need. Arriving early means we have time to quickly go around the hall once or twice and spot any interesting stuff before the crowds arrive — and it can get very busy.

The next one is on the 6th of September, and you can check other dates and locations on their site. I’ll be there!

Categories
Food Going out Kids

46b

Nicklas and Rafael at 46b
Photo by me

My son was born 6 weeks early, a little on the small side, and not very keen on eating, so he spent 18 very long days in hospital before coming home.

Days are weird when you’re visiting your baby in neonatal care: time flies, but it’s also slow. There are moments when everything happens at once: hold, feed, clean. Then there are hours where you can’t do anything because he’s sleeping or the doctors are doing rounds. For our own health, during those hours we needed to catch a breath of fresh air. I still couldn’t move much, and 46b was right around the corner, so we started going there, and soon got addicted to the delicious brownies.

And we’ve pretty much been going there ever since, as often as we can. We like the Chatsworth Road area: we’re lucky that the hospital Rafael was born in was placed within such a nice setting, and it’s easy enough to catch the W15 bus from Leyton that drops us almost literally in front of the café.

Categories
Going out Money

Free London

Photo by me
Photo by me

Sometimes it feels like all the fun things to do in London involve paying for something. But a penny saved is a penny earned, and that’s specially true now with the baby. So I wonder, apart from walking around in parks, what else is there to be done in London that doesn’t involving reaching for the wallet? Is walking around really the only thing to do with a baby around here? (Assuming public or private transportation to get somewhere doesn’t count as spending money.)