03:
My colleague was walking to work and passed by a poetry noticeboard where people can put up their poetry. It can be found where Chepstow road meets Portobello road. She took a photo of a poem on her Blackberry for me and I thought it would be a great poem to share – especially as we are nearing the new year. Enjoy!
We change our lives
And change our minds
We change our feelings
And change the times.
A change can be
A short term thing,
Or a change can be forever.
I don’t think there’s anything
Wrong in changing,
To try and be somebody better.
But I think with change
Comes a lot of blame.
A lot of courage,
But a lot of pain.
Afraid to be someone
Who’s always the same.
Boring, plain,
Predictable, mundane.
I think a change is a push
To help you move on.
Whether it’s what you want
Or life’s gone wrong.
Coz change is what keeps us going
To strive for something more.
We spend a lifetime asking questions
That we have no answers for.
A change can be a make or break,
A risk to take, or a big mistake!
But who cares anyway?
If the change wasn’t what you saw,
The beauty of change is that
You can change back-
To the Life you had before – Chang
01:
Cyprus Mangal
I am an avid user of Top Table and for those of you that have not been introduce to this fabulous website, you’re in for a treat. There is something for everyone, dining on a budget, indulging in Michelin star restaurants, looking for entertainment – this is the place to start your search. You can get great deals, from discounts up to 50% off the bill to free cocktails with your meal. You can also clock up points when you write a review after dining and these points are put towards a free meal. The best deal I have found recently for those of you looking to dine out in the Notting Hill area is The Turkish restaurant Cyprus Mangal as they have a Christmas deal for 50% off the food bill and it is not limited to a particular booking time. The offer is on till 24th of December, and while it isn’t your traditional Christmas grub, there is plenty of entertainment on offer with lively music and a belly dancer – perfect for a Christmas party! I will be definitely be taking them up on this offer as my birthday is coming up so I will be sure to report back.
18:
Aesop skincare - The Poetry Collection
On my walk to work I am always passing interesting little boutiques and stores and one that I have recently come across is Aesop Skincare. My skin is in dire need of some TLC, as I am still using my light summer creams that aren’t nourishing enough, especially during this seasonal change. As the heaters get turned up and the weather gets colder your skin needs something that will sooth, protect and deeply nourish. So what better than an au natural skincare brand that uses the highest grade botanicals that contain very little chemical compounds and preservatives. They work in affinity with the skin’s physiology and are very gentle and calming.
This Aussie company started in 1987 and are distinguishable by their apothecary-style products. But not only do they create beautiful products that have a huge following, this Christmas they have brought out four beautiful kits that contain a selection of skincare essentials. What sets them apart is that they pay homage to the poets Keats, Rossetti, Shelley and Blake, as the sets are all tissue-wrapped in sheets of poetry. A beautiful gift that will not only nourish your skin but rejuvenate your soul.
17:
For some strange reason I always end coming back to Notting Hill. I have made and sold jewellery in Portobello market, worked for a lifestyle company called Unlisted London just off Kensal rise, worked at clothing exhibitions such as The Fashion Box Sample Sale, which was recently held at Westbourne Studios, the list goes on and it all streams back to Notting Hill. And now I am back again – at Notting Hill Properties. It just highlights the diversity of culture, events and businesses in this small but electric part of town. Never a dull moment even when I am walking to work I see such a mix of people that work and live in the area. From the residents that have been here for decades, this is home to them, they live, breath and create the vibe that makes Notting Hill a worthy place to live in, to the tourists that feed off the cool London vibe and bring diversity and vibrancy to this place. And then you have those that have just moved into the area that instantly become enthusiastic about their new found home. It attracts a mix of people, whether working, living or just visiting, that will fall in love with the area and let it become part of their London life. Well it has done that to me – I just can’t seem to get away. On starting my new job I was told we would be moving office and my heart dropped. It must of showed cause it was followed quickly by a “don’t worry were only going round the corner”. Phew…so I am here to stay in my beloved Notting Hill and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
05:
Spacious and refurbished flat, situated on the second floor with wooden floors throughout. Accommodation comprises master bedroom with en suite bathroom, 2 further bedrooms, barhroom, 1 reception room and eat in kitchen. Campden Street is conveniently located close to Notting Hill Gate with its many shops, cafes and restaurants. Kensington High Street and Kensington Gardens are nearby. For excellent transport links, Notting Hill Gate Underground Station (District, Circle and Central lines) and Kensington High Street Underground Station (District and Circle lines) are a short walk away. Motorists will benefit from rapid routes to the West and Heathrow Airport via M4.
02:
01:
London: Speed; one million miles per hour. Work; at least forty five hours per week. Play; minimum. Stress; maximum. So what makes us Londoners love this city so much? Why do we put ourselves out there on a “high alert, oh my God I am about to convulse” level for the majority of the week, queuing for the train, queuing for for the bus, queuing for the super market, even if we want to go to the loo, we have to queue up at the cash point to take out a tenner, to buy some gum, to get some change, to then queue for the change machine, get two ten pence pieces and a twenty, to queue through the toilet barrier and eventually get to the blasted place!!!! Perhaps it’s that machine gun feeling we get when we are commuting home and are packed like sardines on the train whilst our face is glued on a b.o smothered arm pit and our right hand is shoved against someone’s crotch. London is wonderful! I hear you cry, London is great! It is, I agree! But why? Why do we remain committed to a city that draws from us such vast senses of hatred and stress, who’s pavements ruin our stilettos, who’s rain frizzes our hair? The answer my dear readers is given to you forthwith; Londres, Londino, Londinion is also a magnificent city that refuses to conform, Dickensian in one blink and minimalist in another. Transvestites and lady boys socialising with Sloaneys and toffs. That is why we love London. Anything goes. You don’t need to worry about what you are wearing or how you speak, where you go or what you do as all and sundry thoroughly accept, love and admire anything that is quirky and embrace imperfection as a sign of idiosyncratic excellence. London is like a Benetton advert, all creeds and colours side by side in a unified waltz to the cinema or a jaunt to the theatre. On one end of the road is “Maroush” for a shwarma and a kofta, on the other is “Mango Tree” for phad thai and tom yum soup. A cauldron of infinite choice, by the river or by the green, old school uniforms or East London grunge. That is why we love this city and why every arm pit sniffing, crotch touching, stuffy tube delay is worth hating, so that you can feel and experience the love of a city like no other.
30:
The best of us have been there. Living in a grotty old flat where the taps don’t work and the carpets are mouldy, whilst we go out partying and care not one bit for the new place we call home. But is this right? Should parents really be allowing their children to be living in filthy flats where the electrics are dangerously exposed and the fire alarms no longer work? Why should a student, however financially tight, have to spend the first years of their newly independent life living in squalor? The early varsity years, with no parents to clean up after them, cook for them or check that they have enough money to survive, more often than not miles away from any familiar faces is irrefutably daunting and finding your son or daughter a safe place needn’t be far more expensive provided you look around and are guided by an agent who really listens and takes care of your requirements on a more personable level, adhering to your budget as well as suiting the area and checklist of your “not so little one’s” needs.
Here at Notting Hill Properties we place a strong emphasis on listening to our clients and ensuring that once they have settled in to their flat, they are well looked after and feel comfortable with their surroundings. Unlike other property companies, we do not usher people in and out of our office at the rate of knots, but rather take time to learn and discover what our client is about. With a one to one service, equipping you with your own personal agent, Notting Hill Properties is the ideal way of discovering London and looking after your teens on their first voyage out in to the world of independence.
28:
Quick Dinner for those Notting Hill Busy Mummies Amongst You:
Tarragon and Tomato Stuffed Salmon
Ingredients
2 salad onions, finely chopped
½ x 20g pack tarragon
2 x 500g packs prime salmon fillets, skinned
3 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
150g Frescopronti Italian Sun Drenched Tomatoes (from the chiller) or Waitrose Cook’s Ingredients Sunkissed Tomatoes, drained, plus 2 tbsp of the oil
100g Waitrose Half-Fat Mayonnaise
75g Greek Yogurt
25g pack curly parsely, chopped
Method
- Prepare and light the barbecue. Pull the tarragon leaves from the stalks and roughly chop the leaves. Lay one salmon fillet, skinned side up, on the surface and spread with the tomato paste. Scatter with the tomatoes and tarragon. Season and position the second fillet on top, skinned side down, with the thick edge of one fillet against the thin edge of the other, to create an even thickness. Tie the salmon at 3cm intervals with kitchen string to hold the pieces together. Chill until required.
- Meanwhile, beat the mayonnaise with the yogurt, parsley, salad onions and some seasoning, then spoon into a small serving dish. Chill until required.
- Brush the top of the salmon with a little oil and position, oiled side down, on the barbecue over a gentle heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the lower fillet has turned opaque. Brush the top fillet with the remaining oil and carefully turn the salmon to cook the bottom fillet. (To check the salmon is cooked through, pierce a thick area of the upper fillet with a knife.) Transfer to a board and cut across into thick slices, removing the string. Serve with the flavoured mayonnaise.
Recipe Courtesy of www.waitrose.com
25:
The Westbourne pub opened three years ago has become “the place to go” on a Friday for anyone craving a good old beverage after a hard days work or simply to enjoy a good atmosphere with plenty of young professionals and, let’s not forget, a plethora of male and female eye candy. Good banter, drinking and beauties aside, it was also awarded a place in the 2004 edition of the Michelin Guide having acquired a fabulous reputation for its tasty fare, ranging from rock oysters to pot roasted pheasant with bacon, shallots and oyster mushrooms. Fresh and vibrant in the summer and cosy and inviting in the winter, you simply cannot go wrong with this pub.
Contact details are listed below:
The Westbourne
101 Westbourne Park Villas
London W2 5ED
0207 221 1332
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