16:
Craven Hill Property - Exterior
Bayswater is great place to live for a number of reasons. It has a large variety of food on offer, from the popular Four Seasons made famous for its succulent roast duck to the more upscale Royal China, which is still affordable and does a brilliant selection of Dim Sum. Let’s not forget Kiasu that won Time out Cheap Eats in 2007 and serves cuisine that derives its influence from The Straits (of Malacca) and its Far Eastern neighbours. But there isn’t just oriental food, everything from Italian to American cuisine is also available. There is also a huge array of entertainment on offer such as the Odeon cinema, Queens Ice Skating rink, Whitelys shopping centre and two bowling venues, Queens bowling and All Star Lanes, all at your door step. And if that hasn’t got you interested in moving to this energetic part of town perhaps this will convince you. This brilliant modern studio apartment is brand new and refurbished to a very high standard. It comes with a fully fitted kitchen and a separate private shower room. There is a plasma screen flat TV with FREE cable TV as well as FREE Internet. Access to communal gardens and the on-site gym is also thrown into the deal. Within easy walking distance to Bayswater Tube, Lancaster Gate and Paddington Tube station, this is a property that should not be missed.
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
10:
Sitting on the train, on my way home yesterday, I found myself thinking about my ideal property. What would my ideal property be? I thought. Immediately visions of Parisian style “Shabby Chic” homes filled my head with their ubiquitous romanticism, radiating off their winding baroque stair cases and picturesque quartiees guarded by grey, chipped gargoyle statues. I saw myself running down the stairs in a long Chanel number with a red satin 1800’s style cape billowing behind me. Yes, I thought, a baroque place is just what I need. Just then I remembered these uber smart apartments I had seen, whilst strolling along London’s Embankment a month or so ago, with their supremely modern architecture and windows replacing the north walls over looking the Thames. “Parliament View Apartments” answered my boyfriend“ super smart”. They really were… The architecture is magnificent. Full of light, these homes are every bit the young, minimalstic, city kid and I was so there…My black stilettos were on, my suit was so sharp it could slice through cement. I meant business. I was doing deals, heading board meetings and embracing “The Wharf” as all the city folk call it, with a full and totally emotionless ( emotions are a sign of weakness in business) Armani sleeved hug. At this point on my train journey I just couldn’t decide….what do I do? Do I go down the sniff of a rug and half a chair minimalistic route or would I prefer a thoroughly cluttered up love pad with an orangery where I could meet my imaginary lover? Both I decided. I shall have both! Why not? London is a bounteous city, overflowing with all sorts of designs and époques. I have Battersea, Waterloo and Canary Wharf for the super slick and latest flash pads and then there are places like Notting Hill, Chelsea and Hampstead for the fairy tale apartment I have always lusted after. Whatever one decides to have, London has it!
To buy these two apartments only one problem remained….my purse L
08:
So you have moved to your new West London dream home and life is just perfect. The location, the views, the transport links and shops are all you ever needed and as close as you could have possibly ever wished for. But there is just one thing…what do you do when your kiddies have finished school at 3.30pm and you are still at work?
Worry not dear mummies and daddies we have a few ideas that may be of help; if you are new to the U.K and are not familiar with the educational system, it may be worth while popping in to your child’s school and asking a few questions. The majority of schools have after school activities ranging from net ball or foot ball to chess club and computers. The government over the past year has also been strongly promoting the idea of healthy living and so many schools are now ensuring that they offer fitness clubs( dance, athletics, rugby) and cooking clubs in order to teach the adults of tomorrow how to take care of themselves in order to have a healthy body and mind. These get togethers normally run from 3.30pm till about 6pm often allowing the pupils a “focus” hour or so to finish their homework. Homework or “prep” clubs, as they are referred to, are also offered and (having been to them myself when I was younger) are an ideal way of focusing a child on the work they have to complete for tomorrow without the noise and distractions of parents and siblings at home. After school clubs are also an ideal opportunity for your child to learn a new art (singing or choir, piano or flute, painting, sewing etc.) without the pressure and constant examination of a school day.
If you are searching for day care, i.e. nannies, it is better to go via a reputable nanny agency, as then you can ensure that your child’s guardian will have the necessary police checks (CRB) and first aid training should your little one need it. Nannying agencies find nannies that are specifically tailored to your needs, for example, if you are moving over from Greece and need someone who speaks both Greek and English, who cooks Greek food (as this is what your children are used to eating) and who can drive, the agency will pick out two or three people from their books who suit the specification and will suggest you meet them and pick the one of your choice.
If you do not want to take on a full time nanny it is possible to either book them part time or to take on a child minder. Child minders are people who take on all the after school responsibilities such as pick ups, feeding the little ones etc from 3.30pm until you are able to pick your child up, and generally they run this service from their own home.
A few after school activities to look at in the Notting Hill area are listed below but there are plenty more so get googling!
www.harbourclubnottinghill.com – Tennis for adults and children plus other activities
www.westlondondanceacademy.com- Ballett classes.
www.perform.co.uk – drama, music.
www.chelseafc.com- football.
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