Richmond Park

Last weekend I managed to finally make it out to Richmond Park. Take a look at any map of Greater London and you will see it, huge and green, in the southwest corner. Overall, the park covers an impressive 2,500 acres of woodland and meadows.

A brief history
This is one of the oldest parks, and began with King Edward (1272-1307), when the area was known as the Manor of Sheen. The name was changed to Richmond during the king-of-many-wives, Henry VII's reign. Then, in 1625 King Charles I brought his court to Richmond Palace to escape the plague in London and turned it into a park for red and fallow deer which are still there today.


In 1637 Charles I chose to enclose the land was not popular with the local residents, but seems to have been a good long-term plan.

Today, Richmond Park is a royal park and a nature reserve, and despite being completely surrounded by London proper, it has a population of over 600 deer. However, I was slightly dissapointed in the lack of wildness about the park (Although I'm not sure what I was expecting considering it's located inside of London). We were there on a beautiful Autumn day and it was fairly packed - you were always in sight of another walker or jogger or photographer, no matter where you were.

Freize Art Fair 2011

The Freize Art Fair is held every year in Regent's Park in Central London - it features the latest, greatest and weirdest modern art around.

Who's buying? Billionaires and museums looking to bolster their collections. So not quite describing me, but I was excited to go see something I wouldn't normally go to (thanks to my relatives at Canada Gallery!). Aparently most of the actual sales are made earlier in the week, and by the time the weekend rolls around the high-rollers are gone, and the visitors who are just-here-to-look move in.

Who's there? Different galleries get booths and show off their latest acquisitions. If you love the Saatchi Gallery, Tate Modern, MOMA in New York, etc., this is exactly your cup of tea. This isn't your Jackson Pollacks or Manets- although some big acts that I had actually heard of (like Tracey Emin, winner of the Turner Prize) were there.

How to Peel Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds

It can't be denied, this is one nifty trick for peeling that pesky garlic; "You've gotta shake the dickens outta it!

Who knew peeling garlic could be so exciting?


How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Visiting London's Barbican Centre

The Barbican Centre is an amazing oasis in the middle of London. Surrounded by monolithic tower blocks and skyscrapers, it provides a breathe of fresh air (and a surprise if you're like me and you stumble onto it for the first time by accident by accident). 

The complex is an interesting mix; the Barbican itself is Europe's largest arts centre and sits in a purpose-built site for theatre, film, dance, and music. The venue always has a huge variety of events going on - from Japanimation film festivals to Shakespeare, supper cabaret, opera, and silent films. I was there just last week to see "An evening of classical music discussion with Stephen Fry", and the theatre was just about sold out! Pretty impressive for a panel discussion about the future of classical music, although I suppose having a celebrity like Stephen Fry must have helped massively.