the beginning of the end and the start of something new

so, as we head into this week we are hitting what i will call dee-palooza! the next couple of weeks will be filled with things that dee wants to do before she leaves london for dublin (hence the beginning of the end).

the week started with a bang! glee finally started in london so it was nice to see the first couple of episodes (i've seen the rest in canada) but so happy to see it here and to see it a success. although in the middle of the second episode...i heard this heart wrenching terrible screaming in the park behind our flat. it sounded like a squirrel or a rat had gotten attacked and it was screaming for its life. thing is, i couldn't see a thing and well, for the rest of the night all i could hear was that screaming and i barely slept a wink. i got to work the next morning and told my office mates what was going on and was happy to learn that said screaming wasn't a squirrel or a rat being mauled to death (they don't scream like that)....apparently its fox mating season (just starting) and what i heard was a girl fox in the throws of ecstasy. so instead of a life ending, one could potentially have just begun. ha ha.

which brings me to wednesday...i had to work from home that day and lucky me as i woke up to a winter wonderland out there. i have never seen so much snow in london before. and then later that night, a gift from up above! i had a massage in my living room by an RMT from Calgary....that's right...i found a real massage therapist in this city and she is from home and she came to my flat with her table and gave me a great massage in my living room. sweet mother of god my body felt amazing (in pain) but amazing.

friday brought another unique experience....dinner at dans le noir. the concept is you show up, throw your stuff in a locker, order your meal and drinks, then your blind waiter leads you to a pitch dark room where you eat your meal without being able to see a damned thing. what a unique experience. ben, our server, led us to our table (we were in a chain holding on to eachothers shoulders) as we were ushered to our table that we'd share with more people. ben said there were 12 people per table, i believe.

dee and i ordered the chef's surprise meal and carloline the meat. we don't know what we get...so we eat, then when you're escorted out, they ask you what you thought you had and then give you the result...so fun! oh, and if you want anything, you need to call our your server's name and he'll take you to the toilet, get you a drink...whatever it is you needed in the first place. i have to say, asking caroine to pass the bread basket was funny. i'm feeling out into the complete dark to try to find a basket. it took a while.

so this is what i thought i had:

- chicken pate, soft cheese wrapped in prosciutto and a mango chutney (as a starter)

- roast beef with mash; ham with rice; and some sort of fish steak with a tomato salsa

- home made chocolates with lemon curd; chocolate chip cookies; and a piece of apple cobbler

what i had was

- chicken terrine, goat cheese wrapped in courgette with mango chutney (not bad)
- grilled ostrich with mash; rare bison with rice; and swordfish in tomato compote
- home made chocolates with lime marscarpone cheese, chocolate chip cookies; and a piece of plum cobbler.

haha - not bad huh????

my fave was that caroline thought she had for a starter, mini burgers (chicken cakes) and hot dogs (breadsticks wrapped in bacon) ha ha ha - so funny!

so in all the experience was unique...it was a few moments to get adjusted and the chatter in the restaurant was LOUD. i'm not sure if that was a part of the sensory deprivation thing making the sound much louder than it really was, but to be fair, the food wasn't as flavourful as i expected. in fact, it was a touch bland (except for the bison - it was a bit salty). dessert was spot on though. luckily they don't ask if you want any coffee or tea. ha ha. can you imagine? i had a tough time with my bottle of sparkling water and glass of red wine. dee and carline got a jug of water. i don't think they poured any. oh my! but if you don't like the dark and feel claustrophobic, this place probably isn't for you. that being said, the room had to be huge...there were 10 at our table and i'm pretty sure there are at minimum 10 tables in there. by the end though, i was glad to get out of there. my eyes felt itchy.

need to sign off though. i'm on my way to go see up in the air with clooney. i hear nothing but good things (of course, its an ivan reitman film!). its a rainy day so i don't feel like doing much, but tomorrow i show the flat to a hopeful (wish me luck), going to electric cinema with dee and the gals to go see a serious man (love that cinema!), and out for dinner. and just like that, my second week will be done!

xoxo