A Fabulous Weekend Wrap-up!

We received word on Friday afternoon that our references had been approved and the flat we want is all ours so that called for some celebration! I sent hubby out for fish and chips dinner, which was delish! Then we headed to the Admiral Codrington (known to Sloane Rangers as "The Cod") in Sloane Square for drinks. We walked down King's Road to get there and it's a lovely area! I can't wait to go shopping there sometime soon!

The Cod was interesting. There were lots of posh fellas wining and dining their "birds." Popped collars everywhere! But it was a fun, relaxed pub with a restaurant in back that played fun music. I overheard a few Sloanies conversations... one girl telling the guy she was with "You're a shit lovah!" to which I laughed out loud! It was an interesting night and I'm sure we'll go back there again sometime.

The only bummer about The Cod was that it closed promptly at 11pm, which is not unusual for pubs in London... So we got in a taxi and headed to The White Horse Pub on Parsons Green in Fulham. Even the cab driver knew it was "The Sloanie Pony" which excited me!

Here's a photo of the beer garden outside... it was packed. Everyone looks red because of the heaters overhead outside to keep it warm. The Sloaney Pony was fabulous! Packed with posh preps and freaks alike... everything from a punk rockers to aristocrats inside and they were having a beer tasting festival with a rockin blues band. We danced the night away and had a great time! We were also very excited to find out that The Sloaney Pony is only 2 stops away from our new flat... definitely going back there!!!

On Saturday we made a pilgrimage up to Wembley to go to the IKEA there and scope out some furniture options! And when we got home, we had a whole different night to look forward to....

Our local pub here in West Kensington had an Elvis impersonator performing! He was a riot! hahaha I shouted out Kentucky Rain and he actually sang it for me! hahaha

Sunday we headed to Westfield for Christmas shopping... I only bought 1 present, but I found silverware for the flat and fancy treats for our reindeer advent calendar!

It the first year we're using it so I thought some red, green & gold foil wrapped truffles filled with mint, Irish cream and champagne would be ideal! YUM! I can't wait till December 1st to eat the first chocolate!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend too! xo

Sloane Rangers or Preppy in the UK

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The other day, my husband saw some girls on the tube and referred to them as Sloane Rangers. My husband is a few years older than me and was living in London for 3 years in the late 80's or early 90's so this term, popularized in the early 80's is something he is familiar with. I asked him what it meant and he said it was a slang term for girls that hung out in Sloane Square and had a certain sloppy style and distinctive accent. He compared their accent to the LA Heidi Montag way of speaking (you know what I mean - the way all the Hills girls say Thank You-ew with a bit of a dipthong?) So I was surprised to read a blog post yesterday about the Royal Engagement that referred to Kate Middleton as a Sloane Ranger because she is anything but sloppy! So I did some research this morning!

My husband was a little off-base calling the girls we saw on the tube Sloane Rangers, but he wasn't entirely wrong...

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According to much of my research, the original and best example of a Sloane Ranger when the phrase was coined was the late Lady Diana Spencer before she married Prince Charles. In those days, she was simply an aristocrat from the Earls Spencer family, not the Princess of Wales we all learned to love as children. In those days, she was the picture of what we would call preppy style (are those Hunter wellies I see?), but in fact, it's Sloane Ranger style!

Here's what Wikipedia says about Sloane Rangers:

"The term Sloane Ranger (often shortened to Sloane or Sloanie) refers to a stereotype in the UK of young, upper class or upper-middle-class women or men who share distinctive and common lifestyle traits. The term is a punning combination of "Sloane Square", a location in Chelsea famed for the wealth of residents and frequenters, and the television Westerns character The Lone Ranger.

Initially the term "Sloane Ranger" was used mostly in reference to women, a particular archetype being Diana, Princess of Wales. However, the term now usually includes men. Male Sloanes have also been referred to as "Ra Ra Ruperts" (or, simply, Rah for short) and "Hooray Henrys".[1] The term Sloane Ranger have similar related terms in other countries: in France they are called 'BCBG' (bon chic, bon genre). The Preppy of the United States can appear similar to the Sloane Ranger at first glance but in fact they are different in their ideologies and aspirations."

One famous often referred to as a Sloane Ranger you might recognize is David Cameron, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Much like the preps in the US, who recognize The Official Preppy Handbook as their guide to the ultimate preppy life, Sloane Rangers gained notariety because of a book called The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook and it's companion The Official Sloane Ranger Diary, both by Peter York and Ann Barr.

Similarly, while the Preppies of the US have True Prep, a recent update on the original handbook as a result of a comeback in mainstream society, the Sloane Rangers have also made a comeback, sparking an updated book as well called Cooler, Faster, More Expensive: The Return of the Sloane Ranger. Many say that this comeback has a lot to do with the economic state of both countries and there is a similarity here... wasn't there also recession in the 80's? Just a thought...

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Quite possibly, Kate Middleton is the most famous of the new set of Sloane Rangers. She has been described to me by some of my London friends as "wonderfully normal" and that fits the bill. Also, as seen in the first photo, she enjoys many of the British outdoor sports, has studied art history and attended the best of schools. Sloane Rangers like preps, while generally affluent, don't dress austentaciously and seem to be normal while many of the pieces they're wearing are quite expensive. These girls most likely will not be carrying a lot of bags bedecked in gaudy logos, but will wear more classic unidentifiable pieces while still enjoying the best of luxury.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the Sloane Ranger style:

"What is perceived as male Sloane fashion has remained relatively constant over the years: the trend amongst the men being for open-necked shirts or polos with the collars turned up, sometimes wear flip-flops in whatever the weather, golfing baseball caps, grow curly locks of hair, sometimes overly built in the rugby physique and wear traditional brands like Barbour. Female Sloanes are considered to favour a scruffy ponytail or bun, and most commonly blonde hair held in a massive side parting. dangly ear-rings,sometimes wear sleevless puff jackets, Jogger bottoms (sometimes even pyjama trousers)[citation needed] & jumpers (particularly those labelling their sport of choice i.e. netball team etc. or their school) bangles and pashminas:[citation needed] tending to be affluent, they dress expensively, but not too neatly and rarely ostentatiously. Clothing brands typically associated with the Sloane include, Ugg boots, Jack Wills and owing to the increasing worldwide influence of American culture, brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and "Pink" by Victorias Secret."

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Another famous Sloane Ranger is recent OBE recipient Tamara Mellon, Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of Jimmy Choo.

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Kiera Knightly is also known as a Sloane Ranger.

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As well as Sienna Miller.

The Sloane Rangers have their own haunts in London and tend to hang out around Chelsea, Kensington and Fulham, while spending their holidays (vacations) in the Caribbean, Greek Isles, Monaco and Cannes. Favorite hang-outs include the White Horse Pub in Fulham, fondly known as "The Sloaney Pony" and Admiral Codrington in Chelsea, referred to as "The Cod." If you find yourself in "The Sloaney Pony" chatting with SR's or if you happen to ever meet Kate Middleton, you'll need to know the lingo! I found this in an article from The Daily Mail.

• Fitties/Birdage/Top totty - Attractive young women
• Hohmygod - Exclamation following banal piece of gossip
• Sweetiedarls, what's the goss? - How are you?
• That's fierce - That's great
• Jokes - How funny
• It's GLO - It's guest list only
• Literally - Metaphorically, e.g. "I'm literally dying" means "I'm quite tired."
• I'm off-roading it - I'm in the country for the weekend

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I feel very enlightened after reading this! It's always fun to learn about new cultures! I must say I love the Sloane Ranger style and I'm more partial to it than preppy style because in some cases, it's more conservative and a little less crazy colorful. No judgement here, but I cannot wear pink and green pants! Some of us would never get away with that! I love Kate Middleton's style and I'm interested to see her Royal style. I find it interesting that both she and Diana have been labeled as Sloane Rangers. Diana's style was iconic and I'm certain Kate's will be too!

Much of the information in this post is taken from www.wikipedia.org. Please click here to read the full article on Sloane Rangers.

British Goods Found Stateside

Photo: www.waitrose.com

I have been lucky to be exposed to some fabulous British foods and goods through the years, first with my English college boyfriend, later through my Irish husband (many products available in Ireland are actually British) and now because I live in London. After my first trip to England in 2003, I was positively smitten with so many different things that I had there, but had never seen in the USA! For a while, the guy I dated from England would ship certain things to me, but later I began to realize as the years passed that many of the products were available in New York and other cities if you knew where to look for them. When we moved to Cayman, many more things were available, since Cayman's population is heavily British and it is a British Overseas Territory after all.

So this got me thinking... even if you can't squeeze a trip to the UK in your budget or schedule this year, it doesn't mean you can't experience some of the traditions from the comfort of your own home! The internet has made it possible for many things we could never get our hands on before to be delivered straight to our front doors! I enjoy a lot of these things around the holidays for some reason, probably because my first trip to England was at Christmas! Here are some of the British foods and goods I'm absolutely loving this holiday season:

Christmas Crackers are uniquely European by tradition and I love these so much that I've had them every Christmas since my 2003 trip to England for Christmas! Basically, they are little tubes of cardboard, usually decorated and you can get them in any theme from traditional red and green to Disney characters, or in all different colors including pink, purple, turquoise and more! Crackers range in price and quality as well. Basically, you include these in your place setting for Christmas dinner (or if you're really festive for Christmas Eve and Boxing Day dinners too!) and you open them at the table. Grab one end and let your neighbor grab the other, hold tight and pull. It should make a pop! Inside you normally find a paper crown that must be worn at dinner (embarrassing or not), a joke or riddle and a tiny gift. The gift can be something practical like a mini calculator or a key chain or it might be a small toy, depending on what kind of crackers you get. Crackers are really fun and increasingly available in the United States! This year we ordered our crackers to match our decorations with Nordic themed red and white reindeer designs. The British also do great advent calendars as a Christmas staple! There are super cheap ranging to super expensive. I've always had cardboard ones where you pop out the date and there's a chocolate inside. Now Loreal has done one with beauty products and you can pretty much get them with anything! I posted a photo of ours here... haven't decided what to put in it yet!

Walkers shortbread amazing! So buttery and rich! It's my favorite, next to homemade of course and it usually comes in a gorgeous plaid tin or package. I think it hails from Scottland, but I'm not sure. It's delicious with tea or coffee, before or after a meal.

The first time someone offered me Squash to drink, I was positively discusted, thinking they meant the vegetable. I had no idea what it was, but once I tried it, I was hooked. It's basically a concentrated drink. You pour a little in a glass and add water. I prefer orange Robinsons, but there are several brands and flavors to choose from. It's a great way to trick yourself into drinking water and it's also a good alternative to sodas!

Custard is one of life's great pleasures! Bird's Custard is my favorite and you can buy it ready-made or in powder form. It's basically like a lighter version of vanilla pudding and it's amazing on deserts like apple pie, chocolate cake or just drissled over fruit. Serve it hot and it's amazing for winter deserts! YUM!!!

Walkers Crisps are very popular in the UK. The logo looks like Lays and who knows? Maybe they are owned by the same company? They are definitely not the same though... people here are serious about their crisps (aka Chips) and they are delish! My favorite is Walkers Ready Salted, but they come in several flavors including Cheese & Onion, Prawn Cocktail, Salt & Vinegar, Roast Chicken, Sour Cream & Chive and others I'm sure.

Maltesers are like Malted Milk Balls, but oh so much softer and yummier!

PG Tips is my favorite British tea. I've been drinking it exclusively since 2002. There is no other in my opinion! It's the best and can actually be found in many American grocery stores!

One of my all-time favorites, Heinz Spaghetti Hoops, which were introduced to me by my husband in New York. I was very loyal to Spaghetti O's and Chef Boyardee until I tried these. They are 10 steps above the rest with less additives, sugar and salt. I love these and often we have them for dinner with frozen Chicken Kievs or potato waffles. Yum!

Heinz Baked Beanz are not at all like American baked beans and they are served differently as well. I made American-style baked beans for a dinner in Cayman and the UK contingency thought they were something totally different! Heinz beans are very very popular among Brits and not only served as a side dish for lunch or dinner, but also as a major player in the famous traditional English breakfasts! You'll often see Beans on Toast here (one of my favorites) for breakfast and I've also spied people putting beans in jacket potatoes (brittish for baked potato) and though it sounds weird, it's actually delicious!

Cadbury, though not my favorite, is unlike any chocolate in the world! If you've never had it, you must try it! They have so many different types of candy bars and the chocolate has a distinct taste, different from any other I've ever tasted! My favorites are Caramel, White Chocolate Dots, and Dairy Milk with Hazelnuts. Mr. Julep is a Crunchie fan, basically it's like crispy honey covered in Cadbury chocolate.

All photos with the exception of the first one found at www.britishdelights.com

Jacob's Cream Crackers are hands down, THE best crackers in the world. There's no salt on them, but they are lush! Serve with soup, cheese or brie! YUM!

Here are 3 websites where you can purchase many if not all of the above items:

www.britishdelights.com

www.myersofkeswick.com

www.teaandsympathynewyork.com

If you find yourself in the New York City area or if you live there, you must visit The Butcher Block on 41st Street and Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, Queens. It's owned by a friend of ours, Mike the Butcher and stocked full of Irish and English goods and sweets! You can also get amazing cuts of fresh meat cut to your liking or hot pre-prepared food and I can attest to the amazing quality of it!

Also in New York is Tea and Sympathy, a great spot for English breakfast and tea with a shop attached! Next door to that is A Salt and Battery fish and chips shop. I have never eaten there, but I hear its great! Myers of Keswick is nearby and is a great shop too!

So, will you be putting a little British into your Christmas?

Random London Post

It's gotten colder in London all of a sudden and it's raining a lot more than it was when we got here. I have to say, it's nice. It's getting dusky now around 4pm and by 5 or 5:30 every day it's pitch dark. This is a photo of the view from our flat at about 4:00 one day last week.

It's also getting really Christmassy here. There's no Thanksgiving in the UK, so Christmas takes off right after Guy Fawkes Night! All the shops are decorated and playing Christmas carols. I don't mind... I'd put up my tree in July if hubs would let me! haha The photo above is a shop that I love here called Butlers. It's German and they have the cutest stuff for the home at really good prices. So when I went on search for the perfect Christmassy couch cushions, this is where I went first!

And I found them! I love the knitted sweater look for Christmas! These cushions are so fluffy and fat and snuggly! I had to have them and I think they'll go pretty well with the black leather couch in our flat.

Last week I also ordered our Christmas tree and all our decorations! I'm so excited for them to come in!!! I decided that since there was so much available and we're starting from scratch to go with the whole Nordic reindeer theme and keep it red, white, green and silver. If you're a regular reader, you probably know that in the past few years, I've had a pink tree with purple, pink, green and turquoise decorations... I've decided to switch it up this year as we left all that stuff behind in Cayman and we're starting over.

On Saturday we went to Greenwich to view a flat. We weren't impressed with the flat, but Greenwich is a lovely part of South London with markets, history, parks and lots of quirky shops! While we were there I found this adorable advent calendar in a cute little shop and I just had to have it!

We also did some other exploring over the weekend.

This is the London Bridge area of London.

The views are really cool on the river.

We could see Tower Bridge from the bridge we were standing on.

I don't know what this big column is, but it's pretty and people were walking around on top of it! I wanna do that too!

This is the famous Gherkin Building in London. My husband is slightly obsessed with this building so we walked over to it. It is pretty impressive and beautiful up close, but from far away, it looks like a Faberge Egg!

Across the street from it is this pub... I laughed and had to snap a photo! What a name!

This is the famous Lloyd's Building... it's really cool and has won awards for architecture or so I'm told by my husband who likes to read books about that kind of stuff.

This is a church in that same area of town. I don't know what it's called, but I thought it was really beautiful and interesting.

This is the Gherkin Building shot by me laying down on a park bench underneath. Fabulous building!

This pub was closed... otherwise, I'd have gone in and ordered an Edward. (bwa ha ha - couldn't resist)

Another beautiful church

My gorgeous husband posing next to this statue because I told him this is what he looks like when he pouts, minus the boobies of course!

It was a great weekend! We also found a pub with a juke box that we like in our neighborhood called The Old Oak! It's a great pub! Many of the London pubs are owned by big corporations and they have no soul... finding what they call a "free house" or an owner opporated pub, can be tricky, but we found one!

How was your weekend?

A Day in the City for the Christmas Lighting on Regent Street

Yesterday was a great day! A girl I met years ago through some mutual friends lives in the city and I met her, her mom and her sweet baby girl for a late lunch and the lighting of the Christmas lights on Regent Street. She worked at the summer stock theatre one summer where I worked in high school and college so even though we don't know each other too well, we have a lot of friends in common and she did some shows with my mom who had a turn as an actress as well! It's a small world for sure! We met at a place called The Breakfast Club Cafe, a cute little place in Soho that has a lot of 80's charm and does amazing American-style breakfast!

This sign was right above our table... appropriate, no?

After lunch we went for a stroll, making our way to Regent Street for the lighting ceremony. It was pretty cold, but I enjoyed it! It's been so long since I've been cold for wintery Christmas activities. Christmas just isn't the same when it's 85 degrees outside and you're surrounded by palm trees, Tortuga Rum and Cuban cigars...

I have been snapping shots all over the city of buildings with "Turner" on them... it's my last name and I'm happy to see it plastered all over London! This is Turner headquarters... as in Ted Turner as in Turner Classic Movies and other channels or entertainment ventures!

We took a shortcut through Carnaby Street, the home of the "Swinging 60's" where much of the Austin Powers flicks were filmed. It's a very cool area where Liberty of London can be found along with loads of other shopping! The theme for their Christmas lights this year is spacy, featuring astronaut Santa's and colorful planets! I love it!

There are shops and pubs a plenty on Carnaby Street and I look forward to going back there sometime for some shopping when it's a little less crowded!

Space age Santas were everywhere... cute!

This is the chandelier in the entrance of Hamley's of London, the famous toy store here, similar to FAO Schwartz. The difference is that Hamley's is celebrating it's 250th Anniversary... it's older than the USA!

After taking a stroll through a little shop I was quite happy to find has made it's way to London (um, hello! Who knew there was an Anthropology here?!?!?!) we made our way to our spots for the lighting ceremony. We got pretty close so we had a decent view!

It was very crowded!

One of the Hamley's attendants in his costume announced the show!

Alexis Jordan, a pop star of only 18 years old performed two songs. She was pretty good, though I must admit I'd never heard of her. Other performers included the cast of Jersey Boys who were excellent and X Factor winner Joe McElderry, who sang a song from the Narnia film, the sponsor of the evening.

The lights were turned on by 3 members of the cast of the Narnia film. I didn't really know who they were. They were all 3 very young from what I could tell. I was a little disappointed since last year's celebs were Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins, two of my favorites! But it was still a lot of fun and who knows, there's always next year! Maybe next year Breaking Dawn will sponsor the lights and I'll finally get to see RPatz!

After the show I parted ways with my pal and met up with hubs. We headed back toward Oxford Circus and went to A Crepe Affair for some sweet treats! Hubby had a Mellow Yellow (lemon, sugar & butter) crepe with tea and I indulged in a strawberry & Nutella crepe with a cafe mocha. It was yummy, but not nearly worth the hefty price tag!

It was a great day and reminded me of how happy I am to be living in one of the world's truly great cities! The Christmas lights are on all over London now and it's a gorgeous, magical place to walk around! I'm already dreading January, but looking forward to much more Christmas excitement!!!