Angela's Kitchen
大年三十是周六，兴奋。可是找不到人一起吃年饭，郁闷！决定去RHS Wisley植物园，就当作是看花街。
Chinese New Year's eve is Saturday, great! Couldn't even find someone to have the big banquet with though, depressing! That's how I started the last day of the year of the dog. Finally, I decided to go to RHS Wisley with aniu, maybe we can pretend its the festival flower street in guangzhou (dream on baby).
虽然就住在不远，可这是第一次去著名的薇斯丽花园。没想到阴冷低霾的一个二月天，这里也有这么多人，真可见英人对园艺的热情，也可想象盛夏时节的热闹景象。随即加入成为成员，还送了本最近热播的《自己动手种蔬果》电视节目的配书。
First time in Wisley also we live nearby, it's busy even this time of year! I joined as a member, got £5 voucher and Grow Your Own Veg thrown in, bargain.
三九天气，盛放的只有雪滴子，番红花，黄水仙。熟悉的香气时常袭来，是原产中国的腊梅, 是家的味道。很多紫藤，虽然只剩下光枝，但枝藤舒展，修剪设计得很美，暮春时节应该是胜景。
The weather's so cold and miserable, thankfully we have snowdrops, crocus and early daffodils to cheer us up. This one, with green heart on the white petals, is particularly pretty, no wonder the RHS magazine The Garden used it as cover for Februrary. There's also a popular Paper Brush tree from China (some kind of Chimonanthus) giving a most wonderful scent, reminds me of home... Didn't know bare branches of wisteria could be so beautiful. So many wisteria too, I could imaging the colour and scent in April already.
这就是冬天的乐趣：想象春天的美丽！
Maybe that's the best thing about Winter, you could always imagine Spring.
我们去到已经两点多，花园四点半关门，走了一小半还不到的地方，约好了，下次再来。
The place is vast and we only covered a quarter of the land in 2 hours before the garden is closed. We'll be back, that's the plan.
打电话回家拜年，爸爸妈妈想我了，朋友们在去逛花街的路上，在放烟花，在家里看电视，很开心。
Rang home to say new year's wishes, mum and dad said they miss me and wish I was there, friends are on their way to the Flower St, the fireworks, or watching telly at home, enjoying the atmosphere. First time in then years the ban for fireworks has been lifted, should be a lot of fun.
想来想去，既然找不到蹭饭的地方，决定年饭两人去安瑞丝吃。这是在伦敦能找到的最像在国内吃一顿的地方。第一次去的时候，还以为掉进了时光隧道，去到了深圳食街。有这样想法的同道一定很多，想想啊，伦敦的中餐馆都是西化了的港式馆子，间间雷同，有如麦当劳般值得信赖，向这样的川菜馆子少之又少。高档的不错的中菜馆也有几个，如丘家茶馆，可今天这种需要热闹的场合就不适合了。
We've decided to go to Angela's Kitchen as my usual new year's eve banquet is losing its hostess this year and Angela's is just about the best SiChuan restaurant in London. I could be in any of the many SiChuan restaurants in Shenzhen, I thought when I first come across this place. Anyway, most of the Chinese joints in London are just not worth going as they are all the same, the same menu, the same dish, as reliable and boring as McDonalds although they are not all owned by one giant.
It seems lots of people are feeling the same way about picking the place for their festival gathering tonight, we were almost instantly turned away at the door as we didn't have a booking, being disorganised ourselves, but luckily had a table to share in the end. Two Chinese girls sat at the other end of the same table, so it's not only me who could't find more people to spend tonight with then, I was thinging to myself, feeling a bit better already.
说对了，去就是借热闹去啦。一推门，人声鼎沸，热气腾腾，带位小姐拿这个大板子上面长长的定座单子，准备找我们的名字。不好意思，我们没有定位呢。。啊？那我们没有位了，都订满了！小姐准备送客，转念一想，说，如果你们愿意拼台，桌子倒还有一张。。本来就是借热闹吗，上！我们才坐下，来了两位mm也拼台的，寂寞的人不止我一个啊。
吃的肚滚肠圆，还有打包的，决定去附近宜家逛逛，消消油。
充实的一天，从早上的悒郁开始，到晚上的开心结束。还有烟花，明天放。春联，记得写。
A great meal, bags to take away for tomorrow, a postprandial stroll through IKEA. Perfect way to end the last day of the year of the dog. There's also fireworks to look forward to tomorrow in the garden, and ChunLian to be practised.
Happy Piggy Year
No comments:
Post a Comment