Removal vans?...

A beautiful sunny day in London - perfect for a long walk. Rather than getting in the car, my owners decided to take the tube (i.e. the trains that whiz around underneath the city). It can be rather smelly & cramped in those carriages, but today wasn't too bad. I just sat in my bag & gazed around at all the people.

Not that I am big headed or anything, but I could hear a few people talking about me. That does happen quite a lot, but I guess I am rather cute. Last month, whilst in a well known London department store, a woman came up to tell my owner how I had made her smile as I was "such a gorgeous little thing" :) 

Anyway, back to Saturday.... we got out at South Kensington tube station. This bit of West London is rather posh & so has some lovely streets to walk down.  It turns out my owners plan was to walk from there into Mayfair. That's nearly 2.5miles! That might not seem far to others, but lets not forget that my legs are only a few inches long.

Luckily, after a bit of nagging* my owners got the hint & we stopped for a rest down Motcomb Street, Knightsbridge. 

*I tried my usual trick of suddenly standing still, refusing to walk & giving my owner the 'puppy dog eye' look. This combination works a treat. Try it.




Motcomb Street is one of our regular hang-outs. My owners took this photo of the street last summer, during the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations (it doesn't normally have those big colourful flags). Motcomb Street is home to The Pantechnicon gastro pub. This is owned by the same folk who have The Grazing Goat. 





I was the only pooch in here today. It was very busy though. Quite a lot of children. As we sat in the corner though I don't think many people saw me. I was too tired to have people come over to pet me anyway. 





I had a big bowl of water. My owners had a Skinny Late & an Earl Grey tea (how very English).

As we just stopped by for a drink & for me to rest my little legs, I cannot tell you about the food, although we do come here quite frequently as my owners like their brunch (pancakes & eggs). I expect I'll be writing about another visit here in the not too distant future. 

BTW, if you are wondering why the title of this blog is 'removal vans'? its because The Pantechnicon is named after an establishment on Motcomb Street (the Grecian-like façade still stands today), which dates back to the 1830s. It was an antiques & arts storage facility for the wealthy Londoners & it used horse drawn carriages to transport products to/from the building - these distinctive removal vans became known as Pantechnicon vans 




The Pantechnicon
10 Motcomb Street
London
SW18 8LA

http://www.thepantechnicon.com/







Date of visit: Saturday 26th January, 2013 

Browsing the web...Beach House Paradise?

As its snowing outside, I thought I'd browse the internet from the comfort of my fluffy cushion right next to the hot radiator & just had to share what I found...

http://www.luxurybeachhouserental.com/home.php

What stunning beach houses to rent in West Sussex, England & ALL are dog friendly. Wow. I REALLY want to go. I love the interior design & setting right on the beach. Looks like beaches are also dog friendly & apparently they have "great splashy rock pools at low tide". Sounds like doggie heaven.

I've left the iPad open on the homepage for my owners to see....hope the hint works!

A Royal day out - part 2

After getting watered & fed (well, my owners did) in Royal Teas cafe, we went out into the cold for a brisk walk through the residential part of Greenwich.  There are some beautiful streets right on the doorstep of the cafe, as well along the edge of Greenwich Park*. 

Its just so pretty around Greenwich, especially this part, away from the crowds & central London feels a million miles away. With lots of beautiful old houses its like you've stepped back in time.

We approached Greenwich Park from the north east corner, which borders Blackheath. (I'll write about Blackheath in a future blog, as it's got lots of nice cafes & a wide open space to run around.) As you can see from the photos, it really doesn't feel like you're in a City here.

Reaching the park, I was off the lead & racing around, sniffing, meeting other dogs & trying to chase squirrels.

Dogs are allowed everywhere in Greenwich Park, except the rose garden & the deer park. This web-link is worth a glance, ahead of a visit to any of London's Royal Parks, as it tells you where dogs can & can't go:
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/__documents/main/docs/dogs/rp_dogsleafletweb.pdf

*Boring bit: You might have seen Greenwich Park on TV as it was used during the London 2012 Olympics for the equestrian events (& is still v muddy today as a result!).  Plus, its famous globally for GMT (Greenwich Mean Time); it houses the Royal Observatory - the location of the prime meridian.  Right, enough of that history lesson, I'm off for another snooze now...

Day of visit: Sunday 13th January, 2013

A Royal day out - part 1

After a lazy Saturday at home snoozing by the radiator & barking at the odd dog that passed by, I was quite ready for an explore on Sunday.

Threatening to snow, my owners thought it best I wore my scarf.  I quite like my scarf, although not sure about that giant red pom pom thing at the end....





A short car journey later & we arrived at our destination - Royal Teas cafe in Greenwich (South East London). A quaint little cafe, situated in the residential district, away from the main busy tourist sights.




Its slightly hidden location means its frequented by locals & very rarely do tourists stumble across it. Good job, as its very small/cosy in here & its often hard to get a table as it is. So, be prepared to wait. However, in the summer the cafe gets a bit bigger, as there are also a few tables out the front - a great place to sit & watch the world (& its dogs) go by.





Today we had a fantastic table at the back of the cafe, near to the kitchen, which meant I had a wonderful view (& smell) of the food being bought out to the customers. There was also another dog in the cafe too - a HUGE one that suddenly appeared at our table at one point, without its owner - this cafe is pretty relaxed, as you can probably tell & everytime we've been there's been another dog in here.

My owners like this slightly quirky & atmospheric cafe, which is reasonably priced & serves basic dishes with a good range of veggie options. 







They tried the scrambled egg & smoked salmon served with toast & couldn't resist the cakes that were displayed right next to our table...don't blame them really - they did look mouth-watering good.   

To read about our (after lunch) walk around Greenwich ...see 'A Royal day out - part 2'

Royal Teas

76 Royal Hill,

Greenwich,

London

SE10 8RT

www.royalteascafe.co.uk/

Date of visit: Sunday 13th January, 2013

What goats?

The 1st Sunday in January. The skies are grey & its drizzling. How depressing. 

I could have easily stayed in bed all day, but my owners decided to pop me into my doggie bag & take me across to central London for a walk. I was not impressed.

We parked up close to Marble Arch (central London) & I begrudgingly climbed out of my bag.  Umbrellas up, a nice big stretch & yawn from me & I was ready for a bit of a stroll & sniff.  Its amazing how quickly you can find some nice quiet side streets in such central parts of London. Heading towards Marylebone, we crossed over Baker St - yes, that is the street where the famous detective Sherlock Holmes lived & after popping into a kitchen store (boring) on bustling Marylebone High St, we looped back round & headed back south towards Marble Arch.  

Just as my little legs were starting to ache, I looked up to see we were outside The Grazing Goat, a gastro-pub I'd been to before. 

This place is also a small hotel & has a formal restaurant upstairs, but dogs are not allowed in those areas.










I had a jolly nice time looking around & my little mouth watered at the smell of the roast dinners.

I also exchanged a few barks with a cute little pug that trotted in & sat at a nearby table with an American couple.  I think our barking made people jump; being 2 little pooches I think we'd pretty much gone unnoticed by fellow diners. 

The waitresses made quite a fuss of me & bought me a massive bowl of water (many times bigger than my head!) - I was made to feel v welcome... I did however get told to sit back on the floor, after having a short sit on my owners knee.

 













My owners said the Sunday Roast was one of the best they'd ever eaten (they're just trying to make me jealous!).  The dish of the day (pan fried haddock with courgette & tomato cracked wheat) was apparently very tasty (I preferred the smell of the meat dish personally) & a good January healthy option (why do humans get so obsessed with being healthy in January?).

As well as loving the food, my owners liked the relaxed vibe of The Grazing Goat*, the hunting-lodge like décor, the lovely views onto quaint New Quebec Street & the friendly service. 

*wondering where the name came from? apparently way back when, the land where the Grazing Goat now stands, used to have goats grazing on it. Must have been a long long time ago as this is in the heart of central London!

I'm looking forward to our next visit....

The Grazing Goat, 
6 New Quebec St,
London,
W1H 7RQ

http://www.thegrazinggoat.co.uk/home.html





Date of visit: Sunday 6th January, 2013

My first blog - a bit about me. London, Sunday 6th January, 2013

Hello/woof,

I thought you might want to know a bit about me before I start blogging on a regular basis....

I am a Long Coat Chihuahua, tan coloured (not ginger, as one of my owners likes to say!) & I turn 4yrs old on the 1st of April.  Although I think I look pretty young for my age....    

                                      

I live in London, not far from Tower Bridge, in a large duplex Penthouse flat by the River Thames. 

I love eating, sleeping, being in the sunshine (unfortunately we don't get much of that in England), going on walks, playing with my toys, looking out of the window & watching TV (especially barking at the cats & dogs). Oh & I do enjoy a good groom now & again.

                                                                                                                      

My owners love to hang-out at STYLISH (often luxurious) places but want to take me with them WHEREVER they go...hence the reason for the creation of my blog.  I want to share with you the stylish dog friendly places (hotels, restaurants, cafes & bars) that we find. I do hope you find it useful! 

woof woof. Poppy the chihuahua x

Ps. I started a Twitter account last yr & you can follow me @Poppy_thedog