Good luck for the next train, guys!

One of the things that I like more from Londoners is that they like very much the celebrations. They are always celebrating something and they like very much to buy presents and remember events with a party or treat.

Last year, I could remember specially the Queen Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics; the city was plenty of Union Jack flags, T-shirts, scarf, ties, shoes,… all in the UK show the world that London is under a big event.

But also the normal seasonal celebrations: Halloween, Christmas, St Valentine, Mothers day, the puppy day, the red nose day, ... they look full of happiness, presents and lovely environment of party. Yes, of course that could be amazing in all the countries, but here the lights have more colours, the streets have more lights, more people, more tourists, even thought that the weather is steamily cold, nobody forget a celebration.

This year we started with the Dragon new year Chinese party and at the same time, my preferred celebration, The Tube 150 birthday.
Let me use this anniversary like a room for talk you about my anecdotes in the London underground which really seems the years don't pass through it, The tube looks as the first day it started running!

Nowadays The Tube is a complex three-dimensional infrastructure with a lot of lines, trains, tunels and travelers

Double click to zoom in or use the slider bar and drag to pan:



You can also view this full screen (recommended).

In fact, I’m a frequent user of The Tube, I’ve my own Oyster card, it isn’t really an affinity card, but it’s the most similar to recognize if you usually travel in the public London transport.

But let me start talking about my first week travelling from London Bridge station every morning at 8 am,…”rush hour”,…

First of all you must take a daily newspaper, METRO or CITY AM  that will allow you to be informed about important things that happen in the world.

You go downstairs and here start the first quiz: Your news in one hand, your laptop in the other hand, and you need to take the Oyster to pass the barrier of entry, don’t worry! You can put the newspaper under the armpit and go to the next situation without problems. I never understand how people who have also a coffee in the hand can manage the quiz!

Start down escalator, long escalators, always in the right, and allowing speedy line in the left, people with serious faces, a little slept I suppose, and I’m sure that always thinking what’d happen if… yes, like a dream, dreaming the feeling, imaging if… only one time, suddenly decision, like a fast shift,… what’d happen if I jump to the ramp and use it like a toboggan to slide … have you see the last film of Bond? It isn’t so different, people only want to do the same that Creg in the film and jump to the ramp!. 
But don’t worry, again! The long escalator finish and you come back to the real underground, you have lost your sliding opportunity and you are now in the platform.

Yes, you …and hundred of people in the same platform. You think WHY they usually say “mind the gap” and never say “mind the crowded platform”?  because where is the gap? I can’t see it, what I can see is the reason why people seems to be unhappy in the morning, at the end of the escalator the “ugly truth”… “mind the ugly truth” …”mind the crowded platform”!

And the train is approaching,
and it opens the doors,
and two or three people exits the train,
and   “mind the gap”
and six or seven people try to enter…
and ”mind the doors”…
and you continue in the crowded platform…


The second big quiz in the modern 150 years old underground is how you can get the train, believe me, this is a matter of strategy, good and brilliant strategy. You need to use your elbows and your big and heavy laptop. Don’t worry if the door of the train is not in front of you, it could be better. Prepare your right elbow and press with the laptop straight ahead pushing into the train and go with the crowd. You got it! Turn around yourself  to see through the train window, you can realize that the losers are in the platform…like a fight... good luck for the next train, guys!...

The next station is very strange, nobody exits the train and nobody can come into it, strange people in the platform. Do they expect an empty train? Their platform is as crowded as mine but nobody exits the train, then nobody enters in the train, then nobody travels, then nobody … nobody …and  everyday the same, perhaps they live in the platform waiting and empty train??? From days or weeks in the same platform waiting the next train … good luck for the next train, guys!...

And now, spend your trip time, for instance reading the news, for instance reading the eBook, no room for your arms moving, no room for newspaper open, then you have time to define a new strategy: Your station is approaching and you need to exit the wagon…Last quiz to arrive at work!

And these daily situations from 150 years…people waiting for any future change more comfortable and less crowded... perhaps we must wait other 150 years to see it!

Ironing? I don’t know and I prefer don't learn

Coming back to the river flows and to my life changes I need to talk about housekeeping.

Setting up in London, with a new housekeeper, was an ongoing test for my daily rapid river. In fact, try to imagine the change when you arrive late at home every days and you used to have the dinner prepared, the house clean and the laundry ready… and suddenly, some days passed, you arrived late from work and … Upss!, you forgot to take the meat from the frozen in the morning! You need to dry the clothes! Someone knows where is my blue t-shirt? I can’t find my socks Mammy! Coffee has finished today, Mum! What you are going to prepare for dinning? The gas doesn’t work, could someone phone the concierge?,  I received an email today from them, we have received a new parcel, could someone goes and brings it? I need to pay the housekeeper today!... uff, She doesn’t know how to clean the oven! Sorry!...she doesn’t know how to clean anything. My room is too cold! Did you buy milk? Are you going to iron today? Do you want a beer?... A beer?...A really relaxing beer?... a cold pint of beer?... A blond and refreshing beer?,… please…I need it! My crazy life drive me to it, it’s really a necessity. And missing Naima and someone who helps putting order in my live I drink a beer… No! Don’t worry! It is not jet a waterfall of beer… only a common stress relieve!

Naima has been working and caring my family more than fifteen years: the kids care, nanny and baby sitting, cleaning, cooking, laundering, ironing, moping, shopping, … all the ” ing “ you could imagine, and all for my house and my family

Last January she has changed her cares to her own family and now she has twins beautiful babies. I’m sure she will be a great mother taking care of her new big family.  Good luck Naima! My best wishes for Salma and Ismael. I miss you and I’m really happy about you.

Let me explain more, here in London I had a lady who used to help cleaning our flat in King’s cross, Brenda, but she isn’t a good cleaner and even thought I arrived to a new country I asked for a recommendation to look for a good housekeeper and this is how I meet St Anne Agency: A clever lady, Anne, not exactly “saint”, but intelligent looking for any good business.

She looks for housekeeping services and she meet Betty for my home. Anne received 3.5 £ (plus VAT) each hour that Betty worked and she defined the tasks and the hours that Betty spent cleaning (as more hours she spend is better for  “St Anne”). As Betty was slow cleaning and ironing, Anne, the clever Anne, suggested me to bring the laundry to her favourite laundry shop, of course no doubts about her commission in this service… when Betty needed to travel to her country in January, and Anna didn’t look for a substitute … Could you imagine the most crazy month without help at home? And could you fancy also why I decided to change the clever service from Anne to the real service I need and look for a new housekeeper by myself?

I used care.com to meet Violet who is working in my house. Now, I cross my fingers, I’ve started thinking that I could come back to a normal life. Violet told me in the interview that she likes ironing!.. May it be possible? May someone likes ironing?...but it seems that it’s true … I always remember a good friend that showed us her new house and when we saw the laundry room she told us:

Ironing? I don’t know and I prefer don’t learn

Take account that I have also saved the St Anne commission. This means I´ve more than 70£ per week to spend in other thing.

I can’t complete my post without show you my new bag (paid with the first weeks savings), a Braccialini TUA bag, because for me Ironing? Yes I know how, but I prefer time to take a good beer! And with this bag, I´m going to the pub and I’m sure that every woman can understand me a little bit more... This is a good deal: Change an ironing hour for a relaxing hour in The Founders Arms!

Milk waterfall

There is a very good theory comparing life with a river with its streams, rapids and waterfalls. We are canoes floating along, one day flows into the next, everything gets done, and somehow there’s still time to relax.

Then, ever so slowly, the stream starts to move faster, we can control everything, but it takes a little more effort. Next come the rapids, and all of a sudden, everything is more challenging: It may be a new project at work, a cold, an opportunity to watch a Rolling Stone concert,  whatever the reason, you spend those periods steering the canoe, struggling to stay afloat. You wake up in the morning feeling you’re already behind, and each day becomes a frantic race against the clock in order to get everything done.

And then the rapids begin to tumble even faster, and you go right along with them. You “have to”, you “need to”, you have no other choice”…you go, go and go…and in the distance you start hearing the roar of the waterfall, and you convince yourself that your only option is to paddle even harder. You’ve got to steer though those rapids and somehow get to safety. Otherwise, the waterfall’s going to get you!

Actually, my life always used to flows over the rapids, this was normal for me. I don’t know somehow, early in November I started listening to the waterfall! ...and it was a waterfall of milk!

Let me explain: We moved to our new flat in November 7th, a lot of boxes needed to be opened and we can’t found our clothes and other belongings anyway, we decided that day in the evening to sleep in the new flat, a crazy day needs crazy decisions.

Rather than waiting for my family to open the boxes, I decided to buy some food for the fridge... something for breakfast for the next morning.

If you go to a supermarket here in London and you look for the milk, you can see different kinds of bottles with fresh milk: Whole milk, semi skimmed milk and skimmed milk in bottles of different sizes, that’s all! A very easy decision, isn’t it? …It isn’t, not if you are expecting “the other kind of milk” and you are tired and stressed with all the big changes.

I remembered my Spanish grocery centre with two corridors plenty of different kinds of milk and brands. I also remembered the monologue from “el club de la comedia” about the milk: with calcium, with fluor, for kids, for adults, soya milk, with chocolate, with vanilla, without lactose, ... and all these with at least four different brands and the own brand of the grocery. It is true! And I needed to know where I could find this kind of milk here.

Let me explain, I don’t have anything against fresh milk, it may be the best in terms of quality, health or flavour but you only have “three” days to drink it.  It has a short shelf-life period. It is a matter of time!

I used to buy at least 50 litres of milk every fortnight, probably I need to reduce this number now because two of my kids are still living in Madrid! Anyway, shopping like that I would need a big trolley and an enormous fridge. It’s a matter of space!

In fact, breakfast is one of the loveliest moments in the day and the milk is the key factor for have a good breakfast in my family. Also, my kids used to take a break in the afternoon, milk with biscuits or cereals, and they also call this snack “the breakfast”. Just like the tea hour here in UK. It is a mater of milk!

What I look for is “carton milk”, the other kind of milk, the one that you can keep in the cupboard. I don’t want a waterfall of milk, I want UHT milk.

Let me explain what it is: The acronym stands for Ultra High Temperature and here is the recipe:

The milk is exposed to a temperature of 135 ° -140 ° C for 2 to 4 seconds and is followed by rapid cooling not exceeding 32 ° C.

This is done in a sterile and enclosure that ensures that the product is free of germs. Cooking a soft caramelization of lactose gives a smooth taste of milk; we usually add cocoa, coffee and sugar.

When subjected to such extreme temperatures, the nutrients in the milk are damaged!. Milk becomes what is known as "milk carrier" , white water authentic flavored milk. But don’t worry! We add artificial nutrients and it’s ready!... Put it in the carton (with vitamins, calcium and fat) and then into my kitchen cupboard, it can be stored for months without losing taste or freshness.

The recipe seems to be easy, but I can’t do it in my kitchen, a matter of time, space and milk!

I started hearing the waterfall, I paddled harder to find UHT milk … I can’t find two shelves full of milk like at home in Spain, …and I can order online! …so, relax guys! … We can have our breakfast and the “breakfast” in London!!! And I can go back to my busy life in the rapids, without the waterfall catching me!

New life and new blog

This is my first English post

Hi everybody!

It’s not easy to write a blog; first of all you must want to communicate something: a feeling, an action, an experience, communicate whatever you want but, at least it’s a passion.

I started to write my first blog in December 2011, at Christmas, and I decided that as I was proud of my crochet work I wanted to show everybody my creative side. Why not write a blog?

I had a reason to start and I took the decision to go ahead to write my blog even though my writing isn’t very good. This was the beginning of my blog “Mira que arte madre!” A Spanish blog with my creativity open to everyone who likes knitting and crochet.

My life has changed recently I have a lot of new feelings, some happy some not so, but I’m always excited and energized. I want to share my experiences with all my friends and family who are supporting me and helping with advice and suggestions for set up in London.

Then, in December 2012, a year ago from my first crochet post, I would like to start a new blog about my amazing life in London. Once again I feel the passion to communicate!

This morning at 8:12, I was on the tube, it was extremely crowded, “people packed like sardines” and as usual my head was crammed full of a lot of ideas that needed to be ordered. There was no room to use my Ipad,,, Imagine the situation!

I felt a little guilty because I forgot to do my English homework and suddenly I had a crazy idea: To start writing my blog in English…this could really help me to improve my English. Really difficult but great!

Are you surprised at this decision? Probably I might start with my usual apologies for my bad English and at the same time I need to congratulate Christine, my English teacher and coach, who insists that I read and write with the correct prepositions. Anyway, please don’t correct me, try laughing at my post… Relax…it is the only way to understand English!

I want to share my new life in London. I promise you to talk about milk, elevators, the underground, noodles, next day delivery, concierges, call centres,… and why not…the weather.