Grandma buckets & Ginger pigs

Love from the South Bank

The two of us in London, taken eight years apart

I mentioned how much I love planning in my last post. Well, no one is a better travel planner than Jason. When you combine the years he spent on the road + his + need for comfortable routine + his ability to hyperfocus, you get an A++ travel partner.

So, we’ve moved over to the South Bank and we’re staying at a lovely place in The Shard with a view of the Thames and Tower Bridge. The Tube stop is just below us and we’re steps away from my favorite market (in the world?), Borough Market. (PS: If you like detective shows and want to watch one set in The Shard, watch Slow Horses with Gary Oldman. One of my top 3 shows of the past year. )

We spent the morning at the market yesterday, just before it got super packed. We stumbled upon a market stall that made us think of our every-hungry Chihuahua. Seriously, after growing up with Golden Retrievers, Jason says he has never met a dog more hungry than Ginger.

I wish I could say that we sampled them, but there weren’t any gluten-free options and we’re all GF out of solidarity now for Sofia (who has Celiac).

There were two other GF places in the market that I recommend, though. One is called Pieminster and the other is Free From Bakehouse.

Now, onto the grandma buckets. This term comes from my friend Alec, who is a landscape architect in San Francisco. During the pandemic, we were trading stories about how we were saying busy and he told me that he and his wife Jaimie bought huge planters and filled them with brightly colored flowers. “You know what I mean,” he said. “They look like flower pots my grandma used to make so we call them grandma buckets.”

I knew exactly what he meant and exactly how grandma buckets just fill you with happiness. This year as spring approached, Sofia and I went to garden store and created grandma buckets for our front steps. Well, let me tell you, we have a whole new appreciation for grandma buckets. They are so delicate! So thirsty! They need sun, but not too much! Much like our family, they are not nearly as easy as they look!

The very first day we got here we all noticed that there are an abundance of grandma buckets outside of the pubs. This means that on pretty much every corner I’m there taking photos for my growing inspiration collection. Below are just a sample of the ones that we rate 10/10.

Being of the ADHD ilk, my family requires vigorous walks on vacation; so that’s a lot of what we do. I did pop into the Tate Modern in hopes of seeing some art, but it was Saturday and packed. That’s a no-go for us. I’ll try to return during the week when it’s not so crowded. I’m the only one who likes museums and it took me until college to get there. Two of my closest college friends love art and taught me how to move through an art museum at exactly the pace that I like with no guilt, no need to pretend I’m in awe of something that I’m simply not. It wasn’t until I went to museums with them that I started to love and appreciate art.

I’ve been happy about the massive amounts of gorgeous street art here, because even a kid who thinks museums are boring can appreciate street art. There was a little installation of bicycle bells on a wall and Sofia and some kids spent time dinging the bells as they echoed through the corridor. Here are some other sights from the day.

The Millenium Bridge with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background

Two more places with phenomenal gluten-free options that we’ve discovered on this trip. The most adorable handmade pasta place called Flour & Grape. We got there at 5:15 and there was already a line; doors opened at 5:30 and we just eked in and snagged a table.

And a chain called Atis, which is very casual bowls and salads. Like Flour & Grape, it’s not all gluten-free, but there are lots of options. I’ve been blown away by how seriously food allergies are taken here. I’ve been told that it became a national policy to take food allergens seriously when, sadly, a few people died after eating from national chains.

The minute you tell someone that you’re gluten-free, they show you an excel spreadsheet of the menu items broken down by allergen. They are educated about the possibilities of cross-contamination. They’re not annoyed or judgy like in the states; they take it seriously.

Sofia and Jason serving each other side eye at Flour & Grape

My miso tofu bowl with rice, edamame, fresh ginger & kale at Atis

Good night from charming Bermondsey St.!