We had a Lovely long weekend in London with our friends Chaundra and Drake, who were wonderful hosts, as usual. They have a knack for introducing us to new things, and this time they scored a daily-double. The first night it was their Raclette grill, a Swiss method of getting your dinner guests to cook for themselves similar to fondue. It was healthy and tasty and SO MUCH fun that we are planning to get one for Christmas.

The second night it they took us to a place for Argentinian barbecue … a carnivore/low-carber’s wet dream of a meal. We sat at the back of the restaurant near the open grill where we could see all the action. A seriously wonderful experience all around.

Dawn French rocked on Saturday. If you have a chance to see her one-woman show 30 Million Minutes, don’t miss it. But I have to admit that I was a little bit uneasy to be in such a big city and moving about it a number for crowded venues in the days immediately after the Paris attacks.

Before flying home on Sunday, we met up with ex-pat podcaster Nic Burmester, who had recently interviewed me for her show. She’s German, but based in Brighton, and we had a lovely chat over a full English breakfast at a cafe near Victoria Station. Not that I want to jinx it or anything, but I seem to have really good luck when meeting people who I initially only know online. (Like our hosts, for example!)

Our flight home was delayed … which would not have been that big a deal if it weren’t for the fact that I had to be on a train bound for some of my new company’s facilities in Wermland at 5:50 the next morning. But that’s another story.

Related articles

• But can I justify a monthly trip to London?
• Now Jen knows what she’s wrought!