recent snaps

plum and almond tart - a Sunday treat

geekily excited at the propagator I bought at work for a mere £4! blinding deal!

 

my favourite new piece of jewellery

history notes. freaking out over this exam.

I have a date with Brandon Flowers. my friend got us tickets. words cannot describe the excitement. it's been a seven year wait.

 since when did my little brother's feet get so big?

a beautiful late sunset as I left work on a cold night

each evening I leave work the sun is a little bit higher in the sky. this is another sunset

spring sightseeing on my walk to work

london in the sun

I've been so busy, and yet again I'm going to apologise for my lack of posts.

But as luck would have it, my weekend off has coincided with some absolutely gorgeous weather. Today you'd have found me in chinos and sunglasses, wandering about my favourite haunts in London. 

There's something I love about early sunny mornings in metropolitan cities. It reminds me of summer stays in Paris and Italy; ambling up the street before the day's heat, the smell of coffee and breakfast in the air, waiters laying cafe tables out in the sunshine, people bustling this way and that, cycling, talking, reading newspapers, leisurely welcoming in the new day.

First I went to one of my all-time favourite places - Liberty's. I love the beautiful art prints, the wooden interior, the sound of shoes on the well-worn staircases. I took a stroll along Carnaby St and Kingly St. The brightly coloured buildings looked amazing against the blue sky - as eye-popping as the shades and hues found in all the clothes shops this spring.

I finally purchased the Doc Martens I've been hankering after for ages - have a funny feeling I'm going to be wearing them everyday for about the next year.

 

After spending too long on Oxford Street, I caught a bus to Trafalgar Square. Although I love the smell and feel of the Underground, I prefer taking buses around the city - that way you get to see all the architecture. I whiled away the rest of the morning in the National Gallery. I should take more advantage of the free admission. It's a brilliant, beautiful place and there's so much to look at. If I stayed in there a week I still wouldn't be ready to leave.

Had a quick look at the Bridget Riley exhibition, but next to the old masters it looks a bit of a joke - her stuff belongs in the Tate Modern. Then I spent a long time with Manet, Monet and Pissarro. Eavesdropped on two American girls having a really interesting conversation about Manet - it was like watching a BBC4 art programme. I love art. I'd love to study it.

well timed sunshine

A sunny day makes everything better; it makes all the long hours, late nights and early mornings worthwhile. Even though I feel like I'm nodding off every five minutes, I've really enjoyed my day off today. Well timed, sun.
We went for an afternoon walk and turned a corner from a shady, crisply cold street to a stretch of grass and brick wall standing warm in the sun underneath a blooming forsythia. It reminded me of this quote:  
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." (Great Expectations, Dickens)
He sums it up perfectly.
Along with daffodils, forsythia is the first bright pop of spring. I love the bright yellow against the clear blue.

 

 

After our walk we tucked into some coffee and cake at the local garden cafe. My blog seems to be full of coffee and cake, but never mind. It could be full of worse things, and anyway, stopping for a coffee is one of my favourite things to do.
The fruit cake reminded me of the special fruit cake my gran always used to make when I was smaller.

 

As we drank our coffee we noticed a tubby visitor observing us through the glass. He soon realised I was snapping him and began to model for the camera. What a poser!

 

Tomorrow I'm going to a jumble sale in a well-to-do area, so I'm hoping to do some bargain hunting (along with exam revision, and relishing the feeling of being off). Have lovely weekends folks!