Antiques in Kingston, London's oldest garden centre & a vintage splurge

This morning I made the most of the sun, sitting in the garden and catching up with my writing in order to ensure that I didn't end up writing and publishing three posts in the same evening! I know I said I wouldn't combine days to avoid rambles but having been rather lapse in keeping up with the weekend's events and yesterday, I thought merging two days on this occasion was better than posting twice?

Yesterday I began the day in Southfields. I thought I'd try ticking off some of the Southern locations on my To Do list but it turns out that in terms of public transport, Southfields is miles away from everything! Although it isn't on my To Do list, Kingston has been a recurring point of intrigue and was the least far away destination, so I took the train there in pursuit of leaning phone boxes (harder to find when you Google 'Kingston postboxes') and zebra meat. 

Needless to say, it was not at all what I was expecting. I'd put it somewhere between Kings Lynn and Newcastle; it's a funny old place. When I alighted the train I was at least pleased to find that everywhere was incredibly well sign-posted. So I wandered, following those that read 'marketplace' and 'riverside' as they sounded nice parts to see. My wandering took me past and through (whoops) a very impressive shopping centre called The Bentall Centre with independent Bentalls at the end which was nice to see. The infrastructure was amazing with an incredibly high glass roof covering the whole centre yet the place was even more dead than shopping centres in Norwich or old favourite Serpentine Green in Peterborough. 

Multivitamin tablets obtained (I think I have become a little over-dependent), I wandered on and out and before I knew it I'd reached the Marketplace. It was very European, surrounded by historic buildings (finally. I feel that Kingston may be an area that suffered a lot of bomb damage in the centre?) and with eccentric market stall holders selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Small though, and one where I felt I couldn't browse without feeling obliged to purchase a browning banana, I moved swiftly on down an alluring alleyway which I hoped might lead me on to the river.

I did find a sign for a river walk, but I later discovered that it wasn't the one I was looking for. Nevertheless, along this slightly dodgy trail, I did see a pair of Kingfishers for the first time which was pretty spectacular! This sighting was shortly followed by a Heron standing tall in the middle of the water further ahead. It still seems ridiculous to me that it's taken a move to London to witness these birds but it's good to know that they can still thrive here!

It was round about this point that I realised I was slightly lost so I sat on a bench in a park to get my bearings. Before determining my location, I decided it might be a good idea to see what one should be doing in Kingston, so I searched for 'Things to do in Kingston' and discovered that I was only a short walk from the road where it was said to all be going on; Old London Road. 

This was where I then spent the majority of my visit to Kingston. It was home to a sweet little vintage shop in which I browsed but was sad to find literally all L clothing. Further along, I found the antiques barn that had been recommended online. Here I got lost as I do, amazed at the cave that unfolded as I pottered around, finding endless nooks and crannies full of treasures. Part way around I remembered that I was looking for a water jug (which would of course mainly be used for cocktails) and a vase for large flowers (following my gift of sunflowers at the end of this teaching year which ended up displayed in a Wellington Boot as a pint glass just wouldn't withstand the weight), so this became my focus to avoid my buying unnecessary glassware or more cups and saucers. 

Kingston Antiques Centre really made my day. I love getting lost in antiques at the best of times but when there's also jazz music playing, people are really friendly and there's an adorable Polish Café tucked away in the corner, I could stay for a day. Of course I had to have a cup of tea but then upon looking over the menu, I realised that there were lots of intriguing foods on offer too so I had an early lunch of Polish ravioli which is basically dumplings stuffed with meat, fish, potato or cheese and served with sauerkraut on the side. It was yum! 

Tummy full, I decided to continue following signs for the actual river to walk it off. As I neared the end of the road I realised I was also in the right place for the leaning phone boxes, although I imagine a little like the Egyptian Pyramid's close proximity to McDonald's, I was a little disheartened that these phone boxes were right next door to Wilkos. Don't get me wrong, I have a special place in my heart for Wilkos, but it was a little bit unexpected; photos can be deceiving!

This is seeming awfully mopey of me, but I'm afraid the riverside was a little disappointing as well. I imagine it's a lovely place to eat and drink in the evenings, but I wouldn't make the effort to go there if I wasn't in the local area. There were a few boats on the water but by this point the sun was behind the clouds and the wind was picking up so I didn't walk for long. It was time to say goodbye so I made the long journey home. I was tempted to stop mid-way to break it up a bit but my body was telling me it was home time so I listened and had a relaxing evening in, catching up on two missed episodes of Humans.

Having been relishing in all the quiet spaces that London has to offer of late, I was really looking forward to getting back after the wedding. Although yesterday's adventure was a little disappointing, it still excites me to see new places and I did come home with a lovely, amber glass antique jug which will totally double up as a vase when the need arises!

Today I have been to the very well-hidden Clifton Nurseries at Warwick Avenue; London's oldest garden centre, apparently. A couple of minutes' walk from the station, it's the opposite way to Little Venice and nestled among houses along Clifton Villas so you'd be forgiven if you missed it! 

Despite my constant search for a cup of tea and the café right by the entrance, I made the decision first to take a stroll around the plants. An incredibly picturesque garden centre (I'm not entirely sure whether 'garden centre' is what they wish to be referred to, but there we go), bedding plants sat beneath a glass canopy covered with grapevine while the indoor plants were looked after by a cat. Unlike at Grace and Thorn the other day where I could realistically afford plants both in terms of price and size, this nursery played host to those indoor plants that make you wish you had a much larger home to house what could only be described as actual trees or enormous, extravagant tiered brass pot holders. Not that the first issue is the size of a flat, but more the logistics of looking and being absolutely ridiculous attempting to transport such large plants home on a tube train. Anyway, I came away with two teeny tiny plants - one alpine and one baby curry plant - both for less than £1 each; look at me go!

When I did eventually reach the café (The Quince Tree), I was bowled over by their tea selection. Not only did they offer fresh mint tea, but also fresh basil and lemon and a fresh mint, ginger and lemon which was what I went for! Hardly the first place I'd think of for an alcoholic beverage, the wine list was also pretty extensive; worth knowing for future reference! Little plants (and cute tin pots for them) purchased, I headed for home.

I was tempted, but too tired to go home via Soho for some vintage shopping yesterday but I mustered the strength today and have returned home with a mighty haul (at not such a mighty cost which I adore about vintage shopping) from Beyond Retro! Not quite as colourful as last time, I admit, but definitely just as patterned! 

Another glorious day! Let's hope the tube strikes this week don't hold me back.

The Overture (followed by a birthday)

Yesterday marked the day of my birth and I had a wonderful time celebrating! Of course it went far too quickly but lucky for me I had a visit from Ma & Pa for a bit of a warm up (or, Overture as I decided in the end; it was a pretty epic two days)! One of my favourite things about birthdays is that they provide an opportunity to share my favourite places and pastimes with the people I love! 

Forming an itinerary was a slow process. The only problem with a birthday at the end of March is that one has no idea what the weather will be doing. Some years I've seen heat-waves, others snow, so I never know what to plan for. I began with an extensive list 'To Do' because I just couldn't decide. Fortunately (although probably more unfortunately), the rain clouds that would not go away on BBC Weather narrowed down my choices, although at the same time revealed to me how few sheltered places there are to run to in London that won't cost money or be incredibly well-populated on a wet day!

After a slightly disorientating start on Sunday morning caused by my communication confusion (as is my way), we sat down to tea and hot cross buns before braving the day (the weather was already horribly drizzly at this point). Our first port of call was God's Own Junkyard! We arrived 2 minutes before opening (I had to Google it as sudden fear suddenly struck when we were greeted by a shut-up-shop that perhaps it didn't open on Sundays after all... it does) so stood in the rain looking far too keen until an ominous, I think religious (?), figurine and a brightly coloured cow signalled it was time for us to go in. We were all suitably mesmerised as we drifted around with other keen customers (I say customers, I think most of us were there to admire rather than buy the art)! Lots of oohs, aahs and photos later, we sat down to tea.

Papa & I are the masters of 'looking natural'...

As much as none of us fancied facing the elements when we were quite so content, there was lots on the list so we continued on our journey. Next stop, London Bridge in the hope of finding some lunch at Borough Market... which is apparently closed on Sundays. Nevertheless, we appreciated the architecture and I (well, actually Mum) finally found the umbrella canopy for a photo opportunity. Our tummies rumbling, we wandered on towards the river and Hay's Galleria. However when a Pret a Manger is in your path, you have to seize the moment and grab a sandwich and a tea. Never lets you down! 

Again, sheltered from the rain we weren't ever so keen to venture back out, but we finally mustered the courage and continued on to Waterloo. In the wind the fumes hit us before we even saw any graffiti, causing Dad to wonder whether we might require a mask like the artists. Our turn along Leake Street was relatively short and unfortunately The Vaults were closed while the venue was being prepared for the next festival (which I believe will have actually started by now). With Sunday apparently proving more traditional in London than we expected, we ventured forth to the Southbank for tea at the BFI.

There was obviously a film screening as the bar was overflowing. Fortunately, despite the rain, the temperature was relatively mild out so we took a seat outside and tightly clasped our teas whenever the wind blew! As I'm sure I've mentioned before, the tea selection at the BFI is very lovely. However I'm not sure what was going on this time but despite being quite certain that we had the right teas as they were given to us, when we came to sniff and taste them, we were less than sure what flavour we each had. So we muddled through and just kept whichever we liked the taste of, swapping occasionally for a wider taste experience (we were all just so perplexed)!

A hint of blue sky gave us confidence that we should continue on to our next destination. So we set off for Camden, hopping on a Boris Bus (otherwise known as the new Routemasters) for a couple of stops just for the experience! Oh, but the blue sky had been slightly misleading and as we crossed Waterloo Bridge in pursuit of Charing Cross station we were well and truly buffeted by horizontal rain and ruthless winds. It's an awfully long bridge when you're in fear of being blown sideways and right off it!

I love Camden. The hustle and bustle and the maze of stalls. This time we ventured into the new part of the market and were pleasantly surprised by a cute tea shop and lots of good quality antiques and vintage hidden in a corner that I probably couldn't find again even if I wanted to! We likened the experience to Casablanca and the Soukke, only perhaps with less hassling and dodgy-looking curtains hiding goodness knows what to sell. After losing ourselves in memorabilia galore, we were led again by our tummies to Poppie's fish & chips for tea! I had a fish platter which was just... yum! I have yet to discover another fish & chip shop which serves food on a par with that I eat in Norfolk, so it's a favourite haunt of mine!

A day well spent, we parted company for a well-deserved rest before another early start the following day. In bed with Trevor McDonald and the Mafia; bliss.

Monday morning began with tea at Beyond Retro on Stoke Newington Road. This time we were confident that we had the right tea (or coffee) as we sat watching the world go by from bar stools by the window, Stevie Ray Vaughan playing in the background. Initially very impressed with the choice in music, I'm not entirely convinced that live albums are the most appropriate choice for subtle background music. Suddenly our ears were filled with the screeches of a guitar being manipulated in a less-than traditional way. While such musical... experiments, have great power when seen on stage, they're not so pleasant to listen to. It was our cue to leave. So after a vintage browse, we made our way to Brick Lane to pay a visit to the Vintage Emporium.

A Sunday-Monday visit made me realise how infrequently I leave the flat for adventures on any other day of the week besides Saturday as yet again we were met with a very definitely closed café. Brick Lane plays host to a wealth of places to eat and drink so we weren't too deterred. My only concern was that I'm not entirely sure whether it was just closed or has gone completely. I must return soon to find out! So we just had to partake in a little more vintage browsing before our tummies rumbled again and it was time for pie!

Square Pie in Spitalfields was a New Year discovery. The BBQ Bourbon Beef pies blew my mind, so I've been back once or twice. We were hoping to introduce Mum and Dad to said taste sensation, but there appears to have been a change to the menu so they were nowhere to be seen (apart from in a take-home-to-cook form, so obviously we snapped those up just in case)! Nevertheless, we had tasty alternatives which filled a hole and would keep us going through to tea time.

Having only spent a minute on a Boris bus the day before, we decided to take another to our next destination for a longer ride from Liverpool Street to Tottenham Court Road. At Tottenham Court Road we got side-tracked by Primark (I just automatically typed 'Primary' then. Can you tell I'm a teacher?) but when the maddening crowds finally put us off, we escaped to the new Foyles aka Heaven.

Unfortunately there was no room in the disappointingly tiny, slightly too M&S/John Lewis-style café. Nevertheless, we found plenty of amusement in the form of sheet music in drawers reached by ladders (pretty sure I've written about these before because they're just that exciting!), the jazz section, comics galore and the new Little Black Classics by Penguin Books lining every staircase (dangerous)! Crucial purchases made, we were in desperate need of tea, so we carried on our way.

A little along from the new Foyles lies the old Foyles, now full of tacky shops that we hope are not to stay. Well-hidden amongst the tat however, is the old Foyles café about which I have only heard tremendous things. Having now had a tea and Portugese Tart, I can totally vouch for those tremendous things. The atmosphere was lovely; a slice of peace above the madness of the streets below. A good selection of teas, board games (been searching FOREVER for a place to play games that doesn't call itself a 'game café/bar'!), tasty snacks, art, great music, comfy tables and chairs, we were happily settled! 

You wouldn't believe how many attempts it took to settle for this very 'natural' photograph...

When we eventually tore ourselves away it was on the hunt for a new tea tray. When I visited Paris many years ago, I brought back a tea tray with a map of the Metro on it. Unfortunately, it has officially bitten the dust, so Ma and Pa are in search of a new one of similar design. I wondered whether the London Transport Museum shop might be the place to go, so that was our next port of call. Possibly as busy as the museum itself, we took great pleasure in a browse; particularly appreciative of the use of old upholstery from trains and buses as cushion covers, purses and even dog coats! Unfortunately, the tray they had to offer was not up to Dad's standards (something to do with the handles), so I guess I'll just have to head back to Paris to find another Metro one. What a great shame!

Finished with Covent Garden sooner than we expected (having been without rain all day, it was beginning to spit so we didn't fancy wandering around in the open air) once we'd stopped off at the Moomin Shop for a cuddly Moomin Papa (for my own Papa, naturally), Mum fancied a trip to Westfield, so off we went...

Not too horrendously busy, we did a bit more browsing then had our final supper (that's perhaps slightly over-dramatic) at Wahaca which went down very well indeed! I'm always amazed by the amass of flavours and here was me always of the opinion that I wasn't a fan of spicy food, yet this was my third Wahaca visit!? Washing the spices down with chocolate and caramel sauce (with Churros, too) it was time to say goodbye again.

Birthday/Easter Daffodils.

After two days of zig-zagging around London, my birthday day itself was a little slower paced. I had made brunch plans and evening plans, so the time in between was spent meandering from one to the other, via pubs for tea and beers. 

40 floors up; brunch with a view at Duck & Waffle

'I live over there...'

Sunshine at St Katharine Docks

Stumbled upon the 'Royal Boat' (pretty nice view of Tower Bridge too).

A view of St Paul's Cathedral to end the day.

Finished off the night with bowling fun at All Star Lanes!

I may be 24 now, but birthdays certainly haven't got any less exciting yet! Maybe 25 will be a bit of a shock to the system, but in the meantime I'm going to enjoy this year as much as I can. I'm so grateful to have seen it in with the people I love doing what I love.