London detours

Before yet another weekend in Norwich steals the limelight, I thought I'd better catch up on a few recent excursions (one of which came out of buying a new notebook for my writing, so I really have no excuse)!

I finally found Barbican Conservatory! And, oh my goodness, what a magical place! A tropical plant paradise where vines and endless greenery creeps across pipes and spills over balconies, completely transforming the already beautiful concrete jungle. I could have stayed forever (and I'll definitely be back)! I still cannot get over the fact that such a treasure is completely free (cynic in me says it won't be forever)!

Bank Holiday Monday in general was a beautiful day! I realised that to avoid the masses in London (and this is going to seem obvious), head in the opposite direction! To be fair, I started off at the Tower of London for the 62-round gun salute to mark the royal birth, but that was a good sort of busy! From there I then walked to Barbican through deserted streets; bliss! Very few people are aware of the Conservatory. Certainly no one I've spoken to had heard of it (alas, now I've given the game away...) so once I reached it, I was glad to find stillness and peace!

From a relaxing Bank Holiday weekend to an equally lovely weekend just gone. On Friday night I ventured into Putney where we found a very sweet, Norwich-esque bar-restaurant. Great food, Earl Grey gin (!) and a sign stating 'no hipsters allowed', I was in love! I hope to return to Putney to explore a little more on sunny days and warm evenings!

A leisurely dog walk on Saturday morning, then I took myself on a slight (huge) detour on the way home...

In need of a new notebook (my previous two have been wasted on 'To Do' lists which I've decided is sacrilege and will not happen again!), I stopped off at Muji at Sloane Square. Having perused stationery and random bits for the bathroom, I suddenly had an urge to take photos so I headed off to find London's answer to the Flatiron building which I'd once passed but been unable to catch a good angle of. Turns out it wasn't anywhere near Sloane Square so I wandered for more than a while...

On my way I did pass some beautiful buildings though, so I was more than content, especially as the sun was shining!

Found it!

Sunday morning, this happened... say no more. (Well, I probably should say though that I ran with fellow teachers and children from our school in the School's Challenge so I didn't actually do the whole race, despite what the medal says!)

It did actually instil in me a much greater respect for runners, I admit.

Now the weather is improving I am finally venturing out lots more again and falling back in love with the city! Half term has arrived then it's just 7 and a half weeks until a summer of nothingness; bring it on!

Dryanuary (I know that's not the official name, but if you say it really quickly I think it has a better ring to it!)

New Year’s Resolution Number 1 – improve diet! 

New Year's Resolution Number 2 – make time for real Laura time!

By way of adhering to both of these resolutions, I made a rather extreme (by my standards, anyway) decision at the beginning of the year. Every year I have made an attempt to at least say ‘this year, I am going to take a break from alcohol’, and every year I have failed to even say that sentence without an overwhelming sense of doubt, let alone make it a reality. This year, however, despite the reactions of my highly supportive friends (said with a slight hint of sarcasm after mutual agreement that perhaps we could all support each other in our endeavour, followed by shock and awe at the news this weekend that I am still standing by my word), I am making a proper go of it!

Admittedly, I did not start at the very beginning of January, as I had to see to the alcohol store leftover from Christmas (there is still Gin hiding in the freezer if anyone is looking for any) to avoid temptation! However, I have now survived three weekends, substituting Cobra for pineapple juice, cocktails for Turkish teas and red wine for cranberry! I’ve hardly dared to openly own up to my choice to give up alcohol for fear of imminent failure (as I write this, I worry that I sound rather like an alcoholic – as if the ring addiction wasn’t enough!), but this weekend marked a significant achievement in the proceedings, so I now know I am doing well.

Last Saturday I awoke with the most atrocious headache. It was as though my body is so used to my usual morning-after-the-night-before state that it decided to give me that hungover feeling just so I wasn’t in danger of missing it too much. Of course, I was less than impressed, but thankfully it cleared and a most productive weekend followed. This weekend has been equally as productive and although less adventurous, with the weather as it has been, it has been quite nice to spend some time feeling cosy inside. Friday nights spent cleaning to music bordering on an anti-social volume (I’m simply engaging in friendly competition with the Portuguese folk music so loud from our downstairs neighbours that I always feel convinced there must be a live band performing in our kitchen) and/or doing an extravagant food shop have become something I genuinely relish the thought of (old before my time?), and mean that Saturday is not spent in comatose, but instead has the potential for productivity and the outdoor element of making time for ‘real Laura time’ (when I want to venture out, anyway)!

Friday night thriller. It's how I do.

Last night came my real test, as all the odds were against me;

I went out for a friend’s birthday.

I went out for a friend’s 30^th birthday.

I went out for a friend’s 30^th birthday where I knew no one (Dutch courage had to instead come in the form of over-enthusiastic violin playing detrimental to the living room before I left the house, but that’s a-whole-nother story!!).

I went out for a friends 30^th birthday where I knew no one and drinks were in a GIN BAR (gin is my favourite, just for future reference when this is all over)!

The thing is, I not only survived, I really enjoyed myself. Despite the genuine shock expressed by the barman when I ordered a gin and tonic without the gin (he was shocked? Imagine how I must have felt!), the fact that others have expressed admiration, and that I am feeling and (I may be imagining this but) looking better in myself makes me feel like this is totally worth it and I have a true respect for people who do this every year! I won’t share what’s going on in the back of my mind right now, but we’ll see how the land lies; the spoken aim is until Easter/my birthday.

And hey, I had three sausages for my tea tonight. That’s an odd number. I still know how to have a good time!