Hello, Spring!

Ok so today we're back to drizzle and grey but yesterday the sun shone so of course I went outside. My mission: Easter.

Disorganised as always (but also in love with a themed display), I decided to visit some fancy foodcourts to see what Easter treats they had on offer. General consensus? Very few. Clearly other people were far more organised than me and had already emptied the shelves of anything worth having (or indeed seeing).

My day began at Fortnum & Mason where I indulged in tea and revelled in their customer service which never fails to make me feel special; 'would madam like a basket?' - 'thank you. Have a good... afternoon? Easter! Have a good Easter. Have a good everything!'

From Fortnum & Mason I then walked along in the sunshine to Harrods. My route took me via Paul for salmon quiche which I began to eat only once I had passed The Ritz and any concerns about crumb dropping were gone.

Once inside Harrods, I was quite impressed with myself for reaching the foodcourt so efficiently as I usually get utterly and completely lost in the claustrophobic cavern of narrow corridors with no windows to suggest which way is out.

It was a quick turnaround as even with 25% off, Artisan eggs were still £30 so I just grabbed a bottle of Fiji water and was on my way.

Selfridges was my final destination and the walk there was definitely my favourite as most of it involved strolling through the mass of green that is Hyde Park before then wending my way past seriously stunning homes in the streets that run parallel to Oxford Street, offering a slice of peace so surprisingly close to the absolute and complete opposite.

It's been a grey few weeks, or certainly entire days of sunshine have been hard to come by, so I was very glad to have got outside in the warmth.

Today I'm heading on an adventure in the South. Wiggly train writing occuring!

Bought a Boston Fern

Finally it has stopped raining (at least for now) so I have found motivation to explore and so to write!

This summer, rather than trying to summarise a huge number of events into a couple of long, rambly posts, I have decided to provide snippets here and there when anything of interest crops up. With no plans to go away, I am spending my 6 weeks here in London (with, I'm sure, a smattering of Norfolk in between) armed with a hearty 'To Do' list which realistically is far more likely to take me an entire year from now to cover than the month and a bit I have. But I can try...

Five days into my holiday, I'm not entirely sure whether or not I've really started to make the most of it, or in fact even realised it's happening. Like a rusty, cobweb-covered lawnmower from the Victorian period hidden at the back of my Grandfather's shed, my being in 'holiday mode' always takes a while to start up.

So far a few rainy days have been well spent cleaning and organising both at home and at work and I've even managed to catch up with a couple of friends! Already, I've managed a London escape for a day of outlet shopping and boat watching in Portsmouth but until today, my list has remained untouched.

What began today as one of the days I was spending at work has actually turned out rather well indeed!

Craving mint tea on my home I stumbled upon a café/bar/restaurant (hard to tell in the daytime) called Hackney Bureau (on Mare Street), serving fresh mint tea and playing jazz. Although I was only planning on  a takeaway tea, I was lured in by the atmosphere; the perfect place for creativity! When I arrived there was lone gentleman who looked to have a similar agenda to me and a young couple partaking in brunch or lunch (I suppose it all depends when one wakes up). Shortly after they were gone and I was alone and feeling incredibly intent. Holiday mode must have officially revved into gear! 

It was then my intention once tea and writing were done to walk along Regent's Canal to Haggerston where I could then hop on a bus home for a bite to eat before drinks, games and gossip with good friends this evening. Having had really rainy days of late, I have decided that every dry one (sunshine or no sunshine) must be relished! 

Popcorn graffiti along the canal

Before I'd reached the café/bar/restaurant, I paid a visit to Grace & Thorn on Hackney Road, a sweet florist offering a plethora of house plants. Having followed them on Instagram for some time, I had neglected to realise that the shop was actually one I had passed and peeked into on many occasions but today upon making the connection, I went in!

Lots of cash has been splashed on all things garden related lately, so I thought I'd better be good and just look. However, when I happened upon £10 on the pavement on my journey there, I took it as a sign and returned home with a beautiful Boston Fern in a pretty pot for the bathroom.

Meet Mr Fern!

So today, one list item has been checked off and one added for a food stop. Today is a good day; happy summer!

Guy Bourdin - Walking Legs

A major holiday and for the first time since arriving in London, I am not escaping the city! While part of me is definitely pining after last year's Easter break spent cruising, I'm also very excited to be spending some downtime here! 

The weekly grind is hardly conducive to truly appreciating London. With warmer weather comes opportunity to extend days into the evenings and venture beyond the realms of the Seven Sisters - Highbury & Islington - Hoxton and back again commute. However, a long winter preceded by a less-than-inspiring summer (at least in terms of the weather) has found me on the brink of falling out of love.

Enter the Easter Holiday! I honestly don't think it could have come at a better time. The days ahead of me are currently empty besides for time made for loved ones, and I intend to fill some with more of those, some with days to myself and I guess a couple (but hopefully not many more) with work.

The Easter holiday is my favourite. For one, it always falls around my birthday (or my birthday falls around it; not entirely sure which) which is obviously incredibly important! But perhaps more importantly, after how crammed Christmas becomes (predominantly crammed in terms of time and my stomach), and how like a flash half terms pass by, Easter is the first real chance to rest! Often the weather becomes warmer too, so here's hoping for at least some sun!

One day in and I'd like to think I've already got the holiday off to a good start; I'm ever so impressed with myself. Somehow I was out of bed before 9 so I decided I had plenty of time to vacate the flat for a morning and head to an art exhibition I've been meaning to go to since it opened! Today was the final day of said exhibition at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, so I made it just in time! I've missed a few great-looking exhibitions (I feel like I've used that word about a million times now!) lately so I didn't want to let another pass me by. I'm not usually someone who can be found in a gallery, but I'd seen a photograph from the collection somewhere (I think it's likely it was in Vogue) and I just loved the concept and wanted to see more for myself!

Guy Bourdin's Walking Legs 'was shot in 1979 using quintessentially English landscapes [for a] backdrop'. The locations for the photographs were happened upon on a road trip taken from London to Brighton in a Cadillac. Despite the time difference, many of the scenes remain the same today which I think is why I really loved the collection, because I could imagine walking through them myself. The mannequin's legs are adorned with Charles Jourdan's shoe designs (the two were introduced through editor of French Vogue) as the photographs were taken for his high-end advertising campaign.

As well as Guy Bourdin's collection, I enjoyed Noé Sendas' The Lady Vanishes and Samantha Roddick's Hidden Within, a collection of Carlo Mollino's polaroids mounted on the most lavish backdrops made of ruby red and sapphire blue velvet embellished with metallic threads. Second to the Walking Legs, my favourite thing about this morning was that I was completely alone in the gallery. The peace, quiet and stillness was so foreign to me in London but it was magical and I could have basked in it forever!

Noé Sendas - The Lady Vanishes

Samantha Roddick - Hidden Within

Back on the Underground without a seat, the contrast was a bit of a shock to the system! The rest of the day has then been spent preparing for the excitement tomorrow brings when my parents descend... Lots planned for Sunday & Monday, then we'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the fortnight has to offer!

Happy Easter, all!