baked to perfection

I took Friday afternoon off work and it felt wonderfully indulgent to leave the office at midday. I met up with my good friend Georgia at Exmouth Market for afternoon tea and a chat. We enjoyed some almost unbearably chocolatey treats at Gail's Bakery and marvelled at their amazing selection of breads:

selvedge spring fair

Jolly good, the Selvedge Spring Fair is fast approaching:

thompsons deli

One rainy Saturday, after the boy and I had argued, we took a trip to Thompson's Deli in Streatham Hill and made up over their yummy homemade lemon tarts. 

bug

The Southbank is one of my all time favourite places and an awesome date location. The boy and I went to the BFI last week. We had cocktails in their swanky bar and then hung out with all the cool kids at 'bug', which is basically a trendy music video showcase. The evening is hosted by the delectable and delightfully funny Adam Buxton (of Adam and Joe fame), who I happen to have a major crush on.

breakfast in brockwell

On Saturday morning the boy and I ran the free Brockwell Park ‘Park Run’, with our friend Dominic. (I use run in the loosest possible sense! Everyone else shot off into the distance while I turned pink and struggled along). We rewarded our efforts at virtuous living with breakfast in the Brockwell Lido café, which is one of my favourite brunch spots in South London.

the regency

We finished a big project at work this week and went to the Regency, frankly the best cafe in London, to celebrate with egg, chips and beans:

crafternoon

Spent a very happy afternoon crafting with friends. We made pom poms for my Christmas tree and super cute felted acorns, as seen on i diy:

dirty old river, must you keep rolling...

The Thames by Lambeth Bridge, late afternoon. I love the light of a low winter sun:

tea for two

The boy went away for the weekend, so my friend Dominic kindly kept me company on a visit to the Blackbird Bakery in Crystal Palace. We gluttonously munched our way through apple cake, mince pies and carrot muffins, all washed down with a pot of jasmine tea.

Before....

... and after:

guinness

Spotted this great bench in Crystal Palace park, 'In memory of Guinness - an old English sheepdog with attitude':

garden gate

Passed this pretty garden gate in Brighton. The work of those clever people at Farrow & Ball, I suspect.

catherine tough

Spotted these darling knitted lavender hearts by textile designer Catherine Tough in Abode:

i do like to be beside the seaside

This week's posts are dedicated to the delightful day out I had in Brighton, which was spent perusing a host of antiques shops, independent boutiques and cafes. First stop, tea and crumpets for breakfast at i gigi:

midcentury. modern

‘This show could cause design lovers a cardiac arrest’ Grand Designs

This weekend, I'm planning a visit to the Midcentury.Modern show at Dulwich College, an 'unpretentious one stop shop for busy people who appreciate collecting beautiful pieces for their homes'. Visitors can source antique pieces from some of the UK's best dealers and discover new work by contemporary designers. Directions, opening times and tickets are available from the Midcentury.Modern website. 

the isle of purbeck

The boy and I spent the weekend on the South Coast at the wedding of S & E (more on that to follow soon). Along with our friends Mr & Mrs Jones (yes really!), we rented The Cheese House, a tiny two bed cottage nestled in the Dorset countryside:

Complete with wood burning stove for cosy winter's nights:

These pretty farm eggs were left out for us:

The day after the wedding, we headed to the beach at Swanage, where the boy reminisced about his childhood holidays and we amused ourselves on the 2p slots in the arcade, before scoffing fish and chips.

a weekend away

A few weekends ago, I spent a debauched hen weekend at The Residence, a magnificant Georgian townhouse in Bath. The property is available for hire all year round, sleeps up to 15 people and makes the perfect location for getting together a big group of friends. It even has its own cocktail bar, complete with sparkly floor, what more could a girl ask for?

We passed perhaps the most entertaining Saturday afternoon that I've ever had at The Makery, a fantastic creative hub and craft studio that is run by the ever lovely and hugely talented Kate, a friend of the hen.