may, 29th - f&m....

day 842:

these are the beautiful Jubilee windows at Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly. known as the Queen's deli Fortnum's always feels like a decadent and very British place to visit. the afternoon tea room was recently renamed the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon and i can't wait to try it. 

but the thing that has always appealed to me, besides the perfect shade of eau de nil used in their packaging, are the gorgeous hampers that Fortnum's offer. i haven't tried one yet but they just look picnic perfect. maybe this Summer....

 

may, 28th - oh britannia....

day 841:

you do know how to throw a good party........

it's a great year to be in London......the country is gearing up for the first of its festivities this weekend to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee........i'm just in love with the flag bunting in Regent's Street.

this week i'll be celebrating all that is British!

may, 27th - kings county distillery....

day 840:

the week before i came down with this virus that had me curled-up-in-a-ball-too-sick-to-even-read-or-surf-the-web (a first), A. was in Chicago, for work and Brooklyn, New York, for play. i told him about The Makers project by Jennifer Causey. Jennifer seeks out small artisans in (mainly) Brooklyn and photographs them in their work spaces. a very inspiring blog.

he didn't manage to make it to any of the studios or shops but he did find this bottle of bourbon by Kings County Distillery. 

i love the simplicity of the packaging and he says the bourbon is very drinkable. there were many times this past week where i was tempted to take a large swig to try and find some relief from the razor blades in my throat and chest. not being big on taking any medication while i'm pregnant, it was a case of riding it out. 

happy to say that i'm at last on the mend. thank you for the kind comments and emails. 

may, 23 - interruption....

day 836:

an unexpected blog break......i've been flattened by a serious throat and chest infection. i'll be back as soon as i feel up to more than sipping on lemon and honey...

may, 18th - at last....

day 831:

it's the weekend at last.........what a long week. we're off to our favourite market tomorrow.

i hope you have a brilliant one. x

may, 17th - new threads....

day 830:

more patent leather mary janes for Limi in navy blue this time {see day 779 for her nude pair}....they're so soft and beautifully made in France.

plus a new swimming costume bought on sale. both from Rachel Riley.

styling of new clothes, by Limi

may, 16th - dukes meadows....

day 829:

awhile back, we discovered a new, small market in West London called the Chiswick Farmers and Fine Foods Market. it's small but perfectly formed with a seriously wide range of food from Moroccan to French crepes to Nigerian to Sushi. refreshments are provided by the local Bowls Club. walking into the clubhouse to order from the bar, reminded me strongly of my grandparents and their love of the game.....a good memory. the whole market has that very community spirited feel.

it's held in the farmyard of the Grove Park Farm House and it's worth having a bit of time to spend there as you can buy your picnic lunch and then wander past the allotments to Dukes Meadows next door. there you have vast space to throw down a blanket and laze away the afternoon.....

but the thing that would really get us heading back is that there is a fantastic paddling pool (not yet open for Summer when we went) that Limi would absolutely love......

roll on Summer and some happy afternoons in Dukes Meadows.

may, 15th - conversations with a two year old....

day 828:

the windows at the chapel {see day 821}. such a beautiful backdrop......

Limi picks up her calculator phone the other day......

Me: Limi who are you calling?

Limi: the sun

Me: why are you calling the sun?

Limi: to tell him to stop sleeping.

it's been a very wet April and May in London.

may, 14th - bringing drawings to life....

day 827:

Limi's recent drawings....always lots of circles.

we've painted two doors in the Shoebox with blackboard paint which means that she can grab her chalk tin anytime. it's not surprising that i love to watch her draw.

a friend reminded me of this great company today. they create soft toys out of a child's drawing. such a brilliant concept.

may, 13th - glimpses of the weekend....

day 826:

a fairly quiet weekend......breakfast with friends at this favourite spot {see day 773}, plenty of park time and some Spring cleaning......

here are snippets of what caught my eye inside and out........

my roses in a smoky vase that i picked up in a market years ago. can't even remember which market it was.

Limi's table and chairs.....still trying to decide whether to paint those chairs.....

some beautiful tilework spotted on the stroll home from the park.

ball time in the park.

loving the fresh herbs in our Spring window boxes. we have mint, thyme and rosemary.....need to think about adding some basil.

blank canvases.......taunting me. i'm desperate to get painting again.

our collection of kitchen tools in the Shoebox.

a pony-bank that we picked up from this great store {see day 677}

and finally, my favourite place to work.

hope you had a lovely weekend. x

may, 11th - lightness of being....

day 824:

my sister has taught me many things {some of them mentioned here on day 185}, including cultivating a love of huge messy bunches of fresh flowers. i once had a conversation with A. about fresh flowers....did they also make him feel all light and blissful inside? he said fresh flowers were pretty but no bliss....so it must just be me then?

today was the most gorgeously Spring-like day in London and one where you want to throw open the doors and windows, let the light stream in and be surrounded by blooms. i normally go to this market {see day 230} when i have the urge to fill the house with flowers but today i wandered down to the local stall and bought a huge bunch...and then, because he knows me well, A. arrived home with another big bunch. so i am happily sitting filled by lightness and bliss.

.......well, as light as you can feel when you're 28 weeks pregnant (it's flying by....)

have a great weekend and see you on Monday. x

may, 10th - a walk in the countryside....

day 823:

on our weekend in Somerset {see day 821} we went for a wander around Bruton......such a stunning village. the good thing is that Limi decided to take us way off path and we ended up on a pretty walk along the river...stopping to have story time with a group of ducks along the way.