jul, 21st - 29/52....

the 52 Project: a portrait of the girls once a week, every week, in 2013

day 1248 / 347:

Claya: this is the result of letting her loose with a watering can and some soil......the rest of her was almost as bad....but she loved every second (those red knees are from the small stones just outside the doors of the new house. they are the bane of our lives. if Claya isn't trying to eat them then she's trying to crawl across them and ends up with these sore looking knees.....but gets extremely cross if you don't let her explore on her own)

Limi: Summer holidays mean crazy, long days of mad playing and one exhausted looking child in the evenings. she is loving every second.

the ones that caught my eye this week:

sweet, small boy

licking the spatula

bathing and contemplating

these two

jul,19th - the pavilion....

day 1246 / 345:

i met up with some friends at the Pavilion Café in Victoria Park on Friday.....it's a spot that i've been longing to try as it's known for it's great produce that makes excellent all day breakfasts and lunch salads. London turned on the most beautiful day and so we happily say outside under striped monochromatic umbrellas, watching people pedalo around the lake and listening to some relaxed, live music.....

after some crunchy and delicious salads, we resisted the cakes and the homemade ice-cream and instead just opted for one of their excellent coffees.i would drag the whole family back here is a heartbeat......

and....what a wonderful way to start the weekend.

jul, 14th - 28/52....

the 52 Project: a portrait of the girls, once a week, every week in 2013.

day 1241 / 340:

Claya: loves dress-up but is not a fan of the crown....i'm guessing that she didn't want to play the part of the prince, on his steed, in this game

Limi: okay, this is not technically just a portrait of Limi but very much sums up the fact that she is a real nurturer and loves babies and playing pretend babies. in fact she keeps asking me whether we can get eight!! more Clayas. also, this is my godson, Gray, at one day old. any excuse to show him off!

the ones that caught my eye this week.....

happy knees

crafty kids

this belly

these lake shots

jul, 9th - ....

day 1236 / 335:

these were flowers left over from my birthday last month. i was reluctant to throw them away and they just seemed to get more beautiful by the day. peonies are one of my all time favourite flowers and i love that they are only available for a very short period each year, in London.

i had considered writing a reflective piece to go with this images but to be honest, i'm just too.....

+ tired (from continuously jagged sleep)

+ jumbled (from a brain blurred by a gazillion things on my todo list)

+ faded (from a couple of very hot days)

so instead, here you have 'my wilted birthday blooms'......an imaginary poem by dee

p.s. i do love and appreciate your comments. i know that i haven't been great at replying to them in the past but if you were to leave one for me again.....i vow to get better ;)

jul, 7th - 27/52....

the 52 project: a portrait of the girls, once a week, every week in 2013

day 1234 / 333:

Limi: hot, bothered and telling me that her watermelon slice was too heavy!?!

Claya: fascinated by her reflection. this image was followed by mad giggling at her reflection (but those pics were all a blur!)

to read more about the 52 project, please click here.

jul, 1st - climpsons arch....

day 1228 / 327:

it was my birthday last month and as part of the celebrations, we revisited Climpsons Arch with some friends. Dave Pynt, the chef who created the pop-up restaurant, Burnt Enz, in this railway arch venue last year {see day 936 / 35} is currently exploring other exciting ventures. so this year, the BBQ is by Lucky Chip 'Licky Chop'.

this still has to be one of my favourite Summer restaurants in London. the food this year is just as outstanding: they do things with coleslaw, broccoli and courgette that is just mindbogglingly delicious and almost makes you forget the main events of sticky ribs, meltingly tender steaks and crispy chicken. 

we sat outside on a late Summer's evening at a simple metal table, drinking champagne from plastic cups and hearing the odd train rattle past. half of our group went to queue at the open BBQ kitchen and watch our food get cooked by the light of an Anglepoise lamp while the rest of us chatted under loosely strung fairground lights. when the food came, we happily passed around the rough wooden boards and raised our voices over the increasing buzz of the tables around us.

for dessert, we ordered salted caramel cones that came with flakes. they were 'man-sized' cones but the ice-cream was far to delicious to contemplate being reasonable about it....and they all disappeared one after the other.

there are many amazing restaurants in London and my friends would have happily joined me at any chosen venue but I couldn't think of anywhere that I would rather be than sitting on a steel bench under a darkening blue sky enjoying simple yet delicious food surrounded by happy, Summery people.

as I said last year, this is my kind of heaven......and my kind of birthday.

p.s. there are many more pics from our visit last year