To Eat, To Drink, To See

Yes, it's been a while but I'm back. A long-overdue trek to Westfield's in White City has me craving patatas bravas, wanting a tiffany's jewel and of course coveting a Chanel #dreamon. Either way, the inspiration I've been lacking is slowly but surely seeping back into my life. So here's a bit of a picture (/food) diary of my past few days. Starring in the lead roles are Sticky Toffee, Cheese Cake & The Fry Up. Hoping you're all making the most of this drizzly weekend.

To Eat - At the forefront of my mind, at all times, is good dessert. A mediocre main, I can settle for, but get my taste buds tingling with the afters and you've definitely won yourself a loyal customer. Topping my list at the moment is Cafe Rouge, with their rare and rich crème brûlée. As much as I love my chocolate fudge cakes, sometimes a little change doesn't go amiss. And a good crème brûlée is a precious sighting these days; its all about the profiteroles, fudge cakes and cheesecakes. Way to go, Cafe Rouge.

To Drink - A (not so) recent stint at Wagamama's - it's been four weeks now that I think about it! - introduced me to the wonders of plum wine; topped up with sparkling and served on ice, it's sweet, refreshing and of course ever so slightly alcoholic.

To See - With summer fast approaching, days of city-wandering, long balmy nights spent eating and of course holidays spring to mind. Do you ever think 'Oh my gosh, it's been a whole year already since…." and start reminiscing? Sometimes it feels like there's so much to do, so much to see and such little time; so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of the world this year, starting with Amsterdam in two weeks time. Have you started planning a summer getaway yet?

xxxx

On Middleton and Macaroni Cheese

Bank holiday number two is upon us - unfortunately not as hot as the last but not half bad either so I hope you’re taking advantage of it and enjoying whatever it is you’re up to. Strictly speaking my weekend finishes today, but I’m not complaining as I’ve had quite a relaxing few days. One spent with friends and one with family, not a bad deal eh? My life's been through some massive changes the past few months; shattered dreams hurt like anything and it can be difficult to retain a positive outlook but friends and family make it that little bit easier by picking you up and pushing you to go on when you’re at your lowest. Home-made macaroni cheese, crisped up and browned on top, oozing melted cheese in the middle, spoonful by spoonful, works wonders in healing a broken heart... so thank you Rob.

I always find that lying awake in bed at the most anti-social of hours, unable to sleep, is when the mind is at its raciest premium, ticking away like a time bomb. So last night I found myself most unexpectedly pondering how it might have felt to be Kate Middleton, spending her last night as an unmarried woman. What would be going through her mind, anxiety and fear, or anticipation and excitement? Perhaps just contentment, knowing that a life with the man she loves awaits or possibly a stomach in knots at the thought of so many eyes upon her as she walks down the aisle towards a new life.

The ceremony was beyond anything words can describe, larger than life in both sentiment and grandeur; it appeals to some deeply embedded values about love and romance, a real-world epitome of the princess fairytale that we’re force-fed from childhood; one that is so compelling though, that we’re able to ignore mass atrocities worldwide to make it the top story on every news channel. So, despite my dislike of the OTT media hype, here are the highlights of the occasion in my opinion.

1) The vows. A promise to “love, comfort, honour and keep...forsaking all other” perfectly summed up what’s needed to build a secure, stable marriage.

2) Absence of a pre-nup, reflecting William’s intention to keep this woman in his life for life.

3) Pippa Middleton. She’s quite the catch now isn’t she? Looking absolutely stunning in her simple white gown, which she dressed up with her radiant smile and innate elegance, she garnered a lot of media and public attention, making this hottie one to look out for.

I hope now that we (hint*the media*hint) have had our fill of royal hysteria, the couple will be allowed a peaceful and private honeymoon together – and that we can switch on our TVs and radios again with some hope of hearing the normal news lol! It's been another day of lazing today, interwoven with snatches of revision, chores and an impromptu shopping trip to the Harlequin with mum. I found the cuuuuutest Eeyore mug in the Disney store (where else?!), Thornton's Easter eggs at clearance prices (SCORE) and a book I’ve wanted to read for quite some time – at least when I can’t sleep again tonight I'll have something better to do with myself :D Have a great weekend y’all.

X

The Lighter Side of Life

“T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...”

Oh oops I’m sorry. I meant that

"T'was the night before the wedding, and all through the nation,
TVs were switched off to avoid media obsession...”

I’ll tell you, it’s most frustrating that even ‘haters’ are talking about the wedding, albeit how to avoid proceedings (yes yes, myself included but that’s besides the point!) Despite concerted, concentrated effort to shun information, speculation and coverage, my very naive attempt at catching up on news last night led to my plunge directly into the clutches of royal scoop - “Kate and Will in rehearsal ceremony”. Yes, well I don’t honestly care BBC, now if you’ll just let me continue reading about the blasts in Marrakech and the storms in the States puh-lease?! Weather-dependent I’m considering taking my bike and hiding away somewhere in the country-side tomorrow. I guess we’ll see. Marriage is beautiful, but isn't it personal?

It’s been a good day today. Spent a lovely afternoon with one of my sweetest girlies, Avni, and we wandered aimlessly (well, I did atleast while she distributed CVs) through Westfield Shopping Centre. It is the first time I've been there with the leisure of having a proper look around and I can now say that I fully understand what all the hype is about. It’s bloomin’ amazing and absolutely huge too. I think the Harlequin centre in Watford (best shopping centre in Herts, pretty great in its own right) would fit into it four or five times over. And it’s not just that, it’s utterly state-of-the-art...très chic indeed. Amongst other things we...

...marvelled at the cake shops (and clearly, posed next to them too)

...went a little overboard at the Lego store (but my oh my, what a store!)

...took rather a long time choosing which ice-cream to have...

...settled for a Mcdonald’s lunch (classy birds, we are) after being discouraged by the mile-long queue outside Nando's

and also discovered what a “fashion virgin” I am. In truth, I've never even heard of half the stores at Westfield's but some of them were so far beyond the throws of my wildest imagination, I don't think words can fully describe my surprise. Explosions of colour and high-fashion aspirations with store set-ups to resemble everything from nightclubs (Hollister, Gilly Hicks) to beaches (Superdry). Fashion scenes change so quickly and whilst it’s definitely important to create your own sense of fashion, roaming a little further than your regular shopping comfort zone just opens up so many more possibilities – who’d have known there are SO many shops to choose from?!

I definitely feel like I have been out of touch with the lighter side of life for a very long time, but today was a great break away from the darker days. Friends are well and truly like angels. A gift to us to let us know that life is beautiful, people can be trustworthy and time will return a lost smile to our face.

X