Tuesday (yes am about to take out that rubbish)

The winter is here!

Yes Mum, I'm alive

Hi Sue – sorry for my radio silence – it’s been a crazy week.

I landed at the airport from Marrakech at 3am on Tuesday, then caught a coach (and tried to get as much sleep as possibly, having only slept 2 hours that night on the plane – in total I got about 4 hours), then at my desk by 10am – work work work until 8.30pm when I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so straight home to bed.  Back at my desk at 6.30am the next day – work work work until about 10pm, then straight home to bed. Thursday I caught the 6am train to London, at the office by 8.30am – work work work until 2am, then home and straight to bed.  And now it’s Friday and I got up at 6.30am (a sleep in!) and am at my desk (7.30am).  Sorry!!!

I will report on Marrakech, hopefully this weekend. x

Reporting from Gatwick

Hello hello
I'm on a mini-break! And boy what I had to do to get here! Worked
yesterday from 7am until 11pm (a combo of general business and also
making up for my time off). Then arrived at my friend, Jacqui's house
at midnight so that I could sleep on her couch for 2 hours before
waking at 2.40am to walk 5 minutes down the road to catch the special
airport bus (would have taken an hour an 3 buses just to get to this
point had I been staying at our place, so I actually got a sleep in
thanks to Jac). I was at gatwick by 4.30am - the easiest run ever! So,
I've had my coffee, bought my airplane obligatory lifestyle magazine
and now I'm ready to board! Flight leaves in about 40 minutes. I'll
touch down at Marrakech at about 9am and edwina will whisk me off into
the desert. Tonight is a special feast as a thankyou for the blog post
I wrote 2 years ago - amazingly people actually read the post! Less
amazingly they then decided to go and stay with edwina!!

Speak soon! X

Thursday

Last day before Marrakech mini break!

The weekend

Hi all
A fabulous fun filled weekend!

Friday night I went to the ball for work - it was at the dorchester hotel in Mayfair, which says fabulous.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the men from work who I went with didn't utter a single word about my fabulous dress! This really only confirmed to me that I loved it though - so I was happy! The dress has a huge very long skirt, and I had to catch the tube to the ball, so was carrying most of the skirt in my lap to avoid being sucked into the escalator!

On Saturday morning I went to Stoke Newington high street, with a friend, Tash, for a look in the shops and some brunch.  It's about 10minutes north by car from where we live - it's becoming VERY "yummy mummy" but a cooler vibe than the Islington high street (upper street), when you've  been - more quirky independent shops and some great cafes.  Had lovely brunch of sourdough toast, runny yolky eggs, roast cherry tomatoes and mozzarella.

It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I walked through the back streets, first for a coffee stop and paper read at a really good cafe in the back streets of Dalston, and then to Broadway Market, then caught the tube to Somerset House - i met Y here and we went to an exhibit celebrating the life/work of Vidal Sassoon - for whom, apparently, we should be grateful for the "bob" hair cut (although I'm sure everyone had these in the 1920s?).

This is me outside Somerset house - cold but sunny!

Next we went to the science museum in Kensington for an exhibition on Alan Turing, a code breaker during WWII.  This was very interesting, although required concentration!

We grabbed an early dinner at a cheap japanese place.

Sunday was another lovely sunny day.  We walked along the canal, and then further east past Broadway Market, to lower Clapton.  I had read about a newish market here, Chatsworth Road market. I wasn't expecting much, but it was great.  There was a handful of cafes and people sitting outside.  Lots of the market stalls were from broadway market, but the market itself s much less crowded.  We had breakfast sitting in the sun at this place on the corner (with costs on, of course).  I also grabbed another coffee at a recommended place further down the road (with Climpsons coffee Soph!).  The market had some great food stalls and also vintage type furniture and homewares.

From here we caught the bus into town and went to the National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square - there was a brilliant exhibition of Marilyn Munroe photos and old movie posters - celebrating 50 years since her death (although one of london's major art galleries may have got the date wrong according to two women next to me, who spent some considerable time debating whether it was actually 50 years and whether it was perhaps less than this as it just didn't seem right to them.  I decided to back the gallery).

Next I read the paper on the steps of Trafalgar square in the sun (with about 1000 others), whilst Y ran some errands and then we went home.  I cooked some of the mackerel for dinner which I bought from the fish markets a few weeks ago - with cavolo Nero and curly kale.  Delish! Although when I dashed out of the house at 5.45am to get my train to Birmingham, the house still smells of mackerel - still smells!

Tuesday

Boots in October - not a good sign!

Monday

Wearing my navy dress, with Sue's old lipstick blouse.

Friday

Feeling dotty!

The daily outfit will now be published here!

Weekend in Essex

Hi Family! It was great to see you all on Skype last week - I felt like I was right there with you at the table (until I couldn't partake in the crunchy carrot cake).  Thanks for sending me this pic Sue - it arrived eventually! Daisy looked gorgeous - I saw a lovely photo of her on FB today with her mum and maternal grandparents - all looking very flash!

It's quite cold here - the good news is I get to wear this fab collar Sue and Ian bought me in Hobart - I love it!  The fleece makes it so warm.  I am only looking strange because I'm sitting at the station trying to take a photo of myself.



I was on my way to London.  Y and I had a yummy breakfast at Salvation Jane (sister cafe of Lantana), before I headed off to Essex for the weekend - to stay with Lyndall and Jade.

Lyndi and I had manicures - with special new technology gel nail polish - the nail polish is basically baked on with a UV light and is instantly dry.  It was AMAZING.

We went out for dinner at a local  Italian place which was really good, despite the very bad photo.

Near where Jade & Lyndi live there's a lovely lake and outdoor area.  We went and fed the ducks - this was clearly Jade's idea, not Lyndall's or mine, but we enjoyed it just the same - see!

Jade drinks a weird concoction of green algae for breakfast - apparently the equivalent of eating a kilo of vegetables.  I of course had to join in.  Urgh.  These are our green teeth.  I think I'd probably rather eat a kilo of veg.

So that was my weekend - a lovely mini break in Essex!