Nudity/Similarity

There was always one tree I admired.
Each year, before Autumn had even hinted at its approach, it burnt itself a mask. Rich crimson red.
As soon as the others would attempt to copy the vibrant tones, it would shed its coat, preferring nudity, to similarity.

Fishing tackle photo hooks

Sick of having my carefully considered, very expensive film photographs shoved into drawers, and being particularly lacking in wall space, I was a little stuck for how I was to display my masterpieces...
Here's how I solved that problem. It hurt. But it looks super pretty.

Our new desk space fills us with unease...

The repeated tapping of keyboard keys reverberate against my eardrums, at increasing speed and intensity. The less chatter that permeates the air, the more I can hear the lamentation of hard work from across the office. The harder they work, the less I concentrate, til all I can hear is the hum of a thousand tapping keys.

I procrastinate.

Escaping London - To London

The sun came out! THE SUN CAME OUT! On a bank holiday too!
So we explored.
I live fairly close to central London, so the grey drag of the city can start to suffocate at times, regardless of how pretty the locality of my house is.
This is a little post of the discoveries we made on a wander up to Hampstead Heath, to cure our hangovers this bank holiday monday.

I've often said that the best hangover cure is to not get hungover in the first place.
That being said, when you're presented with a night of live blues music, dancing and rum, with a couple of free hats thrown in for good measure, it's not going to be that easy to avoid.
So this bank holiday weekend, we headed to Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch, and had a generally bloody brilliant night.

See, free hats! And live blues! Also the drinks weren't too expensive, with a double coming in at £7 - not expensive by London standards at all. I'd recommend it as a night for those who aren't into going out clubbing to music that'll leave your ears ringing with phantom bass for days after. We will definitely be back there.

But that isn't what this post is about. Here are all the lovely places we found on Hampstead Heath, there was a zoo to ogle at animals in, some giant metal dinosaurs for no apparent reason, and lots of sunshine and beautiful green open space. And mud. And a pergola... which was a great find.

By the end of our adventure we'd soaked up enough sunshine and consumed enough ice cream (sorbet for me, so refreshing) to feel like normal human beings again and really enjoy our day!

Not having a map and just strolling up there really felt like the best way to approach it, we didn't have a clue where anything was and it made everything we stumbled across feel like such a discovery.

There are so many places in London that are just so beautiful, that people don't even give the time of day to. You don't need to go far to find something new - just go for a wander!

Pub lunch - via the bakery

Life of late seems to be an alcohol fuelled maelstrom of nights out and foggy-headed mornings.
I am setting about to change this... So finding reasons to avoid the pub at lunch is starting to become my favourite pastime. Here's my favourite one of late:

They don't sell Biskies in the pub.

These things are biskies. They're the brainchild of the founders of 'Cutter and Squidge', lovers of natural ingredients and new owners of a pop up in Soho. Dangerous. 

They come in a smorgasbord of different flavours, from the classic chocolate cookie, to the more inventive - pistachio and berry, and apple crumble to name just a couple. 

But what are they?! Delicious, is one answer. But what they're made of, is sort of a sugar cookie style biscuit, sandwiching a light, airy flavoured buttercream centre - made with half the amount of sugar as normal buttercream.

The result, all in all, is pretty mind blowing. I had the salted caramel one, and the facial expressions I was giving off whilst eating it were just expressive enough of my pleasure that HR nearly got involved. The natural ingredients and reduced sugar in the cream make them a much less decadent treat than they would first appear, which is good, as baked goods often leave a furry mouth and a sad stomach for me. 

The Cutter and Squidge pop up in Soho doesn't look like it'll be leaving any time soon, so I do recommend anyone passing to have a look, if not a try. Not only do they sell biskies, but a whole host of other cakes too, each of them a work of art in their own right. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of them, I was too excited by my own purchases.
The cafe looks like a very cute place to sit and have coffee and cake too, so give it a go, it's probably less damaging than a pint!