Following on from yesterday’s post, we arrived at Kew Gardens station around 30 minutes after leaving La Suite West….
Monthly Archives: March 2016
La Suite West, Kew Gardens
Spring has sprung at La Suite West
Bayswater, London
My wonderful room
Anouska Hempel is one clever lady – ranked as one of the world’s top 100 interior designers and architects, her latest creation is La Suite West – a beautiful boutique hotel on a charming quiet street on the edge of Hyde Park…
La Suite West are currently offering a very special Springtime offering, to inspire all of us to treat our lovely mums during this beautiful floral season…
The very first ever ever
Captain Book Tea Party!
The Amazing Captain Books of Poppy Loves Book Club
Last weekend was an extremely momentous occasion for me and for Poppy Loves Book Club, as I held the book club’s very first Captain Book Event!
For those of you that are wondering what a Captain Book is, it is the name given to the girl who heads up one of my book clubs… and there are now nearly 50 in several different countries around the world.
Supper at Sea Grill,
Puente Romano, Marbella
This afternoon I boarded a plane, which flew me through the skies (clever) and landed me a short drive away from the Puente Romano Beach Resort and Spa in Marbella…
We arrived at sunset and by the time we’d arrived at the hotel it was all very dark outside, so I haven’t yet taken any photographs of the resort itself… I can’t wait to open my curtains in the morning and see the sun pouring in!
Easy Peasy Easter Bunting
You may remember that last year, I popped round to my friend Jodie of A Handmade Cottage, to learn how to make a cushion cover. Jodie’s blog is packed to the hilt of all kinds of crafty projects and ideas, and I asked her if she’d like to donate one to my little corner of the universe today… and ta da! She did.
This bunting is perfect for Easter (and actually any kind of celebration) and as the sun is shining brightly in London this morning, I believe it’s a sign that Spring may have truly arrived…
Over to Jodie…
Some very special Easter treats
Christmas shopping can appear to begin whenever you like. You can buy something in May with someone in mind and tuck it away for Christmas, or join the throng of Christmas Shoppers in October once all the tinsel and decorations have been flung all over London…
But there’s something about Easter, which means we FORGET to be organised. There’s always a last minute rush down to the corner shop to grab a random (and usually sub-standard) Easter Egg en route to Sunday Lunch… For some reason, we don’t think about chocolate eggs until the day is upon us and WE REALISE THAT WE FORGOT TO GET THE EGGS.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…
Tada & Toy at LFW
These are their Star Cuffs – my favourite piece from Tada & Toy. Comes in Black Rhodium, Gold, Rose Gold and Silver…
Amidst all the hoo and haa of London Fashion Week, I managed to find THIS little gem sparkling away in the Designer Showrooms, thanks to my friend Camilla who knows everything about everything pretty and lovely…
Shimmering away on slabs of slate and concrete, which set all the twinkles off perfectly, was all the beautiful jewellery from clever Tada & Toy.
Sunday lunch at Wringer & Mangle
Betsy and I drove to London Fields last weekend, to meet two lovely chums for Sunday lunch.
Sunday lunch takes equal spot (the other is brunch) at the top of my List of Favourite Meals. There’s just something about it. It has a laziness to it. And a booziness. And a ‘all-the-trimmings-ness’… I was so looking forward to holing up at a new discovery with great food, good nattering and being out of the cold, rain, wind and hail that had descended that morning.
Desenio have landed in the UK! Hej!
You just need to say the word ‘Scandi’ to me and I’m catapulted into a world of calm, tranquility and white floorboards…
Scandi brands are flocking to the UK as we are yearn more and more for the simplicity and clean lines of these design champions.
The latest Danish company to launch here is one I’m very excited about, as I’ve had my beady eye on them for a while… welcome Desenio – gurus of print, design, home decor and art…. and the best bit? All of their unique pieces of art are REALLY INEXPENSIVE.
Union Roasted’s Coffee Club:
the ultimate coffee lover’s subscription
When I visited Union Coffee last year, I was completely bowled over by not only their passion and true love for their coffee, but also the science behind it. The art of getting coffee RIGHT, is so precise… and they really know what they’re doing.
Those coffee-lovin folk at Union know only too well how many people travel to their local cafe to get their daily Union fix, so they hatched a plan to make it possible for us to have the full Union experience in our very own homes, via their new Coffee Club… and I say hallelujah. And Amen. And where the blimmin ‘eck did I put my cafètiere?
My top 9 art & theatre picks for March
Pic from http://weheartit.com
Oh HELLO March. You’re teasing us with your blossom and sunshine and pretty face… because as soon as I step outside, my warmest gloves go on, my wooly hat gets pulled down over my ears and I CAN’T FEEL MY NOSE.
So, I’ve decided to spend the whole month holed up in galleries & theatres, watching some of London’s best productions and keeping warm and toasty…
9 poetry & spoken word events in London
Bang Said The Gun – Photo: www.telegraph.co.uk
When I was at school, the word poetry used to make me want to come down with a ‘headache’ and run to the sick room (for about 45 mins until it was over… and then I’d amazingly recover. Especially if the next session was art. Or lunch).
Poetry nights are not what they used to be and if these here events had been around when I was younger in the way they are today, I’m certain I’d have felt very differently about the whole poetry world. Poetry is music, friends, laughter, NOISE, participation, exploration… and very little has to do with the rigidity of rhyming couplets.
A lunch to celebrate ‘Succession’;
A James Stroud exhibition
Last week I found myself in a carpark at The Vinyl Factory, to celebrate the launch of ‘Succession’ – photographer James Stroud’s new, beautiful exhibition.
James Stroud’s latest exhibition is a collection of photographs he took at The Balvenie distillery in Scotland – a place he was drawn to for the people, the process and the many generations whose lives have moved with it and have been connected with this wee part of Scotland for years… and he has captured their love, their heart and their true souls…