Weekday Inspiration | My Plants

Our living room is quite bare (still!), so I'm doing my best to freshen and brighten it up a little bit. The perfect accessory? Plants! Let's green it up!

Photography | Mosaic in Tottenham Court Road

I've started commuting via tube twice a day, minimum, and am feeling more and more British as a result. When I think back to all the space we Torontonians took for granted, 8:30am at Bloor/Yonge ain't got nothing on the tube lines here! Despite the sheer vastness of lines, stations and trains running through London, any tube you ride between 8am - 10am, or 5pm - 7pm (or, as they would say here, 17:00 to 19:00) is positively massacred. Armpits in my face, Head curved into whatever corner will fit it, jostling with strangers who are all trying their best to ignore each other and immerse themselves in books, music, papers, or Candy Crush (in my case).

Though I don't go through Tottenham Court Road on my commute, I happened to be in that station last week after some Soho adventures. And I was struck by the beauty and aesthetic of the station. Mind you, when most stations are 3 - 5 stories submerged under ground, consisting solely of soulless concrete tunnels jam packed with humans, it doesn't take much to switch up the pattern.

Here are some photos of the beautiful mosaic featured at TCR station.

Weekend Musings | Selfridge's

Oxford Circus is a mess of mayhem. The combination of tourists, shoppers, noise, lights, action, and oddities can be a little overwhelming. Fun, though, and many exciting, world renowned attractions. Selfridge's flagship store is one such attraction that's earned worldwide notoriety.

I was breezing through this are a little while ago and, despite being in a hurry and feeling anxious to get away from the throngs of people, I was struck still by the window displays in Selfridge's. So. Beautiful. Inspired by Shakespeare, windows were emblazoned with quotes from his greatest works, and the fashion featured was decidedly sumptuous, regal and luxurious.

Truthfully, it reminded me of Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street in Toronto, and the incredible displays they strike up - particularly around Christmas. Which led me to do a little research and discover that, lo and behold, the Weston family owns Selfridge's flagship store. And they own Holt Renfrew. And they own Loblaws. They are retail royalty.

If you're interested in learning more, here's a link to a really interesting interview with Galen and his daughter, Alannah, who lead the Selfridge's team.

In the meantime, here are some shots (albeit blurry) that I managed to snap inbetween the groups of people walking back and forth.

Weekday Inspiration | Evening Stroll through City Centre

I was enjoying some extra balmy London summer weather, temperature was mid 20s, sun was shining bright. I wasn't ready to go home right away so there I was, strolling through the street, shades on my face and sick tunes blasting through my ears. So many beautiful sights in London!

Photography | Flower Power

Here are some shots from a recent evening walk through my neighbourhood. I love all the green thumbs that seem to live near me. Mid August, peak time for flower blooms?

Weekend Musings | Recent Embarrassments

Sometimes you make a fool of yourself. For me, this seems to happen quite a lot. Over the past few months, I’ve had a few moments that made me cringe quite heavily when they happened. And, let’s be honest, cringe for about a week afterwards every time I thought about it. Landing in a new city, finding my way around, connecting and meeting people, putting myself out there - lots of opportunities for acting foolish. But, the beauty of these moments is how fleeting and non-permanent they are. After a week of cringing and post-incident embarrassment, I now find them either hilarious and relish telling the story, or they’re pretty much forgotten until I delved deep into my memory for the purpose of this post.

Read on for a list of my most embarrassing moments since moving to London:

Fun Things | Saturday Adventures

Last Saturday I went on an adventure to pick up some DJ equipment from a 'Gumtree' ad (like Kijiji). It was weird. 

We followed the address to a street that is full of hotels. A lot of the beautiful, old Victorian row houses in the city centre have been converted to boutique hotels to truly capitalize on their charm and location. This street was no different. Nestled right in the heart of Marylebone, we stumbled into a rather odd little hotel.

It had obviously seen better days, and it was not an intuitive entrance. The front doors weren't even unlocked and it was 1pm! The lobby was pretty dank and dark, but the front desk reception was friendly and helpful. She led us to the person from the ad, a man who was mounted ontop of a pile of nightclub equipment. Turns out he's gutted a nightclub and is selling all the used lights, sound system, DJ equipment, and a lot of other really random stuff.

The incongruity of a gorgeous chandelier, soaring ceilings, high reaching windows and a room full of clutter was certainly odd. So odd that I knew I had to take a photo. Or maybe a few....

Read on for more random-ness captured in photographs.

What I Ate | Polpo

Last week, the beau and I tried a new restaurant. He found it, I was 20 minutes late, he had some pints, I was heavily apologetic. He had been holding a table for us but it came and went before I arrived so we were faced with a 40 minute wait, or seating at the bar. We were HUNGRY, so bar it was. And a nice, roomy bar space at that. It turned out to be the perfect choice as the entrance filled with even more people than were there when I arrived.

The place, you ask? Polpo, a charming and atmospheric spot in Soho. I stuck with their homemade iced tea - I think it was called Bombay Ice Tea? My better half got a Manhattan and raved about it. We ordered a few small plates to share, probably 6 in total. Prices got a little steep, and the food was really mediocre.

Their fennel salad was heavily vinegar and, otherwise, quite plain. We shared the fried, stuffed olives but they weren't even stuffed, just battered and fried :( The grilled focaccia was nothing to write home about. Oh, but here I am writing home. Haha, phrasing fail!

Would we go back? Maybe. But probably not for food. There was a great little 'Campari Bar' downstairs, and the environment is nice.

More and more I'm understanding why that stereotype about British food exists...

Click through for more food shots - if you dare!

Weekday Inspiration | St. Paul's Cathedral

London has no shortage of beauty, history and architectural divinity. At least once a day I have a moment of 'pinch me' while I casually drive by Tower Bridge on a double decker bus, or see a building that's older than Canada. 

With so many beautiful options to choose from, how could one possible choose their favourite London landmark?

I'll admit, I've done it. I've beaten all odds and can isolate my top favourite - though by no means am I saying the other tourist attractions and historical feats of humanity are any less wondrous. 

There's something about St. Paul's Cathedral that's captivated me from day 1. Perhaps because it was the first (and only) tourist hotspot we managed to see on our first day in London? Everything from that day, after our walk to St. Paul's, is a jet-lagged blur - maybe that's why it's my most loved haha?

Here are some shots of St. Paul's from the last few months - I'm sure there will be many more, as I seem to end up near this gem more often than not :)

Weekend Musings | Fresh Beginnings

Hi!

My time in Ontario is over, and I've brought home so many wonderful memories and hundreds of photos from my time with friends and family. I've also brought home a considerable tan, some lingering bug bites and a happy contentment that can only come from seeing and catching up with loved ones :)

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about going back to Canada so early on into my time here in London. I was worried I'd feel extra homesick, that all the groundwork of getting settled in UK would have been for nothing. And, while Canada is home and I miss all my family and friends dearly, I found myself looking forward to getting back to London. The buzz of the city, all the new friends I've made, my boyfriend, our flat, these were all the things drawing me back to UK happily.

It feels like a fresh beginning, Part 2 of my stint living here. If Part 1 was all about finding a flat, finding friends, finding work, finding my way around the city, then Part 2 is kicking off from a decidedly more relaxed and comfortable beginning.

I've started a new job (which I already love!), I'm exploring more of the UK (A weekend in Manchester next month!), and I feel wholly confident in my decision to live in London.

And what better time for a Part 2 kick off than the start of back to school season? The summer in London (or what little summer we had in the past few weeks) is starting to wind down, evenings are cooler, the air is fresher and crisp, and I'm getting caught up in the swell of excitement as everyone takes a collective re-calibration around back to school/back to reality.

On this start of a fresh beginning, I'm feeling so excited to get some more adventures under my belt and share them with you over the coming months!

xoxoxo

Weekday Inspiration | After Work Strolls

A couple weeks ago, the weather was absolutely STUNNING in London. Hot, sunny, and full on summer-y, with all the beauty of London highlighted with this balmy weather.

On one of these beautiful Monday afternoons, I opted to walk home from a meeting in Hammersmith, taking my sweet time strolling through Fulham, Putney and Battersea to get home. While I've mentioned London's green spaces earlier on this blog, the Thames River is also a stunner. Though not quite as lush and natural, it provides gorgeous scenery through central London and has some beautiful paths along it.

Here are some pictures from my 2 hour walk home:

Fun Things | Baking Cookies

So, I'm not really a big baker. I think it's fun, and am happy to do it now and then, but am certainly not the type of person who is scrolling through recipes, always on the lookout for an epic new cake to build, or icing design to try. 

But, baking is really fun! I sort of forgot how much I enjoy it - in small doses. When we offered to bring dessert to a friend's house for dinner, it presented the perfect opportunity to explore and experiment with baking.

We found this recipe for Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies with Lemon Glaze, and went on a shopping trip for ingredients. We even picked up a hand mixer/egg beater...so perhaps more baking is in our future?

Read on for a review and some photos of our experiment:

London at Night

Over the past little while, I've had the opportunity to see London at night... well, I suppose that's obvious because I live here and spend both day and night here haha.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that London looks very beautiful at night. And it's always surprising to be drinking in the city centre, looking for a pub that's open past 11pm, and then finding yourself right in front of Big Ben, in all its lit up glory as it overlooks the Thames. Even though I live here, I can shake this feeling that I'm on vacation. The awe I'm struck with every time I see St. Paul's, Big Ben, Tower Bridge or the London Eye hasn't stopped yet. I love it!

Here are some pictures of London at night: