Photography | Walking to Kentish Town

Weekday Inspiration | Cool Toilets

Toilets can be cool.

I never liked the wold 'toilet' but have learned to use it quite regularly in my lingo, now that I'm living in London. And, perhaps because of this (not really) I've grown a next level of appreciation for cool toilets (or 'washrooms') since.

Here are some pics of my favourite toilets from these last few weeks. One at the ultra adorable Middle Eastern eatery Baba Boom, and one at the infamous Indian restaurant Dishoom. Delicious food, pretty cute toilets too...

Photography | King's Cross & Canal Walk

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?

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 :)

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:

Weekend Musings | Green Space

One thing that really stands out to me about London is all the dedicated green spaces throughout the city. Coming from Toronto, I really appreciate a giant, tall tree in the leafy neighbourhoods like the Annex. But, here in London, every neighbourhood seems to be leafy and well developed. Maybe it's the rain? Maybe it's the age of the city? Maybe it's because there are so few buildings that stand higher than 6 stories that trees have much more opportunity to shine?

And, beyond the leafy, lovely tree situation, there is the large matter of commons, parks, and vast swaths of nature tucked in and pocketed everywhere throughout London. It is simply the best!

I'm lucky enough to live within 20 minute walking distance of three giant parks. but there are many more I come across in a typical day too.

Here are pictures of my favourites (and these don't even include my local parks!):

Fun Things | Afternoon Tea in London

A couple weekends ago, we took a stroll through Chelsea, by Buckingham Palace, to have afternoon tea in Soho with our friends. It felt like such a wonderfully British experience!

We went to Cinnamon Soho, a restaurant that offers a delicious Indian spin on the standard British tea. Our treats and snacks were presented on a 3 tier stand, and they had this amazing vegetarian 'pizza' type thing which was basically curry and cheese on naan - yum!

The journey there was almost as fun, as we strolled through beautiful neighbourhoods and enjoyed Green Park.

Here are some photos from our journey:

Weekday Inspiration | Breaks

Breaks. So key. A break from anything is always an interesting experience, and often pretty beneficial.

For the past few months, I've been working at an agency in Clerkenwell and today is my first day of a break from work. I start at my next agency in a couple weeks but, until then, I'm footloose and fancy. In a few days time I'll be in Ontario! That in itself is a break. Today is all about breaks. "Them the breaks" as some people say.

On the topic of breaks, I love filling my day with mini-breaks. Whether it's a break from my computer screen to make a tea, or a break from my work day to take a stroll outside. These breaks have given me many necessary bursts of inspiration, refreshment, and re-calibration so I can get back to my original task in much better shape than when I left.

Here are some snaps from my lunch break / walks over the past few weeks:

Weekday Inspiration | Brighton in Pictures

 Click through for a ton more photos!

Fun Things | Rooftop Cinema Club

Last week, we checked out Rooftop Cinema Club in Peckham at the Bussey Building. We saw 'Do The Right Thing', a film perfectly suited to summer. The weather was a little chilly as the night went on, but RCC had blankets and bottomless popcorn which made the night perfect!

And I also became a member so I'm foreseeing many more rooftop screenings in our future!

Click through for some of my photos from that evening:

Weekday Inspiration | Stavanger Street Art

Travelling to Stavanger last weekend was an incredible experience, for a number of reasons.

First, it was the initial trip I've taken since arriving in London 2.5 months ago. The proximity of London to so many diverse countries was a major draw when choosing where to move next. Experiencing the first opportunity to really take advantage of this proximity was exciting, to say the least!

Second, every time I get to explore a new place with my love I feel a lot of gratitude. Being in a new place is fun, and that rush of seeing things for the first time, remarking on what you like, or what surprises you, making memories together is really magical. Okay, sappy part over haha!

Third, Stavanger was drop dead gorgeous. Before going, we knew we would hike up to Preikestolen, but other than that had no expectations or plans. That was good and bad, because we overlooked the little matter of cost/currency conversion and have since learned a few valuable lessons we will apply to future travel :) But, as far as Stavanger's appeal is concerned, it is a phenomenal city. Small, walkable, set on the water, surrounded by hills and forests emerging across the water. And the street art....wow! I did not see that coming.

Here are some of my favourite shots from our strolls around the city.

 Click on for more of my pics!

Hiiii Ate us

I'm back from a couple months hiatus, and I'm incredibly excited to be writing this in my 'flat' in London!

Many apologies for the lapse! Moving countries, leaving a job, packing up, unpacking, packing up, unpacking, and getting settled are the things that have kept me from you. I've had 'write a blog post' on my to do list for the past 5 weeks and it's taken me that  long to sit down and focus - I've been distracted, to say the least.

Anywho! The move has gone smoothly, we've braved the rain, hail and even snow over the past few weeks in order to reach this beautiful London summer weather. Yesterday was shorts and Tshirt weather, last weekend I got a sunburn in the park, a couple nights in a row our room was too hot to sleep in and we have no air conditioning. I'm loving every moment of it!

There are a number of things I want to share with you about London but, since pictures are worth a thousand words, I will share some of my photos. More detailed stories to follow!

 I love the glass and brick on this random building in my neighborhood

 Quintessential British pic, tophat and all

Same day as the phone booth pic. Henry and I braved the crowds near Westminster and had a tourist-y Saturday 

 This is the bird watcher's cottage in a park near Big Ben

The day was so hot, and this diligent guard was suited up to the max, sitting silently and straight-faced atop this horse. There was a crowd of people waiting to take selfies. It was odd.

This graffiti is on the South Bank near Waterloo Bridge.

 Stumbled upon an outdoor flower market and lost my mind. Can I move in?!

Shot of Big Ben from the South Bank 

 This is a very old wall, and I think it's called something like Rose Glass Window (?)

Borough Market