Have you heard the news?

Baby Picture This has opened her shop on Etsy!

Quick quick, follow the link go see for yourself...

And then hop on over to her blog where she's offering entry into a competition to win some of her prints! What more could you want for a Friday?!

Things I would like to do...

1. Spend a weekend in Paris looking at markets, dreaming by the Seine and eating and drinking yummy French food and wine (never properly done this so am currently hanging my head in shame)
2. Visit Kew gardens and come back to London by boat
3. Make creme caramel
4. Learn how to fillet a fish
5. Finish my two quilts, I have started the second one, but not yet finished the first...
6. Do more yoga (am really enjoying the feeling at the end of a yoga class and think this could be the way forward for me)

Just a few of the things going through my head today. I am feeling a little overwhelmed at work and have been pants at commenting on other blogs of late. So much I want to say in a comment and then I decide I can't say it right so don't say anything, then feel guilty, then do more work.

Here's to the long weekend, maybe I can acheive number 3 this weekend!

Cupcakes

It was J's birthday a couple of weeks ago and the day before I had the day off, so what better to do with my time than make cupcakes for everyone coming to his birthday drinks. I had been given a cake recipe book for my birthday last year and never made anything from it so decided now was the time.

The top cakes are Mojito cupcakes, surprisingly Mojito-y with rum, lime and mint in them. I didn't go for the meringue icing but thought my rum and lime butter cream worked pretty well. The bottom cakes are chilli chocolate cupcakes. Supposed to be served warm with a melting centre, instead served cold but with a moist texture,

Much fun to make cupcakes seeing as I normally avoid them like the plague as they scare me but now I think I'll give them more of a shot and try and make them look prettier next time...

Polpo Soho - Review

On Sunday J and I went to Polpo in Soho for the first time. We were joined by a couple whose wedding we went to in January and who we hadn't seen properly since. They had agreed to be our willing companions to our first foray into this Italian bacaro. And I think they were pleased with what they found...

The Pizzette Bianca.

We went for about nine dishes between four, a couple of meaty dishes (fabulous lamb), some fish (Octopus salad and Fritto Misto), some vegetables and a little bit of bread. Plus a couple of little starters to warm up us. Each dish was well presented, appetising and colourful. It's my kind of food, simple, full of flavour and not fussy. Don't get my wrong I love haute cuisine every now and then but on a warm Sunday afternoon I want food which simply tastes good.

We also had puddings, and after that all of us felt just right. Full but not stuffed, the ideal balance.

But Polpo is more than just great food, it has a friendly atmosphere and a relaxed feel. From the phone call to book the table to the welcome and the waiting staff all were just right. Attentive but not overly so, friendly, willing to give advice but not without asking first.

So in a very simple conclusion I would thoroughly recommend Polpo. If you're with people who don't mind sharing and want great food, a lovely atmosphere and a good meal - Go!

A sunny weekend in London

London was fabulous this weekend. Just beautiful. So here are some of my photos from Sunday afternoon in St James Park. Perhaps my favourite park in London. Here's hoping this weekend heralded the summer properly and that we'll get some more warm weather!

The scales don't lie...

Today I weighed myself for the first time in a long time and I'm heavier than I thought I was. Damn diddly damn was my first thought. No way I can still tell myself I'm xkgs when now I know I'm actually x+afewkgs.

I guess this explains the too tight trousers, the squidgy tummy and the giant bottom. And the need to actually do something about it instead of sitting on the giant bottom and letting it get gianter.

J and I have been running a couple of times and we'll hopefully go again this weekend. So if we can do that once a week it'll be a good start. Plus I'm doing my first ever yoga course, a six-week Ashtanga course which after two weeks I'm really enjoying. So small progress, but a longer way to go than I at first thought!!!

So I leave you with this little pug. Because it is Friday after all :)

Photo by Charity Lynne Photography found via Cute Overload

Thoughts and happenings

Photo from Baby Picture This

Today I feel like I need this photo full of hope and spring. I have a spring cold and am feeling revolting and it's suddenly brisk outside again and not warm like it should be. Spring seems to be ebbing and flowing instead of powering on and I am bored of the cold and ready to have my skin warmed by the sunshine.

And then a little something else, far away on the horizon which is taking up a lot of my thinking time right now but which I just cannot share about yet. Probably not for a few months anyhow. But I wanted to mention it as it feels better to have told that there is something, even if not what!

And finally Baby Picture This today announced that she is planning on setting up an Etsy shop. Very very exciting as she is a hugely talented photographer (see above photo) and I think her shop will be absolutely delightful.

Where can I get this dress?

Photo from Sky Showbiz

I think I am in love. This dress is perfect, fitted but not too much so, knee length, v-neck, 3/4 length and I think would suit me down to a tee. Does anyone know where it's from? And if it's super expensive where I can get something similar?

Oh and the shoes and necklace are pretty awesome too :)

Happy Birthday J

A quick post to wish my husband Happy Birthday. I guess I just want to say that I feel incredibly lucky having him as my husband and thankful for all that he has done for me.

We're off out tonight for a few drinks so hopefully there won't be too many sore heads in the morning!

Thoughts on the pill - warning long post!

I have wanted to write this post for a while now but was never quite sure of how so here goes...

I am on the combined contraceptive pill and have been now for about six years. This is the third pill I've been on and for the most part I have been very happy with it. However of late things have been beginning to change (moods, shape etc) and I've been thinking of changing contraceptive type. I have also been giving some thought to the information we are given about the pill.

The first pill I was on was Microgynon, at first it was fine, then I started to cry - a lot - and I would also cry when it was highly inappropriate to, like when getting an answer wrong in a university class. I also started to get angrier, J and I would have rows (we argue but never shout and I started shouting), these were generally fueled by alcohol I'll admit but I'm normally a sleepy drunk not a shouty drunk.

I never connected my change in behaviour to the pill. Because when I was prescribed it no-one told me to watch for it. Until talking to my middle sister and telling her about the problems I was having and she suggested it might be the pill. To be honest I was pretty surprised but went along to the Dr's and got a change of pill and lo and behold I changed too.

I think this was when I started to get a little surprised about all the things I wasn't ever told to look out for. Also the lack of checks before I was prescribed the pill (how prone one is to depression/anxiety for example). I just asked for it and was given it. I also wasn't aware of the multitude of pills available and that it was easy to change and try them until you found one you were happy with.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that were it not for being lucky and having a sister I'm close to who alerted me to the effects of the pill I wouldn't have been aware that something I was taking every day could affect me so much.

So coming full circle I'm now thinking of looking at alternatives to the pill. I feel like my body needs a change.

Have any of you experienced anything similar on the pill? Do you have any suggestions on alternatives? Thoughts in general?

Happy Easter

Aren't long weekends just lovely? Although a shame the weather is misbehaving and being grey and rainy instead of blue and sunny. So to make up for that I thought I'd share some pics I took 3 years ago when I was home for Easter. And no we don't have roosters in our backgarden, I saw these on a walk, although it would be fun to have roosters!

New Rhubarb shoots, rhubarb is one of my favourite fruits ever. I just love, love, love it.

The Cherry blossom on the trees in the backgarden, finally beginning to see a little blossum in St James Park, but much later this year.

Hope you all enjoy your long weekend's and have a wonderful Easter break! M x

Tales from a wasted lunchtime...

J and I had a plan, formulated earlier this morning, that I would pop over to Soho and we would meet for lunch. It seemed perfect, he wasn't too busy, I wasn't too busy and we like opportunities to see each other when you wouldn't normally. Soho being such a hive of great cheap quick eats we had quite the choice but had narrowed it down to two. Yalla Yalla and El Camino. Lebanese or Mexican respectively. We'd had mediterranean yesterday so decided to go Mexican.

Arriving at just before 1pm the restaurant was relatively busy but not a cause for concern and we were seated pretty quickly. After ordering we then sat back, both starving to wait for our food. We've eaten there before and it was quick and tasty so hopes were up.

After half an hour I was beginning to get really angry, I don't do well when I'm hungry at the best of times but this was the on the verge of tears, shaky, angry hunger I get which means I really really really need to be fed. So we asked the waiter where our food was. Another few minutes more than the asking should have taken and we were told we were next. Okay I thought I'll have a slightly extended lunch hour but we'll be getting food soon so no need to dash just yet.

Then about five minutes later we heard the food bell ping, finally, but nope it was another table. And then another table got their food. And then I snapped, up I leapt coat in hand. And we left without food because we had been waiting far too long by that point to wait any longer and see the 'next' food order be delivered.

So I guess the moral of this story is don't go to El Camino if you want to get your food anytime within about an hour. It's pants. And I hate it when you don't have any form of communication from the waiting staff and the kitchen are clearly s**t. And in case you haven't guessed we won't be going back... Nor would I recommend you to!

Apologies for the rant, I have since been fed and am much happier but I feel it is my duty to warn you of pants restaurants so if you were thinking of trying them you can hopefully go somewhere with better service and quicker food!