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 :)