Wanderings, castles, statues, and a life-size dollhouse - Twickenham, Richmond

As a kid I yearned to join the ranks of Enid Blyton's Famous Five. Basically for those not in the vintage kids book know, they were a gang* of kids that met up & had sorts of jolly adventures in the countryside. No mythological computer games, 3D air sports or imaginary characters who they could abuse online, but the unlimited use of their imaginations and a dog Timmy that got them out of scrapes.

Rambling through the Surrey countryside with a group of mates, a rambunctious pup & a picnic lunch? Done.

Mad Hatters Tea Party - Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel

Afternoon tea in London has become a craze unto itself. It is a perfect excuse to spend an afternoon chatting, catching up, eating delights and sipping beverages of choice. Hoteliers have realised it's a perfect way to entice luxury lovers through their doors without costing an absolute bomb, and bloggers have realised that it is a scrumptious weekend pastime - high-end treats, bubbly and sparkle.

It does mean that the market is a little saturated and personally I love this - there is an afternoon tea for literally everyone - from dainty on-the-hoof treats to extravanganzas you need to book 3 months in advance. As an afternoon tea addict, I often get asked to recommend my favourite tea, but it's an impossible question at times - almost as hard as picking a favourite child.

 
So much depends on occasion, location and budget, how do you narrow it down to a single choice? Teas do generally seem to slice into to 3 price-point levels (less than £25, £25-£40 & £40+) and into two categories of design - crazy and traditional. Then, when you add the complication of dietary requirements into the equation life can get pretty interesting.

The Sanderson's Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea settles comfortably at the top of my personal list of mid-priced gluten-free slices of luxury so far and - as it turns out - is perfect for expat farewells and celebrations.

Fridayish figments and photos: the New Zealand Edition

First things first, I have an apology to make - the #holidayspam got a little intense on instagram whilst I was away in New Zealand. It was just so addicting, and easy whilst on the road! Now, for more spam muhahaha. *ahem*.

Having been home for Christmas for the first time in over four years, returning so quickly was a little surreal to say the least. I still can't understand how I won a return plane ticket to New Zealand with Air New Zealand's 75th birthday celebrations of the London-LA-Auckland route.

Titirangi and Manukau Heads, Auckland, New Zealand

Nope, I actually still can't believe it either - it cost me £75, yes, £75 to fly home and see my family. The only slight downside was a date restriction that we could fly on, so with a little sweet talking around annual leave we cancelled our planned May bank holiday trip to Switzerland, and began organising a lightening quick excursion to Aoteoroa. (I never, ever, ever win anything, so I'm planning a few several days of volunteering to top up my karma - it has to be empty right now, bone dry!)

Home.

I adore traveling. Exploring new shores, seeing new sunsets and wandering down new streets.

But, I love love love my home.

Home, London.

“Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest” 

Robert Montgomery

 

Home, New Zealand.

 

Now, we've just got to get rid of that jetlag that is the downside to having two homes a world apart....

Souvenirs - Love 'em or hate 'em - June Travel Linkup

It usually seems to be the hour before you're due to come home, that an urge takes over your limbic system and nothing seems more important than capturing one last memory of a trip. As kids were always taught the Forest tramping code; take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints; but all reason seems to leave my head in that last hour or two of visiting a new city. It just seems to become imperative to find a cool reminder of our visit.

When I began travelling, with one suitcase, a carry on bag and a pretty shonky camera, I started collecting postcards. Many of them still grace my kitchen wall, but the good intentions soon gave way to a bad memory and I started on the hard stuff. Actual physical reminders of our trips.

I say cool but, well, it usually ends up being something cliched, silly and funny. That's the joy of being a tourist in a nutshell. I normally use my family as an excuse (they have had all sorts over the years posted or hand delivered to them 3 years late *see the last item in this post* such as Eiffel Tower shaped bottles of cognac, Singaporean Dragon keychains and a Moroccan Fez).

Oh yes, I just spent a good hour scouring Hollywood Boulevard tourist shops for miniature golden statues. Just for the irony of this bog post *shifty eyes* not because they took my fancy or anything.