Betwixt brunch & tea; Blixen and The Townhouse, Shoreditch London

London’s East End is so up and coming sometimes it can make your teeth hurt. Bearded hipsters with rolled up jeans cuffs, and fashionistas wearing black hoodies with gold lace trim. Microbreweries reviving the old-fashioned flavour of beer, gin-temples opening for office bods to worship at a glass high-altar and sky-rocketing house prices pushing cockney families and their breakfast eels to the edge of town.

Though, it is revitalising a corner of London that could have been left to rot; a community stuck between the silver sky rises of the financial district and the plush suburbs of the circle line bubble. But hey, who needs to read a history lesson from the eyes of an import (that would be me) when there’s important matters at hand, namely brunch, coffee and cake.

 

Lately there have been two haunts catching our attention; one brand new and shiny, one older than the cobblestones. Together they perfectly encapsulate the spirit of Spitalfields. Well, in my humble opinion anyway…

I wish...

"We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing." Louisa May Alcott

 

... I was braver ...

... Spelling 'ingredients' and 'mischief' correctly would nestle unconsciously in my mental dictionary. (thank goodness for spellcheck in the meantime) ...

... Mondays wouldn't loom so awfully on a Sunday evening, though I know by Monday lunchtime they seem conquered ...

... Chocolate didn't contain calories ...

The City of Angels, guitars, beach sidewalks and Santa Monica Pier

Los Angeles, the city of angels, thrums with grit, glitz and glamour. Infamous for the celebrities who flock towards the fame-inducing hills (and a magnet for wanna-be actors determined to fill in the hours between waitressing jobs, or so I'm told), we found the streets hummed with music.

Not the tribal sounds of hand drums, the energy of flamenco guitars or dreamy European accordians on a cobbled lane, but a raw rock sound that tantalized my better half and I along the long, long boulevards. Our 3 days of unexpected stop over in LA was surprisingly full of tune.

Summer Dayze: Friday figments and photos

London really isn't built for temperatures over 26°C. London is built for winter sunshine, incipient precipitation and autumn days lazing by a pub fire. I have to admit to cowardice this week and becoming hermit-like in front of an air conditioning unit, before scurrying to the nearest next cool point I can find.

36°C on a beach? Delicious. 36°C whilst commuting? Just no.

Before the temperatures hit their heights, we accidentally found ourselves in Cambridge over the weekend visiting a few special places to us - including where the Mr proposed...

What is your travel personality? July Travel Linkup

Pre-internet (yes, there was such a thing) I used to buy glossy pink-hued magazines for one reason, and one reason only - the personality quizzes in the back of the spread. What's Your Party Personality? Which Spice Girl Are You? Which Hogwarts House Are You In? (nb. always pining for Griffindor) Are You In Love? Which Twilight Guy Should You Date?

There was a pleasant moment or two of relaxation taking them, and armed with a pen, secretly knowing which answers would get you the result you were hoping for (though if anyone actually needs the 'Are You In Love', the answers will never be in the back of a glossy with a free lip balm, never). After a few years of this quiet joy, and leaving the nest to travel, I slowly realised that I was literally living the What Kind Of Traveller Are You? quiz, but in real life.

It has taken a few years to establish my travel personality and embrace the fact that I am who I am. If I ran those quizzes again, I suspect the following would come up...