We just got back from a beautiful weekend in London - but I'm jumping ahead
already ! This has been such a full week....work has been incredibly busy which I should be, and am, grateful for...but it's lovely when it stops! Mango & Coconut Cake, Apple & Plum Cake, Midnight Mint Cupcakes...just some of Friday's orders...all completed and delivered. On Monday I saw 'Julie & Julia' at the movies, which I loved - especially the Julia Child/Meryl Streep sections. In fact I wished that they could have made the whole film just about her life, but even a little was wonderful. Tuesday evening we both saw 'Away We Go', and enjoyed that very much too...a little bit 'Little Miss Sunshine'-ey, and refreshingly unsentimental but so sweet too. Great soundtrack also! And the week went on...and Friday came at last! I finished work by 4pm, we packed a bag each and got Alice ready and then we were off to wonderful Marylebone. Saturday mornings are my favourite time there...the weekend stretches ahead, full of promise. The day was warm, balmy & sunny. We woke at 6.30am and Paul took Alice for a run while I pottered about, reading and drinking tea...we all met up at 8.45 and, after breakfast, set off for Hyde Park. It's about a mile...and the park is so rural in places that it's unbelievable that it sits in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. We passed tiny children having riding lessons in a sandy enclosure, with the noise of the Brompton Road traffic behind them as they learnt to 'TR-OT!' in their little velvet riding hats & jodhpurs. Alice was off lead and romped in the long grass, chasing the odd pigeon and wondering how the squirrels disappeared so quickly (she doesn't look up trees!) We arrived at the Serpentine, and found a table at the newly opened cafe there, under the willow trees right by the water... the perfect spot, as it was by now really warm in the sun. We got a bowl of water for our girl and tied her lead to the railings so that she could watch the coots & geese while we had lunch...and a bottle of beautiful chilled wine....gorgeous fresh salad and goats cheese bruschetta. Paul ate a grilled fillet of sea bream on risotto. It was from the 'small plates' menu, and the perfect amount.
On the way back, Alice took a little dip in the Serpentine which really energised her and she went quite berserk afterwards, running around in circles and scooting her little bottom out of the way as Paul tried (and failed) to catch her!We spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing, which felt like the perfect thing to do after a lovely lunch and a bottle of wine! Sunday mornings mean only one thing - newspapers & good coffee......(Alice loves the Sunday Times, although she gives the caffeine a miss!) Followed by our trip to the Farmers Market. As usual I bought far too much (pictures of the bounty will be posted tomorrow) but it all looked so wonderful that it was hard to resist! Back to the real world by 4.30pm....I had to go into work for a couple of hours as I have my own Farmers Market on Tuesday and it means a lot of baking! I'll leave you with some images from today....
We just got back from a beautiful weekend in London - but I'm jumping ahead already ! This has been such a full week....work has been incredibly busy which I should be, and am, grateful for...but it's lovely when it stops! Mango & Coconut Cake, Apple & Plum Cake, Midnight Mint Cupcakes...just some of Friday's orders...all completed and delivered. On Monday I saw 'Julie & Julia' at the movies, which I loved - especially the Julia Child/Meryl Streep sections. In fact I wished that they could have made the whole film just about her life, but even a little was wonderful. Tuesday evening we both saw 'Away We Go', and enjoyed that very much too...a little bit 'Little Miss Sunshine'-ey, and refreshingly unsentimental but so sweet too. Great soundtrack also! And the week went on...and Friday came at last! I finished work by 4pm, we packed a bag each and got Alice ready and then we were off to wonderful Marylebone. Saturday mornings are my favourite time there...the weekend stretches ahead, full of promise. The day was warm, balmy & sunny. We woke at 6.30am and Paul took Alice for a run while I pottered about, reading and drinking tea...we all met up at 8.45 and, after breakfast, set off for Hyde Park. It's about a mile...and the park is so rural in places that it's unbelievable that it sits in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. We passed tiny children having riding lessons in a sandy enclosure, with the noise of the Brompton Road traffic behind them as they learnt to 'TR-OT!' in their little velvet riding hats & jodhpurs. Alice was off lead and romped in the long grass, chasing the odd pigeon and wondering how the squirrels disappeared so quickly (she doesn't look up trees!) We arrived at the Serpentine, and found a table at the newly opened cafe there, under the willow trees right by the water... the perfect spot, as it was by now really warm in the sun. We got a bowl of water for our girl and tied her lead to the railings so that she could watch the coots & geese while we had lunch...and a bottle of beautiful chilled wine....gorgeous fresh salad and goats cheese bruschetta. Paul ate a grilled fillet of sea bream on risotto. It was from the 'small plates' menu, and the perfect amount.
On the way back, Alice took a little dip in the Serpentine which really energised her and she went quite berserk afterwards, running around in circles and scooting her little bottom out of the way as Paul tried (and failed) to catch her!We spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing, which felt like the perfect thing to do after a lovely lunch and a bottle of wine! Sunday mornings mean only one thing - newspapers & good coffee......(Alice loves the Sunday Times, although she gives the caffeine a miss!) Followed by our trip to the Farmers Market. As usual I bought far too much (pictures of the bounty will be posted tomorrow) but it all looked so wonderful that it was hard to resist! Back to the real world by 4.30pm....I had to go into work for a couple of hours as I have my own Farmers Market on Tuesday and it means a lot of baking! I'll leave you with some images from today....
I sometimes read one of your posts and think...."that was the best ever," but this, my dear friend, IS the best ever, until tomorrow when you unveil your bounty!! What a delightful weekend you both had---the food, the sights, and the farmer's market....all wonderful and so very perfect!!! I love it all!!! Thank you ever so much for sharing it with us!!
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Joann