I love Paris in the Springtime...

What a perfectly lovely weekend spent in Paris with my friend, L ...blessed by fabulous sunshine and warm temperatures, and filled with the type of conversations that just meld seamlessly from one to another and are a hallmark of such a lovely, lasting friendship - irrespective of the fact that due to our individual circumstances, we now so rarely have an opportunity to see one another face to face. So, we made sure to relish every single moment during our 48 hours.

L had flown into Paris on Thursday, so when I arrived on Saturday morning we decided to set off on foot for a meander through Paris - which took us from Opera, into the Marais, across the Seine, into the Luxembourg Gardens, back to the Seine for a picnic, and eventually home via the Louvre...and before you think we were incredibly virtuous for walking all of that way, there were actually many stops along the way (for coffee, for lunch, for ice-cream, and finally for our picnic - which included a somewhat shocking 8 euro punnet of strawberries...but they were delicious).

Here are some images of our day...

Sunday was equally as warm so we made an early start northwards to the Marche aux Puces (17 acres of antique markets). It was the first time either of us had been - and there were just so many treasures to discover. I was very remiss in taking photos, but thanks to L's brilliant eye for finding treasures, I came home with these two lovely memories...

Into my luggage went an antique map of Australia (in French), and a sweet little silver cheese knife...

I had been looking online at vintage maps for a little while, so this was a perfect find - a nod to the country of my birth, and a memory of such a lovely weekend...

...and the planning has already started for a holiday next year to Kenya (where L lives), Well, I say Kenya, but there was also talk of Ethiopia and Zanzibar (plus an visit to the elephant orphanage in Nairobi). So much to look forward to...

Chelsea Flower Show...

Yesterday afternoon, my friend C and I attended the Chelsea Flower Show.

Held at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, this is an annual event that has now been running for 99 years. This was my first visit to the show, but feel it now may need to become an annual event...obviously, our enjoyment of the show was helped by the spate of gorgeous weather to which we are being treated in London.


First up, the garden displays...

These last two images were from our favourite garden of the afternoon, inspired by the Italian water gardens...


Next, the pavillion...

After admiring all of that gorgeousness, it was time to repair to the other side of the garden for a seat, a glass of champagne, and enjoy the evening warmth....

...and a little something to make my mother happy...

Enjoy your weekends...the Parisian weather forecast is looking fabulous...

Odds and ends...

Hurruh!! The sun is shining in London. Today it reached 27 degrees!!!!


Yes, we are all a little over-excited here in London about this fact - so much so, that the weather is an even more consistent topic of conversation than usual. But, after weeks of rain and unseasonably cold temperatures, I think we can be forgiven.


I've had a busy week with a variety of planning tasks and odds and ends filling my days (in addition to actually working, of course)...


I spent Sunday in the grounds of Windsor Castle watching the annual social cricket match between the Royal Household Team and the Royal Navy Team. One would think that a day out watching cricket in such a picturesque setting in late May would be delightful...and the day itself was, apart from the fact that it was 14 degrees and we didn't set foot outside of the clubhouse for the entire match (not even to take photos)! 


But, finally (finally) summer arrived on Tuesday. I went from wearing a winter coat and scarf, to a spring coat to no coat in the space of only 24 hours. I never thought that I was emotionally affected by the lack of sunshine, but am amazed at how much my mood improves as soon as the sun comes out!


I'm doing some last minute planning of possible places to visit when I travel to Paris on Saturday morning - enjoying all of the beautiful images in Janelle's book, and making some portable crib notes. 


I was very lucky to receive a DSLR as a PhD graduation gift from my mother - so I've been trying to remember the details from when I did an SLR photography course many years ago. Sadly, I've had a lot of difficulty remembering anything, so have signed up to complete a month-long on-line course which will start in June. So, I'm setting myself a goal to get in some practice and only use my camera on a manual setting whilst away this weekend...no doubt the little point-and-shoot camera will also make it into my bag (just in case...).

I also treated myself to some new Florabella Photoshop Elements Actions this week. I already had the classic workflow set, but have just downloaded the colour matt and design kit. I'm very excited about these - once I've learnt how to use them properly! To get myself in the mood for the weekend, I took an older photo of mine from a previous Paris trip and tried a few of the actions...a lot more practice to do, but the design possibilities are endless!


Planning has also commenced for a short trip to New York in the autumn. My old London flat-mate moved to NYC two years ago, so I am finally getting my act together and managing to get across for a visit - it has been almost ten years since I was last in New York, so I've already started to make a list of places that I want to explore or re-visit...


Finally, and happily given the recent improvement in the weather, I'm heading to the Chelsea Flower Show tomorrow afternoon. It will be my first ever visit to the show, so am feeling very fortunate that I can enjoy it on what promises to be a warm, sunny day...

Changing my colour allegiance...

Image via Margot Austin

Over time, my tastes have certainly changed when it has come to the colours I am drawn to, particularly in relation to interiors. When I first became interested in decorating and design, I was drawn to blue and yellow. Over time, that love morphed into a fixation with duck-egg blue.

Now however, a quick scroll through my 'inspiration file' and pinterest boards is showing an overwhelming trend of grey and white...there is just something about the calmness and serenity of these neutrals...

via Bree Oliver

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via The House on Chambers

via House to Home

via New England Home

via Living Beautifully DIY

via TenJune

via Pinterest

via Farrow and Ball

I think my increasing attraction to grey has something to do with the fact that the sense of calm and order in each of these images is such a welcome contrast to the 'untidyness' of the real world...after struggling home on a crowded underground train each evening, wouldn't it be lovely to walk up to this beautiful front door, step inside and shut out the world for a little while...

Letting in the light...

Image via pinterest

It is sunny here today...and has been since I woke this morning. Not only that, but a good bit of yesterday was sunny as well. Hurrah!!! The weather forecasters are suggesting that the rain will return, but in the meantime I'm making the most of how those lovely sunny rays can restore my mood so easily...

One of the downsides of my little flat is that I don't have any real outside space. We have a communal 'garden', but that really refers only to the small garden spaces around the car-park. One of the things I miss on a lovely day like today, is the ability to open a door and connect directly with the outside - be that balcony or garden. So, I've been living vicariously through pinterest instead...

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In other news, it is wedding season here in the UK. Consequently that meant I had one hen's dinner last night, and a second tonight - a good excuse at least to dress up in a lovely frock and catch up with some good friends...

I'm making the most of the extra energy boost that the sun is offering and have started a(nother) cull of books and odds and ends in my flat...I only completed this last November, but it is amazing what creeps in during the intervening months. I've been recently re-inspired by Jess Constable's blog, Makeunder My Life - I'm also in the process of downsizing from 2 large bookshelves into one, so this is a timely intervention...

Finally, I am delving into this lovely book by Janelle McCulloch on Paris which I received earlier in the year as a birthday gift...

Image via

I'm off to Paris for a weekend in 2 weeks time - to meet up with a good friend who actually lives in Kenya...yes, I know that Paris and Nairobi are not exactly close, but my friend L works for a charity based in Kenya, and regularly flies to another 10 or so nations on the continent - and for this trip, it was actually easier for her to route from Niger back to Kenya via Paris...so I was very easily persuaded to jump on a train and join her for a weekend. So Janelle's beautiful book is coming in very handy to find some little gems for us to explore that neither of us has come across before...