Discovering new places, discovering coffee

Like most people, I always feel that weekends go by far too quickly. Somewhat unusually, the last couple of weeks have also gone by faster than expected (I think the new job and information overload may be the cause) which means without me realising, two weekends have gone by without a post. So here is an update to my whereabouts the weekend before last...

Having proudly finished my first week at my new job, on Friday I met Richard and showed him my new place of work in Southwark. We didn't spend too much time there, instead heading for Southbank where we went for dinner and cocktails at Dim T. It was a lovely relaxing evening, most of which I spent babbling on and on about my new job.

Saturday called for a slightly-too-long lie in. Having eventually gotten up and ready, me and Richard headed for Borough Market. It's a place I've been to a few times but never really explored properly. With hindsight, Saturday may not have be the best time for exploration of the market with an unhealthy balance of Londoners and tourists, there were parts of the market which we got stuck in, unable to move. Nevertheless, the hustle and bustle of the market, along with the endless varieties of food makes me want to return again. The fresh veg, along with some lovely rye bread that I bought made sure of that. Having bought some delicious chicken wraps and burgers at one the vendors (and by burgers I mean real minced chicken burgers, no deep drying and no bread crumbs) we just about managed to leave the market. On our walk along the river, I finally managed to have a proper look at Tower of London Remembers display. It was a beautiful sight and a little overwhelming. Having spent years studying the history (and literature) of the Great War, it can be difficult to remember the reality of the war and the lives lost, beyond the stark facts. The memorial certainly managed to remember the war in a beautiful and poignant way.

We eventually ended up at St Katherine Docks which we both visited the night before; the entire place lit up with somewhat of a magical feel. Returning on Saturday, allowed us to take in the place better, admire the yachts (that was more for Richard than me), forgetting that we were in London at all; it was like an escape out of the city (even though Tower Bridge was just a few minutes away). We also managed to locate the perfect little espresso bar: White Mulberries. Admittedly, neither of us had espresso; I had a latte, whilst Richard had a mocha. Nevertheless, the coffee was wonderfully strong and tasty. We even shared a slice of banana bread which too, was lovely (although cannot match that of Birdhouse). The cafe itself is tiny and cannot seat more than a handful of people, but managing to find a free corner, we managed to thoroughly enjoy our coffee and keep warm in the very blustery city.

Having enjoyed every last ounce of our caffeine, it was a bit of a rush to get to Charing Cross where we met Chloe and Naomi. We were celebrating Chloe's birthday with dinner at mine's (fajitas and birthday cake for dessert) followed by a night out in Fulham. It was an incredible night with plenty of dancing and singing far too loudly.

On Sunday, after a slow start to the morning, we decided that the best way to deal with a night of drinking, dancing and singing too loud was with Italian food so we headed up to Wimbledon Village for carb overload at Carluccio’s. After our huge lunch, Chloe and Naomi started their long journeys home, whilst myself and Richard went to the Lawn Bakery for coffee. And cake (because the two of course go hand-in-hand). We grabbed the only free table, along with our lattes. I also had a cherry and almond custard tart which was absolutely delicious: the perfect combination of sweet, with a sour-cherry twist! The plan was to walk all the food off, but as the rain started just as we left the bakery, we hopped on a bus back home.

With the rain continuing into the night, the rest of the evening was decided: it was to be spent under the duvet with some TV entertainment! Sigh...

Muah

Roo xx