My morning walk

Each morning when I arrive at London Bridge I take myself on a little walk around the houses and backstreets before I get to the office. 

Sometimes I stroll around St Pauls and the city, but today I strolled through Borough Market and on the river via Bankside and found myself in a state of sleepy contentedness.

The Anchor was up early decorating with bunting and fairy lights, the City of London School has draped the building in red, white and blue. The Tate Modern was setting up the port-a-loos and the big screen, ready for Sunday's river pageant. 

Despite the feelings of homesickness I have had lately, seeing this reminds me of how much I love London, and why I moved here in the first place. 

The Jubilee

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is just around the corner and I am more than excited. 

I am going to be in London for a giant social royal occasion, just like I saw on telly with my Ma at home. 

Despite my dislike of crowds and my annoyance of making the best viewing spots "ticket only" I am excited beyond belief - and you should be too. 

Her Majesty has faithfully served this country (and the Commonwealth) for 60 years, making her the second longest reigning monarch in English History - Queen Victoria pips her to the post at 63 year, 7 months and 2 days. In fact, very few monarchs ever reached a Golden Jubilee. This is an event that we will most likely never see again in our lifetime.

Now, I am unashamedly a royalist - they have a history better than any soap opera, and in modern society bring in more tourist bucks than any President ever could. But even if you are not a fan of the royals, here is why you should celebrate the Jubilee... 

What Summer Means to Me

I am well and truly assimilated into London lifestyle. 

I know this because at the very first hint of a warm day and blue sky, I have put on my sunscreen and a long summer dress, eagerly anticipating an hour of sunshine on my lunch break. 

Londoner's are certainly happy at the prospect of summer, and I have even chosen to turn my nose away from that hideous "London Smell" the city gets when it is hot.

However the thing I think that I am most happy about, and perhaps the thing that makes me most Australian, is that I get to wear my pluggers. Oh yes, my faithful thongs (not flip flops, THONGS), are adorning my feet once again. 

I can almost hear my feet singing in celebration "we're free! we're free!". Enjoy it while it lasts dear feet, I fear that summer will be short lived.

Domestic Bliss Part 1: The Plight of the Toothpaste

It's been nearly three months since The Boy and I embarked on a life of cohabitation and it's gone rather well so far. But as with all new roles, at the end of three months we come to a period of review.

In general, our life has been the epitome of domestic bliss - particularly as The Boy is away from Monday - Thursday on a work project.This time of solitude has allowed me to slowly rearrange the furniture to how I like it and fill up the Tivo with romantic comedies and episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashian's (please don't judge me)

However, Thursday's at around 9.30pm, he returns home and I am usually greeted with

Austenland - A Pilgrimage

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that all avid Jane Austen fans should make a pilgrimage to see where she wrote and lived.

And so, on Sunday, my very patient boyfriend drove me to Hampshire, lovingly signposted as "Jane Austen Country" to visit the house she lived in with mother and sister Cassandra until her death in 1817.

The village of Chawton is home to Jane Austen's House and Museum, is a small, quiet, green village, and it isn't hard to imagine what is would have been like in Regency times (coach loads of American tourists aside).

Similarly to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, the house itself is nothing remarkable, being a medium sized cottage filled with replica Regency furniture and squeaky floorboards,

Finders Keepers? Your help needed!

Here is a relationship question for the masses..

Since co-habitation, the boy and I have fallen into a comfortable routine. But there is something upon which we constantly disagree, and I would like to ask my fellow loved up readers their opinion..

If upon checking the pockets of The Boy's jeans before washing them, I find some coins, surely I am allowed to put this money into my OWN pocket?

Surely any money left lying around

Vinopolis, City of Wine

 

Last Saturday night I surprised The Boy with a trip to Vinopolis, London's "city of wine" for the Grapevine wine tasting tour.

Usually out of our date night budget, a well timed Taste Card newsletter alerted me to a  2-4-1 ticket offer, so I jumped on the chance to go!

The Grapevine Tour starts with a brief (and somewhat overcrowded) lecture on how to taste wine, going over the basics of slurping, sniffing and checking the "legs".

You then are let loose into the caverns with your tokens for 6 wine tastings. From Bulgarian to Chilean and everything in between..

Anniversary Recollections

This time a year ago, I was closing one chapter of my existence and opening another. Saturday celebrates a year since moving to the UK for, remarkably, the third time.

It certainly has been third time lucky for me. After arrival it wasn't long before I had numerous job offers on the table, and I've got to work for some lovely, talented people.

I have made some amazing new friends, and although I don't see my old friends as much as I like now that we are all grown-ups, I still feel like I disembarked at Heathrow into a ready-made family.

A Magical Journey: Harry Potter Studio Tour

On Christmas Morning I awoke to find a ticket to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour, courtesy of my amazing boyfriend (who is very thoughtful, and I am very lucky, but I won't bore you with that now).

So ticket in hand, last Saturday I arrived at Leavesden at my allocated time slot, wanting to dance with excitement but maintaining a cool exterior as I queued to enter.

As a dire fan of the series, I was eagerly anticipating the tour, yet was slightly apprehensive at the same time. My worry that it would be a disappointment (like so many of the movies) was thankfully however, unfounded.

From the moment you step foot into the studio, it truly is magical. To see things so familiar to us after 8 films, in real life was quite amazing, and unlike the Harry Potter Walking Tour of London (Which, is a gigantic waste of money), I felt like I was experiencing a part of the series first hand.