Category Things I love
Exploring Auckland
Sunday was my day to explore Auckland. I caught a mid-morning ferry to the CBD . . . . . . and made my way to the Auckland Art Gallery, which with its striking wooden awning is my certainly favourite building in Auckland so far. The gallery has an impressive collection of Maori art . […]
All the pretty houses
I’m just loving all the little white bungalows here in Auckland. They’re pristinely kept and have delicate details, they but don’t feel fussy. I think it’s because the corrugated roofs add an element of austerity, while the subtropical plants lend a bit of chaos. I’d love to see what they’re like on the inside.
Auckland!
I made it! The flights went smoothly and confirmed the value of paying for the extra legroom seats. When you’re spending 23 hours in a plane (7 to Dubai, then 16 to Auckland) it’s a glorious thing to be able to stretch out and/or stand up as much as you want. I went directly from […]
Flower emergency
So. Those flowers I got last weekend so that they would be in full bloom by the time Justin got here for Christmas? Well, by Saturday they were looking glorious. But by Sunday morning… Wilting! DISASTER!! It wasn’t due to a lack of water, so I hypothesised that the stems weren’t pulling water, and that […]
Christmas flowers!
My favourite part of doing Christmas in London is going to the Columbia Road Flower Market and loading up on festive flowers. Everything about it is just the best: the early morning trek to East London, the hunt through the stalls for the best deal on berries, the delicious feeling of resisting temptation, the struggle […]
Because why go only once?
The choice was room service in the hotel room by myself or Christmas-market food with friends. Clearly there was only one right answer…
Christmassy Luxembourg
Sometimes you just have to schedule Monday morning meetings that require you to fly in the night before and enjoy the Christmas market. I took a tasting menu approach to dinner: first a bratwurst with sauerkraut . . . . . . then some raclette over potatoes . . . . . . with a […]
It’s open studio season! And yes, I bought all the things.
Remember all the potter friends I made at the ceramics fair in Oxford? Well the ones with studios in London had open studios this weekend, where they let you come in and see their work spaces and also buy whatever they have on hand. I started out in Greenwich with Maze Hill Pottery, which is […]
Lights are up!
One of my favourite nights of the year: when I come home and my little Passage is all lit up for the holidays. It’s just the best. And since I’m in England I don’t even have to pretend I’m horrified they didn’t wait until after Thanksgiving. That window you can see just over the shop […]
An old play and a new friend
Tonight after work I hurried off to the Barbican to see the RSC’s production of The Taming of the Shrew. It was an interesting take on the play — all the roles were reversed, with women in the men’s roles and men in the women’s roles. Some of it worked well, mainly because the RSC […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 