my heart lies south of the river

SATURDAY

Saturday started off with delivering my fabric to the dressmaker in Forest Hill which is not only a load off my mind but also very exciting. We stuck around in South London for some breakfast on the terrace at Café St Germain in Crystal Palace, and v.nice it was too. In the afternoon I met some friends for a mooch about in Richmond and a stroll along the river before heading up the hill via Richmond terrace gardens. I'm not sure how but, I always seem to forgot how amazing the views are from Richmond Hill. My apologies, these pics really do not do it justice. An early night was desperately needed on Saturday after a v.busy week. We also finally caught up on Game of Thrones.

SUNDAY

The gloriously sunny weather coupled with the lambing season (bear with me) could mean only one thing for Sunday... a trip to Vauxhall farm. We arrived by mid-afternoon and sure enough, munching away on a big bag of straw were 5 five week old lambs. One of the guys that worked there even brought one out so that the children (and me & mitch) could pet it. Tearing ourselves away from the lambs we stopped by to look at the bunnies, horses, pigs and hens. We also fed the goats and sheep before petting the largest guinea pig I've ever seen! The alpacas, who are usually more friendly, seemed quite content to sit and enjoy the sun on this occasion.

2 minutes from the farm is the Tea House Theatre, a very lovely, higgledy-piggledly (in a good way) establishment serving, you guessed it, tea and massive doorstop wedges of cake. It had a v.chilled out atmosphere - cakes were randomly distributed throughout the place and all the teapots, cups and cutlery were laid out on a large table at the back. They have a selection of books and board games that you can use so, whilst we listened to the live music (provided by a man playing what look like a lute?!) Mitch and I played draughts (I'm too stupid for chess). It's a little pricey but we did spend a good hour and a half there and the pot of tea we ordered lasted the whole time and, as I've mentioned, the slices of cake were ginormous. Their breakfast menu looked good so I'm tempted to go again to try that too.

All in all, a v.good weekend with lots of food, good company and a very healthy dosage of vitamin D.

the hunterian museum

Last Friday I didn't go to work, instead, I went to visit the Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons. Not for the faint of heart (or weak of stomache) - the museum houses a huge collection of specimens: human, animal, inspect, reptile. Some of it is pretty gross but hey! gross stuff can also be rather fascinating. As well as the specimens, there's also information about the history of surgeons including how they learned about anatomy, the tools they used to 'operate' (terrifying) and the way in which surgery has evolved and changed over time - the stuff about sterilisation and early plastic surgery for WWI soldiers was particularly interesting. There's also lots about the museum's name sake, John Hunter, who was some what of a pioneer thanks to his "scientific" approach to surgery. The Royal College is only about a 5 minute walk from Holborn station and faces a pretty leafy patch known as Lincoln's Inn Fields. Plus, the museum is free and has lockers to put your stuff in.

Friday evening was spent with a v.good friend in a bloody fantastic pub in Surbiton. Recently refurbished, it has a seriously impressive ale selection and a v.tempting menu (I can vouch for the scotch egg and sweet potato fries - cutlery and condiments arrived in this holder which I thought was cool). Seems like West London is finally cottoning on to the idea of mirco breweries and ale pubs (huzzah!) - which reminds me, I reeeeally must to go back to BrewDog in Shepherds Bush soon.

BUDAPEST (part 2)

Continuing on from Tuesday's photo-fest, here's what Friday and Saturday looked like...

On Friday morning we headed away from the river towards City Park and Szechenyi thermal baths. We bought the cheapest ticket available which gave us access to all the pools and a locker. The thermal pools were all inside and, although they were relaxing, many of them were quite busy especially some of the smaller ones. So, we ended up spending the majority of our time in the outside pool (or 'sitting pool' as they call it). Not only was it heated but it also featured jacuzzi-type bubbles and a rapids whirlpool which was v.fun. You can hire towels at the baths as well as robes to wear whilst walking between the pools. On reflection I think we should have done that because we ended up having to carry our soaking towels back to the apartment on public transport. City Park is home to Vajdahunyad Castle and had we not been super tired and starving (I've no idea why swimming pools do that to me) we would have visited it but alas. It's on my list to see when I come back to Budapest again.

Showered and towel free we descended upon the Book Café, (or Lotz Terem) so called (I presume) because you have to walk through a book shop and up an escalator to get to it. As you can see it has the most amazing ceiling/chandelier thing going on, and the coffee (and cake) is bloody good too! City breaks can get a bit knackering I find - trying to cram as much in as possible - so, I would highly recommend this café. It was the perfect place to relax, gaze at the ceiling, listen to the man playing the piano, drink delicious coffee and stuff my face full of cake.

On a side note, I really wish I'd taken more pictures of the buildings in Budapest. Loads of them were painted the most beautiful colours - yellow, peach, subtle pinks. Plus, the random mix of architecture styles - gothic, turkish influences - was a reeeeally cool.

I was v.aware that this was our last night in Budapest and I still hadn't tried traditional Hungarian goulash so, we hopped on the metro to a pub that had received a hell of a lot of good reviews on trip advisor, For Sale Pub. The goulash soup was a-mazing. Beef, potatoes, carrots, little things which reminded me of suet dumplings all in a spicy soupy with Hungarian chilli flakes sprinkled on top. Luv-er-ly. For Sale Pub isn't just known for its grub though, its decor is pretty sweet too. The walls and ceilings are covered in scraps of paper bearing notes from past patrons. Just like the thousands before us we left our mark :)

3 massive beers later, we took the tram to Kazinczy utca. The city is famous for its ruinpubs and we set our sights on Szimpla kert. It was pretty late when we arrived and the place was super busy. It  was huge - full of lots of bars, seating areas, shisha smoking areas, a large terrace area with a films being projected onto a screen. I sort of wished we'd gone in the day as that would've given us a better chance of exploring the place. Plus, I think there's a lot of food things there during the daytime. Oh well, I'll just put it on the list for next time :) We stayed for a giant beer and then headed back to the apartment but not before purchasing some of their delicious pizza.

source

We got up early on our last day, packed up all our stuff and went for breakfast at the seriously decadent New York Café. It's actually a hotel too I think. The decor was rather exquisite but the bill, thankfully wasn't. We both ordered poached eggs on toast (and I got mushrooms, tomatoes and sausages too) all washed down with a 'Power Package' smoothie. Not only was it the exact breakfast that I wanted, it tasted amazing and the presentation was awesome - really wished I'd taken a picture of it!

Seriously full, we waddled over to the river to see if we could get a boat ride on the danube. Before our ride disembarked we took a walk along the Pest bank towards the Parliament building (which is stunning btw) and came across the Shoes on the Danube memorial. It commemorates the victims who were shot into the Danube by fascist militiamen during WWII. It's a really moving and poignant sculpture.

The actual boat trip itself was alright, but it got a little chilly. It was nice to sit and look at the scenery but I wouldn't do it again. I think you're probably better off exploring places on foot to be honest.  

We spent our last hour in Budapest back at the Book Café - it really was worth a second visit. Tea, coffee, a couple of sandwiches, some shared dessert and then it was time to leave. 

We used Airbnb and stayed in this apartment - I'd recommend both :) Here's the chilli I brought back for Mitch and this is a little bottle of palinka. Wikipedia describes it as a fruit brandy but I was also told it's like a v.strong (40% alc.) wine... my sis and I each bought a bottle because we didn't get around to trying any, hopefully it'll be tasty. 

Till we meet again Budapest!

experiments in dressmaking - Amelia

Started before we left Brixton and finished the night before Budapest, that's about two months in the making, but here she is... the Amelia dress by GreenBeePatterns!

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. The instructions were pretty clear but for some reason I spent aaaages trying to figure out the pockets and I still didn't get them right. (The left one is completely buggered but thankfully you can't tell from outside.)

The zip is supposed to be invisible, clearly it isn't, and it also sticks up at the top. The patterned asked for a 24 inch zip but I think I'd have been better off with a 22 inch. Not entirely sure how that happened. Annoyingly, the zip doesn't look so straight in these pics but it does when it's on a hanger... Ah well, at least it's wearable. And rather comfy actually.

It got its first wearing in Budapest and I've worn it this week too - reckon it'll see even more outings once the weather hots up.

The fabric is Anna Maria Horner - Dowry, Twill Bouquet in Navy which I got from the Village Haberdashery. I think I might have another go at the Amelia - I want to get those pockets right, damn it!   This or this might be nice, I really do not need any more floral dresses.

BUDAPEST (part 1)

Late on Saturday night, my sis and I returned from Budapest. Unsurprisingly, we had an awesome time. The Hungarians were v.friendly and helpful (almost everyone we met spoke english), the weather was sublime, most things - particularly the beer - was super cheap, the mix of architecture was a feast for the eyes and the food was guuud. I was told before we left that Budapest is known for its coffee and cake and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Although we were only gone 3 and a half days it felt like a lot longer, most probably due to the fact that we saw a lot of stuff and, consequently, took a lot of pictures. So as not to completely over-load you with photos in one hit, here's what Wednesday and Thursday looked like...

Our cute little apartment was two storeys up on a main road, but thanks to the windows facing this courtyard it was very quiet, not to mention pretty. We arrived at about half six, got settled in and then went for a wander and to stock up on essentials - tea, milk :) before dropping in on our first bar in the city, El Rapido. The ground floor served mexican food (fajitas = yum) and the tiny bar, seating and stage area were in the basement. Here my sister and I drank v.tasty beer (two half litres cost less than £3!) and listened to a guitar and harmonica duo whilst gazing at the decor. The basement was covered from floor to ceiling with odds and ends - shoes, books, signs, toys. A lively, and grotty (in a good way) little venue and our perfect introduction to the city.

The weather on thursday was gorgeous - so sunny and hot that we sat outside Gerbeaud, one of the oldest cafés in Budapest, whilst eating most delicious sundaes ever. This was easily the most expensive place we went to but the coffee was v.good and well, just look at my esterhazy sundae. Next we decided to walk off our decadent brunch by venturing across the beautiful chain bridge to Buda. We were actually looking for Buda Castle but it turns out that it no longer exists and in it's place, at the top of the hill and over-looking the Danube, is the Hungarian National Gallery.

After taking in the amazing views we went in search of the castle labyrinth. The 13th century caves were rather bizarre. The self guided tour started with wax models illustrating the story-line of an opera (cue lots of opera music wailing through the tunnels) which abruptly stopped and gave way to historical artifacts and information about the man-made labyrinth. Up to this point we'd been following arrows on the walls which directed us through the caves but these became few and far between and, even more disconcertingly, the further we went parts of the labyrinth were incredibly dark and even slightly flooded (I'm not going to lie, Katie and I got pretty freaked out at one point). Eventually, the haunting opera music re-surfaced and led us to a room with opera footage projected onto a screen. Thankfully, this was also next to the exit. Is it a holiday if you can't nearly crap you pants in a v.poorly lit 13th century labyrinth? Well yes, but I am glad we went.

Back out in the sunshine we decided to take a stroll along the river (the Pest bank reminded us a lot of the South Bank in London) to see the Central Market Hall - a stunning two storey indoor market selling clothes, souvenirs and  tonnes of food. Thanks to walking almost continually all day, we were starving so I bought a bag of v.tasty pastry things, that were kind of like mini cheese scones. As well as lots of meat and pastry stalls we saw a number of people selling chilli products. Apparently the Hungarian chilli is quite a thing - who knew! I bought some hot paprika to take back for Mitch, that man loves spicy food. Many of the stalls on the upper level sold fabric and cloths with the prettiest and most intricate embroidery - really wish I'd got a better picture of them, or better yet, bought some! We got the tram and metro back to the apartment before going out to dinner at Menza. The restaurant was v.70s looking (entirely brown and orange) but the food, and wine, were grand. I opted for the Hungarian beef stew which was lush. There didn't seem to be a lot of vegetarian choices in the restaurants we went to so I ate quite a lot of meat during the trip, mostly beef. After two glasses of wine and some apple strudel (YUM) we called it a night - a combination of walking for miles and stuffing our faces meant that we weren't good for anything other than sleep.

Still to come: visiting the thermal baths, coffee in the Book Café, trying Hungarian goulash and a boat trip on the Danube.

goodbye blossom

It seems as though the blossom is coming to an end. The white and pink petals are carpeting the pavements of suburbia like confetti. It's amazing how the blossom can still look pretty even on grey, rain soaked concrete. The fleeting nature of blossom, and the flowers of magnolia trees, is part of the reason why I love it so much - a brief few weeks of soft bright beauty before the green leaves of spring take their place.

It'll be a bit quiet on the blog for the next few days as my sis and I are off to Budapest today. I'm almost packed, just swotting-up on a couple of handy Hungarian phrases :)
Szia - bye!