Monday Morning

There are lots of things you can moan about on a Monday morning. They're universally disliked. The faces on the London Underground around me say it all; hate the rain, it's cold, I'm tired, why did the weekend go so quick?!

However I'm making a positive spin on this autumnal Monday morning, giving in to the oncoming festive season, with a retrospective on the last 12 hours. (Did I mention my Christmas shopping is well under way?)

Torrential rain overnight whilst laying in bed getting inspired by interior decor ideas on Pinterest cosily under a duvet watching...

Boxsets. Orange is the New Black to be specific. The first of many series to be watched during the dark evenings drawing in...

With the central heating chugging away for the first time in months. Tootsies being warmed on the underfloor heating whilst my hands are...

Cradling a mug of something hot and sweet. A great lure out of bed along with the fleece dressing gown and slippers. Both getting reacquainted with the morning ritual before opening the doors to...

The winter wardrobe. So pleased to have said goodbye to the dress and sandal season. Goodbye pasty legs. Goodbye bingo wings, you're now safely under wraps. Hello boots / socks under boots / thermals, you'll help me... 

Battle the elements. Bring on the winter coat and fur scarf. Snug as a bug in a rug. 

 

Afternoon Bubbles

The Jones Family Project, Shoreditch

Had an amazing Wednesday afternoon meeting with my uber-cool East London design agency. And what better environment to talk creative than a creative edgy one such as The Jones Fanily Project. It ticked all the Shoreditch boxes; exposed brick, eclectic menu, mismatching chairs, sparkly lights in your indoor tree(!) and fantastic selection of kitsch art scattering the walls. 

Over a feast of the best appetisers - Cornish Crab, Quinoa Fritters, Fillet Steak Tartare, Truffled Mac'n'Cheese, Corn Bread, Feta Cheese, Watermelon & Melon Salad - the energy levels were stoked. This place had a great atmosphere; a place where working peeps came to chat and be slowly transitioned by the dimming lights and forgotten 90s tunes turning up on the sound system into a relaxed Friday night vibe. On a Wednesday. 

Now with most places, it's estimation can with go up or down depending on the ladies powder room. Marked by a big red lipstick mark over the door, the quirks continued. The best was this...

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

And loving the Aesop products - hand exfoliating wash = genius!!

Would love to go back to this place. Suitable for colleagues, friends, family. As they claim, "food, drink and great times". Great times indeed. 

www.jonesfamilyproject.co.uk/ 

That 'back to school' feeling

The post-holiday blues were kicking in this morning. A combination of this year's holiday coming to an end, a winter chill in the air and having to call on the trusty black tights, I am definitely experiencing a delayed first day of term vibe. Felt myself compelled to wear my shiniest black patent pumps for the occasion and adopt a skirt/shirt combo, all I'm missing is plaited hair and purse belt, *poof* I'm 13 years old again. Only instead of packing my summer holiday homework and fearing I'd forgotten something, I was dreading my over-flowing inbox.

However, with the energy levels restoked, I've got that geeky busy-bee, must-be-super-organised buzz to see to (the kind that applying sticky-back plastic to new school books would have sorted in Year 7). Instead, the 25 year old me is wanting to organise the kitchen, clear out my increasingly-too-small wardrobe and buy a day planner! (The Happiness Project has a lot to answer for when the aforementioned was largely suggested to me by my boyfriend who's 3 chapters in!) 
 
Though the other thing that comes with this time of year is the lurgy. *Cue Berocca fizzing on my desk* From the 30 degree heat of Italy, long lay-ins and naps upon a sunlounger, I rudely found myself in the midst of a contamination frenzy upon London's Underground. How lovely that the coughing choir was out today to welcome me back to my daily commute. Thank goodness for the last few pages of my holiday book, Nicholas Sparks is a literary genius, and I'm completed submerged in Message in a Bottle. Only 4 hours and 22 minutes until I can get back to that world...

I miss blogging.

Or, more accurately, I miss having the time to blog. To indulge in whatever fanciful thing catches my eye or weird and wonderful experience in my day to day life I want to share with the www.

Having dreamt of becoming (a slightly more thrifty and lucky in love) Carrie Bradshaw, it's sad to see how far I have let that dream slip (although I do proudly own my very own pair of Manolo Blahniks!) Whilst I've been chained to my desk, my fingers have been ferociously typing about artwork artwork artwork (full of acronyms of course like a "proper" working professional) until the cows come home, by which time my hands are weary and my mind is foggy. Not conducive to further hours spent behind a laptop screen.

So to make myself feel better, whilst I've escaped from a claustrophobic feeling office this Wednesday lunchtime to sit in the sunshine of a nearby park, I have listed all the weird and wonderful things that have happened to me recently...

*Done my best impression of Julia Roberts and flitted over to Bali for 3 weeks of treatments, yoga, sunbathing, trekking (up a volcano no less) and exploring.

*Actually reading Eat, Pray, Love too!

*Cooked a breakfast on said volcano's steam hole watching sunrise. 

*Been my mother's +1 at a gay wedding in New York.

*Bought my first designer handbag (knocking Jaegar off the top spot with Ralph Lauren). Thank you Macys. 

*Got accepted onto a marketing scheme for young managers (starts Sept)

*Been to the theatre countless times; Book of Mormon being the best

*Discovered Gossip Girl

*Started Bikram Yoga

*Unfortunately put the 'handles' into 'Love Handles'

But most importantly...

Fallen in love.