The City of Spires

A weekend in the city my little brother calls home for half the year. A parallel to the life I led for three years in the lighter blue city. Walks from one side to the other (us staying at the north and he living in the South); glimpses of majestic colleges; crushing colourful leaves on Christ Church meadows; early morning runs round the University Park; crisp, bright light in the botanical gardens; warming coffee at Quarterhorse and 2 North Parade, accompanied with the odd pastry here and there; catching up with family and friends over a wintery, warming meal at Turl Street Kitchen; late nights clutching a glass of mulled wine at The Bear; long dinner and a few bubbles at T's house; a small glimpse of the eclectic items at Pitt Rivers; healthy salads at Will's Deli; tea in A's college room; dreams of future studying for B; wandering in and out of shops and cafés for me; imagining maybe running a little bakery here one day. I never thought London life would become a bubble. But when you step outside and look around, it becomes clear that there is life elsewhere that had been forgotten. The thought floated across my mind  that maybe this less polluted, slightly calmer mode de vie may be what we're searching for.

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December's to-do list

1. Homemade mince pies (and mincemeat)
2. Time snuggled by the fire when the Christmas break finally comes
3. A return trip to the Ten Bells
4. Swan Lake at Saddler's Wells
5. Warm my hands on a glass of mulled wine
6. Listening (again) to the She and Him Christmas album

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November snapshots

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5 Things

I've been struggling to stay positive and full of cheer this week. So here's a list of little things that have made me smile:

1. Hot apple juice from le Pain Quotidien.
2. Coffee & a sugar crusted brioche with maman at Monmouth.
3. Flower shopping (even if they were for work) at Bloomsbury flowers.
4. Somerset House looking perfectly Christmas-sy with its ice skating rink. Ironic given that ice-skating is something I avoid like the plague.
5. Maria Elia's mac 'n cheese with greens from her gorgeous book 'Smashing Plates'.

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