AS PROMISED, the follow-up to Part One, this second instalment is a photo diary of our life lately, turning leaves in Hyde Park, beautiful Mayfair in the rain, the Viewing Poing in Richmond Hill, a festive cheese shop in Bloomsbury, an insanely delicious "luxury donut"...
MAYFAIR was our last Life Lately, at the beginning of October, and it was all beautifully laid out in wide-screen format⏤best viewed on a desktop⏤but now more of you are here via your phones, so we’ll make this one (which is actually in two parts) a single layout to fit your screens while you’re out and about.
ON FRIDAY morning we drove up to Richmond Hill to see if we could catch the last of the turning leaves at the Viewing Point overlooking the Thames and also stopped by the bakery there that everyone loves, next to the wine shop on the corner.
I DON'T KNOW what it is about Kings Cross that makes us want to join long queues for food, but this weekend, we did it again. This time, it was for dim sum and you don't even want to know how long we waited. We were tempted to leave a few times, but the promise of the best dim sum in London was too much, so we stayed.
WE HAVE been meaning to get to Hampstead for a while now, mostly for The Holly Bush, but also to have a look around the neighbourhood, which we heard was lovely.
THIS WEEKEND we saw Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall), Justine Triet's French courtroom drama that actually won the Palme d’Or in Cannes this year. It was though-provoking, gripping at times, and made us talk about it quite a bit, even long after it was over.
ON FRIDAY we finally made it to Hampstead to visit The Holly Bush, perhaps one of the most photographed pubs it London. It's on a really lovely quiet street and looks just as charming when you first happen upon it as we had hoped.
ON THURSDAY we took the long train journey north to Scotland. It's normally a five-hour trip, but there was a delay, so it took a little over six and half hours before we finally arrived in Glasgow. It was marvellous to be there again⏤it felt like it'd been a long time.
THERE IS a Welsh word, hiraeth, that is used to describe a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past. I've been studying words in other languages recently, marvelling at how different languages have so many descriptive ways to denote very specific feelings or situations.
THE WEATHER has suddenly turned cold after last week's unseasonably warm days. Unfortunately, because of our location, we were unable to view this weekend's spectacular celestial event: the ring of fire annular solar eclipse. Did you see it? It was apparently visible from parts of the US, Mexico and in South and Central America...
DON'T OFTEN GET a chance to answer many of your Instagram DMs, but have noticed that many questions seem to be around similar topics, so I thought it might be helpful to address some common things here. And while it's lovely of you to compliment my hair, I am unable to share my current stylist's information for privacy reasons, but do very much appreciate the kind words and will be sure to pass them along.
ON SATURDAY we walked to one of our favourite pubs along the Thames. It’s right on the water, with a row of tables on a dock set below the large outdoor terrace that backs onto the pub and we were very lucky to get the very last available one. The weather was unseasonably warm, the leaves were just starting to turn, the air was crisp on the water and when P asked me if there were anywhere else in the world I’d rather be right at that moment, I was amazed to realise that there wasn’t.
ONE OF our favourite things to do in London is stroll the down tree-lined streets of Mayfair, amongst the Georgian townhouses with their grand façades, all intricate architecture and delicate wrought iron detailing.
ON SATURDAY we cycled to Richmond Hill for a picnic. We were hoping to see the turning leaves, but it must still be too early here yet. P picked up a bottle of our favourite cava, an absolutely delicious baguette and some extraordinary brie and we laid down our plaid wool blanket in the grassy area overlooking the Thames...
ON THURSDAY we met up with an old friend who we hadn't seen in over ten years. He was in London for only two days and thought we might meet for a pint and catch up. We choose that little pub in Belgravia that I told you about before. It was so good to see him again and we had such a nice time over mid-afternoon drinks...
