Links for the weekend

A rare weekend where we're both off work, seems the perfect time to head down to the Imperial War Museum for the first time since its major refurbishment. 

Since spending some time this year in several major European cities, and having to pay to visit their museums and attractions, has made me vow to appreciate the incredible free activities our city has to offer.

Our journey down to Lambeth takes a while, so on the ride down I'll be reading this and laughing at this, but don't think I'd ever have the guts to do this!

When we get back, I'll be checking out some other links I've seen this week that I really enjoyed.

- Brightening up a wall with this amazing freebie 

- Current obsession to help to fight the daily battle against split ends 

- Really need to do this with my twin Mum 

- Totally in awe of this, and wish I had the same level of dedication to a new skill

Happy Sunday!

Image from here

Exploring Prague

In-between trading in one flower-filled job for another, I went to Prague with my best lady, Mama K. 

From day one splashing through rain splattered streets, to the end of the trip soaking up the sun, we experienced what felt like all four seasons in four days, and really felt like we experienced the best of what the city has to offer.

Much like my Amsterdam posts, I'll be writing mini guides to each of the areas we explored.

Stay tuned!

  

Best of Brighton - Got Good Shop at the Fishing Quarter Gallery

The weekend just gone was one of those that felt satisfyingly full, without being too rushed.

We got the train from work on Friday evening, making a quick pit stop at Rik's dad's place in Kemptown for a delicious lamb curry, before heading down to the Fishing Quarter Gallery for the launch night of Got Good Shop - a pop up shop and gallery open until the 26th August.

Chock-full of framed art, amazing marquee letter lights, printed ceramics, zines,  jewellery and a couple of temporary tattoos thrown in for good measure, it was the perfect way to pretend you're being cultured on a Friday night when in fact you've still got a glass of wine in your hand just like the start of every other weekend.

These kind of pop ups are what makes Brighton such a great place to visit in summer, ensuring you can always find something unique to take home with you at the end of your visit.

Best of Brighton - The New Club

After a long sun-drenched day enjoying the atmosphere on Brighton seafront I headed to The New Club for a relaxing birthday dinner with the family and Rik.

Despite having been open nearly a year and a half, it was the first time I had visited, which is crazy seeing as it’s only a stone’s throw from one of Mum and Dad’s flats on Brighton seafront, and somewhere I’ve walked past many, many times.

I’m quite fussy when it comes to the ambiance of a restaurant. Lighting, temperature, music volume and the size of the tables can all seriously affect my opinion of an eatery, even if the food is delicious.

Luckily there were no worries at The New Club, it has an spacious, airy feel (perfect after a stiflingly hot day) with low hanging lights, and roomy banquet tables. It boasts a beautiful view of the West Pier, and would be an equally relaxing place to go in the middle of winter to sit coffee in hand, with the wind whipping around outside.

We went on a Friday evening and got to sample their Supper Club menu, which includes snacks on the house, and wide choice of delicious and creatively put together starters, mains and if you get that far, desserts.

I had the tuna sashimi to start, which was almost translucent, mouth-watering slivers of tuna dotted with pearls of lime sat atop slices of avocado. So delicious I could’ve happily ordered two more portions and left a happy lady. For the main event I tried the slow roasted long horn short rib with grilled cos on the side. This is clearly a bit of a potluck, as mum also had this and hers was a juicy, tender, meaty slab that fell right off the bone while mine had a thick ribbon of fat running through it. Some enjoy a bit of fat in their meat, but I’m not one of those people. It still had a great amount of meat on it, and the grilled cos, peppered with toasted nuts and drizzled with bourbon jus was the perfect accompaniment. 

Having eaten doughnuts on the pier a few hours before, we skipped dessert, but another one of the little extras you get at TNC supper club is complementary Nutella truffles – too melt in the mouth tasty to turn down.

I’ll definitely be back to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just for a few drinks one evening. Their crispy sauvignon blanc slipped down way too easily and they also have an amazing selection of craft beers. 

Highly recommended! 

www.thenewclubbrighton.com

Get in Kew

I made the most of a few days off work last week with a trip to Kew Gardens with Rik.

The great thing about Rik working at Kensington Palace is that we get free entry to any of the Historical Royal Palaces around London. It was our first trip to Kew and was a beautiful day for it. It usually costs £15 to get in but £72 for a years’ members pass, if I was local I would definitely take advantage of this and think of it as my own personal garden!

A quick 30 minute tube ride away from us in Westbourne Park, it’s really feels like you’re getting out of London even though you’ve only just reached Zone 4. We took advantage of the sweetest looking pub, The Tap On The Line, just outside of Kew Gardens station, and dropped in for a swift half to keep our energy up before arriving at the gardens, and went back again for dinner at the end of the day.

www.kew.org 

June

I can't quite believe it's the 1st of July tomorrow. Where is this year going?

June has been a long month, with so much going on at work and at home, but also feels like it's flown by. I've watched old friends and best friends tie the knot, enjoyed the first of this summer's BBQs, been back to Brighton a good few times, spent plenty of quality time with family and had a LOT of great food, while somehow still managing to stick to the diet and continue losing weight.

June, you've been great. But here's to July, which brings another wedding, birthday celebrations and a couple of long-awaited days off.

Time For Something New - Cath Kidston AW14

Last Wednesday and Thursday saw the culmination of our team’s efforts over the past few months as we held the Cath Kidston AW14 press show at Mercer Street Studios in Covent Garden. 

The theme of the show was ‘Time To’ with the motif of clocks and newspaper popping up throughout the collection. The newspaper print itself was inspired by the things Cath used to pick up at car boot sales and antique fairs when she first started – that all came wrapped in inky newspaper. 

When planning a press show (and I’ve planned a LOT over the past 6 years) it’s lovely to have something relevant to the collection that can lend itself well to the set build. Stacks of newspaper seemed like the perfect podium-like structures to display product on, and made great visual impact too.

Being the founder of the company newspaper - The Stanley Standard - made for a good feeling the first time I saw the newsprint design peppered with the same name, plus anything in black and white gets top marks in my book. 

For someone that's spent a great deal of time around the collection already, clear stand out products for me are the neon spot print leather stationery, the hedgehog doorstop we've affectionately named Mr Darcy, the Autumn Bloom dress and the squishy red leather Cinema bag. 

Not to forget the Townhouse print large tote bag with it's bright orange leather trim, just begging to have everything but the kitchen sink thrown into it. After this season's Brighton print luring me in with the charms of my hometown, the Townhouses print has come to tug at my heart strings again. Inspired by the candy-coloured houses of West London (in particular the beautiful Elgin Crescent) another of the places I call home has been immortalised in print, meaning of course I must have everything it adorns.

You'd think that after over 9 years working at CK, a printed bag might not be at the top of my wishlist, but there you'd be wrong. 

Images courtesy of Chris Ridley.