remember, remember

it was guy fawkes night on thursday (though it's called bonfire night now...) but we celebrated it last night in victoria park with the rest of the borough.

so long soph #4

this is how i feel about soph leaving...

... but she is looking forward. (lame, i know, but this whole series of shots were such a rollercoaster of emotions).

steamy

sunday was really freakin' hot - they (the bbc) said it was 25 but i think it was closer to 30 in the sun. ellie, hannah, kat and a girl called sarah (i hope? could be wrong) went to the carter's steam fair for some old timey fun.

i mean really old timey.

this is simon the otter that hannah won for ellie. we bonded, it was a beautiful thing (me and simon i mean, and me and hannah to a lesser extent!)

at last...

...friends who appreciate ducks as much as i do.

brooke, antony and i went to feed the ducks in victoria park on sunday. antony started to get a bit concerned that he may have been too hasty in rejecting the ducks in the other pond. he's evidently quite picky about who he feeds.

the ice was still surprisingly thick and un-duck-friendly.

then we walked another few metres around the corner a bit and found a few ducks, some very aggressive moorhens and some silly geese. just as an aside, when you throw bread at a goose and accidentally (at first, and then purposefully) hit the goose in the face (because they really are very dumb) it makes a really good sound. and they don't even seem to mind too much.

snow day(s)

monday, out my window (i didn't end up going swimming, i found out today that the pool was closed anyway).

that's a lot of snow.

my new white patent leather converse, yet to be worn, though i thought kind of fitting (and the only semi-practical snow bound shoes i have.)

this was about 9am and hoxton square was already full of snow-fighters.

less pretty on hackney road on my way to work. (called in early because one girl didn't turn up. it was mental. nobody went to work so everybody came into the cafe. we were not prepared, nor were we impressed by everyone having such marvelous old-timey fun in london fields. many hot chocolates to be had.)

this is soph's house. i went and stayed the night because nights like this really should be shared.

and in the morning, on my way to work again.

a very rugged-up sophie. we had a mini-frolic in the park. the snow was so deep and fluffy it was great!

frozen canal.

the ducks, like the rest of london, were at a loss as to what to do.

these are quite amusing, the one with tea-bags for eyes especially. 

bits and bobs

a very social week...

on my way to soph's for dinner on tuesday

hippy nic is in town with his girlfriend, anna, who is/was a vivien's girl and is doing quite well for herself. met up with nic on wednesday and wandered around looking for food and ended up on the vegan bus in a carpark near brick lane. really, really good food.

i am my father's daughter. (thanks dad!)

victoria park again on friday. they don't call it Picturesque for nothing, i must have taken this same photo 20 times every time i'm in the park.  a very cold and grey day.

young sophie in my living room on friday night. we devoured a very posh cheese platter and a bottle of wine before brooke even arrived. and then dinner,  out to yang's briefly and potentially out on the town, though it was too cold and way too hard!

park life

the house hunt begins. i walked down to see an 'arty house' near victoria park. lovely location but the house was not quite right (smallest room ever.)

this is not house i looked at, though i wish it was.

met up with soph and we made our way to lamb's conduit street. there is the most beautiful bookshop called 'persephone books' that resurrects out-of-print books and recreates them with uniform grey covers but unique patterns inside (as you can see here). it made me very, very excited to reconstruct my library. i figure there will have to be a few books i'll have to buy again, ones i can read many times over and ones i can't live without - alice (of course), winne the pooh, a moveable feast... i'm sure i'll think of more!