Brrr, it’s cold in London this week (though not quite as cold as it was in New York or Boston when I visited in January). Apart from the US travels, one of my favourite experiences to kick of the new year was afternoon tea at Claridges. I also spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon walking around the lovely Columbia Road Flower Market – a beautiful splash of colour mid-winter. And, while I didn’t add her to the Instagram feed, I interviewed the lovely Swedish photographer and entrepreneur Caroline Henkelius earlier this month which is well worth a read.
I didn’t spend too much time Instagraming last month (though Jorge finally created an account!), but here are a few photos:
1. Ice-coated branches. While we were in New York, my dad drove Jorge and I the 15 minutes up to Niagara Falls. We walked around the American side a bit, admiring the branches and blades of grass coated from the mist that immediately turns to ice. It was, as you would guess, absolutely freezing. There’s a full post with photos coming tomorrow.
2. A colourful house. The American side of Niagara Falls just away from this natural wonder of the world is mostly residential, much different from the much more built-up, touristy Canadian side. It’s dilapidated, run-down, boarded-up and quite honestly depressing as there are not many jobs to be had. We passed this house, occupied by Prophet Isaiah Robertson who believes the apocalypse is going to occur in Niagara Falls because the waterfall has magical powers.
3. A London sunset. I love an evening stroll along the Thames, over Battersea Bridge, along the south side of the river and back over the Albert Bridge. This walk was timed perfectly as the sun was just about to fade away.
4. East London street art. I headed east to the Columbia Road Flower Market before I left for Boston in order to pick up some spoons my mom wanted from one of the lovely independent shops that line the street. Normally I would have walked around Shoreditch or down Brick Lane taking photos of street art but I didn’t have time that day. I did spot this piece by C215 though!
5. A Winter door. This is a door on Columbia Road. It used to be all chipped paint in shades of orange but was recently painted blue. I have always loved the fox knocker and the branches made it festive for this time of year so I couldn’t resist a quick photo.
6. The end of an afternoon. This one was taken from our offices, just after a meeting, as the sun was sinking down across Cromwell Road. I’m looking forward to those stretched out Spring and Summer days when I’m walking home in the light again.
7. A zebra at Claridges. Afternoon tea at Claridges this month was excellent – everything you would expect from an afternoon tea experience (delicious tea, sandwiches, scones, cakes and fantastic service) – but I think my favourite bit was discovering this fabulous zebra. How cool is he?
8. A London mews. Around the back of the King’s Road, where I sometimes wander for a break from the shopping crowds, there’s a little mews. I’m always fascinated by this wall of potted plants. I think they should move the bin though.
9. Sleepy Oakley. A lazy kitty, Oakley finds the most unusual positions to sleep in. He’s a real contortionist sometimes. I’m not sure how this is comfortable, but to each his own. He looks happy anyway.
10. Snow in Boston 1. On the Saturday that my mom was in Boston with me, we set out early in the morning for a 6-hour walk around the city, popping into cafes and shops along the way. It snowed the entire day. We walked across the Boston Common and Public Gardens and were completely covered in snow within minutes.
11. Snow in Boston 2. This is another one from the Boston snow day. We missed the big storm that came a few days later but there was pretty heavy snow this day which I loved. The flakes were the huge fluffy type, coating tree branches and black fence rails around the city to create a Winter wonderland.
12. Oakley turns one. It was Oakley’s first birthday on January 28. He spent most of the day in a deep slumber as usual! I took this photo in the morning. It’s amazing how quickly he grew into a grow up cat (although he’s still extremely playful and gets up to plenty of mischief!).
13. Niche in Boston. I will eventually get around to posting about Niche! In the midst of all that snow, my mom and I popped in for a little indoor taste of Spring. It’s a beautiful little flower shop on Tremont Street. I bought one of these spritzers to bring back to London for Jorge.
14. A rainy Saturday morning. I wake up early most weekend days because I love the peacefulness of the morning hours before the city comes completely alive. Usually I start my day with a short walk down King’s Road to Paul where I pick up a breakfast tea and get a bit of fresh air. I often pass by these houses and love the way the colours compliment each other and match the lines in the road as well.
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4 Comments
Diana Mieczan
February 3, 2015 at 12:02 pmI love rainy Saturday mornings and that fox knocker is so cool! Happy Tuesday, sweetie. xoxo
littleobservationist
February 3, 2015 at 2:15 pmHappy Tuesday! I love rainy Saturday mornings too (not the mid-week ones so much though!) 🙂
Art Farm
February 3, 2015 at 11:06 pmOakley is 1!!!! Such a cutie! And I love that house in Niagra! Always so great to see something just go all out on their home.
littleobservationist
February 4, 2015 at 10:48 amI know! I can’t believe he’s a year old already. 🙂 Hope your week is going well xo