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Instagramable Moments: November 2014

In September and October, I went a bit Instagram crazy with all of the fun travel shots. November not so much. It’s been a month of darkness after work with the time change which means not many opportunities for photography outside of the weekend, and weekends I’ve spent a lot of time catching up on everything I’d fallen behind on having been away so much the last two months. Nevertheless, let’s round it up!

Here’s a look back at November through Instagram:

1. Rough paint. Deep in the heart of London’s SW7 lies this door, white paint peeling, full of stories, halfway down a mews that was empty of any sign of life. I took a short cut home from work one day – or rather a change of route since I don’t think it made it any quicker – and stumbled on it. It was raining pretty hard and it was dark as well, but I stopped to pull out my phone and take this photo.

Stephanie Sadler, Little Observationist

2. A sunny Autumn day. This was one of the clearest, bluest, sunniest Autumn afternoons we’ve had this year so Dimple and I decided to take a lunch break boot shopping walk up to High Street Kensington. It was toward the beginning of the month so there were quite a few vibrant leaves still clinging to the branches which are almost empty now.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

3. A new bed. Oakley got a new bed (and new, taller scratching post) this month. Now that he’s getting much bigger, it was time for an upgrade. He just turned 10 months this past weekend. He loves his bed, as you can see, and spends quite a bit of time in it when he’s not spastically running around the flat.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

4. A delicious dessert. There’s a little Argentine steakhouse tucked away in the Chelsea Farmers Market that we go to once in a while. It’s a family run business called El Gaucho. The steak is delicious and I’m obsessed with their spinach side and freshly squeezed orange juice. Even though we were stuffed full of steak, we made room for this tasty flan with dulce de leche for dessert!

stephanie sadler, little observationist

5. Paddington bear #1. A few years ago, I wandered all over London looking for the painted elephant sculptures. Another year it was cows. Another year, the Olympic mascot. There’s also been painted easter eggs. They’re always auctioned off for charity. This time around, we have Paddington Bear sculptures, which are a delight to find. This one is called Paws and temporarily lives in Duke of York Square on King’s Road.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

6. East London diversity. This is a throwback photo from East London, just off of Brick Lane that I took a few months ago. It came up again for some reason earlier in November. Looking at it now, I love the mishmash of cultures, the street art, the street market, etc. It’s so very East London!

stephanie sadler, little observationist

7. A Spanish meal at home. This was a Spanish tapas meal, a date night in with candles and a nice bottle of wine. We cooked it all for scratch and I popped the Pimientos Rellenos con Bacalao recipe up for you to try. It was delicious and something we’ll try to do more of when the weather turns to Winter.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

8. A wet morning walk. This is my walk to work in every morning, through the back streets of Chelsea. This is a row of cherry blossoms that are just as beautiful this time of year with their fiery orange leaves as they are in the Spring when they’re in full bloom and in the Summer with their lovely green leaves.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

9. Flower stand at night. Outside of South Kensington tube station, there’s a pretty flower stand that stays open quite late. One evening I walked home that way and loved how it was lit up inside against the rainy, dark London sky.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

10. Christmas windows. After a pub dinner of juicy burgers, thick cut chips and cocktails at Admiral Codrington, Jorge and I walked home slowly, stopping to look at all of the new Christmas decorations in the windows of the shops. This is The Conran Shop, with a snowman family, wearing their cracker crowns (despite not yet having cracked the crackers…), gathered round the table for dinner.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

11. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I always try to make something with pumpkin this time of year, whether it’s a pumpkin pie or bumpkin bread. This time, I tried these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, brought a plate to work and they disappeared in a flash. I’d definitely make them again!

stephanie sadler, little observationist

12. Oakley, posing. Told you he likes his new bed. Having just woken up, Oakley was about to stretch when he spotted me crouching over him with my phone. He seems to enjoy being the center of attention. That, or he was about to backhand me with that paw.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

13. Earl’s Court. I think it was the colour scheme of this shot that caught my eye. It’s just across the street from Earl’s Court tube station where I was out hunting for some lunch. I actually walked straight past it and then turned around again to take a photo.

stephanie sadler, little observationist

14. Paddington Bear #2. This is the second of the Paddington Bear sculpture series I’ve come across so far. He’s decorated by Matthew Williamson and is at home on Bond Street. I still have my childhood Paddington Bear sitting in my room at my parents’ house in New York!

stephanie sadler, little observationist

15. Mom’s pumpkin pie. I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving in eight years, which really is quite sad because who doesn’t love a holiday that involves homemade pies that look like this? My mom makes one (or two) from scratch every year and sent me this photo so I could see what I was missing!

stephanie sadler, little observationist

16. Duke of York. I tend to wake up pretty early on a Saturday morning (well, all mornings). I like to wander down the King’s Road to get my tea from Paul and then take a little stroll through the Duke of York Square market. Usually, the shops are still closed and the market is just unfolding. Sometimes, by the time I finish my tea, everything kicks into full gear. I love the festive atmosphere the Christmas trees bring to the square.

Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 11.29.13

17. An Autumn selfie. Last weekend, Saturday was a beautiful day. So, winter coat on but unbuttoned, I took myself for a walk, stopping at Gails for tea (and possibly an oatmeal cranberry cookie) to carry over Albert Bridge and into Battersea Park. I took some photos of the last days of Autumn with a hazy blue sky and leaf-covered grounds.

Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 14.46.42

For more, follow me @LittleObservationist!

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3 Comments

  • Reply
    Diana Mieczan
    December 1, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    Oakley is such a cutie and I love your selfie:) Plus, your mom’s pie…oh boy, it looks delicious! Happy start to December, sweetie. xoxo

  • Reply
    Victoria
    December 2, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    I’ve just found your lovely blog through Cider with Rosie and will definitely be subscribing 🙂 x

    • Reply
      littleobservationist
      December 2, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      Thanks so much Victoria! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Isn’t Rosie’s blog just lovely? I’m interested in yours as well as my dad creates and sells garden products like bird feeders and planters for his small business on the side. I run his social media and I’m always keeping an eye open for content to share. Also, my husband is a garden designer so I’m sure he’ll be interested to see it also. Cheers!

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