23 February 2013

French Macarons

After a botched first attempt at macarons last night, I followed a different recipe today and the results have been pretty successful. I wanted to buy some of the infamous macaroons from Laduree in Covent Garden the other day, but my bank balance wasn't so keen. Perhaps these don't quite match the standard of the real thing, but I'm still pleased with the results! You can find the recipe I used here. There's a handy video too.

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P.S. I've been staying at my mum's for a few days and she has daffodils. That definitely means spring is almost here, doesn't it?
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20 February 2013

Spring Promises

Sunday was a really lovely, sunny day in London and it definitely called for making the most of it. Simon left to do some work experience in Italy yesterday (like the jet-setter he is!) and he had a few last minute things to pick up on Oxford Street, so after that we headed to South Bank. There was a lot going on, including this man below who was singing with his electric guitar right down on the bank. We also saw another man playing a tuba with fire coming out of it – he'd drawn in quite the crowd too, I'm not sure anyone really knew what was going on!
After a quick stop at Caffe Nero and the Tate Modern shop, we set off in pursuit of a Boots, forgetting that nearly everything in the City shuts at the weekend. We walked past three shuttered Boots before we finally came across an open Superdrug in Holborn, success! We spent a little while in Covent Garden (I love it there) before walking into China Town. I was definitely not wearing sensible enough shoes for all this action, and my feet were suffering towards the end of the day! 
Anyway, here are a few photos I took along the way. The sunshine has made me excited about approaching spring – I'm looking forward to spending more time outside without constantly shivering from the cold! 

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17 February 2013

Sexy Rexy

Louise Rose Clarke Blog
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I gave Simon a set of London walks as one of his birthday presents (living life on the wild side!) and we decided to do the Regents Park walk on Saturday. Unfortunately we didn't drop into the zoo, but still really enjoyed exploring the area. I'm not really sure why, but we usually head to Hyde Park – I think Saturday proved that I actually prefer Regents Park for a stroll, there seems to be a bit more going on. We spent a little while reading all the Rose names, Ice Cream, Keep Smiling and Sexy Rexy were a few highlights!
After we finished the route, we got some food from Pret and got the tube back home where we later indulged in an incredibly unhealthy meal of hotdogs with plenty of fried onions. I have absolutely no regrets.
The collar clips in the photo above are a gem from Primark. I was so chuffed when I picked them up for the bargain price of £1.50, but little did I know that I was going to need a screwdriver to undo them when I got home. At least they're secure I suppose!
How has your weekend been?

14 February 2013

Valentines

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I hope you all have a lovely day, regardless of whether you're loved up or a single pringle. I've never been too crazy about Valentines Day, but it's gradually growing on me. Funnily enough, this time last year I probably couldn't have been further away from Simon – while he was completing his third year of uni in London, I was enjoying a trip of a lifetime in Australia with my friend Katie. I missed him loads and I still managed to get a card to him (with a little bit of help, thanks Mum!).
Anyway, love is great, and I'm very glad and grateful that I have Simon in my life. He's amazing.
Okay, I'll stop now.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

9 February 2013

Beach Huts

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We're in Simon's hometown again this weekend as it's his little brother's fourth birthday tomorrow. We arrived last night and we were greeted with the icy cold welcome of snow! London has been feeling a bit warmer over the past few days, so we were not impressed with the sudden drop in temperatures.
Fortunately today has been relatively sunny, so we paid a visit to the seaside. Felixstowe beach has been done up a bit recently and I think Simon secretly liked seeing what was new. He also showed me where he and his friends used to go and get drunk when they weren't old enough to go to the pub. Those were the days, ey?
We're now back at Simon's mum's ready for a dinner of pie and mash. We're out for drinks tonight, but as we'll be in the company of 15 four-year-olds tomorrow, I think I'll be careful not to go overboard!
What are you up to this weekend?

4 February 2013

Castle in the Sky

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I meant to get this post up a bit earlier, but Simon and I went to my mum's for the weekend and I forgot to pack my laptop charger, grrrr!
On Saturday we headed to Arundel because Simon had heard a few things about the castle and he wanted see it for himself. We didn't actually go inside the castle as we're trying to be a bit more frugal this month, but it was still nice to have a wander round the town. Simon found himself a questionable Bart Simpson toy in an antiques shop and I busied myself with snapping away on my camera. Afterwards, we headed home to make ourselves a cream tea – the pretty teashops scattered around Arundel had obviously inspired us!
The town is very small and quaint, but it boasts a cathedral as well as the castle, so it's a pretty impressive place to explore.
On Sunday we had quite a lazy day – venturing into town and walking the dog before settling down to a lovely roast dinner cooked by my mum. What did you get up to at the weekend?
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