Hi everyone, how was your weekend?

Ours was all about doing a lot of what had to be done (chores, errands, adult duties) and throwing in some fun wants on the side.

Saturday's highlight was riding Barclay Bikes to All Star Lanes in Bayswater. What an amazing venue! Great bowling lanes, live DJ, delicious food, and a really fun ambiance. It's an American themed place but it's actually way better than any bowling venue I've ever been to in the States.

On Sunday we had the final inspection of our new flat and were given the keys. We spent a good hour or so taking measurements and seeing what we'll need to fix or modify though it's not much, thankfully. We then made our way to Marylebone for breakfast at Coco Momo (yum) and re-visited our favorite sofa at John Lewis, a major department store that's like a Target and Macy's rolled into one. Did I ever mention how relieved I was to go there when I first moved here?

A sofa purchase later and we were ready to wrap up the weekend with a movie at the Nomad Cinema in Holland Park. The film of the night was Cinema Paradiso. Has anyone seen it? It's the most beautiful movie that I have ever experienced. Seriously, it was incredible. Apparently it's a big classic here but since it's Italian I'm guessing that's why we don't hear much about it, if at all, in the States. Movie buffs may have been in the know all along but I feel really lucky to finally be introduced to it.

Now it's time for another week...we'll see what sorts of craziness/magic it brings. Have a great Monday!

Hello everyone, how was your weekend?

It's just after 4:30pm and I've been awake for about three and a half hours. Totally embarrassing but I think my jet-lag finally caught up to me.

It was a go-go-go weekend starting on Saturday morning when Joe suggested that we head to the beach - Okay! We got on the train and traveled south to Brighton, just one hour away from the the city. I'll share more on Brighton in a separate post but it was definitely wild to be on a beach in the South of England when just last weekend I was in Malibu in Southern California.

From sand (or pebbles in Brighton's case) to bright green grass and lush trees, Sunday was all about the park. I attended a London bloggers picnic, Blognic, at Regent's Park and spent the afternoon meeting new people, talking about shared interest, and eating lots of homemade goodies. It was really great to meet so many friendly people who share a common love for blogging and living creatively. I even got a few tips on some good car boot sales (aka. community rummage sales in the States) -woo hoo!

After Blognic, I arrived home with energy to burn so I suggested that we go for a bike ride in Hyde Park. We hired/rented Barclay Bikes and spent the evening riding around enjoying one of the Royals' public spaces (thank you, Windsor Family). After a few hours of pedaling - and finally getting some dirt on my new white Chucks - it was time for dinner in Little Arabia and an end to the weekend. Home. At. Last.

For the blog curious, here's a list of some of the bloggers I met at the picnic + their respective blogs. Let me know if I missed you!

Marianne of Nordic Bliss Michelle of I Ripple. I Dance. Carole of Mademoiselle Poirot Lisa of Me Old China Kate of Fabric of my Life Amy of Daisy Fay Interiors Elizabeth of Rosalilium Megan of Meg Gets Crafty Katie of What Katie Does Tori of Wellies and Vogue Andrea of Lotus Events Bethan of Decorator's Notebook Thank you to Lynne of Tea for Joy and Ellie of Home Shopping Spy for coordinating the day!