Paris

I went to Paris for the first time in March this year to celebrate my 30th birthday. In a couple of weeks I'm going again to help celebrate my flatmate's 38th birthday (or is it his 37th?). It's only for a weekend, but I'm looking forward to getting out of London for a bit.

Last time I didn't get to go up the Eiffel Tower, so that's definitely on the list for this visit. Otherwise, as long as there's good food and champagne, I'm not too bothered. We went to a bistro in Montmartre for my birthday dinner - it was tiny & unassuming, filled with lots of incredibly kitsch nick-nacks. I'm betting that's where we'll end up again.

Also, last time, I didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have, so I'm planning on rectifying that this time around.

Then all I have to sort out is what to wear.

Keep calm and carry on ...

I had the most terrible dream the other night. I dreamt I was back home, but it was the 1940s. That actually wasn't the worst bit, because everyone (including myself) wore some fabulous clothes & listened to great music.

But ... then, we got Blitzed. Everything was destroyed. It was apocalyptic. It was horrible. Nothing and no-one was left.

I woke up incredibly disturbed & contemplated phoning home just to see if Mum and Dad were still alive, but because I was half asleep I couldn't calculate what time it would be back in Australia. So I didn't, and just tried to go back to sleep.

I think part of the problem is that I spent some time online researching the history of the ex-council estate I currently live on, which was built just before WWII started. And I think part of the problem is that over here, especially in London, the Blitz may as well have been yesterday. It is so ever-present in the public consciousness in a way that I never expected before I came to live here.

Either way, I need to get the war well out of my head before I try to sleep at night.

Birds of a feather ...

... flock together. At a pub in Camden Town.

Shopping list

• white fish fillets
• pancetta
• mayonnaise
• asparagus
• steel wool
• crockery
• cutlery
• baking scales
• baking dish x 2
• rolled oats
• wholemeal flour
• self-raising flour
• caster sugar
• cooking apples
• raspberries

I'm too scared to make the big trip to the Tesco's Superstore though, so I'll probably walk down to Budgen's and pay too much. Meh.

Drives me bonkers ...

... when my flatmate wakes me up early in the morning, before he goes to work, to tell me he's put cling film around the tv remote (to stop it getting greasy finger marks all over it) and can I please not take the cling film off the remote?

I nearly took the cling film off the remote, but it's just so not worth the ensuing argument.

Sigh.

Things that are awesome about summer in England

1. Pear cider in a tall glass (even if it's plastic) with lots and lots of ice.
2. Sometimes it rains & is cold, so when it's hot & sunny you remember why it's nice to be warm.
3. Watching all the buskers in the city.
4. The fact it doesn't get dark until after 9.30pm.
5. Everybody's in a good mood because it's not snowing (yet).