You need to see London at night, particularly the theaters. But not just the night life. London itself looks best in the dark. It’s a pretty safe city, and you can walk in most places after sunset. It has a sedate and ghostly beauty. In the crepuscular kindness, you can see not just how she is, but how she once was, the layers of lives that have been lived here. Somebody with nothing better to do worked out that for every one of us living today, there are 15 ghosts. In most places you don’t notice them, but in London you do. The dead and the fictional ghosts of Sherlock Holmes and Falstaff, Oliver Twist, Wendy and the Lost Boys, all the kindly, garrulous ghosts that accompany you in the night. The river runs like dark silk through the heart of the city, and the bridges dance with light. There are corners of silence in the revelry of the West End and Soho, and in the inky shadows foxes and owls patrol Hyde Park, which is still illuminated by gaslight.
You’ll find the owl perched on top of the Rotulos Roura Company building. It’s an old luminous advert for a company designing and installing neon lighting. Its eyes even used to cast out hypnotic beams of light, all night long! To see the last photo in all its glorious detail, click here.
This Easter I took my first trip to Spain. Just three days was enough to dent my heart.
Waking up on a train, and brushing my teeth as well rolled past the ocean; my first sight of the sea since August. Sipping sangria and scoffing dainty tapas at a cozy bar. Drinking cheap glasses of fraught beer in a courtyard, the pavers ruptured by trees. Taking an elevator to the top of a monument and seeing La Sagrada Familia from afar. Making friends with an elderly German couple over paella. Walking through narrow alleyways and ending up exactly where we started. Eating a fat churro, filled with dulce de leche. Looking up in wonder at all the gloriously decorative buildings. My spirits raised by the warm sunshine. Seeing oodles of adorable dogs, including one particularly fetching Afghan hound. Eating patatas bravas for the 5th meal in a row.
1. Good morning, beautiful buildings 2. Fresh fraise 3. A wonderful optometrist’s sign 4. I always love the bold graphic deign of Metro posters 5. A bit of grit down by the Seine 6. Lock-hunting, seeing if ours still might be there (ha!) 7. Café crème to start the day. Don’t look foolish by asking for café au lait – that’s so 90′s 8.Shakespeare & Co., style-stalking the girl in the mustard tights 9. Marvellous meringues 10. Have you seen this cat? 11. Nice typography 12. Un éclair pistache – soooo good. 13. A couple of silly-faces.
The national treasure in question is my mum! When she said she was sending me some Easter treats I didn’t expect to get a big bag of creme eggs, mini eggs and not one, but two bags of Pineapple Lumps. Oh plumps, how I adore thee. If you haven’t enjoyed the splendour of Pineapple Lumps, they are chewy, soft pineapple flavoured candy, covered in a semi-brittle shell of chocolate… world famous in NZ since 1935. They are especially good after a few hours in the fridge.
I love this series, shot by Rebekkah Farrell and styled by Imogene Pyne for Rouse Magazine. There’s just something about the dated motel aesthetic that appeals to me – especially the scalloped walls. The clothes are gorgeous too, all wonderfully tailored numbers (mostly by New Zealand designers). Can I please have one of everything Juliette Hogan makes?
The sunshine! It has been fantastically sunny in London the last few days, making it an utter joy.
Thom bought me a desk for £10 at a charity shop in Dalston, then carried it home. What a guy.
I met up with Johanna for breakfast and a seriously good coffee.
Visiting Lounge Bohemia, a bookings only Czech themed cocktail joint. It was amazing, like being in someone’s chic grandmother’s living room, only you’re served Lavender Creme Brûlée cocktails and absinthe. The highlight for me was a Bubble Bath Martini, that came with a little yellow ducky floating on the foam.
Brick Lane on a Sunday afternoon – I just love people watching.
Only 3 days of work, then it’s Easter, which means an adventure to Paris and Barcelona by train. Muy bueno.
Hello! My name is Amber Parkin. I'm a writer obsessed with fondue, chesterfield sofas, vintage dresses, foxes, 35mm, and a New Zealander living in London.
Here I like to talk about fashion, design, food, travel, writing & books, and culture. Everything else (including my photography) goes into my digital notebook.
If you'd like to email me the address is amber@codeforsomething.com
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N.B. Due to a most erroneous move on my behalf I recently deleted four years of CFS archives. You may experience some dead links. Please bear with me as content is unearthed and reposted.
