March 2013

St Patrick’s Day in London

by Amber on March 26, 2013

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Another gloomy day, the pain of which was only eased by the presence of strong coffee and dim sum delicacies. We celebrated St Patrick’s day by listening to a pipe band in Leicester Square, taking shelter under strangers’ umbrellas. (Until this weekend I never knew there was an Irish, or uilleann, bagpipe – fancy that!)

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Muscles from Brussels

by Amber on March 23, 2013

Non linear posting ahoy… My trip notes are starting to blur together, and I’m coming and going faster than I can post. Last week I was in Brussels for work. It was snowing heavily, and when we woke up on Tuesday we were snowed into the hotel, then ultimately, every Eurostar train was cancelled, meaning lots of hurried calls and a flight home. I had a really short but sweet time though!

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My favourite Belgian things:

1. Trains – being able to catch a train from my house, under-the-sea then to Belgium in just two hours is mind-blowing.
2. Speculoos – ginger cookies in spreadable form? Yes, please.
3. Beer – cheap Kwak and Kriek in every bar, what more could you want?
4. Friendly people – Brussels sometimes feels like a cute, sweeter version of Paris.
5. Wildlife – the snow was too much for the taxi to take us further, so we walked back to the hotel past some fields… And were treated to the sight of more bunnies that one could count, frolicking in the snow.

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Little & Friday

by Amber on March 20, 2013

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Upturned swappa crates, bone handled knives, flaky mushroom & mozzarella galettes, strong coffee and a fire-engine red hippo. Little and Friday is a breath of fresh air in the form of a cafe for Auckland’s sleepy Belmont neighbourhood.

Little & Friday tart

I ended up here with Mon when we were on an op-shopping mission – it turns out it’s a mere eight houses away from where I grew up on Eversleigh Road. I would have never expected to find such a cool place nearby, but times/me, they are a changing. If you can, get your hands on the Little & Friday cookbook - it’s sumptuous and inspiring.

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Barbican, City of London

by Amber on March 4, 2013

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The joys of forgotten film! It was a cold, but sunny spring day in 2012 when I took these pictures, not too dissimilar to today. This is the Barbican, my favourite place in London. From the concrete Brutalist architecture to the high walks of the estate, the sound-muffling lake and the velveteen belly of the performing arts centre, I love everything about it. It’s my dream to live there one day, fingers crossed we make a milli in the next year or so.

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If you’re ever in London, make sure the Barbican is on your list – whether that’s to see a film, visit the art gallery, or simply hang out next to the lake with a coffee and a good book. Don’t forget to visit the hidden conservatory, too. Built to disguise the theatre’s fly tower, it is home to over 2000 species of tropical plants and trees. That’s where I took the photo of a lonely heart…

Lonely hearts

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