Tag Archives: shopping

london getaway 2016 | day 4

06 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, getaways, london, restaurants, retail therapy, travel, trips

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london day 4

Friday was SHOPPING DAY, as I had a few places I wanted to check out in the Regent & Oxford street area. I hopped on my trusty number 15 bus, which took me directly to Trafalgar Square, just around the corner from Regent Street (not the shortest route, but saved me from having to take the Tube). I got off the bus and immediately lost my 4G connection, so Maps stopped working too. Then I started crossing the square and – who knows why? – just after taking this photo I was overcome by one of the worst panic attacks I’d had in years. In fact, since the whole cancer thing I’d pretty much stopped having attacks, but suddenly there I was terrified in the middle of Trafalgar Square. Somehow I got to the other side and saw two women talking in the street, so I went over and asked them for directions to Regent Street. This calmed me down a bit (distraction therapy) and I was able to carry on, but then realised the time (going on 2 pm) and decided to stop somewhere for lunch first. A nearby-ish recommendation from my Twitter pal Robin @HERMANOPRIMERO proved to be the perfect spot for solo dining.

london day 4 1

I got a place at the bar and ordered a couple of tasty dishes, had a couple of glasses of wine, and thus fortified I was suddenly much less “panicked” and able to head out shopping…

london day 4 (1)hot butter devilled shrimps

london day 4 (2)black pork Kari Dosa with chutneys: coriander, tomato, coconut

What followed was a four-hour shopping expedition, mostly fruitful. I got some new clothes – Sevilla has very little “fat lady” clothes that aren’t awful polyester numbers better suited to grandmothers and maiden aunts. But man, it was hell walking in totally packed Oxford street, with many people staring at their phones as they walked, so bumping into everyone else. At some point I heard back from my friend Lizzie @hollowlegs who said she was able to get away from work early after all and would meet me at Noble Rot Wine Bar for their famous slip sole (apparently one of the trendiest dishes in London atm). Yes! But that meant getting there. From Oxford Street it looked a straighforward walk, but once again I got lost and – once again – Peter came to the rescue, directing via WhatsApp messages. And I finally arrived…

london day 4 (7)
london day 4 (4)slip sole with smoked pimentón butter

london day 4 (5)roast saddleback chop, coco de paimpol beans and salsa verde

london day 4 (3)Lizzie chewing on a bone

It was great to catch up with Lizzie and hear all about her new job. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to join the couple of group dinners I’d arranged so I was really happy she made the extra effort to join me here for a quick bite, even though she had to get up at 5.30 the next morning. We called it quits around 9.30 and Lizzie also helped me order my first Uber! I got home exhausted and happy, and wondering how I was going to fit my new stuff into my already over-stuffed suitcase. There was only one solution – I’d have to buy another bag.

london getaway 2016 | day 2

04 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by in food & drink, friends, holidays, london, travel, trips

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Woke up and had no idea where I was. All I knew was that I was still tired and that I was hungry (having just had crisps for dinner the night before). Luckily I’d had the foresight to bring some Nespresso capsules with me, so I was able to make myself a cup of coffee. But by late morning I realised there was nothing for it but to embark on the WAITROSE DEATHMARCH to stock up on a few basics (a 40 minute walk from the apartment). Not so bad going there as it was a pleasant day and I took the river walk. And I was rewarded by this unexpected view of the Shard when I turned a corner.
london day 2 (1)

But the way back (carrying the shopping) was long and, well, long. So once I got back I was barely hungry anymore and made do with some cheese and crackers I’d bought. About an hour later (maybe 3.30?) I was feeling quite drowsy so decided to lie down for half an hour before meeting my friends Julie & Steve at Vivat Bacchus at 5.45 (dinner at 28º-50º was booked for 7.45).

So imagine my shock when, after lying down and closing my eyes “for a few minutes” I opened them again at exactly 5.45! WTF! I flew out of bed, texted them immediately, had fast shower, threw on some clothes and flew out the door, eventually arriving at Vivat Bacchus 7.00 ish. I felt bad because Julie & Steve had just come in for the afternoon/evening (their train home was booked for 11.30) and I’d lost two precious hours with them.

london day 2 (2)But oh well… as usual we had a wonderful time together. And there was just enough time to enjoy a gorgeous bottle of South African chardonnay (not usually a favourite but this one was amazing) at Vivat Bacchus before heading out for dinner. Julie had even booked our food ahead for us at 28º-50º – the massive ribeye daily special – which was delicious. It was also nice to have everything taken care of and not have to think about what to order, for a change. So we could just relax and enjoy each others company. Next time dinner is on me as J & S will be coming to Sevilla for Christmas and I’ll be in charge of Christmas Eve dinner. Can’t wait.

stocking up and taking stock

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by in home, retail therapy, sevilla, shopping, spain

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stocking up

I always like to take advantage of the summer and winter sales here to stock up on basic stuff like sheets & towels, so today I went out to see what I might find and ended up with a whole whack of towels and one new set of sheets for me. I thought I was being quite decadent until I checked back on the blog (so handy that) and saw that the last time I splashed out on new sheets was in 2013 (I honestly thought it was much more recent). Then I was shocked to see that my last new towel purchase was a year before that! Well, judging by the state of my towels I shouldn’t have been that shocked, but whatever. Now I have lots of everything, though I still want to get a second set of new sheets for me.

What’s weird is that for at least the past 25 years or so, I have never bought patterned sheets. Or coloured towels. I’ve always had a thing for white or off-white when it came to sheets and towels (and nightdresses too, come to that). Okay, a little embroidery was fine, but no colours, other than in quilts and duvet covers. And suddenly today I wanted these happy bright poppies on my sheets and deep blue for the “guest” (actually roommate) towels. Roommate also got new sheets along with the new bed in May, so I am feeling totally up-to-date in that department.

So what to do with the massive pile of old towels and sheets? Well, what I always do with old clothes and such. I wait until after 8 pm and leave them next to the bins up on the main road near me, in unsealed bags so people can easily see what’s inside. And they are usually gone within an hour or so (municipal rubbish pick up is long after midnight).

I don’t even know what’s “normal” when it comes to stuff like this, buying new sheets and towels. Once a year? Every two years? Three? Also, as I said in another blog post, this has never been a huge priority for me. I always prefer to spend my money on experiences. How about you?

mr potato face

18 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in food & drink, markets, sevilla, tapas tours

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mr potato face

The other day I was doing some tapas tour training with Aldara for the We Love Tapas Market Tour and we came across this guy. It reminded me of the very best tomatoes I’d ever tasted, bought out of the boot of a car in a village near Sevilla. They were the lumpiest, most misshapen tomatoes I’d ever seen too. Lately there is a growing trend of shops selling “wonky veg”, along with food that is past its sell-by date, at bargain prices. It’s a great idea, don’t you think? Especially for families on a budget, but really for anyone against wasting food for no reason. I think – and hope – we will see more of these outlets soon.

momma’s got a brand new bag

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by in retail therapy, sevilla, shopping, spain

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new kiplingYep, it’s getting to be a thing with me and these Kipling bags. You may recall my first one (that looks almost exactly like this one but is about 1/3 the size), and then last summer when I was in Madrid I found another one on special offer that I thought would be big enough to be more of an all-purpose bag. Turned out it wasn’t, but it was almost big enough so I kept using it. And then I found this baby. Yeah, that stupid gorilla was the first thing to go, but there is room enough for everything I need to lug around, including my iPad mini when I’m travelling. Really I just like the style of these bags, and the fact that they’re machine washable. I don’t think I’ll ever buy another leather bag again.