The V&A

Last Sunday I spent the afternoon at the Victoria and Albert museum in South Kensington.

I love this place so much, not least because the building itself is utterly beautiful and you can't turn your head without stumbling on some charming detail. From the cafe which is housed in the most amazing room with stained glass windows and rich decor, to the entry hall which is lit with an enormous glass chandelier...every corner of this building is considered.

Dad and I went to the decode digital design exhibition which is hugely interactive, in fact you can see him second row down two in from the right of the screen in the bottom picture.

I also spent hours on the top floor taking in the exhibition of ceramics which is far more interesting than it sounds! Best of all is a film of the potter Lucy Rie who was interviewed by David Attenborough. She is the most amazing woman, Austrian born she worked from her studio in London to make her much sought after pottery. The V&A have reconstructed her studio and the short film shows David Attenborough hanging onto her feet as she lowers herself into her kiln to inspect her work.

I can't mention the V&A without talking about the shop which is filled with a mix of some of the most beautifully designed products I have ever seen. At Christmas my parents bought me a beautiful silk dressing gown which they'd originally seen at the V&A and it is the most beautiful item I own. it's such a great destination for buying gifts and cards - and sort of guilt free shopping as you're taking in some culture at the same time.

Mistletoe and wine

London town has been dipped in glitter and sprinkled with Christmas cheer over the last fortnight and I have been loving snapping the decorations and window displays as I dash around town.

The late November weather has been cold, wet and very windy so a lot of these photos were taken in the few moments between downpours, just before I had to run back to shelter.

My mind is turning to Christmas shopping, planning for Paris and what I am going to enjoy eating while in France.

I am about to sit down to enjoy Jordan Ferneys' fantastic guide to Paris and then create my own itinerary which doubtless we will completely ignored once there in favour of hours spent in cafes and parks.

This weeks activities include a cinema date with a gaggle of girls and the world's most adored vampire (I only managed to see Twilight last Friday and now completely get the R-Patz thing having previously been fairly snooty about him), a dinner cooked for me by extended family in Wandsworth and a date with my beloved to round off the week.

Catch up

I failed in my daily updates. I do have an excuse but it is a rubbish one so I won't bore you.

Here are some photos from the last few weeks to make up for it.

October has been a beautiful month in London. Bright, sunny, cold and crisp days which are my favourite kind. Lots of cooking (I made my first pie last night), gorgeous meals out and seeing friends. Being completley broke has meant I have travelled far and wide to see friends who are generously cooking for me, and I'm very grateful for their kindness and culinary skills.

I also offer you a recommendation, a little bit of an insight into my mind which is sort of what I promised. This is my favourite blog in the world. It puts mine to shame, so I expect to never see you again - and I understand. She is, without doubt, one of the funniest writers out around and I was so thrilled when she featured my friend Max as one of her cute boys last year. He got an overwhelming reaction -and believe it or not it wasn't me over and over!

Catching up with an old friend

I just indulged in my ultimate lazy weekend which kicked off with a very nasty hangover and finished with a Sunday night Swayze celebration in front of the new TV.

In between I cooked a favourite dish, walked around Queens Park, revisited The Godfather, ate several ham and cheese toasties and slept for a total of 24 hours.

The early days of Autumn have offered some wonderful weather so far and the weekend have me a chance to take out my mended camera for a long awaited session.

Downtime

My beloved camera is currently at the repair shop being worked on. She is only 6 months old and I am trying to get over my annoyance and disappointment. Tomorrow is Queens Park day where I was planning on getting extremely snap happy.

As such I have been trawling my photo library and until I get her back will make do with the selection of pictures from the last few weeks. I hope she isn't gone too long because the light at the moment is amazing.

The last picture is of the most amazing mozzarella, avocado, roast vegetable and sun dried tomato salad I ate at Chamomile on England's Lane.

Today is the first day I have spent on my own in several weeks. I am immensely enjoying being able to indulge in all my guilty pleasures (also known as secret single behaviour) including:

• Still being in my pyjamas at 2:30pm
• Drinking real and very strong coffee as if it were water
• Listening to the new Whitney and Leona singles on repeat
• Meals including melted cheese and tomato puree on toast and yogurt with cinnamon crunchies (previously Cinnamon Grahams, thank you Z for re-connecting me with this pleasure!)
• Creating inspiration boards for both my new haircut and my first tattoo (hello dad!?)
• Watching Holiday Airport, Come Dine With Me and Holiday Showdown.

Shameful

Up, up and away

The autumn days bring with them conkers, chunky jumpers, fireside gatherings, hot chocolate and kite flying. Hence I can't be too sad about saying farewell to summer.

One and other

I am completely glued to the webcam showing footage of members of the public on the fourth plinth on Trafalgar Square.

Visit here to see what is happening now.

For those who don't know what I'm on about; the fourth plinth has been taken over by Anthony Gormley, a British sculptor who is famous for works including Angel of the North and the lonely men which took over Crosby beach (near Liverpool) and also spent a time on top of some of London's tallest buildings. Gormley has invited members of the public to spend an hour on the plinth over the next few months and people have applied in their thousands.

The webcam is clear as crystal, and it is addictive watching what each occupier of the plinth chooses to do. Nice to see so many have chosen to do something for charity (i.e. beg for money, release sponsored balloons etc) and it will be good to see other creative ways people choose to spend their fifteen (well, sixty) minutes of fame.