In each others' pockets

M and I met at university and so right from the start we were in each others' pockets, sharing friends, seeing each other in the bar, at the boathouse, in the library, at mealtimes. Going from that to only seeing him at weekends in this past year, whilst he finished off his four year degree in Cambridge and I moved back to London, seemed like a backwards step almost, and I always felt sad every Sunday evening when one or other of us had to head off and catch a train. He has been at home in Northamptonshire this summer meaning more weekend only visits, but in just under a month he is finally moving to London to begin his PhD. He's not moving in with me, but I am just so excited to have him only a tube ride away.

Before the move we have ten days in Nice together, so really there is only the upcoming fortnight left of being based in different locations. The beautiful roses he surprised me with on Friday are keeping me company whilst I while the time away, along with plans of things to do once he is London based.

I am looking forward to Sunday nights spent not alone, but curled up together on the sofa with a DVD, to week night suppers and drinks in the local, to Monday mornings sympathising about the upcoming week over tea and toast, and impromptu weekday lunches.

In addition (and I would never have said this a few years ago, being a born and bred North Londoner) I am actually quite looking forward to getting to know an area of South London (gasp!) better. M will be living near Oval, and though I know the area a bit as Anna has also lived near Oval for the past year, it will be good to explore the area more thoroughly (and have a base following nights out in South London...Vauxhall roller disco here we come!).

Here's to being back in your pocket M.

In defence of summer

I know that we British love to have a good moan, but I do get despondent sometimes when people say that we haven't had a summer at all this year. Yes, the hailstones in July were bizarre, and the unpredictable rain and thunderstorms meant I was caught out without an umbrella on more than one occasion, but we have definitely had many, many hot sunny days in the last few months. There have been barbecues, picnics, outdoor music concerts, garden parties, swims in the open air and numerous meals on the balcony. I have walked to and from work almost every day this summer, and the Wimbledon roof only had to be used once. My shoulders are brown and my sister's nose has its annual smattering of freckles.

This weekend has not been a solid three days of blazing sunshine I had hoped (though today has been beautiful), but I feel it was a fitting fanfare to the final days of summer.

Friday night M and I went to the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park to see 'Hello Dolly'. The performance was delayed due to rain, but we sat in the bar area and sipped our wine, and eventually the skies cleared and we returned to our seats for a fantastic all-singing, all-dancing performance which we watched snuggled up under blankets as the sky got darker and lights came on in the trees.

The Saturday night Hen party / dinner was brilliant; delicious food, free flowing wine and excellent company all made even better by the fact that most of us were staying over and so didn't have to worry about getting home. It was slightly unconventional as there was a mix of boys and girls, but it was so much fun and everyone got on so well that the big mix of people only added to the atmosphere of the evening. The celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning unfortunately ending with one of the party falling off the garden trampoline and breaking his upper arm. Ouch. (Note to self: in future, 3am trampolining after copious amounts of wine is not a good idea, and should not be encouraged.)

Sunday was sleepy, dreamy, with the morning spent drinking many cups of tea and absentmindedly stroking our hosts' cats (too cold for the swimming pool) before getting on a train back to London where we spent the grey afternoon at the flat drinking more tea, eating fruit loaf and napping to try and counteract the effects of the just-three-hours sleep we'd had the night before.

I am afraid to say that we were so exhausted from the previous night's activities that there was far less dancing at Sunday night's party than I had anticipated, but it was still a lovely laid back affair. The garden looked beautiful, lit with burning torches, fairylights and the glowing coals from the barbecue, and it was nice to just sit on the rugs, swaddled in my two cardigans (there was a distinct chill to the air) and chat to friends and nibble on corn cobs. I did do a bit of dancing, because however tired there are some songs you just can't sit down to, but eventually the lure of bed became too overwhelming and we braved the night bus home.

I didn't get my swim this weekend, but I did get an outdoor party and some glorious sunshine this afternoon. Tomorrow is the 1st of September and, my two week holiday in the South of France aside, I do feel ready to embrace autumn*.

*(Although, Met Office, if you're reading, if we could have some nice weather on the 12th that would be just wonderful as it is A & T's wedding and I know they would really appreciate some sunshine. Many thanks.)

The Knitted Tank

(image from MTV)

On the phone to M this morning, walking through the park:

Me: I loved the outfits in the film last night, even the male ones. I'm going to buy you some knitted tank tops to wear in the labs this autumn.

Him: Tank tops are geeky.

Me: Darling, you're about to embark on a three year PhD in Particle Physics, you are geeky.

[offended silence]

Me: But I love geeky.

Him: Thanks.

I'm still not sure I'll get him into one, but if he needs further persuading I can always show him this article from Boxwish. If it's good enough for Brad...

(image from Boxwish)

(Non) Rom-Com

( image from The Guardian)

I know this has been written about a lot recently, especially in the American blogs as this film is already out across the pond, but I have just returned from a free preview screening of (500) Days of Summer with Anna so feel I must post.

We both loved it.

The witty dialogue, the envy-inducing wardrobe, the lust-after apartment interiors. The realism of a relationship that it displayed, albeit in an off-beat, quirky way, complete with a musical style street dancing number at the peak of the relationship and oh so clever split screen to display the protagonist's expectations of a party he attends, compared to the reality.

Relationships aren't perfect, they do end, people don't (or can't) always express what they are thinking, feeling, as eloquently as Dawson's Creek would have us believe. The film breaks down many of the chick flick cliches that we are continually exposed to, and my only quibble would be that it didn't fully follow this through. Without giving anything away, I feel that the film would have been stronger, and I would have left feeling more satisfied with its message (though also, admittedly, more teary), had it finished about 5 minutes before it did.

All in all though, one of the best films I have seen in a good long while and I am very tempted to go see it again next Wednesday when it is out on general release.

Hanging on

Autumn is my favourite season, but I am loathe to say goodbye to summer just yet.

It may be grey outside today, and the rainclouds yesterday evening may have made the sky prematurely dark, so that walking home along rain-slick pavements I felt like it was October, but we haven't even had the August Bank Holiday weekend yet.

I am determined to wear something light and summery to my friend's Hen Party dinner down in Kent on Saturday night, and will be painting my toenails bright pink and packing my polka bikini in preparation for a Sunday spent by her pool.

I am hoping it stays dry on Sunday, so we can stand in the garden at C's Carnival party, as the light slips away behind the trees, and escape to it later on, when the heat from dancing to A's DJ set gets too much. I am not sure if I will make it to the Notting Hill Carnival itself, but if I do, I want to be able to stand in the street and eat corn cobs cooked over hot coals, sun beating down on my back, music throbbing across melting tarmac.

This is all rather optimistic. BBC weather predicts mixed sun and cloud, with highs of just 22 degrees (Celsius). But at least if it doesn't rain that's something.

Meanwhile, more gifts from the Norfolk garden were delivered last night, glowing yellow cherry tomatoes, furry peaches to be ripened on a sunny windowsill and the first of the apples, a marker if ever there was one of the turning seasons.

I can't fight it, and indeed have no real desire to. Autumn is on the horizon, whispering to me.

Countdown

Is it still only Tuesday?

Itching for the weekend already...I have not one, but two parties to go to, Saturday and Sunday(Bank holiday!), and I just can't wait. Ready to put on something sparkly, drink something bubbly and dance in the evening darkness to whatever is being played.

Best of both worlds

A weekend split between the family home in Norfolk and here in London, and I feel lucky to be able to have countryside and city, family and friends, all within the space of a weekend.

Friday

I leave work early so we just miss the rush hour traffic, and get driven up to Norfolk in a 1963 Jaguar e-type that Dad has hired for the weekend. Low to the ground, fast, and resulting in multiple salutes and nodded acknowledgements from other classic car drivers we pass on route, especially those leaving Duxford airfield, as Spitfires roar overhead.

Barbecue in the garden, smoky peppers, blackened courgettes, grilled halloumi. Evening visit to the stable to feed S's horse, catching up with my sister in the barn as hay is munched and swallows dip in and out of the rafters overhead. Poo-picking in the field (ah, the things you do for a sibling!) as the last rays of the evening sun come across the hedge. Home-made strawberry ice-cream and Fame on DVD later on. Love the legwarmers and headbands.

Saturday

A morning wander round the charity shops, buying up a few books and a couple of china swans for a friend's wedding that I am doing the flowers for. Lavender picking in the garden to bring back to London for C, honey bees and Cabbage White butterflies for company. Lunch outdoors, tomato and basil bruschetta follwed by sweetcorn picked from Mum's vegetable garden half and hour before, juicy and so so sweet, with melted butter and sea salt. I had forgotten how much I love this vegetable.

A train ride back to London, where I meet M at the flat to get ready to go out for a friend's birthday. At The Porterhouse in Covent Garden I drink various fruit beers (which I have come to appreciate since Bruges) whilst M drinks dark, bitter pints that taste of burnt toast. Twenty of us then head to Wahaca to eat, and though we wait for an hour for a table, one scoop of creamy, lemony guacamole later I am hooked. The food came quickly (one we were finally seated), the staff were friendly and my summer vegetable burrito was delicious. M and I walk back to mine through Leicester Square, past Piccadilly, up Regent Street and I am full of love this busy, vibrant city. M is finally moving to London in a month and I can't wait to discover a new area of it with him.

Sunday

Lazy morning, raspberry pancakes, orange juice, balcony door open wide to let in the morning sunshine. A trip to the farmers' market, a bunch of sunflowers with fat, heavy heads, a box of tomatoes, a couple of corn cobs.

In the afternoon we head to Hampstead Heath with some friends, and brave the ponds again. The sun is on the water this time, and the surface looks green and more inviting. We swim for longer than before, then pick a sunny spot elsewhere on the Heath to spread out our towels and dry out in the warm breeze, laughing at the antics of a boisterous Jack Russell nearby.

Later, we barbecue on my balcony, making the most of the final hours of the sun-filled weekend. The first of the peppers are burnt beyond recognition but once we peel of the black skin they are soft and deliciously sweet within.

I wake up this morning to the last of the pancake batter, feeling completely relaxed and fully topped up with Vitamin D.