A new home

I have moved. Please update your feeds and bookmarks. New home

Spring has sprung

• Planting hardy perennials in the flower beds

• Filling terracotta pots with seasonal pansies and primroses

• Feeding the roses

• Scarifying the lawn

• Watering the garden after the morning's first coffee

• Knitting in the garden as Little Planet plays

• Devouring gardening magazines and websites

• Opening all the windows and the back door to let fresh air course through the house for several hours

• Hoovering behind cupboards and sofas

• Emptying and cleaning kitchen cupboards

• Eating roast spring lamb with homemade mint sauce then stewing the leftovers with pumpkin and pomegranate molasses

• Preparing Easter school holiday activities for Little Planet

• Planning Easter weekend activities for house guests

• Trying not to get too angry with the birds who wake me up with their dawn chorus

• Watching two resident robins nuzzle our lawn and flowerbeds for worms; seeing their fledgling learn to fly

• Booking refresher driving lessons as I haven't driven in ten years; a fresh start

• Sorting through my Spring and Summer wardrobe and wearing short sleeves outside

• Looking forward to the heat of Summer

Reading matters

Mr Planet has been working long hours over the last few months (he's a lawyer and a case of his is coming to trial) so once Little Planet is in bed I have found myself with a good couple of hours in the evening to read. Here are some of the books I've loved and want to re-read:

Unfortunately, some of the books I've read have totally sucked: Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child (the writing was wooden and the plot simply plodded along, though perhaps I should give this another chance as I usually like Hollinghurst), Amanda Addison's Laura's Handmade Life (which I only bought as it was about a woman who sews, more fool me!) and Stephanie Meyer's Twilight (because I wanted to see what the fuss was about, again with the "more fool me!").

I'm currently reading Gil McNeil's Divas Don't Knit, which is is a light, chick-lit read and which I only bought because it involves knitting. Also, Haruki Murakami's most excellent What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

Out and about

One of the many reasons I love living in London is the endless opportunities to do things. Yet I am always taking this forgranted and forgetting to blog about them. So to recap on some recent activities...

Mr Planet and I have celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by dining out on fantastic Polish food at the restaurant and vodka bar Baltic in Southwark.

We've collected bark, twigs and leaves and chased pigeons in Russell Square, taken Little Planet out for burgers and fries at Byron near Holborn and shopped (in Marylebone) for bedding and photo frames at The White Company, children's books at Daunts and steaks at The Ginger Pig.

We've gorged on ice creams (green tea, orange, chocolate) at Lick in Soho.

I've been to the cinema to watch the fun and quirky Young Adult.

Over the next few weekends and months, we've booked or plan to see... Complicite's production of The Master and Margarita at the Barbican, Robert Wilson and Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach at the Barbican, English National Ballet's My First Sleeping Beauty at the Peacock Theatre with Little Planet, David Hockney at the Royal Academy and Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern.

And with the weather picking up, there are the Royal Parks and, closer to home, the Heath to romp around in again. Winter has been spent shrugging one cold or tummy bug after the other off so I am looking forward to Spring.

Days like these

The re-writing continues, slowly but surely.

This picture frame allows me to rotate Little Planet's artwork.

Little Planet made a combined Valentine's Day and 5th Wedding Anniversary card for us.

I got this cute little knitting counter free in a magazine.

My mother bought this cushion cover in Assam, India.

A light snack.

Little Planet's breakfast plate.

My first cable scarf; my first ever attempt at cable stitch.

I finished sewing these linen tablemats yesterday.

Little Planet is so into her princesses these days that they marry each other, have children together (only daughters), and men are strictly not allowed to enter their world.

Popping in and out again

Life is busy, life has always been busy, yet right now I am not bothered about blogging any of it. For now. A summary then: Week days are filled with looking after Little Planet and arranging endless (but very fun) activities for her (gym, sports) after preschool and playdates rotated among four of her little friends. Also sewing (linen placemats, patchwork quilts), knitting (more scarves). And the big activity: The Novel (third draft now). Weekends are spent with Mr Planet and Little Planet going out to museums, galleries, eating out and generally enjoying London. Plus Church (for me and occasionally Little Planet).

Until next time...