Last month, as part of my birthday celebrations, the sun shone after many days of rain and we went to The Landmark for afternoon tea at the Palm Court. I've always thought this room was stunningly beautiful, so it was a joy to be able to spend some time there.

I thought the court with its tall orangery ceiling and towering palms would be the absolute highlight of the day, but the food wasn't too far behind. The tea blend that I picked had vanilla in the mix and was lovely and the sandwiches were simple, but very tasty; egg and truffle was probably my favourite but surprisingly loved the cream cheese and cucumber, too.

All the little pastries were delicious but nothing could top that incredibly smooth and buttery lemon curd; I could easily eat an entire jar with a spoon. We didn't fancy the options for the final slice of cake and instead asked for a couple more small sandwiches. The staff was pleasant and attentive without being oversolicitous.

My husband promised me he didn't tell them it was my birthday, but at the end I was brought this delightfull little pie as a gift. By that point I couldn't eat another thing, so they promptly packed it in a branded box for me to take home.

Even prettier as the night fell and the lights went on:

Ended the evening with drinks at the Globe, under the watchful eye of Lilibet.

It was a lovely day and I'm so happy and grateful to be able to have these experiences and visit such beautiful places.

Sunday, 01 February 2026

January and my birthday have gone so here I am, back to mindful eating, gentle exercising, journaling and trying to get back to my italian and html classes. I'm also trying to be good with money and save up, because I'm probably going to Rio in June/July. But with my tiny budget for frivolities I did hit the local shops and this was my first humble haul: cheap pastel coloured skincare.

None of this is really great but also none of it cost more than £2 and still look pretty on my dressing table so I'll call it a win. And here are the goodies I got from Kenji shop:

The red panda embroidery patch is so darling and will be used to embelish my planner cover. The stars stickers are a repurchase; I still own the first sheet I bought, but I love them so much I had to get another. Couldn't resist the woodland themed one with the tiny mushrooms and brown squirrels, and I am never one to leave cherry blossom stickers behind.

I needed new erasers (the ones I had were useless and just smeared the paper with graffite stains) and this rosy cheeked bunny was the chosen one. Isn't she a cutie?

I have started jury duty, beginner html classes and am slowly working on my doll site, so I haven't had a lot of time to update this blog much. But I'm back editing pictures (I have a huge backlog) and logged off of some of my worst online time drains, so hopefully my life will fall back into rhythm soon.

Thursday, 08 January 2026

Happy New Year! 2025 ended in Somerset (with a glorious winter day, trees heavy with hoar frost) and 2026 started in Somerset (a party at the Cozy Club, where we barely made past midnight and missed the new year's complimentary champagne).

Next morning we drove to the sea in Weston super Mare. The tide was low and the wind was glacial, so we sheltered at a very nice café and I had cheesy fries + soda to soothe a mild hangover. Then we went back to mother in law to cook and serve fish stew. Next morning we finally got to visit Vicar's close in Wells, which is apparently europe's oldest residential street with the original buildings still intact. It was really lovely and I want to go back with my camera. This was followed by a somewhat hungry drive home, since we couldn't find anywhere to eat.

And this was the end and the beginning of my year! Here's to a beautiful 2026, and all I ask for is good health and solvency to me and all my loved ones - and you and yours, too.

(I have archived all the previous entries of this blog and will link to them very soon).