British weather, cozy times and London style

We love Summer, the outdoor and the beach, but having a day off where it's actually raining is rare and really fun in Sydney, especially if all you want to do is to cuddle up with your family, read, snuggle and watch movies.
We had a day like this, a day that felt a bit like London. And home. Just a little bit.
We just got a new couch and framed some more pictures on the wall, we start to really feel at home here.
Wearing some new British and cozy shirts and puppy Dalston loving his new very British floral style doggie snugglebed , we were recharging and thinking of good old times and exciting new ones while enjoying to be just in the moment. I even wore a silk scarf on my head, like I used to wear it in London a lot.
While we usually don't miss the weather the unique and cool street style over in the U.K. is certainly missed.
The bed is so bouncy and comfy that Dalston kept jumping on it, and while he usually sleeps on the cool floor during these summer days, he now spends every lazy minute on his pretty daybed.
Joules was generous to send us these beautiful items and we couldn't be happier with them.

I think we will be back for some more online shopping real soon.

It's the odd rainy day, that we are very happy about right now over here.

Celebrations, Autumn walks and Design

This weekend was full of celebration time. 
The best news of the week and reason for extra celebrations was that Dave got a fantastic design job confirmed for Sydney! I am so excited and happy, it's just the best start!
It was his birthday too, and we will fill you in soon with a birthday party post.
I took him out for a big Autumn walk along the river and across Tower Bridge to the Design Museum. We got some great inspiration.
It was exciting to wear my new Autumn wardrobe out, and enjoying the chillier weather.
It just felt so good to be outdoors.
I got a new lightweight burgundy coat, a gorgeous birdie print (head-) scarf and a tan leather bag all sponsored by the Swedish clothing company Ellos, which are just perfect for this season.
Now that Dave's job is confirmed we are now busy planning my freelance career: Updating my Portfolio, working on new business cards, organizing photo shoots.
There is plenty to do. Fingers crossed things will fall into place for me as well.
Ideas keep buzzing through my head, there is so much I want to realize and am looking forward to start working in Sydney.
Every day I am falling more and more in love with this man, planning everything that lays ahead of us, brings us even closer together. Nothing makes me happier then working on creative projects together.

brixton village vs chili & cornbread home cooking challenge

Appreciating how lucky we are to call this great city our home for some time,
there are still places we haven't explored yet, so we made a list to make sure we will
visit most of them. Being tourists in our own city to see more.
It's easy to fall into your daily routines and sticking around your own neighborhood,
especially when you are working a lot and lived in a city a couple of years.
It's important to see everything with fresh eyes from time to time and to step out.

We explored the Brixton Village where you can find  the best pizza in the whole of London at Franco Manca.
It's all organic sour dough pizza, you have to try! We loved the atmosphere in the night markets,
and beside tasting the most delicious pizza ever, we saw so many places around there, that we would like to try.
We found an not spectacular looking gelato place for desert, which had the best ice cream I have had in London. Laboratoria Artigianale del Buon Gelato, or LAB G , where Giovanni Giovinazzo makes best ice creams outside of Italy.
We will be back. 

At home we have been cooking with friends, a way too big vegetarian chili with homemade cornbread.
A papaya salad, fresh salsa and guacamole and tortilla chips as side and a lime/kiwi cheesecake for desert.
I am still stuffed, days later!
Our friend Sadie, doesn't like cooking but somehow managed this challenge and served us this most amazing dinner. The cornbread turned into floor-bread when she dropped the burned loaf but the taste was incredible. Thanks Sadie.
Oh yes, we will miss our friends and this house!

Dave just took off for a weeks business trip to Sydney taking an extra suitcase of things already down there. A very lucky coincidence.
I guess I am subconsciously more stressed about the move than I would like to admit , cause I have had real trouble sleeping this week, which made every day a bit of a struggle.  
Some yoga and no coffee this week will fix me hopefully.

fresh flowers, great portraits + good pizza

   

This Sunday we had a little vacation from all the planning lately.
We went to the beautiful flower market at Columbia Road.
If you ever spent a weekend in London, this is a great place to go.
I love it every time.  Besides all the fresh flowers, the road is full of little artsy boutiques and studios.
Dave grabbed some Calamari for 1.50 and spent some time smelling wonderful fragrances in Angela Flanders old and magical perfumes shop.
The afternoon, we spent in the National Portrait Gallery, where we saw the BP Portrait Award.
Which showcases the very best in contemporary portrait painting from around the world.
It was very inspiring! One of the best exhibitions I have seen in some time.
Photography is not allowed within the gallery : ( so no pics to share.
Sunday night Pizzas have somehow become a new little routine lately, and we had a fabulous one for dinner.

Home is where ever I am with you

This is what made our week:

1. Sunshine, sunshine & sunshine.
2. Multiple BBQ's in the park
3. Roasting marshmellows for desert on the bbq.
4. Writing our London tour guide as guest post for Simply Us: here.
5. While writing this, appreciating the great city we live in and seeing it with new eyes.
6.Dave became an uncle! Welcome, little Marcus Lee into this world (we can't wait to meet him soon)
7. Getting our one way tickets to Sydney. It starts to feel real and butterflies arrived in my belly.
8. Hanging out together after David has been sent overseas for several business trips.
9. Listening to Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros. (We love their song Home)
10. The idea that we can feel home anywhere together.

You can tell it's summer, when all the windows of our building are WIDE open.
It feels good.

What made your week?