A taste of London

After rainy Friday I stayed overnight with our elder daughter and woke to sunshine and the prospect of a happy day ahead.
We hopped on a bus for a short ride to Clerkenwell for brunch.

It was warm enough to sit outside

but we didn't!

We went inside and settled to the serious business of choosing what to eat.

Oh, what to choose...

Mmm, raspberry and ricotta pancakes, and for me, the spicy waffles.

A long central table had been set out with glasses and jugs of bloody Mary's and in due course the stag party arrived, all adorned in matching bow ties, with the groom-to-be wearing red. Such a happy tableful of men I had to take a photo and as soon as I did so all their cameras and phones came out so that I could record the event for them also.

Hunger pangs dealt with, we were free to wander wherever we wished. There are so many delightful and tranquil  places to be found all over London, even on a busy Saturday morning. This church cloister is just across the road from the Modern Pantry.

We went to one of our favourite streets, Lamb's Conduit, and to Persephone, a lovely bookshop where everything is tempting. (Check out their site, persephonebooks.co.uk)

Then along to the LRB. I'm a member and their bi-monthly magazine is posted to me. It is a joy to visit really good independent bookshops. Not to mention the LRB coffee shop and it's cakes, (which we felt obliged to sample).. delicious!

After visiting another bookshop on Wigmore Street we dipped into the designer Margaret Howell's shop. Such desirable clothes and a lovely autumn display of rosehip branches.

The assistant looked wonderful, her hairstyle was pure Dora Carrington. I love this cut.

"Have a change, Mum," said daughter. I think that she is tired of me looking lop-sided!

We did a lot of looking and a little bit of shopping in the sort of long-established shops that are increasingly hard to find outside London. Rothe and Son have been going for many years.

Their window displayed a taste of London.

I had such a lovely day and caught the evening train back home to the country, all talked out!