3 things to smile about #3

Well, hasn't it been a while since my last post here my lovelies? That's summer for you: time slows down, you start fiddling with your new home, visiting places and people, and before you know it you realise it's nearly over. And all those lovely posts you'd planned just got totally side-tracked. So, now it's time to catch up and get back in the swing of things before we're all back in school. And what better way to ease my way back in than to talk about some of the nice things that made me smile recently?

Doesn't that just make you instantly happy, hey? Works a charm for me every time.

Next, Anthropologie. I get serious home furnishing cravings every time I go. Fortunately I don't go too often. But seriously, how cute are those initial hangers and door knobs? For me it's a great source of inspiration, and I find visiting the main store on Regent St ever so relaxing.

Another foodie one I'm afraid! Not only are those Maitre Choux eclairs perfect for IG photos, but they also taste super nice. Don't get me wrong, they are pricy, but well worth a little detour if you're in South Ken. Yummy!

Easter Baby

This year's early Easter coincided with Baby's third birthday, which gave us the opportunity to see family and to organise a small first party in our new house (more on the new house later, we're still feeling our way around it, but gosh, is it nice to have your own place at last!)
Baby J could not have been happier with her birthday. I saw lots of hanging balloons on Pinterest lately and tried it the night before the big day - man, the look on her face when she saw them in the morning was priceless, I have never seen that look of amazement on her before, like "really, all this for me?" Then presents, then grandparents arriving without her knowing, then a whole day at London zoo, and then my delicious but not very "together" pecan cake (Delia's recipe here), wow, what a day for our big girl. And what proud, happy parents she makes us.

DIY tips
 ♥ For the balloons, I used some simple masking tape and raffia ribbons, we're lucky to have the right kind of skylight to hand them on to, but Pinterest has loads of ideas for balloons hanging off doorframes etc too.
 ♥ The cake really was nice, honest, especially the caramelised pecans and mascarpone cream BUT do not let a three-year-old dictate the decoration of said cake, stick to Delia's, or wait until the very last minute to add your hundreds and thousands!

little pleasures

Life is complicated enough, so I'm trying not to overcomplicate mine this Autumn. One thing I am doing though, is trying out a few of the recipes featured on the Great British Bake Off. Obviously, I've had to draw the line somewhere - Victorian fowl pies? nope. Madeira cake and proofing-free bread? Most definitely. The Padron peppers are from Waitrose, and have nothing to do with the Bake Off, but I was so happy to find them in an English supermarket!

Last weekend I took Baby to see her first fair, which she loved, right down to the eurotrash songs blasting out of the speakers. Cute - in a cringy sort of way. The fair always comes to town this time of year, and I guess before we know it, Baby J will be big enough to go on the rides all by herself for the first time. I'm realising we are in a real transitinal phase at the moment, full of first times and last times. A bit like the autumnal season itself I guess: last time you wear your summer dress, first time you put the heating on, that sort of thing.

La vie est assez compliquée comme ca, alors j'essaie de me simplifier la mienne cet automne. Par contre, je me suis lancé le défi d'essayer quelques unes des recettes du Great British Bake Off. Cela dit, il a bien fallu tirer un trait quelque part - tourte victorienne au faisan? nan. Quatre-quart et pain sans levain? Absolument. Les poivrons Padron viennent de chez Waitrose, et n'ont rien a voir avec le Bake Off, mais j'étais tellement contente d'en trouver dans un supermarché anglais!

Le weekend dernier j'ai emmené Bébé a sa premiere vogue, qu'elle a adorée, jusqu'aux chansons bien pourries qui sortaient des sonos. Plutot atendrissant, avec une sérieuse pointe d'embarras. La vogue vinet toujours a cette époque de l'année, et j'imagine que d'ici peu Bébé sera assez grande pour pouvoir monter sur les maneges toute seule pour la premiere fois. Je me rends compte que nous sommes dans une phase pleine de transisitons en ce moment, pleine de premieres fois et de dernieres fois. Un peu comme l'automne, en fin de compte: derniere fois qu'on porte une robe d'ete, premiere fois qu'on met le chauffage, ce genre de choses. 

Sketch London

Sketch is definitely a curious place, and if you're into quirky trendy places then this is where you need to head. I am not going to lie, overall I really liked it. The bill is a bit expensive, sure, but you pay for the atmosphere and oh, does it deliver. Service was ok, not perfect, and the food was nice. Tea was yummy, but more importantly, the Gallery is an exquisite room that makes you feel like you're in a giant pink doll house. The art on the wall comes as a big contrast, but then it's all pretty funny and tongue-in-cheek.
I spent a lovely couple of hours there with my relatives and it was a great opportunity to give my Mum to an early Mother's Day treat. Next time I go, though, I want to try one of their other rooms, the Glade, and it will involve cocktails. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Sketch est un lieu bien curieux, et si ce genre d'endroit un peu décalé et à la mode vous plait, alors courez-y. Pour tout vous dire, franchement ca m'a plu. Bon, c'est sur, la note est un peu salée, mais on paie pour l'ambiance et là, rien ne manqué à l'appel. Le service était pas mal mais pas parfait, et les petites gourmandises bonnes. Le thé était divin, mais surtout, la "Gallery" est une sale superbe qui vous donne l'impression d' être dans une énorme maison de poupée. Les illustrations au mur y sont complètement en contraste, mais c'est à prendre au second degré.
J'y ai passé deux heures très agréables avec ma mère et ma tante, et ca a fait un cadeau de fête des mères ideal. La prochaine fois que j'irai, c'est décidé, je visiterai plutot leur sale "Glade", et ce sera pour déguster un cocktail ou deux. Après tout, il faut savoir varier les plaisirs.

jar presents

Last month a couple of parents-to-be moved into a new home. One of them being my half-brother, something had to be done. I quickly put together this jar between my mock exams and getting ready for a holiday and shipped it over to France in time to welcome them home. I have to admit, it's not the first time I dabble into jar presents (Mr Lavender and I had organised some cookie mix for our guests as a wedding favour, as you can see below) but Pinterest has really helped me realise the potential to extend the range way beyond what I thought was possible to put in a simple jar.
I always loved jars anyway - who doesn't? she thinks to herself, a small part of her hoping she's not a complete weirdo for saying that...
and now I think I'm in danger of becoming an addict at making presents in jar.

Le mois dernier un jeune couple de presque parents a emménagé dans leur nouveau chez-eux. Comme l'un d'eux est mon demi-frère, je me devais de faire un geste. J'ai vite rempli ce petit bocal entre les examens blancs et les valises à préparer pour les vacances et l'ai envoyé en France juste à temps pour les accueillir. Je dois avouer que ce n'est pas la première fois que je donne dans le cadeau bocal (Mr Lavender et moi avions fait des bocaux avec préparation à cookies pour nos invités lors de notre mariage, comme vous pouvez le voir plus bas) mais Pinterest m'a fait prendre conscience du potential incroyable des cadeaux en bocal, bien au-delà de ce que je croyais possible.
J'ai toujours adoré les bocaux, pas vous? se dit-elle en espérant ne pas complèement passer pas pour une folle dingue et maintenant je me vois sur le point de devenir carrément accro à ces petits cadeaux en verre.

Trying the recipe out at home a few months before

Chain work a couple of days before D-day

Finished favour ready for our guests. The lovely envelopes are from Un Beau Jour and contain a recipe card

afternoon tea in style

If you're going to do afternoon tea, than you might as well do it in style, no? Fortnum & Mason is the place to go, and on Saturdays they have the added bonus of a pianist serenading you throughout the afternoon. The occasion that day back in late January was to celebrate one of my colleague's 50th birthday.
Everything was just lovely, so lovely in fact that I was over two hours late back home. But hey, one doesn't have the comfort of going out as much these days, so one must make the most of it. And the fun carried on at home for a little bit longer, as F& M gives you an adorable take-away bag for all the cakes you didn't manage to eat.
Wearing white top from Anthopologie and new KG shoes. Oh yes, I lived it up really good that day!

Du moment qu'on décide de se faire un Afternoon Tea à l'anglaise, autant y aller franchement, non? Fortnum & Mason est l'endroit idéal pour ca, et le samedi ils ont même un pianiste qui vous joue la sérénade tout l'apres-midi. Ce jour-la fin janvier je fêtais les 50 ans d'une de mes collegues.
Tout était parfait, si parfait en fait que j'avais plus de deux heures de retard quand je suis rentrée. Mais bon, quand on n'a plus trop l'occasion de sortir, on en profite quand on peut. Et le fun continue à la maison puisque F & M vous donne un joli petit paquet à emporter si vous n'avez pas réussi à finir toutes vos petites gâteries sur place.
Je porte un haut Anthopologie et des nouvelles chaussures KG. Comme je vous disais, on en profite!