Life in Laaandon!!

Travelling through London on the underground is definately an experience. Commuters take on the persona of rats, scurrying about and dodging each other as they zigzag across foyers to reach the escalators.

Business people in their dark suits run around with fashion victims with their builders boots and geek chic glasses. Occassionally there is a break in the uniform. A man with a red bucket full of his window cleaning kit stands at the platform edge among the suits, a couple stop for a kiss as the world rushes past them.

At the minute, I am spending a lot of time in London, Soho to be exact, and one of the best things about London is all the pretty places to sit down and take in the world away from the busy (and I mean ridiculously busy!) streets.

The main feature of Soho Square is a small tudor style cottage where Snow White would be quite at home.

Two multicoloured elephants sit at opposite ends of the square. It's wicked to see something so funky and colourful.

Sitting in the square I watched a woman do three laps with her massive dog (which to me looked more like a pony!), a Japanese woman sits on a bench looking as if she is waiting for something, staring in to space. The next bench is being used as a bed by a man tucked up in his tartan blanket.

Three others sit in the corner of the square sharing a bottle of wine. 9am, that's a perfectly reasonable time to start drinking...right?

The bench I'm sitting on has a small plaque that reads:

"A King returns to the square
Florence Alice King 1917- 2004
Born and bred in Theatre Land
All the world's a stage and we are merely players."

Usually I find these plaques a bit pointless, but this one seems sincere and beautifully sentimental. It could be my soft spot for Shakespeare, or maybe just that whoever wrote this dedication put some genuine thought in to it.

So this is where I will be spending some of my time for the next few weeks. Hopefully I will make it out of the park and explore the area a little bit more, but for now I am happy just sitting in the sunshine taking in London town.

Dunstable: Sunshine and Buttercups

Having recently moved back home after a three year stint at uni, it's nice to explore my home town of Dunstable with somewhat fresh eyes. Relive experiences I had when I was younger, picnics with my family and lazy summer days with my boyfriend.

I can't say I have always (or ever) loved Dunstable, however a little bit of sunshine made me see it differently. The Downs (or the up and downs as the kids call them) is a lovely little area to spend an afternoon chilling out, flying kites...well trying, and taking in my little surroundings.

On days when the sun comes out, it's a really pretty place to escape the boarded up shop fronts and smile at the sight of a million and one buttercups.

Oh Chester, how I've missed you!

Back in 2006, before I moved even further north to the 'Lizzle, I worked for the best part of a year in the Chester YHA.

The YHA has since closed, and I hadn't been back since I left, so getting to take a little day trip to the place where I discovered the wonders of charity shops and dancing all night was fabulous!

You know the feeling you get when you haven't seen somebody you love for a while, excited bubbles in your belly? That's how I felt as my train rumbled into Chester station.

Wandering up City Road, it all started to come back to me..."Oh I remember having a drink there" and "Awww, that's where Celia drunkenly dropped her purse and scattered the contents all over the road.." (Yes, I also discovered the art of drinking here).


Once in the city, I can see that thankfully, not a lot has changed. There are a couple of new shops, but it's still the same old place it was.The black and white buildings that are a symbol of Chester still house modern clothes shops, the Clock Tower still looks over the city , the only thing missing today is the roaring Roman Centurian.

A man shouts "BIG ISSUE! THIS WEEK'S BIG ISSUE!" at passers by as they go about their business.

After rumaging around the million charity shops that the tiny city centre has, and a little mooch around the new vintage shop where a woman talks about the wonders of having a tortoise and how great it is to have a pet for 50 years, I take a little stroll down to the river.

It seems so far away from the busy centre, so calm and peaceful. Fat pigeons waddle about scavenging for food, only to find the occassional cigarette butt.

Being back in the place where I spent many happy a day bargain hunting, chilling in the sunshine by the river and generally having a great time definately made me smile.

"Oh Chester, how I've missed you!"

Small town's scheme makes a big difference

Most of you won’t have heard of Todmorden, but buried away in this small, yet busy market town in West Yorkshire a revolution has taken place. The town of Todmorden launched the Incredible Edible scheme, growing their own fruit and vegetables to highlight the importance of local produce.

Two years ago, after an inspiring visit to a conference, Pam Warhurst sat in her friend Mary Clear’s kitchen and told her that they needed to change the way they thought about where their food came from.

The scheme initially began with a seed swap, during which time residents grew vegetables in their own gardens. It then grew with the local council essentially selling areas of land to people for £10 which led to edible produce being planted around the town.


Today, after involvement with the local primary care trust, fruit such as rhubarb and cranberries can be found growing outside the station and the health centre.

A previously unused patch of land has now been prepared to grow vegetables after positive talks with Network Rail. The vegetables will be planted by local volunteers, and once the vegetables start growing, anybody can pick and enjoy them.

Walking through Todmorden, I can see why the scheme has worked so well. Todmorden seems like a very tight community. People are standing and chatting to each other, greeting everybody who passes them with an “Ah-riiight” in their thick Yorkshire accent, an accent that even comes through in the one piece of graffiti by the canal. A poster asking “What sort of dog owner are you?” has gained the response “Reet Fluffy!” in neat letters underneath.

Inside the Market Hall, stalls sell a variety of products, from craft supplies to meat. The market butcher proudly displays a sign that all the meat is from his own farm. The “local products for local people” school of thought is evident throughout the town, with independent shops, such as the butcher, the grocers and the general store dominating the High Street, rather than chain stores.


After the original success of Incredible Edible, a new Every Egg Matters campaign was launched last spring. Residents are encouraged to keep free range hens to provide eggs for their families and sell any extra eggs to neighbours and other members of the community.

In an article in the local paper, the Todmorden News, Beryl Tyrer explains “People are a bit nervous about starting with hens, but if you have a garden or a bit of land and you get prepared before they arrive, they are quite easy to keep.”

The Incredible Edible scheme has been a great success for Todmorden, in terms of producing local food. It has also inspired other areas of the UK to follow in their footsteps with schemes now up and running in York, London and Ramsbottom, and there is also interest from Switzerland to introduce a similar scheme there.

The scheme has been in effect for a while now, so what does the future hold? Team member Estelle Brown says “Incredible Edible is still expanding and being planned, that never ends. It kind of grows organically just like the fruit, vegetables and hens.”

Snowdrop searching in Kircudbright

I’m sure this year everybody has had enough of snow. Snowdrops on the other hand are very pretty and don’t bring the country to a stand still. February marks the beginning of the snowdrop festival in Scotland, and many attractions celebrate the bloom of this tiny white flower by opening their garden gates to the public.

Broughton House, in the small fishing town of Kirkcudbright is one of a number of places to celebrate the snowdrop. The tiny garden has a small number of the wintery flower in it, as well as a fat, one eyed cat called Oscar.

I have to say that unfortunately, festival was over selling it a bit; however, Kirkcudbright is a very sweet and quaint little place.

The alley way that leads to Broughton House’s garden also leads to a small harbour where a number of small boats bob around in the water. The landscape for a part is picture perfect, but a slight move to the right unveils an area that is a little less picturesque.

The town itself, once the small number of school children have dispersed is quiet, but not dull. Around every corner there seems to be another alleyway, often leading to somebody’s home.

Although I have to say I was disappointed at the lack of snowdrops, the two hours I spent wandering around Kirkcudbright were not wasted.

Vintage fun in a cosy Carlisle cafe

Tucked away on Abbey Street away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre is a cosy cafe called Foxes Cafe Lounge.

On Tuesday night, Foxes played host to the Vintage Tea Party, where guys and girls could browse brooches, bags and some particularly Jackie O-esque sunglasses while sipping on hot chocolate, coffee and cocktails.

Many saw it as an oportunity to showcase their penchant for clothing of days gone by, dressing in an apropriate uniform, from bold prints to prom dresses. The shared affection that everybody had for their surroundings created a relaxed and chatty atmosphere.

Foxes has a bohemian look whatever day of the week, but Tuesday, it was transformed with tea light candles lighting up the room from within vintage china teacups, scarves hung across the ceiling to form fabric bunting and handmade cupcakes creating an even more homely feel.

All of a sudden the place grew in volume, both in sound and people. Cosy armchairs became our escape from the eager shoppers, and although some people may not find the 'sardine in a tin' feel I had when trying to negotiate a path around the three tables covered in vintage goodies, the sheer excitement at spotting a small polka dot butterfly pot meat that even having my toes trodden on multiple times didn't matter.

Quiet days filled with snow

Apparently you know you're a grown up when you see snow and think "oh god, how am i going to get to work?"

It could be the fact that I am on my christmas holidays from uni, or the fact that I don't work right now that means I don't get that feeling. I still get excited when I see snow. I love snow. I love how pure and sparkly my world looks when it's covered in millions of snowflakes. Everywhere seems so peaceful.

So here are a few pictures of my quiet, beautiful sparkly world...

This is what the field behind my house looks like, the sky is a really unusual colour. Not quite blue, not quite yellow, not quite red, just a funy little mixture of them all.