“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” —Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The wizarding world of JK Rowling has inspired millions, if not billions of imaginations around the world – and it all came from an idea she had on a train journey. The House of Minalima here in London showcases some of the incredible graphics of the franchise, and it’s well worth taking a wander into.
Whether you want to be a wizard, or not.
If we were having coffee… I would be sipping something according to the fey winds of the April weather; a flat white if it’s cold and grey outside, or a Vietnamese iced coffee if the sun is shining. We’ve had several of my favourite days in the world recently – crisp, cool days where the sun is shining and the skies are a beautiful blue as far as the eye can see.
If we were having coffee, I would ask what mischief you’ve been up to recently, because I know that as one of my friends, that you’ve definitely been up to all kinds of fun and chaos.
I’m slightly obsessed with picnics. The tiny sausage rolls, dappled sunshine, bubbled beverages, a blatant disregard for tables, communal pots of hummus, relaxed laughter and did I mention miniature scotch eggs? As the seasons turn, I’m already planning a little dining en plein air – so thought it was only fair to share 9 of the best secret picnic spots in London that I’ve found so far!
I’m someone who used to keep a picnic blanket under her office desk (for sunshine emergency situations you understand), when I went freelance I bought my phone plan specifically so I can use it as a laptop hot spot in blossoming gardens and I may or may not have a bottle opener on my key ring. Case in point: my autumnal picnic above – I’ll take literally any excuse to unroll one of my many picnic blankets.
I have a confession to make. I have a full blown cat addiction, and, I’m not even sorry. Those soft little ears, twitching tails and indifferent faces cast a spell that have us dashing around the globe and visiting enough cat cafes to have a shortlist of 10 of the best cat cafes in the world. All the while a sleepy little tabby cat snoozes at home in London…
Once we’ve booked flights and perused hotels, Google searching for a cat cafe is one of the first things I do – and I’ve been accused of carrying out those 3 tasks in a slightly different order. It’s something I can neither confirm nor deny, but we do have a rather high hit rate of booking accommodation close to cat cafes. I’ll just leave that there, shall I?
Next to catching up with friends and family, the best thing about having visitors to London is using their visit as a gold plated excuse to delight in doing a few touristy things. Over the years we’ve ticked 99.9% of London’s attractions off the list, but we hadn’t quite managed to make it to one of the Cereal Killer Cafes. Yet.
Well, that was until our lovely friend from Texas came, giving me the perfect excuse to accompany her to this retro kitsch heaven.