Happy Monday

Camellia buds getting ready for Paris Fashion Week...

Why, hello. Hope you had a lovely weekend. Whilst Mr M was in Dublin for a couple of days last week, I was a busy bee with work. I was lucky enough to go on a photoshoot for work here - such a beautiful building. I haven't been on a shoot for a couple of years, but goodness it's fun - mostly because I am dreadfully nosey - I want to watch the make up and hair, and the shots as they come in. There's a lot of standing about and sure it must get boring if you do it all the time, but for someone who spends most of the day sat at a desk it's such a treat to be out and about. I picked up a lovely Valentine's bouquet for Mr M on the way home outside Camden tube station - tulips, hyacinths, ranunculus, little roses and eucalyptus - and managed to get it home in one piece despite standing on the tube and train. 

Mr M cooked a delicious Valentine's meal with a taste of Provence. I made a much overdue trip to the hairdressers on Saturday promptly stepping out into gale force wind which certainly added a je ne sais quoi to the bouffant blow dry. 

On Sunday I went to Daylesford in Esher to meet the lovely Mrs B for afternoon tea. It was a slightly odd experience - we've been meaning to go since it opened so perhaps we'd built it up a little too much in our heads. But sitting there, with the beautiful glasses (lovely) on identical chairs at identical tables all in washed white, there was a slightly odd sensation of sitting in a Neptune (kitchen I heart but combined with furniture too much) meets The White Company canteen. It was rather odd. We were hoping for scones but they'd run out so we opted for cake and coffee. The staff were brilliant but it just all felt a little bit new. A little mismatched furniture wouldn't go amiss. Home to a cracking roast chicken with celeriac and aubergine chips (thank you Mr M) and then it was Monday all over again. 

This week I'm looking forward to eventually making it to the gym (I think I finally have a solution for being top heavy with a long torso in the pool - double layers - am sick of getting stuck in my tankini with ginormous wire cups - they are so big I can't even get them in the dry-spinney machine), leaving work on time, calling Mrs L, getting some early nights, starting my new book, cooking for Mr M, willing my dreadful skin to calm down, trying not to buy anything from the new Foyles at Waterloo station and hoping that Miss P doesn't bring us any more presents. There was a mouse yesterday and a sticky, tiny slug that had clearly been shaken with vigour from a back paw this evening. 

What are you looking forward to this week?