May in Pictures

London in the rain (as April’s showers insist on continuing). Exploring Columbia Road. Filling my home with armfuls of Spring flowers. Pear milkshakes and strawberry poppy macarons at Laduree with my friend Charlotte. Wearing the brightest colours in my wardrobe and filling my wrist with arm candy. Choos galore arrive at my house for a fun collaboration with Jimmy Choo. After work trips to the farmers market and rides on my Pashley. Warm evenings spent beside the river in Cambridge. Thatched cottages, tiny villages, antique shops and Shakespeare on a long weekend in the Cotswolds (another of my ’30 things to do before I’m 30′ goals). Walks to Grantchester in Cambridge for picnics, countryside air and tea beneath the apple trees at The Orchard. Darling English bluebell season. Watching the Clever Boyfriend collect his PhD from Cambridge University (and bubbling over with pride). Climbing to the top of the Kings College Chapel roof (a very rare Cambridge privilege) as a celebratory treat. New Mulberry shoes and other treasures that make me smile. A trip to the London Zoo. Raspberry ice cream in the blazing sunshine in Regent’s Park.A trip to Bicester Village (a mecca for discounted designer treats) with Alice Temperley. Staying in Mayfair with family and waking up to the glorious view of plush townhouses and treetops. Window shopping in the neighbourhood; Miu Miu and Chanel and Penhaligon’s, oh my! Evening walks around Piccadilly and Chinatown. Pret-a-Portea with my friend Dearne at the Berkeley. Lazing in Hyde Park on balmy evenings. Violet cocktails at the Rose Bar for a dose of old-London decadence.

I hope you all had a wonderful month!

Love, Miss B xx

May Loves

Starting this month, I’ve decided to introduce a new monthly feature of the little things that I’m adoring, buying, doing and dreaming about each month. I’d love to know what you think!

Just a few of my favourite things this month:

1. Play: Riding my Pashley through tiny cobbled laneways at sunset (and thinking about trading in my classic black Princess for this adorably fun blue Poppy).
2. Buying: Retiring all my old ballet pumps and buying the perfect new versions in the form of these blush pink Kurt Geigers and these black Miu Mius (always with a bow on the toes, of course).
3. Wearing: My perennial hunt for the perfect Breton stripes continues for Spring, most recently leading me to impeccable versions by Chinti and Parker and Boden.
4. Beauty note: Three of my favourite things in one bottle; Chanel. Pink. Sparkly. Needless to say, I had to have the new polish shade of Frisson the instant I saw it.
5. Small luxuries: Orange blossom macarons from Laduree are my gourmand weakness, and make me smile out loud (side note: I also have the matching candle, also from Laduree, on my bedside table at the moment. The smell is bliss to fall asleep to).
6. Sparkling: This adorable little white gold and diamond heart necklace from Anjolee is the latest addition to my jewellery drawer and adds a darling little touch to every outfit.
7. On my wish list: These glittery Miu Miu sunglasses have been on my wish list for months and months (I can’t decide between the silver, pink or red versions) now, so it’s probably about time I relent and make them mine.
8. Listening to: Brigitte Bardot’s Moi Je Joue is the most infectious song for sunny spring bike rides, and makes me feel as thought I’m in a 60s French film.
9. Watching: Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in Funny Face (Paris in the late 50s, need I say more) = guaranteed smiles.
10. For my home: Buying armfuls of English bluebells at the farmer’s market to dot about my house in jam jar vases.

Which pleasures are currently making you smile this month?

Love, Miss B xx

April in Pictures

Oriental adventures in Japan. Sakura-flavoured sweets. Being dressed up like a doll in traditional kimonos. Visiting traditional ryokans in the countryside. Mt Fuji and babbling streams. An explosion of blush sakura blossoms. A trip to Tokyo Disneyland to induce child-like squeals and day-long smiles as I revisited all my favourite childhood rides and pretended I was running away with Peter Pan. Returning to England’s April Showers. An Easter weekend filled with speckled eggs, rabbits and chocolate for breakfast. A spring wedding, croquet and sleepovers at sprawling country mansions. A house filled with the smell of white narcissi. Sunday walks around Cambridge colleges. Pastel flowers and manicures. Hunter wellingtons and daffodils. Shiny new editions of favourite old books. Rare breaks from April showers spent barefoot in my favourite secret garden beneath blue skies. Pink pattisserie. Whimsical new treasures to add to my jewellery drawer. Pashley rides and straw boater hats. Rainy afternoons spent tucked inside teeny tiny cafes or bookshops. Adventures around areas of London previously undiscovered by me. Plum jam donuts and vintage china at Lily Vanilli. Sundays at Columbia Road Flower Market. Coming home with vintage treasures, old fashion sweets and great armfulls of lipstick pink roses, blush hydrangeas and delightful English bluebells.

I hope you all had a glorious April?

Love, Miss B xx