Bob's Your Uncle, Fanny's Your Aunt.

This post's title is completely random but I just like the saying. I always though it meant something dirty but evidently I was completely off base - it just a phrase added on to an obvious statement to indicate "there you are!" (Brit and Ausi readers: feel free to give a better explanation.)

Our weekend in London:


We stayed at the Hilton Tower Bridge.

Naturally, we walked across the bridge a few times. The weather was gray and drizzly all weekend. I really wanted to see the Tower of London but the crowds were INSANE! So much for being quiet on a holiday weekend. We'll have to go another time.

Borough Market is located a few blocks from the hotel so we had a good time browsing the food stalls and grabbing lunch there.

Most of the food stuff sold here is more appropriate for someone living here rather than a passerthrough. That didn't stop us from having a taste of parma ham and homemade cheese.

My latest obsession is chandeliers made of unexpected materials. Case in point above at one of the wine sellers stalls.

We ambled around central London for a big part of Friday but because of the rain and packed crowds, I didn't take out my camera much. Aside from a lot of walking, we also became very familar with the underground system. Even though we happened to visit on a weekend when a lot of the lines were not operating for repairs, we still had very little trouble getting anywhere we wanted. Kudos for that!



Then on Saturday we set off for the infamous Portobello Road market.

Did I mention the crowds? Holy hell!

Thankfully it didn't say quite this crowded for the entire length but it never got empty either - even when the rain came down harder. I have to be honest, it was a big disappointment because while there were some lovely shoppes to browse in, the crowds made serious shopping impossible.

Which was a terrible shame because this store, Alice's, had some fun things.

Like these wooden containers that would be great display/storage pieces. Ridiculously overpriced at 29 pounds each but still cute.

As Im apt to do with wall decor I have no place to hang, I had my eyes on this faux vintage sign. Something about the peepers had me mesmorized. But with the crowds, I couldn't find anyone to give me a price so it didn't come home with us. Probably for the best anyway. They had some very lovely painted dress forms inside but because of the no photos policy, I can't share them.



Just a random collection of pretty pieces I saw.

Then I found this nightstand. I don't have any immediate use for the idea but I'm putting this away in the bank for revitalizing an old piece of furniture. Using dictionary pages for a library, medical textbook pages for an office or vintage children's books for a nursery would all work.

We eventually left the throngs on Portobello and explored the entire Notting Hill area. This store caught my eye - note to shopkeepers - fushia really pops!

I think we can all agree with this sentiment.

And I just love this front door color combo. The white, the gray, the wisteria...lovely.


We spent the entire day exploring the area on no particular schedule.

On Sunday, we went to the Britain at War Musuem. Its a lot hokey but Im fascinated with this period of history. Not so much the war itself but with the impact on civilian life. Plus I find the fashion and style of the 1940s to be one of my favorites.


The only purchases I made were these fun postcards. Tea Revives me indeed!

And before we knew it was back on the train to Heathrow

And back to the big apple. Until next time, Cheers!

Counting the days to our next trip!

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