walking in a Hyde Park Winter Wonderland...

The countdown has officially begun. The 'C' word can now be be spoken, although with slight apprehension, due to the fact that it has, as always, crept up on me. So to welcome the festivities in style, I decided to jump right in and Christmas it up to the max. Enter Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. We are talking ice skating, the main man Santa, Angels gorgeous Christmas market, scary ass rides and lots of yummy food, all in gorgeous surroundings. It's free to enter with add-ons for things like ice skating, the observation wheel and the circus...yes, i said circus!

Scream if you wanna go faster!!

Now here comes the food bit...the German's do it best...

Mishkin's

Thanks to Russell Norman's endless imagination and ambition, Londoner's have another exciting restaurant to feast at. If you are yet to sample this guys style, then you have some good stuff to work through. In a little over 2 years, we have gratefully received Polpo, Polpetto, Spuntino, Da Polpo and now, from TOMORROW, Mishkin's. This new venture is kind of like a New York Jewish deli meets East End caff, but with cocktails! Sounds good, no? And we are talking proper comfort food here...salt beef, meatloaf, duck hash... Feast your eyes on their twitter pics to start the salivation process. Oh, and one more thing. Another new edition to the Norman empire...reservations! Get calling now - 0207 240 2078.

clerkenwell vintage fashion fair @ The Old Finsbury Town Hall

Vintage Fair's and Sunday's are made to be together. Kind of like wine and Friday's or Monday's and depression...it just fits. So, with the draw of being the last of the year, Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair had me out of bed and driving 'north of the border' before breakfast (calling for a Lantana pit stop on the way). I had been told that this vintage fair was one of the best, and that was no lie -  the goodies on display were awesome! Fave pieces included a Victorian, black (of course), jet beaded cape and an amazing patterned, gold foil Dior dress (nicer than it sounds, but too small anyhow). But the star of the show was the venue..Who knew The Old Finsbury Town Hall was such a gem. I was so distracted, i actually walked away with nothing - a first for me - but very satisfied all the same. 

Halloween for Dogs!

I literally barked with laughter when I saw this the other day - genius. So gutted I missed it, but that's Halloween sorted for next year... just got to get me a dog!

Of course, a dog is for life, not just Halloween. Especially as they're hard to sell once you've painted them green!

Leonardo Da Vinci Painter at the Court of Milan @ the National Gallery

It seems like the whole world has gone crazy for this exhibition and quite rightly too! Now, there has been many a column inch written about this show, by much more knowledgeable folk than I, so i will steer clear of a review. But i will offer a word of advice...this exhibition is being called the 'the greatest show on earth', so as you can imagine, demand is crazy. Online tickets are no longer available. The only way to get tickets now is to queue in person. Thanks to a hot toddy, and a game of eye spy with the man, the 1.5hr wait seemed to fly by...kind of. There is the guarantee of some pretty spectacular art at the end of it though.

The two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks (one normally lives in the Louvre, the other is a local, living in the National Gallery) are facing off, literally, within one room of the exhibition. This one here is the London version.Lady with an Ermine is the main draw of the show. I have been told on good authority (this sweet old lady in the queue) that the best tactic is to head straight for it to try and beat the scrum. 

The world's most famous smile will not feature in the exhibition...it was painted later, after Leonardo left Milan. But apparently there is this big debate on whether Lady with an Ermine is going to bitch slap old Mona Lisa, off her most 'famous painting in the world' pedestal. Discuss...

The Last Supper - As the real deal is on a wall in Milan (literally on a wall, making transportation v.tricky), the exhibition features a replica painted by Giampietrino, one of Leonardo's pupils. Leonardo's anatomical studies came a lot later in his career, so will not feature, but i love them so much that i had to get them in!

All images are from one of my favourite books of all time, the Frank Zollner, Taschen book, Leonardo Da Vinci The complete Paintings and Drawings. It is so beautiful, with gorgeous, glossy, full page images. It's also huge, to the point that if you dropped it on your foot, you would die!

Bermondsey

A walk around Bermondsey is always a treat. There's now so much to see, do and eat round there, that it's become very popular indeed. What with the new White Cube gallery opening last month (part of the see), Borough markets new foodie rival, Maltby Street (some of the do) and Jose, a little tapas bar of Spanish heaven (all about the eat) - you'll find yourself coming back again and again. The man and me had an indulgent Sunday dinner at Jose as part of our post Spain catharsis. It was so delicious, it had us studying estate agent windows on the way home! This is sure to be the first of many posts on the area, so here are a few photos to get things started.