Sensational Butterflies @ The Natural History Museum

As far as interactive exhibits go this is pretty cool. The Butterfly House at The Natural History Museum takes you through the 5 sensory zones of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch, allowing you to get up close and personal with 100's of beautiful butterflies.

Record Store Day

I have no means of playing them, but I am still a huge fan of vinyl. I regularly pop into record stores, just to flip through the sleeves and find inspiring covers. So, i’m a real fan of Record Store Day, which is an annual celebration of the resilience of all the independent music stores out there. There are some great gigs organised around this in London today, which are well worth a look if you get chance. Thought this would also be a good excuse to indulge in some of my favourite record covers. Now, it goes without saying that the music is legendary, but what i also love about Led Zeppelin's albums is the amazing art work. Here are two of my favourites...

Led Zeppelin - Houses of The Holy. The colours on this sleeve are just immense...really inspiring.

Dad - Please don't freak that i still have these - they are in good hands! 

Celebrating Cork @ Anthropologie

Have you seen the fab window display at Anthropologie, Regent Street recently? No you say! Well, for those who are yet to see it, then get down there! You will be greeted by an impressive display, made up of no less than 37,953 corks! Oh yes, that’s a lot of wine. The display is not only visually stunning, but also carries a great message in support of the I Love Natural Cork Campaign. We need to support the cork people!

Now, I love a good theme. So when Anthropologie invited me to their wine tasting (cork=wine) event, I just couldn’t say no… although i very rarely say no to wine anyway! The event was great fun. Not only did you get to learn a little as you drank - how to quaff wine like a pro and what to look for in a good bottle -  but you also got free reign on their goooorrrgggeeous store. Which after a few glasses of the good stuff, was even more tempting than usual!

I am now also fully behind the environmentally friendly, super sustainable, down right sexy cork. Where is the pleasure in a screw top anyway? Give me that lovely ‘plonk’ sound when opening a bottle any day! Say no to Screw and yes to Cork!

Getting into the wedding spirit...

i love Agent Provocateur's patriotic take on the up-coming royal nuptials.

London in Colour - my favourite trees

You don't need to look much further than nature for amazing colour inspiration. That's why i love my walk to the station so much...

Apple Store Covent Garden

Stepping into any Apple Store is always a great experience, but when the man and me popped into the Covent Garden store the other day (their 300th and largest store - Grade II listed) we got more than we imagined. Whilst admiring the MacBook Airs, we got to talking to one of the many helpful members of staff (big shout out to Adam) who gave us a guided tour of all four floors - including the business briefing room which has a stunning 17th Century fireplace. Like all of Apple's stores, Covent Garden  has beautiful design features - befitting of the brand -  with numerous examples of structural brilliance (see spiral glass staircase below). Glass being a main feature material in all of their stores. What i love about Apple (and no, they're not paying me for this) is that the design process is followed through the whole experience...from stepping into one of their stores, through the products, packaging and user experience. That's good business.

The 17th Century fireplace in the Business briefing Room - a private area used to acclimatise business to the brand and it's products.

If you can prize your eyes away from the glossy ipads and look up you will see where all the natural light is streaming from. Apparently each one of these glass panes can support a baby elephant! I love these kind of facts, would be cool (if maybe a little cruel) to look up and actually see baby elephants lounging on the roof.

a sunny day in London town...

...always brings out the comedians...

Dates for the diary...

You need good prioritising skills to live in London and lots of energy. There's always a million and one things going on and it's just not possible to do it all - but i am trying! Here are a few of the biggy's over the next few weeks...

Festival of Britain 22nd April - 4th September

As you have probably gathered through my numerous posts on the subject, i am a big fan of the Southbank. So i am well chuffed that to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, the Southbank Centre will be hosting a 'summer long celebration' by the river. There is so much cool stuff going on that it hurts my head, so you will have to visit their site for more details. There is this next thing though...

Festival of Britain wallpaper by Lizzie Allen...i'm in love!

Vintage at Southbank Centre 29th - 31st July

The award winning festival (remember Goodwood last year?), from the ever inspirational Wayne and Geradine Hemingway is back and it's in the centre of town! Another celebration of music, fashion, film, art, design (you name it, they will celebrate it), is to be expected again this year, with the line-up gradually being announced in the run-up.The Royal Festival Hall is set to get a vintage make-over, with its 6 levels transformed into a 'multi - venue playground' of fun and frolics. All the fun from 2010 will be there from bands, films, shops, dance lessons, makeovers, workshops plus a few surprises...a Thames boat party has been mentioned, which has sold it to me! Can't think of a better way to celebrate all that is Best of British.

love this image from the Vintage at Southbank Centre website

Royal wedding - April 29th
Love them or hate them (personally, i'm a lover!), the royals will be taking over the capital on April 29th. Now as a Londoner i have every intention of embracing this extra bank holiday in the spirit of any good wedding...to drink, dance and wear a big hat. The original plan of watching the ceremony in Hyde Park, with champagne in tea cups and crust-less sandwiches has been abandoned, as the estimated 300,000 crowd brings me out in a rash (i like my space). So instead, a civilised wedding breakfast at home is on the cards, to be followed by themed fun at the V&A Friday Late. Yes, the good old V&A have got into the spirit, by organising a wedding themed street party with the usual fun and activities of all their lates. I'm also looking forward to wandering London's streets to see the aftermath...knowing that the Queen is getting drunk and Prince Charles is dancing 'like a dad at a wedding'! Well that's how i imagine it going down!

'Her Consort' makes me chuckle!

Chelsea Flower Show - 24th - 28th May
Having been a regular at Hampton Court flower show the last few years, i have decided to give Chelsea a go...it always looks so cool on the TV! Always a good opportunity to get some good snaps, soak up inspiration and to drink champagne!

bits and bobs

i like bits and bobs...bobs more than bits really, but i collect both! As you can see, i was in my element at The Vintage Furniture Flea (that wasn't a deliberate attempt at rhyme, promise!).