The Stylist's Rail @ BIRTHDAYS

I'm a bit of a wheeler-dealer at heart, a wannabe-white-van-man always looking to make a bob or two. So when my friend Hydes suggested getting a stall at The Stylist's Rail clothes sale at BIRTHDAYS I was IN.

Run by a sweet girl called Plum, on the first Saturday of each month, this is one pimped up jumble, with great 'pre-loved' items from the likes of Topshop right through to Moschino - all at bargainous prices. Needless to say, having gone with the aim of selling my clothes (and streamlining my life), I wound up replacing each sale with a new item from someone else's rail. 

The next sale is on 4th May, so book your spot now if you're looking to sell. Otherwise, just head on down, grab a beer from the bar and tuck in - I doubt you'll leave empty-handed.

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Pop Up Friday

The Friday feeling is near impossible to suppress at the best of times, let alone pre a mammoth 4 day weekend. And so, as home-time struck last Friday for our Queen's Jubilee, me and my work pals were nearly tripping over ourselves in our haste to leave the office.

First stop was The Fourth Wall's pop-up bar in Bedford Square. A little underwhelmed by my last visit, the leafy square setting made for a much better venue and we quickly sunk a Re-Bourne, hugely restorative in it's gin and elder flower zing - yum.

It was a one-cocktail-wonder, however, as we had tickets booked for the 7.20pm seating at the much-talked about God Save the Clam. For those that aren't spoilt, tickets were steep at £40 for 3 courses. So it was with high hopes and a hearty hunger that we arrived at what looked little more than an office block just off Hackney's Richmond Road.

Four flights up, we were greeted with mugs of punch, laced with José Cuervo's Tradicional Tequila (double yum), and  a nicely decked out space with bunting and beach huts perking up the grey London sky.

Sitting down at a long gingham clad table, our starters were served. The dish was unsurprisingly meaty, the main event,  Pitt Cue Co's links, served with a deliciously salty anchovy salad cream and paprika spiced croutons. Round 2 of the Tradicional magic only serving to whet our appetites further.

And so onto clam-time good and proper and Rock Lobsta's take on the bake. Our table was presented with a collection of coloured kids' beach buckets filled to the brim with steaming shellfish, samphire and seaweed; the seafood impressive in it's variety. We got stuck in.

If I'm honest, it was quite a lot of hard work, the devilled crayfish offering up little meat for your painstaking peeling and the crab claw smashing giving somewhat hit or miss results. Having said that, there were some delicious morsels that made the battle worth it and the accompanying potatoes in smoke dripping, BBQ leeks and charcoaled corn on the cob were dangerously good.

Fingers licked and shells cleared it was time for pudding, and despite the now glacial temperatures there was no way I was missing out on an ice-cream sundae called the Fat Elvis. Sweet mama was it go-o-o-od. With a peanut butter ice-cream base, sprinkled bacon pieces and a maple-syrup drizzle - whoever Glyn is, he's a bloody genius and I only hope to visit his Screwball Sundae Bar again. Fat Elvis could very soon result in Fat Rox.

The Fat Elvis - So wrong, but SO right

Sadly the arrival of the rain forced us down from the roof top and into a nearby pub. A shame, because the DJ's were just warming up and we were starting to get a taste for that tequila... I only hope that our friends at Pitt Cue Co. and  Rock Lobsta  hold another; with a few small tweaks and a little more sunshine they'll have nailed it.

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Queenie's Diamond Jubilee

Yippee! Thank you your Majesty for your 60 years of reign and the mega long weekend it affords us. 

Lightness of Being - Chris Levine, 2007. Currently on show as part of the The Queen: Art and Image exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

London is coming to life this weekend and it feels like we're spoilt for choice in things to do and see in and around the city. Here's what's on my hit list, not all of it as patriotic as p'raps it should be...

Friday night I'm off to God Save the Clam, a big seafood cook up on a rooftop out East organised by Rock Lobsta & Pitt Cue Co. Tickets for Friday's clam bake are sadly already sold out, but they're open for lunch and dinner over most of the weekend so try your luck. With DJ sets and an inevitably fun vibe, you could even just head over to sip a drink and tap your feet at the Banshee cocktail bar.

Saturday, I'm BBQ-ing at my darling Rosie's but, if I wasn't otherwise engaged, I'd be right on board the Field Day bandwagon. As festivals go, it's a good'un and this year's line up looks sweet as (mate). There are still tickets going, and if you fancy making a festi-weekend of it, you can get a good joint-ticket price that'll get you into Sunday's The Apple Cart too.

Sunday's main event is obviously the river procession that will be taking place from 2-6pm. But if boat's aren't your thing, there's a whole load of other delights to take you from day to night, starting with Bourne & Hollingsworth's Her Majesty's Party in the lusciously leafy Bedford Square. With a whole lot of bunting and a swing dance or two, this will be a perfect quintessentially British way to spend the afternoon. This week's Fourth Wall will also be resurrecting itself in the square for Friday and Saturday night.

If you're after a more rough and ready affair, The Book Club will be hosting their own Jubilee Street party which, whilst the priority wristbands are out, they're saying they'll get everyone into. Could be fun for a quick knees up with the fab Guilty Pleasures DJ's on the decks. 

Later on, I think I might head to the Secretsundaze Jubilee Bank Holiday Special at the House Club & Terrace in Greenwich. A neat way to see the boats go by without the mad crowds that will inevitably line the riverbanks. 

Monday will be delightfully un-manic, a long lunch leading nicely into an evening of live music at the Cable Street Electric Open Mic. It seems an elusive event, but I'll give the goss once frequented. Sounds a bit Sofar Sounds. In a good way.

If you're still going, however, and looking to keep the party alive, check out Coppafeel's Festifeel. Curated by Fearne Cotton, it's happening at The Queen of Hoxton and has a pretty impressive line up (Lianne Las Havas has just been announced). All proceeds from tickets go towards the worthy work of the charity, ensuring early diagnosis of breast cancer.

This will definitely be going in my cupboard.

Tuesday is the day of rest, and it's home time for me to see my beautiful Mamie. Good thing she's French, think I may have had my fill of our right royal Britannia by then.

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Things I'd do if I were you...

Why do all the fun things always happen at once? I'm off to Morocco tomorrow for a week with my pretty Polly, but turns out there's a fair bit of fun going down in London town in the meantime...


Street Feast has got it's night market taking place tomorrow night in Shoreditch, with great food, art and cocktails. If you were sad to miss last week's StockMKT, this is the perfect op to get your foodie fill.

The fourth Land of Kings music and art festival is hitting up Dalston this weekend. Based on and around Kingsland high street, events will be happening in over 15 venues, from school halls to secret gardens. I'm most sad to be be missing Stoke Newington's International Airport's Live Art Speed Date - please go check it out for me.

I've been dying to check out The Big Red, ever since my friend Em (dawg) mentioned it to me a while back - top pizza joint on and around an old Routemaster bus, winner! And what better time to head down, than on Sunday (6th May) when they will be screening The Tunnel as part of the New X and Deptford Free Film Festival.


Tara Arts, the lovely South London based theatre company, are hosting a reading of a new play in progress, Reginald, on Friday 11th May. Written by EastEnders and Bend it like Beckham actor Shobu Kapoor, it will be read by the lovely Kris Marshall (Love Actually dude and star of the BT ads). The play consists of readings and interviews that look at the man behind the 1919 Amritsar massacre.

I like an early starting party and Fruit Palace's Rooftop event next Saturday (12th May) looks a good'un. Up on the roof of the Bussey Building, there'll be live acts and DJ's along with a nice bit of graffiti-time, so nab a ticket for a sun-downer and get there in good time, the views are meant to be ace.


This month's Wills-Moody jumble is happening on Sunday 13th May at The Lexington. I had a whale of a time when I went (see here) - with big bargain success.


After singing the praises of the delightful Wilton's Music Hall in my post on The Great Gatsby, I would urge you to head down there on Sunday evening (13th May) for Tea With Ruth. 'An evening of chat, songs and laughter' fundraiser in pirate costume - get your tickets quick.


And then I'm home again, hopefully mega bronzed and mega chulled, back to big-city-life. 

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Sweet Sweet Sevilla

Looking for a city with a little culture, a lot of sun and not too painful on the purse - we booked flights to Seville. The occasion was our Lew's 26th birthday and we were 3 girls in need of a break.

And so, of a Friday evening, overpacked and underslept we touched down in this southern Spanish town completely ignorant of it's charms (who needs a guidebook?!), but the anticipation of a new city to discover fizzing in our tummies.

I hadn't expected it to be quite so beautiful, or quite so hot. We spent our days wandering the streets, peering nosily through great wooden doorways into cool courtyards within and browsing the amazing old and new boutiques.

Food was of the best kind: salty jamon ibérico, lemoned calimaris fritas, fresh salpicon de marisco and creamy manchego; all washed down with copious ice-cold beer served in frozen glasses.

Beer and olives, our favourite resto El Pajaro Verde and plate #4 of salpicon de marisco

Our sweet teeth were satisfied by the city's numerous heladerias - the best and probably most famous La Fiorentina is definitely worth a visit.  

With the temperature hitting the big three-oh, we went in search of a pool to dunk our sweltering bodies. Not entirely aware of quite how smart it is, we rocked up at the Hotel Alfonso XIII which re-opened in March this year to again play host to Spain's rich and famous. A pacey walk through reception and through the elegant courtyard led us out to the gardens and into the bluest pool I've seen in a while.



Not much is more delicious than being on holiday on a Monday and after another leisurely lunch, we strolled hazily through the beautiful Jardines de Murillo debating whether or not to live the tourist dream and ride in one of the city's many horse-drawn carts (we didn't).

And so, the weekend drew to an end and with heart rates returned to normal, freckled faces and rounded tums we traipsed back to England. One of us a year older and three of us friends.

I fear this post offers little in the way of 'things-you-simply-must-do-when-in-Seville'. But, to be honest, we weren't there to see the sights and I'd encourage you to do the same - this is a city that just needs to be lived. So sit back, order another cervesa and watch how it rolls on by. 

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Na zdrowie Warszawa

Fresh back from Warsaw and I must admit, there's not much 'fresh' about me.


A weekend spent enjoying the café culture of Poland's 'least exciting city' (thanks Tripadvisor), has left me about a stone heavier and my liver screaming 'mercy' - but my god was it fun.

Custard and vodka pączek (doughnut) - Yes.

With a best friend relocated to somewhere referred to as 'least exciting', I set off on what I thought would be more of a duty trip. Lovely to see my girl, lovely to catch up, lovely to get away - all very lovely, but I was hardly expecting a light up my life weekend. But, as ever, low expectations a joyful surprise doth make and I had a bloody corker.


Whilst Warsaw isn't the most picturesque of cities, with the 'Old Town' completed in just 1963 and few of the older buildings remaining post-Soviets, there is a hell of a lot of concrete. But where there is concrete, so there is graffiti and there are some amazing murals around the city providing a nicely gritty backdrop to the multi-coloured blooms of the tulip sellers sat on most streets.

But behind the walls of what could seem to be a cold and stark city is a treasure trove of incredible cafés, restaurants and bars for discovery. 

After a late Friday lunch of surprisingly delicious pierogi (Polish dumplings), we headed to Mielzynski - a wine bar run by a Polish Canadian called Robert. It was heaven, the waitress poured us two glasses of red that slipped down like the sweetest nectar. If we hadn't been so full of dumpling we'd have tucked into the amazing food that we saw being eaten all around us (even by Polish supermodel Magdalena Frackowiak who I spied at a table just near ours - b.a.b.e.).

On Saturday we decided we'd treat ourselves to a blowdry and half an hour later came out looking like tarty poodles, with curls that Dolly Parton herself would be proud of. But in a city that's just so cheap, why the hell not?

A quick supper of polish sausage, gherkins and vodka and we headed out to Praga - an area that most Warsawvians (?!!!) wouldn't be caught dead in but the young and trendy love (Em and I obviously slot right into the latter). Dancing to the Spice Girls Wannabe (sorry, had to be done) on the dancefloor of Hydrozagadka, I momentarily forgot who and where I was. But, I soon fell into step with a nice man in a dicky bow, as Warsaw's fresh young things pashed around us.

Sunday came around and with it brought the perfect brunch occasion (one of my favourite occasions) - the only way to overcome our end of weekend melancholy. Warsaw's take on a French brasserie wasn't half bad, with the continuous flow of people to Charlotte's laying testament to it's popularity.

A glass of fizz and a croque madame later and it was time to head to the airport. As I waved my bestie goodbye, I couldn't help but feel a little envious that she got to stay in this slightly-odd-but-in-a-good way place and looked forward to hearing what tales of adventure she comes back with- I should think there'll be a few.

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