To do:

{Image: The Elegant Abode via The Kitchn. Click the photo for a great bar starters guide, too}

So I did the deep and reflective post on the coming year, now time for all the little things which I have resolved will make this year all kinds of awesome.

1. Build a good home liquor stash
It seems I'm not alone in this new years resolution, if the ladies of twitter are anything to go by (and they are). There is just something very grown up about having some good, tasty, hard liquor in the house, which you intend to drink in moderation*. I mean come on now, I'm not 18 anymore. A cider and black just won't cut it. What's your favourite grown up drink? I'm a rum kind of girl.

2. Print more photographs
So, I take a lot of photographs. I mean, thousands. It's stupid really, and another of my resolutions really needs to be to self edit more. But in the mean time, what I really need to do is actually print the Goddamn things and fill our house with all these memories that I lovingly take and edit and then leave on the hard drive. For shame. Also included in this resolution is the need to start and finish Sachins baby books. Before he turns 18.

3. Grow stuff
Last year, I feebly tested the 'growing stuff' waters. We ended up with lots of herbs, some salad, a few tomatoes and some strawberries. This year I'm going to really get my hands dirty and plant so that we can have an abundance of fresh food this summer. Wish me luck. Oh and all tips gratefully recieved!

4. Read. Lots.
I have always loved to read. Probably because I spent a good part of my childhood in a library - I mean it was free and full of amazing places to escape to, my Mum knew a good day out. Since having Sachin though, reading has taken a back seat. Mostly because when I do get time to read, I'm so tired that as soon as my eyes hit the page, the words wash over and calm and...yep, send me to sleep. But I'm a lot more awake now (thank God, I mean he's two!) and in the past month alone have read three whole books. I might blog about them a bit too.

5. Learn to knit.
Ok so this one is a bit of a funny one. Because you see, I did learn to knit. My friend came over and taught me the basics and left me with the needles and the wool and I practiced over and over until I got a whole test square perfect. Then I meant to go buy more wool, and didn't. And now I've forgotten how to do it. So I need to learn again, then actually do it.

So by my reckoning, this will mean that by the end of the year I will be:

A woman drinking rum, in a house filled with memories that made it onto the walls, whose eaten lots of home grown produce, sat next to a massive pile of books (all of them read), wearing a wooly hat created with her own bare hands.

What are your fun things to do this year?

*you know, most of the time.

Beautiful things

I love it when you stumble upon a beautiful little online space, selling beautiful little things, with beautiful photographs of said things. I love it even more when the about section says - 

'We offer modern and simple style sourced from talented independent designers.

We only work with people that share our commitment to quality products that are ethically

and sustainably sourced'

And if anyone would like to buy me that wire post rack for Christmas, then ya know, that would be fine with me...

{All photographs and items can be found at Fen and Ned}

London Bucket List - Columbia Road Market

When we realised we would be leaving London, we decided to make a list of all the places to see again before we left. Mostly the list was filled with our favourite places, but there were also a few things we had just never got around to doing. Everyone does this right? You just never do the touristy things so much when you live somewhere, because you think it will always be there (and you're *so* not a tourist, anyway).

One of the places which we have been meaning to visit, for um, the past 6 years, was Columbia Road Flower Market. M and I have a history with Columbia Road. Early on in our relationship, M decided to take me there. We got up early one Sunday morning, all excited at the prospect of flowers, food, sunshine. M had it all mapped out. We jumped off the tube, only to have arrived in a dodgy part of London, on a completely different, utterly random, Columbia Road. It was pretty hilarious in a way it can only be hilarious when you haven't been going out that long. This time, we mapped it out a bit better and arrived safely...

{treats from Treacle}

{treasures at Vintage Heaven}

{Black Forest cupcake from Kooky Bakes}

 {retro sweets from A.Gold}

May I reccommend:

• Columbia Road Flower Market: Get there a bit later, in time for brunch say, and save buying flowers until the end. By closing time everything is greatly reduced and bargains abound. I got 4 gorgeous hydrangeas for £10 which are still going strong a few months later.
• Vintage Heaven: Exactly what it says on the tin. A gorgeous shop of vinatge treasure, with teacups and books and cakestands galore. There is also a little cafe at the back called Cakehole. Need I say more?
• Treacle: This shop is on Columbia Road (behind the flower stalls) and is just perfect. Cool little homewares (mugs in particular) and the yummiest little cupcakes around.
• Ryantown: Rob Ryan has his studio here and if you are a fan (who isn't?) then it's a must visit.

From Columbia Road the walk down to Brick Lane, which is full of some of the best sights, sounds and smells in London, is super quick. It's a must if only for a visit to...

• Biegel Bake: The BEST BAGELS EVER. I'm not even kidding. There will be a line of people, and those who have been before will be buying by the dozen.

There is a massive indoor market in Brick Lane on a Sunday called (up)market inside the Truman Brewery, full of fashion, art, food. It reminds me of Portobello. there you can find..

• Kooky Bakes: Okay, so this list is very food orientated, but, um, yeah. Kooky Bakes make the most delicious baked goods ever. If we were getting married again, there is no way that paying them a LOT of money to make lots of cakes could not be an option. M had the Signature Slice which was to die for, and I had the Black Forest cake which was YUM.

From Brick lane you may as well continue on to Spitalfields, which has a big covered market, with more commercial places to eat and shop too.

• A.Gold: They describe themselves as a village shop in the city, which is exactly what it is. Selling sweets, and groceries, delicious cheeses, beer and sandwiches. And oh so pretty too.

Wise Words.

Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid. Dude knew what he was talking about.

Print from here.