bugger celebrity, vandalism & block graphs – give me catkins, brooks, minnows, acorns, buttercups, herons, almonds, marzipan, ash, beetroot, bray, bridle, piglets, porpoises, gooseberries, ravens, carnations, blackberries, tulips, porridge and conkers….

Henry Porter reports of words that have been added and removed in the latest edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary… I think I've just discovered my theme for May (especially so, now that Whitsun is another one to feel the blow of the editors pen!)…

I'll respond each day of May to one of these words and post it up. Maybe it can turn into a children's book one day so kids have some chance of recognising a catkin or piglet when they see one!

M has written a fully comprehensive post about the Girls, Girls, Girls night at Shunt, so am
linking to it (and borrowing a picture too).

It was possibly one of the
most exciting gigs we’ve ever done; two stages simultaneously, one of them 20ft up above the bar!!.

We’re also dancing the Dulwich Ukulele Club this Friday for their May Day Ball; maybe the Actionettes will take up Morris Go-Go for the evening…

Last week spent an afternoon walking off the cakes between Bea's and the screening of O' Horten (by Bent Hamer – my new favourite director…) via the British Museum.

Decided then to take pics of a variety of tiles London steps, and this week continued along the Strand during my two day visit to the world of typography (St Bride's conference).

This one is from the Twinings' shop; I'll enventually be using this and the others as reference for a series of patterns inspired by urban mosaics….

Recommended by Miss R D (via her contact in the Afternoon Tea underground of Chicago…). This is now my official 'best afternoon tea in London bar none'!

High accolade indeed, but how can it not, when the jam and clotted cream arrive not in measly little dishes, but in gravy boats(!) and the (homemade in the kitchen in the back) cakes are on a stand where the handle is a pair of golden-shod ladies legs?

Where a tea comprising fresh, warm, scones, generous jam & clotted cream, a selection of brownies (blonde, chocolate and a nutty one), selection of meringues (cocoa, raspberry and plain) plus your choice of cupcake is all yours for £8!

I don't know if there is an Ottolenghi connection, the meringues and passion fruit tarts bear a remarkable resemblance, does anyone know?

Ok, so it’s no longer February but the Lady Sweater is still in progress… I may be the only one at knitting group today but standards musn’t slip… I subconciously must know this as F.L.S’s yarn colour matches my dress