Long Weekend

It was so lovely to have a four day weekend! Don't get me wrong, I love my job but everyone needs a break now and again!

We went out for dinner on Thursday evening with some friends - a few drinks and some delicious Japanese food to usher in the long weekend. The mister and I got home after midnight so we decided to swap Valentine's cards and our little gifts before bed, because we were heading to Norfolk early the next day. We're not huge Valentine's fans - years of hating it as a singleton and not wanting to sit in a restaurant elbow to elbow with 800 other couples eating an overpriced Valentine's menu - but we do like to recognise it in our own way and usually cook something tasty at home. This year, we decided to visit the mister's mum in Norfolk and escape London for a few days.

I absolutely love Norfolk and enjoy being able to completely shut off from London and its distractions, in a beautiful little village in the countryside. This was particularly true this weekend - the wind was howling and it was pouring with rain, so we cosied up in the warmth eating and looking at old photographs and discussing wedding plans.

We were back in London on Sunday and the sun shone all day, it was so beautiful! I decided it was a good morning to clean All The Things, while the mister wisely retreated for a walk with his camera. We then headed to Richmond for a walk along the river, as documented in my Silent Sunday snaps. The highlight of the day was making friends with a black velvet pug called Pip. I went to give him a scratch behind the ears and he snorted happily up at me - it was love at first sight. One day I'll have a pug of my own! :)

David Lynch, Untitled (Lodz), 2000 - source

I enjoyed a last, glorious lie-in on Monday morning, made even sweeter by the fact that I'd forgotten to switch my work alarm off and I was then able to turn it off when it rang out at 5.30am - not this morning, alarm! 

I pootled off for a hair cut, bonding with my hairdresser over Zooey Deschanel and the quest for a perfect fringe, before meeting up with the mister in Soho for a burger at Honest Burgers. They do fantastic burgers and it's wonderful to be able to have a gluten free bun and their delicious rosemary-salted chips. We then popped to the Photographers' Gallery to see their exhibitions focusing on the work of David Lynch, William Burroughs and Andy Warhol. I loved the Lynch photography - brooding black and white images, accompanied by one of Lynch's sound installations - it was almost as if we'd stepped right into one of his films. The Burroughs and Warhol exhibitions were slightly underwhelming though - Warhol in particular, just seemed hastily put-together and lacking in much originality. I definitely enjoyed the visit though and a trip to the Photographers' Gallery is always eye-opening as they display work I'd never usually encounter.

Now I just need to hold onto the thought of this wee break as I return to work this morning...spontaneous breaks with very little planned in advance can often be the best breaks!