It sounds like we would of had a great deal to say to each other

What a perfect week. With such glorious sunshine it seemed a waste to spend the days in doors and even more so being in east London with so much to do. All week my boyfriend and I have been roaming around in the sun and I have to say that it has been utter bliss. Walking up to Brick lane, round to Shoreditch, up to Hoxton and then over to Spitalfields before heading home. It seems we have done this route everyday and yet it never seems to bore me. We spent our days looking in vintage shops, convincing ourselves it was okay to spend nearly £70 on books, having over priced and highly alcoholic cocktails in Cargo before being ushered into a curry house on Brick lane for more wine and delicious food.
On Friday we decided to head up to London Fields with Joe's friends James and Ross. It seemed like the hottest day so far and I immediately regretted wearing tights. We stocked up on cider and set up in the park. Days like this are what summer is all about. We sat out with our drinks and soaked up the sun, I was hoping to turn a nice shade of brown but unfortunately only seemed to manage pink. London Fields is beautiful. I don't know if it was the sunshine or the amount of cider we had consumed on an empty stomach, but we had all fallen completely in love with the area. Its beautiful shops, trendy bars, its quint brick a bract stores and as for the houses over looking the park, it seemed like my ideal place to live. We headed over to a local fish and chip shop to get out of the midday sun and then next door to an amazing book shop. I'd seen a book on curating that I really wanted but didn't know if I could really afford to part £12's for. To my surprise, whilst we were sitting in a beer garden, my boyfriend presented me with said book after he'd gone back to the shop and asked the owner which book I'd been reading and bought it for me. I didn't think it was possible for me to love him more but this made my heart skip a beat slightly. Romantic? Most definitely.
On Sunday we were awoken before seven by the kitten, it seemed to have become the norm now and it wasn't so hard to bare any more. It was the first time in a week that we hadn't been greeted by the sunshine poking through the curtains, it was a gloomy rainy Sunday that not even a McDonald's breakfast could cure. Luckily for us, the rain cleared up pretty sharp and we were able to go up to Columbia Road as planned.

These past two weeks have been incredible, but I feel now as though I'm fast approaching the time when I have to join the real world again. One where I'm back in Leeds, where I never feel anything even remotely close to this. The fear that is building up inside me about going back is starting to feel unbearable. I can just tell this is going to be a hard month.

Make your own path

I've been particularly busy recently. I've finally made my way out from under a mountain of essays. I've been all over the place too, Luton, London, Sheffield and back to london again. My body has had its toll definitely taken. A whole day in bed didn't help me either. A night out in Luton was worth the hangover though.
It was my boyfriends birthday so before he got home I cleaned the flat and decorated him a cake. Both still feeling fragile, we decided against the champagne I'd bought to accompany the cake.
The best thing of all though, has to be the arrival of our new kitten, Rufus. After the cake we headed over to Hackney, where we knew there was a pet shop that sold kittens. We said we were only looking but it seemed impossible leaving the shop without one. We chose the only boy of a tabby litter and even though our banks had taken a beating, it was definitely worth it. He cried the whole tube ride home, which obviously broke my heart. He is the tiniest little thing that even the most cold hearted of people couldn't not love him.
He is getting into everything, which is keeping us on our toes. He sleeps in our bed and wakes us up constantly throughout the night. I feel as though we have just had a baby, staying up all night, making sure he's used his litter tray and wondering what he's doing when we leave him in the flat. But throughout all this, he is definitely the best thing to come into my life in a long time.

There's a spanner in the works you know

I can only describe the last week as utterly blissful. I have been in my own little bubble in Whitechapel, with leisurely uninterrupted days. I cant tell you enough how much I have fallen in love with East London over the last six months. Of course its always nice to have someone to share these days with so maybe I am bias. Red wine on Brick lane, sunny walks with ice cream round Spitalfields and midnight walks up Commercial Road, these are just some of the highlights of my week. I can honestly say I have never been happier and more in love.

I miss you

After going slightly stir crazy over the last few days, I decided to venture into town. Unfortunately "The Arndale" does not have much to offer and with next to nothing in my purse, I did not have high hopes. My brothers girlfriend works in a charity shop so I headed over hoping she had found some nice pieces. I was in luck, the rails were full of amazing jumpers and blouses. I could have bought it all, but unfortunately I really was that poor so decided to get two spring style jumpers. With my purse now empty but my bags full, I set off home to find our hairdresser was round. She tidied my messy locks up a treat. It was shaping up to be a good day.
I had no plans or money for the rest of the day. I was starting to feel agitated again. I didn't think I could take another night in. Luckily my dear friend Robin got in touch to save the evening. We roped Becky in on our plan. My evening suddenly went from average, bordering on bleak, to exciting times with old friends. I hadn't seen Becky since January and it had been nearly a year since I had seen Robin. I could not wait, it was the pick me up I was desperately needing. We met at "The Park" but sadly Robin had forgot his ID so we ended up at "The Horse Shoes". An old Irish bar, a favorite amongst alcoholics and the underaged. On a tight budget, we settled for very cheap rose and caught up on the university antics we had all got up to. After two bottles of wine we were nearly all out of money. Bearing this in mind, we decided to go to Antonio's party. We pit stopped at an off license to grab some Lambrini, this really was a budget evening.

The evening was all I could have wanted. An unexpected night out turned into an evening with lots of old and new friends, filled with nostalgia and summer plans. It's nights like this that truly make me grateful for the friends I have. I will always cherish the moments when Becky and I sit in my living room at 4:00 am discussing the evening events and the most likely prospect that Becky will have work in around four hours time. The head ache the next morning will always be worth it for moments like these.

Hole in my heart

Now normally I'm not one for cheesy feel good anecdotes. Cushions that say "Home is where the heart is"...UHHHH. I'm all for sentiment but terrible clichés, oh no. This evening, however, I heard this. "The most important relationship we have in life, is the one we have with ourself. That is the one to work on, because you are always going to be around". I guess it is tittering on the edge of cringe but I cant help but feel that it is incredibly poignant at this moment in time.

Peek in

I finally made it back to Luton, and boy isn't it gloomy. Normally a fierce defender I couldn't help but feel totally deflated to arrive back to a this grey and wet town. Obviously it doesn't seem very fair to compare it to my time in London, but oh what I would give to be back there now. Once I was actually home it wasn't so bad and it was good to catch up with my family. My mood dropped a little again after paying £10.99 for my boots to be repaired, it seemed a lot for a five month old pair of boots that had originally cost £65.
Now it is Good Friday and I have been guilt tripped into staying at home for some quality family time but seem to have found myself home alone. Just my luck. I cant lie, I am slightly resentful of being stuck in with episodes of "The city" on repeat and copious amounts of tea. I'm starting to climb the walls.
The only thing that has slightly cheered me up today is this quote I heard when I was watching about my fourth episode of "The city". In the immortal words of Diane Von Furstenberg "Absence to love is like wind to a fire. Wind will blow out a flame but will ignite a burning fire". Quite.

They lived in a world of superlatives.

I'm sitting here, in my boyfriends east London flat watching another episode of Master chef. We always have a good giggle when Greg says "BIG FLAVOURS", although he has not said it nearly enough this series. We watch all the culinary programmes iplayer and 4od have to offer, yet neither of us are any good in the kitchen. I have a few signature dishes and well quite frankly even I've become bored of them now.
I'd heard mixed reviews about BBC 2's "The delicious Miss Dahl" but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I loved her twee kitchen and healthy appetite for food. She truly stole my heart with the anecdotes she told about the food. I've never really enjoyed food much as I am the fussiest eater but the way she mixed food and literature was delightful. It was more than just a programme about food. How absolutely beautiful is this?!

"Twice in her life she had mistaken something else for it; it was like seeing somebody in the street who you think is a friend, you whistle and wave and run after him, and it is not only not the friend, but not even very like him. A few minutes later the real friend appears in view, and then you can't imagine how you ever mistook that other person for him. Linda was now looking upon the authentic face of love, and she knew it, but it frightened her. That it should come so casually, so much by a series of accidents, was frightening."
— Nancy Mitford (The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate: Two Novels)

I cant wait to watch next weeks episode. I think this may finally be the programme that makes me want to turn over a new leaf.