e one

Thank you for all your anniversary wishes- 10 years feels like a super-special milestone, even though it's flown by. I know I am exceptionally lucky to have found such a handsome, thoughtful, kind life partner and I will be clinging on to him for many more years to come.

We celebrated our first decade of marriage with uncharacteristic extravagance, staying overnight at Shoreditch House, a stunning refurbished warehouse in London's East End. Our evening was passed on huge stripey deckchairs, sipping champagne cocktails by the rooftop pool, overlooking the city lights (unfortunately the strict house rules dictated no cameras in the members' area). Then today, after a very rare lie-in and the most beautiful plate of sunny yellow eggs benedict, we have been exploring Brick Lane, shopping until we dropped. Amongst my purchases was a woollen cardigan and a leather bag from vintage department store Blitz; a pretty summer top from independent designer boutique Laden; and I ordered the acrylic name necklace I've been coveting forever from creative jewellers Tatty Devine's flagship store (shame I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive!) 

It's been an incredible weekend of food, adventure, laughter, and throwing caution to the wind. We couldn't have planned a more perfect treat.

the secret passage

It's been warm and dry again today, but the wind has made it a bit chiller than yesterday. We went for a little walk with a picnic, with Pearl piggy-backing Steve in her sling. On our travels we found a living willow sculpture, which provided a good spot for hide and seek- it's a shame we don't have enough space to have a go at making one ourselves.

This afternoon I have been looking into my neighbour's revelation that a little secret little gate behind some ivy at the end of the terrace of cottages leads to some small outbuildings (presumably previously the outdoor toilets), one of which belongs to our cottage. I got out my shears and hacked away at reams of ivy and privot, which had grown right to the ground, until I was finally able to get up the passage and inspect the small brick outhouse- it doesn't look like anyone had even been up there for decades and it was thick with Indiana Jones style cobwebs. It will be the perfect place to store our bikes though, which are currently gathering rust behind our fence, in the absence of anywhere better to put them.