Revenge Friday - Summer Wish List, Day Out in Bermondsey and What I Have Been watching

 Hello darlings, 

I hope you enjoy reading this post! This week I am going to tell you about my day out in Bermondsey and what I have been watching. Also Netflix has released a few more shows and I am very relieved because I was getting slightly desperate. I was so desperate I watched this awful show called My Life With the Walter Boys- it was so bad. I do apologise for this slightly boring post. 

What have I been watching

Ripley: I watched this with my mum because she loves the book and also the film. I was a bit reluctant to watch it- I am quite fragile and stuff like of that subject matter really upset me. I did really get into it and I had watched the film but I like it as a TV series because it is like a slower pace but it is very exciting to watch over several nights. I really enjoyed watching it over the past week. Yeah it also defo makes you want to go back to Italy. Defo give this a watch.

Baby Reindeer: I am currently watching this series and it is really unique. It is based on the writer of the series, Richard Gadd, (he plays himself in the series) experience of being stalked by a woman who claims to be a lawyer. She sends him these really unhinged, incoherent emails and it gets progressively more sinister. It is soo fucking chilling and scary. It is slightly excruciating at times because you really see like hindsight. I am only on episode three but I am soo gripped. It is very like thought-provoking.

This Town: This is on BBC iplayer and yeah I watched this a few weeks back. It is basically about a teenager called Dante growing up in like the 80s and he is trying to start a band with his friend and his cousin. I enjoyed it but I found it slightly cringy and it is co-written by kae Tempest who, I am ngl, I am not a fan of at all... I just don't get their music. There are several story lines such as Dante and his cousin's quite dysfunctional family. Dante's cousin Bardon is also being like forced by his father to do tasks for the IRA. There is a lot going on in this six part series, idk if it completely works. That being said, I quite enjoyed watching it.

Summer Wishlist

I am so done with this weather and so looking forward to summer. I have been thinking about some things I want to get for summer. So here is what I fancy.

Black linen dress- I had this really nice black linen dress and I had a few clothes at university that just didn't make it back home (I hate losing things) and this dress was unfortunately one of them. I loved this dress. So I would like to replace it and I am going to try to make it. It was a really lovely dress and I have been thinking about how I can remake it- I have a plan.

Embroidered Cardigan- I have a pink cashmere cardigan that I have had for years and to be totally honest it is so not my colour despite the fact I wear it all the time. I would sort of fancy getting a new cardigan but I would quite like it to have embellishments and to be a cosy cashmere. I have a few saved on my vinted so I think at some point I will pick one to buy.

Sol De Janeiro 68- I went to the cinema a few weeks back and the person sat next to me was wearing this perfume (or one really similar) and granted I think they had way too much on but I was not complaining because it smelt gorgeous. I would like this but in order for me to buy it for myself I need to finish three perfumes- that is what I am saying to myself. I find it really hard to finish perfumes because every scent is like a time in your life and a memory.

Revenge Friday 12/04/24

My Mum and I went to London Bridge because there was an exhibition at the fashion and textile museum that we wanted to see. Firstly we had a browse down Bermondsey Street and we got a coffee and matcha latte from Fuckoffee which was really chill. Then we went for a viewing at Kerry Taylor Auction, it was a fashion sale and accessories sale and it had some cool things. I tried on a few things but nothing was really doing it for me. We didn't end up putting a bid on anything. I think there is another auction in June so I will probably go again for that.

We got some lunch at a Vietnamese place. Then we went to the Fashion and Textile Museum and it was basically so busy they weren't excepting walk-ins for another two hours. I just couldn't be bothered to wait. The exhibition is on for another few months so we will probably go another time. Then we went to Borough Market but I suddenly got really bad period cramps- agonising. We ended up heading home but yeah despite it not going completely to plan I still had a really fun day.

Okay I will chat to you again very shortly.

Love

Happy Hippo x

Revenge Friday- Easter vibes

 Hello bunnies x

I hope you are well and having a good Easter. I am working unfortunately on the Saturday and Easter Monday too. 

My Easter decorations.

Revenge Friday- Revenge Trip to Crystal Palace

I am on my own for easter and I feel like everyone has left London so I sort of wanted to go into town and go to a department store and buy some Easter treats to get in the mood. However, I woke up and just couldn't be arsed. So instead I just went to Crystal Palace and it was actually so lovely. I went to a Cafe for lunch and got an omelette and chips which I ate on the terrace. I am trying to remember the last time I went to Crystal Palace and yeah it has been ages- I sort of forgot how lovely it is. I had a browse of the boutiques, antiques shops and charity shops. I promptly left one charity shop when I saw an ugly shein dress for sale for £10.95- they're delusional.

Then I went to a chocolate Cafe, Blowing Dandelion which was really cute they had like lots of easter eggs and truffles for sale- it was very busy as you can imagine. I chose four little eggs and I also got a hot chocolate to-go because I wanted to walk through the park with it. The staff were really friendly and the hot chocolate was good. So yeah I recommend you going if you live in the area and you want to buy some chocolate.

They let me pick the ribbon colour too! I also picked up some earl grey tea from the health food shop because I want to make an afternoon tea on Sunday with hot cross buns and I will have my chocolate.

Then I walked through Crystal Palace park and made my way home.

Anything else?

I am going to have a think about some things to write for the next few Revenge Friday posts.

I actually did manage to finish sewing a dress. I think it looks really cute. I have decided to start doing a quarterly sewing post. So that will be posted maybe next week.

Alright see you next week!

love, 

Happy Hippo 

I am back! x

 Hello darlings

I am so sorry I haven't posted in almost a month. I was actually really unwell and I half wrote a lot of blogposts but never posted them... basically I am just going to sort of put it all together in this blogpost. Yeah quite a few factors: I was quite unwell, I had a migraine/ positional headache that lasted for four days, I was also hit by a car while I was crossing the road lol (I was actually like completely unscathed) and I was on holiday last week. I am back and living to fight another day. But yeah I hope you enjoy this sort of mismatch of all the blogposts I didn't get round to posting in the last month. Enjoy x

Revenge Friday- Day out in Forest Hill and Results Day?

I was in Forest Hill for a bit of a random reason: I was collecting my GCSE certificates. I was having dinner with a school friend a while back and I was saying how badly I did in my GCSE's particularly my Religious Studies GCSE which I got a D in (which always surprised me because I was on track to get way higher than that). Anyway she told me that the exam board had our years RE GCSE remarked and a lot of students' marks had gone up significantly. However, I would have never known because I never collected the certificates. I sort of got excited as well because I didn't do that well at GCSE (I have four lol). So I popped into the school when I had my day off and unbelievably they still had them after 6 years. So I opened them... absolutely no change haha.

So after that I had a facial booked which was really nice. I felt very zen afterwards. I am sort of loving getting like doing beauty appointments- I feel very adult.

I had some lunch at Aga's, I got a cheese toasty and a chai latte which was really delicious. I had a browse of some of the boutiques. They have a really lovely boutique called Better Things which stocks like small independent brands and merchandise from small makers. Then after browsing a few shops I headed back home and just had a chill afternoon.

Revenge Friday- Sloan Square

 I was going on holiday and so I thought it would be nice to get a new pair of ballet flats. I decided to go to Sloan Square because they have some really nice boutiques that you could probably get ballet flats from. I first wanted to go to Anya's Village which is like a selection of themed shops by the designer Anya Hindmarch. It's very fun. I went in a few shops. I wanted to go to the Anya café but I was on my own and honestly it looked full and intimidating but I would love to book it with someone at some point because it looked really nice from the outside. Then I walked to Sloan Square and grabbed some lunch.

I went to Peter Jones/John Lewis and I brought some ballet flats. I also tried on a few denim dresses. Then I ended up buying a perfume, its Chloe Nuit d'Egypte and it took my fancy- I did fall slightly victim to a very persuasive sales assistant. It is very nice though- it makes me feel classy. Peter Jones is a really nice department store and it feels very relaxed- it is quite a good place to go if you have like an occasion you need to buy an outfit for.

Then that was it, I didn't really go in any other shops in Chelsea. They have quite a big Zara but I didn't fancy going in (iykyk). 

Yeah I had a really chill day.

These are the ballet flats that I got and I chose a Mary Jane style with a square toe because I think they look slightly more contemporary and I think they will work with everything. Excuse the terrible photo, I keep saying this is the year that I learn to take better photos for my blog.

Then this is the perfume I got and the man was quite sweet because he gave me loads of samples which I ended up giving to my sister. 

Perfect Days... and Japanese Cinema?

I went to see the film two weekends ago, Perfect Days which is about a man who cleans toilets in Tokyo (I slightly needed a piss half way through and it was like just unbearable watching all these toilets so I did have to nip off to go) and he lives like a very zen life, quite routine and very understated. This is sort of a spoiler but he has sort of curated this life sort of because he is estranged from his family, although we never really find out why. It is a really beautiful film but I will say I am in my early 20's and I don't know if it is an age thing but my parents loved this film and it was a bit lost on me. 

I am potentially going to Japan at some point, so I need to like get into Japanese Cinema because I have never really got into the Studio Ghibli films. I think I have watched Spirited Away as a child and I was quite disturbed. So let me know if you have any like film recommendations Japanese or like Studio Ghibli.

Holiday to Nice

I took some days off and I went to Nice with a school friend. We had loads of fun. 

We went to Monaco one day and we went to Cafe du Paris which is in the same square as the casino and hotel so it is really fun for people watching. We sort of just went for a wonder about and we also went for happy hour in the evening which was really fun and there was live music which... was quite a laugh. The bar I like to go to in Monaco is called La Rascasse 

Then we spent just a day in Nice wondering the shops and looking around the old town and we had another day which we spent in Antibes. We had a cheese board one evening at Les Distilleries Ideales which is my favourite bar in Nice. Yeah we did loads and it was really lovely to just host and show someone around. We had loads of fun. I need to do a post where I like recommend where to go and places to eat in Nice.

I feel so dorky.

All right I will chat in my next post. 

Lots of love,

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- Valentines Outfit, Day Out in London and life

Hello darlings x

I hope you had a lovely Galentines or Valentines Day. I didn't end up doing anything actually (logistical issues). I am sure at some point I will celebrate it- maybe next week. My sewing machine kicked the bucket last week so I need to go and get that fixed.

Films and TV

One Day (Netflix): This is so so good. I definitely recommend you watching this. It’s about a man and a woman who meet at a University party and they become friends. The TV show is based on a book and basically they meet up on a particular day every year. It’s really sweet but quite sad. 

There are a couple of films I want to see at the moment that look really good. I really want to see All of us Strangers and The Zone of Interest, so I think I will maybe go see one next Revenge Friday. 

Valentines Outfit Plan

I didn't actually do anything for Valentines day but I have such a cute outfit planned for when my partner reschedules. I got these really cute lacey tights in the Tezenis sale after Christmas. They were like 60% off or something, so worked out I think around €2.50. My sister got the same ones but in pink. Then I have this Zara dress. Then I just finish off the look with some black heels and a white faux fur (for the mob wife vibe).

I was going to try it on but was feeling lazy.

Revenge Friday

I went to London because I wanted to go to an exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery which was actually really good. It was Frank Auerbach: Charcoal Heads and yeah it was pretty fab. There was two rooms of his charcoal portraits and they were very striking. A lot of them had been like sort of patched up and reworked and it was interesting reading about his creative process.

There was a Hello Kitty exhibition at Somerset House and I was sort of tempted but I was on my own and I just felt a bit like it was something I would rather go to with someone else (there is a Hello Kitty Disco in the exhibition and I can't just be dancing on my own in the Hello Kitty disco). So yes my poor partner might be getting dragged to that.

For lunch I went to a Japanese Ramen place near embankment station called Ippudo. I had been there before with my mum and I had liked it. I got a vegetarian Katsu curry and some veggie gyozas. It tasted way nice than it looks, it looks quite bleak in that photo. It was quite a relaxing experience sat at the bar on my own.

I walked through Covent Garden. I went to the usual shops I always go to. I walked to Carnaby Street and browsed Liberty's. I had a Matcha latte at Grind, they do really strong coffee and the matcha lattes are really good. I tried on some clothes from & other stories and I was humbled because they looked awful on me.

I had some vouchers which covered a perfume, I picked up Miss Dior. I did actually order a card case when I got home because I accidently card clashed and I am so annoyed with myself so I thought to avoid doing that again I will use a separate card holder for my travelcard.

I loved my day out- so much fun. Let me know if you enjoy my little day out posts or what other content you like seeing.

I will chat with you soon! 

Love, 

Happy Hippo xx

Revenge Friday- Valentines, Sewing and What I Have Been Watching

 Hello Darlings

Sorry this blogpost is coming late and I also skipped a week- I was feeling a bit under the weather. I am feeling a bit better now. 

What I have been watching and podcasts I have been listening to

Offstage: Inside the X Factor (BBC Sounds)- I have been listening to this podcast series which discusses the behind the scenes of the X Factor and how the show was produced. It is really interesting. I haven't listened to it all but some interesting details they included is how the contestants would have information leaked about them to the press and some details about how contestants would sort of be provoked by producers. It does make you think because I have watched the 'top 10 worst  performances on X Factor' comps on Youtube and some of them are clips from like 15 + years ago- like you forget that behind the clip is a person who is probably being like haunted by their X Factor performance that took place like years ago.

The Holdovers- I went to watch this with my dad at the cinema and it was really good. It is about a boy who is left behind at a boys school over Christmas in the care of the school's cook and a classics teacher. The characters are quite troubled such as the cook, Mary who is grieving for her son. It is really good I defo recommend it actually. It would be really nice to watch at Christmas.

Griselda- I finished watching this series which is about a female drug lord, Griselda Blanco. It basically about her trying to dominate the Miami cocaine scene in the 80s and it is biographical- she was a real person. It is 6 parts and really well done. I don't think it glorifies her so much because it conveys the senselessness and destructiveness, like what was it all for? I think it is defo worth a watch.

Sewing

I have been making this really cute dress which has been a really nice sew actually. It is not too tricky. I love this style of fabric (toile du juoy) but this one when you look closer it looks a bit too cartoony for my liking... it is the faces that need refining. I think it pairs really nicely with the style of dress. I can't wait to wear this once it is completed. The pattern is by Tilly and the Buttons and it is called the Marnie dress/top.

For Valentines Day I decided to make some pyjamas for my partner. I brought this really nice, I think it is an ex Liberty design of an ex William Morris design, fabric. This is really pretty; I think I smashed it with my choice of fabric. For the sewing pattern I picked up this McCall's sewing pattern which I think looks really classic with the patch pockets. Admittedly I don't think I will have this completed by Valentines Day but it is nothing in terms of technicality that I haven't done before so should be completed soonish.

Maybe every quarter I will do like a sewing related blogpost. So I will show you these projects when they are finished in a few weeks.

Revenge Friday

I didn't really do anything on Friday because I was covering for someone at work. In the morning I did a bit of voluntary administration work which has actually been quite interesting. I did get time to go for brunch with my mum. There are some really good brunch places on my highstreet which I am slowly working my way through. My favourite brunch order is a shakshuka or Eggs Royale with a chai or matcha latte- what do you like to order?

I will take next Friday off so, Revenge Friday will resume- I think I might be going to Oxford for the day. I hope you have had a lovely Valentines Day.

Love,

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- Fun Topiary, Priscilla and Pamper Evening

 Hello sweeties x

I hope you are doing well. I feel like I was the only one who wasn't watching The Traitors but my friend was raving about it so I tuned into the last episode. Omg it was so exciting. Even though I hadn't watched the rest of the series I was still on the edge of my seat like screaming. 

Bunny Bush

There is a road that my parents and I sometimes drive along if we are heading into central London and it has a house that has a bush in the shape of a bunny. It is so fucking cute! It has a little red bow around his neck that makes it look like a Lindt chocolate. My family actually didn't believe me at first because every time we would go past they would miss it.

Then! A month ago, down towards Penge high street, I saw a dinosaur bush!

The bunny is my fave. But please let me know if there is any more fun topiary in SE. I have heard there are a few in North London- so I think I might go visit them one Friday.

Okay this is a screenshot of the bunny from a snapchat I took, sorry for the terrible quality.

Pamper Night for the Anxious

I am really bad at relaxing before bed and I have been thinking I need to start a bedtime routine. I have really bad anxiety and it is just such a nightmare. I feel like it just weaponises everything I like and I just become really anxious about doing things I used to enjoy. I feel like the anxious thoughts just really flare up at night.

Anyway I did try and have a pamper evening this week- I had a face mask and I watched a show. It is called Brideshead Revisited and it came out in like the 80's and it is set on a book about a man who goes to Oxford and he sort of develops a crush on this other man. I am only up to the second episode. I think it is sort of like Saltburn- which I haven't watched but my friend said I should.

I planned to paint my nails but I just got too anxious to do it. I don't even know what I am scared of.

I have actually started to sew again. I am making a dress which I am so excited to wear (with a pair of espadrilles), especially when I go to Italy and France. I am also making a Valentines gift for my partner which hopefully goes better than the embroidery I started making them last year which before I could finish it, it had become mouldy lol. 

Revenge Friday

I met my friend in London and we went to see Priscilla which is Sofia Coppola's new film. My friend and I are quite fond of her other films so we both agreed we would see this film together. It was really good and I defo recommend seeing it. We then grabbed some sushi for lunch- does anyone else dislike the new itsu with the sushi not on display? I feel I can't make a good choice. We had a browse on Carnaby Street and also walked to Covent Garden. Yeah it was such a nice day. It is always fun seeing my friend.

Love

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday-What I have been watching, deinfluencing and day out in London

 Hello darlings x

I hope you have had a fabulous Revenge Friday. My day was really nice.

What I have been watching and listening to

Things fell apart presented by Jon Ronson (BBC Sounds)- I sort of adore Jon Ronson he seems very empathetic and he reports on some really intriguing things. There is a series two of Things Fell Apart which is a podcast where each episode of the podcast is a story from the culture wars but this series it is about the Coronavirus Pandemic. It is so worth listening to. 

Hunting the Rolex Rippers (BBC Iplayer)- This just popped on TV one night when my mum and I were just about to go to bed. However, we were so gripped by this show that we ended up staying up and watching it to the end. It is a short documentary about the rise of watch thefts that have happened. It is actually shocking and sort of frightening, luckily in the documentary the thieves say they only go for watches above 10k so it is safe to say I wont be targeted for my casio lol. But yeah it is so sinister because they speak about almost spying on their victims, like they will get women to sort of look for victims in like bars and clubs ect. The ending of the documentary is a bit, it ends on quite a weird note.

Milli Vanilli documentary (Paramount +)- I watched this with my mum last week and tbh we weren't really expecting much. If you don't know about milli vanilli they were like a pop duo who basically had a few hits but the thing was they had never actually sung on their albums and in concert, it was literally someone else. So they were basically living a lie. The documentary is a very sympathetic portrayal though, you defo feel sorry for them. It is quite interesting because in the documentary the surviving member of the duo said that they started to sort of believe their own lies, like they started to think it was really them singing. It is just such a crazy story.

Deinfluencing you

So I am not sure who originally coined this deinfluencing term, so I am not sure who to credit but it is a term I have seen floating about the internet. Deinfluencing is basically the opposite of influencing, so you are telling people not to do/buy things.  Usually like deinfluencing products or things with a lot of hype; so here is my list...

Candle Warmers- This is just honestly pointless. It is basically a lamp that you put over a candle instead of burning the actual candle wick. I think I had seen this in a gift guide around Christmas time and my first thoughts were like... please please no one buy this for me. I just don't get it.

A Square Croissant- I saw this recommended by like a London Instagram page (one of them pages that recommends places to eat and things to do ect in London) and it is basically a bakery that sells... square croissants but there is a lot of hype around it. It is just a bit gimmicky. Is it popular because it tastes nice or is it popular because it is a square croissant?

Ralph's Coffee Bar- I keep seeing this coffee place on Instagram. It is a cafe at the bottom of the Ralph Lauren store on Bond Street and I was thinking of going if ever I found myself in that neck of the woods. I just thought it looked cute and preppy. But back to the square croissant, people won't be honest on Instagram and say 'my square croissant was stale', it is about the aesthetic. It is the case of style over substance. 

Whispering Angel- I saw a lot of hype around this wine and so I did get a bottle at Christmas. It was either corked or this is just not a good bottle of wine.

I can defo see myself doing more deinfluencing lists so if you have any ideas drop me a line on Instagram or comment below. I didn't put Stanley Cups on this list because I sort of get the appeal although I don't get why you would collect them in multiple colours. I think the more intriguing aspect of the trend is that I have seen a few posts on Instagram where people are putting alcohol in the Stanley Cups which honestly if you are doing that you are an alcoholic.

Revenge Friday

I met up with my partner for lunch and we went to J Sheekey. I had like battered prawn and courgette to start and then risotto for main which was really good. I have been really enjoying trying out a few restaurants in London; I love places that are quite classic.

We then went shopping, and neither of us really purchased anything. My partner was looking for clothes but I think he prefers to shop on his own. I did sneakily buy a Valentines card from a stationer while my partner was stood outside vaping and I got my sister a Galentines card- I am very organised this year.

After browsing some shops we got a matcha late and we actually decided to see a film. We decided to see the Wonka film but neither of us had seen the trailer and I am not sure what I was expecting but that wasn't it lol. It wasn't quite our thing (it is very much a children's film) but tbh it was like enjoyable nonetheless.

These are the cards I got... the one for my sister is like lowkey creepy. Like it looked really cool in the shop because it has like the lenticular design but on the train home I actually felt a bit creeped out- I feel guilty sending it to her. The the one for my partner is just like a simple rose. 

Lots of love

Happy hippo x