Revenge Friday: Mini Haul and Battersea Power Station

Hi Darlings,

Sorry I have been away; I have had PMS, which I get badly.

Honestly, I have actually been in my feels recently and just feeling sort of lost. It got so bad that I am considering seeing a psychic as I just want like another perspective or insight on my life, and guidance.

Idk, I just have a lot on my mind.

Battersea Power Station

I finally went! …and it was so much nicer than I thought it would be- it is really nice. They have more like high end shops and it has a really nice ambience.

I am planning to go to Sri Lanka in the New Year, so my mum and I were looking at potential footwear in Office. I am sorted for sandals but I think I could do with bringing some trainers. I was thinking Solomons maybe. I need to consult my sister- she normally helps me with decisions like this.

I went in a few shops that I don't normally go in which is quite nice- like sportswear shops and make up shops.

My mum and I looked in a Korean supermarket and we picked up some bits: miso, crispy chili oil (my fave), kimchi and those sugary treats which were on Squid Game.

I had a nice trip out. It isn't the easiest for me to get there but I think definitely revisit.

Sri Lanka Vinted Haul

Like I mentioned, I am planning to go to Sri Lanka in the new year. I realised I don't have any modest clothes (Tbh); my summer clothes are like mini skirts and camisoles- that's my thing. So I purchased some modest things on Vinted.

I thought it would be nice to get some lace or broderie anglaise trousers. I picked out these ones from H&M, the lace is like on the side and its really pretty. 

Then I got a little top, which says 'the world is your oyster' which I thought was really cute. Not quite sure what it means.

I brought another pair of trouser which were really nice.... or they would have been if they actually fit. They were meant to be a small but I think they would fit a medium. Zara sizing is the worst. I will find someone to give them to because they are nice.

Falafel Friday

I was at work until six but after work I stopped by Kings Road and I browsed a few shops for half an hour. Then I went home and ate a ready meal... really boring.

At home, I watched My Life with the Walter Boys, which is soo bad. Please recommend me something good to watch this Autumn- I need to get into a new series.

Chat soon!

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- Culture in Mayfair, Kings Road

Hello darlings,

I hope you had a good weekend. I am sorry that this is being posed late, admittedly I had pretty much written it but I was struggling to write the intro bit- I am worst blogger. Anyway here it is...

Day Out in Mayfair

I went to Mayfair because I wanted to go to Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo at the RA. The exhibition was really fabulous, and his drawings are so atmospheric and characterful. I would recommend going; also if you are under 25 you can get a half price ticket (I think it was like £7.50).

I then walked down Bond Street and I needed to respond to an email so I went to John Lewis Cafe for  a cream tea (OAP vibes) and yeah did some emailing. Then after that I was sort of ready to go home, so I slowly walked back to Victoria station. 

Revenge Friday

I went to Chelsea on my own because I wanted to have a browse of a few shops. I went to a bouji stationary shop and picked up a couple of items. Then I received a text from my father to say he was in Kings Road Five Guys with spare chips and I legged it down Kings Road to Five Guys. I got myself a milkshake and had some chips. I then walked up Kings Road. I looked in Zara because I needed some black work trousers to wear when I am on my period; I didn't see any I liked. I looked in Peter Jones and Waterstones- nothing took my fancy.

In the stationary shop I purchased a chic notebook for work (navy, lined paper, ring bound and lovely quality) and I got a box of stickers that I thought my sister would like (my sister is visiting LDN in a few weeks and I just like to give her a little something something whenever she visits). Now when I got home I was excited for my new purchases and so I opened the box of stickers... it was empty... there were no fucking stickers inside the box... I was sold an empty box. I then proceeded to piss myself laughing for like an hour. 

I had a good day. I really like going to Kings Road- it is defo one of my fave places to go if I want to do some browsing of shops. If you have any recommendations of caffs or restaurants on Kings Road let me know.

Okay that is a wrap for this week. I will chat to you next Friday. 

Love

Happy hippo

Revenge Friday: Tottenham Court Road, Kensington and Growth vs Fixed Minset

 Hello darlings 

Hope you had a good week! I have had a really busy week and I am also coming down with a cold.- I feel rubbish ugh. 

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

I was talking about this with someone a few weeks ago about fixed and growth mindset which is quite an interesting theory. It is basically the idea that there are two mindsets. So a person with a fixed mindset would be threatened by other peoples success, they see talent as being quite fixed and maybe they don't like to be challenged. So then a person with a Growth Mindset would embrace challenges and see it as an opportunity to grow, they believe you can cultivate intelligence and that feedback is useful. 

I definitely used to have a very fixed mindset but I have shifted towards the growth mindset. Anyway, it is quite interesting.

Revenge Day Out in Tottenham Court Road

I went out with my partner to Tottenham Court Road to have a look at the furniture shops there. We had a look in Heals which used to be such a good shop but is just lacking; the basement showroom just looks like a homebase. They were a bit unfriendly in the shop too. I have this thing where if I go to a restaurant or a shop and I have like a shop assistant or waiter be rude to me, that evening I will have to check Google reviews just to be reassured that it wasn't my fault.

We also went to the Wellcome collection which had an exhibition on called Hard Graft: Work, Rights and Health which was really interesting. The Wellcome collection is one of my favourite places to visit in London and the exhibitions I think are always free (don't quote me on that). However the museum no longer houses Henry Wellcome's collection which I find sort of strange.

We also went to Chutneys which is a an all-you-can-eat Vegetarian Indian Buffet on Drummond Street which I have been going to for many years but I haven't been for a few years (covid right) so I did actually have to ring up to enquire about the buffet timings. 

I think the price is good like it came to £35 for two of us which for London is good value. I recommend it and it is close to the UCL and also on the parralel street to the Wellcome collection.

We also walked to Soho and we went to a cafe for a natter and a Matcha Latte.

I had a nice day out and I like going to that part of London because it is slightly dead and Tottenham Court Road doesn't get the crowds of nearby Oxford Street.

Revenge Day Out in Kensington

My sister is back from France, so we decided to have a day out and since it was raining we decided to go to the V&A. My sister wanted to go to the Naomi Campbell exhibition, so we had a look around. That was my third time visiting- no idea how I ended up going three times because I wasn't even that keen on it the first time. We went for cream tea in the members room which was cute. Then we walked to Sloane Square to have a look around the shops (my sister was after a dress for a wedding) which was fun.

Anyway, have a good weekend! I was thinking about posting maybe a rant about London or sort of a Deinfluencing of London because… London is not how it used to be since covid.

Love

Happy Hippo x

Revenge Friday- Crystal Palace, Uniqlo haul, life

 Hello darlings, 

I hope you had a good weekend. Also, who else wasted last Saturday Morning in that fucking Ticketmaster queue? At 12:15 I made the executive decision to cut my loses because I knew even if I did access it I would have been totally priced out by that point. I wasn't even in the actual queue, I was just in the queue to access the website.

I did manage to salvage my Saturday: I went to Sloane Square to the Saatchi Gallery to see a fashion photography exhibition Beyond Fashion. There is a really great food market on Duke of York Square and there are loads of options and if it is good weather you can have a picnic on the square; that is what I did and I went for Moroccan cuisine.

 On Sunday I met up with my partner and we went to the British Museum- I hadn't been in years. We had a walk around the museum which was fun and actually it was good going with someone who is into history . 

After we went to an arcade called Novelty Automation which was like a 6 minute walk away. The arcade machines are sort of very quirky and satirical; there was one which recreated working in an Amazon warehouse, one which you practice money laundering, another where you fight to keep the house in a divorce and yeah some really funny games. Most of the machines were created by Tim Hunkin who is a cartoonist and engineer. We purchased 10 token for £9 and the machines take 1-2 tokens. I would definitely recommend visiting if you are in the area. It was really good fun.

Revenge Friday

I planned to go to Battersea Power Station on Friday but for some reason I could just not bring myself to go... it just does not seem my vibe at all. So instead I just had a lowkey day.

I decided on a trip to Crystal Palace. I am planning a bedroom makeover and I have decided to replace the  furniture so I had a look around a few second hand furniture shops there.

Crystal Palace Antiques has four floors of mostly mid-century furniture. I have been wanting a mid-century dresser and they had quite a few in the shop but... I have to be realistic with myself: my clothes are not all going to fit in a 1960's dresser. People didn't really own as many clothes back then and so the dressers are quite small. Nothing else peaked my interest.

So hunched haha.

I did quite like these mirrors which they had two in the shop and I love how elegant and minimalist they look. Although I think before I start buying accessories, changing the furniture is a priority.

For lunch we went to Spinach which is a new brunch place on the triangle. It was really good. 

They have several really good health food shops and refill shops on the triangle. We got some empty soap bottles refilled in La Amazonas. We went in a few boutiques.

Then I just went home to relax and do a bit of work on my laptop. I say this all the time but my period was really getting to me.

Uniqlo Haul

I was in Oxford with my partner a few days ago and I went to Uniqlo which is a shop I used to shop at a lot but in the last few years I hardly ever go in tbh. When I was younger I used to get really sucked in by their sanrio (I love hello kitty) and other cartoon character collections.

Anyway, I popped in and I was really pleasantly surprised. I picked up this white turtle neck jumper and I think the shape and fit is really chic; it is 100% wool so hopefully it holds up okay (sometimes knitwear from fast fashion brands can be really questionable quality). This will be perfect for work though with some smart trousers.

Then I also purchased some flared leggings which again I like the shape of these- I find some brands have a really exaggerated flare.

I feel very huggable in this outfit.

Okay so I am not going to post until October because I am going away for a month but I have loads of blogposts planned for when I come back. Stay fabulous!

Love,

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday: V&A, Shoreditch and life

 Hello darlings

I hope your bank hols was restful. I always find that the end of summer and September is when I like to set some intentions for the rest of the year. So yeah I have been deep in thought and I am trying to do as much on my days off while it is still summer.

Bank hols

I have been watching Twin Peaks (on Paramount +) which I have been really liking so far I am on S1E4. I am loving it. 

On Sunday, I went to the V&A and I went to see an exhibition called Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence; it was quite a nerdy exhibition but I did sort of get it and learn something. I had the impression that everyone there was really into it and I don't know anything about this basically. The premise of the exhibition was about the modernist architecture that was built in India and West Africa designed by architects such as Le Corbusier. 

On Tuesday I went to the Young V&A because I wanted to see the exhibition Japan Myths to Manga and it was really interesting to learn about the Japanese folklore. I have purchased a membership for the V&A so I am trying to get my moneys worth. Afterwards I had lunch in a Venezuelan place opposite (Arepa & co) and I got a vegetarian Arepa which was really good. I then walked to Shoreditch and had a browse of the vintage markets- I always find the vendors to be really intimidating. I walked to Columbia road because I like the boutiques on that street they feel quite upmarket but on a Tuesday it was completely dead. I went in a shop and felt pressured (weird story) to buy an overpriced birthday card for my sister (4.50!). Then I grabbed a matcha and sat in a green to sip it. Grabbed some bagels on Brick Lane and headed home. I had such a nice day and I love that area. 

However... (I am going to go on one of the tangents) I had gone to this museum in my childhood but I haven't been for many years since it was renovated. It is completely different, when I used to go there as a child it was called the Museum of Childhood and it was basically just a museum about toys but since its been renovated it is now the Young V&A so it is like a museum for children. That may sound like the same thing but they are completely different concepts. So basically I didn't realise I was going to a children's exhibition basically... 

Revenge Friday

I was at work and then when I got home I was exhausted and processing the day I had. I watched a Twin Peaks and I am also working on a little project at the moment- I will tell you when I have some success in it. So I didn't do anything too exciting.

Also comment below like what time of year you like to set goals, intentions and resolutions. Okay have a fabulous week. 

Love 

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday: Gut feelings don't exist, Summery Days Out and Life

Hello darlings

I hope you are doing well and have some nice plans for the bank holiday. I had quite a chill week. I was at work on Friday but I have had some time this week to do some fun summer days out.

What I have been up to

Charity shop brunch day: I popped to the highstreet one day this week to do some errands. I got some brunch. I went for a matcha and toasted sandwich. There are over 8 charity shops and once a month I try to do a charity shop run. I picked up this adorable dress which tbh I could wear to work or on a date with my partner- with some espadrilles or some ballet flats it will be sooo cute.

My back camera has broken lol, so I had to take a selfie next to a mirror- I must have just forgotten self timer exists.

Serpentine Gallery: I went to the Serpentine last Sunday (I think- the days are sort of bleeding into each other) which is always a summery vibe. The gallery is in two buildings; in the South Gallery they have Yinka Shonibare's Suspended States exhibition and in the North Gallery they have Judy Chicago: Revelations. Both exhibitions are worth a visit (they are also free entry) but Judy Chicago was particularly amazing and an artist I wasn't familiar with. In the Serpentine they have their yearly summer pavilion... it wasn't my favourite.

They also had a Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin in Hyde Park. 

Defo go to the Serpentine before summer ends; I think both exhibitions are ending early September. I grabbed some sushi to eat in the park and it was really zen.

The Biba Story (Fashion and Textile Museum): My mum and I went to the Fashion and Textile museum to go to the Biba exhibition. Biba was like a fashion and lifestyle boutique in the 60's and 70's which tbh was quite short lived. The exhibition was interesting but I did sort of have more questions than answers, like it didn't really explain why it closed down. I also wish they made it feel like you were in a Biba boutique. Exhibition was really interesting; some of the clothes were gorgeous. I think I defo would have shopped there if I was born 50 years earlier.

 After visiting the exhibition I had a browse down Bermondsey street and I went for a matcha latte at Fuckoffee. I really like Bermondsey street ugh I wish I could live there.

Can we really trust our gut? No, not if you have anxiety.

I don’t know if I will be able to articulate this but I was thinking about the idea of gut feelings or gut instinct. When talking about gut feeling people are normally talking about a bad gut feeling: the feeling that a situation, something or someone is bad or dangerous. A gut feeling is often portrayed as a premonition. On social media we hear stories of people who had a gut feeling who heroically acted on it or fatally didn’t. Or we hear guru’s who tell us to be aligned with our gut and to always trust our gut feelings.

Gut feelings don’t exist. We can have a bad feeling about something or someone, but it is based on the evidence in front of us however subtle that is. Do premonitions exist? I don’t think so. Now you might disagree with me. The truth is though if you have anxiety you need to forget the idea of a ‘gut feeling’ because a ‘gut feeling’ (whatever that is) feels like anxiety vice versa. Anxiety is going to present itself as a sort of premonition- ‘I have a feeling something terrible is going to happen today’ or ‘I think I am going to die in a car crash today’.

I just want to reassure you that it is not your responsibility to live by your gut or be in tune with your gut. You live with the logic in your head and hope for the best. It is quite bold for me to say ‘don’t trust your gut’ because it goes so against what we have been told but the idea of a gut feeling is going to keep you trapped and confused.

Revenge Friday

I left work at like 15:00 and I hadn't eaten since breakfast- I was about to drop. So, I grabbed myself a mezze platter from a Turkish restaurant which was really good. Anyway, I went home and rotted on my bed for two hours.

I said I would read 5 books this summer and I have managed to complete one today so four more to go. I probably need to speed it up a bit lol.

Okay have a fabulous week. 

Love

Happy hippo x

Revenge Summer- Summer briefing and Day Out in South Kensington

 Hello darlings, 

I hope you are doing well. I will be posting a sewing blogpost next week because I have been doing a bit of sewing and we are long overdue the second quarter of the year sewing blogpost. This week I thought I would do a really small random haul and I also had a lovely time in Kensington.

Summer Haul

This is going to be such a random haul. 

So I stocked up on my favourite shampoo which is the Eco Warrior Shampoo Nourishing Bar. This is a really good shampoo and I have been using it for a while after my partner recommend it to me. I have like wavy/curly hair and for years I was using shampoo that just wasn't right for my hair like Tresemme and Aussi- it resulted in really flat and frizzy hair. I don't use a conditioner (the shampoo is not stripping and instead it feels moisturising) and after washing sometimes I'll use the Amika curling cream. You can buy this shampoo bar from Waitrose. Yeah one of my summer glow up tips would be to learn how to style your hair; what products suit your hair and what washing and styling method works best for you.

So I have this idea about having a stone circle summer; I would like to visit a few stone circles this summer on my days off. This led me to purchase this book Weird Walk from my local bookshop. I had seen a few people talk about this book on Instagram and it looked quite interesting. Weird Walk started as a Zine exploring the UK's ancient sites and they have now gone on to publish this book which is chaptered by season. I have already had a flip through and I have a few places I have bookmarked.

I have also selected a notebook (I had quite a few empty ones) which I am going to use as a summer scrapbook.

Revenge Sunday

So I sort of had a chill morning on Friday; I had leftover cold pizza from Thursday night and I also spent the morning filling in the conservative wipeout bingo- it was a good morning. I went to a concert later that evening in Crystal Palace park but the weather was actually so crap. It sort of makes it worse that it was quite exposed and we were battling the elements.

On Sunday though I did go to the V&A to the Naomi Campbell exhibition Naomi in Fashion which had loads of the clothes and outfits she has worn throughout her career. Some lovely pieces. 

They have two other exhibitions at the V&A that I would like to visit.  They have the Tropical Modernism and the Fragile Beauty: Photographs from Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection exhibition.

Vivienne Westwood look.

The outfit on the right is what she wore to Alexander McQueen's memorial service.

Thierry Mugler dress

After grabbing some lunch at the V&A we walked along the High Street. We went to Octavia Foundation Charity Shop and I was trying on some work clothes. I purchased an Isabel Marrant skirt which I will wear with a plain shirt for work. 

I'll insert a picture of me wearing it when I wear it out.

After browsing Harrods we walked to the station.

Okay I'll chat to you soon.

Love,

happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- Shopping and day out in Hampstead (29/06/24)

Hello darlings, 

The full moon and the longest day of year were hitting me hard last Friday. I had so much weighing on my mind. Maybe you were feeling it too.

I have been really enjoying watching the Euros and so lovely because it has been sunny in the past few weeks.

I will be doing some summer revenge blogposts and I was thinking of maybe setting like a challenge like a glow up challenge.

This weeks blogpost, I was going to do a haul but... I didn't buy anything. So instead I thought I would just write about what I have been up to and then next week we can have a summer briefing.

Revenge Friday- shopping trip fail

On Friday I went shopping in London because I wanted some work clothes for summer. For lunch I went to a ramen place in soho (Tonkotso) which was really good and the lunch time menu actually worked out quite inexpensive.

So I was sort of looking for some linen trousers and I also wanted a cowl or boat neck tshirt (a tshirt that looks smart basically). I am really fussy and I didn't buy anything. I tried on a really cute linen set from Jaeger and it did look really nice but it was going to total to £215 so I needed to sleep on it. I wasn't quite sure whether it was giving off young energy.

Then I tried on this smart top in M&S and again I actually liked it (it would go nicely with my work trousers) but it was £56 and tbh I don't know if I like it that much. 

Oh I tried on this clown outfit in Nobody's Child but the fit was awful. I don't like trousers that have pleats at the front and I don't think they ever flatter me. I am drowning in it.

I went in loads of other shops but I didn't buy anything. Tbh I am not very good at shopping on my own because... I don't make good fashion decisions lol. I had wanted to go to an exhibition but I just didn't get time.

I did go to the Liberty Bridgerton Experience which was quite a laugh. This is me in a 'carriage'. 

Sunday Outing

Last Sunday I went to Highgate Cemetery with my partner and had a tour around the cemetery; I had it on my to-do list for a few year. So its a Victorian cemetery and as well as having some very interesting people (Michael Faraday, Christina Rosetti, Elizabeth Siddal, Karl Marx, George Michael and many others) buried there, it has a really interesting history too. So you have to pay to enter and I would recommend going on a tour because you do learn a lot and otherwise you wouldn't really know what you were looking at. I really recommend going- it is really beautiful.

We walked towards Hampstead and got some food in a bakery to eat in Hampstead Heath. Then for the rest of the afternoon we spent in a pub garden watching the England match.

I had such a lovely day.

Let me know what blogposts you want to read. I am hoping next blogpost will be like Summer inspo. Chat soon!

Love, 

Happy Hippo xx

Revenge Friday- Sloan Square and deinfluencing London

 Hello darlings,

I am very out of sync with these revenge posts. Sort of a bit random but I been looking into books about the menstrual cycle because I am sort of coming to the realisation that my hormones really effect my consistency and productivity. So if you have like any recommendations for books (I have a few on my list) let me know.

Okay so this week I thought I would discuss some things I want to deinfluence in London. I see a lot of like Instagram content where they recommend things in London and sometimes they are good... but they can be very questionable. So if you would like this as a series I could definitely do that. I just thought of a few off the top of my head this week.

Deinfluencing- London Edition

Pls don't kill me these are just my opinions.

The Art of Banksy- So this is a exhibition in Soho London of Banksy's art and I walked past this place a week ago and I was basically just very intrigued because... it is not 'curated or authorised by the artist'. I am intrigued (I will leave it there). I am not telling you not to go (it will probably be great) however I think it is just as good to see one Banksy than 150.

I think there is an interesting trend at the moment of like these exhibitions and experiences in cities. I think it sort of began with the popularity of immersive Van Gogh and at their worst they end up like Willy's Chocolate Experience. I am sceptical about whether the experience is always a good experience tbh.

Joyriding- It isn't joyriding but like I have seen this so often in London where it is like people driving about for entertainment often in sort of flashy cars and playing very loud music in the sort of centre of London. I saw a few weeks ago it was a car it had been modified to have a DJ set up in the top of the car and they were playing really loud (also quite bad) music- I could hear it still when I was walking two streets away. I have seen also last weekend a car it was modified to have a sound system on the roof and followed by like eight flashy sports cars and again the music was just awful. It is just so obnoxious. So not really like deinfluencing you necessarily (tbh I just wanted an excuse to complain to you about it) but it is sort of a part of that influencer culture- look at me vibe.

Boozy Bottomless Brunch- I am sure at some point I will do the bottomless brunch. I have to say though... as a society we have got to do better than this. I was thinking that it must be quite uncomfortable to work as a waiter at a place that does bottomless brunch because it just feels like there is a lot of scope for awkwardness- as in people feel like really entitled or people being like very drunk.

Sort of on a separate topic but I was in London Bridge with my friends and we were chatting about the London Dungeons and how you don't really hear about it anymore. Like I remember this being the shit back in the day- is it still popular? I never went because tbh I was quite a sensitive child and I probably would not have enjoyed it at all.

Revenge Friday

I was at work in the morning and then I met my mum in Sloan Square about midday because we wanted to do some shopping in Peter Jones.

(emotophobia warning) Revenge Friday is sort of about facing fears and self improvement and this Friday was no different. I ate at the Peter Jones Cafe. Bit of context when I was younger I was given severe food poisoning from eating at a John Lewis Cafe; I ended up throwing up in the cinema 10 minutes towards the end of Happy Feet (2006) (I never did see the end) and then threw up on the journey home. It was bad and I have never really eaten at a John Lewis cafe since. However this Friday, I just felt it was time to return. Anyway, I had a salad for lunch and I am still alive.

I am so obsessed. I know the bag doesn’t go but I’d still be tempted to wear them together.

Then we looked round the department store and I purchased this really cute dress in the sale it was I think 40% off. I love the pattern and the puffy sleeves. I can't wait to wear this in the summer. 

We then had a look down the King's Road. I had like an email the previous week from Space NK and it was like a birthday gift that I could claim in store and I didn't have to purchase anything to claim it. Anyway this was the gift…

We had a look in a few other shops and then made our way home.

Okay, chat soon!

Love, 

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- Girl Dinner Special, what I have been up to and Notting Hill

 Hello darling, 

I hope you have had a lovely week. I thought this week I would share with you my favourite girl dinner and also like what I have been up to and reccomendations.

What I have been watching/ been up to +recommendations

Gentleman in Moscow- This is quite a sweet show. It is basically about a gentleman who has been forced into like a sort of exile in a luxury hotel. It is set in Russia from 1917. It is quite a charming show and (it feels wrong saying) it is quite easy watching- it is a nice show to watch in the evening. The last episode is out soon and I look forward to watching.

Sargant and Fashion (Tate Britain)- This was such a good exhibition. It is the exhibition of portraits by John Singer Sargent and they were really gorgeous. I went a few weeks back and I defo recommend going- it is on until early July. Btw if you are under 25, you can get the tickets for £5 and you just have to make an online account.

Ezra Collective- I went to see the Ezra Collective at the British Library which was such a nice evening. I had seen them play once before and they are so good to see live; they are so joyful and fab. I had never gone to the British Library before and I sort of want to visit properly at some point.

Peckham- I met up with my friend in Peckham and we went to Il Giardino which is an Italian restaurant just off of Peckham High Street. It's a really quaint restaurant. I had the walnut pasta which was really good. Then we went to a cocktail bar that I hadn't been to before and it is called Zapoi. It has such a romantic and quirky ambience; I really want to bring my partner. The cherry bakewell cocktail was soo good. I would say though the toilets were character building because when I went upstairs there were no lights on and so I was shining my phone torch and there were like dolls, masks and curiosities everywhere. I was so freaked out.

The People's Piazza: A History of Covent Garden (BBC Iplayer)- This is a bit random but I watched this documentary on BBC Iplayer which is basically about Covent Garden and it was really interesting. So i recommend watching it.

Girl Dinner

I thought I would share with you my favourite girl dinner components. In my family we call this sort of dinner 'pick up', like 'lets have pick up for dinner'. Sort of embarrassing when I say it in front of people. Anyway here are my favourite components:

Homemade Hummus- I love how easy it is to make hummus and it is just far better than buying shop brought. It is also made of things I normally have on hand anyway; it is tinned or jar chickpeas, lemon, garlic, olive oil and tahini + whatever spice you fancy such as zatar or paprika.

Raw vegetables- Cucumbers, carrot batons and Avocado

Sauerkraut- This is soo nice. At home we always have sauerkraut in the fridge. It is really good on top of crackers, as a side, in salads. If you are not familiar with it, it is fermented cabbage. The brand we get is Vadasz which you can find in the fridge section at the supermarket.

Cottage cheese on crackers- I used to take cottage cheese and crackers as my pack lunch to work (I would pack them in separate containers to avoid sogginess) so often. I sprinkle Everything But the Bagel seasoning on top and it is soo good.

Omelette- I don't know why I don't make omelettes more often- they are so easy and tasty. I also love trying out different cheeses inside, like I like having it with gruyere or Ossau Iraty which is really good.

Marinated Artichokes- for the marinated artichokes you can find them in the fridge section at supermarkets. They are soo good. I did used to have an artichoke recipe on my blog which was for boiled artichoke and a marinate- it was a family recipe and I gave the most chaotic instructions.

Revenge Friday

I relaxed in the morning; I was making a gift for my partner. In the evening I was meeting up with my partner for early dinner in Notting Hill. So I got there in the afternoon and it was such gorgeous weather. It was actually nice to go when all the shops were closing and the tourists were sort of leaving for the day.  My partner had driven round for about an hour and a half looking for a place to park, meanwhile there was miscommunication and I had walked up and down Portobello Road several times lol. We did meet up and we were both overheated so we just had like a leisurely stroll.

We actually wandered and window shopped along Westbourne Grove (it is just off Portobello Hight Street) which was really nice. I want to go back next time I am in Portobello because they have some boutiques such as Love Shack Fancy and Reformation. The restaurants on Portobello were so busy, we eventually found a Chinese fusion place which was really relaxed. I had a really good evening and I am pleased I went out because it was a really lovely weather that afternoon.

Also I fucking missed the eclipse- I totally did not get the memo.

Also apologies that I didn't post last week- I had a cold. I had a fun craft day at home which I felt so much better for and then I went to Oxford at the weekend. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed reading slightly chattier blog. Let me know whether you try any of my recommendations. 

Love, 

Happy Hippo

Revenge Friday- PoMo bike tour and second hand purchases

 Hello darlings, 

I hope you have had a good week. As part of my like revenge life, I am trying to do more like culture things and tbh I will go and do what I like regardless if anyone wants to come with. So yeah Thursday night after work I went for dinner and to a small exhibition opening for Close to the Hedge. It is an exhibition of photographs of bushes/hedges and it was in Deptford at the Gareth Gardner gallery. Defo if you are in Deptford the next week, check them out. I would say do not go out of your way because it is only small. I went for dinner beforehand at this really nice Italian restaurant called Marcella. It had quite a small menu of small plates and pasta- it was relaxed and I was on my own so I was just sat at the bar chatting to the lovely staff. So that was good fun.

Second Hand Purchases

I have recently made a two second hand purchases. I picked up this camisole from the charity shop. It is actually nightwear but I think it is actually really cute and I will probably wear it with (surprise) jeans and some ballet flats. I like the way it cinches at the waste. I was actually examining it when I got home and the fabric has some text printed on it which says 'I'm in demand because I am never late, to start a job or keep a date'- huh?

Then I brought a dress on vinted. It didn't look like much in the images on Vinted- it didn't convey how lovely it is. I had a google and I found a picture of a runway model wearing it to the 2017 Victoria Secret show. She looks gorgeous in it. 

Image Source- FASHION Magazine

It arrived and I am so pleased with it. I quite like that it isn't too fitted or short- it looks more relaxed. I love the lacey bits on the shoulder, so fun. I will wear this with a pair of black heels in the evening or some summer sandals for a day look.

The brand is Club Monaco and the body of the dress is 100% silk. Both items totalled to under £20 (£3.50+£16) which is quite fair.

Revenge Friday

So my dad has recently been organising and researching a bike ride architecture tour. He wanted to do like test run on Friday and because I couldn't be there on the actual day of the bike ride I thought I would join him on the exclusive preview. We started in Bank/ City of London, went across the river and along the south bank to Greenwich and back to Tower Bridge via Isle of Dogs. It was loads of fun.

We had to skip over a lot of the buildings from Greenwich because we had gotten so side tracked that it was actually getting late.

Here are two of the buildings we looked at...

So China Wharf  (the red building in the image) was one of the buildings on our ride this was built around 1986-8

I used to walk past this a lot as a child and I never noticed that one of the balconies is a boat- such a revelation.

Then this the Isle of Dogs Pumping Station- its basically a sewage pump built 1986-1988.

Then after the bike ride, I had like 20 minutes at home to get ready and then I had to go out again to go to an event at the Barbican, it was author Kate Atkinson doing readings accompanied by BBC Orchestra. So yeah I really enjoyed my day.

Lots of love,

Happy hippo x

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

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 Christmas 2023 Part 1

Hello darlings, 

I hope you have had a fab week! Are you getting into Christmas this year? I sort of am. I feel like the last few years I have mentally checked out of Christmas but this year I want to actually feel festive. So yeah expect some Christmassy revenge Friday blogposts. I am already shopping for Christmas gifts because I like to be organised and I also like to get them in the Black Friday sales. But yeah any recommendations for Christmassy blogposts let me know :)

By the way this is revenge Friday for two consecutive weeks and so it is all a bit chaotic.

What I have been watching and listening to

I have been listening to a podcast called British Scandal and they have about 30 series where they discuss over 3-4 episodes a scandal from the past. I am sort of running out of podcasts but this is a good one. The series I listened to recently that I found quite interesting was about Paul Gascoigne and I didn't know who he was before I listened to this so it was quite interesting learning about him. He is an ex football player who had a lot of demons and one of them people who do not have an off button. 

I am a bit late to this but I started watching White Gold on Netflix which is quite fun. It is a comedy about a PVC double glazing window company in Essex in like the 80s. I would recommend it for some fun watching. It is on Netflix and BBC IPlayer. 

I have been watching a few things recently. I watched a documentary (The Edge of Everything) about the snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan and I really liked it- he is such an interesting person (a troubled genius). It is on Prime and I defo recommend it. I so want to be friends with him; I think he is fab.

Revenge Friday and Culture

I went out with my friend on Friday to Kensington. We went to the Design Museum to see an exhibition about fashion in London (Rebel: 30 years of London Fashion). It was quite fun actually, although I was so busy gossiping with my friend that I sort of was forgetting to read the information boards. The exhibition was really cool and interesting. We then had a browse of Holland Park.

The charity shops on High Street Ken were unsuccessful but they are always worth a look. We then got some food at wholefoods. It was a nice day. We are now planning our girly Christmas lunch.

I went to the Southbank at the weekend with my parents and we went to a really good photography exhibition at the Hayward, it was photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto. They were fabulous. There was a room of a series he did where he took photographs of cinema screens and they looked so stunning. You know when you go to a museum (or like a natural history gallery) and they have like a diorama of like a scene from nature using taxidermy animals and they are set against a painted backdrop? Sugimoto took photos of them and they look uncanny. There was another room of photographs of like mathematical shapes- went a bit over my head tbh. This is a really good exhibition and I definitely recommend it.

Have you got an advent calendar this year? My mum got this bouji one from Liberty's and I will be definitely taking some of the beauty products. I did want a tea advent calendar because I have had them in the past and they have always been a nice treat but I actually probably have 24 different tea bags already in the kitchen cupboard- it did feel excessive to buy one. 

Revenge Festive Friday (1st of December!!)

I sort of did fuck all other than go to brunch. It snowed for a few minutes in the morning but I didn't actually see it because by the time I got off my arse to have a look out the window, it had stopped. My mum and I did actually trot down the high street and  went to a cafe for some soup.

I found a pair of jeans that go with my new boots, so I have actually managed to wear them. I feel very sexy. I have also resurrected the white coat. I also brought a new coat from Zara, it is a black belted coat- I am pleased with it because it has been so chilly and this will be good to wear for my commute. 

In the evening, I watched Kes (1969) which I hadn't seen in many years and it is a really good film. It is about a boy who comes from quite a deprived background and his home life is quite troubled and he is quite like naughty at school. However, he like adopts a Kestrel and learns falconry. The end of the film is gutting- actually heart breaking.

Anyway, I will chit chat with you next week! 

Love, 

Happy hippo x

Revenge Friday- trying new places in London

 Hey darlings x

I haven't posted the last few weeks because I had a death in the family which was very very sad. But this post was sort of written over several weeks. 

Haul

I have been doing a bit of shopping over a few consecutive weeks because the weather has been just so miserable recently and I started a new job so I wanted some like smart wear. However, I am quite particular about what I buy.

Recently, I have been following Andrea Cheong on Instagram- if you are not familiar with her she talks about clothing quality and sort of advises about what you shouldn't purchase and what is a better alternative. I always thought it was me being fussy when I was shopping but actually Andrea is reassuring me that I do actually deserve better. I defo recommend checking out her insta.

 I went shopping a while ago at The Glades and I sort of set out to get a pair of straight/wide leg tailored trousers but nothing was looking right on me. I definitely want to keep looking for the wide leg trousers, I think it is a really nice look. Anyway I did pick up a pair of work trousers they are quite slim and are in a pinstripe fabric. These are going to look so cute with a white shirt and ballet flats. 

My new pinstripe trousers and red jumper x

I brought this red jumper from the charity shop. It was in the menswear section and they had like a whole selection of colours. They were all like the nicest cashmere silk blend. I have worn this loads.

Then, I got this red long sleeve top from Monki. I love this and I have worn it loads- love the details and it looks quite sexy. Ignore my hair, I just got out the shower.

I have always loved this style of boot and because my feet get chilly at work, I decided to purchase these for work. However, when I got home, they did not go with anything I owned... fuck. I will keep them though because I really like them and hopefully I find something to wear with them but yeah I am kind of annoyed at myself. I think they are quite classic so, I am sure I will get round to wearing them.

I wrote a few blogposts back that I fancied a new fair isle jumper and I ended up purchasing this one and it is perfect. I am so pleased with this, it looks so cute with jeans and will look cute with some ballet flats when the weather is warmer.

TV, Film and Podcast recommendations

I have totally run out of podcasts to listen to because I am quite specific about what I like. I like something investigative but not like a dark true crime. I don't really like the format of multiple presenters, it is like not relaxing to hear people fight to talk over each other. Then I also don't like anything motivational because podcasts are like my unwinding before bed thing, like if its motivational I might jump out of my bed and start cleaning my room or something.

Call me by your name (Netflix)- This is a really lovely film. It is a film about a young man/ teen (Elio) who lives in Italy during the summer with his family. His father, who is a professor, has a colleague stay with the family. Elio and the colleague like form like a bond. It is very aesthetic and so makes you want to go to Italy and just vibe and read books. It is sweet.

Giphy.com

Louis Theroux Meets Pete Doherty- This is on BBC Iplayer and it was actually quite interesting. He discusses a lot of like his past with drugs and the stories are... crazy. There is quite a dark part where he discusses a death of a party-goer who attended a party he attended. There is a very funny part where he gets like heartburn or something- idk what was going on.

The Parisian Agency (Netflix)- This is like some light reality TV. It follows a family run luxury estate agents based in Paris. It is nice for a bit of escapism because the properties are quite gorgeous. But yeah this is good watching and I always like to watch things in French because I sort of hope (naively) it is good French language revision. 

I am also ashamed to say that I have been watching the Robbie Williams docuseries on Netflix. 

Revenge Friday (a week back)

I have been sort of researching some places I want to go in London; I have written it down in a list and I am starting to tick a few off. 

On Thursday night I went to L'Esgargot in Soho which is a French restaurant and it has a really nice atmosphere, lots of artwork on the walls and sort of old school. It was really lovely; I went with my partner after work. I think I need to go back because I didn't actually have the l'esgargots (snails); I didn't fancy a whole dish of them to myself and my partner is a stricter Vegetarian than me, so he wouldn't want to share. 

Then on Revenge Friday I went to Peckham. I went to a restaurant for lunch with my friend. It is a Persian vegetarian restaurant called Persepolis and it was delicious. My friend and I shared some meze plates, harisa halloumi and they have like a nice drinks menu. We defo ordered too much food but yeah it was good.

Then we did something a little off-piste; we went to a zine fair in Peckham Levels. If you don't know what a zine (or fanzine) is it is basically like a self published magazine, printed in typically small editions with quite a niche or specific subject matter. I did look through a few and they looked fab but I am not good at talking to new people because I just think in my head they are going to like dislike me or I am going to offend them idk. 

We then looked round some second hands shops on Peckham highstreet. Although neither of us got anything. We then went back to hers for a cup of tea and we watched Thirteen (2003) which I had not seen before and I actually quite liked it. It is very dark and it is quite disturbing given the age the girls are meant to be. The story is of a girl who befriends a cool girl from school and they end up sort of spiralling into drug abuse and reckless behaviour basically.

I had a really nice day: it was fun to explore Peckham and always so lovely to see my friend.

Lots of love,

Happyhippo x