Cotswolds afternoon tea

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We just spent the day in the Cotswolds, and had the loveliest afternoon tea ever at Juri's Tearoom in the country town of Winchcombe. The crockery was a pretty blue... ...and the view from the conservatory was delightful. But it's the cakes you need to try; honestly, the cheese cake was the best I've ever had, anywhere. So light and fluffy. The sandwiches were beautiful too. Everything is perfect, as it's traditional English, but with a slight hint of the Japanese, as Juri is from there.I absolutely recommend this place if you're anywhere near...

Vienna cake weekend

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I went to Vienna recently, and spent the weekend visiting as many cafes, and eating as many different cakes, as possible. Viennese cakes are irresistable...We went to Cafe Diglas, Hotel Sacher, Cafe Sperl, Cafe Landtmann, and some other slightly less famous places, which were just as tasty... My favourite was the Cafe Sperl, which had a beautiful quiet atmosphere, but the best cake was definately the Sacher Torte at the Hotel Sacher. The apricot jam was so smooth and light, like a dream. Tis a cake for grown-ups.

Talaramba Reef website

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I've recently done a little bit of work for the nice people who run Talaramba Reef holiday villas in Sri Lanka: I did some calligraphy for their logo and website,I created little icons of local flora and fauna for the website & for use inside the villas, and also created a map of their location.I think it must be holiday time very, very soon...

sketchbook project

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I joined a community sketchbook project run by the Art House Co-op in Brooklyn, NY last year, and recently completed my book for the 2012 project. I chose the subject 'forks and spoons' and researched folklore, sayings, and proverbs from all over the world concerning cutlery. I experimented and doodled in the sketchbook in a variety of media, including collage. All the sketchbooks in the project will be going on tour around the States, before they're permanently archived in Brooklyn. Please keep a look out and see if they're going to be near you. I'd love to hear from you if you see my sketchbook!

weekend in Liverpool

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This weekend I went to Liverpool to visit some friends and see the Alice in Wonderland exhibition at the Tate Gallery. Although the Tenniel illustrations (the ones the story was originally published with) are fabulous, my favourite are those by Tove Jansson (of Moomins fame) and Mervyn Peake (author of Gormenghast). It was great to see so many original documents relating to Lewis Carroll and the original Alice.

We walked around the docks in the glorious sunshine and blue skies...and also enjoyed a drink in the amazing Philharmonic pub. I loved all the period details.

trip to Budapest

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I've just come back from a visit to Budapest, where it was chilly but clear, and very relaxing. We visited the castle and walked around the old cobbly streets. I loved the houses all in pretty colours with different architectural details...I particularly enjoyed the cake shops and cafes, especially this one, with its lovingly restored ceilings and mirrors. Heavenly!We went to different spa baths every day, and my favourite were the Rudas Baths, a spa dating back to the Ottoman era. No photo of that one unfortunately, but here's one of the Szechenyi outdoor baths.

shanghai trip

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I spent a few days in Shanghai recently, re-acquainting myself after a ten year break. Thankfully there are still some lovely old parts left...although the new and shiny is asserting itself strongly...I took photos with my LCA on black and white film, looking for the beautiful old, messy Shanghai, mysterious through the fog and cold. I missed all the old-style bicycles (everyone seems to be on electric moped thingys now), that used to be everywhere. But the food was of course as tasty as ever!Shanghai dumplings are something special, they really are...