That's me on a Boris Bike, and to the left, the shadow of the enigmatic Mr That's Not My Age. We've had the cycle scheme in central London since the end of last summer, but due to crap weather, the official TNMA road-test only took place last weekend. The bikes are not has heavy as I'd expected - definitely lighter than their Spanish counterparts - and once you've managed to get the damn things out of the dock, they're very easy to manoeuvre. Proper cyclists, drink lots of caffeine. So we had to stop off at one of my favourite cafés, the Nordic Bakery, for a quick shot.
The Nordic Bakery serves excellent coffee and cakes (and pickled herring sandwiches, if you like that sort of thing) and uses top-notch crockery from Finnish design company, Iittala.
We have a small selection of Iittala items at That's Not My Age Mansions, including four of these gorgeous glass bowls in varying shades of blue and green:
After our caffeine-fix, we hopped on the bikes and whizzed up to Regent's Park. Do you remember this garden from The King's Speech? It's where King Colin and Lionel Logue had a bit of a tiff.
The herons in the park were out in full force, That's Not My Age has lived in London for over 20 years and I've never noticed so many before. See how they stand so still, do you think they're trying to look inconspicuous?
I couldn't help noticing the size of this little duck's feet, all the better for paddling with:
And no, that's not TNMA Mansions. It's a stunning Regency House on the edge of the park.
One of the things I love about London is that it's full of beautiful parks. What makes your hometown so special?
Oh and you can buy Iittala at Skandium, The Lollipop Shoppe and Cloudberry Living
Thanks for the park views. You look wonderful on your bike. Though I'm now in the suburbs my hometown in NY so we have Central Park which is the best. I took my wedding photos there.
ReplyDeleteI'd be lost without our local park - just knowing its there when you live in a tiny London flat is comfort enough. Mr V and I went to Regent Park last summer to see some free opera. We will have to make another trip to see the herons! Amusingly we did see a couple taking photos, the young man was dancing around his girlfriend with fancy camera and a huge reflective umbrella around a big flash which led us to snicker to ourselves that it must be a Mr. Fashion Blogger taking pics for Ms. Fashion Blogger.
ReplyDeleteWhoa - those duck's feet are huge! We used to raise ducks. They're such sweet creatures :)
ReplyDeleteMy town is special for old-fashioned porches and porch swings.
ReplyDeleteI studied for a semester in london and miss it terribly. but I'm fortunate to live in san francisco, a city full of unexpected quirks, beauty and culture.
ReplyDeleteLooking very chic on the bicycle Mrs TNMA!
ReplyDeleteThe herons and ducks are just so cute. I get ridiculously excited when I see them.
What's special about my town? It's cheap. xxx
Hi there-a wonderful post and sounds like a really gorgeous day out too. I adore London and all the parks, I really want to make the most of seeing them this year xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Spring sunshine - thanks for the great pics too of the park. Love a little Iittala myself and your Cafe has gorgeous plates and cups too - good that their coffee is as delish. X
ReplyDeleteMr MDS uses his Boris bike daily and I've yet to dabble.
ReplyDeleteLove the crockery xx
Loved that scene in The King's Speech - the park looked so misty and beautiful. Ah, if I was to list all the things I love about my home town of Edinburgh I'd be here all day! xx
ReplyDeleteI know that bit of the park. Used to run around it when I used to live close by. London like yourself is now my home town and I love lots of things about it. The diversity of fashion keeps me very happy. Nice shots Mrs TNMA. Xxxx
ReplyDeleteHey that's my house - the London crash pad... I wish! That garden in Regents Park looks wonderful - must visit it next time we're up en famille...SC would love to go heron spotting. x
ReplyDeleteKwana - wow I love Central Park. Always go for a walk round the reservoir when I'm in New York.
ReplyDeleteJmal - thank you so much for all the information. Skål!
Veshoevius - we live in a flat too, I think it's important in London to live near a park. Fortunately, there's a small local one right across the road.
Katie - I went to San Francisco once a long time ago and loved it, keep meaning to go back. I'd love to go to Carmel and drive down the coast.
WeShop - Edinburgh is beautiful! Me & Mr TNMA keep saying we need to pay another visit.
OS - yeah, and we live next door! You should go to Regents Park, it's very fine.
Lovely pictures - great one of you on the bike. I should join Boris's scheme too xx
ReplyDeleteGlorious - and you look as glamorous as ever! I love our park, London life is made for parks.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the little duck is actually a Coot - Now you know what an old Coot looks like (and it's not me, surprisingly...)
Great post with lots of really good information!
ReplyDeleteCrockery
Hey, nice site you have here! Keep up the excellent work!
ReplyDeleteCrockery
I love to see four of these gorgeous glass bowls in shades of blue and green.
ReplyDeletedean graziosi
Dadibhais (Bradford) Ltd has been established for over 30 years.We are importers, exporters and wholesale distributors of Catering Equipment, Glassware, Cutlery, Utensils, Cookware, Cleaning Products, Crockery, Tableware, Chef Clothing. We stock all the major brands as well as sourcing and importing our own high quality goods from across the world giving our customers a wide variety of choice and making Dadibhais (Bradford) Ltd the perfect place to find that unique product.
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