Final Afternoon Tea with the girls

No doubt, I will miss many things about London and my life here but one of the things I know I will miss the most is my little Afternoon Tea gang. My girlfriends and I have been enjoying lovely Afternoon Teas for the last few years and I treasure every single one of these moments. Last Saturday we had one final Afternoon Tea; this time we went for a limited edition, Matthew Williamson inspired Afternoon Tea at the iconic Balthazar in Covent Garden. The Afternoon Tea in itself wasn't the best we had had and definitely the location wasn't as cute as some of the other bakeries we visited; however, the butterflies and floral dessert were quite impressive and definitely caught our attention. Lord knows how much I will miss you girls! 

A Day in King's Road

When Ilaria saw the pictures of our Little Artist's Afternoon Tea at the Gallery Mess of Saatchi Gallery a few weeks ago, she immediately asked me to book for when they were in town. So, on Monday afternoon we headed west to King's Road. While Ilaria and family visited the museum, Emilia and I wandered around the beautiful side streets of King's Road and then we all met to enjoy our afternoon tea. Emilia recognised the place as soon as we got in and asked for a babyccino straight away! The children had so much fun and it was beautiful to see them play together! 

Saatchi Gallery and the Little Artist's Afternoon Tea

I love weekends and I love getting around this beautiful city.

When we first heard the news that Rob was being transferred to Washington DC, needless to say, we (and especially me!) felt a bit unsettled. We love London, are quite happy here and the change felt like something too big to cope with. However, with time, we came to appreciate the potential fun that comes with the move as well. It will no doubt be difficult to move to a new city, get familiar with a different system but it is also exciting to think about how our new home will look like, what are the things we are going to see, and who are the people we will call new friends? It has also been very helpful to have some time to digest the news and adjust to the change. Back in July, when we started the process for my visa application, we thought that the move was imminent and would happen by March 2015. Well, it's February now and we are still here and do not really know when we will be moving. This means that we have more time to enjoy London and get to see and do things that after ten years are still on our TO-DO list!

The weather on Sunday was just glorious, perfect for what we had planned to do. Late in the morning we headed West and visited the beautiful Saatchi Gallery. 

Emilia was ecstastic! I was a bit on edge...I thought she was going to break something and we would have had to pay thousands of pounds for it! Saatchi Gallery is not really a place tailored at kids, there is no dedicated area for little ones but they are encouraged to walk free and enjoy all the art around them. So, we took Emilia out of her stroller and she wandered around the gallery as she pleased. She absolutely loved it and so did we. The gallery is beautiful, the building itself is rather nice, very airy and relaxing. 

Having nourished the soul, we then moved to the cafe', the Gallery Mess, where we had booked a table for an Afternoon Tea for us adults and a Little Artist's Afternoon Tea for Emilia. I had read about this on the London Mothers Club blog just a few days before and I so wanted to take Emilia there. I knew she would love it and also I thought it would be nice to have a proper afternoon tea with Rob too!

So, while Rob and I stuffed our face with all sorts of sweet and sour things and sipped a lovely cup of Earl Gray, Emilia was given a babyccino (oh, was she excited to have her own cappuccino! Just like mamma, she kept saying!), a couple of sandwiches and a cupcake to decorate with fresh fruit and sprinkles! Needless to say, the colourful sprinkles were a huge hit!

Orange Pekoe

Sunday was the day for yet another wonderful Afternoon Tea with the girls. We had been thinking about visiting the lovely tea shop in Barnes, Orange Pekoe, for quite some time and thought that it would be best to go in Summer. Our wait was paid off and we were rewarded with a lovely and sunny day! I love going to Barnes, I associate it with my baby shower (hosted by my friend Natalie who lives in Barnes) and it is always nice to venture outside central London, especially on a clear Summer afternoon.

By now the girls and I have gained some experience in Afternoon Tea and have had different flavours, from the very posh to the very vintage one and we all appreciate a good Afternoon Tea. I can't say this one was the best but it certainly wasn't the worst either and I really liked the simplicity of the interiors with a mixture of vintage and modern. Definitely my cup of tea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea at Sketch

Remember a couple of months ago Rob took us to Sketch for a lovely breakfast on a warm Saturday morning? Well, my niece Nicole saw the pictures of the famous egg toilets and got super jealous. So, in occasion of her tenth birthday, I treated her to a wonderful Afternoon Tea there. She loved it and couldn't stop thanking me! On the other hand, I considered it a second birthday celebration for myself too. Sketch is such a magical place that I could celebrate every special occasion there! It's a bit pricey, I will admit, but when I saw Nicole's excitement on her face, just wandering around the property, checking out the egg toilets as well as the princess toilet, money was the last thing in my mind!

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

Once a month I organise an Afternoon Tea with my London girls. If you follow my blog, you have seen all the wonderful places we have visited so far. Afternoon Tea is of course one of the famous British Institutions and is served almost everywhere from greesy spoons to the most luxurious hotels. I always try to pick different places that have something unique and interesting to offer. We have experienced Afternoon Tea in different flavours, vintage, burlesque, we even tried a Russian version but nothing can possibly top an Afternoon Tea on the move. Yes, you heard it right!

A couple of months ago I was crossing the Tower Bridge with Rob and Emilia when my eyes caught an old London red bus. Old London red busses are always very nice, I love them, but this one was even more peculiar as it had been transformed into a little cafe'. I immediately had to check out the details. So, I went to the BB Bakery website and stayed there for a while reading and admiring all the drawings and pictures. This little bakery from Covent Garden had bought a vintage double decker bus and converted it into the cutest little cafe' on the move. And they served Afternoon Tea! I had to contact my girls straight away. The rest, is history...

We had our Afternoon Tea Bus Tour last Sunday and loved it. Here are some pictures for you. I know you are jealous! :) 

 

 

 

 

 

The luxury of having the grandparents in town!

Being organised with kids is not very easy. There is so much going on that it can be overwhelming. And if both parents work things get even trickier and the level of organisation required is very high. At the end of 2013 I realised that Rob and I needed some structure and so I decided to invest in a big and personalised calendar to hang in the kitchen in an attempt to make everyone in the family (well, Rob and myself for now) aware of what was going on. The Otrembas' social calendar was on display from day one of 2014 and it's our to-go-to place every time we need to organise or sort something out. We live by it.

However, as much as you try and want to be organised, sometimes things are just out of your control. A few weeks ago Rob and I had a look at the calendar and realised that we both had work engagements we couldn't change for the end of January. I had to go to Barcelona for a project consortium meeting and Rob had a conference in London he absolutely had to go to. Huge clash of work commitments. At first we thought to book the baby sitter for longer hours, however we soon realised that this plan was not going to work as Rob had to stay as late as at least 23.00 on two of the nights. Plan B was for me to cancel my trip to Barcelona but it would have looked very VERY bad on me. Thankfully, my parents came to the rescue! I have always come first to them, I am the one and only priority, I am ahead of everything, and I mean everything. And now by default Rob and Emilia are equally important and the most important thing they vaule in the entire world. So, when they heard that we were having difficulties sorting out our work and family commitments they didn't hesitate one second and took off work and booked their flights. God bless them! So, they arrived on Tuesday morning and two hours later I was on a plane to Barcelona. Easy peasy. I was able to attend my meeting and Rob could be at the conference all the time he needed. Meanwhile Emilia was at home being super spoiled by her grandparents who bought her all sorts of things, among which this super cute Peppa Pig trolley. We can't wait to use it!

And the three of them had so much fun! Both my mum and dad are quite crafty people and Emilia seems to enjoy making things too. They painted (hand painted and sponge painted) built things, and baked cookies but the thing that certainly impressed me the most was these two sweet fairies that they made using pipe cleaners, wooden beads, yarn, fabric and other simple materials. Aren't they wonderful!?

Anyway, while they played, Rob and I were super relaxed doing our things and could concentrate on work, knowing that Emilia was in good hands. My meeting in Barcelona went very well and I am glad I was able to go not only for the work I did, of course, but also because Barcelona is always a pleasure. Even in Winter the sky was super blue and the beach looked absolutely amazing. There were even people playing at beach volley. We must find a way to go there more often!

 

 

 

At my lunch break I loved wandering around this beautiful city. And it is true that good weather puts you in a good mood! I was happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, from Tuesday to Thursday I was in Barcelona. I got back to London very late at night and at home I was welcomed by a delicious cake made by my mum, *il soffione alla ricotta*, one of Rob's, and mine, favourite cakes ever! That was a good way to welcome me back home.

Friday I took advantage of my parents' presence and spent the whole day shopping with my cousin at an outlet village about an hour away from London. I loved it and bought a ton of clothes for Emilia. I love going to this outlet but I never have the chance and with my parents around everything becomes possible. And after a full day of shopping, I got home to quickly freshen up and out I was again. This time with Rob. When we knew my parents were coming we immediately booked a table at Zuma, a modern Japanese restaurant in Knightsbridge. Despite our high expectations, Zuma didn't disappoint. The food was simply divine. The tuna sushi melted in my mouth and the grilled tiger prawns were to die for. I could go back tonight! 

 

I joke around with my parents that when they are around to help out with Emilia, we squeeze them to the last drop! We really take advantage of them. But they are happy to do it, so it's fine. And everyone is happy. 

Saturday evening was night in. My mum and Emilia made pizza for us and it was amazing. Emilia's was heart shape. Cute, right? The girl loves playing with the dough.

 

Sadly, my parents are leaving tomorrow. I know I will miss them terribly. But before they went I had to take advantage of their stay one more time and enjoyed an Afternoon Tea with the girls. Today we went to Cake Hole in Columbia Road, a cute little place hidden inside a vintage shop full of teapots, cups, doilies and knick knacks. I love seeing the girls at our monthly afternoon teas and it's always so nice to spend some time with them. Now it's time to book our next Afternoon Tea. Where shall we go? Any suggestions? 

 

 

So, thanks are in order. Thank you so so much mum and dad for all the help and love that you give us every day, and not only when you are here with us. We feel your love even when you are far away and we love you immensely. Grazie!