Primavera sound

Barcelona bound...and looking forward to so many great bands, especially Broken Social Scene, Low, Pavement, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies and The Slits. You've got to love a festival where you can watch the last band finish up as the sun rises over the ocean.

L'heure bleue

Owly

The sky was big and empty

The ultimate summer tune, just made for a 27° centigrade day. Even London gets those sometimes.

Fringing...check

Crochet...check

That's my festival dressing sorted thanks to the local Oxfam.

Let the countdown to Primavera begin.

Weekend laziness

Yesterday mostly consisted of lemoned-hair lounging in the sun.

With the incredibly sunny weather, today I'm hoping for a little more of the same, followed by some afternoon Bandstand Busking.

Browns: 40 years of Fashion Innovation

To commemorate 40 years of Browns, a cult store for well-edited high-end fashion, there is a free exhibition throughout May showcasing its favourite designers and brands including: Balenciaga, Hussein Chalayan, Erdem, Mark Fast, Christopher Kane, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Roland Mouret, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh and Sonia Rykiel.

Grace Kelly: Style Icon @ The V&A

Running until the end of September, the V&A has an excellent exhibition dedicated to the style of Grace Kelly, the all-American model and actress who made just 11 films before her retirement and new life as a Princess in Monaco.

The exhibition features gowns, accessories and jewellery worn throughout her life, including several from one of my all-time favourite films, 'Rear Window'. On display are shirtwaist-style dresses from her daytime wardrobe, along with evening wear from Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior and Madame Grès. Her classic Hermès bag, which now seems so small compared to today's fashion for a larger carry-all, was obviously well-loved showing visible signs of wear.

I left thinking about how she dressed in such a simple and elegant way, wearing her favourite pieces (including evening wear) to key events throughout her life...the definition of true style.

Rococo

Champagne truffles = chocolate heaven.

Belated birthday loveliness from Miss C.

Be still for a second

On Election Night, The National played a sold-out show at the Royal Albert Hall. As always, Matt Berninger's voice mellowed after a couple of glasses of wine and toward the end of the night, he walked right out into the crowd. They seemed more relaxed playing older tracks from 'Alligator' and 'Boxer' though I'm looking forward to playing 'High Violet' on rotation when it's released tomorrow (though I heard a sneak peak when the NY Times streamed it a couple of weeks ago).

Elephants on parade

Prezzo

Calzone perfection...and a nice chianti.

So messed up

I survived the mosh pit at Iggy and the Stooges last night.

But my ears hurt.

El Faro @ Canary Wharf

Ever since reading the Metro review of El Faro, I had wanted to visit this highly-rated Spanish restaurant, tucked away in Turnberry Quay near Canary Wharf.

The day was gorgeous so my friend Penny and I chose an alfresco table by the quay. We chose a selection of dishes from the tapas menu - king prawns, octopus, chorizo, meatballs, rounded off with some potatoes, and fresh green beans. The seafood was incredibly fresh and light, however the chorizo chunks on sticks were a little large and the texture very chewy. The green beans were spring-crisp and cooked in a little oil with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms which elevated the flavours.

Service was efficient and the bill was very reasonable for the range of dishes we ate. I left already making a mental note of when I could next fit in lunch and what dishes I will order.

New shoes

A few weeks ago, I was asked to contribute articles for the Sarenza blog, a well-established French online shoe retailer which recently launched in the UK.

I didn't know much about the company but after some online research, I was impressed by their growing range of high-street brands and their high-end Boutique section featuring shoes from Clergerie, Marc Jacobs and Maloles.

There are thousands of shoes to choose from including every style for summer from flip flops to wellies and there are many end-of-line bargains to be had in the sale section. I have my eye on a pair of espadrilles to take on my upcoming trip to Barcelona.