Choosing Keeping

This shop is a real find for stationary junkies like me. If possible I avoid writing with cheap plastic biros as proper fountain pens are so much nicer to use. For writing cards, letters and signing important documents (happens roughly once a year) I use a beautiful pen which was a gift from my lovely husband. But for meetings, making notes in my diary and so on, I have a great every-day fountain pen which was bought at Choosing Keeping on Columbia Road. They stock a wonderful selection of quality paper, scissors, sharpeners and pens. No pink girly floral prints in sight here - these are elegant, understated, grown up products with an old-school feel. If you are after the most beautiful pencils or the Rolls Royce of pencil sharpeners, this is the place to go.

Christmassy Shopping

There is nothing like a visit to the right shops to get the Christmas spirit going. For a proper old school Christmas feeling, a reliable friend recommended skipping Harrods and Liberty and heading straight to Fortnum and Mason. She was right - this is Christmas as I remember it from when I was 10 years old. Afterwards a stroll down Bond Street added to the experience with all the gorgeous lights and decorations. The lunch I enjoyed beforehand at the Wolseley with the best company was pretty OK too. Not bad for a Monday!

10,000 breakfasts in bed

For our anniversary, I gave my husband a new breakfast tray. Not a very exciting gift perhaps, but I did tell him the present includes 10,000 breakfasts in bed. That sounds like I am really going to spoil him, but actually I already bring him breakfast in bed every day, more for practical reasons than anything else - I wake up first, so it kind of makes sense. Only now it will come delivered on a pretty tray.

We did use to have another tray, but it fell behind a cupboard and is now lost forever. I love this new one from Liberty with the dark ground floral print. The tea cups are from Burleigh, purchased from their factory shop on a road trip.

Book launch

Yesterday we went to the launch of the book '21 Designers for twenty first century Britain' by Gareth Williams at the V&A reading rooms. The book is lovely, and lots of the designers featured were there. Throw in a few glasses of wine to help us warm up and all in all it was a nice evening.

This is such a good little bookshop. I would really recommend a visit, they had so many fun and unusual books that I wanted to take a closer look at. I will definitely go back at Christmas time, think you could find some great present books here. And there is a bar - perfect!

Dog on skateboard

Every morning on my way to the bus stop I walk past this shop and for ages they had a print in the window of a dog on a skateboard doing a kickflip. It would make me smile every time I saw it, and when it was my husband's birthday this year I decided to buy it for him. I guess I'm not really into 'street art' otherwise, but I love this picture! They have some other really nice things in the shop too - don't miss it if you are going to Columbia Road.

Favourite shop

In a quiet residential street in De Beauvoir Town is N1 Garden Centre - definitely one of my favourite shops in London. In quite a small space, they manage to stock a great range of plants, bulbs and seeds, gardening equipment, books, accessories and some furniture. The displays are always lovely and the staff friendly and knowledgeable. Sometimes I go just for some inspiration and to smell that amazing garden centre scent which to me is really evocative of childhood plant shopping excursions with my mum. I might leave with just a packet of poppy seeds or a pot of daffodils. But our last visit was for a specific purpose - we needed a new broom. Very nice it is too!

Made in England

The other day I made a mad lunchtime dash to Shepherd Market in Mayfair to visit the Bill Amberg shop. For beautiful understated leather goods Made in England, this is the place to go. What I bought is a birthday gift so it will have to be a secret for a little while at least.

Fresh from the sea

We were very happy when Fin and Flounder opened in Broadway Market as before there was nowhere decent to buy fish near us. The display is always amazing and on Saturdays people queue to get their hands on live crabs, razor clams, scallops, squid and the freshest fish around. The staff are helpful and give good advise on how to cook things, beyond suggesting pan frying no matter which type of fish you pick up as I have sometimes found with other fish mongers. They also sell wines, condiments and cookbooks.

Saturday's catch: some cod and a lovely looking red gurnard.