I woke up at a civilised hour this morning, refreshed after a sober night in, a yoga class and some quality trashy movies with PLW. We nipped out for our last minute necessities (flowers, boerewors and breakfast) and were back in time to do a little gardening. All of this before preparing the food for the braai later. We were running a little late, but nothing to really write home about! Ameba arrived and we made sure she was dressed in summer attire. The drinks were poured - a G&T for me, PLW and Ameba decided on a John Deere - just for giggles. I lit the fire - in anticipation of all the braaing that I would be doing later... The fire died, but by the time it was revived Iron Man had taken over and is currently orchestrating the final meat-on-braai timings. It is for this reason (and nothing to do with the G&T / wine / minor dental incident) that I am hurrying downstairs now... Lucky

For twelve years, day after day I complained about wearing my school uniform. It was the same, regimented outfit that changed only for the seasons. In summer we ‘forgot our belts’ or did them up at the back (to give ourselves extra breathing space after having tucked into the Chutney Nik-Naks or just because we could). In winter we rolled up our skirts on the hot days and tolerated them long when it was cold – we even wore a sheer pair of tights under the itchy knitted ones... On naughtier days we’d paint our nails (hoping they wouldn’t be checked) or maybe wear the wrong coloured hair-band. But when it came to the uniform there was no thinking about what you’d wear, just where you’d find it after you’d flung it off the day before. But it’s good to see that some people take their uniforms seriously... Proudly wearing her Golden Arches Lucky

In a quest to full-fill all of The Bride's touristic ticks before she leaves London, this evening we headed over to the bar in the OXO Tower. Luckily Ameba was organised and had booked us a table, that and we were only seven minutes late. But we had to be slightly ditsy about something - PLW clacked along over the cobbles in her heels, Ameba fluttered about her navigational skills and I practiced my 'light-skip-while-holding-your-handbag-jog' crossing the roads.  Soon enough we had the red and white sign in our sights, had handed over our coats and had relished that first refreshing, crisp and comforting sip of wine.  First glimpse of the OXO Tower Something that grabs me every time in London is the Thames, and the lights and life around it. This evening we stood on the balcony with this in the background.  This is how awesome London is Afterwards we tried to find a restaurant for dinner. It was tough - some wanted sushi, others steak. Ameba and Iron Man got so hungr...

Today is more autumn than spring. Different layers of grey clouds give depth to the scene. While cajoled into life, the loose leaves scatter in the wind. About twice a day the white paint tries it's hardest to reflect any rays - I fool myself into thinking I need my sunglasses, but the minute I slip them on, the heaviest of the grey clouds fall to the fore and sprinkle my straightened hair with frizzy little drops of annoying.

Last night PLW (one of the House-mates) and I were discussing what we were going to give up for Lent. I threw out there that I wasn't Catholic, but she that was no fun and if I wanted pancakes later would have to play along. So we chucked around the usual: chocolate (I said that was easy, cause I wasn't feeling like chocolate at that moment) but scrapped that idea; McDonald's - but PLW said she knew she'd cheat when she was on holiday - so that one went out the window; sleeping with random strangers - both of us thought that this might be both limiting and boring (and along with not really necessary, imply that it happens in the first place). We were stumped. But we ate the pancakes. I suggested we go swimming in the morning - she was keen-ish. I told her it would be easy and that lots of 'lesser-abled' people did it, so she was bound to be fine (not that I'd seen her swim before, so didn't actually know her ability - sudden back tracking was needed......

You visit the website, but are number 1074 in the queue to enter it! What am I talking about? Giuseppe Verdi's Aida . On at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden from 11 March - 15 April. Here's a little preview, thanks to The Royal Opera House (13 May 2010, Radio 3 excerpt) - Act I, Radames sings to himself before going off to war. If, like me, you don't speak Italian, click here so you don't have to rush to read the programme before the lights go down. Enjoy, Lucky

I went to the Tate Modern the other day, to finish looking at the Gauguin exhibition. Afterwards, to refresh myself and recover from Museum Fatigue (honestly, it exists) I like a to sip my tea looking out at this slightly famous vista. Sadly the Gauguin exhibition is now closed. However there are still loads of fabulous things to see... Currently one of the exhibitions at the Tate Modern is The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei . On until 2 May 2011. Sunflower Seeds Individual, hand-crafted porcelain sunflower seeds. When this exhibition first opened the public were allowed to walk on, and interact with the piece. However Health And Safety piped up - illegibly porcelain dust can damage health. Across the river this exhibition should be worth an afternoon meander at the Tate Britain . Lucky

I don't think anyone minds a picturesque day drawing to a close when this is how it does it: Bright red sun, good bit of view and the odd stripe in the sky. Definitely worth going outside for! Need I say any more? Lucky

It was such a lovely day - everybody seemed to be out flying their planes and leaving stripes in the sky, letting their dogs walk them, stretching their legs with an amiable companion or, if you're me, getting a little lost jogging along the village lanes. The sun determinedly gave us a lovely afternoon in Berkshire The hum and buzz of the engines, like a motorised swarm of bees, ebbs and flows as the planes fly up and down the sky. While the rustle of leaves will have you wondering whether the breeze has picked up again or if a stream is nearby. Planes leaving stripes in the sky. Choosing a path and deciding whether to follow it, or just admiring it and wondering where it leads to... The path less followed... leads to? On days like these I want to wear shorts and a t-shirt or a floaty summer dress. I want to forget my shoes and spend the afternoon staring at the sky, high above me, while I stretch out on a comfy blanket, ensuring that as much skin as possible is exposed to the sun...

The tranquil Thames... Lucky