An Olympic Diary: The Opening Ceremony

29th July

The day of the opening ceremony, the city felt eerily quiet. The calm before the storm?  On my way home from work, after a choice of seats on the peak-time overground, I knew things where going to be good when I was loaded with free Brioche at Victoria Park.

In the evening we headed up to flat party in Hackney Wick which overlooked The Fringe club and the stadium. Seeing the fireworks and stunt parachutists first hand was a once in a lifetime moment.  A magical evening which saw celebrations bringing people through the streets till the early hours - the safest walk home alone with so many police officers around. 

July 2012

Soho Secret Tea Rooms, ice cream at Covent Garden, birthday wine, home holiday, the start of all the glory. 

The month started at Soho Secret Team rooms. A heartbreak day off work ended up relaxing with Lady Grey in the park, playing catch with adorable kids. My birthday with my favourite people ended up with a little too much wine. A holiday at home ended with one sunned arm. And then there was the Opening Ceremony flat party in Hackney Wick, enough said.

Time for Tea: Soho's Secret Tea Room

Nestled above The Coach and Horses, Soho's Secret Tea Room's is a hidden gem for a perfect Afternoon Tea away from the central tourist hustle and bustle. I took Whirlygig Cinema's Katie, my sister, and our dearest family friend there one perfect sunday for a girly catch up. Safe to say it was a great success all round. We enjoyed cake, scones and sandwiches. Accompanied by an assortment of fresh tea between us.    

Traditional, vintage, intimate. A sneak peak at the secret:

BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend; Saturday

June: The people and the stages

Friends, dancing, and a jam packed day full of super talent. 

Radio 1's Hackney Weekend was incredibly impressive. The BBC and all the artists pulled out all the stops. Living just a 20 minute walk away from the event just added to the hype. 

The day on a high by chilling with Nick Grimshaw, Annie Mac and crew at the fabulous Jessie Ware. We then caught a bit of Deadmau5 but headed over to Leona Lewis - I unexpectedly had a lot of fun at the talented singer's show and am now a turned fan. Ed Sheeran was so much fun and owned the main stage. Swedish House Mafia had indoor fireworks. 

Jay-Z..... Jay-Z, and Rihanna...and M.I.A... AND Kanye West. What more can I say? Unbelievably amazing. The house was still buzzing by the morning and one lucky housemate got to go another day; Jealous. 

On top of all that, the toilets where spotless everyday. Happy toilets make for a happy crowd:

June: Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

JUNE - The people and the stages 

A grand excuse for drinking, dancing, friends and family

Sunday:

The weather could not rain on the Queens parade - morals where high and I seemed to muster up enough energy after Field Day to pull my Hunter's back on, zip up the Barber and venture out into London to meet my parents to experience the crowd for the River Pageant. My non-drinking day quickly turned as a glass of wine was promptly presented to me by a dear family friend. Understandably, we missed the procession after the weather turned the trip into a pub crawl - however, the atmosphere could not be missed where ever you were in the area. 

Monday:

My adrenaline pulled me through and back onto the early cider for street party at The Water Poet, Spitalfields and then on over to Rivington Street festival. We stole away from the crowds into Callooh Callay for a private cocktail through the wardrobe:

Tuesday:

I was glad to crash on the Tuesday to recover from insomnia with a house picnic and a day of watching the Jubilee Mall procession and Concert. Fresh scones, sausage rolls, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad....

Thursday to Sunday: 

The week ended with a relaxing short trip home, and drive up to Swansea with my best friend to relax on the beach and enjoy some cocktails at her quirky local coffee/cocktail lounge, Noah's Yard:

Radio 1's Hackney Weekend catchup soon to be up up!

June: Field Day

JUNE - The people and the stages 

(about time I started to sum up the month)

Field Day was a brilliant start to the month with one of my oldest friends. We headed off after a filling breakfast (and several glasses of cider, cava, and Rose donated by a loverly girl in the queue) to catch the end of Friends. Highlights include a ride on the swings, sunshine, The Internet and many other performances in the Bugged out stage. It was magical to finally be able to see Beirut, a band very close to my heart - unfortunately the sound at the Main Stage destroyed the performance, and my head. Still  a super fun day. 

Denis Severs' House

18 FOLGATE STREET, SPITALFIELDS, LONDON

"Whether you see it or you don't - the house's ten rooms harbour ten 'spells' that engage the visitor's imagination in moods that dominated the periods between 1724 and 1914. Your senses are your guide." 

Dennis Severs 1948 - 1999

Not a museum, but a private house it is essential to zone out form the world you leave behind and immerse yourself in the whole picture which surrounds you.  The fictional Jervis family are never seen but there are signs they are never far from the half eaten apples, drinks, and fresh flowers.

We visited at the end of a busy day around London. From being in a rush all day, we clearly noticed the calming effects of the calming, atmospheric house as we left. It took a lot longer to walk from Spitalfields to Pizza East than it would have done before.

Magical.