London 1-7 Feb

Back in Cardiff following a week of London loveliness. I went up for my friend's 26th birthday (when did we get to our mid 20s?!) and decided to stay for nigh on a week, for what reason I don't know but I had a super time, thanks to Jodie for putting me up for a week!

This time I made it my mission to get to the British Museum and it made me realise that my mid-uni crisis was just that, I don't in fact want to change to midwifery this coming September, so I'm trooping on. Seeing things which I've studied in real life was magical, sounds wanky but it really was. The Apotheosis of Homer for example (the relief sculpture, not the painting) was fantastic, the Elgin marbles of course, the Rosetta stone, the late Hellenistic/Roman mummies, the paintings from Pompeii, and things which I haven't studied too. Seeing things which I want to go on and study was also really exciting, the Sutton Hoo exhibition was wonderful and being able to see these things up close was really special - shame I was on my own and didn't have anyone to squeal at!

The other museum I went to was The Wallace Collection in Hertford House, which, surprisingly is just behind Selfridges, just off Oxford Street, I've walked past the turning many times and never had a clue anything like Hertford House was there! The Wallace Collection was a really wonderful place to walk around and, just like the British Museum, is free! Hertford House is akin to walking around somewhere like Chatsworth, in that, the rooms have been refurbished to look how they did in the 18th century and the art is on the walls or in cabinets in the rooms so you have the works of art as well as the richly decorated rooms to look at. There are paintings, including 'The Laughing Cavalier', really beautiful ornate clocks and porcelain, an armoury with two full size horses and riders in full armour(!), they have a wonderful collection of miniatures and snuff boxes, as well as a cabinet of beautiful carved and embellished muskets, pages from richly decorated manuscripts and choir books; I cannot extol the virtues of the Wallace Collection highly enough! I would go back there in a heart beat.

Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

Robert Dudley (one of my historical crushes)

On my last night I met my friend's Hannah and Jodie in Soho at The Breakfast Club, which is BYOB and they don't have a corking charge! I picked up a £10.99 bottle of red half price at Tesco which was absolutely delicious, we decided to eat as the prices for dins were decent and we were hungers! I had a pulled pork sandwich, it came with chips and slaw. WOW was it yummy, the chips were possibly the nicest I've ever had, the coleslaw was pretty special too. Must also say that the guy who served us was very friendly, helpful and lovely! Plus you can pick up a badge on your way out, yay love a freebie. Bring The Breakfast Club to Cardiff please!

Also, this week I've mostly been listening to Ministry of Sound: Electronic 80s Anthems, vol III - cannot get enough.

Handy London hint which was unbeknownst to me until this trip: you can sync your Oyster card with your railcard for 1/3 off! 

QUIT SMOKING, DAY 1

I quit smoking today, hurrah! It has been approximately 23 hours since my last cigarette, I was asleep for 4 of those hours, so let's make it 19. Huzzah! Having been a reasonably hefty smoker by my measure (15-20/day, anything over 25 is just wrong, even as a smoker did I think this), and so thinking if each cigarette takes approx. 5 minutes to smoke, that's 100 minutes a day - almost two frickin' hours! Jeez. So actually, thinking about it, that's quite a chunk of my day freed up.

Going cold turkey was never going to be an option for me, I think failure would have come calling if I had tried, so I went along with Betti last week to an NHS run 'quit smoking' group - I say group, there's three of us - and got myself started. The lady running it was lovely, she gave me some scary sheets of paper to make me realise just how gross smoking is and went through all the different NRT there are. I chose patches and inhalator, which is the most common combination. Had my carbon monoxide reading taken - it was 22. When a boiler reaches 11 it has be to be removed as it's too dangerous. I was two condemned boilers!!! Ugh. Hopefully tomorrow it will be reduced!

So I popped my prescription to the GP to be written up - if they hadn't ballsed up I'd have quit Friday so had to postpone but it's done now and I can't wait to keep it up.

So far my withdrawal symptoms seem to be dry mouth (ewwww) and eating shitloads of crap food, but apart from that the patch is great and, even though I feel like a massive dick walking round with a little white plastic tampon hanging from my lips, the inhalator is doing the job. I spent today with a friend who smokes and when she had a cigarette I had my inhalator and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, except maybe cancer.....

On to day 2.

The big smoke part II

I had lunch with my mum today and she gave me some more great ideas for London, so I thought I'd add them to my list:

Somerset House Ice Skating - in the long distant past I used to have ice skating lessons, sadly everything I learned have escaped from my brain, I now look like a baby deer trying to stand up for the first time, think Bambi. Nevertheless, it's always fun, especially if there's a big group with you to share the painful falls and inevitable pointing and laughing which comes with them. Plus Somerset House is just beautiful!

Next up is The Wallace Collection, this came to my mum's mind as she thought it was in Somerset House, but actually it's in Hertford House, which also looks bloomin' beauteous. It houses paintings, ceramics, sculpture, armour, furniture and more and I cannot wait to give it a go.

Then there's the V&A, I haven't been for a while and there's current exhibition which is beckoning me back, which is 'Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950'. What could be better than looking at two floors of beautiful dresses??

Pizza's here! Time to eat.

The big smoke

I'm off to London next weekend for a three night extravaganza of fun, or so I've decided. While Sex and the City is on (I love 5* for bringing me Sex and the City when my box set is still at my parents' house), I thought I'd start writing my London to-do list. For some reason I'm super excited about this particular trip, I'm no stranger to London, I know it well and most of my friends live there now, but this time I'm hoping it's going to be a super super good weekend.

So, the definite number one destination is The British Museum, I'm an ancient history student and I'VE NEVER BEEN!!!!!!!! I've made it my mission the past couple of London trips but have never managed it, might have to take my A-Z as I actually don't know where it is.... for shame.

Number two is a gallery which, shockingly, I'd never heard of until a few days ago, and looks fantastic. The Wellcome Collection looks incredible, they have a lot of medical exhibits, which, don't get me wrong, look brill; but what I'm really excited to see is Death: A Self-portrait. I'm sure I'll be getting a fair few postcards.

Number three is the Advent Procession at St Paul's Cathedral. I normally go with my family but as I'm not at home this year I might have to go it alone - unless I can find someone in London who wants to come with me - I'm not holding my breath.

Now I'm a bit stumped, I'm sure there'll be nights out, too many drinks and lots of shopping too - well I bloody well hope so anyway.

In the meantime I'm shopping for my dress for my work's Christmas party, there are so many horrid dresses out there, here's hoping I can find a nice one to go with my beautiful Jeffrey Campbell shoes, courtesy of my gorgeous sister.

London planning

Cannot wait

(Image: Wellcomecollection.org)

Berlin Photo Blog

I think a photo blog is in order to ease me back in to my blog after so much time away! What with work, finishing uni and skipping off to Berlin for a week I've neglected the old Snippets for far too long.

So here are a few choice photos from my time in Berlin (which was incredible, by the way)

Packing

I'M GOING TO BERLIN ON WEDNESDAY.

I'm a little bit excited - even though this excitement hasn't spurred me on to start packing. And, not only do I have to pack my little suitcase for Berlin, I have to pack up my entire room and kitchen things as our lease ends on Saturday - while I'm in Berlin. Luckily I have a super lovely mummy who is going to come and take everything away for me while I'm swanning around Berlin in 30 degree heat - don't get too jealous, 30 degree heat and rain storms, which means I will be clammy.

Ew.