Attend To The Tale Of Sweeney Todd

It's the third and final instalment of my London trip today! I hope I haven't bored you to tears by rambling on too much. As you will know if you have read my previous two posts, Rob and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the theatre on Thursday. Now, I love the theatre. Seriously. Somebody please let me get on a stage and sing my heart out. (Always how I feel after leaving a show).

Now, I haven't seen the film Sweeney Todd, you know, the one with Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter, so I really couldn't say how alike they are. But the musical was fabulous. Brilliantly witty and the actors and actresses were just ridiculously talented. Sweeney Todd was played by Michael Ball (although, had I not known from the programme that it was him, I would never have guessed!) The lead female role of Mrs. Lovett was played by Imelda Staunton. I had no idea that she could sing, but she can and is brilliant at it.

The musical is about 'the demon barber of Fleet Street', Sweeney Todd, who murders his clients by slitting their throats with his razor. The bodies are then handed over to Mrs. Lovett, his accomplice who grinds the bodies up and bakes them into pies, which she sells in her now booming café.

The story is quite dark, but comedy genius at its best and it really is impossible to tear your eyes away from the lead characters. The story is complete with a beautiful damsel in distress, a young orphaned boy, two evil perverted old men and the man from the 'Go Compare' advert (spitting image!) I won't give away the ending of the story. but I implore you to go and see it. Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton were just flawless and it was a thoroughly enjoyable three hours of entertainment.

Have you seen anything in the theatre recently? What would you recommend for my next visit?

Promises, Swear Them To The Sky

The second day of our London stay saw clear blue skies and more wonderful sunshine. It also saw us checking out of our beautiful hotel, sigh. With out bags put away, we hit the streets in search of some brunch, and  little Googling from Rob led us to Lantana Café. It is an Australian café and they served the most delicious salads, fresh juice and coffee. The quiche tarts that had just come out of the oven looked incredible as well, and the rest of their menu left me more indecisive than usual. I would definitely recommend checking them out should you be in the area (they're just off Goodge Street down a pretty little lane).

With our salads in hand, we chose St. James' Park to bask in the sunshine and soak up some rays. The park was bustling with people sunbathing, enjoying picnics and feeding the ducks. (I didn't get to feed any ducks unfortunately, I was too pre-occupied with stuffing my own face). 

Afterwards we crossed the bridge, and headed for Oxford Street to have a quick mooch around Selfridges and sigh over how we could afford nada! One day, perhaps... 

All too quickly it was time to catch our train home. London really is wonderful in the summer; it's easy to forget that there are beautiful bits of greenery like St. James' Park hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy Londoner's life. It was good to step away from London's chaotic streets for a few hours and relax in the summer heat. A wonderful second day to end our trip. 

Let This Part Of Me Remember How Lovely We Are

I have been one incredibly lucky girl this weekend. Last Wednesday I finished my last ever university exam and with a huge smile on my face and the sun beaming down gloriously, I made my way home. Not knowing what belated anniversary plans had been made for the next two days, I was one incredibly excited bean. 

So, Thursday swiftly came around and still clueless as to what the next couple of days had in store for me, Rob and I boarded a train to London Victoria. An hour and a half later and all surprises were revealed...

Rob had booked us a night at the Savoy Hotel, which is just the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen in my life. The building was gorgeous and the staff treated us like the most important people in the world. 

(I jumped on the bed before I got to take  picture of it in pristine condition, it didn't come wrinkly, honestly!)

Our room was amazing. After oohing and ahhing over its magnificence for quite some time, we decided to take advantage of the complimentary use of the gym and went swimming, being fortunate enough to have the entire 5 star pool to ourselves! Post swim, we crossed the street to a lovely little Italian restaurant where we feasted on their delicious cuisine before we pottered slightly further along the road to the theatre for phase two of the surprise: Sweeney Todd!

I cannot gush enough about how much I adore the theatre, and this show was just incredible. (I'm going to review it in a separate post). With our eyes and ears both equally satisfied, we went in search of a bar for a few drinks and finished the night off in Be At One cocktail bar. They played some great music and had a never ending selection of delicious cocktails and topped all this off with some extremely enthusiastic bar tenders getting a bit excited to one particular song, removing their shirts and dancing on the bar! 

It was such a lovely day and I am so grateful to Rob for organising it all; a truly wonderful way to unwind and celebrate after these past few weeks of dissertation and exams. Day two was just as wonderful but that's for another post...

I Covet Thee, Zatchels

It feels like an absolute age since I did an 'I Covet Thee' post. So today I thought I would take 10 minutes out from revising for my final exam and give the blog a little update. This week, what really keeps catching my eye is Zatchels. Not a new brand and something that I am certain y'all already know and love, but this week it has really tickled my pickle. This is why:

 Red and White Polka Dot Leather Satchel; anything with polka dots is okay by me.

Green Reptile Print Leather Satchel; admittedly, I am not a huge fan of snake skin type patterns, but I think that in this green colour, it looks beautiful. Quite possibly my favourite of the lot!

 Lilac Distressed Leather Satchel is not overtly girly, despite it's lilac title, and yet is still a lovely coloured alternative to the brown or black norm.

White and Red Polka Dot Leather Satchel, you get the gist with the polka dots.. 

White Leather Satchel with Small Floral Pattern, because despite the rainy weather we're having it is very nearly summer.

My current bag that has served me so well throughout my four years of uni is sadly falling apart, quite literally at the seams. I might just have to indulge in a Zatchel to cope with all my new books in September, and with all bags being hand made from real leather (plus options to add a handle/ strap slider), I am in no doubt that it would last me an awfully long time.

Ps. If you haven't already noticed, I have added a blog roll of my favourite bloggers, which you can find in my side bar. There are some wonderful blogs to read there, so I hope you'll find something new that you like to add to your own list! 

Work Work Work (Pub Club Sleep)

Dear Readers,

I am writing this post to apologise for my awol absence over these past few weeks and to give a much needed update. As you're probably well aware by now, I am all too close to finishing my degree and therefore my life has been a world filled with library dates, essays, dissertation and exam preparation. All work and no play makes for very dull blog posts and up until this weekend, that has very much been the case. 

This weekend Rob came to visit for a few days. The weather was glorious on Saturday so we ventured into the heart of Canterbury, a pleasure I had not had the chance to enjoy for far too long. There is a lovely little café called Tiny Tim's Tea Room which I have wanted to try for ages so we went for a spot of afternoon tea. The menu left us spoilt for choice! We decided to opt for tea and scones, which were equally delicious and I would definitely recommend popping in for a bite to eat if ever you're in this beautiful city. I'm definitely going to have to re-visit this little gem once (or five times) before I move out of Canterbury to try their amazing cake selection. I wish I had more photos to show you, they looked truly incredible!

After wandering round the town for a while in search of a birthday present for my house mate, we headed to my local pub to soak up some rays in their beer garden. A pretty marvellous afternoon. The evening then saw us belatedly celebrating my house mate's birthday with a delicious Wagamama's feast and plenty of alcoholic beverages in a few different pubs. (NB. Take care when being adventurous with cider people, some of them smell like manure, I kid you not. And THAT my friends is not a fun experience, hey Rob?)

Sunday was spent lounging in front of the telly (or Rob's iPhone to be more exact) with baited breath to see whether his beloved Queens Park Rangers would be relegated or not. Thankfully, they were not or God knows what state my relationship would be in now...

Today, I had my first exam of two and come next Wednesday it will all be over, which is an incredibly exciting yet daunting thought! From then on, I promise to be a better blogger and ply you no more with my woeful excuses of dissertation this, exam that, no blog post the other. To those of you who still take the time to read my posts, leave comments, tweet me wonderful support and add yourselves to my slow but growing band of followers, I thank you so very much.

With love,

Melita

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