Wandering around Canterbury

So while Dillon was visiting I had to take him to Canterbury. The wonderful thing about Canterbury is it's so beautiful and very close to where I live. My super gal pal Charlotte picked us up in her little car and drove us. As we were driving through the countryside I realised how good it felt to be back in the countryside. I will always be a city lover, but there is something so special about the open green space, just like the sea, that I love. It's just so fresh, and you feel so free.

When we got to Canterbury we made a quick stop to Burgate Coffee. I have wanted to visit this coffee house for quite some time. I always seem to be in such a rush when I walk past, and never get the chance to pop in and check it out. But today this was finally going to change. 

We walked through the door and it was busy, lots of people chatting and drinking hot drinks. We were greeted by friendly baristas, and saw there were table up the back. We ordered our drinks (from a huge selection, and the list was on the ceiling, which I thought was a great idea) and then went to sit down. I loved the way the place was styled. Lots of vintage furniture and gorgeous mix match chairs. Most of them we really wanted to take home.

Our coffee came, and it was too good. I am a really big fan of coffee made right. Of course no one wants a bad cup. While we drank our drinks and chatted we looked around. One of my favourite features of the shop was the cute business card board/holder for people to promote themselves. The whole coffee house had an arty feel about it, with lots of local art on the walls for sale.

 After our coffee we went and meet David, and he walked us around. He seemed to turn into this very good tour guide, and even I learnt a few new things. We walked around parks, through cobbled streets and more. The sun seemed to come out and make things look even more beautiful. 

After we wandered towards the Canterbury Cathedral. It's normally very busy during the day, but later on in the early evening you can just walk straight onto the grounds. I seem to take everyone who visits me to see this beautiful building. I mean, it is just gorgeous. After a while we walked round to the side of it, where you can walk through the side and then out of the building around near the gardens. This is one of my favourite spots because it is just so quiet. Plus it also kinda looks like Harry Potter would wander along the halls.

Canterbury is so beautiful. It's full of history, character, charm, arts, good food & drink, style, its simply the perfect place. I'm so grateful to live so close to such a charming place. 

Yayoi Kusama show at the Victoria Miro gallery

A couple of Saturday's ago, I was lucky enough to get the chance to see the Yayoi Kusama show at the Victoria Miro gallery. Being on social media, you tend to end up seeing the same photos of certain art shows over and over. This was one of them. The bright yellow pumpkins were all over my social media, so I needed to go and visit them for myself. 

There was a giant queue outside the gallery. This was so strange, this show had really hit a mainstream audience. We queued for 10mins, and then we were let inside. I thought to myself, wow that was quick, however as soon as you walk through the door you see lots of different queues around the gallery. I didn't do too much research into the show, as I do like to experience art first hand, rather than read up too much about it. So the queues I did not expect.

We were taken straight to the back of the gallery and outside. The first infinity room we would visit would be the Where the Lights in My Heart Go. The outside of the gallery was beautiful. very peaceful indeed. This infinity room was wonderful. We only had 30 seconds in each room, but this one I felt like I faded away into nothing. Space, life, everything. For those few seconds life didn't feel real, I'm not sure how I felt, but I was peaceful. My eyes blurred and I felt like I was somewhere else. I am glad I didn't snap a photo while I was in that room. This room had a deep impact on me, I didn't even reach for my phone. For me, someone who is addicted to their phone, it took everything away. Breathtaking indeed.

Afterwards I enjoyed the surrounding, and there were mirrors everywhere. It was very peaceful, even though everyone around me was taking photos and uploading them straight to social media, hashtags and everything. It's a new concept for me. Of course I love social media, but it was weird for me to be in a gallery and people were continuously looking at social media. I am all for taking photos and sharing the love of art, but first please look at the art through your actually eyes, rather than a phone screen, experience it, and then photograph.

The second room we went into was Chandelier of Grief. All I remember of this room was the fact it was so bright. It went on forever, and sparkled so bright. I didn't really have an emotional connection to this room, it was just super pretty.

Then it was time to queue up for ages to finally see the famous pumpkins. All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins. We did wait for a long time, but it was pretty special. 



The whole room was glowing. It really did go on forever, these infinity rooms just seemed to never end. You end up getting lost in these rooms. I feel like they are drugs. They tease you, you fall into this amazing unknown place. The time goes by, and you don't really know how long you have been there. Yet you know you only have 30 seconds, but time moves in a weird way. Then suddenly the door opens and you feel like you are being ripped out and pulled back to the earth again. These rooms really did feel like that. Make sure if you are in London you check out this beautiful show, it really is worth the queues.

Fancy a drink?

While Dillon was here we got to visit Margate. It's one of my favourite place to visit, as I get to spend a lot of my time with David here. The sun came out, and the sky was blue. It was really warm, so the best time to be beside the sea. We did quite a lot in Margate on this day, more of which I will talk about soon, but this post is all about the cute coffee shops/ restaurants/ bars we visited.

First up was Proper Coffee. This super cute place is always top of my list of place to visit while I am in Margate. The coffee is always so good, and sandwiches are always the first thing I order. The style and decor of the place is super relaxed and quirky. I love the different rooms, and the giant chalkboard with lots of fun things to do in Margate.

Proper coffee is defiantly my favourite place to stop when in Margate. The chilled out vibes make the whole coffee shop perfect. The best place to relax with friends or sit and type away on your laptop. I first stumbled across this gorgeous place when it was raining with friends. It turned out to be the best thing we did all day.

The next place we visited was a brand new place called Word Up. I was drawn to the beautiful giant coffee sign above the bar. It was still very new, and lots still needed to be finished, but we enjoyed the drinks anyway. The fact we didn't have wifi was annoying, but it will be sorted soon as they are still working on the space. They had amazing lights on the walls, which I think they make and sell. The lights really make the space. So bright and fun.

Then later in the afternoon we nipped into the Cupcake Cafe. It has been given a brand new makeover and inside is now a dark blue. We had to visit because when I'm in Margate I have to have a cupcake. The cupcakes are still the best, and always make me smile!

Just before we went home we tried this new bar on the seafront and it was called The Bottle Shop. This again was very nice, and had just opened! I loved the fresh and clean style of the place. The guys behind the bar were friendly and happy to help with advice on what to drink. We ordered drinks and sat with the warm sunshine on our faces.

After our drinks and fish and chips, we caught the train back. More on our adventure in Margate soon!

Action packed week

So sadly I had to say goodbye to my amazing friend Dillon on Monday morning. I was lucky enough to meet Dillon through blogging. Life is crazy and I seem to meet the best people on the Internet. I had a wonderful time while he stayed with me and we explored London and pretty cute towns nearby. Looking back now I feel so happy about everything we did. I am very happy with all the adventures we had, but I am also still very tired. I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life.

I think it's not until you relax, you really get to enjoy life. We spend so much time working and working, and waiting for our days off to finally have adventures. This past week I was getting up early, grabbing my bag and visiting a new town or city for cultural fun. I don't think I have been like that since when I was at university. Life seems so care free, and I always seemed to have the time to visit art galleries. Now it's hard to find the time, and when you do it's extra special. But this last week was different. I planned adventures, and had those adventures. Made those memories, took so many photos, and loved life. Life is good, and even more so with my amazing friends and loved ones by my side.

Unexpected visit to Clutch

So we honestly chose the worst day to visit the Colombia flower market while Dillon was here. Oh, by the way, DILLON IS HERE. HE IS ACTUALLY HERE. We hopped on a train with Charlotte and met Tom in London. The heavens opened and it rained, so hard. We really did get soaked. Our waterproof jackets did not serve us well. We ended up wandering around in the rain for quite a bit of time. I ended up getting grumpy, and we really needed to find somewhere to escape the rain. 

I am a true believer in everything happens for a reason. We wandered some more, and then we spotted this gorgeous yellow building. It looked super quirky and I was drawn to it immediately. The restaurant/cafe was called Clutch. 

We walked in dripping all over the place. We were shown to a table in this small but busy room. So straight away I was drawn to this place. The table was gorgeous. Shiny/gold/mirrored table was kinda perfect. We ordered coffees and then chose our food, which happened to be brunch. Lots of chatting and getting to know each other better was done, and then our food arrived. It really was delicious. I ordered the banana bread with the most perfect topping. It really does make my mouth water when I think about it.

One of my favourite things about this restaurant, apart from the fact it was yellow and the food was great, was the amazing black/white patterned wall around the side. I think we stood next to that wall for quite sometime taking photos. It just shows that you plan everything down to the wire, but sometimes the best adventures and memories happen when you least suspect it. May this continue to happen in my life, because the un-known is always the most exciting.

Fleur de Thé date

While I love a good cup of coffee, and I am still very much in love with a great cup of English tea. The best tearoom in Rochester has to be Fleur de Thé. I remember finding this cute place last year the days before my birthday. It is simply too perfect. It's a tearoom but its also a gorgeous shop. Lots of amazing pieces to buy, and treats to eat while in there!

Myself and David popped in, grabbed a seat by the window and ordered two cream teas. I love the mix and match tea cups, plates, and beautiful teapot. We drank our tea in peace and chatted about our day. Drinking tea is always so relaxing, and really is good for the soul.

This tearoom really is such a lovely place to visit. We sat and talked about adventures ahead. It's a great place to relax and watch the world go by. I'm still swooning over the gorgeous teaspoons, which I hope to go back and purchase one day. Plus maybe some teacups, oh and a teapot, actually who am I kidding I want everything they have for sale. They even had pastel painted mason jars for vases which I think will be going on my next craft list! They really did look perfect. I really can't wait for my next visit.

Wandering through the avenues of art

I think its important when you visit a different city or country you should go to an art gallery. You should see some art, wherever you go. While I was in Amsterdam I actually got to see quite a lot. Whether that was street art or visiting various galleries and museums. 

My favourite was of course the gorgeous Van Gogh museum. This was actually one of the highlights of my trip. I was looking forward to visiting for quite some time. When I walked in the museum I did feel like a kid again. I know that sounds very strange, but Van Gogh is one of those artists that you learn about from an early age at school. So I do feel very connected with his work. Of course seeing the work in real life is completely different. 

Wandering up and down the gallery looking at everyone enjoying his work is quite powerful. I really felt at home in that gallery, and very peaceful. Walking around looking at art work will always be one of my favourite past times. We had a coffee in the restaurant before we left. It really was a lovely morning in Amsterdam.

Slow Club gig

So I just got back from an amazing show in my home town Ashford. The equally amazing band Slow club were playing. The gig was in my local church. I am buzzing with smiles of joy right now. I first saw Slow Club (Rebecca and Charles) 9 or 10 years ago back in Nottingham when I lived there for university. I was immediately struck by their beautifully written songs, and joyful tunes. I have seen them many times since, but I was lucky enough to see them again on Wednesday.

The venue was an old church I used to visit when I was at school. The church was beautiful because of the acoustics, the sound just bounced around the room in a perfect way. Listening to Slow Club again was so strange. Mostly because I was so young when I first saw them, my uni days were such a long time ago. They have been a solid part of my music taste for nearly 10 years. Listening to them again while they sang their new music, which is so calming and relaxed made me realise how much life has changed. How much I have changed. 

Rebecca and Charles' voices are still as gorgeous as ever. In this performance they both gave each other the chance to shine, letting each other take the centre stage. I loved listening to their voices. But of course I just fall in love with them all over again when they sing together. 

After the performance I managed to speak to both Rebecca and Charles. I said to them about how it was amazing to see them in my home town after seeing them for the first time back in Nottingham. We talked about how long ago that actually was, crazy really. They signed my vinyl and an old CD I had. We also talked about how nice it was to listen to their new music, and they enjoyed performing it. It was a wonderful night, and made me remember how much I love seeing live music. It really is good for the soul.