Little Things In London

(the best spontaneous photo I've ever taken!!)

LITTLE THINGS IN LONDON

A few weeks ago I went down to London.

I saw my sister, and her brilliant drama show called Cyrano de Bergerac, starring a phenomenal actor called Soroosh Lavasani. I watched my queen Stevie Nicks, as well as The Lumineers and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, perform to hundreds of thousands of people on a balmy July evening in Hyde Park. I saw Hammersmith high street aglow from way up high. I took an early tube over to West Ham to meet my old housemate. We had cobs and builders tea, as we pondered our lives and futures in a greasy spoon cafe off Barking Road.

I walked through Aldgate and Brick Lane in the pouring rain with my camera, soaking up the culture and creative energy. I walked through even heavier rain up near Islington, Barbican, Farringdon and Hatton Gardens, munching custard donuts to keep me going. I looked at the BP Portrait Award 2017 entries in the National Portrait Gallery. My sister and I sat in St. Martin-in-the-Fields church and listened to the most incredible, ethereal, magical choir and orchestra practice.

We wandered around the back streets of Covent Garden, and took in the colourful vibrancy of Seven Dials. We stumbled across a £5 pizza place round the corner of Shaftsbury Avenue, and walked down the roads in the evening light. Rain soaked us to the bone, and left us feeling so magical and cosy, ready to snuggle down in our pyjamas in the warmth.

I had a delicious Spoons breakfast, and wondered down Kensington High Street with my parents, past the Olympia and Hammersmith High Street, all the way to Holland Park. We looked at the Dutch Garden, the Kyoto Garden, and the Design Museum. It was bliss. And I took the best photo of my life (see above), merely by chance. Oh, and I also found out I passed my third year of university too.

I had delicious Thai food in a pub called The Latymers. I sat at the top of One New Change shopping centre and watched Wimbledon. And I wandered through the British History Museum, and Hyde Park in the sunshine, with all those beautiful sunny flowers, bobbing boats and friendly ducks and geese...

And on the way, I took all these many, many photos, in an attempt to capture the little details that illustrated and punctuated my adventures. Snapshots of London in her hidden beauty. Quirky bits and pieces, the sights you don't always see. The more I go to London, and the more I explore the city, the more compelled I feel to capture the untold story. And celebrate the sheer wonder and diversity of the many stunning sights you can find in our great capital city.

It fills me with such joy. So much joy.

And so I thought I'd share some of my favourite photographs with you.
Let me know what you think!

Visiting London? Looking for something different?
The Londoner
Visit London
Time Out London Blog
A Lady In London

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Rinko Kawauchi

RINKO KAWAUCHI

I stumbled across the Japanese photographer, Rinko Kawauchi, completely by chance the other evening. You know the way, when you're passing through one pursuit to the next, like crossing trains in the night, and you happen across something rather wonderful that you otherwise wouldn't have discovered. That feeling, that peculiar course of action, that's what lead me to Rinko's work. And what an amazing coincidence it was. In the last couple of years my love for Japanese culture and aesthetics has been growing. I find it so intriguingly beautiful. And Rinko's photography makes me feel even more enamoured. 

As you can see, Rinko's work focuses on capturing those stunning moments of simplicity in life, that don't ask for very much, yet the joy and fulfilment they yield is truly magnificent. Those kinds of moments and simple joys that are far too easy to turn a blind eye to, and which we often overlook in light of the larger matters that occupy our minds. I love being reminded of those little moments, and what I love even more, is when someone is able to capture them. For they are so delicate and minute. They appear in a millisecond and disappear into the past just as quickly. To be able to capture those moments, and really do them justice, to somehow be able to record the nostalgia and etherealness with only light, colour and being, is a true skill.

Just looking through these photographs, guides me into a state of peace, calm and relaxation which I usually find very hard to come by. As I sit here writing, I feel like I'm floating on a happy cloud, and I feel at one with the world. It's a magical feeling, and honestly, part of me is astounded that photography has the power to quieten haphazard whirlwind that is my mind. So with that, I'd love to share some of my favourite pieces with you, and I hope you too find yourself in a lovely little happy place, after looking at Rinko's work.

All work belongs to Rinko Kawauchi, & can be found here!

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A Magical Weekend in London

A MAGICAL WEEKEND IN LONDON

Last weekend I went down to London to visit my lil sis, who I hadn't seen since the start of September. We had never been apart from each other for that long, and despite the millions of Skype sessions, facebook messages and phone calls, we still missed each other like crazy. So when the semester ended, and we were both free, if only for a little while, we finally got round to seeing each other in person. And it might have taken me over two hours to get there, and I might not have recognised my sister at the train station, but none of it mattered because I finally got to see my sis.

What made it even nicer, was that my sister's best friend also came down from uni to join us, and it was lovely as she's practically the fifth member of our family. And together the three of us had a really wonderful weekend in one of the best cities in the world. It was so surreal actually staying in a house in London, as we're normally in a youth hostel or hotel, but it definitely made it that bit lovelier. When you're always merely a visitor, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to call London home. Walking the streets like they were our own, was a gem of a feeling. As was popping to the Sainsburys for food, catching the tube from the local tube station, and looking out of the window and seeing the London skyline on the horizon. 

During our stay, we managed to jam pack lots of lovely little things in. We visited Goodge Street, Soho Square, Foyle's book store and Charing Cross Road McDonalds for apple pie and tea. We had chicken tacos, duck spring rolls, cookies, doritos and wine for tea. We bought supplies from Sainsburys and walked down Hammersmith high street. We watched Love Actually whilst sat snuggled up in bed. We walked to LAMDA, where my sister studies, and we walked around Bermondsey and saw the Shard poking through the mist and the fog on the horizon. We discovered Shad Thames, and walked down the little streets and out onto the banks of the River Thames. 

We passed Tower Bridge and the Christmas Markets, nabbed free tasters from Wagamama, and crossed the river over to St Paul's Cathedral, stopping to eat mince pies along the way. We went up to the top of One New Change shopping centre and twirled around and took photos of each other and took in the late afternoon view. We had festive drinks at Starbucks, and got the district light railway to Greenwich, passing through the glittering lights, docks and skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, the sky a midnight purple. At Greenwich we walked through the peaceful park, lit only by shadows, and ran up the hill till we reached the observatory. From there the London skyline shone and dazzled before us. It was a sight unlike anything I've ever seen before. So magical and awe inspiring. I will never forget the moment I turned around and saw that beautiful view before me. We sat down for a while, to try and take in the moment, and when our fingers and toes succumbed to the December cold, we took the tube back home and had fish and chips whilst watching The Holiday till we fell asleep.

All of it, every last little bit, was so magical, and the perfect way to end the first semester of uni and see in the festive season. So I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I took, and I wish you all a very Merry, pigs-in-blanket filled Christmas.

http://www.visitlondon.com/

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WHAT WE GOT UP TO...