epic

it started wth a cadbury creme egg,

progressed to pimm's cup

and before i knew it, i was happily connecting the dots on a tattoo.

 most epic train ride ever.

let me start at the beginning. took the train last weekend and requested for the quiet carriage like i usually do. however, not only did i not get the quiet coach, i was somehow placed as the 8th person smack in the middle of a rugby 7. needless to say, this proved for more entertainment than i'd bargained for. my ride buddies were delightful company and increasingly inclusive as the ride went on. while one can't drink in public, or on buses, imbibing copious amounts of alcohol on the train is well within the law. not that i was complaining. they plied me with chocolate, and then pimms and finished it with scrumpy cider (vile!). we talked about what we did in real life (haha) and i appreciated how i was crowned honorary tour member, and advisor to the tour judge whose word was law. enjoyed the banter, the journey flew past, and that was it. well, until we bumped on the return journey. but that's a story for another time!

award-winning barrista

 

a few months ago a posted about chancing upon a barrista (a good 40minutes from the city centre!) who competed in the national coffee competition. and he referred me to his friend should i want a fix that was closer to home. took me some time to follow up on this invaluable tip off and what better occasion than an early thursday. our last lecture for the day ended ahead of schedule and i love how everyone so spontaneously decided that revision is for pansies and we're better off getting tea. 

undeterred by the spitting rain, we made our way to this tiny gem tucked away in the basement of a new age shop. and when our cuppas came with tasting notes, we knew we were in the right place. that monster scone with cream and jam didn't hurt, either ;)

the coast

 

had been back for a few days but my inner hermit got the better of me. so on sunday i decided to take action and meet people! thankfully, these friends wanted to see me too haha. started bright and early with a leisurely stroll to the town moor (previous post!) before making my way to a friend's. we hadn't seen each other since everyone broke up for easter. what was meant to be an afternoon coffee became morning coffee when we realised the cafe i wanted to try was closed sundays. but a drive to the coast, stopping en route to pick up some good ol' maccas was an even better alternative. i have a thing for maccas. and i have a thing for drive thrus which remind me of many happy nights going to king albert park maccas as a child. 

so maccas in hand, we walked up and down the coast, playing with our gadgets and i was very promptly dropped at church after :)

cows on the moor!

 

been waking up waayy too early, in part thin curtains and in part residual jetlag, and have enjoyed walking over to the moor. for the first time, i saw it dotted with cows. naturally, this new addition to moor-scape made for an interesting walk. while i usually like to zone out, this time i had to be super careful not to put my feet into the piles and piles of cow poop! i think i need a new walking route...

nevertheless, walk was a good start to a social sunday. with coffee by the coast at 9am, church with friends at 1030 and dinner at C's at night. after a month of being away, it was high time to catch up with the near and dear :)

T turns thirty-x

it was the big friendly giant's birthday and we surprised him with tiramisu, 'special' coffee and a nifty fork&spoon set. was excited to break out my birthday gift. the little graduate gang gave me an electric whisk for my birthday, so really, any excuse to bake and feed. how nice not to be stirring would-be kladkkaka with a fork! funny story - on the short walk from the medsch lobby to cafeteria, the happy birthday candles MELTED. and their sorry remnants were no longer discernable. but it was a good laugh, and T was happy. which is really all that matters. so happy, in fact, that we're all going for lebanese at a restaurant that's BYOB. what's better than hearty kebabs? said kebabs chased with tesco wine :) psyched!!!

spring!

can't seem to get enough of these cherry blossoms. or they could be plum. expert botanist i am not, but after a grey winter, these pops of colour were a sight for sore eyes. spotted these around the corner from where i stay and they looked gorgeous in the early morning light :) was ooh-ing and aah-ing over the blooms on campus and T was quick to point out, 'no wonder your ancestors went sakura-crazy...'. which made me think that this conditioned reflex was more hereditary than anything else.

happy the weather's been lovely, happy for the wee warmth we've been getting and generally happy to be in the UK where it's really not as dreary as i'd been warned. whew!