Sunday Smörgåsbord

Having been AWOL these past three weeks - sorry, I've missed you! - I have accumulated rather a lot of tidbits for this week's smörgåsbord... I do hope you have all been enjoying yourselves in the sporadic bursts of sunshine :-)

1 Summer's on its way... Incredibly fragrant flowering shrub just outside our front door. Smells divine! Can anyone enlighten me as to what it is?

2 Most delicious salad from Gwyneth Paltrow's latest culinary offering, It's All Good. It really is. Thanks, Gwynnie!

3 Mint pleated maxi skirt from Mango. Love.

4 Coffee table styling, thanks to these tips from Emily at cupcakesandcashmere.com

5 Quick pick-me-up courtesy of Lola's Cupcakes in Topshop on Oxford Street. Shopping is a calorie burning activity after all...

6 Lunch in the sunshine at the delightful King William IV in Mickleham, with stunning views across the Surrey hills.

7 It can be tough fulfilling all the necessary duties of a bridesmaid. Sometimes, for example, you have to go to Temperley London to ooh and ah over fabulous dresses, followed by shopping and dinner in town with one of your besties.

8 Being outdoorsy camping with my seventeen littl'uns a couple of weekends ago. I don't know who was more exhausted at the end of it all, the children or the teachers!

9 Harrods. Spent far too long cooing over the puppies, as usual.

10 Mele e Pere, Soho. Hearty yet arty classic Italian fare.

11 The fabulous Bar Américain at Zédel in Piccadilly. Great atmosphere, lethal cocktails.

12 Pear Bellini. I think I've sampled pretty much every other sort of fruit as the basis for a bellini, but never pear. Yummy and very refreshing.

13 & 14 School excursion to Butser Ancient Farm. Roundhouses, relics, animals and a Roman villa - all key ingredients for a magical day trip to the past.

15 Having bartered for this beautiful art deco silver plated tray (a bargain at £18!), I was inspired to rearrange our alcohol and glassware. Now we just need to find the time to drink some!

16 I had an epiphany just as I was about to pour my banana bread mix into the loaf tin. What if I stirred in some Nutella? Life changing.

pp x