I hope you’ve all had a great week. It’s been half term here so all our usual routines have been merrily discarded. Meanwhile, my husband has been recovering from his gallbladder surgery, so we’ve been on go-slow. Which, happily, is just how we like it in February half-term!
Now, if you’re in need some weekend inspiration here’s my list of things to do, see, wear and eat…
Make banana bread
Don’t throw your black bananas in the bin, turn them into delicious banana bread! It’s the most magical transformation. My favourite version is always this one from River Cottage. It’s quite a forgiving recipe – I often don’t have quite enough bananas but just carry on anyway and add a little milk at the end to get the right consistency. Perfect with lashings of butter and a hot cup of tea on a Saturday afternoon.
Discover Doreen Fletcher’s paintings of East London
Doreen Fletcher painted the urban landscapes of East London for twenty years before giving up in 2004 after becoming disheartened by a lack of recognition. Now her work has finally been brought together in a new exhibition and book. Her paintings are captivating – colourful, characterful and full of depth. So far I’ve only seen them in the new book, published by Spitalfields Life Books, but I’m hoping to get to see the exhibition soon. It’s on at Bow Arts at the Nunnery Gallery until 25 March 2018.
Wear spring pastels
The weather has been lovely this week. It’s enough to make us all feel like spring is in the air! Lighten up your winter wardrobe with some pretty spring pastels. I love this soft, pink jumper by FatFace*. It’s not too thick and not too thin so it’s perfect for in-betweeny weather. I love it mixed up with their soft yellow scarf – it’s like a burst of spring sunshine! This jumper is also available in a gorgeous shade of sage green if pink isn’t your thing.
Listen to a radio programme
I’ll often catch random radio programmes on Radio 4 while I’m doing chores around the house, and accidentally learn something in the process. This week the programme I enjoyed listening to most was More or Less on Radio 4. Each time Tim Harford explores the real stories behind the statistics and surveys reported on in the new. This episode explored stories about alcohol consumption, the rise of Victorian diseases and climate change. I only listened to it because I was trapped under a sleeping cat, but I’m really glad I did as it was very enlightening.
Drink hot chocolate outdoors
Have you noticed hot chocolate tastes better outdoors? If you’re going on a walk this weekend, pack up a flask of hot chocolate to take with you. It’s the perfect way to keep everyone cosy and perk up little people when they start flagging.
Watch the boxset of Clique
I was in need of some light relief this week, so jumped into a new boxset. I remembered reading about Clique in Grazia last year, and both series are still on the BBC iplayer. It’s a light thriller that’s set at Edinburgh University with plenty of intrigue, murky internships and general randomness. It’s nothing like I remember university being – and it was a bit like a Scottish version of Hollyoaks – but, hey, it had me hooked and I will watch series two at some point.
WHAT’S ON YOUR WEEKEND LIST?
*FatFace clothing was gifted to me as part of this article I wrote for their blog.
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