thank you Brixton and good night!

So that's it, the cupboards have all been cleaned, the floors have been mopped and all the tiles well and truly scrubbed. Today I handed over the keys and we are officially south west londoners.

The last week has been a bit of a blur and I'm absolutely shattered. Our last couple of days in Brixton went something like this:

Tuesday evening: we made a start on the cleaning, then went for jerk chicken (plus plantains, rice and peas, salt fish fritters, coleslaw etc) at Negril's sister restaurant (I think it's called Orange Bay) - and I can happily report that the food there is exactly the same: absolutely delicious :) the only slight difference is that Orange Bay has a bar - then we went back to cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Wed: work, cleaning (mitch had the day off so he cleaned all day), dinner (at the joint), cleaning, cinema (went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel - it's good), sleeeeep. Thursday: cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, a hilarious trip back to west london with a cumbersome assortment of stuff including a Henry hoover (we really need to learn to drive). We dumped all the stuff at the house and went straight out (the weather was amazing). I took Mitch for a stroll around the neighbourhood and we ate ice creams. On the way home we met the softest, friendliest puppy called nigel, it was a like a dulux dog, only a puppy - yes, exactly, v.cute.

The cleaning has now switched to sorting - there are many boxes to rifle through and bits + bobs to organise and put away in our new room. Really hoping that this sunny weather is sticking around for the weekend so I have an excuse not to spend the whole time figuring out what a flat's worth of stuff will fit in one room...

Anyhoo, happy Friday!

Annie's Best of Brixton

Best of Brixton screen print by Lucy Loves This

There's only two weeks left until we pack up the remains of our stuff and lock the door of our little flat for the last time, so, I wanted to compose a little list of my favourite Brixton haunts. I know I know, there are tonnes of Brixton top 10 lists and every single issue of Timeout says something about the place but this here is my list of my favourites and all the things I'll miss.

(apologies, this does go on a bit)


FOOD

Negril - The first place I ever ate in Brixton and I love it now as much as I did then. Their sharing platters, once a struggle for Mitch and I to finish but now quite easily demolishable, are always my go-to choice. I've never quite been able to manage their eye-wateringly spicy jerk sauce, but when they kindly bring out an extra portion of their special gravy why would I need to? It is unbelievably good as is their coleslaw, plantain, rice & peas and, of course, their BYOB policy. Ah sigh, I'm going to miss this place a lot.

The Joint - Quite probably the best pulled pork I've ever eaten PLUS it's served, along with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, in a vanilla and fig bun which is quite frankly the dog's b*llocks. And don't even get me started on their sides! Hush puppies, ribs, wings - all so so good.

Franco Manca - It doesn't surprise me to see people getting on the tube with takeaway pizzas from here because I get it, their sourdough pizzas are the bomb. (I'd probably opt for just eating in rather than taking a pizza on public transport but yeah, I get it.) Also, with this place it's not just the food that I'll miss, it's the restaurant itself. Yes, there's quite a few other Franco Mancas around London but I like the little, kinda squished, one in Market Row. Also, I have it on good authority that the Brixton branch makes the best pizzas :)

Mama Lan - Yup, it's got one small menu but everything on there is a winner. This winter it's been all about their spicy tofu (or beef) noodle soup and, of course, their dumplings which you can even watch them make if you get a table inside. They've opened up a bigger restaurant in Clapham Common but the teeny tiny one in the village is the one I'll miss.

Honest Burgers - Obviously. I've not sampled any of the other 'Honests' around London, and why would I need to when the original was but a short walk away? I guess the move means I could sample some of the others but now that Brixton's got a queuing system up and running, I'm more than happy to return to the village.

The Duck Egg cafe - Another tiny establishment that's usually packed but if you do get a seat, I recommend their breakfasts. Whether it's just poached eggs your after or the full english, it's grand in there.

Rosie's - My favourite spot for a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. Perfect on a sunday (before 12 or after 2 you're more likely to get a seat) and the cakes are different every time I go in so there's always something new to try. They also do very good brunch-y type things, oh and the goats cheese and onion marmalade sandwich is amazing.

The Cafe Provencal - technically Herne Hill but it's an old haunt so I couldn't not mention it. They pretty much serve breakfasts, brunch, lunch and dinner type foods - and I've tried all of them. Sadly, they got hit really badly with the floods that happened last year and they won't be opening until the end of March, after we've left (boo). I'm hoping they won't have changed (or rather, had to get rid of) their quirky furniture. Plus their toilets were cool - blackboards on the backs of the doors so you could draw away/scrawl notes for the next occupant.


DRINK

Seven - Their cocktails are the bees knees - the ginger beer and basil mojito is a firm fave. And, at only a fiver I cannot complain price-wise. As with a lot of the places I've mentioned on here, the best place to sit is at one of the tables out the front and then you can people watch and, at Seven specifically, scrutinise the religious memorabilia shop opposite to your hearts content.

The Craft Beer Co. - a small but mighty establishment with a multitude of beers, ales and cider to choose from. More a weekend destination as a lot of the booze is of a rather high percentage. A pint or two is usually enough for me but it's a hard rule to stick to because there's usually a least 4 new ones I want to try.

The Crown & Anchor - A decent sized pub that has lots of seating, great beers, mulled wine and cider in the winter AND a rather good food menu. It's a bit of a trek from the tube station (20 mins walk) but definitely worth it.

The Hootananny - v.much our local, well it is about 30 secs away. I think the hoot is definitely a summer pub, it's very easy to while away 4 or 5 hours sitting in their huge beer garden at the front when the weather is good. The choice of beer isn't amazing but it certainly has a cracking atmosphere. Nearly every time I go there I always end up chatting to a complete stranger and I quite like that about the hootanny. It's clientele are a very mixed bunch but everyone's always friendly - especially the attendant in the women's loos ("happy, happy happy - everybody's happy!"). Also, the burrito guy that has a stall in the beer garden makes unbelievably fine burritos and if you don't fancy mexican, there's usually a pizza stall in the garden too!


ENTERTAINMENT

The Ritzy - good lord, I'm going to miss this cinema. Fun fact: before we moved to Brixton and were living in Surbiton, Mitch and I sometimes used to come to Brixton, just to got to the ritzy. Yup, that's how much we loved it. So, you can imagine that leaving it is going to suck massively (especially screens 1 and 5 - they're the best ones). Of course, we can always come back and visit it which I imagine we will. Plus, moving to SW london does force us to seek out other cinemas in order to avoid our soon-to-be local odeons and cineworlds - euurgh.

The Effra Social - Ah the social, our other local (also a mere 30 secs walk away). I have a lot of love for this establishment and, seeing as it hasn't even been open a year yet, we've spent a lot of time there, including, it playing host to our engagement drinks knees up. Friday and Saturday nights are great for music whether it's a live band playing ska or a DJ spinning 50s & 60s tunes - my absolute favourite music to dance to. Yup, this is where I go to get my dancing fix in Brixton. It's also nice for a quiet drink in the week both inside when the weathers crap and outside the front in the summer. They've also recently opened up a nice sized (and prettily lit) restaurant in the back. Special mention to the knitting pattern decor in the loos - good stuff.

Brixton Acadamy - I am ashamed to say that despite living walking distance from this excellent venue I only went twice in the last two and a half years. They were great gigs (Orbital and The Postal Service) but I really wish I'd made more effort with looking to see who was playing (to be fair, I need to up my game on going to live music events in general). However, on the two occasions we went to the acadamy, never have I felt so smug about leisurely exiting the venue, not worrying about the crowded tubes or finding a taxi, because 15 minutes later (or 5 if we'd got the bus) we were home. The best thing was not having to faff about with the cloakroom as we didn't need coats or bags (even at the december gig). So good. Sigh.

Brockwell Park - in the words of Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz: "I think I'll miss you most of all". When Mitch and I first decided we wanted the flat (and to be in Brixton to an extent) it was the park that swayed us (discovering the village and all its delights after we'd signed the contract was a v.nice surprise and an added bonus). It's a great park - for walks, running, picnics, events, car boot sales, sports (not that I partook in any, for shame), swings(!), feeding the ducks, summer evening boozing...And then there's the lido. And the cute little lido cafe. I think some of my favourite days living in Brixton are park related - lambeth county fair, our day lazing by/in the pool at the lido, geocaching, that time we snuck into the kid's playground before it was finished and played on the swings. Our close proximity to the park and gym has most definitely contributed to my enthusiasm for regular exercise. The inviting lido forced me to get over myself and wear a swimming costume in public(!) outside (!). And perhaps, most importantly, it provided me with the perfect place to clear my head (and pet some dogs).

Honourable mentions: Station road market, Herne Hill market, Jeff the Chef (best goat curry I've ever eaten), The Florence (in-house brewery - always a bonus - and the battered halloumi sticks are guuud), Oregano on Tulse Hill for takeaway pizza (hangover favourite), the crafty fox market (and the dogstar where it's held), Khan's of Brixton (fantastic Indian takeaway on Brixton Water Lane), the gym (I love that place, never thought I'd say that about a gym), the Brixton Bugle (never before have I taken such an interest in where I live - the blog and monthly paper will be missed), Morleys (they have everything in there), the bookmongers on coldharbour lane (and the v.chilled dog that sits in the window), Bleu in Herne Hill (always good for a mooch about in), the transport (or rather the convenience of the location - bus, train and the usually reliable victoria line) and last but not least, the windmill.

Now, was there anything I missed...?

picture sources - Food: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Drink: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Entertainment: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5     
Mentions: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 

the times they are a-changing

A few months ago Mitch and I made a tough decision: to leave Brixton.

We're leaving Brixton to, temporarily, move in with my parents. Yup, I'm moving back into my old bedroom from when I was 18. I'm not going to lie, it's taken me quite awhile to come to terms with it and I have, just about.

The reason why is pretty simple: we'd like to start putting our money towards a home that's ours.

Over the last 6 months or so we've been talking about our future together (I think the proposal had a big part to play in this) - what we want to do, what we want to see and of course where we want to live. We don't really have a definitive answer for that last one but I know, pouring our money into a hole - a leaking, mouldy hole with broken windows (we've had some amazing times in our flat but it certainly hasn't blossomed in the last 2 and a half years) - isn't going to help. I'd like to put my hard-earned cash towards something that's ours, that we have a say in, that we can make into a home. Perhaps I am looking at this through rose-tinted glasses. I know, from experience, that there are many benefits to renting, but for us, the time is right to try something new.

So why move back to my parents'? I love Brixton and I love living in South London, but a combination of my average salary and eyebrow-raising rent prices means that, if we continued to rent our flat until we had a big enough deposit to buy somewhere, it would take approximately a 1000 years. My parents saw our predicament and offered to take us in until we have saved a deposit-sized amount. I have no idea what kind of state I'd be in without them and I'm so unbelievably lucky that they are letting us stay. That said, it's going to be a bit of a test, for all of us. I moved out four years ago and my parents' probably thought they'd seen the last of me - sorry ma and pa. We've all got certain ways of doing things (I'm quite messy - much to my mum's amusement and my sister's horror) and Mitch will be entirely new to all of them (apart from own habits of course). Similarly, my parents and my sister will have to get used to Mitch and his laid-back-ness (they don't believe me when I say he's messier than me - they're in for a shock). Oh, and Moriarty is coming too (obvs), so although my parents have had him to stay, will it be different when he's living there full time? Who knows. Truthfully, I'm quite excited to see how this year will pan out for us - that sense of heading into the relative unknown is disconcerting but rather exhilarating at the same time.

I can honestly say, with hand on heart, that Mitch and I got a hell of a lot out of Brixton - we soaked it all up, tried lots of new things and met new people. Yes, we're sad to leave but thankfully, with a fair wind (read: trains running smoothly) it takes 35 mins to get from my parents' house to Brixton. Plus, a huge number of my friends are all Brixton-based now so I've got plenty of excuses to visit (not that I'd need an excuse) and, potentially, a choice of couches to crash on after large nights out.

Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of change but I'm feeling a lot more positive about this move compared to a few months ago (living in a flat that is literally crumbling to pieces around you really puts things into perspective). You'll have to forgive me the odd "au-reviour brixton" post over the next month. They won't be mushy, more along the lines of my favourite places and some of the things I want to do before we leave. So stick with me, we've got six and a half weeks left and I fully intend to make the most of it :)

weekending

The december busyness kicked off for me this weekend what with... ★ a trip franco manca in brixton village and craft beer on friday night. ★ a day of sisterly fun at the crafty fox market followed by lunch at the joint on saturday. ★ a long over-due meet-up for dinner and drinks (and an exchange of secret santa gifts) with my old school mates on sunday. ★ Plus, I managed to squeeze in some present wrapping, finally finishing star trek voyager AND crocheting too!

Also, over the rather jam-packed weekend I managed to almost completely book-up the rest of my december which can only mean it's going to go quickly (it's already the 10th?!) so rest assured I'll be savouring every festive minute of it.

south london love

Last weekend Mitch and I spent a glorious couple of days soaking up the sights of south london.

Saturday - Brixton
Well, yes, we do live in Brixton so most saturdays do start there but this weekend was different as the Crafty Fox Market was in town. Taking up its regular occupancy in the Dogstar, it was packed with a fabulous variety of designer/makers. My sister and I spent a good couple of hours perusing the stalls. She got a few cards and I picked up this lovely necklace (below) from Kate Rowland and bought this plate from JimbobArt for a friend's birthday. Had I had more money I would've splashed out on one of these tees from Skev. A delightful day as ever. If you missed it this time, worry not. I do believe there's going to be another one before Christmas.

Saturday Night - Peckham
Mitch and I headed to The Gowlett for pizzas (it's a nice old boozer and the pizzas were very tasty but they did take about 50 mins to arrive) before heading to the The Montpelier for a friends' birthday. Leaving the chilled-out relaxed atmosphere of the gowlett and arriving at the completely over-crowed Montpelier was a bit of rude awakening. We opted to stand outside until we were ushered in at 10:30 at which point it was so crowded inside there wasn't really anywhere to stand. Safe to say, I don't think I'll be going back there again on a saturday night. The evening picked up when we moved onto Canavan's pool hall. A bizarre little set-up with a bar area, dance floor and, surprisingly enough, a pool hall at the back. The perfect place as it provided a whole new activity (aside from just sitting down) for those who didn't fancy dancing! When we eventually departed for home the night bus was about a 15 min journey. Bliss.

image source

Sunday - Forest Hill
Having been wanting to go for over a year, Mitch and I finally got ourselves over to The Horniman Museum. It's a lovely little place with a very interesting collection. We took a wander around its pretty gardens - reading all about the various plants they grow and how they're used in medicine - before heading inside to look at the natural history stuff. For obvious reasons it's nowhere near as grand as the NHM at south ken but it has some great specimens including the famous Walrus. The main bit is free entry and as the museum is only a 20 min bus ride from Brixton station I'd highly recommend it for all south londoners :)

Wednesday - Camberwell.
Two nights ago, the lovely Jo organised a south london bloggers meet up at The Tiger. Amid ale, chips and yarn, the seven of us - Jess, Siobhan, Jo, Amy, Michelle, Leigh and myself - had a good old knit/crochet and a chat. It was a v.fun evening and they were a  lovely bunch! Plans to meet up again are on the cards :)

Knitting in progress.
I started a new scarf in the week, which I brought to the craft/bloggers meet up in camberwell, the pattern is definitely starting to take shape. So far so good!

the last week in pictures

1// Location shoot - they had 3 tortoises (as well as the most ginormous house I've ever been in)!

2// Location shoot - cool mug and some seriously good banana cake with marshmallow icing. Yeah. 

3//Friday night at the Natural History Museum. Some sort of event was going on so we, along with the population of London, went along. Despite the crowds we got a good look round at stuff, I even saw a pickled humpback whale foetus which I thought was just a baby one. But no, "not fully formed yet". It was the size of my arm.

4// Natural History Museum - a game of science themed jenga.

5// Natural History Museum - such an amazing building, easily one of my favourites in London.

6// Just chillin'

7// Needlepoint doodling - I tried my hand at letters.

8// Craft Beer Brixton - much too much was consumed for a sunday night.

9// Craft Beer Brixton - this is one of the reasons why I was hungover on monday.

10// Bad Ass - dear me I look like an alcoholic but we shared this between three, over dinner at Mama Lan in Brixton Village. The name amused us greatly.

good timing

Last friday I took the day off work and Mitch and I jumped on a national express bus down to bournemouth. Little did we know that it was actually the first day of the bournemouth air show. So, not only did I get to be beside the sea (the driving force behind the trip - I bloody love the sea and don't spend nearly enough time by/in it), we got to eat our picnic on the beach whilst watching amazing stunts performed by pilots in a number of different aeroplanes - including the red arrows! Talk about good timing eh? The beach near the pier was v.crowded but we walked westwards along the coast to a much less populated stretch of sand. Intermittent snacking, snoozing, paddling and plane watching (not to mention dog-petting) was how we spent most of the day and it was absolute bliss. On thing's for sure: I cannot leave such a long interlude between now and my next trip to the sea.

On the way back to the coach station we took a little wander around bournemouth. Although this aviary was full of so many different types of birds and the this little covered shopping bit was pretty, what I reeeeally wanted to visit was a bit too much of a trek away. Guess it just means I'll have to come back - not a bad thing at all!

Saturday was super laid back, although, it did get a little frantic in the evening when I had to finish the baby quilt (more on that another day). A late breakfast and a stroll into Brixton to get some stuff for said baby quilt was followed by a whole afternoon at Brockwell Lido. In the two years I've been living in Brixton I'd never swam in it, nor experienced the culinary delights of the lido cafe until this weekend. I'd seriously been missing out. Despite the lovely weather we had over the weekend, the pool was very quiet and I actually managed to swim a few lengths rather than just lounging around on the side in my fabulous swimming costume that makes me feel like wonder woman. Even though the setting was perfection I almost had to cut short the day's relaxing thanks to forgetting to bring sun cream and was definitely starting to burn when...the NIVEA people turned up and were giving out free sun cream! I was so impressed with their timing that I actually agreed to hold their promo beach ball and be photographed for their website. Horror and regret set in about 2 mins after they left but at least I was able to stay out in the sun for a few more hours.

And sunday was spent in the company of the most gorgeous little baby in honour of her christening. Here's Mitch having a cuddle with baby Ava. I  took this pic  just before she started to cry - good timing no? Cute.

busy

There's been a lot going over the last two weeks which explains the rather quiet time on here. Birthdays, cocktails, dinners, interviews, catch-ups, people to stay, festivals - you name, it happened more than once since the beginning of august! Now, although I had a bloody good time, I'm committing myself to a kind of detox - my liver and bank balance will certainly thank me. Anyhoo, here's a few pics from the last two jam-packed weeks.

Coppa - a v.cute little pop-up v.close to London Fields. You can't see it in the picture but they have, deckchairs and benches to sit on, or you can book a hut! (They're basically garden sheds but each is decorated completely differently - they're pretty cosy.) I highly recommend this lovely little roof-top joint. Delish food but a little pricey (best to order a bunch of things and share between a group). The zucchini frites and lamb skewers were particularly tasty. The drinks were also lush. A good cocktail list, my favourite being the bitter lemon.

Two sunday's ago Brixton celebrated the Splash Festival - kinda like a street party only waaaay bigger. We only stayed long enough to eat some goat curry and have a bit of a wander round as I was a little worse for wear thanks to a weekend of almost solid boozing :/

Cracking on with the baby quilt. We received and invitation to the baby's christening which means I now have a deadline and it's not far off!

And what about you - anyone else having a super busy summer?