Marvellous March

So my quest to write one blog post a month has already slipped.  March has blazed past and it's already April.  However, as this post is all about last month, hopefully it will make up for it, a bit!

March is a marvellous month! The first of the Spring sunshine, daffodils out, the prospect of the Easter holidays and...my birthday. Yes, March this year saw me celebrate birthday number 38. Not a great number but, as my father in law would say, better than the alternative.  This year for my birthday, I decided to go out and do something.  In the past, I've been happy to let the day drift by and at times, I have been a bit of a birthday martyr - "I can't believe I have to do the hoovering on my birthday", "I can't believe I have to make my own lunch on my birthday" - that sort of ridiculous thing.  This year I noticed Leonie Dawson's page in her Amazing Year book (see my previous post) ages before the event and so started thinking about what I'd like to do back in January.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't spend ages planning out a full itinerary but I just knew I wanted to do something.

 

My first decision was to visit one of the places written about on the We Love Food, it's all We Eat blog. This is written by my husband's cousin Saffron and her husband Ade. I have read their blog for a while and particularly enjoy their photographs of enormous plates of meat and the search for the ultimate cocktail -you can visit their blog here but be prepared to drool!  From this, I knew I wanted to eat somewhere a little bit special and not just end up in a Pizza Express somewhere (although I do love pizza).  It came down to The Breakfast Club, Big Easy or Byron, all of which sounded right up my street and although we opted for The Breakfast Club near Liverpool St, I will definitely go back to visit the other two.

 

When we arrived at about 11am on a Saturday morning, there was already a huge queue that didn't appear to be moving very much.  But (although I'm not keen on queuing) I didn't have anywhere else to be and it was a nice day, so we waited.  I should apologise now to the people inside who may have spotted me staring in at them and drooling over their breakfast - everything looked so good!  It was a long old wait and I nearly gave up but an hour and a half later, I was sat down at an old school-dinner type table waiting for my Morning Mojito to arrive.

Food wise, I ordered the All American breakfast, although by now it was well and truly lunchtime, it offered sausage, egg, bacon and...pancakes and maple syrup!  I was excited, all the best breakfast foods on one plate!  If I could have ordered several breakfast without looking (and feeling) like a greedy pig, I would have!  The food was delicious, the pancakes so fluffy and my mojito refreshing with just the right kick of rum but my favourite thing was the Elvis Shake that my husband ordered - peanut butter, ice cream and banana - oh my goodness, a few weeks later and I'm still thinking about it - smoothe, sweet and salty - I'd go back just for one of those!

Having spent longer at The Breakfast Club than I'd originally planned, I had to prioritise what else I wanted to do for the day (there's only so long you can ask someone to babysit your two children for - thanks again Mum).  Those of you who know me or read the blog regularly know that currently I'm a bit biscuit obsessed, so I decided my next stop would be The Biscuiteers Boutique in Notting Hill.  I've never been to this part of London before, so thought it would be a nice chance to wander around the market too.  We tracked down the shop easily, which was smaller than I'd expected (but then biscuits are small and don't take up much space) and I enjoyed browsing the biscuit collections inside.  I ended up buying a lovely little set for my Mum - a handy present for Mother's Day although I don't think she's eaten them yet.

After a good look at the biscuits, it was time for a quick look around the markets which were bright and colourful and sold a huge amount of stuff.  I loved looking at the home made crafts, the antique jewellery and, having a bit of a thing for scarves at the moment, the range of scarves you could buy really cheaply.  I didn't buy any though and just got a big bunch of flowers to go with the biscuits and some strawberries for my daughter.  Tired and very happy we headed back where, en route, I bought some pink 'fizz' to celebrate with a Chinese later that evening.

All in all, birthday 38 was a good one and it has made me think that it's worth having a special day out every now and again, even when it's not your birthday.  I've already started thinking about next year, although once again I am not yet ready to come to terms with the number!