12 hours in London

I mentioned yesterday that after my day in Brighton last week I headed into London for a couple of meetings. With one meeting in Southwark at 10am and another in Clapham Common at 1.30pm, plus a flight from Gatwick at 8.25pm, we had some time to explore. There wasn’t much I wanted to tick off my to do list, I simply wanted to explore, and perhaps pick up a new purse. Take a look at my day in pictures.

I loved the look of this pop-up champagne bar…

Popped to the Lego store and did the tourist thang…

Also had to check out the M&M store – and couldn’t believe that you can get your face printed on them! Maybe next time…

I popped by Chinatown and found a really cute shop called JP Books – so much kawaii!

We called in to Hamley’s to check out the Harry Potter displays…

Stopped by Liberty and swooned over the pretty stationery…

Turns out there’s pretty street art outside of Brighton

Carnaby Street is sooo pretty!

Spotted Agatha Christie – rather apt, considering I’ve not long finished my first of her books.

Headed to Covent Garden to check out kikki.K and found some rather pretty buildings.

We spent most of the day running between rain showers but it was still loads of fun.

We grabbed dinner at the Wagamama at Gatwick Airport – fabulous staff and sooo busy. The duck pancakes were really yummy but I think I was a bit too adventurous with the chilli squid (hotter than expected).

I’d spent the day keeping an eye out for a new purse and popped into a Cath Kidston in the hope of finding an Alice purse. I ended up finding one at the airport and, because it was the airport, it was even cheaper! I need a purse with a photo window for ease of the commute with my bus pass but I was willing to compromise for this limited edition stunner. Plus the savings I made covered the cost of a ticket holder, which does the job – and looks cute.

Next time I find myself in London, likely for the next Stationery Show, I’ll certainly be factoring in more exploring time, especially for indie bookshops.