London Zoo

A few weeks ago, I took a Monday off work and we took a trip to London Zoo. The older I get, the more I love attractions like this- anywhere I can walk around with my camera whilst learning new things makes me happy. The location of the zoo itself is something I love, too. In the heart of Camden, it is next to a beautiful canal frequented by dog walkers, joggers and old-fashioned canal boats. Proof that the city of London is much greener than you think. 

We were lucky enough to visit on the hottest day of the year. The weather was glorious and although it was a week day, the attraction was full of children on school outings. Watching the penguins swim around in the sunshine was one of the highlights and they attracted quite a crowd at feeding time. The zoo takes almost a full day to get around. We selected our favourite bits- namely the penguins, tigers, giraffes and monkeys, and spent longer in these sections. The gorillas will always be my favourite- their human-like interaction is wonderful to watch. The butterfly house is somewhere I like to visit, too. There is something quite relaxing about being somewhere that butterflies are fluttering around you.  

After leaving the zoo, we decided to get the tube down to the South Bank and take a Thames Clipper up to London Bridge. The boat ride is surprisingly cheap and gives you a great view of the city. We followed this with a walk across London Bridge before getting the train back to our small town.

The Sunday Review

This week has been nicely busy. Among job applications, gym sessions and driving lessons, I managed to slot in a job interview and a few extra bits here and there. This weekend has been wonderfully relaxing and consisted mainly of reading in the sunshine, watching Eurovision and ambling through town. Here is what I've been filling life with this week...

I have been wearing...My new favourite dress from Dorothy Perkins. I purchased this dress a few weeks ago after buying the leopard print version and loving it so much, I bought it in every colour and pattern available. This dress with a pair of Ray-Ban lookalikes and tan brogues combined with the glorious weather almost made me feel like I was swanning around the French Riviera. Well, a girl can dream. 

I have been listening to...Silenced by the night by Keane. Admittedly, I have always harboured a bit of a secret love for mainstream indie music. In my early teenage years, I was a big fan of Keane and was surprised to see them making a comeback this year- a little older and a little less miserable. This song is brilliantly catchy and emotional, if not a little predictable- rhyming the words 'light' and 'night', who would've thought it? 

I have been reading...Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. After reading The Hunger Games recently, I was eager to see if the rest of the trilogy was as good as the first book. I'm not usually one to buy in to these teen franchises (Don't even mention Twilight) but I have to say I am really impressed with the originality of these novels. So far, I am a quarter of the way through and finding it hard to put down. 

I have been lusting after...This lovely dress from Glamourous UK. With the weather hotting up as well as the fact that it is my birthday on Wednesday, I'm looking to nab myself a lovely summer dress. Glamorous UK was recommended to me by a friend and after checking out the website, I have been impressed. Hopefully I'll be ordering this beautiful little number very soon.  

Finally, here is my week in true Instagram blogger style.

Soaking up the sun, Catching Fire, 

Peppermint green nails, Frappucinno happy hour, 

Farringdon station, Starbucks and The Great Gatsby.

Follow me on Instagram @bexonfire

Going Underground

Up until last summer, I had spent the last three years at Lancaster University. When travelling back home to the south, however, it was not only overpriced rail tickets that gave me a headache. It was the London Underground. Now, for anyone who has seen An American Werewolf in London (the film), you will be aware of the scene in which a man is brutally butchered to death on one of the escalators. To me, this is not too far from the truth.

My other half works in London and is aware of commuting etiquette. This usually means that whilst I am making sure my body parts are to remain intact whilst battling against a million others, he is frequently shouting “keep left!” as if we are soldiers in the Crimean war. He formulates a plan in his head. Must get on the train first, must acquire table seat, must claim baggage rack before anyone else can. This is the man who once nearly floored a woman with his briefcase on the way home.

This weekend, however, was a disaster so far as tube travel is concerned. We had the perfect romantic getaway planned. We were to see a gig at the 02 and go back to our beautiful hotel in Greenwich before checking out the next day and experiencing the museums. It had been booked for months and should have been the easiest journey of all. So why did we end up at midnight on a Sunday, stuck in the middle of Lewisham without a way to get home? It was decided that this weekend was when they would close the Docklands Light Railway, thus leaving many people clueless about how to get around. I was enraged.

Truth is this sort of rage lives in everyone that has to commute every day. I recently came across a fantastic website purely for this purpose, aptly-titled Ihatelondonunderground.com. Full of rants about ticket prices, their least favourite tube lines (Jubilee wins hands down) and how they’re going to move country just to avoid it all, it is a forum for commuters to let off steam about their journeys, possibly making them even angrier.

Let’s face it; no one wants to fight against a crowd of people at 7am to stand in a compartment of a train that is essentially an oven on wheels, with a stranger’s elbow in their face that has not yet discovered the magic of soap and water. There is also something distinctly wrong about a place that is so dirty it makes your snot black.

I don’t think I will ever be a fan of the London Underground. Mind you, we British do like a good moan. I certainly look forward to the Olympics.