London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Are you a big screen fan? Rejoyce. This summer, cinemas are taking the scene over. You’ll find them on the roofs (Queen of Hoxton), parks (Nomad Cinema) and… canals with the Floating Cinema. With or without an umbrella, London’s outdoors are to be enjoyed by all means.

A few more ideas for the week-end:

* Knit your way round the tube. Grannies rock!

* Wow, Waterloo really is turning foodie these days.

* The new Serpentine pavillion opens this Friday -  it is all about emotions, a travel and a secret garden.

* The favourite trend for the summer? The beach.  Even The Goring Hotel has adopted the concept.

* Join The Big Feastival for 3 days of music and gourmet dishes. All profits will support Jamie Olivers and Prince Charles’ charities. Top cooks and restaurant pop-ups are on the program – think Taste of London with a fun twist. Even better – kids under 12 go free.

* Free cakes at St Martins Courtyard Summer Fête.

* Pac-Man your way through the tube…

* Enjoy a guided tour in one of London’s most beautiful Victorian cemetaries, Kensal Green.

* An Arab festival is to enchant London throughout July.

* Look up! Billboards turn artistic.

* See London in black and white.

* Have you seen Nemo?

* Always trying for a balanced diet? Well, Purl has just added a salad bar to their famous cocktails.

* An elegant airy architecture is building up at the Barbican Curve.

* Fly away.

Pssst: Love urban games? Quick, register for the Search Party, it’s free!

I watch the rain pouring down and cannot get this word off my mind: beach.
Toes in warm sand, grains rolling on skin made golden by the sun.
Soft wave music. Listen to the lids splash, laugh, collect shells and make castles.

London seems to have a thing for it too. London-on-sea. Southbank has a mini-kids-beach for the summer. The Red Market, who is finally opening in Shoreditch this week-end after many delays, is proposing an urban version. Palmtrees, pétanque, deckchairs and cocktails. Even pop-ups go sea-food style!

Are you next holidays way too far? Look for a few London ideas here insteas:

* Come and join hundreds of musicians on Southbank this Friday.

* Peyrton & Byrnes are opening a pop-up within Kew Gardens. Dinner will be enhanced with herbs and eatble flowers foraged in the park and served with a little jazz.

* Pretend you are Sherlock Holmes at the Natural History Museum.

* Sleep at the Barbican. No kidding: cushions, duvet and breakfast included!

* Didn’t get your tickets for Wimbledon? Opt for plan B: a 360 degree-view platform at Selfridges.

* Rush to Greenwich for their extraodinary summer festival.

* Be a yogabunny in Hyde Park.

* Food party in Soho.

* Learn to be a barista.

* Did you there now is a farmers’ market every week-end at Portobello?

* Manucure and champagne? Luxury down to your fingertips.

* Discover a roof garden in Southwark -  only open to the public this Sunday. Have a look at the artist’s (Mathew Bell) other creations in London.

* Look up and hunt for hints of the Old London.

* Next stop: Murakami!

Pssst: Are you one of the bloggers chosen by #Regenttweet to tweet the fashion news this Saturday? Leave us a comment and see you on Saturday at Swarowsky’s! Don’t forget your shopping bag…

Each day brings a few more minute of light – don’t you love it, makes you feel so alive! Camelia are blooming like little fireworks, cherry trees will soon be covered in sweet cascades of white and pink. And if we arlucky to have a little sun this week-end, I might go and enjoy spring with a Jasmine tea and a good book in the Phoenix Garden. Want alternative ideas?

- Wold book day soon with a give-away on Friday evening on Trafalgar Square!

- Hey girls, fancy a free makover?

- Have a musical time in a pub…

- Explore the Barbican center -  two days of creative workshops -  great ones for kids too. Symphomic music and even a free nail bar for grown upsor why not the strangest Barbican tour ever?

- Discover secret galleries…

- …or a theatre play in the most unusual place…

- Marvel at a new version of Alice in wonderland -  all in elegant danced steps…

- Sail away!

- Letter posting just turned musical…

- Yes, royal weddings can be ever so fun!

- Remember Slinkachu’s small but ironic world? The artist’s back…

- Enjoy your Sunday Russian style!

- Or have a perfect family Sunday…

Pssst:
- March the 08th is pancake day: race it!

- Why not try to win a Royal Wedding street party, hey?

What a strange week, which celebrates chocolate, cocktails and… wool! So, what’s on this week-end?

- Play the arty card. I have tried quite a few opening this week! The Shadow Catchers @ the V&A on photograms -  some really great works there. Barbican presents Japanese fashion (and don’t forget their late evening!). You’ll find more fashion @ the Somerset House… Do your gym @ the Hayward with Move! Balance, rings, hula-hoop… Very interactive and playful. If you’re into something more classic, try Canaletto -  great paintings of the Venice scene.

- On the street art line, try and get one of the last spaces for Hell’s Half Acre. Right in the Waterloo tunnels and extraordinarily good. The best show I have seen for a while! You will also find Eine and Polly Morgan @ the Moniker Art Fair that opens tomorrow…

- Get ready for Halloween with this themed afternoon tea… (or get yourself this book on monstruously cute cupcakes!)

- Have a free gin and tonic in a Victorian carriage of curiosities. And on the 16th, there is a croquet competition for barmen!

- Alternatively, say cheers in the pop-up Courvoisier…

- Or do you prefer wine? You can also try the Real Food Market…

- Taste some (free) chocolate @ Harrods! Or even better, have a chocolate orgy @ Chocolate Unwrapped…

- Be zen in the British Museum…

- Hop, go and see art in a park for once with the Frieze Art Fair…

- Rediscover St Paul…

- Have a pint in a fab pub…

- Lost your jacket? It may be here….

- Take the kids to cut and pastes paper templates…

- Contribute to this strange harvest @ the Wellcome Collection…

- Sci-fi fans, head that way!

- Go, on, have a very French dinner… you know it is soooo worth it…

- And last, order yourself the cutest cupcake in a jar. Just out of curiousity…

Sci-fi addict? This is so for you: Bock’s surreal bugs.

Or are those aliens? Giant spiders escaped from Matrix? Eccentric parasites from Moebius? Nomad shops from the 5th Element?

Each pod shelters an ecclectic universes of its own. Here an Asian bazaar, lanterns, chopsticks, Chinese noodles. There, the back room of a charity shop, each scale offering a shirt. Over there, a giant version of 4 fixed on a black cab chassis… Everything is mixed: a collection of clocks, kitchen tools, CDs, kitsch glasses…

Entry is free, and the atmosphere joyful. The only risk is to have your kids compare their chaotic bedroom to a work of art!

Barbican
The Curve
Silk Street
London EC2Y 8DS

Until Sept 12, 2010 – free

A whole week of sun, even a mini heat-wave… guys, it’s barbecue-time and Pimms: let’s celebrate!

- The pianos are back! pretend you’re Mozart, improvise, make everybody dance…

- Oooh, it’s time for the V&A late night, on architecture this time. And there will be jazz too…

- By the way, it’s the festival of architecture with plenty going on!

- Be zen this week-end with taichi and yoga workshops @ Greenwich park…

- The summer festival is back @ the National theatre and there will be plenty of free shows on the stage on Southbank…. check out the program!

- Great, the beach is still there!And the appearing rooms also are back at the Southbank centre – the kids love those…

- Make your bets for the dragon boat race!

- Have a taste of honey @ Barbican…

- Rediscover London with songs …

- Are you ready for Wimbledon? I’m not but this tennis themed afternoon tea looks just perfect to me….

- Take your little ones to see the Charlie and Lola exhibition…

How will you enjoy the sun? I’m escaping to Paris for the week-end, ohlala!

Ready for the week-end? Steady… go!

- Wish the Queen a happy birthday: every year a special parade takes place but do arrive early!

- Vintage and retro shopping? Try the Cabbages and Frocks market every Saturday…

- Enter the Matrix @ the White Cube gallery…

- Have a free ice cream @ Covent Garden on Saturday

- Go for a magical and musical bus ride on Saturday -  it’s all part of  Spitafields’ music festival!

- Love knitting? Give up pub-crawls for a knit crawl for a change…

- It’s summer fair time! Try Marylebone for a farmers’ market, kids’ games and music, of course! There’s also a summer pop-up bar around there….

- Use forgotten empty spaces in London? The answer in pictures…

- Barbican plays it mysterious, surreal and full of desires…

- Meet Marvel’s superheroes @ Mme Tussaud…

- Get a new skin @ the Wallace collection…

- There’s still time to grab a ticket for the Hampton Court Festival – always with a fireworks finale…

- Decide to take a day off next week for a £3 lunch!

- This way for a brand new look on London….

- England, shocking? @ the Tate only…

You’ll find me… all around London, discovering secret gardens open specially for the Open Garden Square week-end…

A bank holiday week-end, 3 days of freedom – doesn’t it make you wanna dance?

- Well, how lucky, there is a tea dance @ Spitafield Friday afternoon…

- Don’t forget the V&A late night opening, dress up to it!

- Celebrations definitely are in order with the Greenwich beer and jazz festival… Unless you’d prefer a free cocktail?

- It’s that time of the year again, the famous Chelsea Flower Show is open! Harvey Nichols even has dedidated a floral afternoon tea to it…

- Alternatively, Kew gardens also is in summer mode…

- Wanna play the culture card? Well, the Natural History Museum new exhibition on abyss fish certainly looks amazing… So does Exposed @ the Tate – paparazzi pics or paused ones, cctv or real camera and of course classics like Cartier-Bresson or Lee Miller.

- Marilyn Monroe fan? Stop @ Harrod’s to see three of her dresses on show…

- Of course, there’s plenty of events linked to Sex and the City II these days…

- Kids in tow? Why not try the animation film festival? They could also meet sheep @ the Spitafield fam wool festival. Or have a picnic @ Alexandra Palace!

- Gourmet will rush to the Hampton Court food festival…

What are your plans? I’ll celebrate the week-end with friends with a bubble tea @ Chinatown. I will anticipate a very hot summer with Pimm’s sorbet.  Oh, and I need a closer look @ the Trafalgar Square boat, didn’t get a chance to see it yet!

There’s spring in the air, get your snickers ready!

- Go and enjoy the East London Festival – so rich in music festivities, world culture, architecture, guided tours…

- Play with words @ the London Word Festival

- Add a splash of colour with this Hindu festival

- take the kids to a different week-end @ Barbican – poetry, Indian lanterns, bollywood dances…

- Since you’re @ Barbican, try a little alternative music. Yep, those are real birds. And it’s free!

- Fancy a little Alice in your week-end? Here a Mad Hatter Ball, here a little bit more about Lewis Caroll’s talents, and there a colourful tea-time…

- Oh, don’t forget, it’s National Pie Week! A few tips here and there…

I’m planning an easy week-end – cinema! Spoilt with both the new Tim Burton and Banksy’s first film, Exit through the gift shop. Which by the way plays @ Barbican, in case you feel like a whole day there. Oh, and maybe I’ll go and try those Asian sweets too…

A hot chocolate, a new scarf and gloves, and here you go. Plenty to see this week-end to get into the Xmas spirit. Not that you can really escape it!

- Start on Southbank – either with the Slowfood market (jazz themed this time) or the Cologne Xmas market…

- Oxford street launches its market this week as well…

- Want more? Head to Hyde Park for a walk and a big wheel ride with the Winterwonderland…

- Stop @ Covent Garden for the Lacoste experience or simply for the kids to enjoy candlelit stories…

- Head to Victoria station or Westfield to see the Cirque du soleil (and hopefully win free tickets!)…

- See another dimension in Trafalgar square with the ghost forest…

- Take the kids to the London children film festival…

- Want to make them gasp in wonder? Have a walk with them in the Enchanted forest @ Syon Park. Thousands of lights in the trees. £5 per adult, £2 per kids – quite cheap for the thrill…

- Skate at the Somerset House. Have alook at the program: Breakfast @ tiffany’s matinees and DJ evenings!