Chris and I managed to tick another 4 of the list yesterday and had a very enjoyable afternoon too. We started by going to the ‘The Way of Tea’ demonstration in the Japanese Gallery at The British Museum. These are held every few weeks, are free to attend and you can find out when they are on by looking at the events diary on The British Museum website. The demonstration lasted about 30 minutes and was presented by three Japanese ladies dressed in beautiful kimonos. The first lady talked us through the ceremony while the other two played the parts of the host and the guest. Powdered matcha was passed around the audience for us to see and smell. It was a vibrant green colour and smelt similar to English tea.  I would recommend this short and accessible presentation to anyone interested in Japanese culture and traditions.

Challenge 2, 13/1000 completed

We then walked to Gordon Square which is situated just next to part of UCL. Like most of the squares in London at this time of year is was looking a little bare but it is a nice space with less people and less noise from the traffic than nearby Russell Square. Some of the houses around the Square were once occupied by members of the Bloomsbury Group and the house where John Maynard Keynes lived features a Blue Plaque.

Challenge 576, 14/1000 completed

With the announcement that the bookshop Borders had gone into administration it felt appropriate to visit one of our many local independent bookshops. The London Review Bookshop really is a lovely place. There is a very relaxed feel about the shop and there really are books everywhere. Its the sort of bookshop that makes you want to loose and afternoon brousing and then spend lots of money.

Challenge 41, 15/1000 completed

Also in the photograph you can see the sign for the Blade Rubber Stamps shop next door. I love this shop and would recommend anyone who enjoys crafts to pop in and have a look.

Then it was time for tea and cake in the tiny cake shop that is housed within the bookshop. This was really busy at about 4.30pm when we went in but the service was good and the tea and cake were really fab. Possibly a bad place to have discovered so near to our flat – I’m sure it won’t be the last time we visit!

Challenge 849, 16/1000 completed

Although Chris would go mad if I turned our blog into a knitting one I thought that the p/hop readers would understand my pain with my latest knitting project. I started knitting a Christmas present last night but after only a few rows it some how turned into this purple mess! I know that I am going to spend the rest of the week trying to undo it!

Claire (aka yellowpurplezebra on Ravelry)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thank you very much Claire. You can follow Claire and Chris’s  Timout Challenge here.

Remember you can get all the blog-a-long updates by following p/hop on twitter and in the p/hop Ravelry group.