The water is like a warm bath. Quite easy to get into. Not quite like the mediterranean where you still have to brace yourself before getting in. Also, unlike the Mediterranean, there are loads of space around. You don’t have to fight for space.

There’s lots of places to eat on south beach. We felt like having a cheeseburger. So we went to a take out type place with seating called Cheeseburger Baby. The amount of cheeseburger sizes were mind boggling. From half pounders to 10 pounders. A true diner-style eatery, we were entertained to a couple of people apparently trying to scam for free food. Suddenly, swear words were flying across the room, with the owner calling the cops. For me, I suddenly felt like I was in a scene from TV. I didn’t think the police would actually arrive. The whole incident seemed relatively trivial (well, compared to serious crimes that I was sure they’d be busy with), but they turned up 20 minutes later. Of course, the people were long gone. Or, if they weren’t, they were quite silly not to be ling gone.

The burgers were tasty and greasy. Just what we needed after a long flight with not a lot of food. Thankfully, it’s not our everyday diet.

Getting out to the baggage claim area was a long way though. It felt like we were walking the entire length of the airport. We probably were. Entering into the baggage area, we were immediately thrust into a throng of people trying to find their way into the right carousel number.

Thank goodness for the bright orange Samsonite suitcase we bought. We could spot it a mile away trundling around the carousel. Yes, it was a lesson learned one year when I lost a bag in the US during a New Year’s day flight. Do you know how many black bags there are? Try spotting your bag in amongst a thousand other black bags.

Miami Airport was not built for international flights, particularly in this day and age of added security. The area between the carousels were narrow and jam packed full of bags and people. Making our way out was challenging. There was only one door out to customs, with 3 queues merging into a bottleneck at the door. One woman, who was dragging her 3 bags, dropped her duty free bag of vodka. So next we all had to avoid that too.

The heat, after England, is rather stifling. There was the option to catch a public bus into Miami beach, but we chose the faster option of a cab for $33. Just as well. I really didn’t want to be walking block after block trying to fond our hotel in the afternoon heat.

Maybe it was because they were short-staffed on our flight. Drinks were slow to come by, and I was seriously dehydrated throughout the entire flight. The food was really quite little, and I felt relatively hungry. We were served a dry egg or tuna sandwich for an afternoon snack, with an even drier cookie. But with no tea or water to swallow it down, it was a bit hard to swallow.

I guess I had been expecting more, especially after the unexpected delivery of economy class service from Emirates. So what can I say? Virgin Atlantic is way better than United. (anything is way better than United.) But it’s more like a Qantas service. Not sure about BA. I haven’t flown long haul with them in a while.

It was quite a grand feeling making our way towards Oxford Castle. Whilst many others were making their way out, we were on our way in. Beautiful stone pacers leading to a grand hotel entrance greeted us. There’s no formal reception desk, but what looks like intimate old style study desks. I love the intimacy and the lack of formality.

With key in hand, we were off to find our rooms. I had booked the room in the modern section. It was the cheapest online offer. To my glad surprise, when the lift doors opened, I found myself in the cell block section. The little one and I were quite excited. Red doors marked entrances to once-prison cells.

The central area was very brightens airy though I’m sure it wouldn’t have been in it’s prison heyday. It must be the White Walls, mood lighting and extra large windows at either end. Despite the very modern touches, you can see the prison of old. A bit ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘Escape from Alcatraz’.

Our upgraded room was quite large. Three cells worth, actually. Steel beams hold up barrel ceilings where once stone walls used to be. It must have been quite a renovation job – knocking down the old walls. Colour scheme is white walls with camel, black, maroon and aubergine.

The old prison window, with bars removed, have plate glass instead. They’ve lined the window with a wooden box surface with doors instead of curtains. It makes a fabulous window box, or seat. Hope the plate glass is secure, as I have my entire weight against it whilst I write this blog page.

Bathroom is fantabulous with bath and rainwater shower. Bathroom assortment are huge bottles of shampoo, bath gel and body lotion. Extra cosmetics such as hand, and foot gel can be purchased. Considering it’s size, it’s a bargain, and a lovely souvenir.

Love it. Can’t wait to see what dinner at the brasserie will be like. For now, I’m looking forward to a lively bath.

(Alas, no photos as I’m having trouble with photo uploads on account of these very thick Walls.)

It’s a beautiful day. Bright and sunny, it’s said to be in the low twenties. Optimistically, I’ve packed a sundress and nice shoes. I hope it doesn’t rain. And yes, I also have an umbrella just in case.

There are lots if kids about. School holidays, remember? I saw a grandma with a kid on a lead. “Like a dog”, the little one says. There’s no dignity in that. And to me, it says more about the person holding the lead than the child. He’s a sweet kid, standing there with his grandma, watching the train go past. He climbs into the next one and promptly sits down to stare at the world outside. He reminds me of the little one when he was 3. I give him a liitle wave and he waves back. What a sweet kid … On a lead.

So we’re now rattling along the tracks, with a change at Reading. It’s not ling trip. Only about 1.5 hours including waiting time. Thank goodness the large group of boys have left the train. They were very noisy, and according to the little one, talked like they grew up in a ghetto. Maybe they did.

Previously, I would be working it all in my head (rather unsuccessfully, I might add). But it’s giving me a big headache, and sometimes I have to push through with stuff. I can’t seem to find the right images for my mood board, and I don’t want to buy magazines just to have to do this. I am finding too many images of furniture, and I have no colour scheme yet. All this makes it quite difficult really to bring it together – at least for me.

The other thing I find about drafting, is that I don’t think about much else. Other things don’t jump in to crowd the space, so that I have 2 or 3 trains of thoughts going on at the same time. It’s rather quiet and all I can hear is me grappling with the problem I’m trying to solve.

With attempting to draw physical design, I find I do struggle with it. I can spend a long time deciding whether a cupboard should be in this spot and not the other, and constantly reworking the flow of the layout in my head. Whereas I now notice how much easier it is for me to take a writing brief and plan an outcome from the outset. It’s a thinking brain thing, a way of looking at things, and I feel rather determined to re-train my brain to be able to take a visual brief and for me to be able to (more easily) produce a physical rendition of what’s in my head. This I think is the challenge. It’s very much an intellectual game. And I do feel frustrated that I’m not very good, nor am I very fast, at it.

It’s like a puzzle and I haven’t learned to solve it yet.

New pair of suede pink Russell & Bromleys

Welcome to my latest pair of shoes for this year. It took me some time to find it, but that’s because I had to find the time.

I knew what I wanted. It had to be flat heels. I’m doing away with all my high heels in London. It’s not very practical for me when I have to catch public transport everywhere. I wanted this latest ballet fashion look but not it in actual. I had tried some of these unstructured shoes and it was mighty uncomfortable.

It also had to be pretty and go with my entire summer wardrobe including dresses, skirts and jeans. Again, not an easy task.

I went out to Bond street last week specifically to look for shoes. I must have Russell & Bromley on the brain because they were the first shop I went to. Tried a couple of pairs, but because they were the first shop, I wanted to scout some more. I ended up in Selfridges in the Shoe Gallery section. How divine to be in the presence of tons of designer branded shoes. Truly, it made Nine West look like a cheap brand by comparison, which of course it is not. The difficult thing is that nude, flesh-coloured, patent leather, 3.5 inch heels are the rage. So if you are in the market for these, which thankfully I am not, you will have a very tough choice choosing, because every label is carrying them.  Anyway, I can’t wear this colour, it makes my legs look quite sickly, apart from the fact that I’m like to twist my ankle tottering around town.

So, after wandering around Selfridges for 2 hours, I still hadn’t found anything I liked. The closest was Jimmy Choo’s leopard design print, but it was 255 pounds, which I thought is really a lot of money. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, but the hoards of people around trying on shoes was also not conducive to me.

The next day, I went to several High Street shops, including Bowleys, Clarks and Office. I found some comfortable looking shoes, but to be honest, they were either too nice or officey looking, or too casual. But it really does not compare with Russell & Bromley. I have found their shoes to be truly comfortable. Gone are the days of squashing my feet into a cheap and uncomfortable, but pretty pair of shoes, that in hindsight has been doing terrible things to my feet and my back.

Russell & Bromley – I am truly a loyal customer. Love their shoes, love how well made it is, love how comfortable they are, love that I can (with a little bit of saving) afford them.