Last weekend I fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition to share the same breathing space as the one, the only, Bette Midler.  Granted she was on the stage at the O2 and I was about 5 rows away from the venue’s ceiling but I’m totally counting that.  She was absolutely incredible with razor sharp comic timing and perfect pitch myself, mama and my best friend Jenny had a blast singing along to all her hits.

Sadly the Divine Miss M had banned the use of photography at her concert but she did allow us all to take out our smartphones to light up the venue during her mesmerising performance of ‘The Rose’.  If you follow me on Instagram you can see a wee snippet from that magical evening there.

The following day I took mama to a few of my favourite places.  I brought my Canon EOS M along for the ride and it turned out to be a perfect day so I wanted to share it here with you.

We took the bus over to East London and walked the short distance from Shoreditch to Columbia Road Flower Market.  If you’re a regular to the blog you’ll have read about this particular hidden gem before but if not I hope the video does it justice.  After the hustle and bustle of the flower market we dandered (that’s Northern Irish for ‘wandered’!) down to Spitalfields and managed to hit the Cos sale at just the right time.

As we came out we noticed a bit of commotion in the square at the entrance to Old Spitalfields Market and discovered they were offering free tango lessons.  It was an absolute joy to behold and we were happy to take a break and watch the dancers caught up in the moment while the warm sun.

I hope you enjoy this little video.  If you’re ever visiting London on the weekend I can’t recommend these two places enough.  They are very slightly off the beaten track.  If you’re down by London Bridge just hop onto the number 35 bus to Shoreditch Town Hall – it’s about 15-20mins away depending on traffic and the flower market is no more than a hop, skip and a jump from the bus stop.  Just ask anyone for directions if you’re not sure where to go or retrace the steps of people carrying flowers!

Old Spitalfields Market is practically beside Liverpool Street Station so it’s also worth calling into, particularly if you want to squeeze the pips out of your visit before you need to head back to the airport.  I think most of the buses to and from Stansted airport pick up or drop off there so if you have a little free time you should check it out.

So now you know how I like to spend my Sundays.  I’d love to hear what you have planned for your day!  Tweet me @LAThomsonTweets or comment below.  I love to hear from you.

Until next time,

L xx