RETURN TO LEWES

Happy Sunday! Haha, yeah right. Since when were Sundays particularly happy right? Anyhoo...

As I said in my last post, mum and I returned to Lewes a few weeks back and I fell even more in love with it, would you believe. Remember how much I raved about it last time? Well it just gets better and better. We discovered new shops, people, alleyways and quaint little streets which just add to it's unique allure.

As a (very) brief background on Lewes itself: Lewes is a medieval town located in East Sussex in the south east of England. It sits on the river Ouse, near the city of Brighton and is surrounded by the south downs. It takes about forty minutes to get there from my home in Tunbridge Wells and is well worth the trip.

 
We started out in Flint Owl Bakery for a little brunch. And what a tasty little brunch it was. We split a sausage roll and a tomato, mozzarella and pesto panini and they were both delicious. The problem I'm having, the more pregnant I get, is that my eyes are so much bigger than my belly. I'll think I'm absolutely ravenous and then when it comes down to business, I have the appetite of a shrew. I could barely finish my half of the panini and I literally had a mere taste of the sausage roll before I had to admit defeat. We saved it for later though, it was far too good to waste. 

We ate in their beautiful little courtyard garden (which I couldn't get a decent photo of because it's so small and I only had my iphone camera to work with) and the weather was just right for brunch al fresco. It is enclosed by these huge ancient walls with climbing plants creeping up them and inside we were joined by a couple of super friendly little birds who had come to enjoy the view (and the crumbs). I wish I could have taken at least one decent photo but you're going to have to see it for yourself I'm afraid. It's truly lovely.

On our way out, we caught sight of the lunch items and the bread display and I think I probably left a puddle of drool on the floor, it looked so fricking good.

 

Next we took a little wander up the street next to the castle. There was a wedding going on and they were all being photographed in the castle garden so we had to go and have a nose. The bridesmaids were wearing the most beautiful lime green tea length dresses with bright fuchsia pink shoes, they looked fantastic. 

I suggested to mum that we carried on up the street through the castle archway, to see what was up there. It turned out to be one of the prettiest streets I've ever come across. There were a couple of houses up there which have definitely been added to my dream homes list, and mum was fascinated by the medieval bowls green we discovered. She has recently joined her husband in taking up lawn bowls and is loving her new hobby, which she happens to be pretty bad-ass at, so I hear. She insists it isn't just for the elderly but I'm going to give it at least 30 years before I find out for myself :o)

Outside one of these beautiful houses was this little cat, and mum and I just fell head over heels in love with her. I'm not sure what breed she was but I've never seen a cat like it. And she was super friendly, weaving her fluffy little body in and out of our legs while we cooed over her. It took just about all our will power not to pop her in mum's handbag and bring her home. We are officially crazy cat ladies, in case you hadn't guessed. 

Once we managed to drag ourselves away from the beautiful feline, it was time to indulge in some retail therapy. In my last post on Lewes, I took a photo of an armchair in one of my favourite shops but I couldn't remember the name of it...silly me. Anyway, it was Closet & Botts. I could happily kit my kitchen out in there, if it weren't eeeever so slightly extortionate that is. £5.95 for one single, small drinking glass? Not today I'm afraid.

Flint was a shop which we discovered for the first time this visit and it was a shop I could spend a lot of money in also. It smelled heavenly in there, thanks to their wide range of candles and fragrances from what appeared to be mostly independent manufacturers. It had a really light and airy feeling in there, the kind of place you could accidentally spend a good half hour without realising. Pay it a visit if you're ever in the area.

Next we headed to The Needlemakers again which is just a little gold mine for wonderful indie shops.

These photos were taken in my favourite ever junk shop which is downstairs in The Needlemakers. I don't even know if the shop has a name? It's just a sea of stuff...but I love this sign they have outside. How could you see that and not go in?! The book pictured bottom left was a 60's manual on how to lay a table...oh how I laughed. Imagine writing a book like that today. It's the sort of thing they might give out at the Norland Nanny school. 

Whilst downstairs in The Needlemakers, a new shop caught our eye. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Sharon Makgill and her beautiful shop Popsicle. 

Sharon had had a little opening party at the shop the night before, and said she was feeling a teensy bit delicate that morning but you'd never have known it. She was fun and bubbly, and the most welcoming lady you could ever wish a shop owner to be. She has hand picked everything she sells in Popsicle and her personal style shines through in the bright colours, AMAZING prints and unique art. All this stuff is like cocaine to my dear mother, and she went slightly bonkers over it. Excited wouldn't even come close to her reaction to Sharon's stuff. I thought she might actually explode with enthusiasm. It was justified though, and we both wanted to take home just about every item in the store. 

I particularly fell in love with these kid's pyjamas. I couldn't justify buying Beau a pair on the day since he only wears pants and a vest to bed in summer, but come winter he is getting at least one pair. If this next baby happens to be a girl, then oh my. She is getting a pair in every print for every age. Just look at them! 

That art print above the PJ's really reminded me of my friend Gemma. In fact, I think she and Sharon could be the best of friends. That is something I can just hear her saying "OMG, I fricking love it. What is it?!" I'm going to have to tell her about Popsicle and send her down to Lewes next time I see her. She may even out-do my mum on the excitement levels when she sees it! 

If you get a chance, please please please pop to Lewes for the day and support all the gorgeous independent shops there. The stuff you find in these places is 100 times more unique than that on the high street, and you may just be helping a family pay their bills and fulfil their passions in the process. 

Here are my favourite scores of the day:

Left to right top to bottom: 1) Paper pompoms from Kings Framers 2) Coloured drinking glasses from a lovely little cookware shop I can't find the name of! It was right up the top of the night street on the left. Not Steamer trading however 3) Silver ring from a little shop in The Needlemakers which seemed to specialise in vintage Japanese kimonos (OMG some of them were to die for) 4) Glass beaded necklace from my favourite of favourites Popsicle

Until next time, lovely Lewes

xo