It hasn’t felt much like summer here in England- it’s been cold with heavy rains and thunderstorms! Unfortunately I did not pack accordingly. I did pack a 10 item (ish) wardrobe but sadly most of the items I’ve packed are summer attire. Thankfully I had the foresight to bring two Tippi sweaters from J. Crew (one in navy, one in black) as they’ve really come in handy.

I’m staying in the countryside and have ventured into London a few times, dining first at French restaurant (of course) Aubaine (I had a delicious smoked salmon salad), then doing a spot of shopping on New Bond St. and finally dragging my husband and daughter to the Sherlock Holmes museum (pictured above)- which I have been to before and I must admit isn’t quite so much a ‘museum’ as a marvelous recreation of what 221b Baker St. would have looked like. There is something about that space that I just love and naturally I went a bit mad in the gift shop. Also there was a very large line to get into the museum proving that I am not the only mystery buff that loves all things Sherlock Holmes.

And even though my Twitter friend and fellow blogger Mr. London Street heckled me a bit for not taking public transportation into the city, I did shoot this week’s video, which I quite like, out of the car window. I call it A View of London… in it you see a tour of the beautiful city and a rare glimpse of Mr. Connoisseur. I hope you like it!



If you are not able to see the above embedded video, A View of London, you can see it by clicking here, looking in the sidebar of this blog or by visiting my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

I hope your summer is going swimmingly...

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After spending a very relaxing week in Portugal (Santa Barbara de Nexe to be exact), I now find myself in London enjoying the beautiful city- the not so beautiful weather- and the lovely people.

The weather was very agreeable in Portugal so I shouldn't complain too much... My days were spent swimming in the pool or laying on the beach and exploring small towns all throughout the Algarve- My nights spent dining with family and friends in the quaintest restaurants we could find.

The Portuguese are fabulous at doing seafood and the one of the restaurants that stood out the most for me, called O Alagoas, specialized in the most spectacular seafood kebabs. I had the monkfish and prawn combination... delightful.

So after spoiling myself with sunning, eating and doing virtually no work whatsoever, I now find myself in London where the culture and intrigue of the city has propelled me to get back to work on my book- which I shall (hasn't happened yet- but tomorrow... tomorrow).

I must also report that the light packing has really worked a treat. So far I haven't cursed myself for 'not bringing enough things' and I actually think I could have gotten away with packing less than I did! Who knew? At the end of my trip I will make a note of the items that I didn't use at all and store the information for later- in order to further my goal of becoming a connoisseur of packing!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying your week...

Image by Thomas Wood

Greetings from London! We arrived last Thursday in England and were greeted with weather that rivaled the heat in LA! We flew Virgin Atlantic in premium economy which is ideal for us- we don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices of upper class and still get to sit towards the front of the plane with larger seats and plenty of leg room… they even give you champagne! (Which I turned down of course, never drink while up in the air… water only, thank you).

Anyhow, customs was a breeze, luggage retrieval was a breeze and the moment I stepped outside I became rather hot in my jeans, cardigan and trench coat- what was I saying before I left about getting away from the eternal summer of California? Maybe I brought the weather with me…

The first evening was spent in Surrey at my wonderful in-law’s house. We got to see most of the family including my adorable niece who has decided I am her favorite person in the world (for now, anyway).

Since then we have spent every evening in London- Chelsea to be exact. I love it here. The people are so chic- my people watching skills are in full swing. Yesterday we had lunch at a new restaurant in Sloane Square called The Botanist. It was packed with people and I must say they could have all qualified as connoisseurs. I think the English subscribe to the same mantra the French do: quality over quantity. I loved looking at the well dressed men and women lunching daintily over sea bass and salmon cakes. The English love high quality accessories- gorgeous handbags, lovely watches, tasteful jewelry. Now I know this is a generalization but I can truthfully say everyone lunching at The Botanist fell under this category

Yes, everything is going swimmingly, in fact so far, I only have two problems with being here. Number one being jet lag- there is nothing as maddening as finding yourself wide awake at 3am, finally falling asleep at 4am and then having to wake up at 9am. Number two being expense. The exchange rate of dollars to pounds is slightly better than it used to be but still- we just had a modest brunch that cost almost $60- and on the way to brunch I saw a pair of True Religion jeans that I own (I spent $165 on them) for sale for nearly $400!

I did, however, manage to find an outfit to wear to the wedding this weekend. I am going with a lovely deep blue dress by Temperley, London and a fantastic hat by Vivien Sheriff… all purchased at Selfridges.

The plan for this week? Lots of dinners with family and friends, an Agatha Christie play in Windsor with my cousin on Friday night (how could I resist?!) and, of course, the wedding on Saturday.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Image of The Botanist Restaurant courtesy of: www.squaremeal.co.uk

This Wednesday my husband and I are off to London to spend three weeks working and visiting with family and friends. During this time, my posts on The Daily Connoisseur will be less frequent but I will do my best to update you all on any exciting adventures I get myself into. I especially want to thank those of you that gave me such valuable feedback on what to wear as a guest attending my first English wedding- I can’t wait to report back and tell you how it goes!

Now on to the subject of packing. I believe a true connoisseur packs light (lots of baggage is never a good look) but this is proving difficult. Three weeks is quite a long time and I still haven’t figured out how to work the washing machine at the flat in London. Right now my suitcase sits stuffed but I think tomorrow I will cull through my options and pair down my clothes to a few streamlined choices that will work well in different combinations and situations.

One of the things I love about London is the way people dress. There is an air of sophistication and formality you just don’t get in Southern California. Here, a pair of True Religion jeans, a white t-shirt from Vince and a good pedicure will take you anywhere you want to go. In London, I look forward to wearing dresses with tights and chic boots, ballet flats with skinny jeans and heels in the evening- velvet jackets and plaid coats. Oh dear, what was I saying about packing light? I think I have my work cut out for me. I must remember that the benefit of leaving room in one’s suitcase is that it leaves room to purchase things along the way…

Of course, the most important thing to bring on a trip is a good book.
This time I will be reading Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. I'm a HUGE mystery fan and I hear this is the ultimate. It's one of those books that has always been near the top of my reading list but for one reason or another I haven't gotten around to it- until now. Suddenly that 10 hour flight isn't looking so bad...

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I look forward to writing to you from London town!

Image of Andrea Laliberte's "London" courtesy of: www.allposters.com

Image of The Maltese Falcon courtesy of: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk