you can always tell where we've been...

I had so much fun when I went out to leave some chalky notes around the streets of South London, I thought I'd do it again.

Little Vin loves getting in on the action, I call him Baby Banksy. Here he is sitting under the most beautiful blossom tree with a little reminder for people to notice the blooms as they pass.

And while I raged at the weekend at the actions of protestors smashing up my beautiful city in the name of their beliefs, I thought reminders to look for the beautiful moments were in order.

And this one, in front of my favourite bench, in my favourite spot with my favourite boy.

guerilla acts of kindness

So I haven't been blogging much lately, but let me explain my absence friends. Firstly I spent a lot of time working on my guest post for Frosting for the Cause - with the post going live tomorrow, I'm actually a little nervous. You should definitely check it out though, if only to laugh at my terrible spelling!

Also, we finally found a new home. After weeks and months of viewing what may or may not have formerly been crack dens, weighing up leaving Crystal Palace where I feel like home for the first time in my life and the desperate need for little Vin to have his own bedroom (hello kiddo design blogs!) we finally found somewhere. And my boy has his own room to sleep in. And it's still in CP, in fact it's closer to town than we are now. So the frantic packing, decluttering and life audit process commences. It has given me lots of post ideas though, so stick around in the next week or so for some great housewarming gift ideas!

And you know, in between all the life clutter, I have been off like a crazed hippy, doing good deeds where I can.

Like these bunches of chrysanthemums and daffodils I trimmed down and rearranged in jam jars to leave on my neighbour's doorsteps. I have to say guerilla acts of kindness are a strange kind of thrill, inconspicuously scouting the perfect drop spot, the fear of being caught, wondering what you claim as your motive when you get noticed. I'm hooked on niceness.



a nicer place to be part two

I had so much fun planning and carrying out my random acts of kindness the other week, I have become somewhat obsessed with small gestures to make the world a nicer place. I love that description in 'Amelie' about how she spends her time cultivating small pleasures, and the good deeds she does for the people around her.

So today little Vin and I went on a street art trip with a box of chalks and a pavement canvas.

I feel very fortunate that London is the kind of place where you find street art is celebrated, and it absolutely makes my day to find a little sketch or sticker or a giant billboard sized mural, knowing that someone has created it purely to bring joy.

I also feel very fortunate that in my life I have learned to look out for small pleasures, and can often be found photographing my food, staring at the sky or smiling out of the windows of public transport. I believe blogging helps, capturing the beauty in the every day forces you to look outside of traditional concepts of art and style and design. And being a mother, watching my son look around him with brand new eyes. Let me tell you, I never got so much pleasure from spotting a squirrel before I had Vin.

But the sad thing is other people do not look at the world the way I do. Londoners scurry, commute, head down, blackberry out, headphones on, shut out the world. I truly think some people don't realise the passing of the seasons, the landmarks they don't acknowledge and the beauty they are missing. So I thought a few chalky reminders would bring a few smiles to someone's day.