What happened:
A quiet and sad start to 2026 as Olly's dad died. It wasn't unexpected as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer late last year, but it was still a very tough and emotional final week with him and something that dominated the month of January (and had, understandably, taken over our lives since we found out).
But it was a month filled with many hot chocolates as my Christmas present from Olly arrived, the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. (Definitely inspired by our
visit to Project Chocolat in St Lucia.) We did a snowy and frosty walk around Richmond Park, and went to the Design Museum to the Blitz exhibition and the Wes Anderson: The Archives exhibition, which is something from my
26 things to do in 2026 list. I also went to the theatre to see MJ The Musical before it closed.
February saw us trying to get back to normal life, and also tick off a few things that we wanted to do since we both weren't working. We headed to Whitstable for a mooch by the sea, before lunch at The Sportsman (more below). Explored Highgate Cemetery. And then, at the very last minute because Olly was offered a job with a near enough immediate start, we headed off to Seville for a week in the sun to celebrate. (We nearly went to Doha, so very glad we didn't do that as I don't think we'd have got back in time for his job.) As always, posts coming soon (ha!) for Seville.
What I ate:In London: Dinner at Kapara. Lunch at Cafe Tamra. Dinner at Taverna Trastevere. Breakfast at Tokyo Bakery. Lunch at The Bull & Last. And dinner at Katsuro. Made Dishoom at home for Valentine's Day, from the cookbook, and did the chicken ruby and their famous black house dal. And had a Get Baked delivery to try their cookies and creme Bertha (yum).
In Oakham, dinner at Jashir. (And lunch and breakfast at McDonald's because that was the closest place to the care home, if I'm going to record everything.) And in Leicester, dinner at Heathley Park and My Delhi, lunch at Hive & Honey, and breakfasts (via Deliveroo) from Chaiiwala (fab Indian toasties) and Bagel Break. I also had an epic pistachio hot chocolate at & Kith (we had breakfast there last year, too). Plus drinks at Tønne Bar.
Went for lunch at The Sportsman, which has been on my list forever - and another thing from my 26 things to do in 2026 list. It's a Michelin-starred restaurant near Whitstable, and it was so yum. Finally in Seville, lots of tapas (obviously), and another Michelin-starred tasting menu experience. We went to Abantal, where we did the grande tasting menu (14 courses) with wine pairing. I was so stuffed after both those meals!
What I watched:TV shows: Finished watching season 3 of
Foundation and season 1 of
Scrubs, watched seasons 1 and 2 of
A Man on the Inside,
Blockbuster,
Pluribus, season 2 of
Scrubs, rewatched
Free Solo, and started watching season 2 of
The Last of Us, season 2 of
High Potential, The End of an Era and
MasterChef: The Professionals. Plus lots of the Winter Olympics.
Films watched:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Family Plan 2, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Operation Mincemeat, The Life of Chuck, Marty Supreme (at the cinema)
, Rental Family (at the cinema - so lovely),
Tron: Ares,
The Royal Tenenbaums, Tron: Legacy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Groundhog Day and
Rushmore.What I read:
In January I read 7 books - no stand-out reads - and in February I read 6 books. I gave four stars to
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino and
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.
How was the start of your 2026? x
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