New friends, new cakes, new beginnings

Although I have no doubt that the internet is chock-full of kooks and weirdos, the internet friends whom I have been lucky enough to meet in real life have always been completely charming, clever and chic (the three c's of friendship!).  I have made many friends through blogging and other internet activities, some of whom I will probably never get to meet in real life, but others with whom I have formed firm friendships  in a way that I'm sure you'll agree, is harder as you get (dare I say it!) older.  

When you're a student it's easy, but once you leave the open camaraderie of the Student's Union bar your circle can shrink and of course, you get pickier!  The fact that you made sure that girl from your Victorian Novel class got home safely after she got sick behind the Arts Block at 1am during Rag Week is no longer quite sufficient common ground for a lasting friendship, I have found... 

Now, being married and living in the provinces, I find that meeting new people can be harder, although I have been lucky enough to stumble upon a fabulous baby group, entirely made up of fantastic expats with whom I eat chocolate cake and discuss the relative merits of living in Moscow over Baku (!). 

But yesterday I got to meet up with two fantastic women met through a website which shall remain nameless (first rule of Fight Club etc.) - one of whom, Alice (Brusselsstyle?) I had met before first in London at a larger meeting of friends - the others all seemed to want to go makeup shopping, so we quickly escaped to eat cake at Laduree (we are clearly kindred spirits), and then we met again when she and her husband had dinner with us in Paris. 

I had not met Caroline (Caroline, No.) before though, so I had the pleasure of marveling at a new accent (she couldn't believe how Irish I sounded, I couldn't believe how English she sounded - I'm Irish and she's English, so we probably shouldn't have been that shocked, but still) and sneakily wondering where she found her fantastic black shift dress - maybe she'll read this and divulge.

After going diary-shopping in Liberty (I have upgraded this year to the large cerise version of last year's embossed leather diary), we all went for afternoon tea in The Botanist on Sloane Square - fabulous interiors, wonderful champagne, tea, scones and sandwiches, but perhaps very slightly disappointing cakes?  Still, it was completely lovely and I'm looking forward to going back and making further investigations into their menu (purely in the spirit of blogging research, of course) after we get back from America.  After all, their theme is very much in keeping with the surprise I have lined up for you next week - soon, Passementerie will be no more!

Comments

[Caroline, No]

*scream* No! Will you stop blogging? Or have a new blog page?

Yes, it was lovely to see you both yesterday! I can't really comment on the cakes as I made a tactical error by getting a victoria sponge after scones. Too similar.

And the shift dress is vintage, found in New York. I actually collect the label that it's by but I can't divulge on t'internet. ;p So we'll have to meet up again soon.

xx

[Alicia]

How fun!

[*gemmifer*]

Oh, I hope you only mean that you will be modifying your blogging, and not that you're going to stop for good!

Have a wonderful time in the States... I look forward to reading all about your adventures on my side of The Pond!

[Goji]

Have a wonderful time in the States!