I woke up sneezing, courtesy of the hayfever I seemed to have picked up last year in Belfast (I never had any problem with Sydney’s pollen!), but was otherwise in high spirits because I’ve noticed a correlation between hayfever-induced sneezing and sunshine. And lo, when I left my friend’s at around 11:30am, it was indeed beautifully warm outside, and I only had to wear three layers on top instead of four.

And I got to wear my sunglasses–happy days!

Costy and I met up at noon for brunch at Le Pain Quotidien in Covent Garden, which, while super lovely, had the extreme disadvantage (to me) of boasting an extensive menu of deliciousness. Naturally, the paradox of choice kicked in, and I was actually paralysed and couldn’t order for myself… Thankfully (or not?), I love and eat everything, so I asked the server to choose for me, and was super happy when he picked the mushrooms on toast. I also went for a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, bringing brunch to a today of £12.65.

Costy, on the other hand, went for a “petit dejeuner”, which consisted of a pain au chocolat and a bucketload of bread. She also had a soft-boiled egg to complete the epicness.

Luxuriating in the post-brunch haze, we wandered around Covent Garden and stopped at a few stationery shops. Apparently time goes quite quickly when you’re perusing shiny notebooks, and before we knew it, it was fast approaching 1:30pm, which is when we wanted to see the latest Jane Austen film, Love and Friendship, at the Odeon on Panton St.

It was an excellent film, full of absolutely hilarious moments. I’d missed out on its one-week run in Belfast, and London felt like a second chance, even if I had to pay double the usual. The (still-warm) popcorn was also some of the best I’ve ever had, and I very much enjoyed the £9.50 experience (my student ticket was at £7, but Costy forked out £10).

After we parted ways (until we next hang out, super awesome Costy!), I found a Tesco and picked up two bottles of wine to take to a friend’s dinner do in Hammersmith (a decent red and a loltastic summery and fruity white, totalling £10.15). Since it was a gorgeous day, we decided to have an impromptu picnic, complete with fun drinks, mutant strawberries, and Cards Against Humanity.

Dinner was a gorgeous couscous with prawns and some amazing Southern French olives.

And then we played a round of the Munchkin card game (my first time ever!), and it went on forever. We played the zombies deck, and I drew the best card ever.

Accommodation: Nil
Transport: £3.20 (two tube trips)
Food: £12.65
Tickets: £9.50 (including popcorn)
For others: £10.15
Total: £35.5
Walking: 13,105 steps; 9.04km