The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

On a much warmer Spring day today we were able to fully appreciate our wander around "Chelsea in Bloom" - an annual competition run alongside the Chelsea Flower Show where local shops, restaurants and hotels adorn themselves with floral displays, competing for prizes and awards. This year's theme for the displays was "Floral Feasts".

We started in Sloane Square where the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" was setting the scene then walked the length of Kings Road admiring all the displays - and the very obvious opulence of the shops, and shoppers, in this very upmarket part of London.
 

The sushi made out of flowers was our favourite installation (outside Sticks n Sushi)!

Amaffi's display was one of the most classy installations (IMO) - "inspired by the gentle notes of Amaffi's Aphrodita fragrance and the Grecian Flower Festival".

This was Jazzy's favourite.

On Joel's urging we stopped for lunch early (everything gets too crowded after 12.00noon in London he says) at Ottolenghi's on Pavillion Road........ and MET THE MAN HIMSELF ....... our hero.... what a thrill!!!

Joel and Yotam caught up like old friends .... having met earlier through an NBC broadcast, set up and filmed by Joel.

The restaurant was full - and a wait time of over an hour to get a table so we got takeaway - any Ottolenghi food is great no matter where/how you have to eat it!

We found a lovely spot in Duke of York Square and enjoyed a leisurely lunch of amazing Ottolenghi food - picnic style.

.... followed by more walking after .........

Entering the northern end of Pavillion Road (no cars, happily) ........

The best icecreams from Parlour by the Ice Cream Union on Pavillion Road.

More scenes from our Chelsea street wandering - how the other half live!

... now on Sloane Street in Knightsbridge ......

And this is where we live - a quick stop off at our airbnb on Colwith Road in Hammersmith.......

.... .....before heading back to Joel and Kay's apartment for another delicious meal - this time Kay cooked us Jeon a Korean kind of pancake - one flavoured with prawns and green onions and one flavoured with kimchee - so delicious.... with Kay insisting it was just a simple meal - no trouble!!

In between playtime with Jazzy and Vincent I took a minute to take this shot from their apartment balcony (11th floor). There is always something happening outside with the Piccadilly lines running past their building and Hammersmith's high street running alongside - a fantastically convenient place to live in London!