Favourite things, September 2012

A WWII bomb shelter in the basement of a house in Lord North Street, Westminster

• London. London Walks. Immersion in history. Westminster. The Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition at the British Museum

Kilchurn Castle, between rain showers

• Scotland's castles
• This dual biography of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I 

Exploring Edinburgh's Old Town.

• Edinburgh. All of it.

Dumpling and noodle heaven in Edinburgh

• Dumplings at Chop Chop restaurant in Haymarket

French cheese board a La Fromagerie: Saint Maure, Olivet, Morbier, Crayeux de Roncq, Fourme D'Ambert (and housemade caraway, charcoal, oat and rye biscuits).

• La Fromagerie in Marylebone: my new favourite place to sit and sip and eat

Our SW6 neighbourhood café, Al Santo

• Breakfasts at Al Santo in Fulham
• Duchy Originals biscuits. I stock up on these each time I pass through the UK; sadly they're only available now at Waitrose, so impossible to pick up during brief Heathrow stopovers
• "I shop at Waitrose because I once heard a dad say 'Put the papaya down, Orlando'"
• Roaming London's fabulous LRB and Daunt bookshops
• Downsizing and simplifying in preparation for our move to a tiny terrace house in Georgetown. It's an emotional (my Bialetti!) yet liberating process. I'm even cutting back on my email newsletters. Must be that spring clean spirit taking hold.