The Moomin Shop, Covent Garden, London

Today I'm taking you back to London, this time to admire the beautiful shopfront of the Moomin Shop, located at the Jubilee Market Hall in Covent Garden (across from St Paul's Church). It was one of our destinations; a promise to the kids. It's such a cute little shop and a mecca for all Moomin fans. If you are unfamiliar with the Moomins and their world they are the creation of Tove Jansson (1914-2001), Finnish artist and author. Her books were translated into many languages and these stories have become classics.

I cannot remember a time when the Moomins weren't part of our lives; we have all the DVDs. In these last years, with our frequent relocation, they have been our constancy. We even named our Calico Persian cat after one of the characters, Little My. Perhaps it's a Nordic-roots thing, or just our way to hold on to the innocence of childhood. I'm not an anxious person - I think nature gave me a healthy dose of carelessness - but when the children no longer want to watch the Moomins; that will be the moment when my world collapses. For sure.

I think it's the quietness of the Moomins that does the trick for me. I'm not exactly the animation type because I often find them so over-the-top. Watching the Moomins is a completely different experience. It's a world of wonder without all the noise. I think that's my way of describing it.

While the kids were browsing and shopping I ended up in the corner where they keep the books. It's a wonderful corner!

The first Moomin book was The Moomins and the Great Flood, published in 1945. This beautiful hardcover to the right is illustrated by Tove Jansson herself, of course. Then there are the Penguin paperbacks, in chronological order:

· Comet in Moominland
· Finn Family Moomintroll
· The Exploits of Moominpappa
· Moominsummer Madness
· Moominland Midwinter
· Tales from Moominvalley
· Moominpappa at Sea
· Moominvalley in November

After the publication of the second paperback, Finn Family Moomintroll, all doors opened for Tove Jansson, which led to the creation of the comic strips (see e.g. Moomin: Bk. 1 : The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip) that first appeared in the London newspaper The Evening News, in 1954. You can look up a documentary about Tove Jansson on YouTube if you want to know more about her. Now that the colder season is just around the corner, I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes from Finn Family Moomintroll (the Moomins hibernate in winter):

Don't worry we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it'll be spring.

- Snufkin

images by me | credit: cover of The Moomins and the Great Flood via Sort of Books | paperback covers via Penguin

Store Street Espresso, Bloomsbury, London

Last week we went to London, where I got to see the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibition at Tate Modern - not a chance I was going to miss it! I needed a city trip before tuning into autumn. We dined at the Wild Food Cafe in Neal's Yard, walked in Covent Garden, Westminster and St. James's Park, and went to the Whole Foods Market on Kensington High Street, which always feels like our London food-home. The kids even asked, We are going to WFM, aren't we? And there was coffee. In the heart of Bloomsbury I had the best latte. I had promised a coffee-geeky friend to go to Store Street Espresso at 40 Store St (to be exact, it's part of the Fitzrovia district). It was a promise I happily fulfilled during our Bloomsbury/Fitzrovia stroll and the coffee shop lived up to my expectations.

I was under the influence of the Bloomsbury group upon entering Store St Espresso. We had walked from Bloomsbury St into Gower St and at No. 10 I spotted the blue plaque of Lady Ottoline Morrell. I knew it was there, yet my heart skipped a beat. She wasn't exactly a member of the group but she was a patron of the arts and if you have read the diaries and letters of e.g. Virginia Woolf you will know Ottoline. This was my state of mind when I ordered my latte.

It was a very warm and sunny day in the city and we had done a lot of walking when I sat down and had my first sip; it was superb. Store St Espresso is my idea of a good café. It has that minimalist, rustic look with industrial touches. The atmosphere is ideal; it's an unpretentious café. The guests seem to mind their own business, on their laptops, phones or reading. I guess some would call this a place for hipsters but while I sat there I noticed all kinds of people with one thing in common, there to enjoy their coffee.

The location of Store St Espresso is great. The street is quiet, close to parks and The British Museum. I urge you to grab a coffee if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. Well, I urge you to eat in. There is a great window nook if you like people-watching and in fine weather you can sit outdoors.

I am not done with my trip on the blog but during our stay I certainly got my London fix. My mind is still wandering the streets of Bloomsbury, thinking of Virginia Woolf and her circle of friends. It's also lingering at the Tate, admiring O'Keeffe's paintings. Fortunately, the Scottish summer turned on its charm when we got home, enabling me to start writing this on the patio with a cup of coffee, and finishing on a chair in the front of the house, next to the hydrangeas, while admiring the sunset.

How I love August days like these!