11. Go to Columbia Road Flower Market

For week 11 of 52 New Things in 52 Weeks (the restart) I set my alarm clock nice and early and headed to the Columbia Road Flower market. 

This popular market runs every Sunday from 8 am until 3 pm, in Shoreditch, East London. I decided I wanted to get there early as I've heard it can get really busy and didn't want to end up with a Borough market situation where, as soon as the tourists arrive, you can't move or get to any stalls! As I am currently living in West London it meant I had to set my alarm for 6 am and leave the house whilst it was still dark out, and most sensible people were asleep (including Stuart).

I jumped on a bus to Hammersmith and enjoyed the ride though the dark streets. Then I swapped onto the tube, heading to Liverpool Street. As I emerged from under the ground daylight had pleasantly sprung forth.

From Liverpool Street was a short bus ride and a wander to the market. I had made better time than Journey Planner had said I would so I arrived before 8 am with many of the stalls still unloading their green wares.

I didn't want to bug the stall holders whilst they were setting up, but it was so early I couldn't even find somewhere for a cup of tea, instead I took a short walk round the block. When I came back other consumers had arrived and were shopping so it was only fair for me to start spending too.

There are many different plants on offer; indoor, outdoor, bulbs, trees but who was I kidding, I was there for the flowers and they didn't disappoint. As I walked through the stalls the smell was beautiful. Literally a breath of fresh sweet scented air in the middle of dusty London. I imagine it's not so tough spending all Sunday selling flowers if you're accompanied by that smell. I'm sure the stall holders might disagree as they have to get up at 3 or 4 am, but don't ruin my fantasy okay!?

I was expecting the market to be big and loud but it was really quite small and quaint. It only took me 10 minutes, top, to walk though all the stalls, but it was definitely worth the trip. The explosion of colour and smells brightened up my morning, and all the stall holders were friendly and chatty. Having walked back and forth through the stall a few times, making sure I had seen everything on offer, it was time for me to pick my flowers.

I don't know the names but I went for some little white ones, the purple leafy ones, yellow sunflower style explosions and elegant white dutch roses. I'm no florist (as you can probably guess from my superb knowledge shown in floral names) but I figured these would look beautiful together. And what do you know - I was right. Pretty stunning don't you think? 

Now Stuart prefers plants to cut flowers so, although he was still at home in the warmth, I picked him up a peace lily and some of the colourful heather. See I can be a thoughtful wife. My plan is to plant all the heather together in a pot by our front door. I figure they'll be bright and welcoming especially now the days are getting darker. 

But back to the market. There are quite a few independent shops behind the market which I really wanted to check out, but as I had got there so early they still weren't open. I could have hung around, but with arms full of flowers I wanted to get them safely home and in water. I think if I go back I'll aim to get there for 9 am so I can spend time in the market and the shops too. And I'll also drag Stuart out of bed so he can carry everything - it was a bit of a trek getting these all back on the train, but totally worth it! All in all a successful trip.

10. Make a pizza from scratch

Having spent the last few days with a cough and cold I wanted to try a nice simple new thing this week. Inspired by the Bake Off I figured it was time for me to finally make a pizza completely from scratch.

I looked at the recipe on the Bake off website here, and also the BBC Good Food website too. Mainly because I had some passata to use up I went more with the Good Food recipe. 

The dough was stupidly simple to make. 300 grams of flour with a teaspoon of yeast and salt. Mix together, make a small well in the middle and add in warm water and mix again.

Then you have to knead it all together. At first my dough was really sticky but after adding a bit more flour it started to come together.

Because what is life without a bit of competition, Stuart and I were making our own pizzas at the same time. He followed the instructions to the letter, even timing the 10 minutes kneading time.

After the 10 minutes of kneading were done we put our doughs in a bowl, covered and left whilst we made the tomato sauce. Stuart followed the Good Food recipe which used passata, tomato puree, garlic, herbs all mixed together and not heated. I used the same ingredients but heated them gently as I figured this would make the sauce slightly less sour.

The sauce didn't take long, so we went and finished season 4 of Orange is the New Black. When we returned the dough had easily doubled so it was time to shape. Stuart cheated and used a rolling pin (wine bottle) whereas I went for shaping it my hand and tossing, like proper Italians would.

To be honest, Stuart's did look better, so maybe there's something to be said about using a rolling pin rather than flinging it in the air, but I still think my option is more fun.

Then it was a case of adding the sauce and mozzarella. Then both pizzas went in the oven for 10 minutes.

After a bit of Bake Off style watching through the window the pizza were finally done. And here they are. Which do you think looks better? 

Mine...

Or Stuart's?

I guess the proof is in the testing. I may have gone a bit overboard with the cheese, but can you really ever have too much cheese? Stuart's base was thinner and crispier but I'm confident in saying my sauce was tastier. Overall this was super simple, and we'll definitely make it again - and I'm looking forward to trying different toppings too.

9. Take a dance class

So I'm going to let you into a secret, I'm not the most athletic person out there. I'm trying to find the sport or exercise that I enjoy (you know, so it doesn't feel like a chore) but I haven't really spent much time looking. I figured I should probably use some of my 52 New Things in 52 Weeks as an opportunity to find that illusive pleasant and fun exercise. Luckily for me the first opportunity was presented to me via my sister-in-law's (to be) Hen Party.

Her lovely bridesmaids and friends had planned a day full of activities and experiences, including a dance class! Yes ladies and gentleman I was going to find out if dancing was my secret talent/enjoytable fitness class of choice. So after a lovely brunch and games to get to know each other we jumped on to a train and into Covent Garden.

There was just enough time before our dance class for a delicious cocktail. Now, maybe this is where I've been going wrong. If I have a cocktail before all workouts maybe I'll enjoy them more. It might negate the exercise part, but I think I can live with that.

With the cocktails finished we headed along to Pineapple Studios. I'm a dance virgin but even I have heard of Pineapple Studios. I believe there was a documentary/reality series filmed there a few years back, but I've heard about it as the place many West-End actors and dancers train at. I am an unashamed theatre geek, so even a non-dancing, two left footed fool, like myself was a little excited.

We signed in and checked out all the fit, tall, professional looking dancers who were gliding through the corridors. Peering in the windows of the dance studios was fascinating. The classes were mixed by age and gender but they all seemed to know what they were doing. Perfectly synced and confident, it was hypnotic to watch. I think if we had to join one of those classes I would have been too intimidated by their perfection, but we had a class booked to ourselves. And what was more, it was a Britney themed dance class! After changing and popping the bride into her Britney costume we headed to the top floor for our chance to strut our stuff.

The room was exactly as I expected with the big scary, judgy mirrors across the front, but the tutor was friendly and enthusiastic. We had an hour class to work on a Britney Spears mash up of Hit Me Baby One More Time, I'm a Slave for You and Toxic. I really enjoyed the first part, I mean you can't go wrong with early Britney, and it wasn't too serious. Most of that section was strutting, which even I could attempt. Then however, we moved on to I'm a Slave, which required a bit more rhythm and, shock horror, sex appeal. Not something I would put at the top of a list if you asked me to describe myself. Despite this, the hour passed quickly and more importantly it was an enjoyable hour. I wasn't watching the clock waiting for the class to end (which I tend to do at regular gym classes).

I was glad I was part of a group that probably had only slightly more dance experience than me, and also that the bride was to be centre of attention as it meant I could happily slink to the back of the class. Overall it was a lot of fun, I think a lot of that, for me, was because it wasn't very strenuous. The hardest bit (from a fitness perspective) was walking up the four flights to start the class!

So what did I learn? Well, I'm not a dance ninja - there were times I couldn't remember even the most basic parts of the routine, but I could see that I might improve over time. I've checked out the Pineapple timetable and they have tons of classes, all really reasonably priced, but from what I saw through the other studio windows everyone in them are super talented and dedicated and I would feel out of place. Whilst this means I won't be making the journey into Covent Garden after work to join them, I may see if there's a more relaxed/beginners class closer to home. I mean now that I can strut, maybe there's more I could learn. Oh and starting a class with a cocktail is great, but do you know what is even better? Following a dance class with many cocktails!