Peggy Porschen, the pink houses of London & anxiety

For so long I'd admired Peggy Porschen and many of the beautiful pink houses and doors of London from an online kaleidoscope of hope but never actually made it to any of those stunning places myself. Since last summer Graham and I had planned to do our own "pink London tour" and finally in June this year we got the chance. As well as showing you some gorgeous picturesque places, I also wanted to be frank about my lifelong battle with London since I was a little girl. It symbolises anxiety for me, not to mention a whole book of bad memories that I'd rather forget. So as well as taking you on a pink London tour full of fun and frolics, I thought I'd first explain how London has affected my anxiety in the past (I intend to do a full post in the future about my anxiety from the very beginning, so will keep it vague for now). 

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London reminds me of my first panic attacks....  

Central London is a quick twenty minute train ride away from my doorstep but I never go because in all honesty I hate it. London reminds me of terrifying times in my life; experiencing my first panic attacks there as a little girl, enduring a crappy work experience placement at my (not so) favourite magazine and getting lost on my own late at night after a meet-up with an online friend turned into disaster and left me with a low bout of self-confidence. 

Thankfully Graham and I both share a dislike for the city; the crowds and smoke, the rudeness, the crushing rush of the capital are all downsides for us. We have our beloved Bluewater which provides us with all the shops, cocktail bars and films we need whilst we have our pick of the beaches which are much more our scene; fresh air, calm, quiet and the soothing sea. Craving Southend as I type this, dude. I'd be lying if I said I loved London, and although this post is a happy one, I had to give you a little background on my battle with it. We had a perfect day, but as always when I arrived home from the city I was left with a headache from the stress of the crowds. The relief to be out of London was overwhelming, but whilst we walked the streets to find all the pretty pink places and indulged in Peggy Porschen cakes, I loved every moment. 

I've been to London three times in total this year, all happy occasions. I'm glad I can enjoy going if and when I decide. It's a stepping stone.

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Peggy Porschen is pink paradise 

Our first stop-off point on the pink London tour was Peggy Porschen. The fancy cakes fuelled us for all the pink prettiness that lay ahead. I've been here three times now and it lives up to the hype 100%! First I went with my mum back in March as a late birthday present after I got back from Barbados. Determined to sit outside despite the sub-zero temperatures, the staff gave us pink blankets to put over our knees and were unbelievably lovely. I was so impressed with how sweet they were. Because Peggy Porschen is such a sought after cafe I expected to feel a little intimidated by it all, staff included, but I needn't have worried as they are beyond kind.

 My second visit with Graham on the pink London tour was just as perfect. The weather was breezy and balmy. Not quite the sizzling temperatures we're experiencing now, but still hot. We enjoyed slices of Strawberry Champagne cake and Raspberry cake. It is a bit surreal seeing so many people out front capturing photos of Peggy Porschen, a real life Instagram huddle of hysteria. I'll be honest with you and say that a lot of people getting photos seem to lose all sense of their manners as they clamber for their perfect Peggy Porschen insta moment... my mum and I waited patiently to take a few pictures and once it was all clear two girls had the nerve to tut at us for getting a mere few photos (and when I say "mere" I really mean it, I felt too self-conscious to stand there for long at all). Note to people like that: you're being twats. Peggy Porschen is for everyone to enjoy so let others capture some lovely photos too and stop being so selfish! Another reason why I don't come to London; I don't have the patience for it! Overall though, I absolutely loved it. Mum and I had another pink tea date there a week after Graham and I went, and are arranging an August date as we speak.

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The pink houses and doors of London

There are so many gems! Graham sweetly drew up a map of the houses I'd found online and we followed his route throughout the day. After Peggy Porschen we wandered through Kensington and Chelsea, to this gorgeous bright street. The pink house was one I'd had a long-time love affair with and the woman who lived in the house was on her front door step. She was just going in so we said hello and complimented her on her pretty pink house. "It's fun, isn't it!" She said. We asked her if she minded whether we got a few quick photos of me outside her house, and explained about our visit to see lots of pretty pink places, that I had a fashion blog, and a love for pink. The sweet lady couldn't have been lovelier, and she said we were the first people to actually ask her permission for getting photos outside her house. We had a conversation with her for a while, and she told us she wanted to paint the house pink as it was fun and bright. My idol! We only got a few pictures as we didn't want to disturb her, then thanked her and went on our way. 

Notting Hill is always a good idea. Graham and I have been here a couple of times, it's always beautiful. The pretty rainbow coloured street is true treasure, and this pale pink shop was a bonus that we happened upon. Just before I started my blog Graham actually took me on a "Notting Hill" tour, to see the key places featured in the movie. Nearby we found this little pink babe with the gold lion knockers. 

 

This place reminds me of a pink sweet! Another unexpected treat that we stumbled upon, I'd forgotten all about this until we feasted our eyes on it in real life. 

This LOVE door is such a dream! A true Valentine's wish of pink bliss. Even more fittingly, in the same road I spotted this cute pretty pink car. It must have been destiny calling.... 

On our way to find our last door, Graham stopped in the street and gave me a funny look. I spun round to come face to face with these massive eyes looking at me, it actually made me jump! The eyes are even bigger in real life than they look in the photos! Eyeballing me! We fell about laughing, it was the cutest sight. One of my favourite doors, for sure. 

I've saved my favourite house till last, this gorgeous Barbie babe that wouldn't look out of place in Malibu! I fell head over heels for this house, it's even cuter in real life than you could imagine.....

 I really hope you guys have enjoyed our pink sightings! Thank you so much to Graham for making this dream come true, and for sweetly taking precious time on his well-earned holiday to do this with me! 💖

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Have you been to any of these places?
I'd love to know which door/house is your favourite!