HOT: The Porchester Spa, Queensway London W2 5HS

London's oldest spa, the Porchester Spa, was HOT, literally. Sunday mornings are women only, and I was surprised that at 9:55am a largish crowd had already gathered, waiting of the doors to open at 10am. It seemed to attract girlfriends and regulars, as many people chatted to each other.

At the entrance I was handed two towels, a blue gingham cotton wrap and a locker key. Initially I was unsure as to whether to change into a swimsuit or participate in the nudefest. Given that everyone else - old, young, fat, thin, white, black, Carribean, Asian and Eastern European - seemed quite nonchalant about letting it all hang out, I decided to benefit from a full body cleanse (no one I knew was there anyway).

The upper level was a Victorian green and white tiled domed space with lounge chairs for relaxing before and after your steam. The lower level housed two Russian steam rooms, so hot that I was unable to see anything when I first entered. There were also three Turkish hot rooms graduating from warm, medium to boiling. The warm room, the tepidarium, was probably no hotter than a really hot day in Queensland, so many people took in magazines and books to read while building up a gentle sweat.

In between the heat you can have a blasting cold shower or bravely dip into the icy plunge pool (I got to my knees before scurrying out). There were also treatment rooms for which you have to pay extra, and I never did find the Finnish sauna cabin.

Once you enter you can stay as long as you like, so I alternatively steamed, showered and read the Sunday Times. A very relaxing way to spend a Sunday morning, and with the added benefits of baby-smooth skin afterwards.

HOT: Petersham Nurseries Restaurant, Off Petersham Road, Richmond TW10 7AG

I thought I'd done with Chiswick forever, so I was frustrated when I discovered that I'd have to schlep out there again, on my precious weekend, to rescue a blue skirt that I'd abandoned at the dry cleaners.

But in a Pollyanna moment of inspiration, I decided I'd make a fun trip of it and head out to Petersham Nurseries for lunch. It's a tube/train to Richmond, and then a short bus ride, but the trip is quite pleasant as the hectic density of Central London transforms into the villagey Richmond high street and then the bucolic fields and winding Thames, where the birds twitter and the air smells fresher.

The restaurant is an extension of the delightful shop and is located inside one of the large greenhouses, which gives it a sense of alfresco dining even in the depths of winter. It was gasp-inducing in its beauty - a dirt floor combined with rustic French country chic, with a dash of the subcontinent in the Indian hangings and bamboo mats slung on the walls and the ceiling. The table decorations were simply a pot of fragrant herbs and a dusky pomegranate or bright lemon, and on the sideboard was an antique Salter scale loaded with an abundance of freshly picked clementines.

And the food was absolutely incredible. Given the expensive menu, I had originally resolved to only have two courses, but that was quickly thrown aside. My starter of Dorset crab and white polenta was a meagre description for the inspired pairing of flavours and textures. As slowly as I could, I savoured the light summery flakes of crab and lemon zest melding into the warming winter comfort of the polenta. Next up was a crispy skinned and juicy guinea fowl, balanced with a pat of anchovy butter and some lightly charred Treviso radicchio. Dessert was a barely baked blood orange tart, oozing bright citrus flavours.

I was so impressed by the setting and the quality of the food that I felt I compelled to have a word with the Australian chef, Skye Gyngell. She must get gushing foodies coming to her all the time (she's written a couple of books and writes a column in the Independent on Sundays) but I hope she understood the depth of my appreciation. I told her that it was my last weekend in London, and in my two years it was one of the best meals I'd ever had. A special memory to take home with me.

PS If you want to visit Petersham Nurseries, you'd better go soon, as it may not be able to continue as it is for much longer. They are currently applying for permanent planning permission with Richmond City Council. To support their application, click here.

HOT: London Transport Museum Shop, 39 Wellington Street, Covent Garden WC2E 7BB

I've got my priorities right - skip the museum, go straight to the museum shop. London Transport Museum is a great place to buy unique London gifts, ranging from old Tube posters, vintage underground toy cars to a Swiss airline trolley! My purchases were much more modest - some very funny greeting cards featuring London street signs and imprints of the A to Z.

HOT: Topshop, 216 Oxford Circus London

The three pumping floors of Topshop at Oxford Circus make up the world's largest fashion store - you can shop, eat, powder your nose, get your nails done, blowdry your hairdo and consult a concierge all under one roof. Frankly I think it's too big, too flourescent and way too overwhelming to be an enjoyable shopping experience. I felt like I was in one of those science experiments where they give people too many options, and watch them become so perplexed that they're unable to make a decision. Therefore, I only focused on 0.5 square metres - the Sweetheart concession stand. This London label (the sister line to Lie Down I Think I Love You) makes limited edition retro-styled leather handbags, each threaded with a distinctive vintage scarf. With my Topshop vouchers (thank you salary sacrificing), I came away with the brown shoulder bag with a jaunty brown and blue flowered scarf.

HOT: Thomas Exchange Global, 402 Strand WC2R 0NE

When you travel as much as I do, then its inevitable that you become a forex rate tart. I've discovered that the best retail currency rates are often provided by Thomas Exchange Global, who have an office on the Strand and in Victoria station, as well as providing a delivery service for 5 pounds.

HOT: Off Broadway Gallery, 63-65 Broadway Market E8 4PH

A wander off Broadway and down some brick steps leads you to the fine art publishing house Off Broadway Gallery. It's a den filled with photographs of London (mostly printed on canvas) and manned by the personable Stephen, who told us that Hackney was the friendliest place that he'd ever been, anywhere in the world.

HOT: Fabrications, 7 Broadway Market, Hackney E8 4PH

Fabrications is a charming textiles and fabric shop which sells your standard wool and fabric, plus a selection of handcrafted products and accessories. It's a warm, tactile place that wants to inspire you to take up your knitting needles and glue gun.

HOT: Broadway Market, Hackney E8

I really like the motto of Broadway Market - Quality, Speciality Variety for the People by the People - and I really think it lives up to these words. On a cold Saturday a very local crowd of artfully dishevelled funksters strolled around the stalls and stores greeting friends, and it really seemed like a very social place. The varied food stalls (Ghanian, Indian vegetarian, felafel, Jewish) smelled delicious but unfortunately it was too cold for Deb and I to be eating outdoors.

HOT: Comptoir des Cotonniers, 235 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill W11 2SE

Whenever I embark on my six-monthly pilgrimage to the Paris sales, my first stop is always the nearest Comptoir des Cotonniers. I love its use of muted colours with a punch of brights, beautifully cut coats, delicately draped and pleated crepe tops and general air of Frenchy chic insouance. While I wasn't able to make it to Paris this year, its biggest store in London is right on my doorstep. Twenty minutes before closing time, I managed a focused sweep of the raft of sales racks (better than Paris at the moment probably, what with the plunging exchange rate) and came away with a swing coat, puff-sleeved top, knitted camisole and subtle sailor-striped jersey cardigan, all for ridiculously cheap Topshop prices.

HOT: Meals at The School of Life, Konstam Restaurant, 2 Acton Street Kings Cross WC1X 9NA

When you first meet someone, how do your conversations normally start? A moan about the weather? Finding out about their job? Where they live? If they're cute, sneakily deciphering their relationship status?

The School of Life aims to get people talking about the things that really matter in life - love, play, work, politics and family. At their conversation dinners (held at the chic, Heatherwick studios-designed Konstam restaurant), your three course meal includes a conversation menu - so along with your roast pork and treacle pudding you debate aphorisms and discuss intriguing questions like:

What do you think makes families happy?
Who have you encountered in your life who has really stood out and why?
If you could give one piece of advice to yourself in the past, what would it be and when would you have received it?

Even though you were talking with a group of strangers, it was only when we had finished running through the menu, revealing deeply personal confessions and anecdotes over 3 hours, that the conversation faltered. I was confronted by the banality of my everyday conversation as we fumbled around awkward silences that petered into sporadic and unfulfilling discussions about the tube, the credit crunch and Wales, unless we bid our hurried goodbyes.

HOT: Southbank Centre Shop, Festival Terrance, Southbank Centre, Belverdere Road SE1 8XX

With ten minutes before my lunch booking, I wandered into the Southbank Centre Shop - and promptly fell in love with the giggle-inducing Dumbo/Domoor mugs by Richard Hutten and the elegant Art Deco stylings of the award-winning Innermost Ghost Fantome Clock. Luckily the clock was so expensive that I requested a second opinion from Huy, who informed me that he'd bought the same clock (great minds think alike with great taste) at Heals for about £30 cheaper and with an extra 15% discount for Christmas.

NOT: Cold War Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington

I was anticipating much more from the V&A's winter exhibition on the influence of the Cold War in design, film, art, architecture. For 2 hours I skimmed through the exhibition's piecemeal dip into various art forms, but I found that none of the exhibits explored any particular theme or idea sufficiently in depth to capture my attention. Some of the items were funky and unusual, but one single poster dealing with the Cultural Revolution? A couple of childish paintings? Some space suits? I don't think this is a must-see exhibition. The exhibition shop is cool though - you can buy a cardboard spaceship, an egg chair and my fun combo cutlery.

NOT: Daylesford Organic mail order

Nov 9 to mailorder@daylesfordorganic.com

Hi, I rang you to place an order on Wed 29 October - the order was for delivery on two items to my work address, and I had requested Friday 14 November as the delivery date.

I have just returned from a weekend away tonight to find that you have delivered the items on Friday 7 November to my home address and as a result the items have been sitting unpacked for 2-3 days.

Can you please confirm that the items in the cooler box (whole stuffed pheasant, brace of 2 pheasant and the salmon pate) are still safe to eat? I'm not sure how long they have been at room temperature. In addition, no cheddar cheese was delivered.

Thanks Joyce

*Phone call*

Nov 12 from mailorder@daylesfordorganic.com

just to let you know we have sent out a replacment to you today

Nov 12 to mailorder@daylesfordorganic.com

Do you mean that you have provided the replacement cheese or that you have provided a replacement of my whole order?

If you have provided a replacement of the cheese, is the rest of my order (meat and pate) still safe to eat given the chiller bag was no longer cold when I opened it?

If you have provided a replacement of the my whole order, should I throw out all the food that was delivered to me previously as it will be spoiled?

Can you please also confirm the delivery date and the address you have used.

Finally, this has been a very poor customer experience and I will not be ordering from Daylesford Organic again and will advise my friends against it. I sent an email 3 days ago about my incorrect order, then had to ring customer service to follow up and was expecting a call back which did not eventuate. I have now had to write another email to clarify what has happened with my order.

*Another phone call to 'customer service' again to clarify what was going on as no response. After that, to their credit, they wrote to say that they had redelivered my whole order, refunded the money and apologised for the inconvenience. But let's see whether my replacement order actually arrives on the right date, at the right place with the right items. BE WARNED.

...The farce continues!

Nov 25 to mailorder@daylesfordorganic.com

Hi Sarah

I've just found out that TWO replacement packages were sent to my work address, one on the 13 November and one on the 14 November. I picked up the one on 14 November from the work mail room as that was the package I was expecting - I thought you only delivered on Fridays? In the meantime, the package delivered on the 13 November was not picked up (as I wasn't expecting it) and has consequently been rotting in my work mail room for 12 days!

Perhaps you need to look into your mail order distribution chain, as out of 3 packages which were sent to me, only one arrived on the right day and the right date.

Kind regards
Joyce

HOT: Minkie at Topshop, 42 High Street Kensington

Some say the British are best in the world at high street fashion but I rarely go inside the behemoth Topshop - I find it too crowded, too trashy and too disorganised. However, lately Fashionista had been talking up the edgy, higher-end collections so I decided to wander inside the not-very-well-stocked High Street Kensington store. You have to duck and weave though racks of cheap circus-clown outfits but then you hit the Minkie concession, a label that refashions vintage clothes or just has a vintage aesthetic. I loved the dress that I bought - flirty yet chic, block colours of black and cream and with art deco stylings on the shoulders.

NOT: Notting Hill Farmers Market, carpark behind Waterstones, Notting Hill

I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to hold a farmers market in the unprepossessing carpark behind a Waterstones - literally the service dock with skips lining the sides. The stalls sold the usual fruit and veg produce, along with meat, mushrooms, dairy products and pies. I didn't find any distinctive or unusual produce which would tempt me to return, plus it wasn't the kind of location which provided me with culinary inspiration. If I'm grocery shopping on a Saturday, I'd much rather hit the stalls of Portobello Road, Golborne Road or Church Street.

HOT: Apple Store, 235 Regents Street W1B 2EL

The airy, two-storey hanger that is the flagship UK Apple Store is a madhouse of tech geeks and funky young kids on a Saturday - testament to the all-consuming power of Apple. Luckily, I'd already booked my appointment to get my ipod nano fixed after it completed died about a month ago. Anyway, it transpired that it wasn't a battery issue (as first thought) and after some explanation which went over my head, they gave me a whole new ipod for free even thought it was a month out of warranty. Now that's service.

HOT: Gia London, Portobello Road Markets

If you're looking for young, up-and-coming designers in London, I think Portobello Road is worth a wander, second only to Spitalfields Markets (and many have stalls in both markets). Gia sells delicate beaded tops in misty colours and their tagline is "breathing summer into your wardrobe all year round".

HOT: Books for Cooks, 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill W11 1NN

I had never made the effort to visit to visit Books for Cooks, even though (a) I like books (b) I like cooking (c) I like eating and (d) it was just around the corner from my old house. The small bookshop is a calm sanctuary from Portobello Road madness and is stacked floor to ceiling with cook books from all around the world. The staff are super friendly to all the locals and tourists that drop in - but I think the best part is their tiny skylit cafe where each delectable pastel-coloured cake is prettily arranged on a white cakestand. I accompanied my book with a moist slice of ginger cake with a blackberry fool filling and a white tea for £5.

HOT: The Olive Bar, Portobello Road

Portobello Road markets has a myriad of food stalls, but one of the most tempting is the barrels of olives and other antipasto stacked up at The Olive Bar. Try their lemony anchovies with the green olive bread from Gail's (I don't think their own olive bread has enough flavour).

HOT: Halfpipe, 40 Golborne Road, Notting Hill W10 5PR

I had Monday morning dramas today with a flat tyre en route to work, which meant a trip to the nearest bike shop to my house - the friendly, cheeky Halfpipe on Golborne Road. I have always received knowledgeable and cheerful service from the owner Johnny, his sons and the rest of his team (including the kids who hang out there on a Saturday), they're open 7 days a week and they've even been recommended by the Sunday Times.

Update 11 October 2008: My flat tyre transpired into the need for a full service, new brake pads, new chain = £80.