What made me smile in 2013

Hi everyone. Today is new years eve so thought I would share a post of things that made me smile in 2013. At the beginning of this year I decided I would save little trinkets to remind me of all the good things that have happened a mini time capsule. This was probably the only new years resolution I have ever been able to keep. I put them all in a box and opened it today. It has made me realise that although 2013 has had it's bad points, I have a lot to be thankful for, especially my amazing family and friends.

One of the best Christmas presents I have ever received was from my sister last year. She surprised me with a trip to Disneyland Paris! I was so excited. We went with my niece and nephew in February and I had such a good time. This is the note she gave me as my present plus our entry tickets to the park.

In April I turned 30 and celebrated with dinner and drinks with my friends in Shoreditch. I saved a card from the restaurant and the cork from the champagne my sister bought me.

One of my favourite birthday presents was from my friend Jess, tickets to Lovebox! We go every year as a group and the group keeps getting bigger. 

In September my sister and I went on or first holiday with just the two if us. We flew to Costa Brava in Spain for 4 days and it was the most relaxing holiday I have ever had. I saved the dining pass from our hotel as a little reminder. You can read more about that holiday here

In November I was lucky enough to have a flying visit from my best boy who now lives in Australia. We had a day out in Greenwich followed by a night of dinner, cocktails and dancing in Soho. I saved the ticket stub from our ride on the Emirates cable car across the Thames. You can read more about that day here. 

And that's it, 2013 in a nutshell. Here's to an even better 2014.

Happy New Year! 

Christmas Time

This year I spent Christmas with my sister, niece and nephew at their new home in Essex. We had a lovely couple of days together. Christmas eve is always spent wrapping last minute gifts, watching Christmas films and sipping wine. This is my niece totally engrossed in watching Toy Story 2.

And here we are snuggled up on the sofa

My sister and the kids writing Christmas cards...

Here are a few snaps of festive prettiness...

On Christmas day the kids were up at the crack of dawn which meant we were too. After the excitement of opening presents we settled down to a breakfast of gammon, bacon, sausages and West Indian bread, a bit of a family tradition. 

I was in charge of making Christmas dinner and I have to say I think I did quite a good job...

After dinner was spent watching Christmas movies, eating chocolate, drinking wine, playing with new toys and tucking into this bad boy

I had an awesome Christmas. I hope you did too. xx

Family Time

It's always fun to be around children during the festive season so in the run up to Christmas I headed to Essex to spend some time with my niece and nephew. They are 5 and 10 and it sounds like such a cliche but they really do grow so quickly so I always try to take photos when I see them. Here are a few snaps of our day together

Roll on Christmas!

Tasty little lunch

Thought I would share this little dish I threw together for lunch the other day. It was very simple and very tasty.

Baked goats cheese with a dollop of caramelised onion chutney, side salad of asparagus, tomato and avocado and a hunk of brioche.

It was delicious. Will definitely be having this again

In Town For One Night Only

Ryan is one of my best friends, and before he moved to Sydney 4 years ago we used to spend pretty much every weekend together partying in London. We stay in touch via Facebook, Whats App and emails but hadn't seen each other in a year, so when he told me he was booking a trip to London, I was uber excited and started counting down the days.

We met in North Greenwich and decided to take a 360 tour of the Emirates Air Line Cable Car. Here are a couple of snaps I took...

We then took the River bus to the other side of Greenwich and took a stroll through town. Next was lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in Greenwich, The Hill. I ordered the scallops followed by a sea bass ravioli, and Ryan had langoustines to start followed by paella.

Scallops

Seabass Ravioli

After lunch we headed to a local pub and settled down with several vodka tonics and a good catch up.

Later in the evening we headed into Soho and had dinner at Balans. I had the duck which was cooked to perfection

We then met up with my sister in Covent Garden for cocktails and dancing.

I love days like this.

Dirty Works Power Berry Detox Mask

4 days of Spanish sunshine and round the clock boozing left my skin looking a little tired. The day after coming home I went to Sainsbury's to do my regular food shop and picked up this face mask. Dirty Works Power Berry Detox Mask is brilliant. You only need a small amount per application so this will last me a while. Apply a thin layer to clean skin and then sit back and relax. The mask sets very quickly. After 10 minutes, use a damp flannel to remove. My skin looked clearer and smoother instantly. I will be using it weekly to keep my skin clear. So happy with this find!

Summer Holiday

My sister and I have just returned from a well deserved break in Spain. 4 days of sunshine and no responsibility was just what we both needed and we are already planning our next holiday.

We flew to Barcelona and stayed in Santa Susanna which is a relaxing and chilled resort in Costa Brava. 

Most of our days were spent lazing on the beach and trying every cocktail we could find which included a LOT of sangria.

My Sister

Couldn't resist a selfie. I  love beach wraps. The one I am wearing in this photo is an ankle length beach wrap from Matalan that I bought last Summer.

We managed to drag ourselves away from our sun loungers long enough to visit the local market. Shopping in 28 degree heat is thirsty work so naturally we stopped off for more cocktails.

Apart from our trip to the market we spent every available second soaking up the sunshine. Our evenings were spent sampling the local cuisine and bar hopping. The cocktails in Santa Susanna really are good!

Wish I was back there now.

Summer Round Up

It's officially autumn here in the UK, or "fall" as our American cousins call it. That said it doesn't quite feel like autumn yet. The sun is still blazing, definitely no chill in the air and no sign of autumn leaves - yet! This Summer has been a really good one. Lots of time spent with friends, old and new and a whole host of memories made. This post is a round up of my Summer and everything that made it great.

There have been a LOT of girl's nights out! 

This was taken one Friday evening on one of the first warm summer days. We all met up in the City after work for a few drinks and ended up throwing shapes on a dance floor until late into the night. I love nights like this.

Here are a few more snaps from nights out with the ladies

And then there was Lovebox. Music festivals tend to scare me (mainly the fear of camping and mud) but Lovebox is a non-camping festival and we go on the first day. This was the third time I have been and each year the group gets bigger! I absolutely love this shot...




And this little lady got hitched! This is the bride to be taking pride of place at her hen do which kicked off in a cheeky little Mexican restaurant in Greenwich

And here are some snaps of us hens getting into the Mexican spirit

After lining our stomachs with a Mexican feast, we whisked the bride to be to party the night away. And party we most certainly did! This has to be my favourite snap of the night...

I believe that waking up in the morning with remnants of the night before is a sign of a good time had...

Following the hen do was the wedding, and this one was truly beautiful. Here is a gorgeous photo of the new Mr and Mrs...

And check out the beautiful bridesmaids...

A whole bunch of us turned 30 this year, and we celebrated. Hard, at every possible opportunity

The only person I didn't get to see this Summer was my best friend who lives in Sydney. We may be apart in body, but we're together in spirit - mainly vodka.

And here we are...

I can't complain, this really has been an awesome Summer.