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.

BABY SHOWER

Baby showers are an American concept that have well and truly been adopted by us Brits as a right of passage and key engagement in the female social calendar  A great excuse to get together with the girls and a chance for the Mum to be to relax, be pampered and open presents. Homemade cakes are a must, and I have to say, these were delicious.

We were bestowed with typically British summer weather (i.e. sunshine and showers) but were well prepared with a lovely marquee

Mum to be looks absolutely gorgeous and was just glowing. Beautiful...

After tucking into cakes, it was time for presents!

Followed by more cake and a few cheeky vinos (for the guests not Mummy!)

A lovely time had by all.

Love Friday's

On a Friday night there is nothing I like more than cocktails with the girls. Cocktails always feel like such a treat and girly catch ups just don't happen often enough for my liking so the minute we got a date in the diary I started getting excited.

The 4 of us met up in Carnaby Street and sunk several bottles of wine at The Blue Posts pub. Feeling tipsy and hungry, we headed to nearby Cha Cha Moon and ordered a ridiculous amount of food. We shared a selection of starters, and I had the duck curry for main.

I couldn't resist a few cheeky snaps of me and the girls

Next up was more cocktails at Bittersweet which is a fairly new cocktail bar in Soho. The venue was gorgeous, the cocktails not so much. I am a massive fan of sours so when I spotted the Pisco Sours I went in for the kill. It looked pretty but was a bit of a let down. Far too bitter for my liking. The Espresso Martini wasn't much better.

It was such a warm evening we decided to seek out a roof terrace, and Vista @ The Trafalgar most certainly did not disappoint. 

The space was gorgeous with awesome views of the London skyline at night

After a few vodka and tonics and gossip galore, it was time to make like Cinderella and leave the party. I wish all Friday's could be like this.

Mint Polo In The Park

This weekend I attended my first polo match, Mint Polo In The Park, held at Hurlingham Park. Polo is such a quintessentially British sport, and Mint Polo in The Park didn't disappoint on the glitz and glamour stakes.

On arrival, I had my very first Pimms of the summer. This was followed my canapes and and lots of vino. One of the best things about Polo is the chance to get all dressed up

There were 3 matches on the day, and during half time we were invited to the pitch to partake in the tradition of divot stomping

I will definitely recommend Mint Polo In the Park for a girly day out.

London Culture: Art and About

This year I have decided on a New Year's Resolution that I can actually keep, to experience more culture in London. First up was a trip to the Wellcome Collection. I had read a few reviews about their current exhibition 'Death: A Self-Portrait' so decided to go and see it. Death might seem a bit of an odd choice for an exhibition but it was actually very interesting charting, how death has been viewed by various societies throughout history, plus some very interesting pieces and works of art influenced by death. Did you know that humanity (wars, murders, suicide) is responsible more deaths than any other cause. Unfortunately you can't take any photos of the exhibit itself but I did take a few snaps of the venue.

I then headed to the Southbank and wondered around for hours, snapping away as I went

I couldn't walk past the Tate Modern without popping in for a mooch around. Lucky for me, the gift shop had a huge sale on so I couldn't resist picking up a few bits...

I am totally in love with this skull magnet by Damien Hirst...