Bonfire Cozy..

Its been some years since I did anything on around Bonfire night, it seems over the years that Halloween is eclipsing this old british favourite and it gets forgotten in the build to Christmas. I have so many lovely memories of Bonfire Nights of old I was determined to bring this back into my autumn plans.


This year M and I spent the evening with the 'big kids' having a Bonfire picnic in the garden.

With comfy chairs, blankets and a very cozy fire pit it was a lovely way to relax, chat and enjoy the evening.
Without getting too stressed we opted for easy food which once prepared didn't need much work:
Hot Dogs, Baked Potatoes, Beans & Cheese for mains
With the camping stove keeping the saucepan warm, the hot chocolate station proved to be a big hit as well.

Some of the evenings entertainment was made with the simplicity of Smore's and Sparklers around the fire.
It was a lovely chilled evening, with lots of laughter, and something I think will become a fall favourite.
I hope that your Bonfire plans are full of sparkle. x

Farewell October...

November's arrived and we are into the last 2 months of 2018. I'm not sure where it has gone and every good intention that I have to blog more seems to get taken up with work and life.
With Autumn being so glorious I have been out with my camera and captured some lovely sights from the season and it definitely felt that London completely embraced fall and all its pumpkin and foliage delights.
Favourites included Covent Garden where Europes largest pumpkin was on display, Wild Things Flowers in Mayfair who's tin baths always bring a smile to my face and the lobby of Claridge's who's weekly floral installations in the lobby were a delight.
I have lots of other stories to share from October and will do so over the next few days (hopefully).

Hello September

Hello September - its been a while and a lot has happened in the last six months but I finally feel like blogging and sharing a little of my life again.
September sees the whole back to school new term vibe and maybe that's whats has kick started me into thinking I may get some more time to write, blog and craft a little more. I've always enjoyed blogland  and have made some great friends along the way, so if you have stuck with me during my hiatus and are reading this, Hello and thank you.
I will update you all with a brief synopsis of the last few months in more detail over the coming weeks but for now I just want to bask in the late summer days and early autumnal mornings as we head into my favourite season.
Having just had the most glorious of summers on record I am hoping that autumn is going to be lovely too.
Summer was spent eating alfresco (a lot!) with beach picnics, festivals, and lazy evenings in the garden.
This year was definitely the best year to have a coupe car and enjoyed driving round with the roof down.
 The summer also saw me celebrate being another year older along with M and I's 2 year anniversary.


The last few months have include a horrendous car accident, facial surgery to repair some fractures, Consultation and Redundancy programme at work (myself included) Job Vacancies and Interviews amongst that there has been some positives, a beautiful 5 days on Rome, Coupe car for the summer, and some fab days / nights out in the city and coast for the summer.
Have lots to share and look forward to catching up on some favourites over the coming days.
Happy Saturday and Hello September xx

Film & Fizz.....

Hello Weekend.... With award season upon us and the big one planned this evening of The Oscars I thought I would share a recent trip to the movies for our monthly "Friday Night is Date Night"
For some time I have wanted to go to One Aldwych's Film & Fizz nights, but timing, schedules and film choices haven't aligned. February we struck gold and were able to book to see Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman, since the trailer released last year I have had this movie on my must see list for 2018 and boy I was not disappointed.
One Aldwych is a lovely hotel on the fringes of Covent Garden which houses a 30 seater Curzon Theatre. Film & Fizz nights feature popcorn and champagne whilst watching the movie and then a 3 course dinner in its Indigo dining Lounge on the mezzanine overlooking the bar.

So with champagne in hand and popcorn on the table it was time to settle down in the very comforatble leather lounge seats to watch Gary Oldman transform himself into Winston Churchill. This film is a must for anyone thats a fan of The Crown or of British history, fascinating from start to finish, covering a very short period of Churchill's parliamentary reign from appointment as Pm to making the decision to take the country to war it is a masterpiece.
Oldman is suprb and deserves all the accolades that he has won, however it isnt all about him Kristen Scott Thomas as his wife Clemmie is fabulous along with Lily James as his PA. I would imagine that there has been a huge rise in people booking trips to the War Rooms and Parliment on the back of this film and watch this space for a Churchill inspired walk that I've recently completed in London.
With the movie over it was time for supper which was a delicious 3 course of:

Poached Dorset Lobster with heritage carrots and coastal herbs.

Organic Rhug Lamb with mash, capers, raisins & mint

and Warm apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla custard.

With a lovely ambience and time to just chat and enjoy the sights of London life around us it made for a relaxing evening.
The only problem is I now dont want to go back to the cheap seats at the cinema!

Hello March......

Well March has
arrived with a flurry of snow blizzards, icy wind and the country grinding to a halt. with February bowing out to temperatures on -6' it definitely feels like Winter is reminding us that he hasn't left and that all signs of Spring have been blown away.
I have a couple of things planned for March but hope to get my trainers out and start some serious training for my moonwalk in May.
Looking forward to catching up with friends and also make some plans for Easter which is at the end of the month.
Happy March everyone, stay warm and safe travels in the snow.

Farewell February...

Farewell February.... its been a bit mixed, I've had some lovely moments in the month and also a few challenges. With the 'beast from the east' due to arrive imminently I am sure that March is going to be a little challenging too.

• February saw me take a lovely winter break with M to the gorgeous Tuddenham Mill.
• Spent a lovely afternoon with Emily and the Makelight ladies talking photo's instagram and all sorts of  lovely over tea & cake
• Flowers at the beginning of the month and for Valentines both as gorgeous as each other
• M and I went to dinner in Paris for Valentines Day.
• Friday night date night of Film & Fizz with Churchill, Prosecco & Popcorn.
• Snowdrop hunting for the Spring season and another friday night date night with Burgers, cocktails and a walk through Soho and Chinatown.

Looking back February you weren't too bad, caught up with a few friends and family at a Quiz night and over curry. Looking forward to catching up with a few more in March....

Paris is always a good idea!.....

So says Audrey Hepburn!...... and that's exactly where we headed for Valentines Day. Yes I know that its a little twee but trust me you would never have known it Valentines Day in Paris in comparison to how OTT the UK does Valentines.
M has never been to Paris so when Eurostar sent me their £50 return deal I never expected to be able to book Valentines day but we did and that's where we headed. Starting off in the gorgeous station of St Pancras is always lovely and even with a 4am alarm call I was still greeted with roses and a card (definitely a keeper!)
We were booked on the 7am train and we left on time and started the journey with prosecco strawberries & cereal, arriving in Paris just after 10am. I had planned a small itinerary to give M a whistle stop tour of the city. The day was quite foggy and misty to begin and grey clouds loomed for most of the day, however this didn't deter us from having fun. A hike up the steps to the Scare Coeur was our first stop where we stopped to view the skyline of Paris. The walk down was easier which lead us past Galleries Lafayette and into the square of Paris Garnier the stunning opera house. We both said that we would come back for a few days and try to see the ballet there. Next stop was the Louvre which was packed, I think everyone was looking for options to escape the chill. Our escape was via Angelina chocolate shop for Hot chocolate which is just like molton chocolate! With this warming us up we headed towards the Champs Elysees to window shop and have some fun at the Arc de triomphe watching the cars avoid crashing.

With time running away with itself we headed across the Seine for our pre-booked time to ascend the Eiffel Tower. We only visited the 2nd level and didn't go to the top as it had sold out (everyone pre-booking for proposals!) this was fine with us as it was freezing by this stage.
We enjoyed exploring the side streets around the tower and look forward to returning when all the re-generation around there is complete.
Our final stop on our whistle stop tour was to see the Notre Dame which we managed to get to just before dark and before the rain started.
After walking the best part of 12 miles it was time to find a quaint French restaurant which we did along the river and have dinner before heading back to Gard de Nord for our 8pm train home.
Both of us loved the day and will look to go back for longer in the Spring.

Winter retreat...

Thank you to those of you that messaged me following my last post, I am feeling a little brighter and better now. February has been a mixed month and a time to refocus and recharge the batteries. With some time off work, M and I had a couple of days away for a winter break in the gorgeous countryside of Suffolk.
Our winter retreat was in the gorgeous Tuddenham Mill between Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds, it has been on my bucket list for some time and we secured a fantastic deal with the mill for February which was perfect.
With very little surrounding the hotel it allowed us time just to relax, unwind, talk and just chill, something we both knew that we needed.

Our room was one of four that overlooked the water meadow and with floor to ceiling glass windows / doors it was lovely to watch the sunset and sunrise.
Tuddenham Mill offers a wide range of rooms; including some very cute nooks (look like large luxurious pig sty's!)
As you can see we had glorious views, blessed with the weather which enabled a lovely walk around the village road testing my new Hunters!
As well as luxurious rooms the hotel houses a 3 AA rosette restaurant which we dined in for the evening.
M opted for the lamb which was cooked perfectly and he said it was the best lamb that he had eaten. I chose the pork belly with baby beets, which was absolutely delicious. For dessert M had baked croissant with brandy soaked currants & apple with ice cream and I chose the rhubarb, lemon and ginger meringue which was amazing.
A delicious Merlot for dinner and then coffee with dessert it was a deliciously relaxing evening and the perfect way to celebrate 18 months from our first date.
With complimentary champagne and sloe gin as a nightcap I think it was the most alcohol that I had drunk in about 15 years.

With the watermill features still in place the restaurant and bar are housed around them and make a lovely feature of them.
We had a gorgeous stay here and would definitely make a return visit.
It was the perfect place for a winter retreat as it was so quiet but I am sure it looks equally as lovely in the summer.

January blues...

So with all good intentions 2018 hasn't started too well on the blogging front... with an internet speed at home which quite frankly could be being powered by a hamster on a wheel I have taken to reading and blogging from the tube and the coffee shop when I get a break at work, which as you can see has been minimal. Also out of no where the biggest hurricane of January blues swept in and took me off into quite a horrible space. I can now blame that on my age and look forward to more of it in the future.  Thankfully a number of high celebrity females have also begun to discuss the dreaded menopause and I don't feel quite so mad and alone with thinking that I need to be committed somewhere.
January has been a mix of a lot of work with the odd day off. Work has been a mixture snapping back after Christmas and then stocktaking to close off the financial year. We have also seen recent new appoints of a CEO and leadership team which has started a huge programme of change.
Time away from the corner shop has been spent reading, walking and catching-up with M. I did catch a few of the Lumiere light spectacles in London on one of my walks home along with a quick coffee and an hours gossip with my friend Caroline and her mum who I met many years ago through our blogs and have an annual coffee/drink when she is in London each January.
As a start to a new year it hasn't been the easiest of months - but I am looking forward to a better February with some time booked away from work and a few treats planned I am hoping that I will start to feel brighter and a little bit more myself.

Word of the Year - 2018

I'm not big on resolutions so I try not to make a huge list at the end of each year, however what I have started to do in recent years is set myself some goals for the year that I can realistically achieve.
This year I have chosen one word that will be my arcing frame to 2018 and this year it will be:

Its a word that if my friends would describe me in 5 words it would be one of them they would choose. However this year I need to be better at it. Life, Home, Work and time for Me needs to better Organised. This will allow be to achieve the goals that I have set for 2018.
2017 was about Change and being Spontaneous and whilst I did do both in bucket loads I became more disorganised which I am hating and doesn't work for me.
2018 is about finding a balance.
So I've started with getting a few things straight at work - it may only be a shelf but its a start.😊

Happy New Year .... and Hello 2018

yes I am back after a year of sporadic posts and long hiatus's  - no excuses other than work and life got busy which left little room for blogging and bits. I've been in a bit of a fug since New Year and I am hoping that some blogging, reading and just a little de-stressing will help.
So as well as looking forward and sharing some favourites, I will also be sharing some adventures from 2017 which were pretty big.
Here's a flavour of some of mine and what you can expect....

• The Slimming World journey continues with me reaching target in 2017 and a lose of 6 stone ... watch this space as the target may move!
• May - An amazing adventure with my aunt through the Baltics to St Petersburg - 10 countries in 16 days.
• June - An evening with Adele at Wembley ( so lucky to be gifted this ticket last minute and so see this incredibly gifted lady live)
• September - a 26 mile walk through the night for Cancer Research ticked off my 'challenges' list - more challenges planned for 2018.
• November - shared a fabulous 5 days in my favourite city showing M why it is so special.
• December - Christmas as Claridges - the perfect way to celebrate M's birthday and our 1st year together.
• November - New York, Broadway and the Divine Miss M - Bette Midler on Broadway in Hello Dolly another tick on the bucket list.

So hello all .... happy new year and look forward to getting re-acquainted with you all over in the next few weeks.... hugs Tx