Christmas isn't Christmas without Buble...

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a sprinkling of Michael Buble!... along with his festive album's, he has over the past 4 years owned the holiday season special.  He is a much part of my holiday traditions, which is why I was very excited to get tickets for his London show in December.
I have seen Michael Buble several times over and is one of my favourite live acts.... an all round entertainer.

Michael opened the show in glamorous red lit stage to Fever complete with legendary slide action!... he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand... Michael's set list comprised of 20 songs and 4 for an encore, including some Christmas favourites - owning the stage for 2 hours.
Set Listincluded: Fever, Haven't Met you Yet, All I want for Christmas is you, Try a Little Tenderness, Mack the Knife, Moondance, Come Dance with me, Feeling Good, Crazy Love,

I've got the World on a String, Everything, Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, White Christmas, Home, Let it Snow ,

Get Lucky, Ain't Too Proud to Beg,To Love Somebody, All you need is Love, Burning Love, Its a Beautiful Day.

To Love Somebody, All you need is Love, Burning Love, Its a Beautiful Day.

Michael crooned through many of his classics, fighting a cold and being very naughty with the audience!.... his opening speech promised a lots of fun, entertainment, some Christmas classics and to all the reluctant men in the audience a guarantee of some hot dirty sex when they got home!... much to the laughter and the camera crew zooming in on 2 very cute little girls in the front row!... this set the atmosphere for the night, which was fun, festive and fabulous.

Encore:
Cry me a River, Save the Last Dance for me, Christmas (baby please come home)
and my absolute favourite A Song for You

Michael put on a fabulous show and did not disappoint, the O2 was full to the rafters and every one was on their feet cheering at the end..... I loved it, he made me laugh, cry , dance & sing... the perfect night and a fabulous prelude for Christmas.... Christmas really isn't Christmas without a little Buble!

Rooftop dining at Le Chalet

One of the most sought after tables for alfresco dining during the summer was on the rooftop at Selfridges and their collaboration with Q-Grill. Following this success of Q on the Roof, Le Chalet launched within the space for the Winter and it is a perfect apres-shop delight. Nestled on the rooftop high above the streets of the West End Le Chalet is shoppers ski lodge retreat.
You enter Le Chalet via an express lift that transports you to the rooftop, where you enter via a fairy-light lit corridor into a space that is warm & inviting, bathed in sunlight during the day and candlelight during the night.

Tables complete with woollen throws and rugs for chilly shoulders & knees add to the apres-shop ambiance. Le Chalet's menu offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner as well as some amazing hot chocolate cocktails.
Friends & I grabbed a table in December for a quick bite to eat before we went for an evening with Michael Buble ... I chose the Buttermilk chicken schnitzel, with blue cheese fondue & seasoned chips. All were delicious, especially the buttermilk chicken.
This was followed by Spiced Apple tart and custard, which was just perfect..... well worth the wait to bake!

I loved the whole ambiance,and styling of Le Chalet, the food was good, however the service wasn't great and something that I did pass back to the team after visiting. I will visit again before the pop-up closes and hope to go during the day to enjoy the views across London as there is still more on the menu I would love to try.

Le Chalet can be booked here.

Q Grill also have a pop-up at Canary Wharf at the ice-rink as well as their signature restaurant in Camden.

Christmas at Claridges...

One of my highlights of my Christmas countdown was an evening dining at Claridges. Bought as a gift the previous year and postponed due to my friends husband being ill in hospital, Claridges honored the booking and allowed us to visit this Christmas. Tucked away in a side street in Mayfair just a short walk from Oxford Street, this glamorous hotel is everything you imagine it to be and more. Sweeping into the art deco tiled lobby through the revolving doors you are transported back in time and decadence and in December greeted with the most gorgeous decorations and Christmas tree.
Every year Claridges invite a fashion designer to decorate their tree in the foyer of the hotel This year it was the turn of designer Dolce & Gabbana.The tree was decorated with 300 hand glass blown baubles, hand painted with international flags from across the world and 9,000 fairy lights.

A winter woodland scene was set at the base of the tree complete with animatronic reindeer's, rabbits & squirrels and a decadent red throne. The entrance and lobby of the hotel alongside the tree were bathed in gold, birdcages, baubles and woodland foliage. With a roaring fire in the firepace and sumptuous armchairs, this couldn't have been anymore inviting.... just gorgeous. 

Moving through the lobby we were seated in the Reading room just off the Foyer for dinner. The rooms were busy with friends and families finishing off afternoon tea or an early dinner. With Christmas just around the corner we opted to dine off the festive menu. I choose : Roast goose salad Celeriac remoulade, crab apple jelly, and watercress.  Roast organic Cambridge Bronze turkey, roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, glazed sprouts, chestnuts, & bread sauce. Claridge’s Christmas pudding & Cognac Anglaise From the homemade rustic bread, through to the marshmallow petit fours with coffee every mouthful of this dinner was delicious. 

The warm roast goose salad melted in the mouth and I would have been happy with this as a main course. With many main courses to choose from I opted for the turkey which along with all the vegetable trimmings was cooked to perfection. The turkey being the best I have ever had. Following such fabulous starters & main courses we opted for a rest before dessert and coffee.                         Dessert was Claridges world fabulous Christmas Pudding, doused in a 'healthy' dram of Brandy and set alight at the table...  delicious decadence in every mouthful.

The service, and ambiance was perfect, we couldn't have asked for better. It wasn't just us that had a fabulous time that evening, the esteemed  actor Sir Ben Kingsley sat behind us during the evening, enjoying Christmas as Claridges. I loved my whole evening at Claridges and will be adding it to my Christmas must's for future festive seasons.... thankyou C for a fabulous gift & Claridges for exceeding all expectations.
This wasn't my first trip to Claridges; I have previously visited for afternoon tea, both were fabulous however Christmas at Claridges is just that little bit special.

Here is a sneak peak of how the Christmas fairies install christmas at Claridges...

Boe & Burgers with friends...

4 weeks ago back in December part of my Christmas activities included taking some special ladies in my life out for the evening to see Alfie Boe. The golden girls as they are affectionately known are big Alfie fans and I grabbed tickets for them as a Christmas treat.
We headed to the O2 early so that we could make the most of the evening, the O2 has undergone a huge development of food offers and we were pleasantly surprised at the choices we had, opting for burgers at Byron.

A couple of us opted for the Holy Cheesemas  ~ 2 6oz patties, four kinds of cheese;mature cheddar, american, red leicester, monterey jack, double bacon, red onion , iceberg, pickles & cheesemas sauce. With sides of fries, onion rings & a Brooklyn Beer it was the perfect pick me up from from stateside slump having returned from NY that week.

Having been fed and watered we moved into the arena to be entertained by Mr Boe for the evening. We saw Alfie in Brighton in 2013 and expected a similar type of how, how wrong we were, this was a completely different show, complete with a fabulous orchestra & band.

Highlights of the evening were of course the gorgeous "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.

• Alfie accompanied by Rick Wakeman ~ Volare 
• Alfie singing Oh Danny Boy

At the end of the evening Alfie pulled a lady Emily out of the audience who asked to sing with him and this is what happened... Alfies reaction is just lovely

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Myself and the golden girls had a fabulous evening and I am delighted to have ticked another box on their bucket lists!

Hello 2015.......

Well January is here and it cant come quick enough for me. The last week of December I spent predominately under a duvet, with the worse flu virus I've had (note to self, DO NOT miss flu jab in 2015!).. I did return to work too early, and its taking me ages to feel anything other than tired.
I had so many gorgeous things planned in December and to finish off 2014, some I did do, which I will share with you this month; they include Dinner at Claridges, evenings with Alfie Boe and Michael Buble and of course Christmas. There is no news on Florence, so I am now battling the insurance company which will continue into 2015 unfortunately.
Normally by this stage I have some plans mapped for the new year, but this year I am bucking the trend and sharing some of my favourite moments from 2014.

1. Back in March I spent that day with 6 lovely ladies learning how to love my camera and to use it for blogging/social media and styling. Emily was a lovely teacher and I thoroughly enjoyed the day and have gained confidence with my camera in 2014. (more of the day here) 
2. In September the gorgeous David Gandy launched his underwear collection for M&S to much delight by myself and many other ladies in London!
3. Christmas 2014 saw one of my favourites Michael Buble return to the O2.... perfect night. The king of croon and Christmas did not disappoint. Here's Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas 
4. In October I spent a glorious Sunday at the Savoy in decadent luxury, which was just amazing, now saving for another stay!
5. September saw me meet the Spandau Ballet boys on the red carpet at the Albert Hall and watch the premiere of the Soul Boys movie..... relived my teens in glorious surroundings.
6. An afternoon tea Mr Selfridge style and and evening in Memphis were the perfect treats with my 2 golden girls.
7. The poppies at the Tower grew throughout the summer and became one of the most humbling sights in London for 2014. I visited often and every-time is left me speechless, here are more images from posts in 14.
   
8. Summer in the City.... had a fabulous summer exploring the city, its parks and enjoying the glorious weather.
9. Jonny Wilkinson hangs up his golden boots..... May saw me travel to Cardiff to watch JW play in the final of the Heineken cup against Saracens, it was his last game in UK soil before retiring from the game.... those gorgeous thighs will be missed!
10. Claridges at Christmas was one of my festive favourites and I will share more details in January.
11. New York in December was just gorgeous..... so many adventures which will be shared in full in 2015. My favourite city at my favourite time of year, magical.
12. Paddington made a huge return in 2014 which was delightful, bringing back so many lovely memories from childhood, complete with marmalade sandwiches.
13. Invictus Games - from the opening ceremony to the wheelchair rugby I had a humbling experience cheering along the wounded armed forces heroes. ( Prince Harry & Jonny Wilkinson were added bonuses!!) 
14. Books & coffee, the perfect combination for downtime in 2014. I read lots and drunk lots, finding some great little coffee venues in London and NY to relax & read.... my kindle was my best friend in 2014.

I hope that 2015 finds you all well and I look forward to sharing my adventures over the coming year....Thank you for sharing my adventures so far, for all the lovely comments and good wishes... Happy New Year to you all x