This Saturday I hosted a long overdue night with my girls complete with prosecco, sunshine, delicious food, catchups and plenty of laughs as always.
We started the evening at mine with sundown drinks in the garden. I put out a few nibbles, got some tunes going and chilled the bubbles ready to pop when the girlies arrived at 6pm.
As the glistening light of golden hour was upon us, we chatted away and enjoyed the final hour of sunlight whilst grazing on yummy snacks and sipping our prosecco, the picture perfect summer evening setup.
I had booked a local pub for dinner at 8pm, so we finished up in the garden and locked the house before getting a lift to The Leather Bottle.
I booked a terrace table as the long summer evenings are heating up and an al fresco dinner is a must. We were on a high from the bubbles and now onto the red wine, so it was cheesy drunken grins all round!
It was a long wait for the food, but we were so occupied nattering away to even care. We went straight into mains and I had the prawn and chorizo salad served with harissa chickpeas. A nice light dish on such a warm summers night and super tasty too.
Following this, the other girls had desert and I had yet more wine… safe to say we were pretty tipsy by the end of the meal. It was a fabulous night with my girlies and I feel so lucky to have such close friends who keep me sane and keep me wild; always and forever love. ❤
The UK sun is here to stay as it’s set to be a scorching few weeks of glorious sunshine ahead. So with the first heatwave this weekend, I booked an al fresco dinner date with my boyfriend at the Bel and the Dragon in Odiham.
Cowboy boots are having a major comeback and I’m here for it! I finally got a pair from Stradivarius and I’m obsessed; they go with everything from jeans and shorts, to cute dresses and skirts.
With it being almost thirty degrees on Saturday, I paired my boots with denim shorts, a white tank and my oversized Jaeger blazer to keep the chill off my shoulders later into the evening.
We sat outside in the quaint courtyard of the pub which was buzzing on this stunning summers day. I enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine as we browsed the menu and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere.
For dinner I chose a delicious linguine of Devon crab served with spring onions and chopped chilli & garlic, whilst my boyfriend had the grilled 9oz Hampshire ribeye steak medium-rare served with triple-cooked chips and peppercorn sauce.
We also shared a side of roasted broccoli with chilli and garlic. The food was exquisite and the service impeccable, definitely a step-up from your average pub and it felt like such a treat. Very satisfied customers indeed.
We enjoyed another drink together there in the final hours of daylight before heading over to another pub for more drinks with friends. A perfect little summer’s date night with my boyfriend.
I just love getting dressed up and experimenting with cute outfits for our date nights. I’ve always loved my fashion and so these fun evenings out are a chance to get creative and feel fabulous in my carefully curated wardrobe of clothes – cheers to expressing yourself! ❤
The famous Soho House collection has a number of stunning locations across London open exclusively to members only. So when my Aussie Auntie and Uncle announced they were throwing a private party at Kettner’s Studio, I was thrilled to finally get a look inside one of the Soho House London city hangouts for myself.
We got the train into London Waterloo followed by a quick tube over to Leicester Square and a short walk to Kettner’s located in Soho. London was buzzing on a Thursday night; I just love soaking up the bustling atmosphere of the city on a warm summer’s evening.
Arriving at 6:30pm, we were greeted by the family with a welcoming glass of champagne which continued to flow all night of course. It was a very special occasion in celebration of the Australian crew in town only for that one week.
We had our own private room with this feature bar exclusively for our party. I was obsessed with these exquisite champagne coupes, the only way proper champagne should be served.
They had selected three cocktails to choose from: a spicy margarita, a cucumber tonic with gin or vodka, or the Soho House special ginger flavoured concoction made with tequila. At this point I was double parked, so I thank my boyfriend who ordered me a diet coke at this point to break up all the alcohol!
Soon the canapés came out and later on some more substantial bowl food. I wasn’t too impressed with the food to be honest, but something was better than nothing to soak up all the champagne.
I actually didn’t get many photos of the evening as I was just enjoying every second with my international family whose time with us is so precious. Nothing like a few blurry group pics for the memories though.
We caught the last train home just before midnight which was super busy too. I had the most wonderful evening with my awesome family in the most idyllic surroundings of Kettner’s beautiful champagne bar. These are the moments I will cherish forever – Love you family ❤
Since the pandemic struck the world back in 2019, like many others, we haven’t been able to see our international family for almost three years now. So as we finally come out the other side and can travel freely again, our Australian and American uncles, aunties and cousins arrived on UK soil last week and we couldn’t wait to all be reunited!
My American cousins came all the way from the awesome city of San Francisco, whilst the Aussie crew travelled from down under in Sydney, the place I called home during my early twenties. I have many fond memories of my years spent in Australia and can’t thank my Aussie family enough for making me so welcome and helping in every way they could to get me settled over there.
It’s crazy how time flies yet when we get together again, it only feels like yesterday we were last throwing shapes with each other at one of our family’s infamous kitchen discos! We had a fabulous time catching up at my Auntie’s home in Southsea drinking lovely wine, enjoying delicious homemade Thai food and laughing as we reminisced over many wonderful memories.
I am truly blessed to have such a big extended family that are still so close even now that us cousins are growing up. In spite of distance or time, our family’s bond remains strong and resilient through the good and bad times; we’re very lucky indeed, happy days ❤
With a mini heatwave hitting England at the end of this week, we made the most of the sunshine and rode our bikes to the pub after work on Friday evening.
I’m lucky enough to ride my boyfriend’s electric bike, which is such a luxury and certainly helps having that extra boost after a drink or two at the pub!
Of course with the glorious weather comes the inevitable hayfever which was out in full force on Friday. From the minute we got to the pub I could not stop sneezing, ugh it’s the worst!
A much needed glass of crisp white wine for me and a refreshing mojito cocktail for my boyfriend, it was the perfect summer evening aperitif whilst soaking up the sun.
Back home we enjoyed a pizza and salad in the garden whilst watching Love Island on my iPad as the sunset; a dreamy little summer setup ❤
Happy Sunday! We’re well into June now and it finally feels like summer is here in the UK. I’ve had a super wholesome weekend soaking up the sunshine starting with a countryside bike ride to the pub on Friday evening, and then a fun day out at our local village festival yesterday drinking Belgian beer and enjoying some live music. Now I’m winding down before the week ahead and I thought it was time to do a little home interiors update. Having lived here for over a year now, I finally feel like the house is flourishing to reflect our style and I’m loving it; this is our home ❤
With only 48 hours in the French capital of gastronomy, we did our best to sample the most famous of Parisian cuisine during our short weekend stay in the city. First up, we got our day started with a morning coffee and exquisite croissant at the best bakery in town, Boulangerie Fabrication Traditionnelle, just a short walk from our hotel.
A picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower was a must, so we popped into a Franprix convenience store and put together a spread of typical French snack food; baguette, cheese, ham, olives and strawberries. What a picture perfect setup sat in the sunshine overlooking the Eiffel Tower as we grazed our picnic.
That evening we found ourselves in a local French restaurant A La Cloche D’Or, sitting outside on a warm summers evening taking in that buzzing Parisian atmosphere on a Saturday night.
As a famous delicacy of France, we had to share the French onion soup to start and it certainly didn’t disappoint, the cheese-pull was a spectacle in itself!
For Sunday brunch we headed to Le Recrutement Cafe with that iconic view of the Eiffel Tower framed by the beautiful streets of Paris.
We enjoyed sundown drinks before dinner back where we were staying in the quiet, quaint courtyard of Hotel Mademoiselle.
To compliment our vino we shared a delicious platter of classic charcuterie; a selection of fine meats, salad, cherry tomatoes, warm French stick and President butter – il est parfait!
For our final night dinner in the centre of the city, we stumbled across this very popular local Italian restaurant, Firmine.
I had a simple yet superb linguine bolognese with a generous sprinkling of parmesan, whilst my boyfriend had a fantastic Margherita pizza. Back to basics never tasted so good, delicieux!
With the Eiffel Tower light show every hour on the hour, we made ourselves comfortable at a nearby cocktail bar called Frame Brasserie. Here we indulged in many wonderful cocktails, including a personalised concoction made exclusively for us by the lovely bartender, before we headed to the final light show at midnight.
Paris is most definitely a foodie’s paradise with such a variety of fantastic restaurants and street food options to choose from. Produce is fresh and exquisitely prepared, we barley had time to scratch the surface of this city’s fabulous food scene. I can’t wait to visit Paris again and try more of their famous pastries, Nutella crepes, macaroons from Laduree and of course my favourite, moules frites!
Parisian street fashion is famous for its simple yet chic approach to dressing. Sleek silhouettes and effortless basics paired with one or two statement pieces, is the fuss-free formula for that timeless French style.
For our first day strolling the streets of Paris, I wore a pair of classic white skinny jeans from Topshop, a puff sleeve floral red blouse from Abercrombie & Fitch and plaited jackfruit ASOS sliders, accessorised with a subtle pearl anklet and a white beret of course.
Saturday evening we headed to the Moulin Rouge so I dressed for the occasion in my over the knee boots, white Zara skirt-shorts, black Zara ruffle strap square-neck crop and gingham baker boy. So cliche but such a vibe for the Moulin Rouge, c’est bon!
For another day exploring Paris, I opted for comfort with my Grenson boots, camel flare smart trousers from H&M, striped bandeau and statement tortoiseshell cat eye sunnies. Blue and white stripes are such a French classic and paired perfectly with that polished camel tone, il est parfait!
Sundown drinks before dinner we headed down to our hotel courtyard for a charcuterie and vino. I wore my H&M camel flare trousers again, white bone corset bandeau and vintage Prada heels, complete with a cute silk neck scarf to finish that feminine French look.
On our final night in Paris we had to experience the Eiffel Tower lit up by night, so we headed into the centre of the city for dinner. I felt tres chic in my oversized vintage Jaeger green blazer to keep off that evening breeze.
I just love dressing up and embracing the style of the city I am visiting by taking inspiration from the locals themselves. Paris still stands to this day as one of the most classy, chicest fashion capitals of the world…tres tres chic ❤
Paris; A beautiful city full of charm, elegance, history, art, architecture, fashion, food, nightlife and of course, LOVE. This weekend me and my boyfriend spent two days exploring this magnificent European city for ourselves. With only 48 hours in town, we didn’t waste a minute and managed to cover most of the most famous hotspots whilst sampling the best of French cuisine and soaking up the glorious early summer sunshine.
Taking the Eurostar from St Pancras on Friday evening, we found ourselves in the centre of Paris within a matter of a few hours. Having booked through the Eurostar with hotel combo deal, we checked into our lovely 4* boutique HotelMademoiselle, only a 5 minute walk from Gare du Norde train station.
Waking up fresh from a good nights sleep following our journey, Saturday morning we strolled the streets of the local area and grabbed a quick breakfast at a cute corner cafe.
We then headed straight for the Eiffel Tower where we found this famous side street Rue de l’Universite for that picture perfect photo.
A quick whip around the supermarche and we had ourselves a throw together French style picnic by the river overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
From there, we walked to the Champs-Elysees for an afternoon browsing the shops before we reached the Arc de Triomphe.
Following the madness of the tourist spots on a Saturday afternoon, we stopped by Cafe De Paris for an early evening drink in the sunshine and much needed rest from our feet.
A quick stop back at the hotel to freshen up and we were ready for a night out in Paris. Destination Moulin Rouge, an iconic landmark I had to visit during our stay and only a 10 minute Uber from our hotel.
This area was buzzing on a Saturday night, so we found a local brasserie where we could sit out on the street with our dinner and soak up the those Parisian nightlife vibes. Our night continued into the early hours with cocktails and a traditional Nutella crepe for desert at 2am!
Sunday late morning, we made our way over to Le Recrutement Cafe for brunch with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
We then decided to spend the afternoon on a hop-on and hop-off bus tour around the city, a super easy way to navigate all of the tourist spots in one day.
The Louvre was a highlight with its stunning modern architecture juxtapose to the grandeur of the surrounding historic buildings.
Back at our hotel that evening, we enjoyed sundown drinks with an exquisite charcuterie board amongst the gorgeous French aesthetic of their courtyard at Hotel Mademoiselle.
We had to see the Eiffel Tower by night, so for dinner we went back to the river for a delicious Italian at Firmine.
The light show is on the hour every hour until midnight, so we had cocktails at the nearby Frame Brasserie from where we had views of the Eiffel Tower.
For the final light display at midnight, we had front row seats in the park for undisrupted views of this incredible spectacle. It felt like a dream seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle by night, showering the city in golden hues; simply divine and tres romantique.
Before we new it, Monday morning rolled around and it was time to hop back on the Eurostar to London. This was a whistle stop tour but we certainly made the most of our time here and emersed ourselves within the Parisian culture. I have fallen in love with the vibe of this exciting city with its chic style and vibrant charm; we will be seeing you again soon Paris, merci beaucoup ❤
With the sun making an appearance in the UK this weekend, it was time to get the roof down for a sunny countryside cruise in my Mini. Having a convertible to spin around in on summer days really is the best feeling!
I got my Mini Cooper around about this time last year and having now experienced the fun of owning a soft top car, I will never go back.
Tunes up high, sunnies on and wind through my hair as I zoom around our local countryside roads showered in golden sunlight; summertime is just around the corner and I can’t wait for more days like these ❤
Dani Aneka 