With it being the legend that is Annie Mac’s last ever show on BBC Radio One on Friday night, it was time to head back to the club finally and put on my dancing shoes for the first time since lockdown.
Stepping foot back into our local club sure was surreal but then again felt like no time had passed. Whilst we’ve been unable to party together over the past year and a half, music has continued to unite us and keep us sane during such difficult times. Whether you’re in a club surrounded by friends or dancing alone in your bedroom, in the words of Annie Mac – ‘Raving is a state of mind.’ Now let’s dance!
It’s been a long time coming, but finally one of my best friends will be getting married in 3 weeks time – eeeek! With all the lockdown restrictions over the past year and a half, this will be the third time they’ve had to move their big day, so fingers crossed it will be third time lucky.
For the original Hen last year we had a big weekend in Bath lined up, but with so much uncertainty over the past year or so, we decided a girls night get together at home was the safest and least stressful option… and it certainly didn’t mean we had any less of a good time!
We had the perfect setup in the bride-to-be’s gorgeous family home garden complete with cute hen themed decor of course. A generous spread of crips, crackers and dips to accompany our cocktails and pink prosecco, we were set for the evening ahead.
A few drinks deep and we got the hen party games going. The maid of honour did a brilliant job of preparing the games including a fun quiz, a ‘guess who’ game and later on ‘swing the ball-sack’, hilarious!
What a laugh that was; simple but very fitting and extremely funny game to get us on our feet. The bride-to-be was the overall winner too 🙂
With their outdoor pizza oven, we were even treated to our very own personalised pizzas each. I chose to top mine with olives, sweetcorn, basil and rocket – delish way to soak up the alcohol!
Overall an absolutely fabulous night with the girls laughing, giggling and just being silly, the way a Hen Do should be!
Sunday’s Euros football final marked a memorable day in history for the England squad. Not only was it a massive achievement making it all the way to the finals, but the entire country was on a high as everyone united in celebration together again.
In honour of the English rose I wore red for the occasion and it was a joy to see the pubs everywhere packed out and buzzing with excitement. Whilst we didn’t quite bring it home, they certainly did put up a fight against Italy and made the country proud; well done boys!
It doesn’t get much better than a boozy brunch on a Saturday arvo with the girls. With it being one of our besties birthdays this weekend too, it was the perfect excuse to book in for a table at Grind in London Bridge and let the boozy brunch commence…
Grind has always been my favourite cafe spot in town to grab a good coffee or nice evening cocktails with the ladies. Knowing how great their food is too, I had high hopes for their bottomless brunch deal at £15 per head free flowing prosecco for a whole 90 minutes! They even have the proper champagne coupe glasses which really is the only way bubbly should be served.
Arriving at 2pm for our reservation, the place was already buzzing as everyone was getting merry on bubbly. In fact, the general atmosphere in London was electric as the nation geared up for the England football match taking place that night. It was great to see the city alive again and people just having a good time following lockdown life.
Service was fabulous at Grind and the food delicious. I had their sweet potato harissa cakes served with yogurt and a poached egg cooked to perfection. The girls enjoyed theirs too and I just had to have a taste of my friend’s buttermilk pancakes which were divine.
The hour and a half sure did go quickly, but we certainly did make the most of our prosecco top-ups, my glass was never less than half full! So then we enjoyed a sobering walk along the South Bank via a quick stop at Borough Market where the birthday girl got a box of free doughnuts 😉
We ended our evening at an outdoor pop-up on South Bank Between the Bridges where there was live music, food trucks and more booze of course. The warm summer air made for the ideal setting to enjoy outdoor sundowner drinks.
I would highly recommend the Grind bottomless brunch and will most definitely be booking in again soon myself. Overall a top day back in London Town having fun and getting boozy with my besties ❤
Al fresco dining is always such a wonderful luxury this time of year, so I’ll always opt for a table outside at the pub when the sun does decide to show up here in the UK. Whilst I do love a classic English pub garden, nothing quite beats a good view and a spot over looking the water.
One of the best destinations in the Hampshire area for a beautiful backdrop has to be Heron on the Lake in Fleet. Their outdoor terrace right on the water is stunning and made for the perfect Friday night dinner date this week. The atmosphere was buzzing as the pub filled up with locals winding down after the working week and the late summer sun slowly set over the lake. I enjoyed a few glasses of vino with my boyfriend and we had a delicious dinner with top service from our waiter too. I had the summer salad containing a mix of asparagus, cucumber ribbons, peas, radish, pomegranate seeds, green leaves, a lemongrass dressing and a chargrilled chicken breast on top. Light and delicate with a fresh assortment of seasonal vegetables, this was an exquisite dish.
We continued to enjoy our drinks whilst taking in that beautiful view and soaking up the social atmosphere once more. It sure does feel good to be wining and dining again, the way a Friday night should be spent.
I sure have missed getting all dolled up and going out for cocktails during lockdown, so with my favourite bar at The Aviator Hotel over in Farnborough finally reopening, I had to make reservations asap!
Whether it’s sophisticated date night drinks with your other half or a glam evening with the girls, Sky Bar at The Aviator Hotel is the ultimate destination for exquisite cocktails paired with that cosmopolitan atmosphere right here in Hampshire.
With our gift voucher for Champagne Afternoon Tea for two from Christmas time, it was the perfect excuse for me and the boyfriend to spend an entire afternoon indulging in drinks and delicious treats.
I opted for a cute leopard print mini skirt, white square neck top and thigh high black booties; simple yet sexy and glamorous ready for cocktails later!
Upon arrival we were served our glass of champagne each soon followed by the delectable array of beautifully presented mini sandwiches and sweet deserts. The highlight for me was the cheesecake style jam filled bite which tasted like Eton Mess – Yum!
To follow we had English breakfast tea served in little gold Moroccan style teapots to accompany the freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam. I’m not usually one for so many carbs all at once, but this was a special occasion and simply irresistible.
A few hours passed and it was finally time to order those cocktails. Sky Bar has such an assortment of weird and wonderful cocktails, it’s always so hard to make a decision. I settled on a spicy ginger beer with chilli garnish martini style tipple, whilst my boyfriend had his favourite rum infused passionfruit concoction.
On the whole a truly fabulous and indulgent afternoon prowling around back in my natural habitat at Sky Bar once again!
Happy May Day bank holiday babes! Currently relaxing out in the garden on this gorgeous Sunday summer’s evening as the UK finally enjoys its first post-lockdown holiday, and it sure does feel good 😀
This time of the year is always so exciting as we look forward to the summer months ahead of soaking up the sun and enjoying those long warm evenings. Of course it also means that its time to dig out my summer wardrobe once again and get playful with cute outfits without having to wrap up in coats and boots all day long!
With it being my sister’s birthday this weekend, it was an excuse to celebrate on Saturday and enjoy socialising properly again. After a boozy lunch with her best friends, I organised for us to meet at a local pub garden for another round of celebrations and plenty more bubbles too…
Now I’m enjoying my Sunday lounging in the garden on our new stunning furniture set from Next, purchased on sale reduced from £1,300 to just £325, absolute bargain!
Iced coffee, glorious sunshine and my favourite poetry books, blissful vibes ❤
As I get back into the swing of full-time work again and we can finally socialise once more, I was truly feeling those Friday high vibes as my second week back to work came to a close.
No messing about, I was at the pub by 6pm with a drink in hand and ready for an overdue catchup with my girls. The place was buzzing and it was amazing to get a taste of normal life again!
I opted to go back to black for my Friday night look. Simple, classic and sexy, you just can’t go wrong in all black everything.
A few hours later and a couple glasses of wine down, it was time to go for dinner with my boyfriend. We went to another one of our favourite pubs ‘The Crown and Cushion’, funnily enough the last place we ate out at during Christmas before this lockdown!
This pub does my boyfriend’s favourite ribs in the area, so it was a must to visit as soon as restaurant dining opened back up. I got a chicken caesar salad and sweet potato fries accompanied with more vino of course…
Then to finish I simply couldn’t resist my guilty pleasure, an Espresso Martini. Coffee, sugar and alcohol all in one, I really have missed the dark temptation of my favourite night-cap. Bring on the Friyay feels ❤
‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone’ – a quote that could be applicable to many areas of life, but at this moment for me personally, it’s led to me pursuing a new career path. Following almost two years in my role as Events Assistant at the Four Seasons, unfortunately the pandemic has meant I’ve actually been working elsewhere in the hotel as Hostess in the restaurant for more time than I’d been doing my events job… and there was still no sign of the assistant role coming back anytime soon!
It was time to take matters into my own hands as I was unfulfilled Hostessing at the hotel, a job I hadn’t signed up for and was only meant to be doing for a short while until events finally opened back up. However this pandemic continues to disrupt all areas of life over a year on and it remains unclear how soon events will be back to full capacity at the hotel. So whilst I’m extremely grateful for my ongoing employment at the Four Seasons during such pressing times, I’ve taken the plunge and resigned from my position to embark on another exciting opportunity which has come my way.
After sending out numerous CVs to administrational and assistant roles in my local area, I was thrilled to get an interview for a Personal Assistant job just a five minute drive down the road. With both a highly successful vintage fashion label and property investments to be managed, it sounded like the varied and diverse role I was looking for. With my many years of experience in the field of admin assistance and being a proactive, super organised individual with a passion for style, it was meant to be!
Whilst leaving the security of a great job was daunting, I had my next move all lined up and left the Four Seasons on great terms as they fully understood the unique circumstances Covid has caused. I certainly did time it just right as the hotel reopens on May 17th which would’ve been a gruelling return to work on those horrendous shift hours I used to loath. I much prefer a regular 9-5 job as I like to unwind in the evenings and truly live for my weekends 😉
Week one down as PA and whilst there’s a lot to learn at this stage, I’m already finding my groove and loving the varied nature of the role as no day is ever the same. Friday finally rolled around and after leaving the office a little later to get on top of my tasks ready for Monday, that Friyay glass of vino at the pub tasted better than ever before.
As the weather here in the UK took a rather miserable turn this weekend, the idea of sitting outside in the blustering winds at a local pub wasn’t the most enticing of ways to spend our Saturday evening. So instead we decided to bring date night to us and enjoy the comfort of our beautiful new dining room with a romantic candle lit dinner.
It was the perfect occasion to try out our new black crockery dinner set complete with gorgeous copper cutlery and our Dartington crystal wine glasses. I wanted to keep our table layout simple with those subtle touches of pattern in the Moroccan style coasters and abstract print mini dip bowls.
My look for the evening was casual yet classic, wearing a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and cute leopard print asymmetric crop top to add a little glam. Feeling fresh and flirty with my post lockdown short haircut, I was ready for a cosy date night at home.
Although I eat a predomenantly pescatarian diet, as a treat I do like to indulge in a good piece of chicken or steak every so often to top up those essential vitamins. We got these filet steaks from Lidl which I plated up alongside my special crispy roast new potatoes, charred broccolini, caramelised onions, mushrooms and a rocket salad. These steaks were top quality and cooked to perfection medium-rare, I would call this restaurant standard grub!
Paired with a fruity Merlot French red wine and our favourite chilled tunes playing in the background, this is how date night should be done ❤
Dani Aneka 