Our Little London Staycay
With a well deserved break from work finally in sight at the end of September, I had my hopes up that we would be able to do a last minute holiday abroad. However the uncertainty of countries being added and removed from the quarantine list was all looking far too risky, so we settled on booking a mini break to good old London town.
After a thorough browse through booking.com we found a fancy looking hotel located right in the heart of the city at St Paul’s. I know the area well having lived just down the road back when I was studying in London, so I was excited to take a trip back to some of my favourite places nearby too.
Our hotel Leonardo Royal St Paul’s wasn’t half bad considering we paid just £104 each for two nights. The bedroom was a decent size with a lovely bathroom and dreamy, humungous sized bed which was like sleeping on a cloud!
Spa facilities were very nice too, however given that there was no allotted time slots to use the pool and jacuzzi, it was a gamble whether or not we would actually be able to get in due to social distancing.
Despite this, I had a very nice experience in the hotel’s gym which was much more spacious with plenty of equipment. I even had one of the big studios all to myself for about an hour, so I made the most of it and pumped out a good workout before practicing some old dance tricks.
Being the super organised/guilty control freak that I am, the weekend was all planned out revolving mostly around where we would be eating out next. Having lived in London for three years also gave me a lot of knowledge on the city and I had to visit some old regular haunts.
Of course a shopping trip to Oxford Street was a must and it’s always fun to have a stroll around Selfridges pretending we can afford that Rolex watch or Cartier ring 😉 We went for some truly special dinners (more posts to come on those) and I also had to take my boyfriend for a trip to my stomping ground Four Seasons for a late night tipple.
Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square is the newer of the two FS hotels in London and is simply breathtaking from the minute you pull up to the grand entrance. Given my connections back at my workplace Four Seasons Hampshire, we were treated to a spectacular array of cocktails on the house during our visit to the Rotunda Bar. How special to be the guest for once!
For our second evening I planned a more casual dinner and drinks in the trendy neighbourhood of Shoreditch. Another area I used to visit a lot, I booked us into a brilliant burger place Hache which never fails to disappoint.
On reflection, it was a perfect little getaway with my boyfriend and really great to see London still thriving despite circumstances. We certainly did miss out on our beach vacation this year, but there’s always next year and here’s hoping things are back to normal by then so we can see everyone smiling without masks once more 🙂
I’m always reading poetry and collecting quotes as I find words and writing to be one of my favourite outlets of creation. Having a little journal by my bedside is key for capturing those unique moments of imagination and other worldly dreams which fascinate me.
After a few days break from work I already feel a new wave of inspiration and motivation as my mind, body and soul has had time to catch up with itself. Not pressuring myself to go out and do lots of things on my days off has been a blessing as I’ve had quality me time, something which I’ve neglected since going back to work.
I’ve always been a night person and feel a strong connection to the moon and the stars as they accompany me in my midnight madness… perhaps I’m a moon child, still searching this infinite galaxy for the stars within myself.
I guess in some ways it has taught me to enjoy the simple pleasures of relaxing at home and soak up this bonus time we have to spend with friends and family. It’s also been a perfect opportunity to work on self care and personal challenges or goals.
One of my achievements during lockdown has been to improve on my handstands which I’ve practiced every single day since March. I can now get up without support and hold it for at least 20 seconds or so. If I keep up this consistent routine of balancing everyday, my aim is to be able to handstand for over a minute and move my body into different yogi positions whilst doing so.
Upon reflection, there are a few positives of being unable to travel at the moment, like not having to deal with the stress of busy airports and cramped planes. Not to mention getting to avoid the suffering of post holiday blues, often accompanied by a week long hangover from all those cocktails which seem so hydrating and refreshing in the scorching sun! Instead I’m feeling healthier and fitter than ever before as I relish the fresh summer countryside air of Hampshire.
Life really has been turned upside down and like most people, this year has brought me many challenges as a result of such unpresidented events. I know I’m not the only one to have struggled with my mental health during these times, as we’ve all been forced into our bubbles of isolation and given no option but to reflect upon ourselves.
Yet it has been the resilience of human spirit from within and to each other which has got us through – and that fundamental element of our species is something not even a virus can rob us of. Whilst the world is yet to find its feet with any kind of normality, lets remember to just keep our heads up and always look at the glass as half full.
Located on the distinctive blue road at The Brentford Project, this event ooses classic American 50s charm as waiting staff on roller-skates take orders from the comfort of your car window. Guests can enjoy draft beer by The Brewery Tap, cocktails from Rye by the Water, freshly popped popcorn and even the best pizza in London (as voted by Time Out) from Santa Maria Pizzeria.
Upon arrival, each car is escorted into position in front of the big screen and fellow car fanatics can be treated to the congregation of such prestigious motors gathered in one place. This is not only a fun movie viewing experience, but a truly unique opportunity for any classic or supercar owners to showcase their motors amongst the elite car community.
We had the pleasure of pulling up front row to complete a stunning white line-up of sports cars. The McLaren GT certainly made an impression as we arrived with its roaring engine and falcon-wing opening doors. It was fun to have a walk around the array of awesome classic and supercars at the event, before getting setup with our beers, popcorn and pizza on order ready for the movie.
This evening’s screening was the another automotive classic film 2Fast 2Furious. As the moonlight twinkled at dusk casting a pinkie blue hue across the sky, everyone took their seats back behind their wheels ready for the movie to commence.
The Fast and Furious series never get old and what a spectacular and scenic setting in which to watch it again! Duke of London showrooms even brought out a number of their own range of classic cars for the event from partner RNG Classics, including a Porsche 928, Lamborghini Murcielago, Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 308 GTSi and MGB GT.
We were in our element as we kicked back in the McLaren and devoured our delightful pizza delivered up to the car window by our very own roller-skating waitress. Supercars, a movie classic, authentic Italian pizza and beers on tap – now that’s a date night right out of a Hollywood movie!
A little off the beaten track and quite the scramble down a steep hill, Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of the cliff where a small rock pool forms at low tide.
With the ledge being a straight drop off point into the sea deep enough for small ships, it was previously used for the quarrying of Purbeck stone. It’s now an ideal spot for divers and fisherman as well as those seeking a picture perfect moment by the ocean.
The swimming pool carved into the rock was originally created in the early twentieth century for a local school. It now remains a beautiful spot for a dip overlooking the sea without the danger of a vicious tide. As keen photographers and always on the hunt for epic content, me and my boyfriend were in our element capturing some unique shots.
I love playing with reflections and colour, so the rock pool was an incredible canvas to play with. Using Lightroom to edit, I focused on experimenting with different colour hues and exposures to enhance my images.
Here I added more green to the mix along with golden oranges to create a vintage effect. Alternatively with the photo below, I reduced the colour temperature and opted for an overexposed, ethereal style final picture.
I’m still learning a lot when it comes to editing my photos, so I often seek inspiration from my favourite Instagram pages or Influencers whose style I like. Having good quality photos in the first place is always key too and going out to explore new places never fails to get my creative juices flowing!
Practicing and trying different methods will improve editing skills and eventually you will find a signature style. I was really happy with the outcome of the edits in which I brought out those purple colours in the sky and turned down the exposure to achieve that moody tone.
But whilst you capture your life through the lens of the camera, always remember to enjoy those moments before they become memories. And upon reflection, that’s when a photograph will say a thousand words – when you are truly happy and living in that moment ❤
In celebration of my good news, we stopped at the local pub for drinks to enjoy this beautiful summers evening from the pub garden. Of course the McLaren never fails to turn heads as we pull up and exit the car feeling like celebrities 😉
Soon enough it was Monday morning and time to get back on that work grind. It felt nice to be smartly dressed again in a crisp blue shirt paired with a suit skirt and classic court heels, a welcome change to trackie pants and leggings!
What a joy it was to be reunited with my friends and colleagues and such a relief to see that business is continuing to thrive at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. I was of course exhausted by the end of the day as my mind and body aren’t used to those 8 hour shifts following extended time in Furlough. Nevertheless, I am extremely thankful for my job and lucky to be working again after such an unpredictable period worldwide.
With a lot of hairdressers in England all booked up for the next month or so, I opted for the highstreet chain Supercuts who are now only taking bookings 24 hours in advance on a first come first serve basis. I was really happy with the last cut I had there and their prices are so reasonable too – starting at £15.99 for a wash and cut.
The salon took all the necessary precautions in regards to PPE and as always the service was lovely. I had the same hairdresser as last time who was a pleasure to chat with whilst doing a fabulous job of my hair. As I don’t need any colour treatment for my naturally very blonde locks, the total cost for my cut was just £22.99, a fraction of the price a lot of professional salons would charge.
At first I thought it was a little shorter than I had envisioned as she had taken off a good 5 inches! However looking at it from the back and the side, it has so much more shape and volume now and it’s so much easier to style. She added some choppy layers all through the back and also shaped the front around my face which I’m loving.
I’ve never had so many compliments after a haircut and I’m enjoying having a play around with the different up-dos I can create now too. With my hair being on the thinner side, shorter styles have always given it more volume and also suits my heart shaped face.
I couldn’t wait to show off my fresh chop this weekend as we hit the pub and even went for our first meal out since restaurants re-opened. If you’re in need of a haircut ASAP post lockdown, I would highly recommend Supercuts given their efficient, cheap service which doesn’t compromise on quality.
Despite my frustration of not working and being unable to indulge in my usual social activities, I’ve made the most of this time to work on some personal projects which have lead me to rediscover my creativity and imagination.
The other week me and my boyfriend ventured out to another awesome shoot location, this time heading into London at night to get the full city in lockdown experience. With deserted streets and nowhere open in the centre of town, it was super eerie and surreal to see the bustling city of London now a ghost town.
After getting a little lost around Canary Wharf, we finally reached this futuristic bridge located at One Canada Square underground station. It was the perfect moment to capture some epic shots as we had the entire place to ourselves.
Looking down the symmetrical lines of the tunnel echoed that view through the arches at Ouse Valley Viaduct bridge which we visited last month. In contrast to the viaduct, this modern walkway situated in the urban jungle of London, felt like we had left planet earth and were in some sort of a spaceship. It was a unique opportunity during lockdown to see the city of London so quiet and serene.
As nature flourishes and we as humans take a break from our usual busy lives, its significant to note how hectic our pre-covid lifestyles were. The compassion and kindness which has come to light during this time is also overwhelming and proves our resilience as human beings. So as we plummet back towards our ‘normal’ way of life, lets remember how this time in isolation brought us together and proved that not everyday has to be go, go ,go!
Even as a nineties baby who shares a lot of photos online, I’ve continued to print my favourite pictures over the years to create albums, collages or to frame on my wall. When I moved to Australia two and a half years ago, it became less of a priority to be printing all the photos from the incredible memories I was making at the time, yet I always knew I would create an album or collage when I got chance.
There were a lot of fantastic photos from my time living in Australia, so it was hard to narrow down the final polaroids for this section of the collage. In total I decided to make my creation span the past two years of my life – from moving to Aus, my brother getting married and then travelling again with my best friend back in January. Choosing my images for print was challenging, so I would recommend allowing the time to thoroughly scan your social media posts and all of your albums to get the very best of your pictures.
Inspiration to make this Instagram feed style collage came from one of my favourite Swedish influencers Janni Olsson Deler – 
The first step to making your collage is to find a suitable frame, preferably as large as possible. Then once you know the size of your frame, you can order the suitable number of polaroids to fit. My frame was 50cm x 70cm and the polaroids which I managed to get in a mini size from Inkifi were 5.5cm x 8.5 cm, so doing the maths I figured out I could fit 8 across by 8 down, equalling 64 polaroids in total. I decided to order about 10 extra prints as I wanted to see them all laid out first to perfect the balance of colours and compositions.
At only £0.25 per mini Polaroid I ordered from Inkifi.com which proved not only reasonable on price, but also brilliant quality prints with perfect colour and a lovely matt finish. The only other element to consider is what you will be sticking your polaroids onto. I simply used the white paper insert which came in the frame along with a good old fashioned glue stick to secure each print in place. After measuring the boarder width and length each side, I began lining up and sticking each polaroid on side by side.
Once complete, it’s time to open up your frame and give the glass a good clean inside and out, before placing in your final piece. I was so pleased with the overall outcome of my collage and couldn’t believe how easy it was to assemble. I purchased my frame from Ready Made Picture Frames in Basingstoke as this company has worked alongside my mum’s business for years, but equally you could easily find frames of all sizes online. Originally I tried hanging it above my bed, however this is a picture people need to get up close to in order to see the individual photos in detail, so I moved it to be next to my desk instead.
This retro way of displaying your photos is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is also a perfect way to enjoy numerous snapshots all in one place. I will cherish my collage which encapsulates the past two years of my life, full of so many wonderful memories and exciting events. Who knows what the next few years will bring for me, but I can’t wait to make another polaroid collage following the next exciting chapter of my life.
Dani Aneka 