Happy Sunday! I’ve enjoyed a super chilled weekend following a busy time with work at the moment. Of course I’m still recovering from my laser eye surgery last week which I think has been making me feel even more tired than usual as my eyes need extra rest. On Saturday night I had my pregnant sister and dad over for drinks and dinner. I love hosting and welcoming people into our home, so I was excited to get the house prepared and the vibe set in the dining room with music and candles.
To start, I put together my signature cheese board alongside some nibbles including popchips, hummus, olives and my favourite sweet ricotta stuffed peppers.
For dinner I made a quick and easy prawn tomato veg linguine. As with most my cooking, I didn’t follow a recipe but instead just seasoned to taste as I went which resulted in a delicious dish everyone thoroughly enjoyed. A big bowl of salad and garlic bread to accompany the pasta too and it was happy, full tummies all round.
What a wonderful, wholesome evening sharing good food and catching up with my dad and sister, whose baby bump is truly popping now – I can’t wait to be an auntie! ❤
I’ve been considering laser eye surgery for over a year now, so with my 28th Birthday last month, I booked in for my treatment as a present to myself. Whilst this isn’t the cheapest of procedures, I figured it will be well worth it for 10+ years of perfect vision without glasses or contacts. Having done my research, I chose to go with Optical Express which is the UK’s number one provider of laser eye surgery. My experience was extremely positive, from the initial consultation to find out which eye surgery I was suitable for, to the day of surgery and aftercare which is just as important of course.
I had Lasik eye surgery which is the most common type of surgery with a very short recovery time, usually only two days. Immediately after the procedure which I had on Friday it was quite uncomfortable and I had to go home to sleep for a few hours. After a good night’s sleep however, I woke up with clear vision and could see everything in sharp focus, it felt like a miracle! I went for my next day checkup back at Optical Express on Saturday morning to check everything was healing ok and my prescription was indeed back to zero. Now it’s Sunday evening and I’m feeling good and ready to return to work tomorrow morning. I have a number of drops to take four times a day for a week as well as lubricant drops I will continue to take for a month. No makeup is allowed for a week and I mustn’t touch my eyes for this time also, but everything is feeling great and I don’t doubt I’ll be ready for a face of makeup by next Friday. How refreshing going to the pub this weekend makeup free though.
I couldn’t recommend laser eye surgery more to anyone who doesn’t like wearing their glasses and finds contacts inconvenient. My treatment cost £3,500 in total including all the aftercare and it’s been worth every penny for such lovely staff and specialists who guided me through my journey and made me feel very well cared for indeed. There’s no denying the surgery is quite invasive and you are awake, but it’s only a matter of minutes and the surgeon talks you through it so you know what to expect. It truly is life changing and I can’t wait to go on holiday for the first time with my new eyes! Thank you to the team at Optical Express for making my experience with laser eye surgery so seamless and positive.
This Saturday afternoon we decided to head to the picturesque town of Farnham to stroll around and do some filming for my boyfriend’s YouTube channel. The town centre was bustling and those weekend vibes were in the air as we soaked up another crisp, cold winter day in Surrey.
After shooting at different locations around the town, we headed to Lost Boy for an early evening cocktail; an Espresso Martini to perk me up and a classic Mojito for my boyfriend.
With some time to kill before our 8pm dinner reservations, we decided to visit The Wine Yard for a pre-dinner cheeseboard and vino.
They got the cheeseboard spot on complete with dried fruit, walnuts, honey, celery sticks and a divine sweet onion chutney, the perfect accompaniment to our red wine.
I’ve been looking for a good local wine bar just like this to visit with my girlfriends, so I’ll definitely be back here again soon to sample more wines from their extensive range on offer and try their full charcuterie board too.
After another drink over at the Bush Hotel, it was finally time for our dinner reservation at YiaYias at The Fox. We love Greek food and so when my friend recommended this Greek restaurant, I couldn’t wait to try it. Despite it being a busy Saturday night, the food was fantastically authentic and the service very friendly.
We shared humous and flatbread to start, followed by a Greek Salad and Falafel for me, and a traditional Cypriot Greek Chicken Pitta with chips for my boyfriend. Everything was absolutely delicious and accompanied with some lovely Greek white wine I ordered on recommendation too.
What a beautiful way to spend a Saturday with my boyfriend exploring the best of Farnham bars and restaurants. We’ll call it an early Valentines treat to ourselves 😉 ❤
26.01.23 – My 28th Birthday. As I near the end of my twenties, I’ve learnt that growing older doesn’t have to mean life getting more serious, instead I find myself more carefree and not as worried about always having direction in life. After all, it’s about enjoying the journey and living in the present moment appreciating all those you have already in life.
In celebration of my birthday we went for a family meal to Seasons Kitchen in Surrey. Having experienced the street food vans they have in the summer, I’ve been wanting to try the restaurant here for a while now and it didn’t disappoint.
Arriving on Friday evening for our 7pm reservation, we chose the best table in the house by this gorgeous olive tree in the heart of the restaurant.
I started with a divine Daiquiri cocktail which was the perfect combination of sweet and sour complete with a strong kick from the rum.
I wore my C’est Normal two piece set simply accessorised with nude mules, a cream blazer and plenty of gold jewellery. I even treated myself to a blow dry that day and loved the subtle shape she gave to my hair.
We shared an assortment of starters including these flavoured butter boards which take your classic bread and butter to another level. I couldn’t get enough of the caramelised onion topped one, it was delightful.
I was thrilled to have my brother and his wife join us for the evening all the way from Bromley. I’m close with my family so it always means a lot to spend quality time together on special occasions.
For main course I had the Roast Romenesco Cauliflower dish which was a delicious combination of fresh flavours. I also had a taste of my mum’s Chicken Caesar Salad which was very tasty indeed, a classic favourite of mine.
The boys shared this incredible Korean BBQ Short Rib served on pak choi with steamed bao buns. Another highlight of the evening, this was a refreshing Asian twist on your regular bbq ribs.
I had this cute little birthday chocolate assortment after the inevitable Happy Birthday sing song from the staff and restaurant. I also couldn’t resist a cheeky Tia Maria tipple to finish my meal on a high.
What a truly wonderful evening celebrating my 28th Birthday at Seasons Surrey. I’m starting to appreciate everything in my life as it all falls into place and I can’t help but feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world; cheers to another year around the sun ❤
I can’t quite believe it’s been almost 7 years since I graduated dance college. Whilst I continued to work professionally as a Dancer and Actor for a few years following my degree, soon I found myself moving to Australia and on a different career path as I discovered my passion for events working in Sydney. Over the last few years I’ve done some dance classes here and there, but mostly I just continue to do my Ballet exercises as part of my daily workout routine.
Moving my body every day is a non-negotiable for me as I’ve danced since I could walk and I know the benefits daily movement has for be both physically and mentally. My daily workout routine consists of a warm up, usually cardio based, strengthening exercises either focused on core, glutes, upper body or legs, a plank, a handstand hold, ballet barre and a good stretch to finish. I’ve always stayed supple even now I don’t dance professionally which I have achieved by stretching every single day; I believe consistency is key when it comes to staying fit, active and healthy.
Now nearing my 28th Birthday, I realised it had been too long since I’d hired a studio and practiced some dancing. The other night in fact I lay in bed thinking about my old dance routines and how amazing it used to feel expressing myself through dance, so this weekend I decided to dig out the old lycra and hire the local hall to do some dancing.
Reality is it has been a good 5 years or so now since I danced professionally, so my body doesn’t quite move in the same way these days. It really does make me appreciate how good I was back in my prime dance days. I’m still very proud of everything I achieved and only now looking back, do I realise I should’ve had more belief in myself and my skills at the time.
So although I can’t split leap and pirouette the way I used to, I still get that buzz when I put on the music and dance an old routine and practice some moves. Dancing will forever be in my heart and remain my souls method of expression for life; once a dancer, always a dancer ❤
We’re only two weeks into 2023 and already I’m feeling my mindset shift as I strive to achieve my goals for the year ahead and embrace a new perspective on things. I’m determined to make progress this year particularly in my personal mental health and wellbeing, which will in turn give me the freedom to reach my highest potential in all aspects of life.
I was listening to Riley May’s podcast this week in which she delves into The Power of Discomfort: How Embracing the Uncomfortable Leads to Growth and Success. Riley has experienced an extremely successful year building her business as an online mentor and she claims this is very much down to her quote on quote ‘unfuckable mindset’. It’s all about not letting anything external decide your pace or the way you feel or the way you behave, because that will not serve you and it will not excel you. Instead, you have to take responsibility to control your own mindset, and just let go of those things you don’t have power over. It’s this elite frame of mind which will always support you regardless of anything else externally that happens around you or to you whilst navigating through life.
This reminded me of one of my favourite quotes; ‘Every next level of your life requires a different version of you.’ I believe each individual goes through different seasons of their life which challenges them in different ways. My taking from this is that the key is to find your inner peace and power to know no person or event in life can take you from you. So, as I continue forward into the new year, I choose to work on creating my most resilient inner being in order to drive me towards reaching my goals, whilst providing me with that unshakable mindset which isn’t affected by external factors.
Happy New Year! It’s the first day of 2023 and I’m ready for a reset following a few weeks of fabulous festivities and celebrations this Christmas. Whilst I’ve enjoyed a wonderful holiday season spending lots of cherished time with friends and family, I always crave routine and look forward to getting back into the flow of daily life.
So having seen in the New Year last night with close friends and my boyfriend, I took a quiet few moments on this first day of January to write my resolutions for the year ahead. I always try to make goals on my resolutions list realistic and attainable to avoid feeling disappointed in myself if I don’t achieve them by the end of the year, but equally I want to hold myself accountable for those things I say I am going to do but may have pushed aside in the past.
My list also contains a mixture of specific goals such as starting my PT course and getting a second tattoo, as well as more general actions I would like to take forward into the new year like nurturing relationships and simply just staying sane!
A few days before NYE I also put together my yearly Pinterest vision board for 2023. I love using photos of art, fashion, food, travel and quotes to envision my aspirations and goals as well as gaining inspiration for the kind of aesthetic I picture my life embodying.
Cheers to another year ahead full of achieving more great goals, travelling exciting new places, being grateful for the everyday small things and being present whilst living in the moment with loved ones ❤
And just like that, another year of Christmas celebrations is over and we find ourselves in that peculiar space of time between Christmas and New Year’s. After a marathon weekend of festivities, I’m embracing these few days to reset, enjoy some time to myself and regain normality with my usual routine including working out and cooking wholesome healthy meals for myself.
This year we were delighted to be spending Christmas Day at my brother and his wife’s gorgeous newly renovated house in Bromley. Whilst I love a Christmas at our family home hosted by my parents, these days they tend to find the pressures of this time of year a lot of stress, so having that weight off their shoulders this year was a blessing.
It has been a long awaited Christmas at the Bigwood-Nieuwenhys residence, so with the renovation of their home finally complete, it was a pleasure to be hosted by my brother and his wife in the beautiful surroundings of their wonderful new abode. They were fabulous hosts and pulled off the day seamlessly with no fuss, what a dream-team!
With the King’s speech over, the table laid and the Christmas tunes in full swing, I assisted my sister-in-law with the starter to be served at 4pm.
We were treated to an exquisite prawn cocktail starter made with crunchy gem lettuce leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, fresh prawns and a homemade thousand island dressing garnished with a sprinkling of paprika.
Served in aesthetic cocktail glasses complete with the freshest prawns from the local fishmonger, this was the perfect light starter before our roast dinner feast.
My brother did a fantastic job of the deliciously succulent turkey meat accompanied by all the veggies including crispy roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, cinnamon infused red cabbage, and the star of the show, his homemade cauliflower cheese; indulgence at it’s finest.
Following our incredible meal which we finished at about 5pm, drinks continued flowing and we moved onto playing the fun Christmas games. Every year we play the classics like charades, the sticky note game and trivia, but our favourite Nieuwenhuys original is ‘Tap the Crack’. Basically we go around the table and each person has to tap a Christmas song or carol with their cracker for everyone else to guess and it never fails to have us in fits of laughter!
Later in the evening we served dessert of a Christmas pudding, a chocolate yule log and a cheeseboard. It always gets to this point on Christmas Day when as much as I love something sweet or a cheeseboard to finish, I really can’t fit much more in following the roast dinner. So here’s a photo of a cheeseboard spread I made on Christmas Eve complete with truffle flavoured parma ham, cranberry Wensleydale cheese and my favourite element, the pickled onions.
Having stayed up watching Love Actually until 1am, Boxing Day morning we took it slow and went for a walk at midday. We were then off to my Auntie and Uncle’s in Southsea to spend the afternoon and evening with wider family. I wore this new Cider grey knit middy dress with matching bolero sleeves, accessorised with plenty of gold jewellery and my new square toe perspex mules which were a gift from my mum.
Everyone was pretty knackered from all the festivities of the weekend passed, so it was a nice chilled affair catching up with family including their adorable dog Dolly, and enjoying leftover Christmas food with salads and more cheese of course!
We were also thrilled at my sister’s announcement that she and her partner are expecting a baby! What a wonderful way to conclude our Christmas weekend with news of the next generation on its way in the New Year.
Congratulation sis, can’t wait to meet the little one in 2023 ❤
Happy Sunday, I can’t believe it’s already one week to go until Christmas! As schools breakup and businesses quieten down for the holiday season, I am lucky enough to have two weeks off of work from Tuesday this week. I’m looking forward to winding down and embracing the Christmas festivities before we enter the new year.
This past week has been full of fun social celebrations with my office Christmas party last Thursday, a dinner with my boyfriend’s parents on Friday and a night out to the Winchester markets with my best friend and her partner on Saturday evening.
There’s nothing like the annual Christmas markets to get me well and truly in the festive spirit. Wrapped up in my oversized green trench coat, a mulled wine in hand and the smell of hot roasted chestnuts in the air, I had all the fuzzy festive feels as we wondered around Winchester Cathedral grounds lined with the eclectic market stalls.
Winchester was very busy and all the restaurants packed out, but luckily I grabbed us a spot in Overdraft for the best beers on tap alongside the most delicious Mexican food in town.
A casual bar and diner with a live DJ on the decks, Overdraft is the perfect vibe for a low-key date night, double date or grabbing drinks and food with friends.
With a Margarita special on the board, I couldn’t resist a cheeky cocktail to accompany our Mexican feast.
I ordered the smoked pulled aubergine tacos served with lime slaw, crispy courgettes and coriander, whilst my boyfriend opted for the classic chipotle roast chicken burrito with sour cream, red rice, lime slaw, pico de gallo, refried beans and cheese.
Given the tapas sharing style nature of these dishes, we also got some loaded nachos and lime salt fries to share between us all. Everything was super tasty and authentic, you just can’t go wrong with classic Mexican cuisine, it was all delish!
Having finished our food, we went for drinks at another bar in town before heading home. It certainly was a chilly winters night so I was very glad I wore my warmest long trench coat layered over a thick knit jumper, skinny jeans, chelsea boots and my baker boy hat to keep me cosy.
What a wonderful few days of festivities I’ve had complete with the perfect double date night with my best friend and our boyfriends. Bring on another week of Christmas fun in the lead up to the big day; the countdown is on ❤
It’s that time of the year again when Spotify reveals our true music taste by rounding up those artists and genres we have listened to the most over the past 12 months.
I’m always intrigued by people’s wrap for the year and tend to find even my own a surprise as I don’t realise how much I lean towards certain genres. It would seem I’m a big Indie and House lover with a bit of Soul and Pop mixed in there too.
I didn’t expect Ocean Alley to be my number 1 artist this year, but I guess I did go to their gig back in February which got me hooked on their albums. Their music gives me major summer vibes, so I remember playing them a lot during those stunning summer days we had this year.
Spotify identified my listening style as ‘The Deep Diver’. I’d say this is an accurate summary for me as I use Spotify to discover new artists through those I already know and love. That’s how I discovered Fred Again earlier this year just before he had a big summer playing heaps of festivals and firmly establishing himself within the Dance – House music scene.
So there’s my Spotify all wrapped up for the year. I made some great new artist discoveries along the way whilst still going back to my old favourites including Odesza and Lane 8. Now I need to get some gigs and festivals booked for the new year, top on my list is to see Fred Again ❤
Dani Aneka 