Happy Sunday Babes! Coming at you today with a healthy, super quick salad idea to pack in those vitamins and glow up ready for summertime. The secret to making nourish bowls is to simply pack them full of colourful veggies and bulk them out with those dark leafy greens. Pick a grain such as couscous, rice or quinoa and ensure to include a protein source whether that’s chicken, fish, tofu or even a soft boiled egg. This week I tried out these Tofu Co sweet chilli bites which were delicious, but I would suggest trying falafel and crumbled feta for a Mediterranean twist. Complete your bowl with a sprinkling of seeds and finally any dips and sauces you fancy. I often opt for a tex mex dip selection when I’m in the mood for Mexican, or humous and balsamic dressing to accompany falafels. Basically, throw together a combo of all your favourite flavours and don’t skimp on those veggies for the ultimate nourish bowl full of goodness 🙂
With a mini heatwave hitting England this weekend, it was the perfect excuse to fire up that BBQ and invite our parents to enjoy an evening of good food and drinks with us as the sun went down.
Our garden is finally complete with fabulous bamboo trees and our gorgeous new outdoor furniture. The luscious green grass was looking glorious in that sunshine, the most picturesque setup for our BBQ.
We kept the menu simple with burgers, chicken skewers and chicken thighs accompanied with a green salad, a greek salad, garlic bread and my speciality crispy roast new potatoes with garlic.
For our feast I laid up the dining room table complete with a tray of condiments and all the essential sauces which are a staple for any typical British BBQ.
It was such a joy to be host for the evening and finally be able to invite others into our home following lockdown restrictions. I do love the process of planning, preparing and seeing people having a good time, so I was in my element.
A beautiful summers evening with family in our wonderful new home; I was a happy Bee indeed 🙂
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 ❤
Happy hump day babes! I can’t believe it’s already the end of April and we’ve been here in our new home for well over a month now. Settling into a new home and getting it just the way you want it certainly is an ongoing process, as we continue to receive numerous deliveries of furniture and shuffle things around whilst we enhance decor and details also. Needless to say it’s been a busy month and each day there has been something new and exciting to look forward to as the house takes shape.
Having a four bed house as a blank canvas to decorate sure is a task, however with the help of my amazing mother-in-law we’ve had fun putting our stamp on the place. Mirrors are key to lightening and brightening smaller spaces, so we found this beautiful water droplet shape mirror for our hallway to hang over the unique radiator cover.
We chose to introduce touches of gold to compliment the grey and silver tones in the dining room and living room. I’m obsessed with this palm leaf statue and gold angel wing ornament, I’ve even got a second wing to go on the other side now. I’m also really happy with the stunning mango wood sideboard and cupboard to match in the living room. The dark wood wash adds a little warmth and the subtle gold abstract design on the doors bring the colour scheme together.
Following this photo being taken, I have already added more Moroccan style elements to the living room, including a floor standing Moroccan plant pot and Moroccan placemats with candles for the coffee tables. I plan on changing up a few cushions in here too with more boho abstract patterns as it’s feeling a little boyish at the moment! And whilst we’re yet to decide on our outdoor furniture, my Auntie did treat us to the perfect house warming gift of Moroccan style solar panelled lanterns – they create the most wonderful patterns lit up at night.
Last week we were very excited to finally sleep in our master bedroom for the first time. Despite ordering our TV bed back in February, unfortunately delivery was delayed so we have been sleeping in our spare room. We couldn’t wait to experience the novelty of a TV bed which comes with a full speaker system, under-bed storage and is super comfy. We’ve opted for an industrial style in our bedroom with the black spot lighting, black bedsheets and modern side tables. Of course we need a big photo for above the bed which we haven’t found yet, but I’m thinking either a gallery wall with prints and quotes, or some sort of beach sunset image; we want something striking yet timeless.
Now we have our gym equipment, we’ve in fact decided to swap the office and gym rooms over. Luckily we had both done with hard wood flooring, it was just too small for my boyfriend’s weight set and my yoga matt in the back room. This is just another one of those things which you learn as you live in a house, it takes time to know what will work best for you and your lifestyle.
I still love our kitchen and the simplicity of it, particularly that peaceful view of the trees out of the front window where Sandler the plant lives (we have chosen to name our house plants after actors!).
We spend a lot of time in here and eat most evening meals at the island as it is so comfortable, but we are yet to find a suitable photo or even photo gallery for the kitchen wall also.
We spend a lot of time in here and eat most meals at the island as it is so comfortable, but we are yet to find a suitable photo or even photo gallery for the kitchen wall also.
The garden is finally turfed now and soon we will be getting Red Robin trees lined along the back and flower bedding down the sides. Our patio area is another large space perfect for entertaining, so I’m keen to get a nice corner sofa and fire-pit table to fully enjoy those late summer evenings.
This is another gorgeous mirror feature we also added to complete the dining room, we are just waiting on a floor-lamp to finish off in here now. And whilst there is lots of finishing touches still to be added, the house is coming together nicely now and we are truly feeling like we are at home here in our beautiful abode ❤
There’s nothing quite like a Friday evening trip down the pub to wind down after the working week and see in the weekend. With the easing of lockdown restrictions here in the UK last Monday, pub gardens were packed out across the country as thirsty punters were able to enjoy their usual tipple in the company of friends and family once again.
Whether it’s meeting girlfriends to share a bottle of vino or grabbing a drink with the boyfriend and soaking up the social atmosphere, I’ve most definitely missed a weekly pub outing. I was keen to get our Friday evening all booked to avoid disappointment, so we had 6pm sundown drinks at our local pub garden, followed by 8pm dinner at another gastro pub.
The sun may have been shining, but there’s no denying the April cold chill is still in the air. An open garden whilst the sun was setting was ideal, but later on I was glad to be going to The Hogget where they are fully equipped for that cold English weather. Fully enclosed marquee, faux fur covered benches, blankets and patio heaters, we were cosy!
When it came to choosing my outfit for the night, I wanted style but of course warmth too, so it was all about layers, layers, layers. I opted for a pair of black skinny jeans, classic maroon Chelsea boots and four layers up top – a vest, khaki chord shirt, knitted cream polo neck sleeve and tie waist Zara overcoat. Completing that country chic aesthetic with a black belted fedora hat, suited and booted ready for a glass of bubbly.
I’m not usually one for traditional pub food, but there was a novelty in eating that greasy pub grub once again. I had the veggie patty burger with salad and sweet potato fries, whilst my boyfriend had half a rack of ribs and chips. Impressively the food arrived steaming hot. Snuggled under a few blankets as we tucked into our feast, we thoroughly enjoyed the first slap up pub meal after so long.
Despite our Friday night fun pub garden hopping, I won’t be doing it again in a rush until the weather heats up. However with a heatwave set to treat England this week, a daytime pub outing will be on the cards for sure.
So as we continue to head in the right direction towards normality and socialising again, I think we’ll all find ourselves more grateful for the little moments of joy in life, even if that is simply heading down the pub for a pint!
On April 8th 2021 I officially became owner to a little Hot Chocolate coloured Mini Cooper Convertible. After seeing her advertised on Auto Trader last week, I booked in for a test drive straight away and it was love at first drive. As me and my boyfriend pulled back into the car garage that day, one of my favourite songs ‘Loud Places’ by Jamie XX came on the radio and I knew it was meant to be – this would be my car song ❤
With full black leather interior, fabulous alloy wheels and in that delicious mocha finish, she’s unique and quite the head turner particularly when the soft top is down.
To be honest, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a convertible and it was just a bonus to getting this car. However after taking her out for my first topdown spin on Friday morning, it was so much fun and now I can’t wait for those warm summer days roof down cruising!
As my new little racer baby, I’m also getting gold racing stripes down the bonnet to complete the look. Mini Coopers and racing stripes go hand in hand, so it has to be done right?
Rayban sunnies on, rooftop down and early summer sun glistening as we cruised through English countryside lanes, what a way to kick off a Friday and welcome in the weekend.
I’m now a member of the Mini Cooper Club and ready to dive head first into a summer of fun spinning around in my little yummy mini 😀
Dani Aneka 