Christmas Party Silly Season

As soon as we hit December, I find myself at another Christmas celebration week on week; this is the official season of partying and being merry!

The month began with a festive lunch and private show around on the 5th December at the newly opened Fairmont Windsor Park.

I was invited with work to view the stunning event spaces and rooms there and the hotel was beautifully decorated ready for Christmas, it got me feeling so festive!

We were treated to lunch in the gorgeous bar area where I had a few small plates of dill cured salmon served with buttermilk sauce and pickled cucumber, and the pumpkin kale salad topped with blackberries and pumpkin seeds. The food was exquisite and it was a lovely afternoon being hosted by the team at the Fairmont.

Later that week, it was our member’s Christmas Social Lunch with work which we held at Platform in Shoreditch.

Starting at 12 noon, we welcomed our guests to play retro games together whilst enjoying drinks and freshly made festive pizzas. This is a relaxed, fun event we host every December to thank our members for their engagement and support throughout the year.

Onto the second week of December, last Thursday we had our internal team celebration lunch at Zero Degrees in Reading. This was a great opportunity to spend time with colleagues outside of work and celebrate another successful year together as a team.

That brings us to yesterday when we drove to the Cotswolds for a family lunch with my boyfriend’s relatives. I wore my Stradivarius mid-wash flared jeans, Pull & Bear khaki long sleeve backless top, platform Ugg boots, Zara cropped aviator jacket, a check print scarf also from Zara, my brown knitted beret and my new Coach signature print handbag, worn across body to complete the look.

We met at a pub called The Bell Inn at Welford on Avon and to start, me and my boyfriend shared the fresh bread and olives served with oil and balsamic.

For main I opted for the smoked salmon and prawn salad paired with a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio wine, the perfect light lunch.

There’s plenty of roast dinners and heavy food to come over the Christmas period, so I always like to have something fresh and healthier when I can.

Another wonderful afternoon spent with family and friends enjoying good food and drinks whilst catching up and having lots of laughs together.

So now we approach the final week before Christmas bringing with it yet more parties and celebrations with loved ones; let the happy merry times roll ❤

Festival Fun; All Points East London

Summer festival season was in full swing down south of the UK this weekend with Reading, Victorious and All Points East all kicking off over the late August bank holiday. Me and my girlfriends joined the crowds heading to All Points East in London this Saturday dressed in our festival gear and glittered up, ready to party summer festi style again.

After getting ready together at my friend’s flat in Islington, we arrived at Victoria Park where the afternoon sun was shining and good vibes were in the air; it felt great to be back at a festival again soaking up that awesome atmosphere.

I love festival fashion as an excuse to go all out and express yourself with fun outfits and different accessories. I kept the base of my outfit simple with denim Levi shorts and a layered crop-top, leaving my statement Stradivarius cowboy boots to do the talking. A cute lace choker, coin chain belt, curly hair with a gold leave headband and glitter eye gems completed my look.

My girlfriends looked fabulous in their stunning outfits too, it was so fun getting all dressed up and hyped for a festival together again. Tinnies in hand and golden hour upon us, you couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces as we grooved along to Charlie XCX.

My festival fuel of choice was Island Poke where I got their classic ahi tuna bowl with all the toppings. This nutritious, colourful meal was so delicious and provided me with all the good energy for a night of more dancing ahead.

At 8pm one of my favourite DJs Fred Again was playing in the tented stage. Unfortunately the venue was packed out and it was near impossible to get inside without being pushed and shoved. Now I know what crowds are like and I’ve been to my fair share of big festivals, but this year’s All Points East festival was clearly overbooked and there shouldn’t have been that many tickets issued.

Thankfully Disclosure headlining on the main stage made up for our experience at Fred Again as we finally had the space to dance together in our group without being pushed all over the place. Sam Smith made an appearance and they put on a fantastic show to close the evening. Overall a wonderful day out with my girls partying at a music festival altogether again like old times; cheers to the memories ❤

Australia to America; Family Reunion

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 ❤

Par-Tee Time; Let’s Celebrate

It’s been a slow Sunday for me here at home following a fun evening out in Reading with my boyfriend and his mates last night. With my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow we organised early celebrations this weekend and I was so ready for a proper night out on the town!

Starting with dinner, I made 8pm reservations at Thai Corner in Reading. We absolutely love Thai food and this place didn’t disappoint, my prawn pad thai noodles were delicious. The restaurant was buzzing on a Saturday night and the service was fantastic too. No doubt we will be returning for a date night there again soon when I will have to try one of their yummy curries too.

After our meal we went to Brewdog for drinks before heading over to Spinners for our 10pm booking at the mini golf.

A few drinks down and with more drinks as we played, we had a right laugh as we took on the mini golf course. I actually managed a number of hole in ones even after all of the prosecco I’d been guzzling!

After finishing our game, we continued the par-tee spirit and decided to hit a few bars and clubs in town. It ended up being a late one as we found ourselves still dancing in the club until 3am!

Everyone had an awesome evening in celebration of my boyfriend’s birthday, only this morning’s hangover was less enjoyable…but this is how we roll, making memories and embracing the moments together because life is for living ❤