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Category Archives: Events

My Birthday

30 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by lotales in Events, Places I go, Southsea

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birthday, Blogger, eating out, Ginger and Peach, Hotel Du Vin, southsea, Southsea Coffee Co

Last month I celebrated my 33rd birthday, my last birthday as a Miss and as a Lowman…

I hadn’t made any huge plans (with all the saving and busy diaries) so instead I spent the day with my fiancĂ© and the evening with the lovely Mr & Mrs Zissou at one of our local faves.

The day started how all lazy birthdays should start, with a lie in and being made breakfast. After some dippy eggs and some cards in bed I returned from my shower to find my awesome pressie from the boy. He had made me a huge (and I mean HUGE) pair of Vegan Buffalo Horns. We’d been keeping an eye out for some for ages to decorate the door of the wedding barn and not wanting to spend a fortune, he instead thought he’d make me some, Carved from a huge piece of wood they certainly make and impact!! (I’ve yet to take a proper photo as they’re so big! haha)

After that, and because the weather was horrid we gave up on plans to stroll round Mottisfont and instead headed to Winchester for afternoon tea at Hotel Du Vin. What we had was lovely (so much cake) but very lovely (although I must admit I was a little disappointed I didn’t get the promised candy floss! haha) Sorry all the pics are a bit grainy, I left the big camera at home for the day…

There was so much food we smuggled out what we didnt eat and took it with us to the Everyman Cinema. If you’ve not been to an Everyman before go! We got a Sofa (still cheaper then VIP seats at VUE and you can even take in alcoholic drinks and proper food!

We watched the lost land of Z and as an unexpected film (thery only have 2 screens) I was super impressed and we enjoyed it muchly (we would have gone to see Beauty and the Beast but had already watched that a few nights previously on our 4 month count down! – It’s so good, if you’ve not seen it yet, go!)

After that we headed home and had just enough time to freshen up then we strolled down to Southsea Coffee Co for our first raw supper club.

This was amazing (isn’t it always) The tables had all been jiggled round and with low lighting and candles it utterly set the scene for an intimate nights eating.

Communal tables (although we bagged the only table of 4) meant you had the opportunity to meet new friends and share foody tales between courses.

On arrival we were given a virgin peach bellini which set the tone for the evening. From there we had 4 courses of incredible raw vegan food which was all inspired by Italian cuisine (will share the full menu below). I even ate tiramisu and I hate coffee so that’s a testament to the quality of what we were given!!

In a weird way, being that no alcohol was served, we all felt slightly intoxicated, something Ginger & Peach owner Tara assured us was normal and due to the amazing benefits of a raw feast! weird, but good!

We finished the meal with a Limone drink and with full bellies and a happy heart we then headed home and I started my 33rd year of life content and filled with love.

I was utterly spoilt throughout the day by wonderful caring words and well wishes from my nearest and dearest, it’s enough to make a girl feel oh-so-very lucky!!!

And there you have it, another birthday done….<3

Ps, In case you’re interested the full menu was as follows:

VIRGIN BEACH BELLINI

PIZZA – Tomato, basil, cashew cream cheeze and smoked cheeze, fig, red onion, coconut bacon

SPAGHETTI DI ZUCCHINI PESTO – courgette noodles, pesto, smoked tomatoes, ‘parmesan’

POLPETTINE, SALSA MARINARA DI POMPODORA – Raw vegan style dehydrated & fresh tomato sauce with no-meat balls, “roasted” squash, garlic mushroom crisps, kale, parsnip, sweet potato and fresh Italian herbs

TI-RAW-MISU

LIMONE

You can Follow all the latesr from Ginger and Peach here (facebook) and here (instagram) you should also probably check out their website whilst you’re at it too!

Lake of Lights

17 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by lotales in Events, Family, Southsea

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Christmas, family, grief, lake of lights, southsea

I haven’t publicly said this anywhere yet but last week I lost my wonderful grandad. I’m struggling with my grief at the moment and am stuck somewhere between being ok and wanting to break down. 

I woke up super early this morning from a horrible dream where my bellybutton was falling apart. After a bit of research into dream interpretations I discovered the following…

Seems about right… 

An annual Rowans Hospice event which is hosted very locally to us each year caught the attention of both Maxwell and I given the recent events and also as the date marks another sad anniversary in Maxwells family. 

So armed with a flask of hot chocolate and warm coats we walked to the end of the road and attended my first ever lake of lights service. 

It was lovely, we donated to the charity for a light each for my grandad and Abi and after some carols and a short service we added our lights to the floats and sent them out into the lake. 

In a moment of silence, with tears rolling down my face I tried to say goodbye to a man I dearly loved. 

I won’t go on (typing and tears don’t mix) but instead will share with you a few photos…

Easter Birthday Fun

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by lotales in Events, Things I do

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birthday, Birthday celebrations, Blogger, blogging, Easter, Easter Weekend, Jam & Bowler, Maison Blanc, PLaces to eat, River Cottage, River Cottage Canteen, Southsea Coffee Co, The Black Boy, things to do, Uk Blog, Uk Lifestyle blog

I have been a busy girl of late, not only was it Easter (aka a few days off with my man) but I also celebrated my 32nd Birthday… all in all… a fun filled few days of much merriment and lots of very lovely people…

So… lets start at the beginning – Good Friday (and what a good Friday it was) After a lazy morning we headed to our favourite breakfast spot Southsea Coffee Co. I had a well loved and always delicious Tostada but I must admit I was a tad jealous of Maxwell’s Moroccan inspired special!

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After that we decided to get off the island and head to the nearest bit of green we could think of… We decided on Lyndhurst (unfortunately it seemed we weren’t the only ones) After a bit of a queue we abandoned the car in a lay-by and strolled past car upon car into the nearby town.

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A well deserved pint and a stroll round the vintage and charity shops a few happy hours were spent and we left with a pasty and chips in search of somewhere pretty to sit.

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We enjoyed a late lunch looking out over the stunning New Forest and then headed back home ignoring the still queuing traffic. Once back in local territory we headed to Still & West and enjoyed a drink or two watching the sun set over Gosport.

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On Saturday I spent the majority of the day cleaning in preparation for a dinner party with a few of my lovely friends. 8 of us dined around our little dining table and a blooming lovely time was had by all… such a lovely time that I kind of forgot to take many photos. We got through an obscene amount of booze and enjoyed a rather scrumptious raclette!

Screen shot 2016-04-06 at 20.43.02 Screen shot 2016-04-06 at 20.43.22 Screen shot 2016-04-06 at 20.43.37On Sunday (Easter Sunday obviously) we woke (a little fuzzy headed) and after clearing away the bottles and party remains we started our day how any good Easter Sunday should begin… with chocolate eggs, disney films and a blanket on the sofa. Clear blue skies and sunshine teased us from the other side of the curtains and we gave into it’s promises, grabbed our bikes and headed outside to blow the cobwebs (ahem woozy heads) away.

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I noticed a few days earlier that we’d missed our non-date anniversary (the first day we spent together back on 9/3/12) so in honour of the day my oh-so-romantic fiancĂ© planned a tribute to that day. As the Hayling Ferry is no more, we went for the next best option, the Gosport Ferry….

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Unbeknownst to me a hot soup and prosecco picnic had been packed and looking back towards The spinnaker Tower, nestled behind some plants we took shelter from the winds (hello storm Katie) and had our selves a belated non-date reminiscent date! I have to admit, I think that lying outside, with the sun warming your face is one of the best feelings ever!

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In the evening a few more special friends joined me at Sant Yago‘s new underground speak-easy-esq bar for a few cocktails and more good times! Yay to good friends!   ❤

Easter Monday… (and we’re nearly there I promise) started with a lie in. Storm Katie was a feisty little lady last night resulting in not much sleep… Maxwell, concerned about the welfare of his various boats and vehicles suggested we head to Emsworth, I suggested seen we were in that neck of the woods we make a pitstop in the awesome Sausage and Mash pub.

DSCF1675 DSCF1676 DSCF1674The boats (Maxwell’s own and various ones he’s working on) were all fine, luckily escaping Katie’s windy clutches. Whilst having a mooch around we caught up with Maxwell’s friend who was woking out on the water and considering the wild weather last night the Mill Pond was utterly still and everywhere was ever-so peaceful.

DSCF1672 DSCF1673You wouldn’t exactly call it warm though so we headed for the Sussex brewery to warm up and enjoyed a couple of games and a couple of bangers (and mash). In the eve Pappa Lo & the lovely Rosilyn popped over for a cuppa and to deliver a birthday present.

Finally, after dragging it out all weekend, the big day had arrived! Whoo Hoo…. Unfortunately my weird new morning allergy hadn’t got the memo so woke me up at 6am… I escaped to the sofa, blanket in tow, so not to wake my sleeping lover (as I do most mornings) Luckily I managed to get a little extra sleep and was re woken a few hours later in a much more pleasant way. We started the day by opening a few cards and some pressies…

DSCF1677 DSCF1678Presents done we showered, dressed and headed out for a late brekkie, this time at Jam & Bowler. From there it was onwards to some more charity shops in a bid to add to our ever growing wedding collection of bits & bobs! (Exciting)

DSCF1682DSCF1683Unfortunately Cosham proved rubbish so we headed to Winchester… After a bit of better luck the rain arrived so it only seem right to take refuge inside Maison Blanc and dry off with the help of a savoury croissant and a slice of cake. (It’s a Birthday so calories don’t count ok)

DSCF1684 DSCF1685 DSCF1688From there, a few more shops then onwards to our favourite Winchester Pub, The Black Boy… 

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Nestled on a beat up old table next to the fire, surround by the weird and wonderful, we enjoyed a few (too many) glasses of wine and some games (hello old pacman)

DSCF1695 DSCF1699 DSCF1689DSCF1692 DSCF1701By this stage it was dark outside and I was a little tipsy, Maxwell said he had one last surprise and I had 5 mins to finish my drink… Off we headed and we ended up at the awesome River Cottage Canteen!

I had never been before by by golly it was good! By some strange coincidence it was also Veg Out Night, their monthly vegetarian only evening. If you haven’t been before I 100% recommend you do!

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We had an amazing dinner and literally cleared our plates! Also, (because I feel it needs saying) the food was SO reasonably priced!!

DSCF1706 DSCF1707 DSCF1708 DSCF1710 DSCF1711 DSCF1714 DSCF1715Utterly stuffed and content Maxwell had one last surprise, he had brought me (with help from some lovely family members) a super cool Fugifilm intax mini 90 (wow) and gave me the most beautiful card… (I 100% promise it didn’t make me cry……)

DSCF1709 DSCF1713 DSCF1712 So there you have it…. my utterly wonderful birthday surrounded by good friends, the love of my life and good food. What’s not to like!   ❤  Same time next year?DSCF1703

Victorious & Wet

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Things I do

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British Summer, Festival, Flaming Lips, portsmouth, Rainy Festival, summer, Victorious, Victorious Festival

So another bank holiday August weekend, another splendid Victorious Festival!

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This is their 4th year and the weekend was fab, except the weather, which was crap, but we’ll let them off that I suppose!!

We managed to meet up with a lovely crowd of friends for the day (we headed down there on the Saturday) but unfortunately we didn’t get a good group shot before the rain started and the camera was safely stowed the in the bag!

Wet play did interfere a bit and we didn’t do all that we wanted to but much fun and merriment was still had by all and with the night ending with a psychedelic Flaming Lips performance we couldn’t really complain…

Here’s a few snaps I took in between the downpours….

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Mermaid Disco

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Things I do

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blogging, charity, fancy ress, fbn, fierce babes, fierce babes network, friends, good cause, good times, Mermaid fancy dress, Mermaids, Mermaids Charity, night out, Uk Blogger

I’ve mentioned before about the FBN that I’m part of, You can read about it here if you missed the first post….

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Well we had ourselves a little shindig the other week, a spangly, sequinny, sparkly evening of sorts…. yep, a room full of 20-30something ladies all pretending to be mermaids!!!!!!!

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Now, lets not our kid ourselves…. we all have a bit of a fascination with these mystical ladies of the deep, Not that I’m saying that I dye my hair red to be like Ariel or anything, it’s just a coincidence I assure you, but still the fact is there, I do have mermaid colour hair and I’m all good with that!!!

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So on a average Wednesday evening babes from across Portsmouth were donning their most spangliest outfit and covering their faces in glitter…. obviously.

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An all girl night, with guilty pleasure music and girly raffle prizes and it was all for a good cause too!

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The night was raising money for the appropriately named Mermaids Charity.

Mermaids is a support group (originally formed in 1995) for children and young children with longstanding Gender Identity Issues. The charity supports the difficulties and trauma that gender issues commonly bring to families. Over the years Mermaids has built up alliances with other organisations across the UK, and in some cases internationally, to try to support, educate, and alleviate suffering.

It really is a brilliant worthy cause, and I personally couldn’t think of a better reason to get the glitter out on a wednesday evening. I’m really proud to share that we raised ÂŁ200 for the charity that evening. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

11900083_10155949910305302_6248462504100530498_n 11904704_10155949910080302_3417695069021085450_nI’m happy to report, a fantastic night was had by all. We ended the evening in the only suitable way possible, by dancing and singing the night away in the local gay club beneath 2 giant silver mermaids…. it was meant to be! Cant wait till next time!

America’s Cup

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Southsea, Things I do

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Tags

America's Cup, America's Cup Portsmouth, Americas Cup races, Blogger, blogging, Boats, Dark & Stormy, days out, English Weather, family time, Lifestyle blog, Lotales, portsmouth, Racing, southsea, southsea coffee company, The Wave Maiden

At the end of July a pretty big event happened in our sweet little Southsea. The America’s Cup came to town….and so did the rain.

As it was our anniversary weekend we decided to get away from the hustle and bustle but not wanting to miss out on such a big event we decided to check it out on the Friday with Mumma Lo…. I believe it was the qualifying rounds… but don’t quote me on that!

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We began our day with a sneaky little cuppa hot chocolate and some toasted nibbles at our favourite Southsea Coffee Company! After that we braved the awful weather to meet my very sensibly dressed Mumma….

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We eventually found the entrance and made our way to the sea front to ‘see’ the boats…. now it may of just been me, but there was hundreds of people (also sensibly dressed) staring out to sea looking equally baffled as I was…. after clambering onto a wall and joining lots of other bemused looking people we quite quickly gave up and made the sensible decision to head to the Dark and Stormy bar….

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ÂŁ24 later with 3 rum punches in hand we enjoyed a slight let up in the rain and hung out with a couple of pirates which was fun and much more interesting then trying to figure out what was going on with the boats…

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After that, we had a quick a stroll round some of the tents and headed back to the waters edge to get a couple of snaps of the ‘race’ then promptly gave up, drenched to the bone and blooming cold we sought out a comfy sofa and some beer and cheesy carb fuel in the awesome Wave Maiden!

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Now, I’m sure on saturday, when the sun was shining and everyone was smiling, the day and the event was amazing and enjoyed by all, but I gotta be honest with you…. I’m not convinced……. Till next year hey!

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Juno and the Fire Nose

04 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Family

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Blogger, blogging, Christening, Christening Day, family, Family Blog, friends, god daughter, Godparent, milestone, Summer fun, Uk Blogger

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A couple of weeks back I had the honour of being asked to be a god parent again.

That takes ‘my girl’s up to three and how very proud I am of them all, all so different, all such little characters who I adore. This time the lady of the day was the comic loving, funniest and clumsiest (not so) little lady Miss Juno Sheridan Hughes.

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I have known Tim, Juno’d dad since I was 17 and he remains a great friend of mine. One of those friends who you can not see for months, but when you meet up it feels like no time has passed at all!

I was honoured when Tim asked me, originally when the little lady was pretty new to this world, and again 4 years down the line.

Juno cracks me up, she has the funniest little laugh, she is the cutest comic book geek you’ve ever seen and occasionally comes out with the strangest phrases in a pretty accurate american accent!?!

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The day of the christening was chilled, family orientated and fun (with lots of cake which lets be honest, cake makes any good day great!) The best part for me was watching Juno run round with her christening candle telling people that she was going to ‘burn them with her fire nose’…. totally normal christening behaviour I’m sure you’ll agree!

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After the ceremony presents were opened: we opted for 2, one to enjoy now, Lego obviously, and a second to treasure forever, a charm bracelet which I will add to over the years for her. After the church the dress was ditched in exchange for some casual togs and to the pub we all headed for some sun and a few more cuddles!!

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So here’s to your future little lady… I look forward to sharing it with you and being there for you always! xoxo ps…. could she be any cuter??!?

Food Festival

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Places I go, Southsea

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Tags

days out, Events, Food Festival, Hampshire, portsmouth, southsea, southsea food festival, summer, Summer Events

Once a year, every year, Palmeston Road in Southsea changes itself into a huge open air food court! The annual Southsea Food Festival is definitely a date for the diary!

Maxwell, I and out housemate Ed headed down there for a day of over indulgence and many a happy mouthful!

Plenty of Southsea’s independent eateries and drinking holes were represented in addition to farmers markets and other foody stalls!! We came up with a cuning plan to share everything so we could try more, Clever huh!?

From pizzas to paella, Thai to Jamaican, bread, cakes, pies, churros and chocolate…. I could go on forever, there really was something for everyone and as well as leaving with full tummies we left with bags of goodies to fill the fridge with!

I’ll let the photos do the talking and sorry in advance for making you hungry! I’ll also list at the end of some of the independent stalls at the end so you can check them out!

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The Gin Emporium | Pie & Vinyl | Staggeringly Good Brewery | Circolo | The Belle Isle | Catch a Fire |  Cavendish Kitchen | Bread Addiction | Southsea Coffee Company | Paella Paella | Cheese & Cheers | Lin’s Thai Cafe | Bubble& | Southsea Beach Cafe

Here’s to next year……

An Italian Love Story Pt 1

26 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by lotales in Events, Places I go, Things I do

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Blogger, celebrate, friends, italian wedding, Lifestyle blog, Lotales, love, married, Southern Italy, Spongano, Summer Wedding, Tenuta Lucagiovanni, wedding, Wedding Blog, wedding blogger, wedding post

So…. after our Rotterdam Wedding adventures (which you can read about here and here) we headed home for approximately 12hrs, then turned around and headed straight off again, this time to the beautiful south of Italy.

Last time we were celebrating Merel and Marcel, this time to celebrate the wedding of Liam and Lacey… (Loving these couples and their matching names!) You could say the new Mr & Mrs Hunter-Felton have a bit of a love affair the region of Italy in which they chose to get married. They took their first joint holiday there and got engaged there, so it was an obvious choice for a beautiful wedding… I’m sure the fact they are massive foodies had something to do with it too!

All in all we had 5 days of Italian sunshine (with the odd downpour thrown in for good measure) We arrived on the Wednesday, checked into our amazing Air B&B, a charming 18th century masseria located in a small village in the heart of Salento which goes by the name of Spongano and explored the local area and the charming local restaurant.

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Team Spongano was an almighty collective which in addition to the boy and I included my dear friends Chloe (aka the Magpie Mother) and Steve and their girls Iris and Matilda, the beautiful Kelly and Charlie, and new friends Beth (aka Dotty Dishes), her husband Steve and their friend Alice…. It was a full house, but a fun house!

The wedding took place on the Friday, so that left Thursday to explore Castro and enjoy an evening cocktail party at the soon-to-be-marrieds villa, Sunday was spent enjoying an all day pool party at the grooms brothers Villa and Monday we explored our way back along the coast before finally heading home.

Like with Rotterdam, I’ll split the post in two so not to bombard you with photos (It really is such a pretty place and the food…. So. Much. Food!!)

We’ll start again with the reason behind the trip the grand wedding!

Our bride and groom were married in the Tenuta Lucagiovanni and oh my gosh….. what a sensation wedding venue. In a cue for the loos with the wedding planner, she described it to me as “the Italian equivalent of the Ritz, that people flock from all over Italy to get married there”, and it’s not hard to see why!

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We arrived through rows of olives groves and were met with an imposing wall which gave nothing away of the luxury which lied within… we strolled towards the venue and the first space we encountered was the main square, a space with seated areas and a covered veranda. Milling around and meeting other beautifully dressed guests it wasn’t long before we were ushered towards the meadow and to take our seats ready for the ceremony.

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Seated outside, the sweet smell of flowers and sounds of the harpist we took our seats and smiled at the groom who waited with an excited/nervous smile on his face!

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Lacey arrived and looked every inch the italian bride in her stunning gown from Anya Bridal and huge flowing bouquet beaming from ear to ear!

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The ceremony itself was a funny thing…. The typical looking Italian Mayor oversaw the vows and these were then translated to English for us. It seems Italian wedding ceremonies involve a lot of bylaws and bureaucracy…. At some point though, it was all made official and the newly wedded Mr & Mrs Hunter-Felton shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

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As they walked back down the aisle as a Mr & Mrs they were showered in rice (an Italian equivalent to confetti) we were then offered a selection of drinks and canapés and presented with a beautiful paper parasol for all the female guests.

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10629858_10155660769485302_2659799972197760901_n 11393153_10155660769370302_2646363059575971274_n 11391211_10155660769700302_4886141146815806038_n 18895_10155660770160302_8025850205185412043_nEveryone made their way back to the main square where a bar and 2 food tables had sprung up. We enjoyed the antipasti course with an aperol spritz in hand whilst lounging around the square in the beautiful sunshine. The food, as expected was incredible… freshly made mozzarella and breads on one table and a selection of fried and freshly cooked morsels on the other….

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A inspiring mix-up to the traditional english way of doing things, was that the speeches took place then too! With all the guests relaxed and drinks in hand, this made the whole formal speech scene so much more relaxed and enjoyable!

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After the speeches were made and many laughs were had, we headed parasol in hand to the orange garden to find our seats for dinner. This beautiful square garden was laid out with tables round the outside and a little table for two for the newlyweds (another nice touch I thought, giving the couple some special time alone together to reflect on the day before rejoining their guests) The food continued to be incredible, The pasta course was a local semolina pasta with a tasty tomato sauce, The main course was a choice between local speciality fish (which I opted for) or steak… all was delicious and washed down with many glasses of cool white wine which seemed to be topped up every time an impeccably dressed waiter walked by!

Another lovely touch was the favours for the boys (don’t want them feeing left out) ordered and made especially for the wedding by a local olive oil grove, we tasted ours the other day and its incredible!

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As the sun started to set and parasols were put down we left the Orange Garden and headed through the stunning house to secret garden where the bride and groom cut their cake, without a doubt, the biggest wedding cake I have ever seen!!

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In addition to cake, there was fresh fruit galore, a selection of other cakes and a gelato bar. Maxwell is still raving about the pistachio icecream!!

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Making the most of the generous free bar, a glass of prosecco in hand, the crowds gathered to watch the first dance. From that moment on we barely left the ‘dancefloor’.

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It was such a fun wedding, so indulgent and opulent but also so personal and ‘them’. Having the whole day outside was glorious and I smile just thinking of the day, the love, and having a jolly old time with some my closest friends!

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I’ll post about the rest of the Italian holiday soon, but till then, arrivederchi.

Fierce Babes

21 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by lotales in Craft, Events, Things I do

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

blog, blogging, fbn, feminisn, fierce babes, fierce babes network, girls, Lotales, portsmouth, portsmouth fierce babes network

This is my lovely friend Lou, Lou’s pretty darn fierce. 

She’s just launched the Portsmouth Firece Babes Network, and what a glorious thing it’s turned out to be…. In the first week alone the group (ran through the Facebook page) has gone from one member to a group membership somewhere in the hundreds…

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The concept is pretty simple: unite a group of females, end girl on girl hating, promote action, acceptance and support for each other and celebrate fierceness….

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Our first official meet took place in ‘Make‘, a wonderful crafty place which got everyone feeling relaxed and ‘at home’ right from the word go! The event began with lots of introductions to friends new and old, and then the lovely Lou took to the floor (chair) and gave a little speech… Her passion for the group and all it represents was evident and United this new grouping further more. The FBN, originally started in Leeds and since then other communities like ours have sprung up across the country…

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The idea is simple, and that’s why it works… I feel that from a young age we’re programmed to treat other women with fear, it’s a bit like select your friends and that’s it, everyone else, be wary of. We as a sex are incredibly judgemental of our peers, quick to criticse and gossip, but why is that? The bringing together of a group of women is an interesting thing, both my friend Anna and I were a bit dubious going, would it work. would it be awkward seeing someone who you knew there was history with etc etc?!? But honestly, the group and evening on the whole was so welcoming and accepting it made me smile!! Other members who have openly discussed their anxiety and Mental heath issues posted thanks to the group later in the evening for making them feel so welcome. And honestly you really felt this, if I noticed someone standing alone, who didn’t appear to know anyone, I made an effort to go say hello and get chatting, and I wasn’t the only one. It really felt like everyone made an effort to ensure everyone was included.

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This post has got my train of thought going…. If we could only start reprogramming girls from a younger age to be kinder to one another wouldn’t the world be a nicer place to be? Also another thing that I can see happening, not only in the group, but in society in general is a movement to be kinder and more accepting, to one another, and more importantly, to ourselves….. 

How many times have we been told through the media that we’re not pretty enough, not thin enough, not rich enough, or simply not good enough…. Articles in their hundreds advising us how to contour ourselves skinnier, or how to get the perfect bikini body….. Well I’ve noticed a real flip recently and it’s so encouraging…. Who really cares how you dress or cut your hair? Why is it anyone’s business?

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A simple message to be kind to yourself, to stop pegging yourself against others (and more importantly an unrealistic image of what the perfect woman should be)… It’s all bullshit, you are a perfect woman regardless of your size, skintone, weight, sexuality, religion. You are strong, beautiful and fierce. I’ve always believed that the more you believe this the more it’ll come to be…

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Anyway back to the topic in hand, The rest of the evening, which involved refreshments and a bit of vagina themed crafting (why the hell not) left me feeling good about myself and this new community of women which is proving to be so incredibly kind and supportive of its members…. 

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I am looking forward to future FBN meets which promise to include pie restaurant takeovers, rounders matches, cinema on mass trips, picnic dates, dog walks and disco nights….

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If you want to find out more about the idea and the original group you can follow the FBN Leeds Tumblr site, if you’re a Portsmouth lady who would like to join our group, here’s the page. 

I think this is such a good thing and the more groups like this that spring up the better. The larger percentage of the female society which we unite together the better, we are so much stronger when we stand side by side then when we’re bitching behind each other’s backs. 

So here’s to all you fierce babes out there, those I know, those I’ve just met, and those whom I’m yet to meet… X

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Ami Lowman is a maker, blogger & owner of the creative brand Mia Mai who lives with her fiancé in the seaside town of Southsea, Uk.

Ami is currently planning the wedding of their dreams, loves all things vintage, takes too many photos and has a thing for the old, weird and forgotten.

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