A Harry Potter Hen Do Part 2

Tags

best friends, Harry Potter Hen Do, hen do, Liverpool, The Cavern Club, The Shankley Hotel

So now you know everything we had planned / prepped before hand…. Let’s talk about what happened on the actual Hen Do!

On the Thursday night on the eve of the hen do, I headed over to Becs after work & joined our bride-to-be for a chilled night in and a bit of advice on packing.

No one tells you that being a hen is an odd experience… with my hen do approaching I can completely appreciate the bizarre feeling of excitement and feeling left out! Haha… I reassured our girl and we went over what to pack, making sure she had lots in her case that made her feel amazing!

The morning of the hen and we woke excited and nervous… and made our way over to Euston to meet up with the other girls and grab some brunch. We met with another few girls and began some hen fun!!

Once on the train the fun really began, we popped some corks and played some games and started with the hen do selfies!! Be sure to check out #SnitchAndSnatch17 if you wanna see some of our shenanigans…

We arrived in Liverpool and headed to a cheap & cheerful pub for some lunch and a few more glasses of bubbles! As soon as the bridesmaids were done off we headed and set about decorating he hotel room in preparation of the arrival of our gal ❤

Fast forward 45 mins or so and after a whistle-stop tour to Ruby Blues (haha) the girls arrived and still I am overjoyed when I see the photo of Bec seeing the room for the first time!!! Yay….

First things first the sorting had to take place… as you can tell by the pics the gals found the whole thing rather amusing and after being sorted into teams the fun could really begin….

Armed with goodie bags and plenty of prosecco it wasn’t long before the bikinis were on and girls were in the tub…

The evening was spent in true hen party style, lots of alcohol, dancing, pizza, laughing, selfies, fun and shenanigans.

We stumbled into our beds happy and smiling and ready for a new day of fun!

Saturday morning and it was time to get about and about in Liverpool. Divided into our houses, a list of tasks and missions to attempt in hand, and off we headed for an hour and half of fun and hilarity.

I think it best the evidence stays a hen party secret so instead I shall move onto our Saturday afternoon activity potions making, ahem… cocktail making!

We headed to the Alchemist, and it was amazing…. We spent hours and hours making different cocktails and enjoying them too! Our lovely barman Eric was amazing and very patient with this huge gaggle of gals! The cocktails were all delicious and so was the food! If you’re ever looking to do a cocktail making session I cannot recommend The Alchemist enough…!

After that we headed home and readied ourselves for the evening… The hotel was perfect for getting ready for a girls night out! First destination on our list was Wildwood for some dinner! Delicious!!

After that we headed back to Ruby Blues, an amusing old mans bar and music spot, I think we were the youngest people in there by about 20 years but it was so funny and we had ourselves a little boogie!

After we had our fill of Ruby Blues we headed to the only destination that was on our books, The Cavern Club!! We had so much fun, it was literally the best night out I’ve had in ages!!!! We befriended the house band and got up on stage a few times to badly belt out some classics like Valerie and Proud Mary…. A pretty surreal and special moment I must admit! After a few hours dancing the night away and singing so loud we nearly lost our voices it was 2am and we were being asked to leave. A burger and a slow walk home and another successful hen do day was had!!

Sunday and it was time to pack up and head home…

The rest of the girls left after checking out but the bridesmaids hung around a little longer to enjoy a bit of indulgence. We headed down to the docks and had ourselves a lovely little lunch then went on to enjoy an afternoon relaxing in the Efora Spa.

A few hours of pampering later and a quick dash to the train and it was home time… We finished off the rest of the Hen Do book and reminisced over the best moments of the last few days!!

So there you have it…. The perfect weekend for my beautiful bestie! We literally had the best time ever…

Off Beet

Tags

birthday, eating out, lunch, Vegan, Vegan food, Wickham

Any one who knows me know that Southsea Coffee Co and their innovative approach to raw & vegan food has me hooked. For a while now I have seen ‘rival’ food posts on a similar theme on instagram from ‘Offbeet’. Cue a little snooping and I was intrigued by what I saw. Turns out they’re not rivals at all but two unique establishments both doing their bit for creating raw/gluten free/vegan food that everyone can enjoy, smashing down stereotypes surrounding this kind of food!

As a birthday treat from my bestie Anna, we headed over to Wickham one Sunny weekday and sat outside enjoying the sunshine and a bloomin good meal!

Off Beet is located on the side of the Chesapeake Mill, a huge vintage and shabby chic emporium. Check out the Offbeet website for more info/menu/staff details etc

The menu was great, lots to choose from and lots we wanted. In the end we both opted for the Burger (so we didn’t get food envy obviously) See the menu listing above for details but let me tell you this… It was scrumptious!

Looks good huh?? After the burger we had a mooch round the shop and then returned a little later for a slice of cake (because it’s a birthday treat and it’d be rude not to)

Over all I was super impressed and I’m keen to go back again and try something different! Hat’s off to Offbeet and keep doing what you’re doing!

 

My Birthday

Tags

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 fiancé 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!

A Vegan London Do for Adele

Tags

Ethos Foods., Hackney City Farm, hen do, London, London Fields, Twigs, Vegan, Vegan Hen Do, Zigfried Von Underbelly

This year, without a doubt, is the year of weddings…. and with weddings come hen dos… I have been on 2 amazing Do’s this month and have mine to look forward to next month! eeekkkk

The first Do of the year belonged to my lovely friend Adele who is getting married to Chris in May on Spitbank Fort in the Solent…. I can’t wait!! It’s going to be a fab day and if the Do was anything to go by we’re all going to have a great time and eat very well.

The Do was organised by my Bestie Anna and the other bridesmaids and for the weekend shenanigans we headed to London. Anna and I headed up early so we could decorate the Air BnB and get everything ready for the arrival of the Bride-To-Be.

Anna had made sure that there was lots of chilled fun and vegan food and I must admit it was one of the tastiest Do’s I’ve ever been on!!!

After an exciting Drive through London (over Tower Bridge I might point out) we arrived at our converted Vicarage and set to making the place fit for the weekend. It was a gorgeous find which was 2 conjoined flats, the master suite a mezzanine floor over the central living space so it was ideal for decorating!

Anna and the girls had organised some super cute touches like a personalised set of Pjs for Mrs B to be, vegan sweeties on everyone pillows and photos from throughout Adele’s life!

On arrival after the grand tour, we all got changed into our Pjs and settled in around the huge kitchen table and had an amazing vegan feast of curry followed by a raw berry cheesecake!!! (I told you we ate well!!) After some impressive dance moves and quite a few drinks we all retired to our rooms and called it a night.

The next morning, the sun pouring in through the vicarage windows we woke and had another amazing meal prepared by Anna, homemade Banana Bread, cashew mascarpone cream, berries and honey…..

Once dressed and fed, we headed out into the London Sunshine and checked out Broadway Market which was bustling and bursting at the seams with delicious food and wares….

Once we’d had a stroll about and ohh’d and ahhh’d over the the many cute dogs and puppies which stopped us in our tracks every few minutes we returned to base camp, got set and headed into central London. The destination was Ethos Food, an amazing vegan and vegetarian restaurant where you pay by weight eliminating waste and meaning each person can have just what they want. The food, the staff and the general atmosphere was amazing and I can’t wait to take Maxwell back here at a later date! The food was amazing and the girls had also made everyone a little goody bag full of treats and treasures!! Adele was also gifted a fab handmade veil and sash! ❤

Once we were all fed and Adele had seen her book and enjoyed a tear jerker of a letter from her hubby to be it was time to move on again and off we headed to Escape.

This was such fun. we weren’t allowed phones or cameras inside but the aim of the game was to steal the crown jewels and break out of a vault in an hour! Divided up into groups of 4-6 it was a great was of bonding and team building and was such fun! I’d never done one before but totally would again!!

After that it was back to the Vicarage and we started getting ready for the evening out. I left my camera at home for the evening as it’s not the easiest to transport. We headed to Zigfrid Von Underbelly in Hoxton Square for dinner and cocktails then headed onto a club later to dance the night away.

The next morning we were up early to pack up the house and our cases and sore heads in tow we headed back to Broadway Market to have an amazing breakfast and cafe come plant shop Twigs! Anna had booked us the big table and we all enjoyed an insanely good asian inspired breakfast of rice waffles with a selection of toppings; I opted for bacon, egg with a  miso / peanut dressing which was delicious! So much so I came home and tried to recreate it the following week!

Over breakfast we also played Hen Do favourite ‘Mr & Mrs’, once the plates were cleared we headed back out into the sunshine (seriously we had the best weather) and headed to Columbia Road Flower Market. Anna who used to live around that area was great and showed us all the cute side roads and best spots…. Most of the group opted out of the hustle and bustle of the crowed main street but I headed in, camera in tow and enjoyed the crowds and gorgeous blooms! Out I came the other side with a beautiful selection of flowers and joined the girls in an ice cream cone!

The last port of call for our weekend was Hackney City Farm which is as it suggests, a quirky inner city farm. We conveniently timed our trip to enjoy some new farmyard babies including a couple of teeny lambs and the cutest little goats!!!

And there you have it…. From there we all headed home and what a brilliant weekend!! A huge well done to my girl Anna and the bridesmaids for organising such a fun and hen orientated weekend! I know I had an amazing time and I’m pretty sure Mrs B to B did too!!! ❤

 

The boys birthday…

Tags

Behind the Scenes, Birthday Fun, Birthday Treat, Film Studio, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Tour, WB Studio Tour

I’m about a month late with this post but that seems to be a never ending trend so I’m not gonna worry too much about it!

My love celebrated his 35 Birthday last month and we celebrated with a bit of Harry Potter (because that’s what we do!)

We’d traveled up to spend a few days with my bro, sis-in-law and niece which was blooming lovely! (Lots of eating, resting and playing) 

(How cute does my niece look in her winter get up!!! 😍)

After that we traveled to Watford for a bit of early Christmas shopping and a GBK lunch… (FYI the katsu curry burger is amazing!!!)

Later that day we checked into Hunton Park Hotel for a bit of luxury and a night stay in this plush little hotel…

That evening we did a whole lot of nothing and just chilled at the hotel, making the most of the hotel pool and the room service facilities! We did make a bit of effort and enjoyed the bar/pool table for a while but in the end ordered pizza to the room and watched films in bed! Perfect way to spend a birthday eve!!

After a lazy start on Sunday (which was the boys actual birthday) we did the birthday tradition of cards and presents in bed and then it was time for the real fun to begin…

Maxwell’s main birthday treat and reason for staying in Watford was the fact that his present from me was a day at the Harry Potter Studio Tour!!!!!

Considering how big a pair of Harry Potter geeks we are it’s a mystery we’ve never been before… But the time had come and like two overgrown kids we headed off for a day of geeky fun and butter beer! We started our day as all geeky days should begin with some touristy posed pictures.

The tour itself was amazing and the attention to detail was astounding!!! After a short film about the HP series the screen magically disappeared and the real doors to the great hall awaited us.

Maxwell joined the ‘birthday boys and girls’ hahahaha (ok so he was the only adult, but look at his face! (so cute!) and got to open the main doors and went to see Dumbledore and the other delights that awaited us

The great hall was just that and it was quite surreal being there (you’ll only get this if you’re a true HP geek) I hope the photos do justice to the scale and detail of the place because it was truly breathtaking! (if you go I recommend hanging back to get some lovely shots of an empty hall!)

The next stage was the BTS props and sets and again we were blown away by the level of detail that went in to everything. It was so clear that is was a joy to work on because the level of craftsmanship and quality was top notch.

The costumes and hair and make up section was fab (being a former fashion student and all) and it was lovely seeing all the fantastic costumes from the films, in particular the Yule Ball outfits. In the same section we were also wowed by the chocolate sculptures you can see below, some of them were actually made of real chocolate too which is even more impressive!

 

In the middle section of the main warehouse was lots of various parts of different sets which was incredible to see all together…. from walls of artwork to the boys dormitory, the leaky cauldron, Dumbledores office, the hidden staircase and the Griffindor Common room, this part was so fun! 

in the middle of all the sets they also had a huge section on props, from the golden snitch and the philosophers stone to the casts wands and bottles of skelegrow! There was this huge caged section which was basically all the props from the room of requirement! Amazing…
Also fun fact – my fiancé is like a mini Hagrid! haha!!

Round the next bend and the sets took a darker turn; Dementors, Borgin & Burke, Umbridge’s Office and Malfoy Manor! (I can only imagine what this sounds like if you’re not a Hp fan! haha sorry!!)
Next on the tour was platform 9 3/4…. This was great. They had the real train there which was used in the films! We got to run through the wall (or at least pose like we were any way!), go on board and see carriages from each of the films and even have a go acting with a green screen background!

 

 

 

I wasn’t allowed to take any photos but we also got to try our hand at acting and experiment with a bit of green screen / CGI fun. This was ridiculous but we weren’t the only adults so we just kind of went for it!!! Most amusing!!

After that we took a break and enjoyed a butterbeer and a few snacks in the backstage café… (FYI UK Butterbeer is much tastier/less sweet then it’s American counterpart)

 

Once refreshed, we headed outside and saw No. 4 Privett Drive and other iconic larger sets and vechicles (did some more posing – such geeks) then it was on to the SfX department!

From costumes and prosthetics to animatronics and full scale models this part of the tour was equally amazing. You could see various goblin masks and Luna’s fake feet (fun HP fact for you there), Hagrid’s half giant costume, Buckbeak, moving mandrakes and a full size aragog!! 

 

After that (and a million more photos) it was on to Diagon Alley. We’d seen a Diagon Alley previously when we went to America last year but it was still so amazing to see all the shops and look in the windows. Again the level of detail was fantastic!!

The bit that was an unexpected treat was the technical drawings and paper model section. I guess because of the work Maxwell and I do this appealed to us both. Before any prop or set could be made it had to be drawn first, once the sketches were approved scaled down paper models could be made. This process applied for not only items but also full locations like Hogsmeade!

Finally, the last proper part of the tour and one you can’t not be amazed by, is the scale castle model. I’d previously seen photos and even still I was still amazed by the scale and detail of the castle!! It was used for all the wide angle shots of the castle mixed with CGI magic… We spent ages here, it really was very special!

So there you have it… a incredibly fun and utterly geeky birthday treat for the boy!

One more part of the tour that was worth mentioning as it was really lovely was the Olivanders Wand shop which you walked through on the way to the gift shop. The was about 4000 wands on show, all with individual labels on for everyone who was involved in the film, actors, set designers, film crew, everyone who helped on the films had a wand box. With the help of a very knowledgable lady we sought out all the famous actors including Maggie Smith and the late Alan Rickman!

So there you go, so for the massive photo overload but it really was just so good! If you’ve never been before I can’t recommend it enough, I think regardless of if you’re a HP fan or not this will still be something to enjoy (but even more so if you are) Finally, book well in advance and book an early slot as possible. Our time was 4ish (but they did let us in about an hour early so bear that in mind!!) and we left about 10ish absolutely knackered so a few more breaks throughout the day would have been nice!

Blurry Drunken Thursdays and London Adventures

Tags

best friends, Blogger, Blurry photos, Culture, drunken nights out, friends, fun times, London, Redemption, Uk Blogger, Undressed, V&A, Vegan food

It’s not often that I go out and have a drink (or in this case like 18 drinks…) on a school night anymore. Rewind 5 years and school night drinking was a weekly occurrence. But these days… not really (blame my lightweight fiancé or my old age if you will but either way it hardly ever happens)

Which is why this night was so very fun and I had to share. These pics have been hiding in the back of ‘My Pictures’ file for a few months now but better late then never hey!?!

So I was up in London for a conference for work, but stayed on a few days to see some friends and check out the Undressed exhibition at the V&A. Let’s get the sensible grown up stuff out the ways first shall we!?

Drunken shenanigans don’t seem so bad if you’ve also enjoyed a vegan lunch date and a bit of culture! 😉

The first treat of my little break was a lunch date with the beautiful Lacey! She took me to the most amazing little vegan restaurant in Shoreditch called Redemption and we had the most delicious meal!

I also took myself to the V&A to see the awesome Undressed exhibition. Any one who knows me knows I’ve got a thing for lingerie so this exhibition was amazing. Unfortunately you couldn’t take photos so you’ll have to make do with my sketches and a sneaky peek!

Obviously whilst at the V&A on a sunny day you have to have lunch in the courtyard and take the obligatory blown glass chandelier photo….

But it’s what happened on my Thursday evening in London that I really wanted to share…. I met up with my beautiful best friend Kel and her now fiancé in a bar in Clapham and we had ourselves a, well quiet a few bottles of Prosecco…

The photos need no explanation, just good friends, even better times, befriending strangers, dancing on tables, silly posing and a whole load of drunken blurry photos! Here’s to you two babes… I felt awful the next day but looks like we had a super fun evening!! xx

Hotwalls

Tags

Alice Hume, Artist Studios, artists, jewellerys, Laura Bennett, maker studios, Old Portsmouth, portsmouth, southsea creative scene, Studios, The Canteen, The Makers Table, The Scared Obscene

Portsmouth and Southsea is a hotbed of creative folk. I know so many seriously talented artists and makers that reside on this small island so when a new creative hotspot opens up; a gallery, an art shop or studio… an excited buzz happens and people flock to check out the new creative quarter.

The Hotwalls Studios is the newest addition to our area and I had been anticipating it’s launch since the first whisperings of the project… Working at Making Space I have a thing for studio spaces and The Hotwalls Studios promised to be something quite special. Lynne, our lovely director also sat on the selection panel so I was privy to a sneak peek of the new tenants… all very exciting!

Making use of the old artillery barracks (or arches) in Old Portsmouth which, whilst good for a photos opp and the very much loved pop up free art shop were for the most part unused and a waste of a good spot (if you ask me… apparently some of the local residents definitely didn’t agree). The arches have been transformed into 13 beautiful working studios. They have been done so well… As the architecture is a listed property the builders weren’t not allowed to make any big changes to the structure so whilst conserving the much loved historic buildings they’ve also given a massive boost to local creative businesses. Double Yay!

Walls as left as they were, grafitti, exposed brick, pipework etc and it’s these unique qualities which give the studios their character and personality. A feature we loved was that the arched walk ways which connected the arches we left in place, an rather the bricking them up windows were put in which connected the studios together, a lovely feature which allows the tenants to connect with their neighbours whist still having the separate spaces.

In addition to the new studios, they have also built The Canteen, which I experienced the other day and loved (I’ll do a proper post on this soon!) But tucked away in the corner, with an amazing terrace literally on the edge of the sea, it’s going to be a new eating favourite I’m sure! I’ve yet to take Maxwell but I’m thinking an early evening spot outside and sharing platter for 2 might be on the cards!!

 The transformation is amazing and Maxwell and I enjoyed the excitement and buzz on the opening night! Almost all of the studios were open when we visited (which was lovely) and there is a varied and talented mix of artists/makers who have made The Hotwalls their creative home…

You can check out all the makers here, but I’d like to share with you all a few of my faves/friends as I’m especially proud of them!

The first studio we checked out was of my lovely friend Alice Hume… You may recognise her name as I did a weaving course with her back in 2015 (and wrote about it here)

Alice creates the most beautiful and tactile navajo inspired weaves. Her studio was full of looms and yarns and big ol’ proud smiles from her lovely parents.

The next studio that really caught my was Alex of refold who makes “Slow Sustainable Handmade Furoshiki”. A furoshiki is a versatile Japanese wrapping cloth – a square piece of fabric which can be folded and knotted into various bags or used to wrap gifts for special occasions.

Alex is passionate about environmental sustainability her beautiful work features geometric patterns and stitch and her dyed sample sketchbooks were beautiful!

 

After that was the lovely ladies of The Makers Table. A collective of three contemporary artists; Sarah Radford, Ruth Lacey & Emma Plato whose influences stem from vintage design and their immediate environment.

Between the three of them they create silver jewellery, mixed media sculpture and artworks, surface design, print, watercolour, drawing and textiles!

Next up was the studio which I wanted to move into, Home of the amazing Scared Obscene. A partnership of two traditional creatives on an exciting new venture. Purveyors of fine textile interiors, grand décor, art installation and apparel, The Sacred obscene take an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary craft.
With a focus on utilising the new space to experiment with large scale projects; The Sacred Obscene intend to create a dynamic and diverse work and show space. Creating functional and beautiful pieces using a range of traditional techniques, such as hand-weaving/upholstery/furniture restoration/embroidery and print making.

(I nabbed that from the website as I couldn’t have worded it better myself)

There studio was the stuff of creative dreams. Evert surface a collection of beautiful and gorgeous trims, flowers, textiles, spools, printing blocks… Talk about studio envy!

Moving on we encountered ceramicists, printmakers, artists, textile artists and photographers…

We ended our visit in the shared studio of Emma Nicol (who creates the amazing machine embroidered textiles above) and my awesome talented friend Laura Bennett.

Inspired by nature and organic forms, Laura’s ranges of beautiful hand-made jewellery are sympathetically composed from the combination of precious metals and precious / semi-precious stones. She works instinctively, exploring the natural qualities of the materials used, the collections celebrate the fragile forms found in nature, creating beautifully delicate pieces to treasure.

I have always loved Laura’s work and am so proud and happy that she’s finally got a proper studio space, she’s destined for big things this lady!!

So there you have it… My little review of the new Hotwalls Studios and what a marvellous review it is! A real treasure in Portsmouth & Southsea’s creative crown and somewhere I am sure I will check out regularly!

Well done all and congrats to all the makers!

Adventures in Brixton

Tags

Airbnb, British Museum, Brixton, Brixton Pop, Brixton Village, French & Grace, friends, Gails Bakery, Getaway, London

So one of my best buds (the lovely Simon Taggart) now resides in San Francisco with his lovely lady CJ. What with him being there and me being here, catch ups are few and far between. So when he messaged to say there were stopping over in London for a few days as part of a month long European adventure, I immediately booked some time off work, and him in the diary!

Si had booked a cute little crash pad in Brixton on Airbnb and once we’d dumped the bags we headed out in the glorious sunshine to Camden where we drank gin in the sunshine and ate arepas from an amazing little stall… we then browsed the famous Camden market stalls.

That evening we headed to the Windmill Pub in Clapham for dinner whilst the boys watched the footy then moseyed ‘home’.

The next day,we started our day with a rather scrumptious breakfast at Gail’s bakery…

With full bellies we headed to The British Museum for a bit of culture.

Then it was time for a bit of a leisurely stroll through soho and St James Park and a cute little house in the middle of the park!

That evening we had ourselves a little mexican feast in Brixton…

The following morning once we’d packed up the house, had some breakfast and said farewell to our lovely friends we headed to Brixton Village.

I’d never been before and absolutely loved it. So much colour and vibrancy and things I wanted to buy!

We had a beer and some goyza in Pop Brixton and then went off exploring…

We ended our Brixton adventure back in the village for an amazing late lunch in French & Grace. F&G are an integral part of the Brixton Village food community. Their teeny tiny little restaurant – a unique, homely and intimate nook in the beating heart of the Brixton Village neighbourhood serving up a mash up of British and Middle Eastern cuisine in the most scrumptious wraps imaginable!

Serious yum! I’ll definitely be returning again soon!

 

Wedding Series #7

Tags

Airbnb, Anniversary, blogging, canopy and stars, Cool Stays, Engaged, Get away, glamping, Knepp Safari, nature, romance, tipi, Uk Blogger, Uk Camping

Sorry I know I’m a little late with this one, but you’ll forgive me I promise when you see the photos!! (warning, there are a fair few!)

So July was a special month for us both. It was our 4 year anniversary on the 27th. Four years of being his girl and loving every minute of it. The day held extra special meaning as it also marked an official 1 year count down to the big day!

We will be getting married on 27/7/17 which will also be our 5 year anniversary! Ekkk… how exciting!

So… as we’re trying to be good with money (what with saving and all) we made a decision that there would be no indulgent holidays before the big day, but still wanting to mark the occasion in a special way we decided to make use of the ‘Cool Stays‘ vouchers Mumma Lo got us for Christmas.

Having never heard of Cool Stays before, the easiest way to describe it is a cross between Airbnb and Canopy & Stars!? Beautiful and unique accommodation that slightly trumps a normal get away.

Not wanting to stray too far I opted for the stunning looking Knepp Safari (about an hour drive from home) and in particular the Little Owl Tipi. I just knew Maxwell would adore the bed (image a four poster bed but instead of normal posts in each corner, a stunning natural tree form!)

It was amazing (and so incredible luxurious and comfortable!) Literally one of those beds you just want to stay in all day and take regular naps (which I did)

Maxwell wanted the surprise to be kept so I liaised with the staff at both Knepp Safari’s & Cool Stays and eventually we were all sorted. Our day began how most of our special days begin, with a treat of a brunch at local favourite Southsea Coffee Company.

We then had to make a stop off to see my wonderful Grandad who had been rushed to hospital the night before. A few hours later, with well wishes and on a promise of a postcard we headed off for our anniversary adventure.

Maxwell presumed we were heading to Brighton so it was quite fun watching him try to figure it out as we ventured more into the countryside!

Knepp itself is one of the largest re-wilding projects in lowland Europe. Located in Sussex with over 3,500 acres you can encounter herds of wild ponies, cattle, deer and pigs as they roam across the estate. It really is a hidden natural gem!

With the sun beating down on us the whole way we excitedly parked up and headed to the ‘Go Down’ where we met Rachel & Ryan who showed us round the site and to our Tipi.

The Little Owl Tipi was not so little after all but huge and magnificent!

And as for the site itself… wow!

We fell in love with it instantly… The Camp Kitchen was brilliant, open to the elements on 3 sides, but with a fully equipped kitchen inside it completely captured the essence of a African safari camp kitchen! We loved it!

The other thing we we really impressed with was the Go Down… a beautifully rustic and comfortable lounge area / shop / campsite bathroom! The shop was brilliantly stocked with their own wild range organic meat and sausages, organic free-range Knepp eggs, Knepp wild range honey, a selection of homemade jams and pickles, a selection of organic wine, beer and cider, local gingerbread and biscuits and artisan bread, it was wonderful.

The well worn sofa suite and wood burning stove made for a cosy corner to chill, read or charge your mobile, and as for the bathrooms, pure luxury! Home to two large shower rooms, two toilets and a large drying room. All were clean, beautifully decorated and stocked with complimentary organic toiletries!

Lastly, and the thing we probably loved the most was the amazing Bathenon – open air & outdoor hot-water shower-baths. In two separate shacks, these two big old cast iron tubs sat amongst the pebbles were perfect for an evening candlelit bath under the stars! We know this to be true as we enjoyed one both evenings!

The rest of the site was a dream too, random shepherds huts and yurts were dotted about the site away from the ‘normal campsite’.

There was also a Yoga Yurt on the other side of the Camp Kitchen which after a little investigation looked amazing and such a special place to practice yoga! They also have a no under 12s rule which when you’re on a romantic getaway is ideal!

So back to our stay… we arrived, we unloaded the bags and threw out a blanket outside the tipi. We purchased some wine/beer from the Go Down and had our selves a lazy afternoon in the sun, playing games, giving gifts, eating and drinking. Anniversary perfection!

As the sun set and temperatures dropped we headed to the Bathenon and ran a hot bath for two… armed with a big glass of wine we sunk below the bubbles and gazed up at the stars… it was pretty special.

When the water started to cool, we wrapped up warm and headed to the camp kitchen for some pasta dinner and another game… Making our way back across the site to our tipi we lit the bed side lanterns and snuggled under our egyptian cotton feather down duvet for an incredible nights sleep!

The next morning after a lazy start and waking to shadows dancing on the walls of the tipi and the sounds of nature all around we made some dippy eggs, had a fresh morning out door shower, then set about going for a bit of a hike, taking advantage of one of the many recommended walking routes round the estate. We got lost pretty quickly but in the end made our way to the pub which was the end goal and enjoyed a pub lunch in the beer garden.

Then it was time to head back, an afternoon nap and some more games. That evening we enjoyed another bath (this time with added cards), dinner in the camp kitchen and then takign advantage of the free wifi we enjoyed a film in the go down, then headed back to the tipi, whilst a noisy owl hooted from overhead.

We checked out late the next morning and didn’t want to go! We loved it there so much and it really is such a unique and special place. We can whole heartedly recommend this place if you’re looking for a camping get away with a difference!

Once we finally were packed up and ready to leave we decided to stop off in Arundel on the way home and checked out lots of the antique shops and had lunch on the roof or Sparks Yard whilst there… It was the perfect way to end our lil’ getaway and celebration of 4 years together!

Oh… we also posted our save the date/invites…. but I’ll do a separate post on that v.soon!

New Designers 2016

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Creative Design, design, exhibition, inspired, London, New Designers, New Designers 2016

I was in London recently for an Artswork Conference and whilst there I took the opportunity to check out New Designers 2016. 

For those not in the know, New Designers is an annual creative showcase from graduating students across the Uk (and further afield).

With a main focus on Fashion and Textiles the show also covers jewellery, costume, product design and other craft based disciplines. The show is one of the most important exhibitions if you want a sneak peek at the industries top new emerging talent.

Held in the Business Design Centre the venue is packed to the rafters of enthusiastic young creatives showing off their wares…

I snapped a couple of shots but didn’t want to get too camera happy as these eager beavers have a fear of their designs being ripped off once they’re out in the big wide world (part and parcel of being a designer with an online presence I’m afraid)

But here you go…. A few snaps I took on my visit. I always leave feeling inspired and wanting to go back and do it all again. In the (eek) 10 years since I graduated the technologies have progressed so much it’s amazing to see what these young designers are creating! Ps, How gorgeous is this wall paper by Zoe Hopgood?!?!!?