Birthday celebrations in Rome

Last week was my mum's 60th birthday and we organised a few surprises to celebrate. 

A couple of days before her birthday she was given an early gift, a travel guide to Rome - she was surprised to say the least! The next day we took her to London for a family dinner at the Ivy restaurant on Kensington High Street followed by cake at the hotel. 

Our flight was quite early from Gatwick so we had to be up at 5am and off to the airport. We arrived in Rome about 12 and by the time we reached our hotel it was just gone 1pm. We were lucky that our rooms were ready early and we had been given complimentary upgrades, so we settled in and unpacked before venturing out to explore. 

Our first stop was the Piazza del Popolo where we stopped to look at the towering Egyptian obelisk of Sety I, brought to Rome in 10BC by order of Augustus. There are lions on each corner which look more Sphinx like, which I found interesting. Im not sure when these were carved though.

We then made our way to the Spanish Steps, took a few photos and climbed to the top where we took in the views. we walked around a little more before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.

After freshening up we sat and had a drink and snacks in the hotel bar, before venturing out again in search of the trevi fountain. It took us about twenty minutes to find it, almost hidden away between small unassuming streets, a beautiful sight. It was very busy as to be expected, but we were able to take photos and enjoy the surroundings before heading for dinner and walking back to the hotel for an early night, as by now we were exhausted! 

The following morning was my mum's actual birthday and I delivered some '60' birthday balloons and a couple of banners to her room and we went down to breakfast. The hotel had a nice breakfast with lots of choice, hot foods, pastries, cakes, fruit, fresh juice, yoghurts and a huge tea selection.

After breakfast we all took a walk to the Villa Bhorgese. It was a pleasant walk from our hotel and although it was raining, it was nice to walk around the parklands and the big lake.

Our next stop was back in to the city centre for a leisurely walk around. We happened to be near to the Trevi fountain so we decided to revisit it in the day time. I'm glad we did as it was worth seeing twice to take it all in, athough it was of course much busier in the day time. We stopped for a birthday muffin and cup of tea at a cafe and then walked back to the hotel. 

Back at the hotel we all got ready and went for a drink in the bar before going out for dinner. Unfortunately we forgot to pack the small birthday cake we had meant to bring with us, but we'll be enjoying it at the weekend anyway! It was then back to the hotel for a hot chocolate in the bar and off to pack for the flight home the following day. 

NYE 2018

I don't usually do much for NYE, perhaps dinner out somewhere but then it is usually back home for pyjamas and tea in front of the fireworks on the tv. One year we did go to Somerset house and watch the London fireworks from there, which was a great experience but it involved a lot of waiting around in the cold (easily three hours) trying to secure a good spot for the display. 

However this year I noticed just a few days before NYE that the Natural History Museum still had tickets left for their 'champagne on ice" New Years Eve skate session and as it would just be my boyfriend and I celebrating this year, it seemed like it could be fun. 

We turned up about 10.15 to enjoy the champagne included in our ticket and were one of the first customers there, yet they had already run out of champagne and were serving prosecco instead, which I did think was a little poor. Apart from this however we did have a good time and mused how sensible it was to be getting on the ice after the champagne as we strapped on our skates. 

The DJ played music until the New Year countdown began and we stopped skating to ring in the new year. It was a pleasant and joyful atmosphere at the rink and although it did get a little crowded at times, after midnight people starting leaving and it got much quieter as we skated for the last half an hour of the session. 

It was a fun way to celebrate the new year and by the time we got back I couldn't wait to go to sleep as I was so tired from skating!

Christmas 2018

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since Christmas, it just doesn't seem possible! Even though it was a little while ago now, I still wanted to add something on here as we had such a lovely day.

This was the first year that I hosted Christmas, so I was a little apprehensive about getting the dinner right and everyone having a nice time, especially with such a high bar set by my mum's amazing Christmas dinners! The evening before, I got all of the food out and noted down the cooking times and temperatures and made myself a schedule of what needed to go in the oven or on the hob and when. I even added what shelf and tray each item would be on as trays and oven space were scarce so I had to plan it out to make sure it would all fit in. 

I woke up early on Christmas morning and before everyone else woke up, so I took my duvet to the sofa and watched the rugrats go wild movie, which was a favourite from my childhood. Once everyone else was up we opened our presents around the tree. I was very lucky and received a dyson airwrap which I absolutely love and my hair has never looked better. A few other gifts were a lovely notebook, my favourite bubble bath and face mask and a sweet daisy necklace. My mum also put together a lovely wooden tray filled with all sorts of little goodies such as a festive mug, hot chocolate sticks, chocolate orange spread and a lush bath bomb as a Christmas Eve treat, which was so thoughtful.

After opening our presents, I served up breakfast which was croissants, jam, chocolate orange spread, strawberries and fresh orange juice and tea. I think croissants must have been a popular breakfast choice this year as I had to look in several supermarkets to find a pack on Christmas Eve morning before I bought the last one in a Tesco express. Once breakfast was done we all retired to the sofa to watch the television, although there wasn't a great choice this year, so by 11.30 am I started to prep the vegetables so dinner would be ready for 3ish. 

The timing preparation from the evening before paid off and dinner went without a hitch, apart from forgetting the Yorkshire puddings until I was plating up, but luckily I had bought frozen ones (is there a better Yorkshire pudding than an Aunt Bessie one? I don't think so!) so they only took a few minutes to cook and were ready by the time everything else had been served up. I was so pleased (but mostly relieved!) that everything turned out as I hoped and dinner was a success. There were a few leftovers which were plated up and put in the fridge for Boxing Day sandwiches (possibly my favourite meal of the year, as I think I look forward to this even more than the main Christmas dinner!)

We then all settled in to watch more television and although we had planned to go for a walk after dinner, one by one we each felt too tired to go, so we stayed in and relaxed for the evening with a few nibbles and before we knew it the day was over.

Christmas Eve 2018

I'm spending Christmas Eve evening sat on the sofa in festive pyjamas watching a Christmas film and admiring the fairy lights adorning our small-but-perfectly-formed Christmas tree. December has flown by in the blink of an eye.

At the beginning of the month, my boyfriend and I went ice skating at the natural history museum, my favourite place to skate outdoors. It was so much fun and by the end of our session I was skating with a little more confidence...well just about! 

We also made the trek to Columbia Road flower market, with the intention of just browsing to see how much Christmas trees and wreaths were. We walked right through the market without anything catching our eye until we reached the last stand, where the most perfect tree was sat waiting! We got it netted up and my boyfriend heaved it over his shoulder for the long walk through brick lane to the tube station. It took a while and trying to navigate the crowds was a task, but it got back safely and we had an evening of decorating the tree.

The following week we went to Hampton Court Palace for their annual Christmas fayre. The palace is steeped in history with a wide array of sights to see. You can walk around the former Royal apartments, take in centuries-old paintings in the art gallery and take a stroll around the grounds.

Some of the ornate decoration on the ceilings is breath taking.

We grabbed lunch from the fayre in the courtyard (which was a little disappointing as it was not overly festive) however there were singers singing festive songs which was nice to listen to as we ate lunch. In the gardens we found the rest of the Christmas fayre which was more festive and we purchased some decorations for our tree.

Later that week my mum and I went to the Birmingham Christmas market. I like to go every year if possible, but for the last couple of years it hasn't seemed to be as good, it seems to have fewer market stalls and less variety. That said, we still enjoyed our visit and had a nice afternoon.

On Saturday my parents came to stay for Christmas, so I arranged a little festive buffet for dinner and yesterday evening we had a gingerbread decorating competition, which was more competitive than I envisaged haha, but they all turned out so cute and everyone had fun!

We've also had a couple of nice evenings wrapping up gifts whilst watching a festive film and snacking on a tin of chocolate, enjoyed lots of roasted chestnuts, mince pies and a couple of glasses of Buck's Fizz. Later on I'll do a final tidy of the flat, a little preparation for tomorrow's dinner and arrange the presents under the Christmas tree...Merry Christmas!

Wreath making at Seven Dials

Last Thursday evening I took my mum to the Christmas event at Seven Dials, near Covent Garden. We arrived a short while before it officially started so we had a walk around the area.

The cobbled streets looked festive with decorations strung up and Christmas lights waiting to be switched on. 

We stopped for a cup of tea in a cute little ice cream cafe called Udderlicious. They had so many flavours of ice cream that all looked so good, I'd love to go back and try them when it's a little warmer.

Our next stop was the free wreath making workshop. We arrived early to secure our spots and within ten minutes the benches had all filled up. 

We were each given a moss wreath, spool of wire and a selection of foliage.

The florist explained how to attach a piece of foliage at an angle and wrap the wire around the wreath to fix it in place. It was a lot of fun putting together the wreath and arranging it to look just right and half an hour later this was my finished wreath:

After we'd finished making our wreaths we went to the Monmouth Kitchen pop up bar for a complimentary cocktail called a Monmouth Fizz, which was delicious! They even added edible violas as decoration to the glasses which looked so pretty.

We had such a nice time; the atmosphere was festive and fun, with Christmas music playing and all of the local shops getting involved. There was lots to see and do, as well as wreath making there was ice curling and make up demos and most of the shops had 20% off. It was a lovely event to start the festive season with and I would love to go again next year. 

My wreath hung up on the front door!

Quick and easy pumpkin soup

Now the nights are drawing in and it's cold outside, there's nothing better than a bowl of homemade soup to warm you up on your return from an Autumn walk. 

I spotted a small culinary pumpkin in the supermarket for just £1 so, as it's Autumn I thought I'd make a seasonal soup. I kept it very simple and as well as the pumpkin used just two potatoes, an onion and vegetable stock for the soup.

I sautéed the onion first, before adding the pumpkin and potatoes, allowing them to soften for a couple of minutes before adding about a pint of vegetable stock (I usually just measure by eye how much stock is needed, ensuring the soup mix is all covered). Once the soup had been brought to the boil, I left it to simmer for about half an hour until the pumpkin was soft. Then I just blended the mixture until it was smooth and it was as simple as that. Whilst the soup was simmering, I roasted the pumpkin seeds and used them to garnish the soup.

Served with a buttery baguette it made for the perfect weekend lunch.

Columbia Road Flower Market

Last weekend I was looking for something to do on Sunday and came across the Columbia Road flower market online. The reviews were good so it looked worth the journey.

We arrived at 10.30 and it had been open since 8 so it was already packed. The stalls were beautiful however and we walked up and down the market several times taking it all in.

There was everything from cut flowers to shrubs to exotic palms and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. 

I couldn't resist a beautiful box of 30 autumnal coloured gerberas which were just £5 and I was tempted by a bougainvillea tree so we went and had a cup of tea in a quaint cafe on the road before I went back to buy it. Handily most stores accept card payments which saved me a trip to an ATM. 

The gerberas brightened up the fireplace and gave it a cosy Autumn feel.

I would like to go back again, perhaps nearer to Christmas when the Christmas trees and wreaths are for sale, but I'd aim to get there earlier to try and avoid the crowds.