I love living in London, for so many reasons. But one reason is that is makes travelling around the UK extremely easy. Although my family and I often drive to many of our British holiday destinations, we sometimes prefer the ease of the trains. I had been wanting to visit York for ages, and when I discovered that there was a direct train from London, I knew that we should head there for a mini-break. In August, Husband and I packed the kids off to their grandparents’ house and we headed to York for a mid-week break to celebrate my 41st birthday. We had a glorious time. We ate lots of lovely me ..read more

We normally have a zoo visit around Christmas time. Last year our son Dubz was only seven months so we gave it a miss. But this year we went back to our tradition. We decided on Whipsnade Zoo, even though London Zoo is closer. Whipsnade Zoo has elephants, and Dubz LOVES elephants. We thought we would go to Whipsnade on the 1st January since we weren’t planning to party on New Year’s Eve and we thought the zoo would be quieter on New Year’s Day. We were right. I’m not sure how much of it had to do with the day after NYE festivities, or the fact that it rained all day and even hailed at one poin ..read more

I love pecan sandies they are one of the most popular choices in desserts in the united states of America. But I hadn’t seen/tasted any since moving to the UK in 2002. So I did a little research on the interweb and found a couple of recipes which seemed good. I made the dough and kept it in the fridge for a few days (I normally refrigerate cookie dough for at least 24 hours before baking as you get a better consistency). You don’t have to bake all the dough at once. Dough normally keeps in the fridge for up to a month, so it is handy to have it in the fridge in case a friend pops in. Pecan Sa ..read more

I love Walnet cookies. And one of my favourites are pecan sandies. I have an old recipe from this blog which I’ve amended slightly to make them a bit festive and turn them into Winter Walnut Cookies. These are probably the most loved cookies that I have ever made. People eat them and make lots of ‘ooh ahh’ noises, and then they are snaffled up in minutes. Walnut Cookie ingredients   225g salted butter 65g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla Pinch of salt 250g all-purpose flour 100g chopped walnuts 25g icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar/powdered sugar (for later) Instructions: Crea ..read more

I came down with a cold on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning I was feeling pretty rough. I knew I would need to take a break from my healthy living as I needed a sweet pick-me-up. I have some desiccated coconut in my cupboard as I am planning to make a coconut cake soon, so I thought I’d use some of that to make a loaf cake/bread. I adapted a couple of recipes to get something not too coconutty nor too sweet. This takes 10 minutes to prepare. The loaf takes 45 minutes to bake and the muffins take 35 minutes. How to Make Coconut Muffins   Coconut Muffins Mixture 120g ..read more

In 2023, London will host a number of prestigious black tie events that are not to be missed. From glamorous charity galas to exclusive awards ceremonies. The city of London will offer an array of opportunities for attendees to dress to the nines and enjoy an evening of elegance and sophistication. We have listed our favourite and most exclusive black tie events in 2023.   What Makes a Good Black Tie Event?   The great thing about a black tie event is there is a formal dress code so you dont have to put much thought into your outfit. These events are exclusive and fun and you know e ..read more

What a treat my daughter and I had this past Saturday. The Vue Cinema at Piccadilly Circus had a little Princess Do. They treated some bloggers from the newly formed MyFamilyClub Bloggers Network to a screening of ‘Barbie: The Pearl Princess’. There were yummy cake pops (um, we might have had three), popcorn, fruit shoots and each child got a good quality wand and tiara (I’ve had enough of cheap and tatty tiaras). There was also one lady doing face painting and another doing temporary tattoos and balloon animals. Moozles, who is almost six years old, said we were so lucky. And afte ..read more

I have a love-hate relationship with hair salons. I love having someone else wash (and massage) my hair. I love a good cut and blow-dry. But I hate the worry of a bad or unflattering hair cut. I hate it when my fringe is not cut perfectly straight. So when I was invited to try out the brand-new Rush Hair & Beauty in Wimbledon Village, I felt a bit nervous. But I was also excited as I had been wanting a new hairdo for a few months. First impressions were good. Wimbledon Village is quite a nice area, so I would never expect to see a shabby shop or a bargain hair salon there. Rush W ..read more

A very belated Happy New Year to you, my lovely readers. Every year I feel ,astonished at how quickly the new year has come around. And this year is no exception. 2019 started off quite slowly but then the last eight months went by in a flash. And now it’s[Read more ..read more

My family and I love the Christmas shows at The Rose Theatre Kingston. They’re always of a high calibre and very family friendly. And while it’s crucial for the children to enjoy the show, I think that it’s important for the adults to also be entertained. So this Christmas we[Read more ..read more