Paralympics' magic

As quickly as the London 2012 Olympics started, I was moaning that I hadn’t been able to bag myself tickets to anything. And yes, I was one of those wannabe spectators dismayed at the sight of empty seats on my TV. So you can imagine my frustration when not only my mum and brother got tickets but then Tom did as well. Determined not to let this momentous occasion pass me by without seeing something, anything, I pestered Tom to high heavens in an attempt to get him to smuggle me in on his ticket. After the disappointment of missing out on the Olympics, imagine my delight when Mr Dickson said he could take me to the Paralympics for free. Courtesy of Solent University, we got to visit the park for the day and although we weren’t guaranteed entry to any events, I had high hopes. And I was right too – first we were given pretty much courtside seats to the wheelchair basketball, a sport which saw me gain a new-found respect for these female athletes – it’s a brutal sport! After a nail-biting last quarter which saw the USA come from behind to take the win in the last minute, we were then treated to the lads playing a game. 

As evening drew in, we snuck off for a bit of dinner and wandered round the rest of the park to take in the sights and snap some pics. I loved the upbeat atmosphere and the general feeling about the place, not to mention the non-existent queues for the women’s toilets. 

We ended the day with the excitement of being inside the athletics stadium and hearing the crowd roar when a GB guy raced home past the finish line in first place. We had fantastic seats and caught a glimpse of the men’s high jump, women’s long jump and a selection of track events which were both inspiring and astonishing to watch. All the adrenalin was washed down nicely with a cold beer, but at £4.30 a pop, it was the only one to pass by my lips that evening!

The events came to an end and we headed for the exits, along with thousands of other weary travellers eager to get home and into bed. I left the stadium feeling extremely proud to be British!

This gorgeous little boy...

I thought it was about time I dedicated a blog post to this young man. He is just approaching his 1^st birthday and he is honestly the cutest little boy ever. The first baby for our group, Freddie is quite the charmer and loves a good girlie get together. We obviously all adore him and can’t wait to see him get older and even more gorgeous! Mum Becky is not a big fan of the camera, but Freddie is more than happy to take the limelight. She also dresses him exceptionally well, always sporting a Ralph Lauren polo or Converse booties; he is quite the fashionista. 

A Sunday bike ride...

Last Sunday we decided to don our helmets and hire some bikes to explore the New Forest in style. After hopping on a train to Brockenhurst and praying for the rain to stop, we picked up our cycles and set our sights on an 11mile trek with a mid-way pub pit stop. Our first hurdle was navigating the map, which was more difficult than expected, but once we came to our first forest opening and eyed a very large bull, we decided to just follow our noses and hope for the best. So after a major detour that saw us brave a main road and cars speeding past us at 60mph, we finally reached the pub where a welcome lunch awaited.  I scoffed a scrumptious meal of pork belly and downed a pint of Pepsi before hitting the road again. To say we were ‘saddle sore’ was an understatement and I spent the majority of the cycle home trying to keep the seat as far away from my bum as possible. We ended the day splattered with mud and thoroughly tired out, ready for a nice hot bath and steak dinner when we got home. 

A civilised afternoon tea

A couple of weekends ago, us girls rallied round to attend a very civilised tea party, organised by perfect housewife herself, Suzi. Sporting a pastel theme, the weather was kind to us and the sun came out in full force; enough for me to don a tribal playsuit and worry about sweat patches. We arrived at the Sumon house around 3.30pm to a picturesque scene. Colourful bunting, bitesize snacks and a table laid with special goodie bags for each guest; she had done good. 

After gorging on yummy sausages and chicken sandwiches, it was time to taste the punch. Lucky for me it didn’t go down too well with the girls, which meant I was given the task of polishing off each glass round the table and halfway round, I was certainly starting to feel the effects! 

We spent the rest of the evening, chatting, dancing, miming to music and pretending we are the next girl supergroup, and laughing till our bellies hurt. The night took us into town where we continued the shindig with the rest of the Brighton party-goers, sipping cocktails and having a gold old boogie.

Notting Hill Carnival

For more carnival pics go here

It’s become a yearly tradition now for the fab four to venture up to London for the August bank holiday to celebrate all things Bob Marley and visit Notting Hill carnival. We bagged a great hotel deal, courtesy of Emily Dartnell and were in a prime location in the heart of Mayfair, amongst the posh elite. So after starting the day off with a forgotten suitcase at Liverpool Street Station (I’m never putting my bag in the overhead storage again) we headed into Notting Hill to get jiggy with the Jamaicans. It certainly didn’t disappoint. Throughout the day we indulged in the famous jerk chicken, rice and beans and coleslaw, moshed it up at the pineapple crew stand and watched the vibrant parade line the streets. It was a really fun day and after trekking back to the hotel, we rested our weary feet with a quick nap and a bit of Beethoven on the TV. 

Rejuvenated, spruced up, and in our glad-rags, we headed for Soho where we had booked a table here at this hidden gem, known only to the cool London crowd. It was quite a place, dim lighting, a buzzing atmosphere and classic cocktails; we spent the evening eating Mexican food and chatting over multiple glasses of wine.

The next day we had the treat of a lie-in and a late check out before heading to a local patisserie to fill our bellies with tasty treats and a monstrous slice of chocolately cake. Same again next year please!

My week exploring the UK: Bath

Next stop on mine and Tom’s week off (which feels like it was about 50 years ago now – please excuse my blogging absence) we went to Bath! And what a glorious city it is. Filled with beautiful old buildings, cobbled streets and quirky independent shops, I honestly think it is one of the nicest places we have ever visited. It was obviously rammed with tourists but we embraced it and spent our two days visiting the grand Abbey, picnicking by the river and indulging in a roof top spa. Superb!

My week exploring the UK: Brighton

What a scorcher! The sun was out in full force as we hopped on the train once again and headed to my favourite place, Brighton. After treating ourselves to brekkie on the beach, we braved the tourists to go for a cheeky shop where I bagged myself a River Island bargain. The rest of the day was spent seeing Becky and Freddie for lunch, where Tom played the doting babysitter, visiting my balmy gran who seemed to be quite taken with “tom tom the pipers son”, and ending the day with drinks and dinner on the seafront with my friends. It was the perfect day.