Did you know that London is the greenest major city in Europe and the third greenest city of its size in the world (officially)? Well, it is, and it has so many beautiful spaces where the city gives way from cold architectural structures to thriving green lungs that give us city-dwellers respite. Selecting the best London parks and gardens for this post was a job I adored taking on.
Oh, and they are wonderful places to party, to picnic and to just get away from it all.
I’m slightly obsessed with picnics. The tiny sausage rolls, dappled sunshine, bubbled beverages, a blatant disregard for tables, communal pots of hummus, relaxed laughter and did I mention miniature scotch eggs? As the seasons turn, I’m already planning a little dining en plein air – so thought it was only fair to share 9 of the best secret picnic spots in London that I’ve found so far!
I’m someone who used to keep a picnic blanket under her office desk (for sunshine emergency situations you understand), when I went freelance I bought my phone plan specifically so I can use it as a laptop hot spot in blossoming gardens and I may or may not have a bottle opener on my key ring. Case in point: my autumnal picnic above – I’ll take literally any excuse to unroll one of my many picnic blankets.
Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and think ‘crumbs, who are you? Who is this person looking back at me in the mirror? (NB: Also related thought: Do I have early onset Alzheimers?’) Well, this blog post is a musing or two on ‘who am I’ and other big questions for new bloggers like ‘who are you?’
I’ve been doing this piecemeal navel gazing of late, as one of my lovely nephews is in the process of moving from the UK to the US, and it’s making me reflect on who I am now compared to 10 years ago.
Balance. Ahhh, that elusive nirvana. I get asked all the time for tips on how to balance work, life and blogging, so I’ve put together my most valuable hard-learned lessons, genuinely time-saving tips and honest practicalities into one, single blog post instead of many wine-fuelled conversations.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. If you buy an item after clicking on one, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend products and services that I genuinely use and love myself.
Let’s begin in a place of honesty – balancing everything can be hard. I’m not going to sugarcoat this.
It’s cold, there isn’t much sunshine and I’m already getting sick of arriving places looking like I was dragged through a wet hedge backwards – repeatedly. So, I decided to pop together this blog post of 10 ways to beat winter blues – tried and true methods that help me to survive those Northern Hemisphere winters that never seem to end. {Disclaimer: post contains one clearly marked affiliate link.}
I love a good list. Especially one filled with ways to cheer myself up when I’ve got a case of the blues.