Family time

Following Edita and Donatas' beautiful wedding, my life seems to have taken a turn for the manic. This has been mostly very much appreciated (who wouldn't want to holiday in Turkey or drink lots of coffee?!) but it has meant that I haven't managed to see my family since the wedding which is a little shameful. Well, I managed to change that last weekend with a trip with Richard to my parents', where we were joined by the newlyweds.

The morning was perfectly lazy; I've been a little ill and croaky during the week and Richard had a manic week at work which meant a long lie and a lazy morning was welcomed! The lazy morning turned into an afternoon which meant we had a bit of a rush to get to my parents'. The afternoon and evening proved to be perfectly relaxing. We ate a lot of food, had plenty of wine, chatted and even managed to see some photos and a video of the wedding.

On our way home, me and Richard stopped off at Canary Wharf, for no other reason than to see the place in lit up silence. Richard rightly pointed out that it was probably one of the very few places in London which was so quite on a Saturday night.

We started off Sunday the right way with a lovely breakfast, followed by some tennis in the park. The weather was slightly too windy for it but we did get some rays of sunshine and although I was atrociously rusty, with the racket, it was great to be out and playing again. After tennis and a quick shower, me and Richard headed out to Oxford Circus for some shopping. It was a really nice afternoon to mooch around!

As the shops closed, we made our way to Tooting for dinner at Chez Vous, a Lebanese restaurant. Neither myself, nor Richard had ever tried Lebanese cusine before, but with great reviews and the opportunity to have a nostalgic food moment (as the food is very similar to Turkish cusine) we decided to give the place a try. We managed to pick a quite time (and perhaps day) and got a table without any problems. The staff were really friendly and attentive and the food was great! I had aubergine stuffed with minced lamb in tomato sauce and Richard had a vegetarian stew. The portions were perfect (considering we were shopped out and very hungry) and tasted comforting and so very tasty.

With overfilled bellies, we both returned to the flat tired; just in time for some prepping for the week ahead and an early night.

Muah

Roo xx

Discovering new places, discovering coffee

Like most people, I always feel that weekends go by far too quickly. Somewhat unusually, the last couple of weeks have also gone by faster than expected (I think the new job and information overload may be the cause) which means without me realising, two weekends have gone by without a post. So here is an update to my whereabouts the weekend before last...

Having proudly finished my first week at my new job, on Friday I met Richard and showed him my new place of work in Southwark. We didn't spend too much time there, instead heading for Southbank where we went for dinner and cocktails at Dim T. It was a lovely relaxing evening, most of which I spent babbling on and on about my new job.

Saturday called for a slightly-too-long lie in. Having eventually gotten up and ready, me and Richard headed for Borough Market. It's a place I've been to a few times but never really explored properly. With hindsight, Saturday may not have be the best time for exploration of the market with an unhealthy balance of Londoners and tourists, there were parts of the market which we got stuck in, unable to move. Nevertheless, the hustle and bustle of the market, along with the endless varieties of food makes me want to return again. The fresh veg, along with some lovely rye bread that I bought made sure of that. Having bought some delicious chicken wraps and burgers at one the vendors (and by burgers I mean real minced chicken burgers, no deep drying and no bread crumbs) we just about managed to leave the market. On our walk along the river, I finally managed to have a proper look at Tower of London Remembers display. It was a beautiful sight and a little overwhelming. Having spent years studying the history (and literature) of the Great War, it can be difficult to remember the reality of the war and the lives lost, beyond the stark facts. The memorial certainly managed to remember the war in a beautiful and poignant way.

We eventually ended up at St Katherine Docks which we both visited the night before; the entire place lit up with somewhat of a magical feel. Returning on Saturday, allowed us to take in the place better, admire the yachts (that was more for Richard than me), forgetting that we were in London at all; it was like an escape out of the city (even though Tower Bridge was just a few minutes away). We also managed to locate the perfect little espresso bar: White Mulberries. Admittedly, neither of us had espresso; I had a latte, whilst Richard had a mocha. Nevertheless, the coffee was wonderfully strong and tasty. We even shared a slice of banana bread which too, was lovely (although cannot match that of Birdhouse). The cafe itself is tiny and cannot seat more than a handful of people, but managing to find a free corner, we managed to thoroughly enjoy our coffee and keep warm in the very blustery city.

Having enjoyed every last ounce of our caffeine, it was a bit of a rush to get to Charing Cross where we met Chloe and Naomi. We were celebrating Chloe's birthday with dinner at mine's (fajitas and birthday cake for dessert) followed by a night out in Fulham. It was an incredible night with plenty of dancing and singing far too loudly.

On Sunday, after a slow start to the morning, we decided that the best way to deal with a night of drinking, dancing and singing too loud was with Italian food so we headed up to Wimbledon Village for carb overload at Carluccio’s. After our huge lunch, Chloe and Naomi started their long journeys home, whilst myself and Richard went to the Lawn Bakery for coffee. And cake (because the two of course go hand-in-hand). We grabbed the only free table, along with our lattes. I also had a cherry and almond custard tart which was absolutely delicious: the perfect combination of sweet, with a sour-cherry twist! The plan was to walk all the food off, but as the rain started just as we left the bakery, we hopped on a bus back home.

With the rain continuing into the night, the rest of the evening was decided: it was to be spent under the duvet with some TV entertainment! Sigh...

Muah

Roo xx

Holiday round up: Ölüdeniz, Turkey

Whilst I am aware that I am beginning to regularly start my posts like this, I must nevertheless apologise for the lack of blogging. As mentioned in my last post, I spent last week holiday-ing in Turkey, the week prior to which was a tense combination of working my last ever week at my job on Fleet Street and holiday prepping. This week, in turn has been filled with starting my brand new job in Southwark, unpacking, adjusting to the British weather and trying to get back into the cycle of waking up at an unreasonable hour. All in all, this has left me with very little time for blogging.

So… Turkey. I hadn’t been on a beach holiday in far too long so when Richard suggested going to Ölüdeniz, Turkey for a week in the sun, surrounded by the Mediterranean, I was on board. And what a holiday it was...

It being my first trip to Turkey, I was unsure of what to expect but was so pleasantly surprised! The family-run hotel was located just outside Ölüdeniz, in a town called Hisanoru. Recently renovated, it was clean, tidy and welcoming, providing lovely food for breakfast and dinner (our hotel was half board). The neighbouring town was filled with restaurants and fake merchandise stores, fully catered for the British Tourist with shops such as Primani, Azda, Saintsburys and Jimmy Shoe. Although it led to an entertaining mooch around, it was also a little disappointing. As someone who loves travelling, I enjoy experiencing different cultures and trying new things; even when feeling a little lost or overwhelmed by a new country, perhaps being taken out of my comfort zone – I feel that that is how you learn about the world outside the one you are used to. So, when in Turkey I was more than happy not to have fish and chips or an English breakfast and certainly didn’t need promises of Premier League football.

Arriving at Ölüdeniz, whilst still remaining tourist-focused, looking at the beautiful, surreal-blue Mediterranean, I definitely knew I was no longer in England! Most of our time in Ölüdeniz was spent soaking up the sun on the beautiful beach, snacking on melon, enjoying some cocktails in one of the many bars and taking in the beautiful sunsets.

In between soaking up the sun (and applying plenty of sunscreen) we took a trip to Fethiye which includeda trip to the harbour and the famous Tuesday Market, which along with lots of tourist friendly products, had spices, fruit and veg for the locals. It was a somewhat overwhelming experience, with sellers trying to endlessly attract your attention but it was a wonderful one too, in which I felt like I was truly experiencing Turkey. We also had a somewhat intense (and frightful) trip up to the top of a mountain, to visit Kaya Köya – Ghost Village. It was a village which was abandoned in the early 1900’s and was further ruined by an earthquake in the ‘30s. Ghost village was the most apt description for the deserted and eerily quiet village with empty, destroyed houses.

One of our days in Turkey was spent on a boat; we went on the 12 bay cruise on a boat called the Lemon Tree. It proved to be a great day, with a friendly people, great food (the lunch was provided) and gorgeous weather.We even had a lady approach (on her own boat) to bake us some pancakes! 

I think that’s enough waffling from me. In short, it proved to be a great week, with a great travel partner.I hope the pictures do justice to what a great holiday Turkey provided! 

Night night lovelies!

Muah

Roo xx

Sleep Eat Repeat

I don't pay much attention to my posts. Life happens and I try to summarise it in a (often very long-winded, essay style) post. Having read my posts and followed me on Instagram, some of my friends have highlighted, however that I am a bit of a foodie. Well, after a hectic weekend in Lithuania and busy week to follow, this weekend was dedicated to sleeping and (of course) food.

With Richard enjoying work drinks in Brighton, I got to spend my Friday evening with my beautiful friend, Chloe. We had dinner at Carluccio's which I always trust for good, simple, well priced Italian food. Particularly, I love the Covent Garden restaurant because there, you forget that Carluccio's is a chain and instead feel like you are in a lovely, welcoming on-off restaurant. I had a mozzarella salad for starters and spinach pasta for mains which I absolutely love. The dish is so simple but tastes incredible! Chloe had a prosciutto-based salad and tortellini for mains which she loved too and insisted that this be our new go-to place. Although thoroughly full, we needed another place to sit and catch up; not wanting any alcohol, we decided to visit the Haagen Dazs café in Leicester Square.  I wanted to try their ice cream macaroons but as they were out of it, I enjoyed some mango and raspberry ice cream with a latte. The dessert (as always) was incredible and our waitress was lovely; having long ago finished our desserts, we continued chatting and she kept on brining us glasses of water. After staying at the cosy café for far too long, we eventually made our way home

After a lazy Saturday morning, me and Richard decided to head to Westfield in Sheperd's Bush for some pre-holiday shopping (we are off to Turkey for a week on Saturday!) The shopping centre was quite busy and I didn't manage to find anything for myself (September isn't quite the right month for short searching). Mooching around the shops, we completely lost track of the time, realising we were cutting it fine for our dinner reservations back in Wimbledon. Not wanting to hurry, we cancelled our reservation, continued to window shop and had dinner at Po. I had squid for starters which was far too greasy for my liking and stir fried noodles with chicken and prawns for my main which was basic but relatively nice. Not wanting to go home just yet, we spent the rest of the evening at Ca'ppucino, sitting in the comfy, white chairs with our hot drinks and an incredible (warm) chocolate and pear brownie with vanilla ice cream and some melted dark chocolate. It may have been the best brownie I have ever had!

For the first time in forever, I managed to have a lie in on Sunday. It was exactly what I needed and pretty much set the mood for the rest of the day; laziness. Sigh... After staying in bed for far too long and watching some rubbish Sunday morning telly, me and Richard eventually headed out to Fulham to buy some food in preparation for our steak dinner (and some incredible carrot cake which we bought from Wholefoods). Our dinner proved to be very successful; the food was great, which we enjoyed with some gorgeous red wine. After our huge dinner, we spent the evening watching tv and recuperating from our hectic weeks, preparing for the one ahead.

Muah

Roo xx

Wedding of the year: Edita & Donatas

As mentioned in my "checking in post", I spent this weekend in Lithuania to celebrate my cousin, Donatas marrying Edita - the new member of the family.

It proved to be an exhausting, non-stop weekend, in which -along with the 1.5 day wedding - I tried to incorporate seeing family members and some sightseeing -as this was Richard's first visit to Lithuania- along with some sleep (which there really wasn't enough of).

With a 6am start on Saturday, I had a rushed trip to the hairdresser's, rushing right back to make up my face, get dressed, before making my way to the bride's home. As the maid of honour, I spent most of the day with the bride and groom, seeing very little of Richard and the rest of the family. Nevertheless, it proved to be a beautiful day and a wonderful evening. The sun was shining, the weather was hot and Edita got what she wished for: autumn pictures, with orange leaves, everywhere!

After the church service in the city (a beautiful, intimate church off Freedom Avenue - a.k.a Laisves Aleja), the bridal party played games and drank champagne outside Kaunas Castle. We then travelled up to Raudondvario Dravas which is where the civil ceremony took place. The site was so busy, with endless numbers of weddings but so beautiful too - it was once a large estate owned by a rich family which has now become the go-to place for weddings. After more games and more champagne, we had to fulfil the Lithuanian tradition of the bride being carried over the bridge by the groom (along with the bridesmaids and their groomsmen).

Finally, we reached the venue for the reception which was surrounded by endless trees and other greenery. The evening was filled with a lot of alcohol, a lot of food and even more laughter, as I learnt of the many many, weird and (mostly) wonderful Lithuanian wedding traditions.

Come Sunday, the celebrations, alcohol and food continued. It was a far more relaxed day, most of which I spent wearing a veil (the bride's veil has to be passed on to Maid of Honour once she marries). We eventually headed home for a mini-rest before heading to Akropolis -the shopping centre- for dinner, bowling, coffee and a little family reunion.

Monday was our last day in Lithuania, most of which Richard, Rudy and I spent in Kaunas, sightseeing and eating.

For those who know me, will know I dread any trip to Lithuania - in spite of it being my hometown, it is not my favourite place to return to. Nevertheless, this year proved to be a really enjoyable trip. The wedding was beautiful and it was lovely to be part of the celebrations and to see two wonderful people, who are so clearly in love officially unite their lives and families together.

Muah

Roo xx

Checking in

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently. A combination of preparing for a weekend in Lithuania, spraining my ankle, suffering from quite intense, very sudden flu and a weekend visit from Bex left me little time or energy to write.

Time for a breather...

I have just returned from a weekend in Lithuania and whilst I am too sleepy to write an update right now, one will follow shortly. 

Muah

Roo xx

Hen party celebrations

My cousin, Donatas is marrying the loveliest girl; Edita - a wonderful person who has become a bit like a sister to me. The wedding is in two weeks and I was lucky enough to be asked to be Edita's maid of honour.

One of the maid of honour's responsibilities is to organise a hen party. I, for one have never been a maid of honour, nor attended a hen party so this proved to be quite a daunting task, as my nearest and dearest have been made very aware - it has been a stressful time. Anyway, after much planning, I decided to celebrate Edita's last big night out before the big day at a cabaret show. To be more precise, we went to Proud Cabaret Camden for the Beautiful and Damned show. 

So on Saturday, having prepared a couple of snacks and dressed myself back into the glitzy '20's, I had a visit from Edita and one of her bridesmaids. We snacked, opened a bottle of sparkling Rosé and chatted away before heading out to Camden (to Edita's ignorance) to meet the other girls.

We entered a dark, smoky room, being welcomed by waitresses dressed in bras, bottoms, suspender belts and heels who showed us to our table. The music was low and we had just about enough light to decide on cocktails and settle ourselves in before our pre-ordered starter was served. I had the prawn and mango salad which was very simple, having one large prawn with a tomato and mango salsa. It was a little basic but did taste quite good. Some of the other girls had smoked salmon with horseradish which seemed to be more substantial and tasty. As for the main, I had bream with mango, coriander and lime puree. I have to say, the fish was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful but with no side dish, it wasn't quite as filling as the chicken and potatoes which was one of the other choices.

Having had our mains, the first part of the show started. The best part of the entire show was by far the hostess, who was so funny and entertaining. She struck the perfect balance of being funny, inappropriate and had quite a voice for her moments of singing. At one point, she even brought on all the hens onto the stage and made them mime L-O-V-E as she sang. The performers were generally really good, consisting of women only, which was a little disappointing. I have only ever been to one other cabaret show, but whilst this one was a lot better, I do feel like Guanabara had struck the perfect balance by having male and female performers.

During one of the intermissions, we had our desserts - I had the poached pear and ice cream but having also tried the passion fruit cheesecake, can confirm that they may have the second best cheesecake I've had in London (the top place going to Roxie's). Once the show had finished, the middle tables were moved apart, creating a dancefloor. The music was so old-school and feel-good, we spent most of the evening dancing about; afterall, who wouldn't want to dance to 'My Girl'?! Our ticket package got us in to the club right next door, but with the music being current pop and the place far too busy, we returned to the best type of hen party music: classic cheese. 

Whilst planning the party proved to be more stressful that I ever thought it would, Edita had a great time and was so appreciative of the effort. That, combined with a genuinely good, fun night out meant it all paid off in the end. There is only one big event left now, of course. The wedding...

Muah

Roo xx