Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

I always spend the last post of the year looking back over the previous 365 days. I think it's important to remember where we've come from, as much as we look forward to where we are going.

This is the year that I quit my job and launched a business, it's the year that I did a cross-globe four-country trip on my own (but hung out with and stayed with good friends and wonderful family along the way) and it's the year that I realised a few different dreams both on- and off-line.

8 Hidden Secrets of Temple, London

Normal Londoners will rush through the Temple area of London, race along Fleet Street and possibly settle into a cosy chair somewhere delicious along The Strand.

Instead of doing the above, the next time you find yourself with a spare half an hour or so fancy a 'London Kiwi'-style tour of the area instead? For medieval history, cats, Hollywood movies, Charles Dickens and a decent cup of tea read on. 

Merry Christmas to all - and to all, a good night!

This year we have the strange and uniquely wonderful situation of Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday. This means that by 5.02pm on Friday London was half-empty with expats zooming home and most everyone else clomping off to the countryside for family gatherings around groaning tables. (Another quarter of the population will be frantically racing up and down the aisles of the nearest shop even though they could just avail themselves by perusing this annual charity gift guide.)

Instead of disappearing off to the other side of the world to cast off our shoes and swelter - by choice - in Christmas jumpers in the New Zealand sunshine (not to mention swimming with wild dolphins (sorta)) we are cozying up at with family. We have a wealth of cheesy movies lined up, more snacks than we'll ever need and a few of our nearest and dearest next to us.

What do you buy someone who has everything? How about a goat? (A Charity Gift Guide.)

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a clickety PC mouse. 

That's because all of the organised shoppers are sitting smugly with a glass of mulled wine in hand (clearly they read my blogpost celebrating some amazing small businesses), and all of the disorganised ones are leaving gift buying to the very last minute, and are braving the crowds on the Saturday morning before Christmas. Because they like to live life in the crazy lane.

Well.

Carrying on my annual charity tradition (est. 2014) I want to pay forward some of the amazing karma I've received over the years and give something back to those less fortunate. Blogger gift guides are pretty well established now but as ever I couldn't just do a normal one - it needed a slightly Adventures of a London Kiwi twist (I even spotted a couple of little sheep fellows - hey, you can take the blogger out of New Zealand...)

The Life of a Freelancer: A 6 Month Update.

I can’t believe I’ve been freelancing for 6 months now. It’s been 6 months as my own boss, 6 months learning my way around working directly with clients, 6 months of being able to set my own agenda and 6 whole months of learning to understand what my own strengths and weaknesses are as a girlboss businesswoman.

This point was another marker, another waypoint in the journey, and I’m so pleased to have been developing a portfolio of lovely, interesting clients who are also challenging my creativity and helping me expand my skill base – and I’ve also picked up a few unexpected projects along the way to add to my CV and LinkedIn.

A Dinner Party with La Belle Assiette - Fine Dining At Home.

Numbering 4 nationalities (5 if you count yearning) amongst 6 diners, we gathered on a snowy evening gathering from all corners of London to make merry in a pre-Christmas celebration. We covered the globe ranging from Antipodeans (New Zealand and Australian) to Americans with a token English Rose, we knew by the tone of the late excuses from "sorry I’m going to be 5 minutes late" all the way through to "I got held up at carrot point by snowmen - they wanted to know where I was hiding the penguins but I refused to tell them. Trying to uber a reindeer now..." it was going to be fun night.

Disclaimer: Our meal was provided courtesy of La Belle Assiette, but I would absolutely use them again - and with the 3-course meals averaging out from a pub dinner to a luxury restaurant pricing, without having to put up with other noisy diners, I will definitely be using them again. 

Sorry for the long disclaimer. Which I've just made longer.

On the table we spread out Eucalyptus fronds in a beautifully haphazard array, crowned with a bronze ornament placed just so and star tea-lights sprinkled amidst the table centre, twinkling merrily away. Gathering in our good friend’s lounge, we hugged and told tales of our recent adventures.

A Day Trip To The Birmingham Christmas Market.

We tried to visit last year but ran out of available December weekends and the Birmingham Christmas markets eluded our grasp. This year was a different story. Rounding us up like Rudolph gathering his sleigh of reindeer, but with Whatsapp rather than elf-dust, our esteemed organiser not only managed to secure a whole day that we all could do but book train tickets in as well. She cracked that tinsel covered whip...

So, bright and early on a Saturday morning we gathered, scrubbing the sleep from the corners of our eyes and brightly hugging - glad that instead of cracking our usual escape rooms, we were just shuffling onto the train - we boarded our sleigh (also known as a Class 165/0 Network Turbo train) nice and early.

6 Luxurious Winter Cocktail Hotspots in London.

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine...

Disclaimer: we have been invited guests to the bars marked with a star, 
but I've been to most of these already on my own dime, and more than once...

It’s unmistakable. It’s the time of year that people get a twinkle in their eye, rosy cheeks and feel the need to get out an celebrate with their nearest and dearest. And why not, indeed.

A (Too) Quick City Break in York.

Much like the Grand Old Duke of York, who had ten thousand men and marched them up to the top of the hill, and then marched them down again, I can't get enough of York... (because he visited repeatedly, that was obvious, right?)

Having visited nearly half a dozen times over the years, and somehow not managing to share it on my blog over the years, I would say that although you could visit from London for the day, I wouldn't. Go for a minimum of an overnight stay, or a few days if you can. Witness a misty morning, and a candy coloured sunset, wander out into the Dales or slip in a seaside visit somewhere like Scarborough, and really get to know the ancient city.

Unique, quirky and full of love: a small business gift guide.

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? If you are a blogger who doesn't write a gift guide, are you even entitled to buy rose gold accessories?

Obviously, I'm joking, but having never written a gift guide in the 5 years that I've been blogging bar my annual charity guide (an updated version to follow shortly, don't worry) I felt that an essential tool in my blogging arsenal was lacking deployment.

7 Things I Adore About The Festive Season.

For me, the festive season kicks off at the end of October. It's when my birthday is, and signals the beginning of two months of celebrating life.

There is Thanksgiving, Diwali, Guy Fawkes, Hanukkah, Christmas AND New Year. What can I say, I'm an equal opportunity celebration kinda gal (and are lucky enough to have a diverse range of friends to celebrate with!)