A long time ago, back when I first starting blogging, I would look round the room at events to see people happily chatting together like old friends and I couldn’t help but wonder how they could ever be so close to someone they had got to know online. Surely online friends weren’t real friends? You don’t really know them do you? I mean you’ve never made them a cup of tea, you don’t know what their house looks like, you may not always even be able to remember their ‘real’ name. How on Earth could you really call yourself friends?
How naive I was.
The thing is blogging friends, real blogging friends, don’t stay blogging friends for long. Read More →
After starting 2014 in my other favourite city, NYC, it was good to get my feet back on home soil last week. One of the joys that my job brings is I can do it anywhere. Yes, it may not be conducive to the perfect work-life balance to work when I’m away, but it is conducive to my bank balance. And a healthy bank balance means lots of holidays. So there is a method in my madness somewhere.
While I was away I received an invite to One Canada Square Restaurant in London’s iconic Canary Wharf for the Saturday after my homecoming. What more perfect way to get back into London life than Brunch with two of my besties, Ruth and Katy, and a whole host of other amazing twitter folk in the heart of the city. Naturally my answer was yes.
Where has the time gone? It’s been two weeks since I last sat down and wrote one of these (naughty Alice) but I honestly do not know where the past month has gone.
The last fortnight has seen me lost under a pile of mince pies, wrapping paper and festivities. It has all been very nice don’t get me wrong, I just don’t know how I’ll fit everything in that I need to do before the big day arrives.
Christmas, for this Essex family, is a time to have fun, be thankful and make memories. We do remember the religious side. Through living close to a beautiful cathedral, and having a daughter at church school, I have at least four carol services in the diary within the next week alone. But the main theme running through our festivities is thankfulness. Read More →
As each week passes and we race ever closer to December 25th I find more and more of my diary filled with Christmas events. Mince pies and mulled wine replace the usual champagne and canapes, talk is turning to Santa and stocking fillers and everyone appears that little bit happier. I love this time of year.
Essex And The City – 29th November
Last weekend I spoilt my little ladies with a day in London to enjoy the decorations and see Stick Man at the Leicester Square Theatre. The show, perfect for a pre-Christmas family treat, was brilliant. Fun, interactive, and stimulating – my girls loved it, as did I – so much so we are giving away four tickets to Stick Man this December. Post show we did a little shopping, I treated myself to the most beautiful coat from Joules (more about that next week) and then we all stopped for a bite to eat before heading back home to Essex. The perfect girly day. Read More →
It’s a strange old world I’ve landed in thanks to this blog. First I was celebrating Christmas in July and now I find myself in the middle of a springtime explosion while wearing my thermals.
Essex And The City – 22nd November 2013
It started last week with the Joules SS14 preview, all campervans and festival food, and now this week I’ve fallen straight into springtime fever with the Tesco Living and Clarks SS14 press launches. Amongst the pastels and parasols it was easy to forget that outside the snow was threatening to fall.
Most of my time in London this week has been dashing from one press event to another, all with little O in tow. I’ve hardly had time to stop and look at the magic that is the start of Christmas. Lights and tress are popping up everywhere, window displays are changing to a sea of red, green and gold and Londoners are entering into the only month of the year where they willing talk to each other just for fun (mainly as its acceptable to drink from noon each day during December).
I love the start of Christmas, the build up to the big day is always the best part of it for me. The fun, the family time, the mulled wine. I love it all.
In my opinion, London really does do Christmas in style. As much as I’m looking forward to the spring, I’m not going to wish away the winter at all.
And may I just be the first to say…..Happy Holidays everyone!
Photo Credit Costa.com
Essex And The City is a weekly feature from www.anessexwife.com so be sure to check back next Friday for more exciting tales from Essex HQ
Baby Essex (aka O) celebrated her 2nd birthday this week which, for me, signals the start of the festive period. We have a rule (not set by me I hasten to add) that the C word cannot be mentioned until her birthday has passed. I break this rule constantly, much to the annoyance of my family, but finally, now the celebrations are over, balloons popped and cake consumed, I can be at one with the words of Johnny Mathis once again.
My week started with a bang when, on Tuesday, I found myself in a quaint cafe near Covent Garden discussing the perils of child internet safety with Tony Anscombe, AVG’s senior security expert. Over the weeks ahead I will be sharing much more about this bizarre meeting and, as it was filmed in order to be shown on their social media channels, you will also get a sneak preview of the footage very soon.
Wednesday was a little less intense. I headed back up to the West End to attend the Joules SS14 press day. OH.MY.GOODNESS. I wanted it all. We are in for a treat when these lines hit our stores next sping. Katy, of Modern Mummy fame, and I have planned our entire festival wardrobe from just that one evening. Plus, the addition of the cutest micro pigs ever and a VW Camperven (which we share a mutual adoration of) serving pie and mash made our evening all the more enjoyable.
Post pig-loving, pie-eating, camper-lusting, fashion heaven, Katy and I took a stroll around Covent Garden and partook in the ceremonious ‘first mulled wine of the season’.
Sitting on the cobbled steps, watching the world go by under the sparkle of thier disco ball christmas litght spectacular, Katy and I both realised we belonged in London. Our family life may be firmly rooted in the Home Counties, something we wouldn’t change for the world, but our hearts, are work life, keep drawing us back ‘up town’.
Looking at the beautiful Christmas tree lit up next us and warmed by the wintery taste of my mulled wine I also realised something else; Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
Essex And The City is a weekly feature from www.anessexwife.com so be sure to check back next Friday for more exciting tales from Essex HQ
Is networking the key to success? It’s all well and good being talented, but if you don’t make anyone else aware of your skills then surely all that promise will go to waste.
This week I have been on a mission to ‘put myself out there’, network with contacts old and new, ears open and notepad at the ready for any opportunities that it may bring my way.
Essex and The City – 8th November 2013
My week started, in a way that 6 months ago I could only have dreamed of, with a visit to Google HQ. I, little old Alice from Essex, was visiting the hub of all things online and social for a morning of technology advice from the masters themselves. Even if I hadn’t learnt a thing from the session I knew I was on to a winner just having the opportunity to nose inside Google HQ, the kind of stuff my geeky dreams are made of. Luckily though I did learnt lots, like all the amazing features of the Google Translate app (did you know you could take a picture of the text you want to translate it and it will convert it to almost any language you ask for?) or how family friendly the Google Chromebook laptop is with its multiple profiles and security features (we NEED one here at Essex HQ), plus I got to see the lovely Ruth, Carolynne and Kip. It was a morning well spent. Oh and Google HQ? well that was all I had imagined it to be and more; futuristic, fun and funky. Although I had convinced myself there would be robots welcoming you into the building, hopefully that is something they are still working on.
After a quick trip back to Essex to do the school run I was heading back to London for an evening with some of my best blogging buddies. My life recently has been all about inspiration. I am working on the theory that if I am positive and surround myself with like minded, driven people then my chances of succeeding in life will increase. We were all in London together attending the Hearst Editors Talk, an evening hosted by the people in charge of some of my most read magazines, ones that I would simply love to be writing for the in the years to come. The evening was an interesting and informative one, I will certainly attend more Red events in the future. The post talk drinks at the Dean Street Townhouse wern’t too shabby either. The place has such a great vibe and is perfect for a spot of people, not to mention celebrity, watching (Gary Lineker last week and Finoa Bruce this week in case you are wondering). Plus their cocktail menu, especially the Eastern Standard (Bombay Sapphire, lime, cucumber, mint), is worth a visit alone.
If all that excitement wasn’t enough for one week I then had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Katy from Modern Mummy for a working lunch on Thursday in Mayfair. Both having found ourselves wanting to further our blogging and social media careers at the same time these power lunches are set to become a regular date. Its back to that whole positivity breads positivity thing again. If we work together our inspiration, creativity and, therefore, employability can only increase. Plus Katy is one of the most lovely ladies I know, and she shares my love of window shopping in Selfridges. Its a match made in heaven if you ask me.
My London week isn’t quite over yet, I am back out in town tonight celebrating my sister-in-law’s birthday at the Bavarian Beerhouse on Old Street. I will be sure to tell you all about it (well what I can remember of it) next week.
Essex And The City is a weekly feature from www.anessexwife.com so be sure to check back next Friday for more exciting tales from Essex HQ
One of the great things about my new life is being able to take the children to work with me.
With half term happening last week I had not one, but two little helpers as I went about my jobs. Luckily we had an action packed week ahead of us to keep my ladies amused.
Essex And The City – 1st November 2014
Monday was my child free day. The British weather and public transport system did their best to conspire against me and ruin my day but, with a few detours and sheer determination, I finally made it to the Next Bloggers Network #NBNWorkshop just in time for lunch. The event was mainly aimed at fashion bloggers (so much so that one panelist even used working with Huggies as an example of something we should never do on our blogs), but the session on SEO from Greenlight was one of the best I have ever been to at any blogging event. Oh and the food, the food was awesome.
After a day away from the girls I was ready for full on school holiday fun. Tuesday we headed London-bound ready to make a splash with the Speedo Swim Squad. I cannot thank the Speedo team enough for such a great afternoon. Along with Rosie, Carolynne and their lovely little ones we had swimming lessons, party food and buckets of fun. I wish I could have grown up as the child of a blogger, my ladies really are getting a unique childhood.
No school holiday would be complete with a Museum trip. Wednesday saw us head back to London for a few hours at the Science Museum. I was surprised by how engaged the girls (aged 23 months and 4) were with everything. It’s a highly interactive museum, I can remember having hours of fun in the LaunchPad as a child. Unfortunately the queues for this area were huge and as the girls were unaware if what the wait was for I, shamelessly, took this as an opportunity to give it a miss this time.
Heading back across town to meet The Essex Husband at Liverpool Street we decided to leave the train at Monument and walk. I have a real love affair with the square mile. The buildings are such a fusion of old and new. Historic London, with all its pomp and ceremony, blended with the modern face of our Capital, it is such a pleasure to share this with the girls. I believe you can never truly appreciate London until you view it as an adult through the eyes of a child.
After our walk I was full of London love, and what better way to finish a day in the city than drinks with a friend. Alice (yes there is another Alice in the blogging world, and I have befriended her) was already waiting for me at the Dean Street Townhouse bar with a bottle of wine and lots of gossip. I had never been there before, but instantly knew she had made a great venue choice. Very London, very chic; just like us (ha). We had a lovely evening, not really talking much about work as we had planned but wonderful all the same, the perfect way to end this week’s time in London.
As I headed home (via a spot of late night shopping on Oxford street) I was planning in my head how I could break it to The Essex Husband that we would need to leave Essex and head back to live in the big smoke. That was until I stepped off the cramped tube onto my ‘big train’ back to the sticks. As I watched the buildings disappear, and the fields come back into sight, I remembered how much of a Country Mouse I had become.
London is amazing, but it was great to be home.
Essex And The City is a weekly feature from www.anessexwife.com so be sure to check back next Friday for more exciting tales from Essex HQ
Last week was a busy one meaning lots to share in this weeks Essex And The City.
Essex And The City - 25th October 2013
With more time on my hands now to get out and network I have found myself thrown into the blogging world, saying yes to invitations I would usually have declined.
Starting with a fun morning at Slam PR on Wednesday, celebrating Diono collaborating with Little Tikes on their new range of car and nursery accessories, I spent most of last week catching up with blogging friends and making some lovely new ones too.
Thursday commenced with a rooftop bloggers breakfast at The Boundary in Shoreditch thanks to the lovely people at Joolz, showcasing their new buggies in style. These lovely ladies sure knew how to make us feel welcome.
Sitting with Ruth on the terrace, sharing stories that would make you blush while looking over the East London skyline, I realised there and then that this new life I am cutting out for myself is pretty damn cool.
After a quick dash back to Essex for Scarlett’s open afternoon at school I was heading up to Chelsea to meet Katy on Kings Road in advance of our dinner with Tiny Me, an Australian personalised gift brand who have recently launched in the UK.
The food was wonderful, especially my Herb & Artichoke Cannelloni, and the company was perfect. Alongside my first proper catch up with Katy since we camped together at Camp Bestival, it was lovely to see Alison and Lilinha again and to meet Sophie, the most interesting lady who made me want to pack up my life and run off into the French countryside thanks to her stories. We also left with a £30 voucher to order and try out some products of our own, so I will be sure to let you know how I get on with that.
I can’t deny breakfast on a Shoreditch rooftop and then dinner in an exclusive Chelsea hotel wasn’t amazing. However what I found even more amazing was how being surrounded by such inspiring woman, such talented bloggers, has left me feeling. I am ready to take on the world, I WILL make a go of this, I WILL be published, I WILL make my little family proud.
So what did I learn from my week of buggies, bloggers and beautiful food? Surround yourself with amazing, talented, inspiring people and you’ll feel amazingly inspired to be talented yourself.
I can’t wait to see what next week brings.
Essex And The City is a weekly feature from www.anessexwife.com so be sure to check back next Friday for more exciting tales from Essex HQ