London and another bloggers meet up

Hello again! How's your week going? Memories of our London trip are fading fast so let's get some of the snaps out to show you what else we got up to. If you missed the first instalment of our break see here for the catch up.


The Barbican, and another post-breakfast photo shoot.


The Michael Kors jacket came in very useful as the weather was quite mild at the start of our week away. I did a bit of shopping on Oxford Street after my first bloggers meet up (see here) and found these trousers and matching top in Zara. The heavy embroidery transforms what is basically black velour lounge wear into a luxe item.






Most days we went sight seeing, saw a movie or went to the theatre and ate out. On Friday we went to the Tate Modern then walked across the Millennium Bridge to St Paul's. 



Studio interior by Matisse


Coffee by Bonnard


A new addition to the Rothko collection, but I missed the title.


Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso


Autumnal Cannibalism by Salvador Dali


From the viewing tower at the Tate Modern


The dish of the day.


Steve showed me where the First Dates restaurant is. I'm a big fan of this programme which is a new discovery for me. Just after he took this shot we were milling about trying to find the nearest tube station when I noticed a couple of young ladies in a huddle chatting excitedly. Moments later one ushered the other off with a cry of "Good luck!" and then I noticed she was holding a clipboard and wearing a headset with microphone. Yes! They were filming, and this gorgeous girl who was sashaying across the square was on her way to her First Date. As the door opened I saw Fred standing at the lectern ready to greet her. How very exciting! I snatched a brief moment of this on my phone and loaded it onto my instagram here.

Next day I gave Steve a break from being blog photographer as I was meeting up with my second lot of blogging friends. We'd arranged to meet at the London Eye to get a bird's eye view of the Thames. 


Bloggers Gail (Is this mutton?), Anne Marie (Mutton Years Style), Jacqui (Mummabstylish) and I putting our best smiles on.









We managed to cram in such a lot that day - a trip on the Eye, then morning coffee followed by lunch and a stroll back along the Thames for a final photo shoot. And all the time we talked. We agreed that blogging is wonderful for adding another dimension to your life as well as being the perfect launch pad for building new friendships. We all have things we feel less than confident about within our blogs and that's where these meet ups come into their own. We covered all aspects of blogging, finding each others input invaluable. Gail is the techie amongst us giving us tips and advice on how to make improvements. We were in unison in urging her to share these nuggets of information on her blog for her readers to learn. All in all, it was a great experience and one I'd love to do again.


On our last night Steve chose to eat here as the final hurrah of his birthday celebrations. Red grouse was on the menu, a real treat for this gamekeeper who'd never before tasted this special bird. Served with all the trimmings, it was pretty much the highlight of our London jaunt for him. He finished the meal with a warm rice pudding and figs drizzled with heather honey, and swore he could hear the bagpipes playing in the distance.


And this was my choice of outfit for a trip down the local pub. I had no idea if I'd be over or under dressed, but this was what I felt comfortable in. As it happened, I was pretty much in line with the rest of the women there.


The London skyline twinkles and shines in the night as we pack up to go home. It was a lovely holiday, full of good times and happy memories. We'll be back!
Anna x

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16 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing your holiday pics ... and your new gallery pictures!
    The Eye looks a bit high. I don't tire of seeing you lovely ladies together. It looks such a fun day. Wish I could have eavesdropped on Gail's techy tips, I certainly need them.
    You found some amazing trousers, isn't Zara just so good at the mo?
    And loved the dish of the day!
    Have a happy weekend, hugs, x.

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    1. Do you know, we had talked so much that we were right at the top of the Eye before we even noticed! Gail wasn't keen on heights, but coped very well, even managed to smile for the camera. Next time we'll invite you along too Mary.
      And yes Zara was a haven of temptation - I really had to exercise a great deal of restraint!

      Wishing you a lovely weekend too.

      Anna x

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  2. What a wonderful bunch of stylish ladies you bloggers are!

    I loved the 'dish of the day'and his pudding - and your outfits.

    Have a fab weekend.
    xxx

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    1. Thanks so much Vronni, the dish of the day is my favourite too!

      Enjoy your weekend!
      Anna x

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  3. I zoomed in on your pants and jacket immediately Anna. I could tell that the jacket was interestingly studded but the embroidery of the pants was a bit more difficult to pick up. WOW what great pants! This is a wonderfully textural look Anna!!
    It looks like your meetup with UK bloggers was a successful and fun venture. I think you bloggers give each other insider feedback and support when you met face to face that is invaluable.

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    1. I'm going to feature the trousers and top together soon Judy as the details are worth a close up. I love the combination of comfort and over the top embroidery - it's the perfect leisure wear for the weekends. I can see this will be my uniform for the winter months as a lounge around at home.
      I really crammed in such a lot during my week in London and just loved meeting up with the clutch of bloggers. There's no awkward silences when you have such a lot in common!

      Anna x

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  4. Oh the eye! Fabulous! I only been in the eye 360 in Brighton! What a fantastic ladies! And that Michael Kors jacket is amazing!

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    1. I had no idea there was one in Brighton. They're a fabulous bunch of ladies that I now consider to be friends, Nancy. And yes, the jacket is rather wonderful isn't it?

      Anna x

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  5. The Kors boots and now the jacket! Couldn't you feel my eyes boring into that jacket Anna? I loved it as soon as I saw it! You certainly packed a lot into that trip to London and I hope we get to meet next time your here. xx

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  6. It's funny how I've had this jacket for a couple of years and it's only now that I'm really getting some wear out of it. Keeping things as special has been my weakness, but I'm getting over that gradually.
    And yes, of course we must meet up next time!

    Anna x

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  7. It's lovely to see you in London!!! Those trousers are aaaaaaaaamazing! They look super expensive and attractive! Wow!!! I'm glad Steve tried grouse- I had it for the first time at the Beaumont hotel in Hexham in August. It's super tasty!Hope you are well!xxx

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    1. Next time, I'll give you plenty of notice so that we can arrange a meet up too Kezzie. Steve pretty much left a dry meat-free carcass after that meal and golly, yes he really enjoyed it. Hope you're well too!
      Anna x

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  8. You were neither over nor underdressed. Just perfect. Cosmopolitan, modern and at ease. So nice to read about your wonderful time in London. Blogger meetings and happy husband. All good. Oh and shopping.
    Greetje

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    1. This was a pretty perfect city break Greetje with all of the necessary elements to keep everyone happy. Maybe the last dose of shopping for a few months now, so I do hope I can manage without some retail therapy until March. Watch this space...

      Anna x

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  9. I love my country (Australia) but everyone and everything is so far away that I envy how easy is for other bloggers to meet. I love your new purchases, Anna, especially embroidered pants, they are one of a kind
    https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. Yes, I so understand that. We flew over Australia for what seemed like hours and hours en route to NZ and we barely saw any signs of towns or settlements. I've been so lucky of late to meet all these lovely women, but for the next 6 months I think I'll be going it alone as I won't be off island again until March. I'm going to feature the top and trousers together later on this week, so do drop by to see how that looks.

      Have a great week!
      Anna x

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