Ten happy things – August 20

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that every month I like to reflect and choose ten things that made me happy and brought me joy. August was all about meeting up with friends!

Drinks with Kaye

I met my friend Kaye for drinks on the first Friday in August. We met up in King’s Cross and headed to The Lighterman in Coal Drops Yard. It was such a lovely, hot, sunny day and we were lucky to find a table outside.

After our drink we went for a walk along the canal to Camden and then turned around and headed back for another drink! I hadn’t seen Kaye since my birthday in February so it was so lovely to see her and have a good catch up.

Lunch out out!

August saw lots of restaurants reopen their doors, which was lovely to see after so many months of eating at home. My husband and I went back to a couple of our favourite restaurants for lunch. The first one was Babbo in Green Park. Their truffle arancini are soooo delicious!

The second restaurant we booked lunch at as soon as we knew they were opening was Margot in Covent Garden. The food is always delicious and they really make us feel special when we go.

Swimming at the gym

I was beyond happy when it was announced that gyms could reopen because it meant I could finally go swimming! I have missed swimming so much during lockdown. I love nothing better than spending 40 mins in the pool with just my thoughts. I love it! Funny story though… the second time I went swimming, I arrived at the pool to discover I’d left my swimming costume at home. Annoying!

Drinks on a rooftop with Kerry

My lovely friend Kerry (of Kerry Like and Loves) and her husband came in to London for a mini staycation and I met them at the rooftop bar – The Nest – of their hotel for drinks. Our friend Fee was supposed to come too but was unfortunately not well, which was such a shame – although an excuse to make another plan!

It was soooo hot that day so I ordered a frose (a frozen Rosé cocktail), which was delicious and perfect for the weather. Kerry and I had a lovely catch-up and I’m so pleased I got to enjoy the views over London!

Lunch and catch up with Holly

The last time Holly and I saw each other was the week before the UK went into lockdown! So it was lovely to be able to have lunch and catch up 5 months later. We took advantage of the Eat out to Help out deal at Yauatcha in Soho on a Monday. The food was great but I was a bit underwhelmed as with the £10 off the set menu was still £15, which seemed a normal price to charge for what you got. And the dim sum took sooooo long to arrive (it was delicious though). Plus the cheapest wine was £9 a glass! It ending up actually being quite an expensive lunch.

After lunch we headed to Ham Yard Hotel for a drink in their courtyard. If you’ve not been before, it’s such a lovely oasis right in the centre of London!

Meeting Rasha

I met Rasha on Instagram and not only did we realise that we have a mutual friend but we live really close to each other! After saying for ages that we need to meet up in real life, we finally did! We met up for lunch at a new Vietnamese restaurant in our area, called PhoTa.

I love Vietnamese food and PhoTa didn’t disappoint! I have a feeling I’ll be having quite a few lunches there (even just takeout). It was so lovely to meet Rasha too – finally!

Connecting with peers

This month I had some great Zoom calls and chats – plus an ‘in-person’ coffee – with my peers in the charity sector. Thanks Sally, Andy and Jessica for the chats! It felt really good to have some sort of normalcy!

I also did a trial day at a local co-working space as The Wing, where I was a member, has unfortunately shut its doors for good. It was so nice to work outside of my living room for the first time since mid-March!

Lunch and a walk in Amersham

My lovely friend, Dawn, had a baby a few months ago and of course I’d not been able to meet baby Mia so when work was a bit quiet, I took advantage and met up with them both for lunch in Amersham. The weather wasn’t amazing but it was warm enough that we were able to sit outside – which was lovely.

After lunch we met up with our friends Ash and Alex and their daughter to go for a walk in the Chilterns. I didn’t get a photo of all of us but I did get a photo of ‘Screensaver Hill’ as Ash and Alex call it!

Getting some more work

August has been pretty quiet work-wise, which has been lovely in one way because I’ve been able to go swimming more, read in the afternoon and meet up with friends for lunches (I could get used to that!). Thankfully towards the end of the month work has picked up, which I’m really grateful for.

Chilling in Ischia

Towards the end of the month we packed our suitcases and headed to Ischia, one of our favourite Italian islands! We just love it here so much – not to mention just taking some time out to chill and relax.

So that’s my ‘ten happy things’ for August! How did your month go? Let me know in the comments!