Ten happy things – Feb 20

Every month I look back and reflect on the month that’s past and choose ten things that made me happy and brought me joy. February is my birthday month so there was lots to be happy about!

My birthday party

I celebrated a milestone birthday and I honestly went round in circles if I wanted a party or not. I also wanted a venue so I could invite loads of people but left it a bit late and some wanted ridiculous amounts of money to hire a private room so in the end we just had a party at out place. But it meant I could only invite very close friends… We had such fun though! The last guests left at 1:30 am…

Thoughtful birthday gifts

My friends and family are the best! I got some fabulous presents, which were so thoughtful. Clearly my friends read my blog as I got lots of books (one of my goals this year is to read a book a month). Three of my friends clubbed together to get me a monthly subscription to Reposed, which is a subscription service for book lovers. My first box contained Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie, a slab of luxury chocolate, some fancy tea and a lovely face mask!

My friend Nadia tracked down these GORGEOUS peacock glasses, which we had spotted when we went for a drink at Seabird in the Hoxton hotel in Southwark. I adore them!

My first Maitre Choux

On my birthday my husband came home from work with a box of raspberry and pistachio Maitre Choux. We’d never had them before but I can definitely say we’ll be having them again because they were delicious! They’re pretty pricey at around £5 each but for a special occasion they are perfect.

Spa day at the Bulgari hotel

Since becoming a freelancer, I choose to never work on my actual birthday. My husband had given me a voucher for Christmas for a spa day at the Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge so I used it on my birthday. It’s a fabulous spa! Gorgeous facilities and my two hour treatment was so relaxing. My only criticism was the portion sizes for lunch… my salad was about five mouthfuls! Thankfully I had a piece of cake to help fill me up.

Lunch with Mitzie and Sima

A had a few days off in February so managed a few lunches. One of which was at Bar Douro City, which had recently opened, with Mitzie and Sima – both of whom I’d met on Instagram. It was lovely to see them both and have a catch up. Plus the food at Bar Douro was great!

A weekend in the Cotswolds

My husband always buys the best birthday presents! He treated me to a weekend away at the fabulous Barnsley House Spa hotel in the Cotswolds.

He booked the Davina Suite, which had a roll top bath in the bedroom! Very luxurious… The weather was pretty horrible but this just meant we spent more time in the room reading or watching TV or in the spa. It was a lovely relaxing weekend.

Looked after Dandy

If you’re a regular reader of ‘ten happy things’, you’ll be familiar with Dandy who is our neighbour’s cat. Sometimes we look after him for a weekend or a bit longer and I love having him around! It’s so true that animals just instantly make you feel happy (ok, maybe not a raging bull, but a cat? Yes!). Whenever he comes to stay it just makes me even more determined to get a pet of our own! A dog in case you’re curious…

Brigit’s Bakery photo shoot

I was invited to go along to a photo shoot that Adwaiz was doing for Brigit’s Bakery in Covent Garden. They’re the same bakery that does the amazing Afternoon Tea Bus. There were two of us celebrating our birthday so they surprised us with cake! I even feature in a Facebook post.

Lunch with Serena

I’ve known Serena for years as she also works in the charity sector. I met up with her during her lunch break in Aldgate and for once the weather was actually ok! We bought some food from Pret a Manger and even sat outside to eat it. We then went for a little walk around the area before Serena had to head back to work. The talk we had even inspired my latest Third Sector article!

Delivered four training sessions

This month I delivered four Digital Marketing Strategy training sessions on behalf of Media Trust and Marketing Trust to around 60 charities. I did two in London, one in Poole and one in Bristol. I love meeting people at different charities, hearing about their challenges and helping them to put a strategy in place.

So that was my February! Usually the worst month in terms of the weather but one of my favourites because of my birthday. How did your February go?