Ten happy things – September 22

Each month I look back on everything that happened and choose ten things to write about that made me happy or brought me joy. Here’s my ‘ten happy things’ for September.

Lunch with Deana in Hampstead

I met up with my friend Deana for lunch and a catch-up in Hampstead and introduced her to the lovely cafe at Burgh House. As it was such a gorgeous day, we ate outside in their beautiful garden.

We hadn’t seen each other for a while so had lots to talk about, including Deana’s new job, her recent trip to NYC and my holiday in Puglia.

After lunch we walked around Burgh House, which is a museum, and admired the exhibitions they had on. We then walked around Hampstead and popped in to a few shops. I resisted the urge to buy anything! It was a lovely afternoon and great to see Deana.

A holiday in Lecce

We spent a wonderful five days in the absolutely stunning city of Lecce in Puglia. There is so much to see and do in Lecce itself but you can also explore a bit further. We did a day trip to nearby Otranto, which was really lovely. Highly recommend a visit!

Gifted bottle of Graham Beck

I adore Graham Beck’s wine so I was delighted when the lovely people at R&R Drinkers gifted me a bottle that I’d not tried before – the Pinot Noir Rosé 2017. It has a beautiful salmon pink colour with notes of raspberry. It was absolutely fabulous! We’re off to South Africa on holiday soon and I’ll definitely be ordering this if I see it on a wine list.

Getting a tax refund

This month I was delighted to find out I was getting some money back as I’d paid too much in taxes. Wooo! Guess where it’ll be going….? To the holiday fund, of course!

Lunch with Teri at Three Uncles

I met up with my friend Teri, and her gorgeous little baby boy, in Brixton for lunch at Three Uncles in the village. The food was delightful and lots of people replied to my Instagram Story saying it was one of their favourite restaurants! I had the wonton and char sui and Teri had the roasted duck.

After lunch we walked to Brockwell Park and had a walk all around the circumference. It was such a lovely day with blue skies and sunshine. We then ended our afternoon with a glass of Prosecco from the bar at the Ritzy. What a wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Read the Midnight Library

There’s nothing I love better than a good book and The Midnight Library is one of those books that I’ll remember forever. Absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. Beautiful writing, unique story and a book that makes you consider your own life story.

Lunch at Margot

We had a wonderful lunch at Margot, one of the best Italian restaurants in London – in our opinion. We hadn’t been in a while and as always, the food was excellent. They very kindly gave us complimentary Franciacorta to welcome us back, which was a lovely touch. Afterwards we had a walk around Covent Garden and treated ourselves to yummy pistachio buns from Buns at Home.

Brunch with Rasha

Despite living a ten minute walk away, I’d never been to Milk Beach in Queen’s Park so when Rasha suggested it, I jumped at the opportunity. We wanted to order the pancakes but unfortunately they’d run out so we opted for the banana bread instead. We also ordered the smashed avocado on sourdough and shared both dishes. It was lovely brunch and great to catch up with Rasha!

Third Sector Awards

As a writer for Third Sector I was invited to their awards, which took place on the last Friday of the month at The Brewery. It was a fun event and always inspires me as it celebrates the wonderful (and important) work that charities do. It was also fab because I finally got to meet some online friends in person!

Delicious food in Lecce

We had such fabulous food in Lecce that it definitely deserved its own spot in my ‘Ten happy things’ post! On our day trip to Otranto we had lunch at a restaurant near the castle, which had fabulous food. My orecchiette with prawns was a highlight.

Salento, the area that Lecce is in, is famous for puccia so of course we had to try them. Puccia is a sandwich which is quite flat, and filled with various fillings. I opted for mortadella with pistachio and burrata and it was very yummy! You definitely need to order one if you’re in Salento.

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