From birthday queen to lion king

Another fab summer weekend down, another of the girls joining the 23 club. In fact, the last of our group, since Sian is the baby of the five of us. And every year she manages to be blessed with the most beautiful weather and we have a hot tub party at her house. Well this year was no different! I wore the best coordinated outfit of my life; leopard print satin shorts, white milkmaid top and leopard print head band with espadrille shoes. Obviously not once we were in the actual hot tub; I was wearing a pretty little thing swimsuit at that point. But before we got there, it was present time! I was super happy with what I got Sian this year as the presents were very her and I was proved right because they made her cry when she opened them (in a good way... I hope). Then once we were 5 takeaway pizzas and 2 magnums of prosecco down, we chilled in the hot tub for the rest of the night, until the use of the word "chilling" was a bit too literal and we got out to warm up!

I love London, that's certainly no secret, and despite having been for work recently, I haven't been otherwise since February. So it was obviously time for a trip on Saturday! Me and my family love the theatre and having had rave reviews about a certain show from loads of people, we booked a trip to the west end. With there being 5 of us, hotel bookings quickly get expensive but little tip: have a look on secret escapes. We got 3 of these massive apartments for £100 per room and it's right next to Liverpool Street Station so ideal location!

There was no time to sit around admiring the hotel though because like all of my trips to London, this one had a jam-packed schedule. We started off at a lovely little cafe/restaurant in Covent Garden called Prima Sapori which had a very authentic Italian vibe and an outdoor area completely drenched in sun (which is exactly what you want when it's 32 degrees and it feels like it's finally summer!). I went with all-Italian choices; Aperol spritz and an antipasti selection.

Not satisfied with just the one beautiful drinking spot, we walked across to Radio Rooftop which reminded me loads of the one we went to in Riga. It was beautifully done and had a lovely cocktail menu - cocktails taste so much better in the sun with a beautiful view!

It was really hard to decide what to wear to London, given how hot it was set to be. Eventually, I settled on a leopard print pinafore dress and black lace up sandals, which felt quite apt considering we were going to see The Lion King (well, it's close enough). The lyceum theatre was absolutely beautiful and the show itself, even more so. I can see why it's been running for so long because honestly it was incredible. The costume department had outdone itself, the colours and spirit were incredible and if ever there was a showcase for black excellence, this was it (even more so than Black Panther). It was especially clever how they did the Mufasa death scene and the kids who played young Simba and young Nala seem like they've got bright careers ahead of them. We honestly had the most amazing time; it made me laugh and cry and sing along.

Apparently you can't take me anywhere without a few predrinks at the ready so I had a pink gin and tonic while I got ready in this very holiday-ish red playsuit with flared sleeves. I added white mule heels, black J'adore belt and red lipstick and then we were ready to go again! My cousin and soon-to-be cousin-in-law live in London so while the family were down for the weekend, we thought it'd be nice to meet up for dinner. We started with drinks in a bar in Shoreditch before going to a restaurant called Passo. The vibe was very much the same as Oaks in Nottingham actually! I had a lychee gin cocktail and then truffle gnocchi followed by steak and chips. Amazing food and a lovely time catching up!

In the morning, we were delivered these super cute breakfast baskets and enjoyed them in our apartment before getting ready to head back out again. When it's a family trip, we generally don't stay for the following day (unlike when I go with friends, where I stay until the bitter end of the weekend), but we did want to have a look at the famous petticoat lane market, considering it was right next to where we were staying. Bursting with colour and atmosphere, it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.

Leaving the bustle of the city behind a little, we headed north to visit my cousin and his fiance once again, but this time to see their flat which they've recently renovated. It was lovely and they're super lucky to have a garden this big in central London! So we sat out enjoying the sunshine for a couple of hours before heading much further north, all the way back to Nottingham. It was another amazing trip to one of my favourite cities in the world and it was so nice to spend some family time too. A weekend spent sipping cocktails (and eventually, coffee) in the sunshine doesn't exactly beg many complaints does it? Hakuna matata, as they say.