some happy things

coffee is bae: the best thing about summer? iced coffee. i like my iced coffee cool, smooth, and not syruppy sweet. i like it easy to drink, i like it strong, and i like it not-too milky. i've really struggled in london to find an iced coffee that meet my requirements, usually having to ask for an iced americano with a dash of milk, and that *usually* does the trick. because it's poured over ice though, it can get a little wet and watery towards the end - a cross i've had to bear until recently. caffe nero have just launched their iced flat white product to the world, and i have already been in twice this week for one. i was even frisked at the door before i could order once, proving how popular they already are. #fame

afternoon tease: i joined jasmin last monday at the royal albert hall in celebration of their new and improved twilight tea menu, in the iconic building's berry bros and rudd no.3 (gin) bar. with all teas courtesy of the east india company and the menu designed by catering powerhouse rhubarb, we were in for a real treat! while i'm the kind of girl that always looks forward to the sweets, there was nothing unsavoury about the savouries on offer. delicate salmon and caviar bites, tasty little finger sandwiches, and quirky egg and cress roti wraps were our starters before we moved onto sweeter pastures. rhubarb and strawberry tart is where my love fell, right alongside the earl grey mar-tea-ni. gettit? martini? good. 

a taste of london: as promised, last week i headed down to the opening night (ooh la la) of taste of london in regents park, with rebekah by my side. we had a heavy itinerary for our four hours in the park. we kicked off with docu-series tasteology, moved on to take taste further with jeremy pang, then finished off with a masterclass with the team from three sixty degrees coffee. in between all that we ate, drank, and were merry. more on that to come in the week. spoiler: it was awesome.

typically british: know what they say: plan a picnic and it will rain. well, rain it did on friday night as i stepped off the tube and made my way to somerset house for mercure hotel's fabulous summer picnic. with special guests susie and peter on hand to talk through the tasty prosecco they'd exclusively chosen for the hotel chain, we sipped bubbles and ate specially-made picnic hampers from from tom's kitchen while an a-cappella band played and the london crowds danced. obviously, this was once the rain disappeared. yay for contingency plans!

learning can be fun: on saturday i was up and out early to head into central london, for a full-day course with jessops academy. i'd done a taster course with the camera giants a couple of year ago, and so when they invited me back to get to grips with my new camera, i was definitely up for a little learning! i can't wait to put some of the skills learned into practise, but more on that this week.

reeeeelax: anyone else binge-watching orange is the new black like me? i got home on saturday night, put a pizza in the oven, poured a glass of wine, and settled in for the night. i'm ten episodes in already and absolutely hooked. didn't love the last season, but this one has be laughing one episode and gasping with horror the next. that's my kind of show!

happiness is...: fresh sheets and a duvet cover that perfectly compliments your life. what's been keeping you happy this week? if you need more inspiration, don't forget to check out jasmin's happiness link up for the ultimate happies.