Whhaaaaaat it’s the end of September?? Autumn is fast approaching and it’s getting noticeably chillier up here in the North East; even if it’s sunny you soon feel it when you’re in the shade. Lots of people seem to be big fans of autumn and I must admit that, although I’m a sunshine lover, I am coming round to the idea of cosy knitwear and living in Doc Martens for a couple of months. So, looking back on September, what did I get up to?
Well at the start of the month I took Andrew to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at Alnwick Castle for his birthday. He’s a big Harry Potter fan (me, much less so) and a lot of the first film was shot at Alnwick Castle so it was a nice treat. It was a special outdoor showing on a big screen and I’d booked us premium tickets (£50 for two!) which got us a free glass of bubbly each and a Director’s Chair to sit on. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t playing so nice. It drizzled for the first hour or so and I ended up wrapped up in about six layers, with a wooly scarf wrapped around my head so only my eyes were uncovered!
Put on by the Luna Cinema and sponsored by Doubletree Hilton, the event was well put together but just unfortunately a bit of a wash out. I was also a bit miffed that even though I had paid through the nose for two seats, there were other people who had better seats just by virtue of getting there before us. The whole reason I paid so much was because I knew we couldn’t get there early after work so I think that could have been better organised. But there you go. It was something different for a Thursday evening!
The weekend after, my lovely bridesmaids and my Mum got together to go bridesmaid shopping. The weekend was originally put aside to go wedding dress shopping, but given I have already bought that in New York (another story entirely!) then we started looking for bridesmaids instead. Because our wedding is in summer and in a quirky English country garden, I was thinking maybe floral dresses for the maids. Turns out, September is NOT the time to go looking for florals! Nevermind. It was a lovely day together, with tea and cake and lunch out and it was nice for my bridesmaids to all meet each other. We just forgot to all get a picture together which is a shame! But Andrew, Louise (my sister in law) and I went boating on the lake in Saltwell Park and they ate ice creams topped with monkey blood to celebrate some of the end of summer sun.
After that, it was off to Amsterdam and London with work. I didn’t get any time to do any sightseeing, but did make it for dinner and a cheeky cocktail at the Fifth Floor of Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, which was absolutely delicious! I’d definitely recommend it for the people watching and general hustle and bustle in a beautiful, glass topped space. Yum yum.
The weekend brought some time in Harrogate with a couple of school friends – we ate out at The West Hotel. I had a tasty goats cheese salad to start and a king prawn thai red curry for main. Accompanied by a couple of bottles of wine and a cocktail for dessert, it wasn’t cheap (£75 a head including tip) but was so much fun catching up on all the goss with the girls. After a long dinner we had a quick gin and tonic in Bar before flopping out into bed. I also got to wear my new Michael Kors heels that I got from TK Maxx. Winning!
To round off the month, I spent a week or so in the U.S.A. I’ll soon be posting a guide to shopping and eating on Fifth Avenue, so be sure to check that out!
Hope you’ve all had a lovely September and are getting ready for autumn? Anyone else trying to eke out the last bits of summer while they can?!
♥ JH
Your month looked like it was amazing – I love Harry Potter so I’m massively jealous of how your watched it, looked perfect.
Glad you’ve had a lovely time!
Hannah xx
thatthoughtfulgirl.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks Hannah! It was a busy one that’s for sure. Looking forward to a bit of a quieter October especially as we’re saving for our wedding!