A Very Merry Weekend in Greenwich

This weekend past it was time to do something charitable. I haven't done anything to raise money in a long time so when my bestie asked me to participate in a 5K Santa Fun Run in Greenwich Park....well...how could I say no?

We were raising money for the company she works for, Starlight, which grants wishes for severely ill and terminally ill children, so it really was worth getting up at 7am on a Sunday, putting on our finest beards and joining the other few thousand Santas running round the park!

 Never looked better...

Ready, Set...

It was such a fun day and I highly recommend this one or any of the other Santa Runs that I know are dotted around the country. The atmosphere is great and seeing all of the different charities there gathered is pretty heart warming too!

However once we were done it was time for  some nutrition and as neither of us had ever really explored Greenwich before we were thrilled to stumble upon Greenwich Market! SUCH a gem really, an amazing array of food stands at the front and as you squeeze your way through the hustle and bustle there are a brilliant selection of gift stalls all perfect for a few Christmas stocking fillers. It was however the food that enchanted us the most, I myself went for the halloumi and lamb wrap with salad humous and yoghurt.....deeeeeelicous! For anyone that hasn't it's definitely worth a stop by.

So all in all a very successful weekend, Starlight raised over £10,000 for charity through runners sponsorship and we all had fun doing it. You also can't really complain about the location of the run when you have views like this one...

The VS Fashion Show Frenzy

It's that time of year again, when scores of girls spent their last night glued to their television screens to soak in everything that this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show had to offer. For those of us not in the grand ol' U S of A, this morning was spent hunting down a quality internet link so we too could enjoy all it had to offer. Although last year I was lucky enough to watch the show live in America, it was no less enjoyable watching it this morning on my laptop!

Although on the surface the idea of a lingerie fashion show seems like something that would be perfect for guys to sit there drooling over, the VS show is a big draw to girls all over. Whether they are watching to see the beautiful outfits, the musical talent or to give themselves some inspiration to go to the gym through the winter months (I would say all three!)

Then there are all the themes that make up the show, personally these were two of my favourites this year.

The Circus

Calendar Girls

All in all another successful year for the Angels. And with Adriana Lima giving birth 6 weeks before the show was taped, I guess anything is possible. With that, I'm off to the gym...

Arm Candy Crazy

All you have to do is search #armcandy on Instagram or Twitter & you will be inundated with hits. No, not of men with a beautiful women on their arms but of girls showing you their wrists, jam packed with beautiful bracelets and watches alike. It's also hit the blogosphere too and whilst often your favourite blogger will be telling you all about her outfit, what will really stand out to you is what she has adorned her wrists with.

From top left clockwise Instagram accounts: eleonoraarico, calliedweber, peaceloveshea, songofstyle

Now personally i'm always enamoured by the delicacies I see in the way of arm candy, but am normally left green eye monstered at the constant Rolex watches, Hermes bangles and Cartier Love bracelets which are just, unfortunately  out of my price range. So I have been on the hunt for my arm candy Christmas wish list. Some more realistic than others but nonetheless all within the realm of possibility.

From top left clockwise: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Astley Clarke, Giles & Brother, Henri Bendel, Topshop, Alexander McQueen, River Island, Topshop, Monica Vinader, Topshop, Michael Kors

You maybe able to tell that I am a gold jewellery kinda person. I got that Michael Kors watch for my birthday this year and everything else has sort of revolved around it since seeing as it is such a staple of my wardrobe! I know that the Henri Bendel is winging its way over to me this Christmas but in the meantime I may have to pop down the high street and raid Topshop's jewellery stand!

A Quick Trip to Istanbul...

So as a couple of my American friends are studying abroad in Turkey this year, I took it as a great opportunity to visit somewhere that I had never been before (especially seeing as one of them is half Turkish, so it was like having my own personal fluent tour guide!)

I think it would be fair to say that my time was split equally between wandering around the touristy spots and celebrating my friend Emma's 21st birthday (one of those celebrations which lasts roughly a week).

I never realised how large Istanbul is, one of the largest cities in the world and it definitely feels like that with how wide spread it is. With this in mind it makes sense that it can change so much from one part to another, with the highly traditional side to the far more westernised areas.

The Blue Mosque is beautiful but I felt it was so strange to be walking around peoples place of worship with everyone wearing makeshift head scarfs and skirts to cover themselves up.

The interior of the Hagia Sofia.

The Spice Bazaar was just so overwhelming with choice!

Having a traditional kofta dish, doesn't look like much but tasted delicious.

So then there was the other half of my trip, which let's be honest, was the reason I wasn't up at the crack of dawn every day going sight seeing. We spent a fair amount of our time enjoying Istanbul's extensive nightlife. The second night we were there we went to a club called Sortie which was right on the Bosphorus so had amazing views of the water...

I was also lucky enough to have friends who by luck had made friends in rather high places, so we had no problems with getting in anywhere and also got the odd perk here and there...!

Sortie was definitely a lot of fun. Apparently if it isn't too busy a night it's not that tough to get in, especially for groups of girls (as per usual...). I can imagine in the summer it would be scores better seeing as you'd be able to stand outside and enjoy the view without feeling like your extremities were about to fall off, even after a few drinks!

My last night in Istanbul was where the real birthday fun began to kick in. We went to a club called Masquerade and Emma certainly felt very much the queen of the club! Masquarade had a much more upbeat atmosphere, although this may have had something to do with us going on hip-hop night where everyone was dancing the night away.

The birthday girl herself loving life!

Seeing as clubs in Istanbul don't seem to close until 4am earliest, it is safe to say there were a few big nights had! It was so lovely to see my friends who I hadn't seen for ages and getting to explore Istanbul was a lovely plus!