Cantina

In celebration of my friend's birthday, 10 of her close friends were invited to a performance of Cantina.  As a quick background, Cantina is an incredible circus like no other. Held at London Wonderground under the Southbank bridge the brilliant live music, acrobatics, dance and magic tricks will blow you away.



We were lucky enough to be seated in one of the private boxes on the edge of the tent; we had a brilliant view!

Now I wouldn't like to ruin the performance for everyone but let's say it feels like you are taken back in time, into another world...

Here is a little taster of what you will see:

I highly recommend you to go and see this show. You will be on the edge of your seat, gasping and if a little nervous, covering your eyes too! BOOK TICKETS NOW - £20 a seat.

Race for Life, Cancer Research

This weekend my sister and I took part in the Race for Life in Regent's Park, London.

Before the race.

The challenge to run 5 kilometres was something we took on a few months ago. We both decided that we needed to up our fitness and what better way than to set ourselves a future goal.

For those of you currently residing in England, we weren't surprised waking up to dreary weather on Saturday morning. But despite the rainy weather, little Anabelle still managed to enjoy an ice lolly and cheer us on at the final stretch!

We both completed the race in under half an hour - 26 minutes and 29 minutes!

I would like to thank everyone who has sponsored us so far! We have almost reached out target - so if anyone is feeling generous please dig deep and donate the smallest amount to great cause: please donate here.

Spuntino, Soho

Located in the heart of Soho, Spuntino is the sister venture of Polpo. Once you head down Rupert Street the restaurant is pretty hard to spot. Look out for a wooden exterior and a snaking queue (have a quick look inside to double check you're not queueing for an x rated show!)

You cannot make a reservation here, so expect a 15-20 minute wait. This is not a negative point, as you have the opportunity to experience the old style New York drinks list, including the Sealbach cocktail - a bourbon based drink. The drinks are a little on the pricey side (£6-9), but you don't get the opportunity to taste some of these early 1900 specialities every day. So splash out in this cosy dim lit joint, enjoy the laid back atmosphere, and enjoy friendly service from the staff.

The restaurant is more of a bar. Customers sit on bar stools around the metal-topped bar (seating for around 20 people) or tucked away in a candle lit corner (seating for around 8).

Once shown to our seats, we were given complimentary popcorn. A great snack while we perused the Italian / American small plate menu.


Truffled egg toast

Feeling adventurous we took our waiter's recommendations:

• Bone marrow beef burger
• Shredded pork burger
• Sausage with lentils
• Egg and asparagus salad
• Truffled egg toast

If you take my advice to dine at Spuntino you must not leave without trying the infamous dish! With the intense flavours of egg, cheese and truffle, I recommend you to share this rich delight.

After finishing off our small plates and being very impressed with the food, service and atmosphere, it would have been rude to leave without sampling a pudding. Unlike most cheesecakes you find on more fancy menus, the brown sugar cheesecake was uniquely delicious. Our waiter told us it will 'change our lives'.... head to Spuntino and find out for yourself!

Lord's Cricket

When I was given the opportunity to watch the cricket at Lord's I was very excited! I had never attended a cricket match and I had little knowledge of the sport. But this was all about to change...

A few weeks ago, my work department and I made the trip to Lord's Cricket ground in North West London. Only 10 minutes walk from our office, it was a very convenient location for us. (Although this did not allow for an early finish!)

I do not want to stereotype, but like most girls I didn't have a clue about the sport. So here is a quick breakdown for those a little rusty on the game:

•  Two teams of 11 players
• One team bats, with the aim to score as many runs as possible
• The other team bowls and fields, trying to bowl and catch the batsmen out
•  A run is scored by the batsman hitting the ball and reaching the other side of the pitch without being dismissed
• Test cricket is played over 5 days
• Twenty20 is played over 20 overs - one over being 6 bowling deliveries. This is what I watched at Lord's - Essex vs Middlesex.

Simples!

To be honest, there isn't much more you need to know. The cricket is a very social occasion, especially as it's BYO...

Wave your flag at the end of the innings! Make sure your score card is the right way up! And you're laughing!




Another activity ticked off the London List.