Life Lately: The other day I got a surprise… I found out I’d been ranked No. 1 London Lifestyle blogger by Vuelio the leading provider of PR software. It’s easy to become quite jaded by blogger rankings and I’ve had my fair share of emails from random insurance companies telling me I’ve one of the top ten interior design blogs in the country and such like. Four years on you become wise to that sort of thing and realise these companies are only doing it for their own SEO and clickthroughs. The Vuelio ranking has always meant something to me as they are devised in an analytical way using a proprietary algorithm.
It’s the fourth time I’ve made the list and my first time at No.1. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d make the list this year as there are so many bloggers in London who take their content to the next level so I’m incredibly proud.
Which brings me to my next musing. Are we seeing the demise of blogging as it is slowly killed by Instagram? The short answer is no – video didn’t kill the radio star, TV hasn’t destroyed reading and despite the decrease of print magazines and newspapers they have not been destroyed by social media. Blogging has been around too long to go the way of MySpace, Friendster and even maybe Snapchat. But it is changing…personally I’m seeing less blog posts published every day as people move to social media and Instagram in particular. Even myself. I used to publish five posts a week but now it’s more like three as I’m taking much more time on Instagram in the effort to achieve the perfect grid. That doesn’t mean I’m stopping though!
I won’t go on for too long as Amber, Jayne, Elizabeth and Catherine have already written very eloquently on this subject but I will give a quick opinion. Personally I think rather than killing my blog, Instagram has made me up my game. Now I strive to take more creative photography, have better images and I’ve learnt that less is more – I don’t need to stress myself writing five blog posts a week. As well as focusing more on Instagram, I’ve used my time to attend more events and meet more people which again in turn widens up my blogosphere. Watch this space but I genuinely don’t think we’ll be holding a funeral for the blog any time soon!
Restaurants: Sticking with the theme of Instagram, my restaurant visits have been all rather Instagrammable this month! I enjoyed the Mother’s Day Tea at Aubaine, the wisteria draped restaurant in Selfridge’s shoe department.
I hosted a breakfast at Dalloway Terrace and admired the new Spring Installation:
And I went to an icing class to celebrate the new book for Biscuiteers:
I also celebrated Lauren’s birthday at Sorella, enjoyed the Fish Kitchen pop up and the Capital Hotel and tried the newly refurbished Trafalgar Dining Rooms.
Events: Emily from Fashion Foie Gras is a blogger I’ve followed for years, a true icon in the blogging world. We’ve been in touch over social media but having never met I was thrilled when she invited me to breakfast to introduce fellow bloggers and journalists to Ralph’s Coffee & Bar. Part of the Ralph Lauren shop on Regent Street, it’s as stylish as you might imagine and it was great fun spending the morning meeting Emily and the other bloggers.
Another event that I enjoyed this month as my Godiva Egg icing class (yes I got very creative this month). Most of you will probably be familiar with luxury chocolate brand, and it was fab learning the proper way to taste chocolate and then having the opportunity to ice our own eggs for Easter. I made one for Charlie my nephew, and though it looked a bit of a mess, at least he was delighted with the result!
Mr S and I also bought tickets to Cirque de Soleil. Having seen the various shows twice in London and twice in Las Vegas, we’re huge fans. I really urge you to go next time they’re in town, the shows are truly sensational!
New In: I’m a long time fan of luxury perfume house Ormonde Jayne and several years ago I had a perfume portrait at their Sloane Square boutique. I was invited back to their new boutique in the Royal Arcade, this time meeting the owner Linda Pilkington who started the brand born from a passion for perfumery. 
Whilst Linda told me her story she created a ‘Made to Measure’ perfume; I sniffed several scents, chose my desired perfume strength, bottle and even had the cap engraved. Such a beautiful idea for a gift, wedding or keepsake.
What I’m Reading: This month I picked a copy of Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón off my shelf. It had probably been sat there for years and despite having heard amazing things about this book, I’d never actually got around to reading it. It’s set in Barcelona and is about a young man called Daniel who gets hold of a intriguing book called Shadow of the Wind and then becomes intent on finding out about the mysterious author, Julian Carax. I’ve not quite finished it (about 180 pages to go of the 500 page novel) and what do I think? Well I haven’t *quite* fallen in love with this international bestseller, it’s beautifully written and at certain points I’ve been gripped whilst at others I’ve lost focus on the story. Still it’s a fantastic book of magic, romance and intrigue and I’m fascinated to see what happens in the end.
What I’m Watching: Calling all fans of the Big Bang Theory!! If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that Sheldon Cooper is the main reason for watching it. Perhaps you have your own Sheldon in life but even if you don’t I defy you not to find his character hilarious. Anyway, I’ve been watching a new series from the makers, of the Big Bang Theory. Enter Young Sheldon, a sitcom focussing on the early years of the theoretical physicist – it’s seriously hilarious and perfectly cast. Watch how young Sheldon, a child prodigy, gets on with entering high school early and his relationship with his parents and siblings that have shaped how he is today. I’ve been a huge fan of the original show for years so I’m pretty hooked!
What I’m Wearing:
Ok, it’s not one for everyday but it was this dress that caught your eye on my blog and over on my Instagram. Isn’t is pretty? It’s quite affordable for an evening dress, and is designed by Needle and Thread – I love the detail on the top and the tulle skirt. The shoes are from Ted Baker for those asking!
Travel: It’s been a really fantastic month for travel. Our first trip in March was to Amsterdam as part of a content creation project with the Kimpton de Witt.
Though we didn’t get time to see much of the city, I absolutely loved the vibrant yet laid back vibe, the unique canal houses and the easy walkability. It was made even more fun by staying at the stylish Kimpton de Witt which was perfectly located in the city centre.
As you know, one way I aim to keep my content authentic is by blending my press / sponsored trips with my own holidays that we pay for ourselves. I put just as much time and energy into creating content for both as it’s something I love doing. Our ski trip to Courchevel was one such personal holiday which was why it came only days after our Amsterdam trip. I absolutely fell in love with our gorgeous hotel, and the atmosphere in the ski the resort – the skiing itself was a little hit and miss but I’ll be telling you all about that in an upcoming blog post.
And what’s next? Well, next week I have a short press trip and then a couple of days later I’ll be finally heading off on my big South American adventure. If you haven’t read my itinerary, take a look here! I honestly can’t wait to see everything that we have in store and to share everything with you. Follow the hashtag #SilverSpooninSouthAmerica to keep up with the adventures on Instagram.
Instagram Love:
The Fashion Bureau, a new work wear account by Laura Hyatt
Weekends from London – an account that pretty much does what it says on the tin. Beautifully curated by Lauren Hudson.
I also discovered WindmillDreams when I was doing research for Amsterdam.
Travel link up: The topic for April is one we enjoyed in 2015 – and we wanted to do it again – ‘places we can’t get out of our heads’.
How to link up your post
Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st – 7th April 2018), add it to the link up widget found on my blog Adventures of a London Kiwi, and The Travels of Mrs B.
I’ve really enjoyed having this post as more of a chatty catch up. I hope that you’ve enjoyed my ramblings!
