Good Monday Morning to you all out there! What a lovely weekend I’ve had! I’m as pleased as the cat who has just managed to get the bowl of (clotted) cream.

As you can guess, I just had the most magical Afternoon Tea at the County Hall Marriott. It took me a little while to get into the building (I was following Google Maps and it led me to the aquarium instead!) but once I did find it, it was literally like walking into a fairy tale palace! The architecture has that old-world resonance (which is no surprise considering that the first foundation stone was laid in 1912 by King George V!) You walk through this amazing arch way and then you get to the entrance hall where you are greeted by a delightfully friendly porter who will point you in the right direction. The interior is all deep red and brown, and very lush. You can’t help but feel like you could be enjoying the company of royals and dignitaries!

The afternoon tea was really a spectacular affair and the staff were brilliantly helpful. You really admire them all dressed up in their perfect uniforms, serving tea and scones like they’re straight out of the Regency period! But here I am getting carried away with the look of the place when I should be talking about the amazing scones, the delicious tarts, cakes and mousse and not to mention the spectacular sandwiches! And to top it all off, their Darjeeling tea was simply scrumptious. I can’t recommend this enough.

I went with a friend of mine who probably would have rather been watching the football, but we had an amazing time catching up and discussing his new job and gossiping about old friends But perhaps the thing that struck me the most was that there were so many tables full of ladies … it was like all the girls got together to chat over the most delicious treats in London! This is a fantastic treat to share with someone special and an even better adventure to share with your best girlfriends! If you really want to spoil them, treat them all to  a divine day out at the Marriott. If, like me, you meet up with your girlfriends once a week to catch up, why not schedule your weekly tea in this amazing location and make the most of it? This special deal is four couples or ‘groups’ of two so that you can get the best deal.

Found your blog yesterday while I was searching for a fun activity to do … it’s really quite good! I love it that you put pictures up every day! Maybe you can help me too: I’m looking for something that I can do that’s fun but that’s also a bit of a work out. I hate the idea of running on a treadmill and not going anywhere – I’d rather just do something outdoors and get a bit of exercise while I’m at it. Please help, summer is on it’s way and I’m still feeling the winter blues! Thank you!

Dave

Hi Dave,

I know exactly what you mean! the gym is an excellent way to burn off winter calories and that ‘extra padding’ that we all seem to acquire when it gets cold outside! But I completely agree with you: it’s very difficult to drag yourself to the gym when you’d much rather be outside and enjoying the rare bit of sun that’s coming our way recently. So what’s the solution?

Luckily for people like you and me there are a hundred different fun activities out there that can provide us with the motivation we need to get going! My personal recommendation for the summer has got to be kayaking. Take to the waters with a cool, calm, rhythmic motion and experience the great outdoors from a spectacular perspective! You can choose what kind of kayaking routes you’d be interested in (I’m more of a flat-water kind of girl, but you might enjoy rapids, adventure routes, or even kayaking tours where you’d go out in groups for weekend activities) but whatever you choose, you’ll get a great workout! Kayaking doesn’t only work your arms as you might imagine: it’s also an excellent back, shoulder and ab workout that will keep you looking in tip-top shape for the summer! Keep your core balanced and your body toned without ever hitting the gym!

Okay, now for the most important bit: how much is it going to cost you? Well that depends: are you going to spend a few hundred pounds and get your own kayak and kit? If, like me, you like to try out a whole range of things and you’re keen to see if you’re interested first, why not go for a two-hour taster session? That will give you plenty of time to get used to the sport and enjoy some of the scenery! And the best thing about that is it really isn’t going to break your bank either: at only £39 it’s quite reasonable! And a whole lot better than my local (noisy) gym!

I hope you have a great time out on the water Dave, let me know how it goes!

Stacey