St George's Day

Have you already decided what to do on St George's Day?

Five top ways to spend St George’s Day

Monday 23^rd April will mark St George’s Day, a time when we honour the patron saint of England.
And what better way to commemorate the achievements of such an esteemed English figure, than to spend the day sampling all things English, including some beautiful English heritage?    

Buyagift has come up with five fantastic places in England that would be perfect for spending the day sampling some of the finer things our country has to offer.

Tudor luxury

Find some fine English tradition at the classically Tudor Thornbury hall castle. Located in picturesque Gloucestershire, it’s a popular choice with royals. This stunning and historical building is also bursting with lavish furnishings, roaring fireplaces, and precious antiques.  And while you’re at it, why not have the traditional treat of afternoon tea accompanied by some mouth-wateringly English delicacies!

 Take a tour of Kensington Palace

For a further taste of English Royalty this St George’s, why not take a tour of Kensington Palace? After you’ve perused the awe-inspiring King’s Gallery and the Sunken Gardens, you’ll head to Thistle Kensington Gardens for a spot of tea – how very quaint!
Incidentally I know the place pretty well, whenever we are in London and staying nearby Kensington Palace, we go to their tearoom for an afternoon tea and their utterly wicked pastries! You will be truly spoilt for choice.

And of course, the ambiance is special too.

A day at the races

If you are not into culture or visiting Royal Palaces, why not try a day at the races. A great British tradition, you’ll enjoy an exhilarating day of ups and downs at the track. Be part of a great atmosphere, surrounded by cries of delight and disappointment.  Some packages offer you the unique opportunity to take a look behind the scenes while you sip champagne on a sunny day at the horses.

A day at Buckingham Palace

What could be more quintessentially English than Buckingham Palace? Go on your own tour of this beautiful Queen’s Gallery and complete the day with a delicious champagne afternoon tea at the elegant Grosvenor Hotel – bliss!

Tea for two at Harrods

After a day soaking up English culture, unwind with tea at world-famous Harrods. Since Edwardian Times, the Georgian restaurant has been seen as one of the most refined places in England. And for some years now, an afternoon trip to Harrods is no longer about the shopping – it’s a social highlight. So find out what it’s really like to be a person of leisure, and sample the splendour that is afternoon tea at Harrods.

Or if you are not able to have a day out, do the most quintessentially English thing of all: have a cuppa in your own garden, reading Country Life! Have a slice of the Victoria sponge, or take out that box of Thorntons chocolate that has been calling for you. And don't forget your leg warmers, if the weather is anything like today.

Whatever your plans are for St George's Day, make sure you have a fab day!

Where do Mums really want to be this Mother's Day?

Where do Mums really want to be this Mother's Day?

Mother’s day -a time for flowers, R&R, and most importantly- some recognition for the lady who ran around after you for so many years!

Whether we’ve hundreds of pounds to spend or just a few, the one thing we’ll want to do is make sure we give our mums the best possible day this Mother’s day 2012. But what do they really want? Well, experience gift company Buyagift have carried out a survey of 500 UK mums to find out exactly where it is that they’d like to spend Mother’s day this year.

Try somewhere new and exciting with the whole family

While we’d traditionally see Mother’s Day as a time for rest and relaxation away from the family, 41.5% of mums said that they most like to spend the day doing something fun with the children while 15% said that they’d like to spend it outdoors on a visit to somewhere picturesque. Even more interestingly, 27.3% of mums actually view a day out with the kids to be their idea of a relaxing day.

Take her on a relaxing spa day or a day out exploring

Aside from a thirst for adventure with the kids, 40% of the sample would prefer relaxing spa days. And it would seem that UK mums are also after a bit of exploration – 13.1% said they’d like to be taken on a day out exploring the countryside while 8.2% would absolutely love you for taking her out for a day discovering new cities – tea for two anybody?

Really treat her this year

The survey also looked into whether mums were able to find time for themselves. Astoundingly, 40.3% are often unable take time out from being a mum, while 11.3% claim that they never get any time to pursue their own interests. With this in mind, we should make sure that whatever she does, our mum has the very best day possible this Mother’s day 2012!

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Interesting data. Can you relate to this survey? I am definitely one of 40.3%, I forgot what it is to have time for myself. I am probably not a "normal" woman, as I find spas tediuos and cannot think of anything more boring than having a spa day. A tea for two experience would be my idea of fun, and one day I will treat myself to a tea at Ritz. Maybe when Eddie is an adult and will take his old Mum out. I can wait.

I had a good browsing session at Buyagift (www.buyagift.co.uk) and was "choosing" gifts for myself. A medieval banquet, for example. I used to have dressing-up period parties in the BS age (i.e. before Sasha, as we say here, or BC, before children). One of my most favourite parties was a Tudor-themed party. I cooked authentic Tudor dishes. At that time I still had plenty of time to do some research and find the right ingredients.
An evening like this would be a memory to cherish forever. Just look at the happy lady in the photo, she's enjoying every second of it.

Or a chocolate workshop, what could be more exciting?

And though I am pretty good at cooking Italian dishes, I would have loved to go on a day course of Italian Cookery Master Class. I have never made my own pasta, and this could be a brilliant new experience and a great skill to master.

Alas, so far all these days out are not possible for me. Or maybe I should omit the word "Alas" and rejoice at being busy with my two beautiful boys.

My ideal day out would be a trip to the beach in Cornwall. An empty sandy beach with rocks. A relatively mild weather, not too hot and not too cold. My boys running free and splashing in the rock pools. Breathing in the salty air and feeling liberated from all the troubles in the world. Just me and my boys, all three of them (including my husband). And a nice ice cream cone would not go amiss. That's what I really want, and that's where I would love to be.

Whatever you do this Mother's Day, hope you have fun and enjoy it!

P.S. This is not a sponsored post.