This weekend has been a pretty fun one so I thought I’d update you on my latest antics and adventures around London.

On Friday night I went to Traverse Mingle, a big event for travel bloggers and anyone in the travel industry to get together to socialise, network and have fun.  It was held in the plush Cumberland Hotel on Oxford Street and we even had a mini red carpet to get our pic snapped on!  So of course I had to put a pretty frock on!  Everything was free all night – entry, canapés and drinks so it was bound to be a messy night for most!

The lobby in The Cumberland Hotel, London

Although I didn’t know many people there I was lucky enough to have the lovely Char of Taylor Hearts Travel and Kasha of Lines of Escape to meet up with beforehand so at least us girls knew each other!  It’s strange going to these events as I knew quite a few people from twitter and their blogs but had never actually met them before in “real life” so I felt like I was trying to match people up with their twitter pictures!  There were a few faces I recognised from my first travel event, Travel Massive, a couple of weeks ago but it was great to meet more people and chat about something we all love.

With Char and Kasha on the red carpet

Playing dress up!

I tried not to get too late a night as I had my usual stint of volunteer work at London Zoo the next day which I love more and more every week.  It’s never a dull day at the zoo and this week was no exception.  The cheeky squirrel monkeys somehow managed to steal a little toy Smurf from a poor child so I watched them carefully while they played with it and tried to pull its head off and then I dived into the bushes to grab it as soon as they dropped it.  This meant I ended up with a few of the monkeys sitting around my feet looking up at me with a puppy dog expressions on their faces wanting their new toy back!  In the butterfly enclosure, I wandered around showing people a huge caterpillar I was carrying on a stick, that looked very much like Heimlich from A Bug’s Life, as well as having to save a pretty butterfly that was trying to escape.  And then, in the rainforest, the animals were having a very active afternoon and the ant-eater decided to take a walk around the footpath over everyone’s feet!

Cheeky squirrel monkeys at the zoo

Today, Alex and I have had a day of therapy – retail therapy this morning and spa therapy this afternoon.  Alex is usually the spender whereas I’m the saver but today we switched roles and I treated myself to a gorgeous new bag and purse which was much needed.  I thought I’d feel guiltier than I do for spending loads of money but clearly I love my new purchases too much!

Alex gave me a spa voucher for my birthday back in January and I’ve only just got around to using it!  I booked us each in for a neck, back and shoulder massage at Bannatyne’s Spa in Ashford and after this we made full use of the facilities by relaxing in the swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna.  An afternoon of complete relaxation was definitely needed and it was the perfect way to spend a blissful Sunday as the end to a very fun weekend.

Bliss!