This weekend was Alex’s birthday and, me being me, I obviously liked to have a couple of exciting things planned to celebrate.

First off, seeing as I had a weekend of fun activities planned, I thought I should make his actual birthday a relaxing one after a long hard day at work.  And what better way to relax than to put on some comfy pjs and just chill.  So a onesie party it was!

Dressed in my fluffy blue and purple spotted Sully from Monsters Inc onesie, I must have looked a funny sight when he walked through the front door!  But, not wanting to be the only one looking ridiculous, I made Alex get into his new penguin onesie straight away, avec big orange beak and floppy feet.  (I say made, but really he threw off his coat and couldn’t wait to get into it!)  So, both dressed up as the oddest combination of animal friends, the giant penguin and the fluffy monster had a feast of party food and movies.

Such big kids!

One of his gifts was a trip up to the top of the Shard, so we spent the rest of the weekend being tourists in London.  Even though I work in London and so see the city almost every day, it was great to see it all sprawled out below us from up so high, and I know Alex loves seeing the views over his favourite city in the world.

The View from the Shard is pretty expensive at £24.95 per person if you book online and a whopping £29.95 if you buy on the day.  It’s a pretty steep price especially when you compare it to the likes of the Empire State Building which costs about £16, or even the Eiffel Tower at only about £12, despite being in one of the most expensive cities.  If it’s something you enjoy though then give it a go; just the once is enough to say you’ve seen London from its highest view point.

The high-speed lifts shot us up to level 69 of the building within seconds – I didn’t even get a chance to yawn to un-pop my ears before we reached the top!  As you exit the lift you can see the entire city down below you and you’ll easily spot sights including the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf, The Gherkin and Tower Bridge.

You can even climb a few more stairs up to level 72, which is open to the elements so it was bloody freezing at this time of year!  It was so windy up there I was petrified I was going to get blown away and we could hardly hear each other over the howling of the wind, so we quickly made our way back down to the safety and warmth of level 69.

Level 72 all open and windy at the top

I’d picked a time slot that would see us up there during daylight and also so we could see the view as it got darker.  Unfortunately, as is the norm in London, it was a pretty miserable day so we didn’t get to see a nice colourful sunset like I’d hoped.  But seeing the lights of the city turning on one by one as the sky gradually got darker was pretty magical.  And to make the moment even more magical, you can buy yourself a glass of champagne to enjoy with the wonderful view.

We then saw the musical, The Commitments, a hilarious show that had everyone up singing and dancing to soul classics by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and The Supremes.  I love a good musical and this one was definitely a good pick.

It’s very rare that me and Alex get an entire weekend to spend together just the two of us, what with work, volunteering and other social events getting in the way, but this was a great one and I’m looking forward to some more adventures around London together.

Enjoying the view from the Shard