What a week! I go all out for Birthday's and this year combined it into the Easter long weekend too. It's been a flower, sugar, blossom, cake, bunting, chocolate egg, bunny filled week spent with my very favourite people, a mix of family & friends. Time spent at home and wandering around London. I've shared all of the photos below, for me to look back on, if you'd like to see.

Bunting & Bunnies!

// Columbia Road Flower Market

Ben suggested a few weeks back that we should visit my favourite flower market, in East London, on the Sunday before my Birthday to choose some flowers. Best idea ever! I stocked up with blooms for the week and as usual there we had a really lovely morning {and bought a few plants as well as cut flowers}.

*Those* pink doors.

Armfuls of flowers! {not all for me!}.

The magnolia's are starting to bloom.

// Easter hosting

That afternoon my family came over for an early Easter/Birthday lunch.

Mini-egg brownies.

Setting an Easter table.

Such a lovely evening with everybody whilst we listened to George Ezra's new album on repeat.

The guest of honour!

// Cake

Ben & I were going to make a cake from scratch but when ordering the food for our Easter lunch saw that you can buy this naked cake that would save us lots of time and then we could just do the fun part - decorating.

It was perfect, and the vanilla tasted like white chocolate.

A Spring/Easter inspired cake.

// Sketch

My Birthday was on Wednesday & it was forecast to pour with rain, just like it did for the rest of the week. But we braved the weather to head into London as we had an afternoon tea date at Sketch in Mayfair. I've wanted to visit for ages after hearing so much about it over the years.

Rainy London but still so pretty.

I of course chose the pink gallery room, with the gorgeous velvet chairs, pink art filled walls and a funky floor for our afternoon tea.

The whole thing was such a treat from start to finish {and a huge thank you to Sketch for having us}. Everything from the caviar man with his hat & pink suit, to the tea choosing, to the string quarter playing that added to the atmosphere to the insanely delicious sandwiches, scones and cakes.

I literally loved it all.

You have to visit the toilets if you go, with their candle lit stairs, planting & pods!

I had super high expectations but it exceeded them all.

On the way home we stopped to take in the magnolia in Primrose Hill, swoon {although they're definitely not as good as last year!}.

My Grandparents & Parents came over for cake once we got home and then my friends came round for dinner - my friend Soph started a new kind of tradition for our birthday's that we stay home for food instead of going out and actually it made for such a nice evening. I made some lasagnes in advance for us all and then used up the cake!

// Easter

With Easter falling the same week it felt like a week long chocolate fest. Over the long weekend we didn't have many plans, mainly as the weather was so awful so we spent a couple of really lazy days at home {I say lazy, I was but Ben was cracking on with the new bathroom getting the floor & ceiling in}.

I don't even want to think about the amount of chocolate we I got through. And there were a couple of breakfasts out, one catching up with a new friend, and the other with my brother.

I wasn't going to make a nest cake this year, my annual tradition, because we're not around for the egg hunt with Ben's family & nephews this year. But then I decided it would be weird not to have one and in the end it alll got eaten by us & my friends on Saturday night! You can find the recipe in the Easter archives here.

On Saturday we started getting cabin fever. The rain finally stopped and we drove into London for a pizza pilgrimage and a wander. It was soo good to leave the house/village and it ended up being a really lovely date night. We'd heard about L'Antica Pizzeria Michele {the Naples world famous pizzeria, from Eat Pray Love} which has been open in London for a while - in Stoke Newington which is a bit of a pain to get to. Now they've opened one in Baker Street which made for a perfect walk through Primrose Hill & Regent's Park. The pizza was insanely good and we felt like we'd flown to Italy for the evening {especially as we stopped for gelato in St John's Wood on the way back - geeez can you tell I need to go on a health kick from tomorrow?!}. 

Blossom! And Pizza HEAVEN.

That evening I went to my friend Joanna's to watch the AJ fight, we're all mad about him so although we're not all boxing fans, we can't ever miss one of his fights and we make an evening of it. I love those girls so much.

On Easter Sunday we went for a long walk with my parents & the pup before a day pretty much spent on the sofa with our eggs! 

A pretty dreamy week. And today Ben's treating me to a belated Birthday night away! I'm off to finish my packing.

I hope you've had a lovely Easter. I wish every weekend would feel this long! I have no idea what day it is anymore.

R <3 xx