WLFEO Wed- BVF tradition continues

This year is our eleventh annual adventure, and our first as the Bon Voyage Friends traveling sisters. Our sorority letters theme is zebra print with a turquoise background to symbolise our sorority's mascot and the theme for celebrating my birthday! It's been twelve years since we've been together to celebrate either of our birthdays, so this year has been extra special! 

Bon Voyage Friends 2014 Adventure! (Diana is 4 weeks away from her due date!) 

Picture taken at The Stag, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom 

Travel Tuesday- The Coast

On our annual adventure we popped into Cowes for the afternoon, there are so many cute boutique clothing and gift shops that we could've spent several hours looking around, but shops close about 5.00pm. So after wandering down to the seafront and parade we headed to a trendy restaurant and bar called The Coast. Several of my clients recommended we go there for breakfast, lunch, or a coffee, but as it was nearing dinner we decided to try out their casual dinner menu. 

The relaxed atmosphere, great wine list, and tasty menu made for a lovely evening. The staff were very attentive and friendly not only to us, but to everyone who entered and the place was soon buzzing and full of locals and passers by. Speaking to the manager at The Stag, a local to Cowes he said the place is busy all day everyday & they've recently extended into the neighbouring premises to accommodate the traffic! 

Local dog walkers stopping by for a glass of wine along their evening stroll. 

We had a deliciously light prosecco to accompany our meal to toast to a lovely girly day out. For our starter we had bruschetta topped with goats cheese, artichokes and carmelised onions and garnished with a rocket and pine nut salad. Delicious! 

For our main meal we shared a Quattro Formaggio thin crust pizza and had a side of green salad each, which was topped with spring onions, cucumber and green olives. We were offered three flavours of oil to drizzle on our pizza- plain olive oil, garlic oil and chilli oil. The garlic oil was my favourite, but both flavoured oils added a punch of flavour to the four cheese topping. 

We can see why this place is busy every day because the welcoming atmosphere, mouth-watering menu and relaxing setting makes you want to go back again and again! BVF give this place 4/4 diamonds. 

Feature Friday! BVF's 2014 Adventures, an Amazing Start!!

I had an enjoyable flight with Virgin Atlantic, our favourite airline! There's a daily direct flight from Las Vegas to Gatwick. Virgin Atlantic is a great experience from the time you board the plane. I flew premium economy and was greeted with a welcome drink! The crew is always cheerful and professional! 

The entertainment center available on Virgin Atlantic is superb! You can watch TV and movies, listen to music, play games, and so much more!! 

You can even write or look up recommendations for the city you are traveling to. 

Great feature! You can even track the flight!! 

Dinner was yummy! The menus change on a regular basis. 

Guiness Stew was tasty! But always be sure to hydrate while traveling, it's easy to get dehydrated. 

The flight was very smooth and after 9.5 hours we arrived! Yeah!! 

Gatwick was busy and bustling on Wednesday morning and my thoughtful friend Di was there to greet me. She made a welcome sign, how nice!!!  

We picked up right where we left off and we were on our way!!! 

First stop was Winchester, this quaint town has a gorgeous Cathedral, one of the largest on England! 

The stunning Winchester Cathedral. 

Di knows how much I love visiting churches, it was wonderful to be able visit the Winchester Cathedral. The church was founded in 1079, wow!! 

The workmanship is breathtaking! 

Gorgeous stained glass. 

Quick fact about Winchester Cathedral, one of England's treasured novelists Jane Austen is buried there. 

After our visit, we had a lovely lunch at the church's cafe. 

The menu is changed daily and a countdown is kept to track how many of each item is available! We had salad and goat cheese tarts, yummy! 

Following lunch Di and I went to town and had a nice time wandering around. 

Wow, what a great day!!! Thank you Di for your warm welcome!!! 

We look forward to sharing more about our adventures.

 

Savoury Saturday- Yummy Chicken Bake

This recipe is easy to prepare in advance and can be adapted many ways by adding more vegetables, pasta or serving with salad and garlic bread. 

Quick and easy family recipe, Bon appetite! 

Feature Friday- Invictus Games

Last week the London was the home of the Invictus Games, which was the inaugural event created by Prince Harry after an inspirational trip to the states last year.  It was supported by some fantastic companies and people such as the Royal Foundation, Ministry of Defence, and Jaguar! The story behind the games is best used straight from the website: 

"The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and what these tenacious men and women can achieve, post injury. The Invictus Games will celebrate this through sporting achievement that recognises the journey to recovery these men and women are on." -InvictusGames.org

The games were hosted in the Olympic Park over four days from the 10-14 September with over 400 participants that originated from 13 different countries.  These men and women are veterans or still serving their countries and came to London to compete in 9 different sporting events that were adapted for their injuries.  The sports varied form athletics, rugby, volleyball, swimming and more. 

Unlike many other international competitive sporting events, there was no nation medal table because this event is to celebrate the heroes of our Armed Forces, not to create an overall international winner.  Each winner and runner-up received a medal for the event they competed in and individual biographies are available for those interested, but it was not the main objective of the challenging events. 

The games are broadcast live on the BBC so the general public can be a part of the memorable games.  Tickets for next years event will go on sale 16 May 2015. If you're visiting the UK, live locally or want to watch over the internet the events are entertaining, inspirational and impressive to see what these service men and women can ask of their bodies and perform! 

Treat Thursday- sushi night

My husband and I went out for the monthly sushi night at the Fusion Pub in Lymington on Tuesday. The first Tuesday & Wednesday of each month they have a special chef that comes in to make fresh sushi.  They have a sushi bar in the restaurant so you can watch your dinner being made, just hope the entire restaurant isn’t eating sushi or you’ll have to wait a while. 

They offer Sashimi, california rolls, dragon rolls and other more experimental rolls such as those made with Korean beef or Mexican ingredients which add a burst of flavour.  

We had good service with our drinks being refreshed regularly and promptly delivered food. Great food authentically prepared & it adds to the experience that you can watch chef making it! 

Fun Fact Friday! National Gallery in London.

The National Gallery is one of London's most important museums. It has an impressive collection of paintings covering the period between 1260 and 1900, with works from virtually all renowned artists of the era.

Treat Thursday! Yummy Nectarine and Feta Cheese Salad

We love sharing recipes from the kitchens of Bon Voyage Friends. Today's recipe is a delicious salad shared by Diana. It's a simple, yet tasty recipe. Perfect while summer fruit is still in season. 

Ingredients 

1 nectarine, diced 
50g feta, crumbled 
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 slices of fresh ham, thinly sliced 

1/4 avocado, diced 

1/2 cucumber, diced 

2 tbsp pine nuts   

Add all ingredients in a bowl, mix & enjoy! 

Optional- drizzle honey mustard dressing over the top.

Sunny Sunday- super scrimper project

After watching numerous DIY and home improvement programs I took advantage of this opportunity. There were 4 chairs on facebay for £15 that we're not in the best condition with well-worn wood and stained polka dot fabric. Using chalk paint I gave them the 'D Factor' and turned them into shabby chic!! I used a heavy duty stapler and some scraps of material I had in my craft drawer to recover the seats. Then a had some pots of chalk paint in the shed, so spent the morning painting and waxing chairs. The whole thing took about 3 hours to complete. It's my fFirst project and I'm super proud! 

Savoury Saturday- tasty mac and cheese recipe

Tasty Easy Peasy Mac & Cheesy 

Meal for 1 

1 cup Macaroni 

100g Philadelphia Cream cheese 

100g Cheddar cheese 

1 tbsp Ranch powder 

3 Green onions, finely chopped 

1. Cook macaroni as per package instructions 

2. Drain and replace macaroni into pan, add cheeses, ranch and green onions. Stir over medium heat until cheese melted and well blended. 

3. Serve in a bowl and enjoy! 

Feature Friday- Goodwood House

We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago in the Goodwood House. Goodwood is well known for their annual car events, and the house and other aspects of 12,000 acres of land are often overlooked. We drove up to the house and there was cricket playing in one of the vast fields and lawn games in front of the house for guests to play after the ceremony. 

We went to an intimate wedding of one of my husband's school friends to an American diplomat's daughter. There were 80 guests there to celebrate the special union of two cultures and countries. Goodwood House was the perfect picturesque setting for this special wedding. 

The ceremony was held by the bride's brother which made it very special because he has now married both of his siblings and it added a personal touch to the ceremony along with the couple's handwritten vows.  After the ceremony drinks and canapés were being served on the lawn of Goodwood House and guests could also partake in a tour of the beautiful House. The wedding breakfast was delicious and more of a fine dining menu rather than typical wedding menus.  The food was all locally sourced and some produce from the Goodwood farm.  

The evening carried on with dancing and a fantastic photo flip book that each guest could dress up in fancy dress and make slow motion movements whilst the camera takes lots of photographs that are then compiled into a book for each guest to take home with them.  They also had a variety of tasty evening treats such as mini pizzas, cheese burgers and fish and chips- delicious and much appreciated after the deliciously light three course wedding breakfast. 

I would recommend this venue for weddings or any other special occasion because the staff were fantastic, the setting stunning and food delicious!

Treat Thurs- breakfast is the most important meal if the day!

Tasty Breakfast Recipe 

1/3c Fago Greek yogurt 

1/3c Eat Natural nut, seed mix 

1/3c chopped strawberries 

1 nectarine, chopped 

Mix it all together & enjoy! Yum!! 

Wlfeo Wed- special birthday celebration

So if you follow us on any of the Bon Voyage Friends social media platforms or read our blogs you'll know Mon & my friendship started at UNLV 14 years ago when I joined ADPi! Every year as you know we have an annual trip to celebrate our friendship and sisterhood, and this year Mon is visiting over my birthday! 

To celebrate this thoughtfully timed trip we are organising a birthday afternoon tea party with a sorority theme of zebra and tiffany's blue! The menu, decorations and even our outfits follow this theme to help celebrate the special friendship that sprouted as lion sisters in ADPi. 

Travel Tuesday- Furzey Gardens

I’ve heard about Furzey Gardens and driven by the sign posted turn off many times, but today was the first time we went.  It was a fantastic place for kids!  There is a fairy garden adventure to follow as you walk through the gardens there are little doors with glitter ‘fairy dust’ sprinkled outside and there are other themed doors with a ferry, little bridges, wishing wells, and several thatched towers and things for children to enjoy.  There is a lovely outdoor open seating area that you can either use their picnic tables or bring your own picnic blankets and enjoy a picnic with friends and family.  There is a coffee and gift shop also open to the public for food and drinks, so you can purchase on the day to avoid the hassle of bringing a packed lunch. It’s a great day out for the family or a playdate.  Children under 4 are free and adults are £7.50 to get in, which is worth it for the lovely environment and atmosphere of the gardens. 

Motivation Monday- make time

Motivation Monday- make time for others 

This is a great website and example of how there is always time for loved ones. Making time and putting forth the effort for family and friendships is invaluable. 

http://evolwiz.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/must-read-know-our-priorities-in-life-the-mayonnaise-jar-story/

This weekend we were asked to drive a six hour return journey for a family lunch. Leading up to it I was dreading the journey, but we had a lovely day with aunts, uncles, and cousins and making the effort was totally worth it. Next time you're dreading something or too busy to make time for a loved one, remember the mayonnaise jar example!