Normally when I have one of those days it makes me want to stay in bed and hide but today was ONE OF THOSE DAYS. One filled with so much awesome the 24 hours could barely keep it in.

Ok, it got off to a bad start with me sleeping in, then getting the wrong tube and then walking the wrong way, but it was worth it.

I was headed to Covent Garden to meet up wth a friend, Liz Thornton who wrote one book with me and also the fabulous The Beader's Floral (Liz has recently got back from the USA where she taught in New York and also met Marcia DeCoster).

Then I realised that a friend who I hadn't seen for nearly a year (when I popped and saw her in Brighton) was going to be in London, and I also wanted to finally get to meet Katie Dean who I had worked with previously but never met in person (and who wrote a great Beaded Cakes Book) and before I knew it there were 8 of us heading out to a very long lunch.

It was so nice to take a complete break with friends in the middle of the week and laugh, chat and catch-up for hours. We were so busy chatting I only remembered to take one photo. At the end of the meal Katie announced she had two tickets for the ballet that night she couldn't use and did anyone want them...Natalie and I said yes!

When some had to depart three of us remained and we fitted in a trip to Selfridges and then John Lewis to browse things we didn't need but really wanted. Then, when I thought my day couldn't get any better it did. I have never been the sort of person who spots a bargain in a sale- anything I want is either long sold-out or still out of my price range so I nearly fainted when I spotted an amazing purse I had wanted last year (and debated for many long nights whether to buy and even gone to look at 4 times) for a quarter of its original price. I of course realised this was such a bargain it was best to buy one of each of the two colours...

Then it was onto Masala Zone for dinner and then we headed to The Royal Opera House to see The Prince Of The Pagodas. I had never been to the ballet before and wasn't sure what to expect but once I settled into the pace of it and adjusted myself to having absolutely no idea what was going on I really enjoyed it. The building itself was so wonderful that I think I will return just to sit and spend time in it- well, maybe a meal and a drink to pass the time too.