Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Top 21 in 2021

So every year I do a "top [X] moments in the 202[X]" where I do a rundown of my favourite moments through the year. Naturally during COVID-19 I'm finding these posts incredibly difficult to write as frankly, I think this was even worse than 2020 [see blog post here] when it came to COVID but alas, I'm ignoring it and am using this blog post to bring my top 21 in 2021 moments. 

1. 27th Birthday. Now frankly I think March birthdays have suffered more than most. My birthday happened right at the start of the pandemic which meant I had to cancel my birthday party in 2020. This year, although we were in full lockdown, I still had such a special day. I woke up to a birthday brunch set-up for me, and my parents gifted me a shark hoover, which I think has to be up there as one of my favourite gifts I've received. It was followed by a stroll to Borough Market for pizza, a walking tour of London (tour provided by my flatmate) and then a Zoom- gin tasting tour! 

2. Lockdown ending. The 12th of April was a fantastic day, we could all finally go out for dinner and restaurants re-opened and we did exactly that, not a minute to waste, we went down to one of our local restaurants Paladar in Elephant and Castle, and had a lovely meal out (highly recommend if you're in the area!) 

3. Being asked to be maid of honour. My sister (well cousin but we call each other sisters) asked me to be maid of honour for her wedding next year and my heart just burst, it was the easiest yes ever! 

4. Hen do's. I got to be part of one hen-do and also organize another and I just feel like weddings and hen-do's are now going to be taking over my life for the next couple of years as more and more friends and family get engaged! We did one in London and one in Bath and I'm so excited to be organising another one abroad next year. 

5. Spain. After a year apart from COVID, I finally got to see my parents in Spain in the Summer. I still wasn't able to travel to Switzerland and had to fork out a fortune on tests (this was back in the day of day 2, 5 and 8 tests and isolation) but we had the loveliest time together. I was there for 2 weeks, and it felt like my first proper holiday in the pandemic and it was just really important to have seen them after so long. 

6. Finally when lockdown started to ease, we finally got to go back to concerts. Whilst three of them I was working at, I got to see Anne-Marie, Mabel, Years & Years and most famously Steps, all play live and it was just one of the best experiences being back at a large venue where everyone was enjoying themselves. 

7. My flatmate and I, as you may have seen in my blog post here, went to Whitstable for a day out. We had the best time eating and just wandering around the local area. I also caught up with an old colleague too for tea and it just felt so nice to finally explore more of the UK as I'd never been before! 

8. So lucky to have attended two weddings this year, one where I was a bridesmaid as well. I travelled to Guernsey for my friends' wedding in the Summer and whilst it was the briefest weekend in existence, I had a lovely time. I also attended another one in Wales the weekend before Christmas and we were just so happy firstly that it actually went ahead as it was so touch and go, we all remained healthy after the wedding too to all celebrate Christmas! 

9. The Theatres finally re-opened as well, and after 2 years of having most of my plays and musicals cancelled and had a hefty amount of vouchers to use up, I really went back to back on booking and went to see; The Play That Goes Wrong, Come From Away, Midsummer's Night's Dream, Mary Poppins, Prince of Egypt, Hairspray, The Nutcracker 

10. I finally made it back to Zurich in September where I spent a couple of days and then my family decided to go to Germany as well for the weekend. We went to Freiburg and just spent the days wandering the city, eating all the carbs and drinking all the food. We had such amazing weather and it was so nice as it was over a year that I had seen my brother by that time as he hadn't come to Spain.  


11. Bottomless Brunches were back. I actually lost count the number of bottomless brunches I did this year, but every single one ended and started in carnage. Daisy Green has become a new firm favourite along with Megan's which just keep all the drinks flowing a ridiculous amount. 

12. Finally we had my very belated (2 years belated) 90's themed house party. Whilst it wasn't for my 'birthday' anymore, it just felt like such normality having everyone back together in the flat (although I did not appreciate the hangover and the mess the next day)

13. The pandemic taught me one thing, if you can do it do it. Me and my friends were meant to go to Zurich together last year, but we had to postpone it when they closed their borders. However, we managed to do it and had the best weekend ever. We did a train trip journey which ended on top of the mountains (pictured here with snow) and the top part of the trip, a visit to the Lindt museum where we not only toured the factory, but actually took part in a chocolate making course. Honestly felt so sick after that day! 

14. I went wedding dress shopping with my cousin later in the year and we just had the best day ever. Not only did she say yes to the dress first day, but it was just the loveliest day to spend with my cousins/aunty and the other bridal party. 

15. I got to do an impromptu trip to Newcastle for work, and obviously it was lovely to be there for work, but the best part was getting to see my Northern friend who we haven't been able to see much due to COVID. 

16. I have to say I feel continuously so blessed to have been able to travel last year. My friends and I went on a boujee weekend trip on the Eurostar to Paris. We did the usual walking tour, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, copious wine and cheese and whilst the weather was horrific, the weekend was the best. Actually the best part was travelling on the Eurostar, something I've never done before as I've always flown, and we just drank and ate our way all the way to Paris! 

17. Whilst we were in Paris we did a day trip to Champagne. This itself deserves its own highlight. The tour picked us up from our hotel in Paris and literally drove us around to different Champagne houses including having a three course meal at one of them. When I say we drank our body-weight in champagne, we really did. 

18. Family. I was so lucky that although I couldn't see my parents for a large chunk of 2020, I had so many lovely memories last year seeing the rest of my family. From my Aunty and I doing a day trip to the Tower of London, lunches with my Grandma, meeting new little family members and cultural trips to Bletchley park, I was so grateful to see them when I could. 

19. Jingle Bell Ball. With live events finally back I got to do a work event which I had been wanting to do for years since starting my new role. I was so excited when we confirmed that it was going ahead and the line-up and whole weekend was just incredible to work on. 

20. Making it home for Christmas. Last year I wasn't able to go home for Christmas and spend it with my mum, dad and brother, and whilst I was super lucky that I spent it with my Aunty and Uncle, it felt so different and I just really missed being home. This year, as much as it was a complete and utter stress to get home, waiting for the PCR, daily lateral flows just in case, will the borders close down etc etc I made it and had such a lovely Christmas back in Zurich! 

21. And along came New Years! Last NYE was spent eating dominos in jogging bottoms and drinking prosecco at home, and actually it was a lot of fun, but this NYE I was determined to go out. Whilst we were originally supposed to go to Dublin (no thanks to Aer Lingus and Dublin's strict rules) we decided instead to go out in London, had a fab night out...and why yes, I did in fact catch 'Rona finally after 2 years, after a night out in Clapham. 

So my first week of 2022 has actually been spent inside isolating and whilst I'm thankful that I've not had to experience any symptoms for the moment, I miss fresh air...

What was some of your highlights of 2021? As weird and miserable as these past couple of years have been, these moments are still really important for me to hold onto as I love to look back on the past couple of years every NYE! Happy 2022 everyone! 

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16 comments

  1. Lovely memories! Always nice to look back on the year. I always do these types of posts too - to remind myself that the year wasn't too bad after all! x

    Zoey | www.zoeyolivia.com

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  2. I loved reading your roundup of 2021! It's always good to look back on the last 12 months and see what has happened, whether that be good or bad things! x

    Lucy Mary

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  3. Travelling last summer has definitely been an highlight. After spending so much time in an apartment, I took as much fresh air as I could, took long walks and picked blueberries. It felt amazing! Xx

    Beatrice | Strawberry Makeup Bag

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  4. Loved reading your round up and so glad you got to see your family again! I think travelling back home must have been everyone's highlight last year x

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  5. Some amazing memories listed here, it sounds like you had a huge year and a lot of fun. I love the photos too!

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  6. It sounds like you had a lovely year. Even though your birthday was spent in lockdown it sounds like you really made the most of it. I love the sound of a gin tasting tour! I'm so glad you were able to see your family again too xx

    Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/

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  7. Sounds like some really lovely memories from 2021 despite the pandemic! Those photos are beaut too :) I really want to see The Play That Goes Wrong x

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  8. Such a lovely blog post, sounds like you made the best out of your year! xx

    Danielle's Beauty Blog 

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  9. Believe me - birthday right before Christmas sucks even more when you add omicron + no one has time + some of friends in a quarantine :(

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  10. You did a LOT in 2021! Good on you! Come to Dublin when life is normal again - you'll love it! x

    Beautylymin

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  11. Sounds like you did a lot of lovely things in 2021! I hope you have a lovely 2022!x

    Emilia | emjbarker.blogspot.co.uk

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  12. It sounds like 2021 was a wonderful year - even despite everything going on in the world! I hope you remain symptom-free, and can get back to normal (whatever that means any more) soon.

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  13. I can definitely relate to feeling like it's hard to find the good spots from last year - but it was lovely to read some of your highlights! Hopefully 2022 is filled with just as many good moments & more x

    mia // https://miasdiyprojects.com/

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  14. I love this post and seeing some of the best bits of your 2021. Wishing you a wonderful 2022!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  15. This was so delightful to read! 2021 was such a tough year in many ways, it's great to remember the good things that happened, big and small. I wish you a wonderful 2022!

    Julia x
    Last Post: Easy Planning Tips To Make Life Easier in 2022 💪

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  16. This is a great roundup of happy memories, even after such a horrible couple of years! So sorry o hear you caught covid, but im glad you didn't feel unwell with it!
    Milli x - https://millidavison.co.uk/

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