Yesterday saw me head to the MAD Blog awards in High Street Kensington. What a night!
After enjoying a few days of glorious weather, the weather took a rather dramatic turn a couple of days ago. On Thursday evening, the bright blue sky got covered in grey shadows bathed in an eerie orange light. The moon, when it came out, also had coppery tones and the violence of the storm that followed over the following night was deafening. Rain was gushing out of the sky, lightening and thunder taking it in turns to wake us up.
After taking the children to school navigating around the deep puddles that had formed overnight, I went home. The littles ones played with trains, hid in baskets and did a bit of scavenging for food whilst Poppy (my father-in-law extraordinaire) and I had coffee and a chat.
My excitement about the MAD awards was building up. Being a finalist for an award is a pretty special thing, really. Thanks to everyone who voted for me. Amazing things like that would not happen without you guys!
Before I started blogging, I had visions of a solitary hobby. In my head, I would picture lonely people hiding behind computer screens in their pyjamas. It is everything but! The blogging community is a lively and vibrant one, full of inspirational people, funny characters, passionate voices with a message to put across, talented photographers, crafters, foodies and travelling enthusiasts.
There is a real sense of community on the UK blogging scene and I kid you not, seeing so many fun, driven, inspirational people in one room was awe-inspiring. The MAD awards are not a rushed, low-key affair. No, no, no. They are all about grandeur, exuberance and class.
The brains behind Tots 100, Sally and Lindy, make sure each and everyone of us feel truly special. They genuinely look after us from start to finish, with small things like messages to make sure we all find our way there, answering promptly last minute questions on Twitter.
Not only do they offer us hair and makeup appointments, have a professional photographer snapping away all evening so we feel as special as anyone would on a really special day, but they also provided us with an endless supply of drinks, sweets and chocolates as we were getting ready and for the rest of the night after that.
Here are my friends Reneé and Charlotte getting ready. Sophia, who did my hair, was really patient with all my questions about makeup and MAC, and Ellie, the talented hairdresser who looked after my fine, temperamental hair, managed to make me look much better than I thought I could look!
Those two amazing ladies took one glance at the pins I showed them from my ‘hair and makeup’ board and they worked their magic. Ta dah! Here is little me with my friend Reneé at the champagne reception.
The night was full of fun, catching up with friends, meeting new bloggers and eating delicious food in 5* Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington.
Pip, who blogs at ‘The Slimming Foodie’ won the award for best food blog, and it is well deserved: this lovely lady helps people on the Slimming World diet with the recipes she develops. Congratulations sweetie!
Please excuse the poor quality of my photos. The room was dark, with blue and pink lights, but you know what? Who cares?
Gorgeous post honey, and the photos are great considering how dark it was in that room. Thanks for being such a great friend xxx
It was such a great night, full of fun, laughter and yummy food. Love you lots x
C’est génial Mel! Je suis ravie pour toi, tu mérites bien être dans la finale et qui sait peut être la prochaine fois, ça sera toi la gagnante ! Bravo!
Ps : Tu est très belle et chic.
Merci beaucoup ma belle. Quelle soirée exceptionnelle! J’espère être à nouveau finaliste un jour: non pas pour gagner, mais pour participer à cette excellente soirée.