Hen do weekend

In exactly one week today, my friends Chris and Chloe will be walking down the aisle to become Mr and Mrs Wright. As the Maid of Honour, one of my jobs was to organise a hen do for the bride to be. Although it was rather stressful and quite a lot of pressure, I did really enjoy planning it all and making sure that Chloe had a lovely final 'shin-dig' before becoming a married lady!

Ollie, Chloe and I after several glasses of fizz on the first night

We went to Derbyshire for the weekend, near a little town called Ashbourne and rented the cutest barn and cottage for the nine of us. It was even nicer than I thought it would be, so I was really pleased as finding suitable accommodation for all of us proved to be quite the task! It was called Orchard Barn and Anvil Cottage and it was the perfect little place for the weekend; I'd definitely recommend it!

Over the weekend, we went into Ashbourne and browsed all the cute shops and markets and we also went for a nice meal at The Lamplight there on the Saturday evening, dressed to the nines in our glitzy 1920s best as the theme of the hen do was The Great Gatsby! We spent the rest of our time eating yummy food, drinking lots of fizz and playing silly games back at the barn.

Sophie sporting an amazing bin bag wedding dress

On the Sunday we stopped off at Chatsworth for the day which was perfect and such a nice way to end the weekend. I'd never been before but I fell in love; I'll definitely be going back again soon!

Ollie and Chloe looking regal at Chatsworth

All in all, I think the whole weekend was a success and everyone had a great time. We had lots of fun and laughs and made some lasting memories, and it was an honour to organise and be a part of. I put together a scrapbook for Chloe after the weekend in which I stuck photos I'd taken over the weekend on a disposable camera (forgot how much fun these are!), and some nice messages from all the hens for Chloe to read. I was quite proud of how it turned out, and I really wish I'd taken a photo of it but I was so eager to give it to Chloe I forgot.

So now the next step is the wedding day where my main aim is to not trip over/spill something on my dress. My track record for this isn't great but I'm holding out hope!

Health

Around September time last year, I decided I needed a swift kick up the butt and decided to take up some regular exercise. I'd just got back from an indulgent few days in Rome and was feeling lethargic and generally a bit poopy about myself. I've always been one of those people who likes to keep active - I get really antsy if I sit in front of the TV for too long, and I feel lazy if I come home from my (very sedentary) job and don't do some kind of exercise. Saying that though, I'd begun to notice that I was getting a little slack and wasn't really trying hard enough to keep it up. Motivation stations ahoy! 

I downloaded an app on my phone (which has a rather original name of... "Workouts") that has exercises that are easy to do at home, and I bought some weights, a workout mat and some extremely cheap trainers. To my surprise, I actually got into it very quickly and easily. I started off doing around 30-40 minutes of exercise (a mixture of cardio and strength exercises) 4 or 5 days a week. I actually didn't detest it as much as I thought I would, and I gradually increased the duration and lengths of exercises as time went on. It's been such a good feeling knowing that I'm improving and I feel quite proud of myself when I reach milestones (albeit rather small ones). Last night, for example, I did bicycle crunches for a whole minute without stopping! Not exactly a record breaker, but when I started I couldn't even do 10 seconds without writhing around in pain.

In January this year, I also started going running!! This isn't really a big thing to most people but to me, who is (was?) truly horrific at running, it felt like a gigantic leap. The first time I went running, I collapsed through the door on my return, dizzy and broken. A week or so later however, I started to feel myself improving - the exercise I'd been doing at home for a few months before this definitely helped! I've only been going for maybe 4 weeks and only once or twice a week, but I pair this with my at-home exercises, and I aim to do 5 days a week of at least 40 minutes exercise. Some weeks it doesn't happen, and I try not to beat myself up about it, but I find myself actually looking forward to exercise. I'm not one of those crackpots who say they love it, but I do feel so much better afterwards, and that's what I keep going back for. It's a good feeling knowing that I'm getting fitter and healthier, and that can only be a good thing.

That said, I'm still prone to the odd cake/chocolate scoffing sesh, but now at least I can just run it off... right?

Book review: The Casual Vacancy

I am a big Harry Potter fan. J K Rowling has such an engaging writing style, and reading those books is like escaping into a magical world of wizards and flying cars. I'm not typically a fan of fantasy fiction, but there was just something about these books that drew me in. I obviously wasn't the only one!

So when she brought out a book for adults, I was eager to learn more. After reading the synopsis however, my reaction was a crestfallen "Oh...". The small town political backdrop didn't seem like it would really grab my attention. Maybe it's because it wasn't fantasy, and the idea of an "ordinary, this-could-happen-in-real-life" plot seemed like a huge leap away from Hogwarts and magical animals. It took me a while to get around to reading this book, and I'd kind of forgotten about it until I was browsing books on the Kindle store for something new and came across it again.

The Casual Vacancy consists of snippets of the lives of those living in Pagford (not sure if this is a real place or not...), and a place on the outskirts known as the Fields. It begins with the death of Barry Fairbrother, a local councillor which sends shockwaves through the community, and lots of speculation begins on who will take his place on the council. As the book develops, we learn more about the residents of the town and the skeletons in all of their closets. A housewife seemingly bored of her husband-driven life lusts over a member of her daughter's favourite boyband, a drug-fuelled mother is ignorant to her suffering children, a tough young girl dreams of better things but never fully realises them. All the characters connect with each other in some way, and I found myself wanting to find out more. It was the first book in a long time I've had trouble putting down!

It was so stark and realistic (and often very depressing in parts), but J K Rowling once again managed to create a world within the narrative that I could visualise so clearly. It was like being shown a small town from above when everything looks pretty and clean and ordinary, and then swooping down right into the centre and getting into the nitty gritty details of people's lives.

If you like a book that's focused on character developments rather than actual storyline (which I'm a bit of a sucker for), then pop this on your reading list.

Autumn's approaching...

It's mid-September and the days are getting cooler, the nights are getting darker, and TV is improving! This means that it's coming up to my favourite season of all - Autumn!

A couple of evenings ago, I suddenly realised that I was a little bit chilly *dum dum duuum*. After being uncomfortably too warm for so long I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. I took great joy in wrapping myself in my dressing gown and shoving on my slippers. Oh how I have missed those little comforts. Getting into bed and being able to snuggle down under the duvet without feeling as though I was being baked was bliss.

I don't particularly like being cold, but those mild Autumn days when the sun's out and you need a scarf, and everything's crisp and fresh and the leaves are falling from the trees are my absolute favourite.

I am one happy pumpkin.

July & August favourites

One thing I really enjoy reading about are people's "monthly favourites". I've seen lots of things in them that have inspired me to buy something or to try out something new. It also seems like quite a fun thing to write about so I thought I'd give it a go. I did originally plan on making this a July favourites post but I may have been a little lazy and suddenly we're almost at the end of August! So I've incorporated a few things I've been liking over the past two months into one post:

Big Brother *hangs head in shame* Yes, I know this is terrible but I love a good dose of trashy TV, and this year BB has been pretty addictive! It's kind of strange that its on every night for however many weeks because when it finishes, it feels like something's missing! (I promise I do have a life really.) And yes, I am watching Celebrity Big Brother now too...

Barry M gelly hi-shine nail paint - I am loving these at the moment. I've built up a little collection and currently have 6 of them and wear them quite a lot. I have to say, my first thought when I saw these was "surely all nail varnish is high shine?", but I picked some up anyway to fuel my slight nail varnish obsession and I LOVE them. They do have a really nice glossy, shiny effect. If I add a topcoat of Seche Vitte it lasts for days and days. My favourite colour has to be Blueberry.

From left to right: Guava, Greenberry, Blueberry, Mango, Papaya, Grapefruit

Long Lost Family - For those who don't know, this is a TV programme on ITV about people wanting to reconnect with family members lost. It's usually about people who have been adopted, or mothers who had to give their child up in difficult circumstances, but it can sometimes be about a lot of other complicated stories. This show is absolutely HEARTBREAKING, and I have to fight back the tears every week. Adoption is often thought of as a horrible, selfish thing but this show really opens your eyes. Some women literally had NO choice. The series has finished now but it might still be available on catch up if this sounds like your cup of tea. Even thought the stories are so sad, the endings are usually very happy as the families are reunited and then you start crying happy tears, haha! It also really made me appreciate the fact that I have my family - you can sometimes take that for granted but this show's a real eye opener.

Avocado - This is a bit of a weird one but I freaking LOVE avocados at the moment. Avocadoes in salads, avocadoes in guacamole, avocadoes with chicken... Just a lotta lotta avocado. I actually am a bit of a Mexican food fiend, so I think this is maybe why I love it so much. Especially in a good guacamole, really chunky and homemade, mm! Plus, it's an excellent source of "good" fats, don't you know?

Feel Good non alcoholic mojito - Oh my. These are good. I happened to see these down the alcohol aisle in the supermarket and picked up a little can. Just lately, I haven't been in the mood for alcohol but I quite like a good mocktail (woo!), and this sounded just the ticket. It's really yummy and refreshing, plus one of your five a day! You can always add alcohol if you want to partay. I got mine from Tesco but I think most supermarkets sell them.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick - I have wanted one of these little beauties for so long, and I finally got one! I planned to treat myself after pay day but my boyfriend sneakily bought it for me (aww!). I love love love the packaging of these - I wouldn't usually be swayed to buy an expensive item just because of the packaging but these are an exception. Not only that, but I'd heard good things about them so wanted to give them a go. I wanted quite a neutral colour that I could use for everyday, rather than a bold shade. I went for the shade 15 which is a really nice subtle pink/peach colour. I'd describe it as a "my lips but better" sort of thing which is just what I wanted. It feels so luxurious and lovely to apply and the colour seems to stay put so I think it's a winner so far! They're rather pricey at around £24 a pop but for a little bit of luxury I'd say it's definitely worth it. I have my eye on another shade already! Bad blogger alert - I forgot to photograph it before I used it, oops! 

We Can't Stop/Miley Cyrus - I know Miley Cyrus is a bit like Marmite, but I am was a big Hannah Montana fan so I've always been a little pro-Miley. However, when she cut all her hair and started to parade around in very little clothing I sort of lost a bit of respect for her. Saying that though, I LOVE her new song. I heard it a while ago and it didn't really do anything for me, but a few weeks later and it's really grown on me. I still think the video is just plain weird, and I wish she didn't feel the need to sex up her image all the time (bad role model, tut tut), but I have to admit the song is so catchy! La da di da di, we like to party.

Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato - Yum, yum, yum. Need I say more?

What are some of the things you've been loving lately? 

This too shall pass

Everything will be okay in the end.

Nothing is ever as bad as I think it's going to be. I need to remember this!

La la la London

 At the beginning of July, I went to London with my boyfriend for three days so I thought I'd share what we got up to plus a few pictures. When we got there, we got the Tube to Hyde Park, sat and had some lunch and had a good dose of people watching. It was such a nice day (in fact all three days were, we were very lucky), and I could have stayed sat there much longer watching the world go by. 

 

 

We eventually moved and headed to our hotel to check in. We stayed in Kensington at the Regency. We've stayed there before a few years ago and really liked the location, and they'd recently had a bit of a refurb so we thought we'd give it another go. I LOVE staying in Kensington. It feels so much quieter and calmer than the more touristy parts of London, and the houses are so pretty!

 

After we'd dumped our stuff and freshened up a bit, we went for a wander to Harrods. We had a look at the extortionate puppies on sale (a must), and browsed the toy section where we found this little big fellow. Yours for a cool £3,000!

 

 

After this we wandered around a bit more and then went to Wahaca for some food. I'd been wanting to try this for a while because I'm a big lover of Mexican food and the menu looked pretty promising. I was SO impressed! The food was so good and the service was really quick and friendly. I had a chicken burrito and a virgin mojito (hey, that rhymes!), and me and my boyfriend shared some nachos with THE NICEST GUACAMOLE EVER! I'll definitely be going there again when I'm next in London.

 

With our bellies full, we had a wander to Leicester Square and stumbled across a movie premiere that neither of us had heard of. It was for a Status Quo movie with what looked like a tropical theme... hmm... Anyway, we hung around to see if we could spot any celebs. The only ones I actually recognised were Chris Tarrant and Vanessa Feltz, ha! After this excitement was over we had a wander down Regent Street. We sat down on some benches, enjoying our iced Starbucks. After spotting a man rummaging through the nearest rubbish bin, we decided it was probably time to head back to our hotel.



 

The next day we had a bit of a naughty lie in and then headed out to get breakfast at the Breakfast Club in Soho. Again, I'd heard good things about this so I wanted to give it a go. After queuing for about half an hour we finally got in. I loved the look and feel of this place. It had lots of photos and notes that people had pinned to the wall, and generally a "well-loved", worn kinda feel to the whole place. I ordered pancakes and berries and my boyfriend went for the All American. Personally, I find the idea of bacon and maple syrup gross so his didn't look too appealing to me. Mine was really yummy but the portions were so big! Those four pancakes defeated me. Needless to say, we didn't need to eat again for quiiite some time afterwards.

 



Next we hit the shops for a few hours, gradually retiring to Covent Garden because sometimes Oxford Street is just too much. I find Oxford Street Topshop both amazing and overwhelming at the same time, although I usually come away from there with nothing because there's just TOO MUCH (and I feel bad making my boyfriend wait for me to look at everything). Covent Garden was also heaving but I like the atmosphere there a lot more than Oxford Street. Later on in the day, we decided that we wanted to see a show that evening, so we scouted around the ticket booths in Leicester Square and eventually decided on Rock of Ages. We're both a big fan of the movie so thought this would be good fun, and it was a reasonable price. We had pretty good seats with nobody sat in the seats in front of us (a bonus for the vertically challenged like me), and it was really good fun! I'd recommend it to people who love the movie, or who aren't opposed to a bit of 80's cheese.

 

 

The next day, we dropped our suitcase off at Kings Cross and headed into Chelsea for a wander round. I found a cute shop called Brandy Melville which stocked really nice clothes all in "one size fits most". I bought a cute tank top with an embroidered elephant on the front and a really nice cropped khaki jacket. After a bit more wandering and making shocked faces at the rent prices, I was then dragged around several music shops *groan*. Fair game though for all my clothes shopping!

 

We went for some food at Hard Rock Café before having to make a dash back to the station to collect our suitcase and catch our train home. Couldn't believe how quickly the three days went, and we still didn't do everything we wanted to. I will go on the London Eye one day! It was quite nice to just wander around at our own pace and not feel like we had to do this or that at a certain time - we just did our own thing. Looking forward to the next trip already.

 



What's your favourite thing about London?