Ghetto Golf Birmingham

The other weekend me and my boyfriend headed to Birmingham for a day out, while there we went to Ghetto Golf.

Mini Golf, cocktails and graffiti art? Yes please!

Located at the Custard Factory entry is £10 per person and there are 18 different mini golf holes.

We did not book in advance so had to wait for the next available session. In the meantime we admired the graffiti and had a cocktail each. The drinks were reasonably priced and tasted great. You also had the option to order drinks as you made your way around the course.

To Be Read List May 2018

Spellbound of the Lost and found- Moira Fowley-Doyle
'One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.

Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets.

When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . .'

Sintra: Castle of the Moors

After Pena Palace we then visited the Castle of the Moors. This was included in our ticket with the palace and the two were a short walk from each other. It was a beautiful sunny day in Sintra making for some beautiful views from the castle.

The castle itself was very grand and steeped in history. There were loads of high turrets and steep steps, the walk around it was a really good workout. 

Sintra: Pena Palace

While in Lisbon we took a quick trip over to Sintra for the day. The train is quick, cheap and easy to figure out and there are many wonderful sights to see.

One of the places we visited on the day was Pena Palace. We chose to walk to the palace not quite realising how much of a hike it was, while it was beautiful scenery it sure was hard work! Make sure to get a bus or taxi up- unless you're a fan of a good hike.

Lisbon: Belem: Jeronimos Monastery

Next up on the Lisbon tour we had a trip to Belem to visit Jeronimos Monastery. Construction of the building began in 1501 and was completed 100 years later, it is the former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome. The monastery is a beautiful example of late Gothic architecture and the building has since been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Biddulph Grange Gardens

I have recently invested in a National Trust Card, if you are under 25 the price for the year is a bargain! It's half the price of the adult membership and you get free access to hundreds of magical places! The first place that I visited using my membership was Biddulph Grange Gardens located in Stoke.

The picture of this place in the booklet instantly caught my attention showing a Chinese inspired temple. The site is a Victorian garden with plants from all around the world, a visit takes you on a journey from Italy to Egypt to the Himalayas and finally to China.

Restaurant Review: Tattu Manchester

The Restaurant

The restaurant itself has fantastic decor with a flower wall in the downstairs eating area and of course the infamous cherry blossom tree upstairs. As well as this there are many tattoo themed designs dotted around. The lighting was dim giving a relaxed feel and giving the cherry blossom tree a more central and prominent feel.

The staff were all very helpful and service was very quick. Booking in advance was important as the restaurant books up fast and we just about got a spot on a Saturday night in the early afternoon.

Lisbon: Santa Justa Lift

 Next stop on the Lisbon tour was the Santa Justa Lift located in the centre of Lisbon. It is a vertical structure consisting of a metal tower an observation platform and a walkway across to the shopping complex and the church ruins.

Lisbon: Rua Augusta Arch

Back in September I visited Lisbon and I have finally decided to blog the experience. It's very belated I know!

One of the first sights we visited was the Rua Augusta Arch, it was located a short walk from our hotel and we just happened to stumble upon it on the first day.

Me and my friend had ordered Lisboa Card's and this attraction was included with this. Meaning you could go up the arch as many times as you wanted in the time that your card was valid for.

Paramore Live Genting Arena

On the 14th of January I was fortunate enough to see Paramore live for the third time at the Genting Arena. They have always and will always be my favourite band and while I have loved all of their albums After Laughter has definitely settled itself firmly as my favourite.

New Year, New Perspective, Better Me.

Do not get me wrong on the one hand I have had some truly fantastic moments throughout this year which I am amazingly grateful for. 

However on the other hand it has unequivocally been the worst year of my life thus far. 

A tad dramatic? I wish.

It has been a whirlwind of emotions this year and my feelings have been knocked, broken and bruised. I have lost some of the most important people in my life this year and have had to spend the first Christmas of my 24 years without my Nan and Grandad. To say it was difficult would be an understatement.  

Jenko's Mongolian Barbecue Restaurant

Last week as part of an early Christmas celebration me and a few friends visited Jenko's Mongolian Barbecue Restuarant in Ketley.

Having never visited before I had no idea how it worked other than it would be an all you can eat buffet of meats and vegetables.

Koffee Pot Cafe Manchester

I am all about the food posts at the moment and while in Manchester the other week I ate so much good food that I felt I should share the places we visited.

My first post was on Brasserie ABode and this current post will be on the Koffee Pot Cafe.

The Koffee Pot was suggested by my friend as a breakfast stop as he had heard many good reviews. So on the Saturday morning we took a wander over in the rain to find this place.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

This week has been an odd one the snow around the Shropshire area caused everything to come to a standstill. 

This meant plans needing to be rearranged and a fair few snow days from work. While this prevented me from visiting the Shrewsbury Christmas Market and actually leaving the house it gave some much needed relaxation.

Lifestyle: Dairy Free Ready Meals From Tesco

I'm attempting to have more of a dairy free lifestyle again after months of indulging in chocolate and cheese.

My main boost to do this was when I noticed that Tesco had started doing dairy free ready meals. Yes they are now a thing and I could not be happier. Mainly because if your lactose intolerant it is very hard to get ready made food that doesn't contain milk.

Brasserie Abode Manchester

I spent the past weekend up in Manchester for a quick mini break before Christmas while up there we dined at the Brasserie Abode part of the Abode hotel chains.

I hadn't heard of this hotel chain or restaurants before but as my friend had booked it I was happy to go with the flow.

A Weekend in Edinburgh

Back at the beginning of October I had a quick trip up to Edinburgh for a couple of days to visit a good friend. This would be the furthest inland I had been to Scotland and I planned to make the most of the trip.

The plan was to catch up and have cocktails. It was the Edinburgh Cocktail Festival the weekend I was up, meaning that if you had a wristband you could get a different discount cocktail at each bar.

A New Hobby

I have been posting less and less on the blog front of late and here is the reason why.

I have started a new writing hobby in the form of poetry. While I have always been a fan of writing and expression poetry had not really been on my radar until this year.

I had read a copy of Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey and fell in love with the art form. The fact that you can express so much meaning in so few words and have people that relate is amazing.

Halloween Cake Baking

Great British Bake off eat your heart out!

Last Tuesday me and a friend decided to go a bit baking crazy and in the spirit of the season these cakes had to be Halloween themed.

We started off with the basic cake recipe

6 oz Sugar

6 oz Butter

3 Eggs

6 oz Flour

Then we decided to have some fun with the cake mix and make them that bit unusual. We had previously been to Hobbycraft aka baking heaven and bought loads of colourful icing and most intriguingly some of the Sugarflair colour pastes. 

Simple Mermaid Halloween Look

I am a massive Halloween fan I always love to get into the spirit be that by baking, dressing up or watching an insane amount of horror films.

As we were actually going out to celebrate Halloween this year by visiting the local prison for a scream park I figured dressing up was a must!

I wanted to try something a bit different this year, in the last few years I went for the creepy broken doll look this time around I have attempted a simple mermaid look.