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.

You Are a Butterfly You Just Can't See Your Wings

Does the butterfly know its beauty or is it unable to see its own wings? Forced to wander around looking at the bright and colourful wings of other butterflies feeling insignificant in comparison?

Aren't we all similar in this aspect quick to see the beauty and positives in others but unable to see these qualities in ourselves. Looking at qualities we admire and wishing we had more -more confidence, more beauty, more brains.

We all have low moments, moments of self-doubt, of comparison, of wishing for more and of questioning.

Of late I have had far too many of these thoughts, life has thrown many hurdles my way and I got tired of jumping them. I found myself becoming someone I didn't recognise someone full of doubts, low self confidence and who constantly compares their life to others.

Thinking Ahead

I know we all hate to hear it but Christmas is looming, there are only 13 weekends left until the big day. Madness I know! I hate to be the bearer of this news but around now is the time I start thinking of gifts and presents.

I know I'm a planner, I over-organise, and I'm always looking for new places to buy gifts from- I strive to find the perfect presents.

The Soundtrack to my Summer: Paramore - After Laughter

This year has been a fantastic year for music every band or artist seems to be dropping new singles or albums and my playlist is full of fantastic new music.

I am definitely late to the part in writing this post as this album has been out since may but

the one album that has really made my year is Paramore's After Laughter. I have always been a die-hard Paramore fan since age 13 onwards and have followed the changes in their musical style between each album.

Payday Treats!

I think we are all guilty of having the after pay-day splurge.

That moment after just being paid where we decide we can now treat ourselves to anything and everything that we have been lusting over for the past few weeks.

I had a mini-splurge the other week on some new skincare essentials from L'Oreal's new range.

How I De-stress.

I think we all have those days where we get stressed even over the smallest of things! Over the last couple of weeks for me this has been a constant feeling and I have had to find ways to take my mind off of things even for just an hour.

I thought I would share with you some of the things that help me relax when I'm stressed.

Travel: Prague Petrin Tower (Rozhledna)

The Petrin Tower located in Petrin Hill Park is Prague's version of the Eiffel Tower allowing a panoramic view from the top.

Easy to walk to over the Charles Bridge into Mala Strana and up to Petrin where there is a funicular railway up to the top of the hill. (Handy tip if you have a days travel pass this is included on that ticket.)

My Happy Place

This weekend just gone on the sunniest day of the year so far I visited my happy place which is Barmouth.

I have so many memories relating to holidays in Barmouth with family and trips there with friends. It is by far one of my favourite places with nostalgia everywhere I look.

I thought I would share with you some of my favourite traditions and things about Barmouth.

A Week in Dublin

Back at the beginning of April I visited Dublin for a week with a friend, this was the first time either of us had ever been to Ireland and we planned to make the most of it.

We booked a sweet little Airbnb room just up from St Stephens park giving us a short walk into the centre every morning through the park. St Stephens park had beautiful arrangements of flowers and I can imagine sitting in there while it's sunny with a good book is a fantasic way to relax.

Prague: The Charles Bridge

While in Prague one of the sights that you have to go see if the Charles Bridge, it is a stunning piece of architecture. While pretty much all of the architecture in Prague is stunning this bridge can not be beat in terms of beauty and history! The bridge crosses the Vlatava river in between the new town and the old town.

April Favourites 2017

April Favourites
It's slightly late but I wanted to share with you all the things that I have been loving this April.

There have been a few different things but the majority of these have been beauty products - guilty as charged.

Weekly Update - Watching/Listening/Reading

This week has definitely been a mad and busy one, work has been nonstop and I've had an essay that I've been trying to motivate myself to finish all week! Therefore this week's weekly update is a limited list.

Hoo Farm Animal Experience

Last Sunday I had a fantastic day at Hoo Farm. I'd bought my step mom an animal experience off of wowcher and we had finally got around to using it. 

We got to meet Duma the Serval, Specsavers the owl, the two red foxes and a boa constrictor.

It was a wonderful day the guide was very knowledgeable and good with the animals and it was amazing how close we got to these wonderful creatures.

Travel: Prague Astronomical Clock

 Back in February I visited the beautiful city of Prague! As everyone has said time and time before it truly is a fairytale city!

There are beautiful buildings and architecture everywhere that you look, no two buildings are the same.

There are so many different sights to see and behold and the one that I was most looking forward to was the Astronomical Clock.

All the photos I had seen of this prior to going were stunning and when in person it looked even more fairytale-esque.

Weekly Update - Watching/Listening/Reading

It's a tad late but here is my weekly update from last week detailing all things I have been watching, reading, listening to and loving.

Watching

The Edge of Seventeen - this film stars Hailee Steinfeld as an awkward teen struggling to cope with the fact that her best friend has started dating her brother. This film was recommended to me by a friend and I loved it! It was entertaining to watch and had so many relatable moments!

To Be Read April 2017

As it was my birthday the other week I decided to have a small book haul! Its been a while since I have bought new fiction, the majority of the time now I just borrow books to read from my workplace. However they don't always have all the titles that I want.

Therefore it was time for a haul of sorts!

These are the books that are currently on my to be read list: