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What I Plan to Read Next

Wednesday 2 June 2021

What I Plan to Read Next


Finale - Stephanie Garber

The 3rd and final installment in the Caraval Series, I have already read the first two and I love the fantasy and magical elements of this series. It has similar aspects to the Night Circus and I love the way both share the imagery of the magical arenas.

'It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…'

Lake Vyrnwy

Thursday 15 October 2020

This picture shows the dam at lake vyrnwy.

Lake Vyrnwy

Now that we are out of lockdown I have been slowly ticking off my UK destination bucket list. One of these destinations that I have heard a lot about but have never seen in person is Lake Vyrnwy. The lake is a reservoir in Powys and has become an important nature reserve for habitats and wildlife, with the total walk around the lake equalling 12 miles.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday and decided to walk around the lake to get views of both the dam and the gothic tower stretching out into the middle of the lake.

What I Have Been Doing While in Lockdown

Thursday 30 July 2020

What I Have Been Doing While in Lockdown

I had a lot of travel content that I was planning on writing up for this blog but sharing it in the current climate feels a bit odd so I am saving it for future posts. Instead I thought I would share with you all what I have been doing to keep myself busy while lockdown has been enforced. Currently I am working from home so that is filling up most of my working days. That aside what I have been doing to keep myself entertained is:

1. Catching up on TV Shows
I watch a lot of TV generally it is one of my favourite hobbies, I love getting invested in a good programme. This extra time has helped me catch up on shows that I started watching but never finished as well as binge watching new shows. You can check out what I have been watching here.

Basic Banana Bread

Monday 18 May 2020

Basic Banana Bread


Lockdown has given me far more time to bake than I normally would have and it seems like ABSOLUTELY everybody has baked banana bread at least once during this time! Having never made banana bread before I figured I would give it a go due to all the hype and the fact that I already had the ingredients ready at home. The recipe I followed was super simple and I figured I would share it with you:

How I'm Managing My Mental Health in Lockdown

Sunday 10 May 2020


How I'm Managing My Mental Health in Lockdown.


I'm sure the current situation surrounding lockdown over the last month has affected everyone's mental health in differing ways. During this time I have set myself many routines aimed to help and improve my mental health during all of this uncertainty and I thought I would share with you the routine tasks that have been helping me:

1. Exercising Everyday
Before Lockdown I was lucky if I found time to exercise twice a week, during this period with all the additional time I have forced myself to exercise in some way everyday be it going for a walk or following exercise videos on YouTube. I find even if I haven't been feeling the best that doing some form of exercise has always boosted my mood and made me feel better about my self image.

2. Reading 
I finally can read for joy again now my degree is complete, so this spare time and the kindle daily deals have given me chance to get stuck into some fiction. You can see what I have been reading in this post.

3. Baking
I have been practicing and perfecting a lot of baking recipes that I have never tried before such as banana bread (as who isn't baking that currently?) and brownies. The only problem with this one is I then have to eat all that I have baked!

4. Watching Movies/TV Shows
Catching up on the shows and films that I have not seen, either on Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+. You can see what I have been watching recently here.

5. Practising Self-care
My self-care before lockdown was awful, I never left time for any extra pampering. So during this time I have made full use of face masks, practising with makeup, having baths to relax and finally sticking to a skincare routine.

These are all the tasks I have been doing to aid my mental wellbeing during this time. What have you all been doing to help your mental health during these strange times?

Thanks for Reading!

What I'm Currently Reading

Friday 24 April 2020

Currently Reading

With all of this time on my hands I am actually catching up with my reading list. I think this year will finally be the year I hit and surpass my Good Reads book goal!

I figured I would share with you some of the books I have started that I am intending to finish. I always seem to have multiple books on the go and tend to start another one before I have finished one, I just can't help myself!

Here is what I am reading currently:

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

This book follows the lives of a group of children, focusing on the main narrator Kathy who is trying to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic boarding school Hailsham and the fate that has always awaited her and her friends in the outside world.

I am really enjoying this story, I had already seen the film so it does take away the plot twist in the book! The film I remember being incredibly emotional so I expect the book to end in much the same way. I am half way through this currently and hoping to finish it shortly.

5 Things I Want To Do After Lockdown

Wednesday 15 April 2020

5 Things I Want to Do After Lockdown

This post was inspired by Hello Miss Jordan's post 7 Things I'm Going to Do Once Lockdown is Over

I like the idea of looking ahead past all the doom and gloom of the current situation and setting future plans and goals that I can look forward to.

Currently I am very much enjoying the break this lockdown is providing me with, I don't think I realised just how rundown I had been feeling and I am incredibly grateful that I am in a fortunate position where I am currently able to work from home. 

Despite the break however I have been very sad to have a lot of future plans cancelled, while I understand it is necessary in the current climate it has definitely taken away the joy of having things booked in advance to look forward to.

With all that being said the 5 things I want to do after lockdown include:

What I've Been Watching

Monday 13 April 2020

What I've Been Watching


Since lockdown started and I've been working from home I have had a lot more time on my hands. As I have finished my degree now I have been making the most of this extra time by catching up and watching new shows and films.

I thought I would share with you all what I've been watching.

Disney+

Like many people I invested in Disney+ when they had the offer of £50 for the year. Following this I have watched a lot of stuff on the platform, I'm a big Disney fan and loved the movies and the original Disney Channel shows. A few of the shows and films I have watched so far include:

Lactose Free Pancakes

Thursday 27 February 2020

A few days belated but I had my first attempt at making pancakes yesterday. I am currently trying to maintain a lactose free diet so these pancakes were made with soya milk.

The ingredients used were:

- 300ml Soya Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 100g Plain Flour
- 10ml Sunflower Oil

This was my first time making pancakes from scratch and the recipe was incredibly simple just mix all of the above ingredients together and cook them for 1 minute on each side.

For a first attempt I feel these were a great success they were incredibly tasty with strawberries and some dairy free yogurt. This is a great example of how with one simple change a tasty recipe can be made dairy-free or in this case lactose free for those with allergies or intolerances.

We don't have to miss out on the tasty foods. I am looking forward to trying out some more from scratch milk free recipes.

Thanks for Reading!


My 2020 Goals

Thursday 26 December 2019

It's that time of year again when everybody sets out the goals they want to achieve in the coming year, so I thought I would share with you the goals that I would like to achieve in 2020. Think of it as an early new years resolution/goal setting post if you will.

1. Complete my Dissertation/University Degree - This is a work in progress currently, I have started and am in the process of completing my dissertation for my BSc degree. Once this is complete I will have officially finished and completed all the work that goes towards my degree. I am of course aiming to complete this to the best of my ability and am hoping for a 2:1 or even a 1st if the overall marks go in my favour.

2. Continue Going to the Gym - Another overlapping goal. I have been going to the gym for the past year but in 2020 I really want to work on the 'gains' so to speak and increase my strength and muscle mass.

Barcelona: Parc Guell

Wednesday 25 December 2019

Barcelona: Parc Guell


In February 2019 I got to visit the stunning city of Barcelona, which had been on my bucket list for quite some time due to the stunning Gaudi architechture.

Despite being February the weather was beautiful and sunny and quite frankly not that cold we got incredibly lucky!

I want to take a moment to talk about my favourite sight from this trip and that was Parc Guell.

The outskirts of this park are free to walk around but if you want to see the Guadi architechture including the famous tiled bench that everyone has to get a photo on it is around 8 to 10 euros -if my memory serves me correctly.

The Views Around Amsterdam

Friday 29 November 2019

Throwback to October 2018 and a long weekend in Amsterdam. Having never visited the Netherlands before Amsterdam was high on my bucket list of city breaks with its picturesque buildings and canals. It's an ideal city to visit where you can get around all of the sights available by foot which is the best way to take in the views.

On our first day in this city we joined onto a free walking tour which gave us an overview of the history of the city and walked us around all the major sights which gave us a fantastic grip on our bearings of the area.

Paris: Eiffel Tower

Saturday 17 August 2019

 
When visiting Paris there is one sight that everyone wants to see and that is the Eiffel Tower, it is a must on the tourist trail of people visiting the area. Being the generic tourist that I am I knew when visiting Paris I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and go to the top to view the city for the structures fabulous lookout.

The Palace of Versailles

Friday 16 August 2019

Back in the Summer of 2018 when we had the massive heatwave I had a weeks holiday to Paris, while there we had a day trip to the Palace of Versailles to see the stunning architecture and the sprawling grounds.

Being June time there were massive queues to get in meaning we had to stand in the scorching sun waiting to get in, so if you are planning on going I would recommend booking tickets in advance.

The palace is now classed as a UNESCO World Heritage site having being the royal residence for Louis XIV until the start of the French Revolution.


Riding Bikes in Amsterdam

Thursday 15 August 2019

My last blog post spoke about my fear of heights and overcoming it to try the Over the Edge Swing which happens to be the highest swing in Europe. Amsterdam was certainly a holiday for me not letting my fears hold me back and another one of those was riding bikes on the streets of Amsterdam. While Amsterdam is probably the most cyclist friendly city in Europe I was nervous about taking up the task having not rode a bike for the best part of ten years.

Thankfully I was more than relieved when I realised you could rent bikes with the brakes on the handles like in England. We only had a short amount of time on our last day to complete this activity so we booked the bikes out for an hour and went all around the boat docking areas and up a few of the nearby streets surrounding the station area.


Amsterdam: Over The Edge

Wednesday 14 August 2019

I have a massive fear of heights and obtain vertigo when looking down over the edge of any high building or sheer drop. This is a fear I have been working on overcoming as I don't want to let it hold me back from trying new experiences. 

Throwback to October 2018 where me and my boyfriend had a long weekend away to Amsterdam. While we visited many sights in this truly stunning city there was one thing we had decided we were going to do before arriving. This was the Over the Edge Swing located at the top of A'DAM Lookout Tower, at a height of 100 meters it is Europe's highest swing and a must for any thrill seekers taking a trip to Amsterdam.

Snowdon Walk for Myeloma UK

Tuesday 13 August 2019

Back on the 22nd of June I arranged a walk up Snowdon in order to raise money for Myeloma UK, a charity and cause that has become extremely close to my heart.
The walk was part of a guided tour to watch the sunset, so we ended up in a large group of other hikers also raising money for various different charities.
Prior to this I had never been up Snowdon before and had never even walked the distance of the mountain all in one go. 

Fundraising For Myeloma UK

Wednesday 19 June 2019



On the 22nd of June I will be doing a walk up Snowdon with my boyfriend and a close friend. I thought this would be a good opportunity to fundraise in aid of Myeloma UK. I've chosen this charity as it has become a cause close to my heart. My Aunt Sarah-Jane has been having treatment for Multiple Myeloma since December 2017. Thankfully she is currently in remission after treatment however this disease currently has no cure.


Myeloma UK receives no government funding and all money for research comes from donations. Every donation big or small will help me reach my goal. Your donation will help Myeloma UK to provide information and support to people affected by Myeloma and to improve standards of treatment and care through research, education, campaigning and raising awareness. Thank you for reading!


The Best Christmas Present

Wednesday 30 January 2019

Back in December the weekend before Christmas to be exact me and my boyfriend had a mini-break to London. This was to be a trip to see some of his family just before Christmas, little did I know there was a surprise in store.

This family trip was actually a surprise trip to see Wicked the Musical at the Apollo Victoria Theatre!

I have wanted to see Wicked for years after first hearing Defying Gravity covered on Glee and learning of the story behind the show. However when it was local or nearby had just never got round to seeing it and I had never visited London properly before this weekend.
Onto the show and I loved every minute of it the story line being a prequel to the Wizard of Oz and how the wicked witch of the west came to be. It was such an interesting take on the story that everyone would have known as a child. The music was all so catchy I had only heard 'Defying Gravity' and 'The Wizard and I' properly before seeing the show and the rest of the soundtrack certainly didn't disappoint with catchy tunes that had you wanting to sing along.

Paris: Disneyland

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Back in June last year (can't believe it's been that long since I've posted) I visited Paris. It was during that wonderful heatwave we had and it couldn't have been more perfect weather to visit Disneyland.

I had never actually visited Disneyland in Paris before so I was excited to see how it matched up to the original in Anaheim. We got there bright and early for a full day to try and pack as much in as possible and that we certainly did.

We jumped straight into the rides and went on the Tower of Terror which I had never been on before but really enjoyed, it's a shame that they are getting rid of the ride.

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