Remember to Remember: Summer 2014

I love this photo taken of an overgrown van in a garden in Latvia

This Summer seemed to pass by quickly. I had quite a full diary and there were fewer chances than I'd hoped to just sit in the yard-en and admire the plant pots and beautiful honeysuckle, which flowered for the first time this year, four years after it was first potted.

Diary scribbles: Summer 2014

• A trip to London with my mum: Miss Saigon and afternoon tea at Claridges
• Crafting
• Dinners and sharing holiday photos with friends
• Betting on black at a casino to celebrate a good friend's 30th birthday
• A three week adventure travelling around Bali and Gili Trawangan
• Mid week wine dates with friends
• A weekend of board games, cycling, spa fun, barbecues, crazy golf, boules and hot chocolates with friends at Centre Parcs, Sherwood Forest
• Watching the rain fall, cosy with a mug of hot chocolate
• A family spa visit to Ribby Hall for my mum's birthday
• A week visiting M's family and exploring Latvia: beaver watching, saunas, castles, beaches, elderflower beer, turning trees
• Treating myself to Clarins Beauty Flash
• Investing in our own copy of Settlers of Catan
• Long sunny walks
• Baking homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies
• Impromptu pub dinners
• Stripping (wallpaper) and prepping to redecorate our second bedroom/office
• Little spending sprees, including my new favourite Autumn coat
• Total relaxation on an overnight stay at the Quay Hotel and Spa and a day exploring Conwy
• Graduation celebrations in honour of my little brother's PGCE
• Lunch dates and Frappuccinos
• Liverpool's Summer Art Market Craft market
• A day as tourists in our own city
• A beautiful Brighton wedding
• Garden centres, making the yarden look pretty and wishing I had a garden of my own
• Overeating at Liverpool's Food and Drink Festival
• Chasing giants around Liverpool for Giant Spectacular's Memories of August 1914
• Celebrating a leather anniversary and falling in love with my beautiful new leather satchel
• A long overdue hair cut and pamper
• Impromptu half price Indian head massages
• Becoming an ebay whizz

It's already October and I'm only just publishing this post! This is mainly because of the ongoing redecorating project in our office which has meant that the computer has been in bits, and stored in the bedroom, living room, even the bathroom over the past month! I'm finally sat at my desk in my home office, sliding the chair across the new flooring. Still staring at a bare plaster wall, though. As I said, it's ongoing!

A Snapshot of March 2014

March is one of my favourite months. The evenings get lighter, blossom starts to show, little green shoots start to poke through soil, and I get to eat lots of birthday cake. This March was a lovely March. I know that it's already mid-April, but I wanted to make a record of some of the month's moments.

 

Here's a snapshot of my March 2014

• Lunch and David Hockney exhibition at  Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery 
• A date night at Ziba atThe Racquet Club
• CentreParcs with M, his sister and her husband
• Dinner dates with friends
• A beginners knitting class with Purlesque
• The worst migraine of the year, so far (3rd March)
• A pancake toss
• Catching up with my best friend who has just returned from her travel adventure
• Hen do planning
• A date with my lovely mum at The Side Door and then to the Philharmonic to see Sarah Millican 
• Pampering at the wonderful House Beauty and Spa 
• Celebrating my 29th birthday
• A breakfast date at The Tavern with some of my favourite girls
• Birthday cake
• A birthday trip to York with M:
• Exploring lovely shops in the Shambles and surrounding streets
• Smoked meats, pickles and pints at the House of Trembling Madness
• Eating a tasty meal and watching FAME The Musical
• High heels (me), whiskey (him) and mojitos
• Afternoon tea in Betty's Belmont room
• Trying on my bridesmaid dress
• Watching M's band while I ate a big slice of tasty pizza
• After work dates with a friends

April's also off to a good start and the sunshine certainly helps to lift my mood. I'm hoping that this sunny weather sticks!

30 for Thirty. My Bucket List

It's very nearly my 29th birthday (yay!). I love reading 'life' and wanderlust lists on other blogs. I'm a list making sort of person day to day, so it seemed fitting to create my own list of things I'd love to try and places I'd love to visit before my 30th birthday. 

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Here's my "30 for Thirty" list:

• Explore my own city
• Pass my advanced open water diving qualification
• Finally visit Portmerion Village 
• Make homemade pecan pie
• Join a book club
• Learn to ski
• Knit something 
• Get a first author research paper accepted for publication
• Learn how to meditate
• Visit Anglesey
• Volunteer my time to a cause that matters to me
• Learn how to take better photographs
• Run a 10K
• Attend a walk through or open air theatre performance
• Visit Marrakesh
• See a performance at the Shakespeare Globe in London
• Eat something I've never tried before
• Sing in front of a crowd
• Swim alongside a turtle
• Re-learn how to play the flute 
• (Successfully) Make macarons from scratch
• Stay in the Scottish Highlands
• Watch an opera
• Sleep in a cottage by the sea 
• Host a five course dinner party
• Take a flower arranging course
• Dance until sunrise
• Make a new friend
• Own a pair of killer court shoes
• Watch a movie at a drive in theatre

So there it is. 30 things I'd like to try to experience before I turn 30. I'll have a year and a little bit to work my way through as many as I can. I'm not putting pressure on myself. I just wanted to encourage myself to make a little more time for the things I want to experience. It'll make for a fun year and a half, I can tell! 

I'm off to get started... 

The Unwritten Bucket List

I'll turn 29 this month. Despite recently watching the Friends episode where Rachel faces her 30th and realising that this once so distant event will be mine to celebrate next year, I've no problem with my age. I quite look forward to what my thirties might hold.

Image via Pinterest

I've written a "bucket list" of things I'd love to try and places I'd love to visit in the run up to my 30th. I'll share this soon. As I thought about what would be on my list I also realised that there's a whole range of experiences I've enjoyed that could be crossed off an unwritten bucket list. Doing this was such a good exercise! It's made me feel very grateful, encouraged me to revisit some amazing memories and photographs, and reminded me how fortunate I am to have had these opportunities. 

Here is the list of things I may have put on a bucket list and can cross off before I turn 29:

1. Fall in love I fell head over heels in love with M when we met in 2004
2. Complete a PhD Doctor, doctor...
3. Love my own pet My home was made complete by my gorgeous tabby cat, Jacques, who had to be put to sleep last August. We now have two adorable kitten rascals, Lottie and Bruce.
4. Dive in the Maldives I learnt to dive at Kuramathi on honeymoon in 2011.
5. Ride a camel at sunset in the desert Tunisa 2005. My first holiday with M.
6. Love and be loved by my family and friends
   
7. Visit Walt Disney World six times  Yes, six times! I'm a Disney girl and a big roller coaster fan.
8. Go on a girls only holiday We've been to Amsterdam and Spain and had several UK hen adventures. We're planning another Spanish trip to celebrate our 30th's in Barcelona.
9. Cry with happiness at a friend's wedding More than once!
10. Watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon A favourite family holiday moment, captured in a treasured photograph of me and my dad. 
11. Eat Malay street food in a thunderstorm Summer 2013. A perfect memory, even the soaking wet clothes we had to walk around in afterwards
12. Camp at a festival Greenman and IndieTracks, but would love to add more to the list.
13. Sleep under the stars On the last night at camp, after working for the Summer as a camp counsellor in America in 2004.
14. Drive abroad The Mijas road in Costa del Sol is hairy. It wasn't a calm drive.
15. Chase the Northern Lights in Iceland During our Iceland trip in January 2012.
16. Own a designer handbag At the bottom of my wardrobe, wrapped in their little dustbags, is a very beautiful (but barely ever used for fear of marking) tan Miu Miu handbag and a little sparkly Miu Miu clutch, both bought with a healthy discount while working part time at a flashy designer store. I also treated myself to a beautiful black Marc by Marc Jacobs Too Hot to Handle hobo in Singapore last Summer and I think it's been my most used handbag ever. 
17. Travel to a Christmas Market I sipped mulled wine and browsed stalls in snowy Nuremberg in 2012.  
18. Own my own house "Our house, in the middle of the street"
19. InterRail around Europe Summer 2005
20. Eat at a Michelin starred restaurant We celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a meal at Holbeck Ghyll in the Lake District. 
21. Ride in the back of a pick up truck down an American highway Summer 2004
22. Learn how to cook Thai food in Thailand This was one of the first things we did when we arrived in Bangkok last Summer.
23. See a West End show Love a good show! So far, Blood Brothers, Wicked (twice), Lion King, Dirty Dancing, and booked to see Miss Saigon in July.
24. Kiss on the top of the Eiffel Tower October 2012
25. Have a picnic in Central Park I can remember what we ate, too. A pastrami and pickle sandwich, Lays potato chips, New York cheesecake and a can of Mountain Dew. How cliche...
26. Visit the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur Summer 2013
27. Watch jazz in New Orleans On two separate visits
28. Admire the ruins at Sigiriya We travelled around Sri Lanka as part of our honeymoon and Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was one of my favourite stops.
29. Bathe in the Blue Lagoon Another highlight of my trip to Iceland in 2012.

There's countless other things that could have gone on this list, some smaller and others larger. If life's about making memories, this list reminds me how many precious ones I've already made. I shared the list with M before posting and we realised how many of these amazing memories we'd made together. It turns out that reflecting can be just as satisfying as dreaming.

Sorry. I'm Busy with Kittens!

A few things are keeping me busy at the moment. Work, in particular, is a very hectic. Now until Christmas is my busy teaching semester and we have a much larger first year cohort this year, which means more emails and generally more evening hours spent hunched over a laptop! I'm also trying to squeeze in some research in between and feeling guilty for not managing to get everything completed to plan. It's not all bad though. This photo was taken today while walking across campus and in November, I'll be taking photos while walking around New Orleans where I'm due to attend a research conference. I can hear the jazz beats calling out to me! 

The second thing(s) keeping me busy are these two little 'uns. Meet Lottie and Bruce (Wayne - just look at his little caped crusader mask!). Please excuse the poor quality phone picture! Two months was a very long time in a catless house and M was very keen for us to welcome a new cat into our home. These two 5 month old kittens arrived with us on Friday and most evenings are spent laughing at cat related antics, receiving lap cuddles (Bruce), or trying to coaxing Lottie out from under 'her' table. They're lovely, and I've quickly got used to having them around. It was a funny feeling - a mix of sadness and guilt, at first, having new kittens in the house. Jacques really was my little love and I spent so much of 2013 routing for Jacques' nervous system to recover. It's that tricky question of 'how soon is too soon?', but then I don't think that anyone is able to answer that but you. 

New roomies: Lottie and Bruce

Aside from that, I've been on a furniture restoration workshop at Liverpool's Baltic Creative, had a Wicked date with my mum in Manchester, attending my friend's beautiful wedding, saw a fantastic production of Crime and Punishment at Liverpool's Everyman Playhouse, started to whittle down holiday photographs, went to see the film Prisoners (brilliant) at Fact, tried on my bridesmaid dress and made hen do plans, went on a few sunny and some rather windy walks, enjoyed quite a lot of cake and drank quite a few hot chocolates to warm up colder Autumn nights. So, as you can see, it's been a fun but busy month or so since I returned home. Lets see what comes next...!

"Those Summer Nights" (and Days)!

It's been such a long time since I sat down and wrote a post. I've missed it. When I was away on holiday, I realised how much I get out of writing in this space, even if it's not as often as others and if there's only a (baby sized) handful of lovely people that regularly read it.

I'm just back from what has been the most amazing three week adventure in Southeast Asia. It's going to take some time to go through our 4000+ photographs. When we've got to grips with them, I plan to write at least a couple of posts about our travels: the places we visited, where we stayed, how we spent our time, what we ate... oh man, what we ate! That will be a treat if you're a foodie - I think at least a quarter of our photographs will be images of food! Here's an Instagram-er to get your tastebuds going!

Our lunch at Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok

Food aside, it was so great to take a break and to have some time together, exploring new places and getting excited about the beautiful, small details of the world. The pre-holiday month had some pretty sad moments and the time away really has helped. We're back, ready to take on whatever comes next!

Really, with the massive exception of having to put our gorgeous Jacques to rest, this Summer has been pretty super. I'd drafted a couple of 'what I've been up to' posts but never finished them so, in an admittedly lazy fashion, I'm going to use them here as my record of Summer 2013.

June

• My best friend got married in Buxton's Botanical Gardens. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we cried a few a lot of happy tears, drank champagne, took a ride on the park train, and threw some shapes on the dance floor. 
• We bought tasty deli treats and had an indoor picnic feast and played Family Fortunes
• An annual African music festival, Africa Oyé, took place at our local park so we headed down for some food and music. Chicken rice and peas, and steel drum beats. Perfect!
• My mum and I had some girly time with facials, bubbly and cake at The Club & Spa, Chester.
• We had our first strawbs of the season
• We had a Thai food date night, in preparation for our Southeast Asia trip.
• M's parents came to stay for the night and I made creme caramels for the first time. Thankfully, they were a success!
• I went to my first hot yoga class at Happiness Yoga, which has recently opened in South Liverpool. I was so warm and sweaty by the end of the session, but I'll definitely be going again.
• I upgraded my phone (finally) and became addicted to Instagram

July's highlights included nightly Pimms and strawberries during Wimbledon, more wedding fun, a date day to Chester Zoo, a pottery painting class, dodging cows on a very long walk, fish and chip sunsets, and going to Indietracks and watching my very talented hubby play and his band play their first festival.

A cow

Pre-holiday, August was a busy month. I spent some quality time with my lovely little brother and we went indoor skydiving at Airkix. Lots of fun! M and I visited Tate Liverpool to see the Chagall exhibition and had our final date night of the first anniversary 'year of dates'. We basically scoffed loads of cheese, sipped wine and looked through the photos that we'd taken over the last 11 months of dates. I had my first every chiropractic session to try and beat these headaches (maybe not such a highlight given how sick I felt afterwards). Another best friend gets married in a couple of weeks and we celebrated her hen do in Manchester, and then my mum, brother and I travelled to London to celebrate my mum's birthday - more on this another time!   

Kes at Somerset House for Mum's birthday

Then there were the three blissful weeks living out of a backpack and eating too much dim sum. A great little Summer. The new semester has started at work and I really need to bring myself back to this space regularly and remind myself all is well. This here's my little slice of calm when things, inevitably, get crazy!

A Month of #JanuaryJoy

 

This month I have been taking part in Florence Finds' #JanuaryJoy. Each prompt is designed to encourage you to do all the little things you enjoy but rarely make time for. I've really enjoyed following the #JanuaryJoy prompts and they have made my January full and fun.

Here's my round up:

• 1 Resolutions were written here. A couple of days into 2013, but better late than never.
• 2 I not much of a 'boozer' but January's been busy and I'm don't think I've had a dry week/month. Oops.
• 3 We went for a Thai meal and cocktails for my husband's birthday. A mid week date night!
• 4 We were in Harrogate and walked around Valley Gardens on the 4th but we managed lots of other walks this month, too.

No#4 A January walk at Crosby Beach

• 7 I wrote about skincare here. I've since bought St. Ives facial scrub after reading peoples' raves.
• 8 It feels like new music is downloaded in our house almost every day. I deliberately braved it onto M's i-tunes and pleasantly surprised myself!
• 9 I didn't manage to do a new exercise but I have gone back to aqua run classes and still planning to get into yoga.
• 10 More travel planning for the Thailand-Singapore adventure here. 
• 11 LES MISERABLES! Me and my lovely mum had a girly day and went to the cinema to see Les Mis.
• 14 No manicure. In fact, my Shellac lifted today and I ended up peeling the rest off. Naughty. My poor nails haven't had a treat this month.
• 15 I wrote about a recently purchased travel book, "36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe", here.  

No#15 And books do, too

• 16 A little bit of budget planning here.
• 17 I didn't manage to get a hair cut or be brave enough to re-colour my hair, but I did write a hair related post here!
• 18 Though not the first time I've thought about it, I took time to write this post about family planning.
• 21 We made this vegetarian meal
• 22 I am crafting at least part of my #HeartSwap gift. I also posted about the teacup candle I made as a Christmas gift here.
• 23 Make memories. We went to Paris in October and earlier this month I'd used Photobox to create a Paris book. It joins the other holiday photobooks on our bookcase. 
• 24 Its not the prompt itself that was enjoyable for this one, but I felt a lot better once I'd taken time to have a clear out and organise my make up, t-shirt and underwear drawers.

No#24 A very organised make up drawer

• 25 Today we booked our flights for our Southeast Asia adventure. This definitely ticked the (planning to) go somewhere you have never been before.
• 28 I didn't get around to baking bread, but I did find some tasty recipes that I'll have to make time for in February.
• 29 Nothing like relaxing after work with a long bath and home spa.

No#29 All set up for my home spa

• 30 This was aqua running night so I decided not to undo all my calorie burning! I've made enough other naughty things to eat this month though, including this Bailey's creme brulee.

No#30 Homemade Baileys creme brulee

All that is left of #JanuaryJoy is today's, no#31: Reevaluate.

I think I got through most of the #JanuaryJoy prompts at some stage during January and my month was all the better for it. Highlights include our date night meal, my Les Mis cinema trip with my mum, and the travel planning conversation which resulted in flight bookings last weekend. 

#JanuaryJoy has also motivated me to become a bit more involved in the online blogging community, and I've really enjoyed writing posts and reading what other people have been getting up to. A great idea from Rebecca at Florence Finds, thank you! I'm really glad I got involved. In fact, February may be a little empty without it!   

Have you been taking part in #JanuaryJoy? What were your highlights, and what is in store for you this February?

Once Upon A Snowy January Weekend

This weekend was lots of fun! What did I get up to?

• Our big boss men approved our holiday time and so WE BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS (see here for earlier trip related rambles).
• My best friend is getting married in less than three weeks. All very exciting! We braved the snow in our heels and went for a meal at Carluccio's followed by lots of dancing. My amazing little bowl of  amaretto chocolate cake (it had a suitably Italian name, but I can't remember it!) gets a feature spot here, as does the bride-to-be in all her hen do finery.
• Saturday morning and afternoon was all about relaxing with a girly spa day and lunch. 
• Home with time for a couple of episodes of The Wire and a hot chocolate.
• A 30th birthday do, with a gorgeous cupcake tower.
• Breakfast date with friends at the Tavern Co. Their 'American' breakfast, which comes with a syrup pancake on the side, is the best Sunday morning breakfast. I was too busy eating to remember to take a photo so this one is taken from Tavern Co. webpages.
• A post-breakfast game of Articulate.
• Curl up on couch for another episode of The Wire (nearly finished! Last two episodes of Season 5 to go).
• Over to Manchester to see Davad Bazan in a small, intimate venue with a well stocked bar.

Take that, ice and snow. You couldn't stop our fun!

What did you get up to this weekend? Did the snow stop any of your plans?

My Feelings on Parenthood #JanuaryJoy

When I decided to do start writing a blog last Autumn it was to help me to celebrate all the little things that happen day to day in my life. It was also to be a space where I could reflect, in an honest voice, about the things that are important to me.

#JanuaryJoy no.18 calls for a little bit of family planning. Becoming a parent must be one of the biggest transitions you can make. This post is an honest reflection on my feelings about becoming a mum.

Image Source

I guess family planning can mean making plans for your existing family. The phrase 'family planning' takes me back to school personal education classes, the talk about the importance of birth control, and giggles and blushes with friends. Now that I'm in the later parts of my twenties, it's much more likely that I am being encouraged to start a family than to be told about the merits of contraception! Even more so since I became a Mrs. How things change!

I have often tried to imagine the future 'mum' version of me. Mainly, I see my own mum and the parenting style she used with me and my younger brother. I think that I was a very lucky child, growing up in a family with two amazing parents who loved me and did their very best to make me happy. Childhood photo albums and home videos are amongst my most treasured possessions. After my dad died, just over 11 years ago, my mum had to raise two pretty vulnerable children, who sometimes tested her nerves. My mum is wonderful and I have so much respect for the way she dealt with the stresses of parenting us on her own. My mum is a parenting role model to me, and I hope I can give my children the love and happiness I had growing up. 

I am so excited about what the future might hold for me and about the family I hope to have. I look forward to all the shared moments that I read about on other people's blogs; the photographs that melt your heart. I look forward to getting M to pose for images like this (stubble included):

Image Source via Pinterest

I am so, so excited for the adventure that is parenthood. But, today at least, I don't feel ready. I know. It's been said before, and I don't know what I need to do/have/be in order to feel ready. I just know that I don't feel it, yet. What is it that makes a person feel ready? For those who make the decision to have a child and become pregnant, what prompts the decision in the first place? One of my best friends recently gave birth to her beautiful little daughter (read all about the baby shower here) and although she is wonderfully honest about the difficulties she is having as she adjusts to parenthood, she looks so content. Her and her Mr decided to start a family and, happily, all went well for them.

If I'm honest, I feel quite anxious about the responsibility of becoming a parent. That sense that you shape your child with each thing that you do. I think you have to have quite a sacrificing spirit, too. This sums it up pretty well: 

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There are other reasons: I've not long finished my PhD. I finally have guilt free, no work weekends for the first time. I'm on my first full time salary ever in a career that really isn't very female/family friendly. As I've admitted, I not good at 'doing the budget'. I have a growing wanderlust now that I have a few more pennies. Do these things sound selfish?

Is there a way for us to know if we are ready to become a parent, or is it more of an instinctive feeling? How do you manage the situation if one person is ready, and the other not? I cannot hand on heart say that I am ready to be a parent at the moment. If it happens naturally then I will embrace it and no doubt enjoy every crazy second, but there are two of us that will need to make the decision to start a family. M has been settled in his career for a few years and I think that a family is more appealing to him than it is to me right now, but we both know that right now is not the right time for us. I believe that when we do make the decision to start our own family, we've both got to be ready for the sacrifices that it might bring as well as the amazing fun that I read about in other people's posts.

Read a New Book: "36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe".

Today's #JanuaryJoy prompt from Florence Finds is to read a new book. I love reading. When I was writing my PhD I found that I felt guilty reading anything other than research articles and sadly only seemed to read when I was on holiday, as a treat.

Image Source via Tumblr

Over the last year, I've started reading more and was bought a Kindle as a birthday gift. Like others, I had been a bit resistant to e-readers. I used to love going to the local library, browsing the shelves and finally, going home with a book and wondering who else had read this copy, how they had experienced the book. Although I'd loaned library books less and less over the years (and feeling a tad responsible for local library closures), I still like the romance of a paperback book.

BUT, since getting my Kindle I've read so many books and, because it's so small, I tend to carry it everywhere I go. I now have lots of love for e-readers! I do try to buy my favourites in hard copy so that I can thumb through them whenever I want. I found a non-film cover, hardback copy of a favourite of mine, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, in a little London bookshop. Bought and happily added to the bookcase.

I'm just into a book on my Kindle. I can't decide how I feel about it yet so, instead of a fiction, I want to write about a new coffee table book that's caught my attention.

...

The New York Times 36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe.  

Edited by Barbara Ireland. Taschen.

This book was a birthday gift from me to M, and I'm pretty excited that it has been added to our bookcase!

Image Source via Flickr

Start with a bright front cover, fill with beautiful images of dream destinations, and provide short, practical itineraries to make the most of places across Europe. Surely this is the recipe for a perfect travel book?

The book seems to be well researched and the content is organised so that you can go straight to the place you're set to visit, or just lose yourself in the photographs and illustrations. The book is colour coded and ordered by region (North Atlantic; South West; Central; South East; and Northern), and then separated by country. In the Northern section, you can get straight to planning your trips to Stockholm, Reykjavik, or areas of Russia, for example. In the South West, explore Paris, Tarragona, or Lisbon. 

Each article has a short information box, called 'The Basics'. Your day is then broken down into smaller sections and the schedule mixes the hotspots with the little gems and hideaways. Of course, once a 'little hideaway' is announced in a publication from The New York Times, you wonder how long it will stay as such. Regardless, this beautiful book definitely has you dreaming about your next few years of trips.

Books like this are great to have in the house, ready to open at any page, at any time. I was also lucky to get a copy of Young House Love's beautiful book for Christmas and I'm looking forward to soaking up the inspiration. 

What are you reading? Any non-fiction books you love and would recommend? 

 

What Weekends Were Made For

For me, this weekend was just what weekends were made for: Long walks together, Scrabble, dancing feet, family and friends. Here's what I got up to.

 Thursday 

M had a day away from work, but only because he had an exam in the afternoon to pass. Well, the boy passed! Hoot-hoot! This meant we had the rest of the afternoon together and we went for a long walk around our local park, stopping at The Moon and Pea on Lark Lane for some food, hot chocolates and a game of Scrabble. The night was finished with more episodes of The [very addictive] Wire. 

 Friday

Image via xxbluemoonxx on Tumblr

Day off spent in Manchester with mum and a cinema trip to see Les Misérables. One word: Amazing. I've not stopped singing! 

Saturday

Sun setting over Crosby Beach

LAZY pjs morning, The Wire, boiled egg and soldiers. A walk at another favourite spot, watching the sun set over Crosby beach. Scouse, red cabbage and wine at the lakeside bistro. Back home, heels on and tissues packed, and out for lots of dancing to send a friend off on her travels in style! FIVE megamix got some airtime, and for about two seconds we pretended we couldn't remember the moves. Three seconds in, there was no stopping us.

 Sunday

Pennington Flash Country Park

A trip to pick up a drum pedal turned into an opportunity for another walk at a new spot, Pennington Flash Country Park, an extensive nature reserve about 30 minutes drive. Warmed up with cupasoup and hot Vimtos from the man-in-a-van, we had a good couple of hours exploring. We'll definitely be making another trip there, maybe when the ground's a little drier! Squeezed in another episode of The Wire, before heading to my mums for a Sunday dinner. 

There's another weekend on its way, but this one's looking pretty empty at the moment. What to do? 

What's your idea of a perfect weekend? 

A Merry Little Christmas 2012

Christmas tree packed away and first 'proper' day back at work; I think it's finally time I acknowledged Christmas is over for another year! I've had a great Christmas, full of family and friends, good food, cocktails, and DIY festive treats. It's always sad when the last bauble is wrapped in its tissue, hidden until the following December, but we've got lots to look forward to in 2013 and I'm armed with a full January to beat any pre-Christmas blues!

TweetTweet

So, I have created a twitter page. I opened a research/ personal twitter account last year and I have to say that I'm not really into the swing of it all, usually reading rather than writing or 're-tweeting' posts. I decided to create a separate account so that I can post the content of these pages, should anyone stumble across it. 

You can find me on twitter at @pieces_of_happy

Dem's da Rules: Resolutions for 2013 #JanuaryJoy

It's a new year; in fact it is three days into a new year and I am yet to post my resolutions (which may explain why I've not done too swell a job at sticking to them so far?) Here we go...

For 2013, I hope to: 

• Be more body friendly. This covers eating a better diet, eating a lunch (which I often skip), drinking more water, getting enough exercise, and also generally taking better care of my hair and skin in 2013.

• Learn a new skill. I think 2013 is the year I'll enroll in a course to learn for fun, for enjoyment. Perhaps a sewing class, a full photography course, I'm not sure exactly what just yet but one where I can dip in and out if I want, no pressure.

• Be 'wild'. This sounds a tad more dramatic than it represents: Too often I fall into routines and then get fed up of them, yet reluctant to change things up. So, in 2013, I'm going to say 'yes' to new opportunities more often, take risks, step outside of the 'normal' routine, and then remember all of 2013's highlights on these pages.

I hope to avoid:

• Worrying. I'm a pretty positive person but I have the tendency to fret, too much, about what people think of me, of my life, of my research and teaching. This is definitely something I need to work on in 2013.

• Boredom. I need to remind myself that I am responsible for my own happiness and to enjoy the fun in little moments and, if I'm getting restless, know that it's up to me to do something about it and change things up a little to enjoy life to the full (big up to resolution no#3: Be wild).

It will be good to look back to this post December 2013 and see how close I came to achieving each of these but then again, rules were made to be broken!

I'm taking part in #JanuaryJoy on Florence Finds. Each day brings a new prompt to help you through any post-Christmas blues! First prompt: Make some resolutions for 2013. Done! 

2012: A Year in Review

Inspired by Rebecca at Florence Finds, I decided to spend a couple of hours looking back over the highs, and making my peace with the lows, of 2012. Here are some of the little pieces that made me happy this year. I hope when I come back to this space I'm reminded how full 2012 was!

 

January

Me jumping at the top of Kerið

In January, we travelled to Iceland, staying in CenterHotel Thingholt, Reykjavik. We did a Golden Circle tour visiting volcanic crators, Gulfoss waterfall, geysirs, Þingvellir National Park and the Blue Lagoon. We had one of the most amazing meals at the Lobster House, got tipsy in Islenski barrin, and warmed up with hot chocolates in the colourful Laundromat Cafe. Here you can do your laundry downstairs, if the mood so takes you.

 

March

Birthday celebrations with a family walk and picnic in beautiful Tatton Park, followed by a meal out and Beatles themed cocktails at Hard Days Night Hotel.

April

Sea Odyssey, Liverpool. April 2012

Liverpool is a great city, always offering something to its residents and visitors. One weekend in April two rather large tourists came to visit. The 30 foot tall little girl Giant and her 50 foot Uncle in a diving suit wandered around the streets of Liverpool, brought to life by Royal de Luxe company. The Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular was part of the Titanic memorial events in the city. We had lots of fun chasing the giants through the city. Amazing.

 

May

I've not spent much time with M's old school friends. So, a group of us rented a cottage in the Cotswolds for a long weekend. It was good to get to know his friends better over long walks, complete with a near death sinking inquick clay(?) experience, an unexpected and excellent Gurkha meal, and a 1920's speakeasy murder mystery (not guilty).

 

June

In June, M and I had a week in Andalucia, Spain. We took this photograph before we scrambled downhill and relaxed in a little cove at the Spanish Lake District at Ardales Park.

 

July

Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom Fireworks. July 2012.

In July, me, M, my mum and brother had a two week holiday in Orlando, Florida. We rented a villa with its own pool and did all the theme parks, shopped and indulged in naughty food. It was Mr.'s first time to Orlando's theme parks and I think he fell for Disney's magic charms!

 

August

My lovely mum's not had an easy time of it the past 10 years or so but our friendship has developed throughout, perhaps as a consquence of what's happened. In August, Mum and I spent a few days in Harrogate, visiting Betty's tea rooms and the Turkish baths. I hope we get to do more trips like this in 2013.

In August, we also celebrated our One year as a Mr and Mrs! Me and M celebrated in a gorgeous little cottage in Dentdale and had a great meal at Holbeck Ghyll's Michelin starred restauraunt in the Lake District. I can't believe how quickly the time passed by, but this weekend away gave us both a chance to reflect on our year as a Mr. and Mrs. and make plans for the years ahead.

 

September

A night exploring Bath with M and relaxing at the Thermea Spa, before a week of tennis, bike riding, mini golf, (more) murder mystery fun, and just generally catching up with good friends in CenterParcs, Longleat.

October

Eiffel Tower. Oct 2012 (Edited on Picassa)

As an anniversary gift, M organised a short weekend trip to Paris in October. We stayed at Mr. and Mrs. Smith recommended hotel, Hôtel des Académies et des Arts. This art hotel in Paris' Left Bank was perfect and we spent the weekend exploring, riding the batobus, visiting the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and of course, Laduree! We also spent time walking through beautiful gardens and street markets, as I search my brain to remember what I learned in French A-level lessons.

November

In November, I was fortunate to attend a research conference in San Diego with a friend from work. It was good to have an opportunity to talk about my research, and San Diego was amazing. We stayed in the Gaslamp area, and everywhere we went there was a really chilled atmosphere and lots to do. Between conference related stuff, my friend and I made a stop at San Diego Zoo, introducing ourselves to this gorgeous guy! To top it off, my friends' beautiful baby girl was born the day after I returned home.

 

December

Royal Albert Hall, London. 2012

December was the month of visiting Christmas markets in Liverpool, London and Nuremberg. We had a weekend trip to London and, after admiring window displays, we went to see Jools Holland and his Rhythmn and Blues Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall. I also visited a good friend in Germany. Then, Christmas! Christmas day no#3 happened yesterday as we hosted our first Christmas in our own home for both of our families. It was such a lovely day. We decided against the stress of a sit down meal and opted for a table piled high with buffet food and Christmas treats. Christmas music playing, Christmas tree lights glowing and all our favourite faces!

I'm fairly certain we had some sort of fun in February, but I can't think what we did! Perhaps this will get updated when my memory returns.

Today is the last day of 2012, and as I reflect on the past year I feel very lucky to have experienced all this in 12 months. I hope 2013 comes with its own adventures, and I know there's a few special dates in the diary already. Come on 2013, we're ready for ya!