A Catch Up | Where Have I Been?

Hi, it’s been a while hasn’t it. I don’t really know why I stopped blogging other than I was struggling to think of interesting content and once I took a step away from this place I found it really hard to come back. I’ve wanted to blog again and felt guilty for disappearing with no explanation. I’ve also enjoyed not blogging and just having some time away. Here I am finally writing a post to reintroduce myself to blogging and I hope I’ll get back into the swing of it and enjoy it as much as I once did.

An update on my day to day life and a big reason I haven’t found the time to blog is I finally bought a house. All the way back in August we got the keys to our new home, it’s the first time me and the boyfriend have lived together, which is strange but we've fallen into a routine and we're happy. The house is in need of some renovation and so far we’ve had the windows changed and it looks totally different. It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to the future and my first Christmas tree that I can decorate exactly how I want.

Are you looking forward to Christmas yet?
Sam

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Summer Travel Diary | York, Barcelona and London

Hi, If you read my summer travel plans post back in June you’ll know that I’ve been missing from the blog for a little while and I’m finally back to tell you what I got up to. I basically visited three different cities in three consecutive weekends, which is hard work.

York

Home away from home - It's so spacious

I went camping in York which was so relaxed and the cheapest of all my travelling because we camped in a tent. We don’t really do much in York other than enjoy a change of scenery within the historic city, drink cocktails and play lots of pool. We made a trip to the Kings Arms by the river for a quick drink and to watch the wildlife. In hindsight this is the holiday we should have ended with because it was the most chilled out.

View of the Kings Arms Pub on the river bank

We normally (weather depending) go to the market and stock up on BBQ goodies and eat alfresco,
which luckily this year we did a lot. Apart from the last night when we had a thunder storm the weather was perfect, just warm enough without turning the tent into a sauna. I got some reading done and finished The Wolves of Mercy Falls series in just a few days.

Barcelona

Barcelona from the air

Four nights in this brilliant city was nowhere near enough. There’s so much to see and do, planning ahead or having a general idea of the places you want to see is a great idea to make the most of your visit. We flew out Thursday morning and returned on Monday evening rather later than hoped after a delay. The weather in Barcelona couldn’t have been better at just over 30 degrees and warm right into the evening. I’m going to do a photo diary type post to share more about what we got up too.

The magic fountain

This was the first time I've flown in years and I was a little apprehensive, I'd forgotten how weird it feels. It was totally worth jumping back on a plane for the sunshine and culture, I'd love to visit Japan one day so I better get saving.

London

Visiting Camden

Finally we headed down to London on the train, we stayed two nights at the new Premier Inn Hub hotel on Brick Lane which was super lovely. We had a little trouble checking in but the staff where super helpful and got us sorted really quickly.

On our first evening we headed over to Camden Town as the boyfriend hasn’t been before and had a few drinks and soaked up the atmosphere. The point of our trip was to visit Hyper Japan which we visited the following day. Depending on what you’re looking for it was a great day out but I think we missed the best stuff later in the day as we left because it just got too hot. There was a mixture of official merchandise, artists work, craft workshops, live music and food stalls.

Hyper Japan Festival

Our final day we headed up to Oxford street so I could finally visit the holy grail that is the Lush Oxford Street Store and it did not disappoint. I went with the intent of picking up some of the exclusive lines for me and my sister. I’ll share what I got in a future post if you’re interested. We then walked down to Covent Garden where we found a nice little pub and chilled out until we needed to head for our train. Again I was delayed on my return journey but we’ve had a confirmation of a 50% refund on our journey so can’t complain.

I had such a crazy month that I’m finding it hard getting back into my normal routine and my blogging has suffered, it’s taken me ages to sit down and actually write this post, hope it was worth the wait. Where are you going on holiday?

Sam

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Reading Roundup | June-July Book Reviews

Hi, I failed at blogging last month and I realised early on I wasn't going to get much reading done in July so I've combine the past two months reads together. In total I have five book and I'm currently still two books ahead of my target so I don't need to worry too much. It's a while since I read some of these books so I hope my reviews are still helpful.

June-July Reading Roundup - Year Book Count 22

The Crooked House

Author - Christobel Kent
Page Count - 401
First Published - 2015

Alison was once Esme, one night when she was a child evil came into her home and killed her family. Years later she returns with her boyfriend to attend a wedding and she is forced to deal with truths she has been hiding from.

This book took a grueling three weeks to finish (because it made me fall asleep), I wish I could say it was worth it but it really wasn’t. I’m not the biggest fan of suspense novels as a genre favoring more light hearted themes but I’d like to think I’d know a good example of such writing and this really wasn’t that. I expect to be gripped by revelations and itching to read on with the suspense but I didn't experience either. The plot was flaured and drawn out, the time period and location was confusing jumping around all the time. The ending was a sham, I feel cheated for investing so much time in this book.

Shiver | The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Author - Maggie Stiefvater
Page Count - 434
First Published - 2009

On a more positive note the Wolves of Mercy Falls series was much more my kind of story. A bitter sweet teenage romance series between Sam and Grace, they didn't meet in the most conventional way as Sam is a Werewolf. This series doesn't have the deepest plot and I was grateful for that, it's an easy book to pick up and read a few chapters. Written in my favourite style of split perspectives it gives a great insight into how both characters feel.

The first book in the series sees Grace finally meet Sam as a boy and they instantly fall for each other, she's always know him as the wolf that saved her the day she was dragged into the woods by the pack many years before. Now the wolf pack is provoked and attacks a boy, he's pronounced dead and things start to go badly for the pack as his father is a possessed hunter out for revenge.
 

Linger | The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Author - Maggie Stiefvater
Page Count - 416
First Published - 2010

Following on for the first book the second sees Grace slowly becoming more and more ill. Her need to be with Sam starts to pull her family apart as they can't understand the depth of the feelings of such a young couple. Sam continues to battle with his need to remain human so he and grace can be together.

The book see added characters of Isabel (sister of the boy bitten) and Cole (a newly recruited Werewolf). This gave the book a whole new dynamic and more personality and teenage worries to cover. I personally loved that extra characters where added for a different perceptive. It gave the story more depth and took the focus away from the young romance, which I feared would become a little bit repetitive.

Forever | The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Author - Maggie Stiefvater
Page Count - 489
First Published - 2011

This book sees the continued friendships and relationships of the characters. Conflicting emotions of wanting to remain themselves and the freedom of the forest. I honestly wanted to love these books because I've heard really good things about Maggie Stiefvater but I wasn't blown away. I personally think there are much better book series out there. I think this is down to the fact that teenage romances seem like a distant memory to me. I loved Sam and Graces relationship, it was well written and illustrated just how linked they where but I preferred the sexual tension between Isabel and Cole.

My overall opinion of this book ending was that there was still more of a story to tell. Maggie has written information in the back of the book which eludes to it being the last book of the series but since the books release a fourth book 'Sinner' has been released. As I can’t get a cover to match the books I already have I’m going to borrow it from the library. 

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel

Author -  Jane Costello
Page Count - 453
First Published - 2016

The moonlight hotel is a forgotten relic located on the edge of lake Windermere. The location of the new Salsa class where Lauren and her friends meet lots of new and interesting people. The hotel becomes the cause of much gossip as it's sold and closed for refurbishment. This in Laurens opinion is an attack on her childhood memories of her late Father.

Lauren is the main character and story teller, she has many mishaps which are funny but felt a little forced at times. She had one true goal in life to visit Australia, a mixture of events makes her rethink her long time desire. There was a nice amount of silliness with embarrassing situations and seriousness with the story touching on revenge porn. Even though the story is only told from the perspective of Lauren there are a few different plot lines which all join up to complete the story at the end. It’s a nice easy read and one I’d recommend for reading on a beach holiday. It's your classic holiday romance book.

Have you read The Wolves of Mercy Falls? Any good reads to suggest?
Sam

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Monthly Mini Goals - August

Hi, Happy Yorkshire Day! This month for me is all about getting back into blogging and keeping my little piece of the internet active. I'm finally feeling motivated and inspired to create content and I hope it's an enjoyable read for you, when I do post. I haven’t got anything planned for the month ahead but I do know I want to keep spending to a minimum.

Mini goals for August

• Reach level 15 in PokémonGo
• Have a big clear out
• Get ahead of my Goodreads target
  
• Post at least ten times
• See Finding Dory
• Do some baking
• Spending Ban
• Keep working on my Pinterest boards
• Have a day out with friends
• Get outdoors

I’m so happy with my reading progress so far this year, I’m currently at 22 books out of my 35 target which leaves 13 books to read in 5 months. Once my monthly internet renews I’m going to go find a hotspot for Pokémon and try to level up as much as possible, because why not. I’ve got an insane amount of Pidgeys waiting to be evolved with a lucky egg.

I want to make time to see friends as I’ve just been so busy lately, it’s been ages since I’ve seen anyone properly. I’m really looking forward to heading to the cinemas to see Finding Dory, I knew it was a film I needed to see as soon as I heard about it. It’s totally cool to be going to watch Disney films without a child at 27 right?

I’ve set myself the goal of posting at least ten times this month which gives me some focus and motivation to get back into blogging. I’d also like to make some more progress on my Pinterest boards and find some nice DIY’s to try or even a super fun looking bake. I need to have a clear out as I just have way too much stuff I don’t use. With that in mind I’m applying a spending ban to limit my spending and stop myself buying yet more stuff I don’t need.

Have a great month! Will you be going to see any films this month?

Sam

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Monthly Highlights | July

Hi, You might have noticed that the blog has been very quiet over the last month. This month I travel to York, Barcelona and London. That much traveling is not relaxing and it didn't help that they where all city breaks as you're always busy. I've been feeling very cultured but lacking any sort of schedule and as such blogging has fallen off my radar. I apologies for the lack of posts and hope to get back into some sort of rhythm again very soon.

Mini goals for July 6/10

• Eat an Instagram worthy ice cream
• Find a new cruelty free favourite
• Document my travels
• Read at least 5 books
• Buy a new board game
• Successfully pack hand luggage
• Plan lots of blog ideas
• Find a happy balance
• Have a cocktail
• Eat Sushi

This month has been amazing for so many reasons and while I might not have completed my monthly goals I've been crossing things off my Summer goals instead. Blog related goals obviously failed as I haven’t blogged. I’m still planning on doing a travel diary post, I just need to sit down and get writing. I’m yet to have a proper brain storm for blog post ideas but this is high on my list of things to do.

While in Barcelona I bought the nicest ice-cream which was chocolate and raspberry, so yummy. No photograph as it was so hot once scooped it started melting everywhere. I managed to cope with just hand luggage and turns out I still packed way more than I needed, it was nice to have options. I’ll feel more confident about packing light next time.

Confession I didn’t buy a board game but my friend did, we’ve been playing King of Tokyo which is so simple but really fun. I’ve totally failed at reading this month having just finished the one book, I totally underestimated how busy I’d be this month. I ate some Sushi and enjoyed a lot of Long Island ice teas, not my favourite cocktail but dam they’re strong.

Hope you're having a lovely summer so far, what have you been up to?

Sam

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10 Tips For Hosting An Outdoor Summer Gathering

Hi, One of my favourite things about the summer months is eating and socialising in the outdoors. I've helped organise a few family BBQ's in the past so I have some helpful tips to share which will hopefully help make it a great day everyone can enjoy including the hosts.

Tips For Hosting An Outdoor Summer Gathering

Dietary Requirements
Not everyone is into the carnivore side of a summer BBQ so it's good practice to have plenty of vegetarian alternative and to ask guested about any special needs they have (these could be health based or life choices but you'll make your guess feel amazing for making sure they are catered for).

Keep it comfortable
Make sure you've got plenty of seating, weather that be picnic blankets or deck chairs. Making guests feel comfortable can only be a good thing right!

Repel the bugs
I live by a river so I know how annoying bugs get. You can set up wasp catchers with old pop bottles and something sugary. In the evening burn Citronella Candles to get rid of midges and other bugs.

Prep as much as possible
Prep food and drinks as much as you can or buy pre-made so you don't spend all day cooking and you can enjoy the party too.

Don't be afraid to ask to BYOB
Organising a gathering can get costly so it's only fair for guest to bring something to contribute to the festivities. It doesn't have to be alcohol, someone could bring their famous secret recipe sauce past down through the generations.

Be weather proof
I'm writing this post in Britain and well you can't totally rule out rain so it's a good idea to have some space that is under cover. Gazebos are great and not that expensive for a standard one, if you're a bit more flush with cash you might consider a party shed (can only dream right?).

Have alcohol replacements
Some people might be driving or others just not wanting to over do it, having a choice of soft drinks or mocktails is a great way to keep everyone happy and ultimately more healthy.

Have some entertainment
In the past we've played games and always had a backing track of the radio playing quietly in the background. Keeping guests entertained means they are going to remember your gathering as great. You could invest in an outdoor board game, twisters always fun.

Parting into the night
If you plan on parting into the small hours make sure you've got plenty of lighting to keep things safe and sociable. Fairy lights make lovely mood lighting, pick up outdoor solar powered ones and you get free energy.

Have taxi numbers at the ready
Not everyone is organised or they don't know the area, having taxi numbers ready for anyone who needs a ride home will save time trying to find one online and you'll be guest free and in bed relaxing a lot quicker.

Have you hosted a summer outdoor gathering? any tips to add?

Sam

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Monthly Mini Goals - July

Hi, It's holiday time! I should already be traveling on my way to York as this post goes live. Hopefully the sun is shining and if it really must rain it will wait until we have pitched the tent (please!). So after last month not being so great I'm all inspired by my travel plans and just the general freedom from my working life (love it but nothing beats a holiday).

Mini goals for July

• Eat an Instagram worthy ice cream
• Find a new cruelty free favourite
• Document my travels
• Read at least 5 books
• Buy a new board game
• Successfully pack hand luggage
• Plan lots of blog ideas
• Find a happy balance
• Have a cocktail
• Eat Sushi

So I couldn't help but have very summer holiday based goals and I was having to reference my 25 summer goals post so I didn't have duplicates because that's just silly. I would love to make a photo diary of my travels but that involves taking photos and I'm just the worst at that because I forget, (traveling is blog post gold right?) I must try really hard or I'll be annoyed with myself.

Time off work means more time for things I really want to do like reading, I need to get ahead with my Goodreads challenge and now's the perfect time. I also want to use my digital detox to inspire me with blog post ideas I'm excited to write. I'm starting to run out of products so I need to find cruelty free alternatives, I plan on checking out what's available in Superdrug.

It's summer so I obviously want ice cream and weirdly I really fancy a trip to Yo!Sushi. There's a really great comic book store in York which sells board games so I want to go check them out and hopefully find something to add to our growing collection.

Do you have anything planed for the summer?

Sam

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