My UK Travel Wishlist

One thing I mentioned in a previous post about being single is my dilemma around travelling. I want to explore the world but my fear of doing so alone is still holding me back. I can find this both annoying and upsetting. I get annoyed with myself because I feel as though I am allowing my fear to hold me back and sometimes, momentarily, I feel sad that I don't always have someone to share experiences with.

Last year I decided that I had had enough of missing out and decided to take a two week road trip in the UK on my own. I've always liked the idea of going on a road trip, following numerous hours spent watching American films and loving being out in my car, music turned up loud. You
can read about my road trip here.

I still don't feel confident enough to travel abroad alone so instead of thinking about all the places I would love to visit but don't feel ready to at the moment, I thought I would focus on something achievable; other places in the UK that I would love to explore.

So, here are some of the places I would love to visit in the UK

1. Scotland

Pinterest

2. Lake District

Pinterest

3. Wales

Pinterest

4. York

Pinterest

5. Sheffield

Pinterest

Have you spent much time exploring the country you live in? Where would you like to visit?

My Weekend

This weekend has been just what I needed. For the last two weeks I have been preparing to leave my job and start a new one. Another change for someone who doesn't manages change very well, although I am getting better at it, university placements have helped a lot with that. The last two weeks have been all about work, working long days at last weekend to get all my cases as up to date as possible to hand over to a new member of the team. My team organised a leaving lunch for me and two other members of the team, who are also moving on for various reasons, which was lovely and we were all pretty spoilt.

I'm not good at goodbyes though so felt a bit strange and uncomfortable. I also found Thursday, my last day, more emotional than I thought I would and there were a few tears in the privacy of my car as I drove home. To cheer myself up I went to a local pub with a friend for a few drinks later that evening.

My plans on Friday were what got me through the last two weeks, a morning relaxing at Ufford Park Spa with my Mum. After all that laying about I wanted to curl up and a long nap, I was shattered. I ended up going back to Mum's and watching a film before heading home for an early night.

Yesterday, I spent the morning on the sofa, coffee in hand, catching up on some of my favourite tv programmes, which is a pretty normal Saturday morning for me. At 3 o'clock a group of us met at Suffolk Food Hall to enjoy afternoon tea for a friends baby shower. I love the design of the restaurant and the view from the large windows. The spread provided for the afternoon tea was also delicious, lots of different sweet treats to try.

Google Images

A friend came over in the evening, which meant a quick tidy up, we walked along the Quay, enjoyed a cocktail, picked up a Chinese on the way home and ate it while watching some Sex and the City.

This afternoon I have a date with my garden as it has become a little wild in recent weeks, the typical British weather of sunshine and rain has not helped. I feel that I have had time to myself, time with friends and some time to get back on top of things, or at least start to anyway.

What would a great weekend look like for you?

Festivals

Image from Pinterest

The definition being a day or period of celebration or an organised series of concerts, plays or films, typically held annually in the same place. I like that definition, although the inference is that the celebration is linked with religion, I think that music festivals are a celebration, a celebration of music. I had been to see a few artists live at venues like the O2 in London but my first festival experience was Wireless in London. Since then I've been to the Isle of Wight Festival, V and Sundown. This year I've been to two local festivals which I have really enjoyed; Red Rooster and Maverick. My decision to get tickets for larger festivals is the line-up, are there going to be artists and bands playing that I will get excited about? Where as, the reasons I have decided to go to the more local ones is because of the genre of music the festivals are celebrating; Americana and Country.

Red Rooster Festival

My friend couldn't make it on the day so I was faced with the decision to not go and miss out or go it alone. I took a chance and went for it. I was nervous, nervous that people would look at me and judge me for being on my own. But I also felt that way about going to the cinema on my own and I got over that! I'm so pleased that I did go, the sun shone, the sky was blue and the location was beautiful. I took a magazine with me, a blanket and spent the afternoon relaxing, as the evening drew in I took another wander around the grounds and headed to the tent where I danced amongst strangers, for a while I forgot to care what people thought and threw myself into the moment. It felt amazing!

Maverick

I went to a day of the Maverick festival with my family last weekend. Again, we were really lucky with the British weather and it only rained for a few minutes. The site was not as big as the Red Rooster, however, there were more stages. There were stages of various sizes hidden around the place. Because the site was smaller, it actually made it easier having Grandad with us in his wheelchair.

Things I love

• Live music
• Festival atmosphere
• The variety of food and drink stalls
• People coming together
• Relaxing and/or dancing depending on my mood

Things I don't like so much

• Camping
• The rain and cold

A festival I would love to go to

• Boardmasters - even though I don't skate or surf I would love to watch and I can just imagine the location and atmosphere would be awesome.

What festivals have you been to and loved?

What I'm Reading: The Girl on the Train

Google Images

I read this a while ago while on holiday. I had a lot of talk about the book and the upcoming film, a lot of hype. Perhaps this is why I had an expectation already formed when I opened the first page. Personally, I could not connect with the way the book was written or the main character. Having said that, I needed to read it through to the end to find out what happens and what a twist! I thought the explanation towards the end of the book was really clever.

If you haven't read the book and want to, you may not want to read further.

The book highlights two important issues, I feel; domestic abuse and substance abuse. The main character, Rachel, uses alcohol to numb her negative feelings, which the reader is led to believe are around the break up of her marriage and her inability to become a mother. However, as the story progresses she has also used alcohol to block out the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. A key factor in her unravelling the murder mystery. What really caught me was the manipulation of the murderer and abuser, I, as a reader, did not pick up on, I would be interested to know if other readers recognise it.

There is also a lot of judgement of Rachel due to her substance misuse and the impact her drinking has on all areas of her life; work and friendships as well as her own health. I grew up in a family who appeared to have quite judgemental views of those who misuse substances and subsequently end up homeless, those were the views I listened to and thought I had too. That was until I undertook a student placement in an organisation who supported individuals in their recovery. I listened and learnt a lot about the reasons people may start taking drugs or drinking alcohol. Developing an understanding of why, did help me develop some empathy and compassion. The reasons why are not excuses, however, they can be painful experiences that people need support with to work through and find healthier ways to manage.

Have you read the book, what were your thoughts?

A Day In Southwold

What a lovey way to start the Bank Holiday weekend. A stroll along the promenade with the sun shining and the company of a good friend. We walked and chatted the length of the prom from the Pier towards the Harbour. When the prom ended we carried on following the shoreline choosing to walk on the rougher grassy area rather than the beach itself. If you like fish this is a great place to visit, there are places to buy fresh fish as well as fish restaurants. We had planned to walk from Southwold pier to a cute looking tea room in Walberswick for afternoon tea but it was a little further than we thought so we decided we would return another day with our waking boots. By this point I was getting hungry and really looking forward to my afternoon tea filled with sweet treats. We turned around and headed back towards the town to find a place to eat.

We walked passed a grassy green kind of area next to a pub. Single people, couples, friends and families had food and drinks from the pub as well as their own picnics. As the weather was warm enough to sit outside, we decided to join them and make up our own lunch. Instead of picking up some sandwiches from the local Tesco we walked past we were drawn towards the Two Magpies Bakery. It was difficult to choose what to order as there were so many yummy looking cakes and pastries on display. In the end I went for a mozzarella, tomato and pesto melt, hazelnut chocolate brownie and a latte. It was a very tasty meal, the sandwiches are made with thick chunky bread and the brownie was also a good size.

 

After lunch, we walked back to the pier and headed our separate ways home, her heading in one direction and in the other.

 

Do you have any lovely plans for the Bank Holiday weekend?



What I've Been Reading: Me Before You

Google Images

Me Before You is one of the books I read while on holiday. Every now and then I like to read something different to my usual choice of crime thrillers. Sometimes I go to the library and browse the shelves and other times I Google the top 10 books to read from this year or last. Google found me the three books I downloaded on the Kindle; The Girl on the Train, Me Before You and A Little Life.

I was drawn to this book because of the hint of romance, the carer in me and my thoughts on disability. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and following the development of relationships. I loved Lou's strong views that life is worth living, that it can be meaningful as this echoes my thoughts. However, what we both had to consider was how the person with the disability really felt and listen to what they really wanted. Throughout the story were some really touching, special moments that made me well up, both happy and sad. I'm not too sure that I could go and watch this film at the cinema, if I did I would need plenty of tissues and a pair of sunglasses.

I think the story raises and explores the important issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide, another concept for the reader to consider alongside the characters. Within that, the characters question what it means to live; ambition, independence, relationships. Some of the quotes from the book really make you think, here are a few that stand out for me;

'Push yourself, don't settle'

 

'You only get one life.

It is actually your duty to live it as fully as possible'

 

Have you read Me Before You, what did you think?

What are your thoughts on watching a film if you've read the book?   

Rhodes: In Pictures

I took most of my holiday snaps with the camera on my phone as I nearly always have that with me. I did that my Canon with me as well and took it out with us a few days (my family would have soon got fed up with me if I took out with us all the time). Although, the island was very quiet, I am unsure whether this is due to the time of year or the economic climate, or both, but I also found it quite beautiful. The different towns and sides of the island varied considerably, I loved the contrast.

Here are a few of my favourite photos from our holiday, some have been taken with my phone and others the Canon.

I would love to hear your thoughts, have you ever been to Rhodes or a Greek Island?

Please do not copy any of my photos without asking first

My A-Z

Pinterest

I've seen a few similar posts recently, posts that share a little more about the people behind the blog. I am quite nosey and love these posts! I also liked the challenge of thinking about words starting with each letter of the alphabet - so here goes;

Adoption and fostering; I want a family some day but as it stands I don't have the urge to experience pregnancy or giving birth. I also truly believe that I can love a child who does not share my dna as if they were. I also really want to visit, travel and do some volunteering in Africa.

Bread; is a big weakness of mine, give me a basket of mixed breads, olive oil and balsamic vinegar any day of the week.

Coffee and cats; I have recently made an effort to cut down and have about two cups of coffee a day. A real treat is a caramel or cinnamon latte. I have to say Costa is a favourite. I couldn't not mention my two fur babies, Alfie and Ollie.

Dessert; when eating out, I always check out the dessert menu first if possible. I then plan my whole meal around my dessert choice.

Eating and exercise; as I've mentioned in a few posts I've been trying to eat well and exercise more to fulfil my New Year intention to be happier and healthier.

Flowers; I love a bunch of fresh, pretty flowers. Sometimes when I do my food shop I pick up a bunch of reasonably priced beauties from my local supermarket.

Grandparents; I value the time I spend with them and make the effort to do this regularly as at their ages I am not sure how much longer they will be in my life. I also sponsor a little girl who lives in Ghana.

Hot showers; I can stand under a hot shower for almost as long as I could lay in a bath. I would have to say that I am more of a shower person.

Jogging; I am really trying to make more of an effort to get back into this. I really enjoy jogs that feel relatively easy (this is a very rare occurrence). I have spent more time on my cross trainer lately though so need to get back out there!

Kicking back and relaxing; although I often talk about wanting to do this I struggle do actually do it. I hate feeling as though I have wasted the day (feeling un-productive).

Lists and lie-ins; I am not a morning person and do not like having to get out of bed before 9 or 9.30am. I also love a list, it helps me organise what needs to get done.

Marc Jacobs; the bag my parents bought me for my 18th birthday is still the only designer item that I own. Mondays, I dislike.

Nervousness; I would say I am quite a nervous person, I fear change rather than embrace it. This is possibly due to my ability to overthink everything.

Organised; I like to be organised, actually, if I'm being honest it's more of a need. I also need others around me to be just as I organised, if not it throws me completely and I have a mini meltdown (usually in my head). I would love to be more spontaneous.

Photography; I love snapping moments that I can keep, to look back at and remember. I also like taking more artistic photos of buildings, peeling paint and the like.

Reading; most evenings I climb into bed and reach for my book. I can read for 10 minutes to an hour or more depending on how tired I am, what other thoughts I have in my head and how good my book is. I have three books on my Kindle to get through during my holiday.

Sunshine; even if it's still cold outside, seeing the sun shine never fails to make me smile.

Travel; although I haven't holidayed in Europe (I have yet to get a stamp in my passport), there are so many places I want to visit. I want to see the world!

Unknown; I hate the anxious feeling this creates.

Virgo; my star sign.

Walking; something I really enjoy with family, friends and on my own. I love being outside in the fresh air. Completing a walk also makes me feel as though I have achieved something.

Yoga; this ties in with a few others. I really enjoy my time on the mat, if I concentrate hard enough I can create a calm, peaceful place for me to practice, quieting my mind of other thoughts and focusing on the present.

I didn't manage to do every letter of the alphabet but don't think I've done too badly.

I'd love to read yours, send me links

Holiday Preparation

Pinterest

How do you get ready for a holiday?

 

Are you someone that counts down the days or sleeps about a month before you leave? Or someone that leaves things to the last minute?

 

I am usually someone who likes to be planned and organised. However when it comes to preparing for a holiday I often leave a lot until the last minute. I fly to Rhodes next week and it's only this weekend that I have started to feel excited about it. Work has been crazy busy, not unusual, although the short week due to the Easter bank holiday hasn't helped me get on top of things before I go on leave. I spent the day with my Mum a few weeks ago as I had some annual leave to use before April and we did end up doing a little holiday shopping, picking up a few items; a new pair of black denim shorts, a few tops and pairs of sandals. I was fully aware that my Sister will have at least two outfits for each day so felt I too had to make a bit of an effort.

 

We are going away as a family to celebrate my Sister's 21st birthday. When I go away I enjoy spending time relaxing, reading a book by the pool and wandering around traditional towns and quaint coves and stretches of beach with turquoise coloured sea and actual sand underfoot instead of stones. Some people may not like the idea of going on holiday with their family but I'm quite looking forward to it, we usually have a good time when we're together. We have agreed that we can go and do our own thing at times so there isn't the pressure of spending all our time together which might help keep the peace.

 

Things I've already done:

• bought new clothes & sandals
• stocked up on sun lotion and after sun
• downloaded books for the Kindle
• started to clean the house
• bought my Sister's gift
• done a few loads of washing
• ordered my European health card

Things left to do:

• pack!
• get holiday insurance
• finish cleaning the house
• paint my toe nails so they are sandal and beach ready
• stock up on cat food as my lovely friend will be looking after my boys
• make sure my cameras memory card is empty and the battery is charged





My Bank Holiday Weekend

Why does time off always seem to go by so fast? My five days off have sadly come to an end so I thought I would spend some time reflecting and sharing what I got up to. Thursday morning I dedicated to being kind to myself, relaxing in front of the tv catching up with some of the programmes I had recorded and having cuddles with my two cats. A few hours of the afternoon was spent looking at a job application I had promised myself I'd complete the week before. When school was finished I went bowling and stuffed myself with Pizza with a friend and his niece. Not a bad start to a little break from work!

Friday I spent the day with one of my closest friends, we did a little bit of shopping, me for my holiday and her for her baby who is due in May. We spent the afternoon taking some photographs of my friend, bump and her boyfriend. I know I'm a little biased but I think there are loads of really cute photos and am really pleased that I managed to capture some beautiful moments. I took most of them using the manual settings as I like to take them in black and white but I also tried to change different settings, wanting to get the light right and a blurred background in some (which didn't quite work). I have made the decision that after July when I hopefully, will know where I am going to be based for work, I am going to look into starting a photography course so I can learn more and improve my knowledge and skills.

 

Saturday was another day dedicated to relaxing. I didn't leave the house all day, I don't think I really left the sofa for very long.

Sunday was spent with family. My Sister, her boyfriend and I went to my parents for a roast dinner. Dinner was served around 2.30, I arrived just before two having left mine a bit earlier to pick up a few extra bits for my Sister and her boyfriend. My Sister arrived almost at the same time as the plates were being placed onto the table. It was lovely to have everyone sat together around the table, to spend time talking and laughing together. We swapped Easter Eggs and moved into the lounge to watch a film and some Gogglebox before heading home.

I'm not too sure why but I have not been in the best mood since Thursday. I find this odd and annoying because it has dampened my time off and things I enjoy like spending time with my friends and family. I wonder if it's stress and anxiety around the change that will quite possibly come in July when my contract ends at work. Although, I am feeling positive about the application I mentioned, I am still sad about changing teams as I have worked hard making friends and getting to know the colleagues in the team I am in and also there is a big cloud of uncertainty hanging over my head.

To try and shake this negative feeling off I knew I could not spend today inside so as soon as there was a break in the rain I grabbed my coat and walking boots and headed out. I drove to Brandon Country Park which is about an hour from where I live. I paid to park for over 2 hours which only cost me £2.50 and headed off into the forest. It was beautiful and peaceful. Even when the wind got up and blew hard through the trees it sounded like waves crashing on a shoreline which is always a comforting sound to me. I love the opportunity to be outside in the fresh air, the slight smells from the mud underfoot and the trees brought a smile to my face. A few patches of squelchy mud made me feel childlike and I wished I had my wellington boots on instead and could jump and wriggle around in it. I chose to do the 3.5 mile route and felt comfortable completing it alone as unlike some other places I have visited, this route is really well signposted so I had no fear or anxieties about getting lost. It took me just over an hour to get back to the visitor centre and café where I started, good timing as I was starting to get hungry. I popped in for an egg and cress bap and a latte which again only cost me about £5.50. I really should make more of an effort to visit more often, I felt really positive during my walk and on my way home. It felt good to have gotten out of the house, to get some fresh air, to be outside in open spaces, to feel productive and for the sun to show its face.

Hope you had a good bank holiday weekend, how did you spend it?