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.

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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?

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?



A Weeked with Friends

Saturday

Quite often when my friends and I meet up either food or coffee are involved. On the Saturday, a few weeks ago now, I drove to Lakeside with some friends to go bridesmaid shopping. I was truly excited when I received a message and photograph, whilst I was away on my road trip earlier this year, telling me that she was engaged! I felt honoured when I returned home, around two weeks later, to find a hand written envelope waiting for me, inside was a simple, yet beautiful gift and a special question.

We had an appointment at a bridal shop to start the day and to hopefully find some inspiration. My friend and I had had a sneaky peak at some dresses a few weeks before when I had gone with her to try on some wedding dresses. The previous bridal shop we visited had a whole floor dedicated to bridesmaid dresses. The shop we visited in Lakeside had far fewer to browse through. Having said that, we managed to find a few to try on. When we had looked before I got the idea that we may get short dresses, however, on this occasion the longer dresses were a lot nicer and there was slightly more choice so we ended up dragging a few through to the dressing room. We found one dress that we each tried on and all liked the way that it looked (once the helpful assistant had pinned it anyway). I haven't had a good reason to wear a pretty dress since my high school prom nine years ago.

Then it was time for food! I didn't realise there was a restaurant on a boat at Lakeside, last time I visited I went for the standard Nandos. I love something a little different though so was pleased the decision was made to go aboard. A bottle of Prosecco was ordered to share and add a little sparkle to the afternoon. The restaurant is a Miller & Carter and was dark and sleek inside. There is a very reasonably priced lunch menu that is even served on a Saturday which I was surprised by. I was tempted by the burger, but typically I go for a burger, so thought I would try something a little different. As the restaurant is a steakhouse, I decided I would order steak in a toasted onion ciabatta served with seasoned fries. The meal was finished off nicely with a sweet caramel apple crumble tart. A continued wander around the shops was welcomed after the large lunch.

Sunday

My friend picked me up from mine about 11am and we drove to Norwich to meet our friend who moved their with her other half last year. A journey that should only take an hour took more like two thanks to road works so we were definitely ready to go into the city centre and eat when we finally arrived. We ended up going to Bill's. As soon as we walked through the door I loved it! The décor is rustic and quirky. There is exposed plaster, brick, metal and wood.

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We all ended up ordering the same, Bill's pink lemonade and burger with various toppings followed by cinnamon doughnuts. I enjoyed the food as much as my surroundings and the atmosphere. After our long lunch, we did a little shopping before heading home.

 

Have you eaten anywhere you really liked recently?

A Birthday Treat: Afternoon Tea in Aldeburgh

I spent this afternoon with two of my closest friends celebrating my birthday. My birthday isn't for another week but due to my friends shift patterns this was closest date we could find. We arranged to meet in Aldeburgh at 1pm in the car park near the Scallop sculpture.

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We were really lucky with the weather, the sun was out and I felt it was warm enough to wear jeans and a floral shirt. We arranged to meet an hour and a half before our afternoon tea was booked to have time to wander around. We walked along the promenade to the other side of the town, the beach is scattered with wooden huts selling freshly caught fish and boats. The beach was also populated with individuals savouring the popular fish and chips.

On our way back towards the White Lion, where we were to sit and enjoy our afternoon tea, we chose to walk through the town and do a little window shopping. Aldeburgh has a mix of branded and independent shops, cafes and restaurants and the cutest buildings! It's a place that I would love to go back to and take lots of photos.

When we arrived at the White Lion, we were greeted at the door and asked whether we would prefer to sit on the sofas or in the main restaurant. We initially chose the sofas but soon realised that they would not be very easy to eat at. The staff were very friendly and accommodating and allowed us to change our minds and find a new place to sit. We were served tea and coffee a short while before the food. After the drinks were poured it was time to open presents. I really value the gifts I receive from friends and family, especially the thought that has gone into what they choose. This year was no different.

And then the food was served...

Photo borrowed from C

The sandwich fillings included; tuna, egg, cheese and pickle and ham. They could be described as simple fillings but that's fine by me and I like them all.

The sweet treats included; fruit scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, chocolate and nut brownies, cookies, meringue and rose flavoured marshmallows.

It was a lovely afternoon catching up with my friends, eating good food and drinking too much tea and coffee. We all left feeling very full! The short walk back to the car was needed before we all headed home

My Perfect Weekend

Being back in full time employment and no longer a student has meant that the weekends are precious and much needed time off. I thought I would dedicate a post to what my perfect weekend would entail. Unfortunately, all of the things I would like to do in a weekend do not often fit into two days, or if they do I would be shattered all of the following week. So with that in mind, my perfect weekend would be at least 3 days.

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I like to start the day with a coffee, a view like this would be amazing

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I like to spend time with friends and family, catching up, drinking more coffee and eating nice food

Exploring new places, re-visiting old ones, enjoying the fresh air

Taking photos

Taking time out and watching a film at the cinema

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Having some me time, a ridiculously long shower, candles and catching up on my recorded tv programmes

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Having an early night and snuggle up with a book

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Being inspired to write

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Amsterdam

About an hour ago I slotted the key into my front door and hauled my suitcase in behind me for the last time this weekend. Arriving home after three days in Amsterdam. A friend suggested going away a few months ago and we got around the booking the trip about a month ago which is all very last minute for me. A few words to describe me would definitely include planned and organised but I would love to be more spontaneous. Feeling unprepared for something causes me to feel anxious and this trip was very unplanned. Due to the stresses of starting and learning a new job I didn't make time to research the trip at all, my research was limited to asking people who I knew had been before. I do think it's helpful to ask friends who have been to places previously because they can sometimes give you a more realistic view than the guidebooks. Although this may not be very helpful if you are interested in different things.

For me the benefits of my trip began as soon as I left work Thursday evening. I was able to place all my work stress into a box and leave it there for the weekend. Usually, I find I am not able to do this as well over the weekends when I am at home, I spend the time off thinking about what I didn't manage to get done and what I need to do the following week. Knowing I was going away felt like I had permission to leave everything behind and just enjoy the present. And I got the Friday feeling a few hours early!

My trip officially began at 3.30 am Friday morning when my friend arrived at my house and we made our way to the airport. I haven't flown for a few years and only remembered just in time about liquids in the hand luggage needing to be a certain size and in a clear plastic bag, I didn't realise I was only allowed to fill 1 bag, so things had to be re-jigged before we left. I did remember, however, that I could only take 1 bag onto the plane so I made sure my handbag could also fit into my hand luggage case. When we arrived at the airport we went through security, as my friend had already checked us in online, and through the other side to get bottled water and a coffee for the flight. Thinking we a lot of time we took our time until we realised it was 6.30, the same time our gate was due to close! After a mad dash to our gate and cramming our handbags into our main suitcase we were informed that there was no room left for hand luggage on the aircraft so it would have to go in the hold and we were asked to take out anything we needed for the flight (everything we had just crammed in from our handbags). After this start to the trip we enjoyed an easy, short flight to our destination.

Our flight was at 7 am, it was only an hour long and the time difference in Amsterdam is an hour ahead to we landed around 9 am but it felt more like lunchtime. We were warned about the cost of getting a taxi from the airport to our hotel but decided we would rather be taken to our hotel to begin with and then we would figure out how to get around from there. Luckily, we met a taxi driver who guaranteed us a price of 45 Euros for the 30 minute journey, when we arrived the metre said it should have cost closer to 80. We entered the hotel to ask whether we could leave our luggage somewhere safe as check in was not until 3 pm, pleasantly we were told that our room would be ready in 20 minutes so we ordered a coffee and made a plan for the day.

Image from Google

I really liked the building, it was an old orphanage, so although it was quite dark, which has been continued through the current decoration, it had character and was different to more modern hotels. I also love old buildings that are decorated in a modern way inside which this hotel did. A few things that weren't quite so great were the steep steps in the room to get up to the bed, the broken fridge door that came off in my friends hand when she went to open it to store and cool our bottled water and the small fire we were notified about by a member of staff and a letter apologizing for any inconvenience caused when the hotel had to be evacuated earlier in the day (this was when we returned Friday evening).

Traffic is also crazy over there, not only was the traffic coming in different directions (on different sides of the road) but there are cyclists and trams to watch out for! I was quite surprised how busy Amsterdam was, I think I had a mental image of the city being quite laid back and less busy. Even where we were staying, which was a 15-20 minute tram ride from the centre, there was quite a bit of traffic and people, seemingly in a hurry, on bikes. My favourite mode of transport was the hop on and off canal tour boats. Cruising along the canals was laid back, peaceful and relaxing and we found it was a great way to get our bearings and get around the city, although not a great way to travel if you have to be anywhere at a certain time or if you need to get anywhere quickly.

I found the city very picturesque and as I mentioned above I loved how it brings old and new together. The tree lined canals that are home to a number of houseboats and bordered by traditional slim, tall learning houses. The variety of bridges, often filled with bicycles lent against the railings. Very much the way I imagined it to be. Then you head towards the docks and there are the more modern buildings, different use of shapes, of colour and concrete.

I think Amsterdam is a great city and has something for everyone. It is steeped in history and culture and is very diverse. Gay Pride celebrations were concluding this weekend with a parade on Saturday along the canals (seemed very much like a carnival on water), the positive energy it created felt great to be around and be part of. Our trip ended on a positive note as we successfully made our way back to the airport after navigating the trams and catching a train when neither one of us is any good at using public transport.

Some Weekend Space

There have been times during the last two years where I have felt pulled along by the current of life and unable to pause to catch my breath. The last three weeks has been one of those times. Since starting my new job my days have been about trying to get through as much of my 'to do' list as possible whether that is work related or things at home like the washing, preparing meals and food shopping. Trying to squeeze in exercise and me time has been difficult. Having some time to relax and do something that I want to do is really important to me and important in keeping my moods balanced. This is why I try and press pause at the weekend, even if I am only able to do it for a short while around preparing for the new week ahead. My last few weekends have been really great in giving me some time and space in between one week and the next.

About three weeks ago now I went to see Tom Odell. I struggled to summon feelings of excitement when my friend picked me up and during the journey to the venue because I was so tired, I was almost asleep. I had seen Tom Odell once before at V Festival a few years ago and loved his set so I really wanted to see him again when I heard about the gig, the second thing that drew me in was the venue. I have never heard live music in a forest before and thought it could be amazing. My feelings of excitement bubbled to the surface as soon as I stepped foot in the venue, past security checking our tickets and bags and seeing the open space and the stage. It was the same feeling I get when I arrive at festivals and I felt a little sad that I did not go to the Isle of Wight Festival this year. The main reason for not going to IoW this year was simply because I wasn't very interested in the line up. The first time I went was two years ago primarily to see Bastille and last year it was for Biffy Clyro who were amazing! It was also an awesome line up last year and I got to see Passenger, Kings of Leon and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as well as many others. I love the atmosphere at the IoW Festival, there are lots of different genres of music in a variety of different tents and it welcomes people of all ages. One of my favourite things to do is to see live music, I particularly enjoy it when I feel a connection to the music, when it excites me and often when I know the words and can sing along.

Anyway, back to the Tom Odell gig. I loved the venue and the support acts, The Beach and Rae Morris. I think what I loved about the venue was the atmosphere, it was chilled and laid back, perfect for a Sunday evening. The acts and the music that was played could have also contributed to this. We chose to sit a little way from the stage and relax rather than getting pushed and shoved nearer the front, I just didn't feel it was that kind of gig, I was just happy to listen in my own space. Some songs were very simplistic, Tom Odell and his piano, beautiful. It was a lovely evening, a bit chillier than the rest of the week but luckily no heavy rain just a few spots which was a pleasant surprise as it had been quite wet in the morning so I went prepared with my wellies!

Last weekend I spent most of last weekend with my Grandad while my parents were away. This is a great excuse to crash out in front of the tv and eat rubbish food. It allowed me to take a break from the list of things I felt I should be doing and gave me some time to rest. On the Sunday I went to see Magic Mike with a friend and got my Channing Tatum fix, he is just gorgeous. Afterwards we met up with another friend for dinner. These are two of my closest friends and we all have quite busy lives at the moment so finding time to get together is often difficult. It is so nice when we can get together and have a good catch up, usually with us there is food and sometimes cocktails involved. 

This weekend has been a productive one. After about a year, I finally got around to re-painting my kitchen. Last year I had a water leak which caused damage to my ceiling, luckily the ceiling got fixed but I was left with a patch that had been plastered. Me being me, was too lazy to re-paint, until now. I left work Friday afternoon motivated, I stopped off at B&Q on my way home about bought the paint, I washed down the walls and done the first coat of paint over the plaster before going to bed. This meant that all I had to do Saturday was one coat of white on the whole ceiling and two coats of Mint Crisp on the walls. I was pleased to finish Saturday so that I felt I had some free time before beginning a new week. I'm really happy that I was free today because I ended up going out for the afternoon with my parents and Grandad. We spent a few hours walking along the beach in Great Yarmouth, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather as well as freshly made doughnuts before stopping in Beccles on the way home and eating a picnic by the river as the sun began to set. Perfect.