Category: Lifestyle

Lockdown Diaries; Recapturing Childhood Magic

November 25, 2020

Happy Humpday Babes! It’s halfway through the week and finally looks like there’s an end in sight for this second lockdown here in England. I’ve embraced the time off after a hectic couple of months working this summer at the hotel as it’s a perfect opportunity to rest. It’s been fun taking life back to basics and enjoying the simple pleasures of things like baking and visiting the sweet shop, just like when we were kids.

Each week I’ve been making sure to get a couple of longer walks in and exploring new places in my local area has kept it interesting. Me and the boyfriend decided to investigate a local walking trial on Basingstoke Common last week and we were excited to discover a playground with a zip wire too!

Walking through the woodlands, it was stunning as the sun low in the sky cast long shadows off the trees. This takes me back to childhood memories of Christmas time walks with my family on our local heath; life was a lot less complicated in those days.

Another local gem we visited on this week’s walk was Odiham Castle which is just a short walk down the canal. We’ve been lucky with the winter sun recently too which has been taking the brisk chill out of the air, a blessing as I really do hate the cold.

I’m so lucky to live in a village surrounded by countryside and plenty of places to explore. My mum, sister and I particularly enjoyed indulging our childhood dreams and treating ourselves at the local sweet shop after our walk the other day. Just like the traditional old school candy stores, sweeties are sold ‘pick n mix’ style in jars for you to create your own personal bag. I also couldn’t resist getting one bag purely of white chocolate Jazzles, a true bag of happiness this is to me 😀

Unlike the first lockdown in the UK when I got stuck into lots of projects and longer term jobs at home, this time I’ve been focusing more on self-care and maintaining my mental well-being. I’ve found that being a bit like a kid again by indulging in what makes me happy in mind, body and soul, keeps me sane during such uncertain times. So go on, recapture the magic of childhood and enjoy the little things which make you smile in each day.

No Guts, No Glory!

November 18, 2020

Back in furlough once again with all this time on my hands, has my brain ticking into overdrive and I can’t help but dream up my next project to keep me busy. I’ve been inspired by so many people using lockdown as an opportunity to start their own businesses from home utilising the numerous online platforms we now have at our fingertips to help build a brand. My Auntie over in Australia has even branched out alongside a work colleague to launch their very own PR consultancy. With years of industry knowledge and expertise, I don’t doubt these two powerful business women will be unstoppable as their tagline perfectly sums up –

‘No Guts, No Glory!’ (https://brangwinandmoore.com)

This simple yet punchy quote resonates on a number of levels and got me thinking about my own career path. Whilst my training in professional Dance and Acting only saw me in the industry for a short while, my move to Australia for two years led me to discover an ability to adapt my skills into many different roles. From promoting the latest skincare product in the middle of Sydney’s Central Business District, to becoming Receptionist at one of Australia’s largest brand companies WPP AUNZ, my work ethic and guts to give anything a go got me to those awesome places. Not to mention it took quite some guts to get me over to Australia on my own in the first place, undoubtedly the best decision I ever made as it helped me to grow and changed my perspective on life.

Now I find myself back in the quaint little village I grew up in about to move in with my boyfriend and working at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire in my dream role as Events Assistant. Whilst this isn’t the path I expected my life to take, I believe it’s a gutsy attitude and need to succeed which has driven me throughout. I continue to find inspiration from those around me and feel motivated to expand my prospects and fulfil my creative passions. Then who knows, maybe one day I’ll own my very own supercar and even run my own business…it just takes some guts to reach that glory!

Winter Warmer; Pumpkin Soup

November 13, 2020

With the shorter days and cold winter nights drawing in, there’s nothing like a comforting bowl of soup to warm the soul. As pumpkins only seem to be readily available around halloween in the UK, I’ve made the most of it this year and made a large batch of delicious pumpkin soup to share with family and freeze to enjoy well into the winter months.

Using my own twist on an old Jamie Oliver recipe, I kept it simple on ingredients to let the pumpkin flavour do the work. You will need:

  • 1/2 large pumpkin
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 750ml of vegetable stock
  • 200ml of soya milk
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

The first step is to cut the pumpkin into large segments, keeping the seeds for roasting later, before placing the chunks on a baking tray and drizzling with a generous glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 170celsius for about an hour until soft and the skin caramelises.

Meanwhile chop the garlic, onion and carrot and cook in a large saucepan until softened. Once the pumpkin is ready, add to the pan along with the stock, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and soya milk before blending with a handheld stick blender.

Continue to blend and combine the ingredients until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached. Add a little more stock if required and taste to adjust seasoning accordingly. I made this batch with a little kick as I decided to add more chilli at the final stage also.

I served my soup up in a coconut bowl for that wholesome aesthetic and finished it off with a swirl of light yoghurt and more chilli flakes. Other extras you may want to try are crispy kale, toasted pumpkin seeds or even just fresh sourdough bread on the side for dunking.

Using the ingredients as listed above made a very large batch of soup enough to feed the family and freeze leftovers for later. There is so much more you can do with the rest of the pumpkin too; roast the seeds for snacking and topping salads, add the chunks of flesh to a curry, or roast up in large steak size pieces and enjoy in a wholesome salad perfect with quinoa, feta and hummus. Colourful, sweet and nutritious, I only wish pumpkins were in season all year long!

Heads High in the Clouds at Sky Bar

November 6, 2020

Happy Friday! It may not be the usual weekend ahead here in the UK as we find ourselves back in lockdown for another month; but regardless I’m sat here sipping my Friday night G&T looking back on an awesome Sunday sesh with my work friends last weekend.

With my work wife and work husband by my side, we got started early with cocktails at The Aviator from 2pm. This place has become my local favourite for an indulgent drink date with a fancy twist, a little more special than another trip to the pub.

It was the ultimate opportunity to get all dolled up for those picture perfect Instagram snaps with my girl. We were definitely channelling those 70s Clueless vibes with our outfits too, myself in the flared jeans and checked blazer, alongside Ella with her polo neck layered under a velvet mini dress.

The extensive cocktail menu at Sky Bar always makes it fun to try and test different concoctions every time I visit. I started with the Mile High Club which I’ve been lusting after for ages, as it features a soft white chocolate foam on top, yum!

A few cocktails knocked back and we were ready to get some fun shots walking down the grand staircase with its spiral art deco ceiling design. It was a long awaited day off with my work colleagues following a busy summer at the hotel, so you certainly couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces.

Our afternoon continued into the early evening as Alex kindly treated us girls to a bottle of champagne and we stayed for dinner too. A delicious spread of grub was served including chicken caesar salad and a creamy rigatoni pasta… much needed to soak up those cocktails.

What a truly special Sunday spent with wonderful company sipping stunning cocktails and expensive bubbles to celebrate the occassion. I feel so lucky to have met such awesome friends through my workplace who share my passion to work hard and play hard 😉

Monday Night Tipple; Sky Bar at The Aviator

October 13, 2020

Good evening babes! I’ve kicked off this week in style, as my boyfriend and I decided to go for cocktails at our new favourite local bar to bust those Monday blues.

Working in hospitality means I am on shift most weekends, so my time off tends to be early to midweek. Whilst I do love my weekends and socialising with friends, in the current climate it’s actually a blessing to be going out in the week, as places are quieter and tend to have good deals on too.

With our local pub The Oatsheaf offering 50% off mains this week, we decided to head there for dinner before indulging in a late night tipple at the Sky Bar.

Situated in the The Aviator hotel right next to Farnborough Airport, this local gem is always a treat to visit with its super luxurious decor and decedent cocktails to match.

The glamorous, relaxing lounge bar situated on the first floor overlooking the runway, sets the scene for stunning cocktails with a view.

From the timeless classics to bespoke signature creations, there’s always something new to try from the ever-changing vast drinks menu. On this occasion, I opted for a show stopping smoked whiskey and chilli infused short cocktail served in a glass dome containing actual smoke!

With tangy notes of mango and passionfruit, this was the perfect sweet tipple to end my night on. I’m also obsessed with these gorgeous embossed tumblers along with the gold platform coaster mine was presented upon.

So there we have it, a slightly more boujee Monday evening than I would usually allow myself, but I guess this is like my Saturday night and a well deserved treat following work over the weekend. And with the current state of affairs leaving us all in limbo at the moment, there’s all the more reason to soak up these little moments of joy to lift our spirits.

Borough Market Brunching

October 5, 2020

Strolling around the markets before indulging in a late brunch is my idea of the perfect Saturday scenario in London. As one of the oldest wholesale markets located in the historic buildings of Southwark, Borough Market is a foodie’s heaven with over 100 vendors offering fresh produce, imported foods and freshly made dishes from all corners of the world.

With its vibrant, buzzing atmosphere attracting an eclectic crowd of locals and tourists, it’s a wonderful experience perusing the maze of stalls as the aromas of delicious meals, baked goods and freshly ground coffee infuse the air.

Arriving at 12pm on a weekend, it was heaving and neighbouring pubs were already pulling pints for those early birds! We however hadn’t even had our morning coffee yet, so were keen to find a good little spot still serving brunch.

We stumbled upon a cafe Stoney Street by 26 Grains with the perfect corner for us to sit back and watch the market madness from afar. In fact the cafe’s original site in Neal’s Yard, is a favourite of mine serving up seasonal, wholesome dishes, including some epic twists on the average porridge bowl.

I was a lot happier once I finally had my coffee in hand and food on its way! The simple, striped back aesthetic of the cafe interiors alongside their rustic crockery, echoes the 26 Grains goal to serve up quality, everyday food and drinks.

My autumnal bowl of apple and ginger compote, cardamom granola, Northiam dairy yoghurt and maple was perfect for a chilly fall afternoon and just like having a desert for brekky 🙂 The scrambled eggs on house rye bread topped with Ogleshield cheese which my boyfriend had was excellent too. You can tell how fresh the eggs are when they are so orange like that.

We sat and sipped our coffees as the hustle and bustle of the market continued to thrive. Fuelled up and ready for the day, soon it was time to hit the shops of Oxford Street. However I underestimated the drop in temperature that weekend as I tried to clasp onto the end of summer and decided to wear a skirt, brrrr!

Wondering the market was the perfect way to kick off our weekend in the city – we even spotted a couple from our favourite reality TV series Made in Chelsea. Needless to say, Borough Market is a trendy place to be seen and a must-visit as one of London’s most historical events in such an iconic location.

Oxo Tower; Champagne Sunshine Showers

October 1, 2020

What would a romantic city break be without some super fancy wining and dining? So for our first evening in London I booked us into the Oxo Tower Brasserie upon recommendation from my Dad, who has held a number of work functions there and claims it to be one of the best views of Southbank and the city.

We arrived nice and early for our reservation at 6pm and treated to a welcome drink of champagne on the house upon arrival.

How lucky we were that the skies cleared and the most magnificent golden hour of sunshine showered the skies and glistened upon the city.

The Brasserie menu had a lot to offer serving up the finest of British cuisine alongside an extensive wine list. In fact it is part of the Harvey Nichols franchise, so I knew food would be top standard.

I opted for the Josper grilled spatchcock chicken, chimichurri, autumn vegetable slaw and maple glazed pancetta, whilst my boyfriend went for a classic Rib eye steak, green peppercorn sauce, mushroom pâté and green leaf salad.

To accompany the meal we had some potato wedges and tender stem broccoli and to drink we shared a carafe of French red wine, the perfect pairing to our meaty dishes.

Our meal was just exquisite and we both agreed it to be some of the best food we’d ever tasted! Service was absolutely impeccable too and my wine glass was never more than half empty – thanks waiter 😉

We stayed to finish our drinks and soak up those final few moments of sunset, before leaving to attend our post dinner cocktails at the Four Seasons.

I have to put the evening up there as one of the most beautiful dinners I’ve ever had. From the picture perfect setting as golden hour hues painted the London skyline, to the delicious food and wonderful service we were treated to, it was truly magical. A spacial thanks to the Oxo Tower Brasserie for taking such good care of us and ensuring our experience was so special.

Our Little London Staycay

September 30, 2020

With a well deserved break from work finally in sight at the end of September, I had my hopes up that we would be able to do a last minute holiday abroad. However the uncertainty of countries being added and removed from the quarantine list was all looking far too risky, so we settled on booking a mini break to good old London town.

After a thorough browse through booking.com we found a fancy looking hotel located right in the heart of the city at St Paul’s. I know the area well having lived just down the road back when I was studying in London, so I was excited to take a trip back to some of my favourite places nearby too.

Our hotel Leonardo Royal St Paul’s wasn’t half bad considering we paid just £104 each for two nights. The bedroom was a decent size with a lovely bathroom and dreamy, humungous sized bed which was like sleeping on a cloud!

Spa facilities were very nice too, however given that there was no allotted time slots to use the pool and jacuzzi, it was a gamble whether or not we would actually be able to get in due to social distancing.

Despite this, I had a very nice experience in the hotel’s gym which was much more spacious with plenty of equipment. I even had one of the big studios all to myself for about an hour, so I made the most of it and pumped out a good workout before practicing some old dance tricks.

Being the super organised/guilty control freak that I am, the weekend was all planned out revolving mostly around where we would be eating out next. Having lived in London for three years also gave me a lot of knowledge on the city and I had to visit some old regular haunts.

Of course a shopping trip to Oxford Street was a must and it’s always fun to have a stroll around Selfridges pretending we can afford that Rolex watch or Cartier ring 😉 We went for some truly special dinners (more posts to come on those) and I also had to take my boyfriend for a trip to my stomping ground Four Seasons for a late night tipple.

Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square is the newer of the two FS hotels in London and is simply breathtaking from the minute you pull up to the grand entrance. Given my connections back at my workplace Four Seasons Hampshire, we were treated to a spectacular array of cocktails on the house during our visit to the Rotunda Bar. How special to be the guest for once!

For our second evening I planned a more casual dinner and drinks in the trendy neighbourhood of Shoreditch. Another area I used to visit a lot, I booked us into a brilliant burger place Hache which never fails to disappoint.

On reflection, it was a perfect little getaway with my boyfriend and really great to see London still thriving despite circumstances. We certainly did miss out on our beach vacation this year, but there’s always next year and here’s hoping things are back to normal by then so we can see everyone smiling without masks once more 🙂

Midnight Moon Child

September 1, 2020

From time to time I find myself restless and wide awake, full of thoughts and ideas at 3am. It’s when my mind ticks on over into this midnight madness that I get my most inspired to create.

Edit 1I’m always reading poetry and collecting quotes as I find words and writing to be one of my favourite outlets of creation. Having a little journal by my bedside is key for capturing those unique moments of imagination and other worldly dreams which fascinate me.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAfter a few days break from work I already feel a new wave of inspiration and motivation as my mind, body and soul has had time to catch up with itself. Not pressuring myself to go out and do lots of things on my days off has been a blessing as I’ve had quality me time, something which I’ve neglected since going back to work.

Edit 2I’ve always been a night person and feel a strong connection to the moon and the stars as they accompany me in my midnight madness… perhaps I’m a moon child, still searching this infinite galaxy for the stars within myself.

I Guess Life is a Little Upside Down for Now…

August 20, 2020

Usually this time of the year I would be jetting off to a sunnier corner of the world on holiday, in search of white sand beaches to warm my toes and crystal blue oceans to dive in and explore. However the entire Covid crisis seems to have pulled this luxury of carefree travel from beneath our feet, leaving everyone at a loss when it comes to getting their hard earned summer break abroad this year.

Edit 7I guess in some ways it has taught me to enjoy the simple pleasures of relaxing at home and soak up this bonus time we have to spend with friends and family. It’s also been a perfect opportunity to work on self care and personal challenges or goals.

Edit 11One of my achievements during lockdown has been to improve on my handstands which I’ve practiced every single day since March. I can now get up without support and hold it for at least 20 seconds or so. If I keep up this consistent routine of balancing everyday, my aim is to be able to handstand for over a minute and move my body into different yogi positions whilst doing so.

Edit 6Upon reflection, there are a few positives of being unable to travel at the moment, like not having to deal with the stress of busy airports and cramped planes. Not to mention getting to avoid the suffering of post holiday blues, often accompanied by a week long hangover from all those cocktails which seem so hydrating and refreshing in the scorching sun! Instead I’m feeling healthier and fitter than ever before as I relish the fresh summer countryside air of Hampshire.

Edit 15Life really has been turned upside down and like most people, this year has brought me many challenges as a result of such unpresidented events. I know I’m not the only one to have struggled with my mental health during these times, as we’ve all been forced into our bubbles of isolation and given no option but to reflect upon ourselves.

Edit 9Yet it has been the resilience of human spirit from within and to each other which has got us through – and that fundamental element of our species is something not even a virus can rob us of. Whilst the world is yet to find its feet with any kind of normality, lets remember to just keep our heads up and always look at the glass as half full.