Life: July 2014

July has been super busy but really good fun, I can't believe it's actually August already. This year is going so fast! Thankfully we've had some great weather in London so I've been embracing it and heading outside as much as possible. August is going to include moving house and arranging my first ever hen do for a friend so it'll be pretty stressful but it's all for very exciting reasons. Hope July treated you all well, let me know what you've been getting up to!

Getting inspired by #Girlboss by Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amoruso
Ilotopie: Fous de Bassin (Water Fools) on Willen Lake at Milton Keynes's International Festival
Our final sunset in Cornwall
I made pasta pie!

A payday treat full of baking inspiration
Visiting the Camden Hells pop-up brewery on the Selfridges rooftop
Truthful signage on Brick Lane
A gorgeous new find from the Backyard Market by menswear designer Alec Bizby

Passive aggressive sign at Brick Lane Coffee
Ironic street art
My first ever seven letter word in Scrabble!
A car boot full of stuff to sell at the car boot!

Exploring Cornwall

 

It only takes seven hours to fly to Abu Dhabi, a mere 3399 miles away. Thanks to the glory of modern rail, it takes almost the same amount of time to get from London to Cornwall on a train. It's a long slog, but going to Cornwall can be just as good, or better, than going abroad. If the weather is right, you could be mistaken for being in the Mediterranean as Cornwall has beautiful beaches with clear blue seas and the most yellow of sand, it's just that you have to swap out sangria for scones and paella for pasties. But I'm definitely OK with that. We spent most of our week driving from beach to beach, predominantly the surfers' favourite of Sennen Cove and the lesser known and trickier to access Gwthian and Gwenver. We even ventured down to a hidden paradise found in the book 'Secret Beaches'. I kid you not when I say we trekked through thistles, horseflies, stinging nettles, snakes and bogs, all on a very steep decline. I endured bites, stings and cuts to get down to the beach, which was beautiful indeed, but I spent the whole afternoon dreading getting back up the so-called 'path' again!

Cornwall is full of famous tourist attractions, but the county itself is huge. We contemplated the Eden Project until we realised it would take us an hour to get there from where we were staying. Instead, I left my boyfriend behind to attempt some waves and headed to Penzance where I got the bus to the tiny town of Marazion and St Michael's Mount. A beautiful castle perched  on top of a mound seemingly in the middle of the sea. At low tide you can walk across the causeway with no problem, but once the sea starts to come in, you could very well get stuck on a boat back across to the mainland! The house is still lived in by the St Aubyn family and has a rich history shown throughout the ornate rooms, furniture and church (with some creepy religious iconography to boot).

Did you know that Cornwall also has a Tate Gallery? Based in St Ives, it's a sister of the main galleries in London and has its own off-shoot: the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Gallery, showcasing the works of the famous sculptor. If you don't know her, it's likely that you'll recognise her work, or you may have even walked past it on the side of John Lewis on Oxford Street. I'm no art critic, but all I can say is her sculptures are imposing and captivating, I stood staring for ages as I tried to take in all the curves and angles she's added to pieces. I have no idea what means what, or what had more meaning or symbolism, but I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the quaint little garden they all sat in.

By the time we headed back to London after a week, it had felt like longer; the best sign of a good holiday. Now whenever I'm feeling stressed, I'll just pretend I'm on the balcony of our beautiful holiday cottage with a glass of prosecco and a stunning sunset to soothe my woes. Until next year...

Goodbye 2013 (and good riddance!)

Finally, 2013 has come to an end!

This year has been full of huge ups and downs, and frankly I cannot wait for it to be over. 

On the downside, I've had to deal with relatives and friends being seriously ill, resulting in me knowing the hospitals of London a lot better than I wish I did. On the plus side, I earned my first ever promotion! It's obviously come with a lot more work and pressure, but it's a big step in the right direction for my career.

On that note, let's keep it positive! Here are my top 10 moments from 2013:

1) Retreating to the idyllic silence of the Lake District twice, once in January and then again in December

2) Taking an epic road trip to Scotland with my wonderful housemate and being proper tourists

3) Learning to ski in Austria at the Snowbombing Festival

4) Buying my beautiful Mulberry Del Rey!

5) Camping out on the Sherlock set (twice) and meeting Mr Cumberbatch himself!

6) Revisiting my old uni town of York, remisicing about days gone by and catching up with distant friends

7) Spending a solid seven days on a beach in Spain with my boyfriend

8) Getting tickets to see Nine Inch Nails at their tiny sold out Scala gig (and then again at Reading Festival a week later!)

9) Exploring Cornwall and eating my weight in pasties and ice cream

10) Dancing like a crazy lady at Future Cinema's Dirty Dancing event

2014 so far promises more Nine Inch Nails gigs, a big house move and an amazing month long trip to Australia! It's looking great already.

Happy new year!

xxx