Hello again!

So, another big gap between posts - sorry about that.

Last time I was here I was on my way to Thailand, and boy did we have a great time! The Other Half and I, my Dad and his Partner spent 2 weeks in the sun, eating Massaman Curries, having massages, drinking cheap beers, going on boat trips and reading.

Oh yeah, the Other Half also proposed!

I honestly couldn't believe it. We've been together for just over 6 years and I'd almost given up. He's romantic but very very subtle. I've hinted and hinted. But the Boy did good. He chose my ring, made sure it was the right size, hid it for half the holiday and...went down on one knee. He's a keeper!

And now we're home and on a mission to (not plan a wedding as everyone wants us to!) sort the house out. We need wardrobes, a sofa bed for guests, a bathroom cabinet, wall hangings and...we need to sort out the rising damp. Boo. We've had a couple of people in and it's going to cost us upwards of £2,000...for something that needs doing, but that we can't actually see. Oh the joys of being a homeowner.

Anyway, this is a bit of a rambling post. To be honest, after getting home from our holiday and getting back into the swing of things, I intentionally didn't blog or use Instagram for a while. I was worried that I was developing a serious case of Instagram Jealousy. Admiring everyone's perfectly decorated houses and staring longingly at illustrations or crafts they'd created, wishing I had the time to invest in these things. It was getting me down.

So, on holiday, aside from texting my mum and brother about the engagement, I switched my phone off. It was bliss. I wasn't constantly checking for emails or updates, and cursing that I had no time to do the things I wanted to do.

And it's been great, for a while.

It's given me the time to realise that my life is pretty great and I don't need a blog or Instagram. However, last night I was curious, and had a sneaky peek at my last post. And it was good. I enjoyed reading it. And I enjoyed writing it last month.

So, I'm never going to be a big successful blogger, but this is a good way for me to ramble on about things, express my opinions and have a good old rant.

And as for Instagram, I've resistsed the urge to post anything since returning to the country, but I do love to look at all the pretty photographs. I'm not 100% convinced it's a good idea for me to keep looking through the photos, but I do love the ideas I get from certain posts with regards to baking, crafts and illustration. Maybe I just need to sieve through the people I follow, and use Instagram as a very useful and inspirational tool, not an app that turns me into a big green eyed monster.

Anyway, rant/ramble over - enjoy the rest of your week everyone! xx





Photos:


The Thailand ones are my own
Comparison is the thief of joy
Comic strip
Niki Pilkington

London Baby!



So, on a typically dreary British day, the Other Half and I headed off to London for the day. I’d bought a couple of cheap tickets for the Megabus, packed my book and a sandwich (you know how expensive breakfast could be on the motorway!), and we were off – it felt like a school trip!

 

As apprehensive as I was about the Megabus experience, I actually had nothing to worry about. We left Cardiff at 07:45 and arrived at around 11:30. Left London at 20:15 (15 minutes late) and were home well before midnight.

 

 

The buses are comfortable and the tickets are cheap – I’m really not looking for anything more from a bus ride.

The original plan was to concentrate on the Tate Gallery and the Natural History Museum, with a bit of walking and eating inbetween. However, as the Megabus drives along the Museum on the way to Victoria Station, this plan quickly changed. The queues were huge and full of screaming kids. Nope, not the day for us to try and see the dinosaurs.

So, we headed off to the Tate all the same, assuming that the screaming kids wouldn’t be interested – and we were right. Busy enough, but at least you could get close enough to see the paintings.

 

 

 

 

The Other Half was very patient and I was allowed a couple of hours to meander around the displays and managed to see my all time favourite, Monet.

 

 

As well as a couple of Dali pieces and Picasso paintings. I loved it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Off we went then for a little tour of the City. The Other Half loves his architecture, so this was the compromise for my hours at the gallery. We managed to see the Gherkin, the Cheese Grater and the Walky-talky –we Brits do love our nicknames. Anyone know their real names?

 

 

We stopped then for lunch and I had the biggest and tastiest burrito ever – thank you greedy (in more ways than one) bankers for needing so much food! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Fed and watered, we headed off to see St. Paul’s Cathedral and then headed for Covent Gardens. We finished off our touristy day with a pint of the local Camden Pale Ale. I loved the huge tanker and looked like such a lady supping my pint.

All in all, a very enjoyable day. I’ve never really seen London, except for going to see a show or two, and so enjoyed the whole touristy thing, especially as the Other Half was a bit more familiar with the place – my very own tour guide!

So, do you guys ever do the touristy thing? I’d highly recommend giving it a go!

 

 

 

All the photos are my own, except for the Megabus photo from ForeignStudents

A week off

A week off! Woo! can you tell I'm excited?

I haven't really had anytime off since Christmas so I'm super excited to be finishing early today and enjoying a whole week off.

I'm off to North Wales this weekend as it's my mum's 50th birthday - so a lovely 4 hour drive with the Other Half behaving like a bored child this afternoon and then a whole weekend of eating, drinking and celebrating - it should be fun! Oh, and I've also made her a cake - I hope she likes it!

 

 

We're also planning on a day in London next Wednesday - mooching about in Tate Gallery and the Natural History Museum along with a nice lunch and a couple of glasses of wine - all in one day so it'll be a knackering day, but I'm sure it'll be fun. We're trying out the Megabus cheap fares - £10 return - waaay cheaper than the train fare.

 

Otherwise, I'm looking forward to days of reading at the local cafe, doing all sorts of crafts (which I hope to share with you here), doing some dress shopping for my birthday next month, and possibly buying myself a nice big bunch of tulips, just because.

 

 

I hope all you lovely people have some amazing plans for the Bank Holiday Weekend - enjoy...and wish me luck on my 4 hour car journey today! ;-)

Photos:

Coffee shop
Tulips
Dress shopping
Monet painting