Farewell 2014...

I wasn't planning on writing another blog post until 2015 but you know how it goes, those famous last words! Here I am, sat at my laptop with a green tea in hand, typing away! It feels quite natural to want to wrap up the year with one final blog post. One final farewell to 2014...!

 

2014 has been a good year. Not a brilliant year but not a rubbish year either. A pretty average year. I'm definitely not looking back on the best year of my life by any means, but there's been little to complain about. I feel like I've been happily plodding along on my little journey! There have been good times, some really good times! We've enjoyed some refreshing breaks to Norfolk and Scotland, celebrated a couple of our really good friends getting married, I ran my first 10km, we enjoyed a wonderful summer holiday in Lanzarote, I've earnt myself the title of Junior Sister at work and we've enjoyed some brilliant nights out, BBQs, dinners, theatre trips, gigs and adventures with the best friends and family we could wish for. Other times have not been so good... I've battled my way through several university modules whilst working full time, there was a minor collision with the BMW and a bollard in Waitrose carpark and we've still had no luck in the house buying department. But over all, the good has outweighed the bad and for that we can be thankful.

Christmas: At home ♥

It's Christmas Eve Eve!!! Ahhhh how exciting is that?! I have just one more nightshift to get through and then Christmas can finally begin! Being a nurse, it's within my job specifications that I sacrifice many nights, weekends and early mornings for the hospital ward. The long, unsocial hours are part of my job. And just because it's Christmas, it doesn't mean that people stop being ill. People don't just magically get better, unfortunately. Which means that all of us do our fair share in working some of the unsocial hours over the festive period. Last year my Christmas was a very short one as I had to race back to London to work nightshifts. This year however I feel truely lucky to have a whole 3 days off which means I can celebrate with all of my family. You have no idea how happy this makes me!! I guess this is a reason I love my job, it makes these moments all the more special. I'm working over the New Year instead, which if I'm honest doesn't bother me in the slightest because I often feel that New Year's Eve is a little overrated. 

So what's Christmas like in my family? I have read a few blog posts recently with insights into people's Christmases so I thought I'd let you into my world...

Christmas: Ice-Skating at The Natural History Museum, London

It's a bit of a tradition to go ice-skating every year in the build up to Christmas. Being one of the best cities in the world, London has several brilliant ice-skating locations to choose from and I've done a few of them over the past few years including The Tower of London, Somerset House and Kew Gardens. This year, I didn't think an ice-skating session was going to happen what with work and other things going on (which, I've got to admit, made me feel a little bit sad) but this week my best friend Georgie and I made last-minute plans to meet on Friday morning and enjoy a morning of ice-skating at the Natural History Museum. I'm so glad we managed to squeeze it in, because I felt like the festive season was missing something... and ice-skating was that missing thing!

It was such a beautiful day for it, we could not have been luckier. A bright blue sky, a chill in the air and the winter sun beaming down. The light shining on the Natural History Museum looked magnificent. It's such a stunning building, one of my favourites in London I think. It reminds me of being a child, I've got some very vivid memories of visiting here with my mum and on school trips!

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Brunch at Villandry

We had the best brunch on Sunday with my lovely friend Clare and her boyfriend, Scott. Have you been to Villandry before? There's a couple of locations but we went to the one on Great Portland Street and if you haven't been, it's definitely worth a visit. The menu is deeeeelicious, mostly serving French and Mediterranean food. As well as a cafe area, a shop and a deli, they also have a slightly more sophisticated restaurant area. We ate in the cafe which was really spacious and bright. I had the most amazing continental breakfast I've had in years... pain au chocolat, cheeses, ham, an amazing fruit salad and some toast, with a spinach smoothie and hot chocolate. Big yum. Deffo recommend.

Christmas: Yule Log baking

On Saturday night we went to my best girl Georgie's flat-warming party. She's just moved in with her man, so they threw a party to celebrate. Being in December, it was only right that the party was Christmas themed! Saturday nights in December were just made for gatherings and parties weren't they?! I love this time of year when everyone is in the festive spirit. Lots of us were wearing Christmas jumpers, the mulled wine was flowing, we munched on mince pies and the Christmas tree was looking beautiful with the cutest retro baubles and coloured, twinkly fairy lights. It was such a brilliant night!

And what better excuse to bake, than a party?! I decided to bake a Yule Log to bring with us to share with everyone... I could have bought wine but I'm trying to cut back on alcohol at the moment. Yule Log has got to be one of my favourite, favourite Christmas desserts. Okay so it's basically just a chocolate-swiss roll, but sprinkled with icing sugar to look like snow, it looks really magical served up on a plate. And for those people who aren't too keen on mince pies or Christmas cake, then Yule Log is often the perfect alternative... because who doesn't like chocolate?!

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

A little holiday to Rome...

Do you ever find yourself with the sudden urge to book a hotel or some flights? The urge to just get away for a few days and explore some more of the world? Well, this happened this week. I think it was the idea of going back to work after having such a relaxing week off last week... It made me pine for a holiday. I wanted something on the horizon, something to really look forward to. I lay in bed browsing flights and found a good deal for some return flights to Rome, so we're all booked up! We're going in May over our anniversary. I already cannot wait. I've been a few times now as we have a family villa about 2 hours away from Rome, but Rob's never been. In my gap year I interrailed around Europe and Rome was one of my most favourite cities, I was so overwhelmed by all the old architecture and could not seem to get my head around the fact that some of the buildings are older than Jesus!! Whoa! Anyway... bring on May!!

Decking the ...flat!

So I promised I'd share a few more of the things we've done around the home to make it feel just that little bit more Christmassy! Rob's a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas decorations and I've got to admit I'm not a fan of anything majorly tacky so there are definitely no large reindeers around here, nor is there any tinsel which I cannot stand! We've stuck to rather simple decorations but I have to say our flat is looking quite cute and festive! It's nice to have little decorations here and there to brighten things up...

This cute little Christmas tree fell into my shopping trolley in Waitrose... oh my goodness how cute is it?! A perfect sized tree for the hallway!

A festive visit to Leeds Castle

On Saturday we woke up to the most gorgeous wintry weather - blue skies, sunshine and a frost on the ground. These are my favourite kinds of days! What with the nice weather, Rob and I were keen on visiting somewhere in the countryside for a walk, but with Christmas only a matter of days away now we also wanted to do something festive. As we've been house hunting in Kent over the past few months we've enjoyed exploring more of the county, or should I say "the Garden of England" which could become our future home. Back in April we visited Hever Castle, which made for a brilliant day out {definitely worthy of a future blog post} but Leeds Castle still remained on my list. So we hopped in the car and drove down into Kent...

Leeds Castle is situated just outside Maidstone in Kent, so it's an easy enough journey from London.  Over 900 years old, Leeds Castle was once the stomping ground of King Henry VIII and is now, apparently, one of the 'most visited historic buildings in Britain'. I can definitely see why!

A December getaway: Oxford, Bicester, Bath & Bristol

Like I said in my This week's happiness post, I've been on annual leave this week. Sometimes there is just nothing better than a week away from work to relax and recharge and I have to say I feel so much better for it. Rob was due to work all week so I was conscious that if I was to stay at home in London I'd probably end up getting rather bored. I get itchy feet if I stay at home with no plans for much more than a day! So I took it upon myself to organise a little get-away, to spend a few days by myself visiting some loved ones and getting some Christmas shopping done! My best friend Jess went to uni in Oxford and now lives in Bicester, so I decided to start my adventure by visiting her. My sister lives in Bristol and works in Bath so I then decided to extend my trip and visit her afterwards.

So on Tuesday, I hopped on the Oxford Tube at Victoria for a pain-free journey westwards to Oxford. If you've never heard of the Oxford Tube, it's the most amazing coach service which runs every ten minutes from London Victoria (Buckingham Palace Road) to Oxford city centre. The coach prices are very reasonable and almost certainly cheaper than what National Rail charge for their train services. You're always guaranteed a seat on the Oxford Tube and the coaches are super comfy with WiFi and power sockets on board so you can charge your phone en route! It takes approximately 1 hour & 40 mins all in all, so I sat back, enjoyed a hot chocolate and listened to some music whilst enjoying the view out the window. Before I knew it I was in Oxford! I have some brilliant memories of being in this city, some with Jess (who I visited frequently during our good old uni days), some with other friends and some with my cousins who all grew up there. If you've never been to Oxford, then you must, you really must. It's definitely one of my favourite cities in the UK. It's small enough that you can wander around the centre pretty easily and become familiar with it, but big enough so that each time I visit I explore a bit more that I haven't seen before. Host to one of the world's leading universities, Oxford is rich in history and culture and is famous for it's beautiful colleges, libraries, churches and academic buildings. I can't put into words how quaint and beautiful it is - it just feels so English with it's yellow-stoned buildings and cobbled streets. Oxford has been used as the set to so many films and tv series... Harry Potter, The Golden Compass and Inspector Morse to name but a few. And despite how many times I've visited, this time I was wowed over at how lovely the city looks at Christmas time. There are lights everywhere! It was getting dark as I arrived so I wandered around the main shopping streets (Oxford is a great place to shop) and took the opportunity to take some photos...

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Mulled wine

I love a glass of mulled wine at this time of year. Especially on cold days like these as it's so warming. The smell of it is just so delicious and festive and it's a true sign that Christmas is just around the corner. Yesterday Rob and I enjoyed lunch and some mulled wine in one of our favourite local pubs, The Gypsy Moth. It's such a cosy pub and has been adorned with decorations and lit up with Christmas lights, the perfect place to relax during the afternoon.

Recipe: The ultimate homemade burgers

Homemade burgers always get the thumbs up in our home... infact any meal that does not require a knife and fork goes down an absolute treat, there's something about using your hands and getting a bit messy whilst you eat isn't there?! Rob is a total burger-a-holic and has slowly been making his way down the Burgaffair List of Best Burgers in London (check it out, amazing blog!) but there's something comforting about making your own food and knowing exactly what's in it. Especially since I've been trying to be as healthy as possible this past year, I much prefer to know exactly what's in my food - I hate the thought of all the additives, preservatives and stabilizers they put in supermarket food to keep it fresh for longer. I'd rather cook from scratch. We buy most of our meat from Smithfield Market - the best and largest wholesale market in the UK, which I promise I will blog about soon because it's quite simply amazing! You can be sure to buy good quality meat there, at very reasonable prices.

If you've always bought shop-bought burgers because you've been under the impression that homemade burgers are expensive and a nuisance to make, then you couldn't have been more wrong! They're so simple to make and don't take any longer to make than it would do to cook a spag-bol. After attempting various different homemade burger recipes we've created our own... and trust me it's a goodun. They turn out amazing every single time - they're so yummy and juicy. So I'd love to share the recipe with you. Sure, these burgers are not perfectly round or neat looking but I think this adds to their rustic, homemade feel. Are you feeling the love for homemade burgers yet?!

Decorating the Christmas tree!!

The Christmas tree is up, the Christmas tree is up, the Christmas tree is up!!! It's official! Isn't it beautiful?! Ahhhhhh!

We don't usually put our tree up until strictly December 1st and to be honest I feel slightly strange about having it up a few days early, people have already said to me "it's only November!!!" as if I'm some crazy woman but anyone who knows me well knows how much I love Christmas. Mine and Rob's work schedules are all over the place over the next few weeks and I'm away visiting friends and family for part of this week so we decided to spend some time together last night and put the tree up together.

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Ed Sheeran tickets 

I managed to nab some tickets to see Ed Sheeran in July 2015, thanks to o2 priority! Yippeeeeee! I was sat in the doctors waiting room, constantly refreshing my little iphone on a crappy 3G signal, desperately trying to get some tickets... and mission successful! I can't wait already, I love Ed.

Daddy's Christmas Table

It's one month until Christmas!!!


My daddy is master of many things: designing amazing buildings, keeping the garden looking beautiful, making yummy soup, telling the best dad jokes... I could go on! But most of all, he's the master of creating the best Christmas dinner tables.

Dad loves a good celebration, especially Christmas, he's such a party animal! Any excuse for a posh dinner and a chance to use the best cutlery! My parents have regular dinner parties with their friends and he's always in charge of making the table look sparkling and pretty. It's probably because he's an architect that he's so artistic and creative (and OCD!) when it comes to making the table look spectacular but he always succeeds. He has a great eye for colour, style and symmetry. The Christmas Table is a task he adores and he always spends a while planning the theme and design. So much so that we're not actually allowed in to the dining room until dinner time, when the table is a total surprise! I guess it's become a little tradition in our house, one which I love. Christmas dinner is always so special.

Christmas is such a magical, lovely time of year with sparkling lights, log fires, candles and mistletoe, holly, champagne and glittery baubles. Dad tries to make the dinner table look as sparkling and as special as possible to reflect all of these things, so that the table adds to the magic of the festivities.

Christmas Baking: Homemade Mince Pies

Throughout the Christmassy season, mince pies are my downfall when it comes to healthy eating. Offer me all the chocolate in the world but I'd rather have a mince pie! There's just something so comforting about them, especially when they're served warm with a big dollop of ice cream or even better, brandy butter. Mmmmmm!!

Christmas is slowly creeping into our home - we haven't put the tree up yet because that's strictly for December 1st, but I've sneakily placed a few Christmas scented candles on various shelves and hung a few decorations here and there. I cannot wait to finally get the flat looking all festive!! Despite the lack of Christmas tree I was feeling in the Christmas spirit yesterday so I decided to bake some mince pies...

The kitchen smelt like Christmas and I had one very happy boyfriend... winning combo, no?!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday!

Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog posts this week. It's easy for me to beat myself up and feel really guilty about failing to blog some days, but good friends have reminded me this week that it's important for me to accept that this is just the reality of juggling a full-time nursing career alongside everything else in my life... blogging, running, catching up with friends, keeping up a relationship, baking, etc etc etc...!

It's been a busy week work-wise which yet again, left me feeling exhausted, emotional and a little bit broken! When I'm tired, there are always tears. There's been lots of tears this week. For once though I have the weekend off which as you can imagine is a wonderful feeling!!

Christmas: A festive day out in London

London has recently become lit up with festive lights, which always gets me far too excited for Christmas! To truly get into the spirit, Rob & I decided to go all out and have a Christmassy day out in the capital. A little bit early I know, as it's still only November, but the festive season is always over in a flash and I wanted to kick start the excitement!

After lunch in Pizza Express in Kensington sampling the new Christmas menu, which by the way is delicious!, we headed to Harrods because... well, where better to start?! Very few places do Christmas better than Harrods. I hadn't been in well over a year and it was just as magical as I'd remembered. Christmas trees everywhere, Christmas music playing and rooms upon rooms of beautiful furniture, ornaments, expensive gadgets, beauty counters, food halls and of course, the famous Christmas Shop.

 

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Cosy socks and countryside walks

On Saturday, I put on my cosy socks and Rob and I drove down into Kent (near to where we've been house hunting) to enjoy a countryside walk in our wellies. The weather was pretty miserable and we got a little bit cold and soggy but it was so nice to be outside in the fresh air after working a load of nightshifts the week before! We parked at the Bough Beech, one of Kent's Wildlife Trust's nature reserves and went for a walk from there. There are quite a few oast houses in the area, I love them!

Recipe: Chocolate salted caramel cookies

I finished night shifts this morning so I've enjoyed the most perfect, lazy day. But this afternoon, feeling a little sleepy and low of energy, I had some sugar cravings. So naturally I just had to bake some homemade cookies. It's November... which means it's officially cookie season! The countdown to Christmas gives me just one more excuse to bake and enjoy yummy cookies to enjoy with homemade hot chocolate... what could be better on cold Winter afternoons?!

My favourite recipe ever? Gosh that would be a tough decision! But these chocolate salted caramel cookies definitely feature up there as one of my favourites. I've baked them gazillions of times now and they always go down well. Infact I can guarantee there will be none left by tomorrow...! They're rich, chocolatey and best enjoyed slightly warm so you can enjoy them in their full gooey glory.

Roast Dinner at The Rivington Grill, Greenwich

Whilst we're on the hunt to find a house and escape the city, I'm also very aware that when we do finally leave Greenwich, we're going to miss it immensely. We'd live here forever if it wasn't so ridiculously expensive...! House hunting is proving to be a journey into the unknown... So with no clear idea of how long we may have left here in Greenwich, we've made it our mission to make the most of every moment. We have many restaurants, cafes and pubs on our doorstep to choose from. Infact we're spoiled for choice really! But whilst I appreciate the reliable chain eateries such as Pizza Express, Jamie's Italian and Byron Burger, what makes Greenwich so special are the independent establishments on offer.

Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without a roast dinner and I'd heard nothing but good things about the Sunday roasts served at The Rivington Grill, which is located on Greenwich High Road, next door to the Picturehouse Cinema. So on Sunday, Rob & I decided last minute to book a table for Sunday lunch. Another restaurant to tick off our long list before we eventually leave this part of London that has such a special place in our hearts! Greenwich is usually heaving on the weekend, with tourists coming from all over to browse the market stalls, shops, restaurants and museums. I didn't want to risk walking in for lunch and being turned away, so we booked over the phone an hour beforehand.

Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire

Being a southerner, I'm aware that most of my day-to-day posts feature places in London and the surrounding areas. So I thought I'd feature somewhere in the north of England for once! About eighteen months ago, Rob and I travelled up to Yorkshire to spend a week with lots of his family in a beautiful converted barn, to celebrate his Mum's 60th. We had a fun-packed week of countryside walks, a visit to York, shopping in Harrogate, ice cream on the Scarborough coast and picturesque drives through the snowy Yorkshire Dales. Yorkshire truly is a spectacular part of the country. One of my favourite parts of the week was visiting Brimham Rocks; the most incredible collection of strange yet beautiful, natural rock formations, nestled in the Yorkshire moors where children and their families are free to roam, climb and play on the rocks till their hearts are content. I'd love to share with you our time spent here...

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Long, hot, bubble baths 

Perfect on cold, wintery mornings, to warm up and relax...

The Liebster Award

I only started this blog in September and it's safe to say I'm quite overwhelmed with the support and positivity people have given me so far. Thank you to all of my followers. It baffles me that you enjoy taking the time to read my babbles, but I'm really enjoying this blogging malarkey so I shall continue!

So this week I've been nominated not once but three(!!!) times for The Liebster award. Thank you to Beth at http://bethlett.blogspot.co.uk, Lauren at http://notanotherunistudent.blogspot.co.uk and Samroise at http://samroise.blogspot.nl for nominating me - all of whom have brilliant blogs, check them out :)

The Liebster award is a pretty cool concept, it's basically a way of bloggers promoting each others blogs, and getting to know each other a bit more. A bit like social networking for bloggers I guess. I'm up for it!

The rules are:
Post 11 facts about yourself
Answer the questions you've been asked
Ask other bloggers some questions of your choice
And give some other bloggers some recognition!

Brunch at The Bishopsgate Kitchen

Finding the perfect spot for brunch at the weekend is an important task. Whether I'm hungover from the night before (which isn't often these days because let's face it I am getting old and boring!) or if I'm just damn right hungry, a good hearty brunch is always the best way to kick-start the weekend. Going out for breakfast is always a treat, but accompanied with the excuse to sip on wine as soon as it hits 12 o'clock, brunch has got to be my favourite meal of them all.

One slightly worse-for-wear Saturday morning last year, my friends Georgie & Lorna met Rob and I at Liverpool Street Station. We headed straight to The Breakfast Club at Spitalfields; one of London's popular breakfast diners; but stupidly we hadn't anticipated how busy it would be. It turns out that half of London also had their hearts set on pancakes, maple syrup and bacon. Feeling pretty gutted we wandered around the corner onto Brushfield Street, just off Spitalfields Market. To our absolute delight we stumbled across The Bishopsgate Kitchen! We instantly fell in love and the rest is history as they say...!!

Running my way to a happier me

Before January of this year, I had never ran before. Sure, I'd gone on short jogs around the block... but nothing more than that. I'd never ran properly. When I was in school I hated sport, I was always the girl stood on the netball courts, totally unfocused, biting my nails and fiddling with my hair. I came last in athletic races, hated cross country and bunked off PE lessons because I couldn't be bothered and wanted to save myself the embarrassment of failing. If my teenage self had been told that at 24 I would run a 10km, I would have laughed in my own face!!

But something inside of me this year made me want to start running. I'm not sure what it was, I just had this urge. Running is such a universal sport, so many people get into it. After all, it's free! Watching so many people I know achieve 5kms, 10kms, half marathons and even marathons, inspired me to give running a go. If all these people could do it, surely I could too?

First things first, I joined the gym. Living in a large, modern block of flats has it's perks as our gym happens to be just downstairs, so "I can't be bothered to get myself to the gym" is never a valid excuse. I started off by running for 5-10 minutes at a time on the treadmill. It hurt. I would leave the gym red in the face and panting, embarrassed that such short bursts of exercise would leave me so broken. But somehow, amidst the pain and embarrassment of it all, I felt somewhat liberated. It felt good! I was actually using my body for once and began to feel weirdly stronger for it. I continued to run a couple of days a week, plodding along on the treadmill, slowly building up my pace and time, going from 2kms to 3kms and then to a mighty 4km! My first 5km on the treadmill took me a whole 45 minutes and I nearly collapsed afterwards but I remember feeling so proud of myself. I still couldn't believe that I had achieved a whole 5km... I mean, that's a 'race for life'!!

Recipe: Cheese pastry twists

It's officially November which means Winter is fast approaching and dare I mention that Christmas is just around the corner. This time of year is always really busy, in a good way obviously! And if you're anything like me then your diary will already be full of dates to catch up with friends, have family over and enjoy dinner parties.

I'd like to share with you one of my favourite recipes for one of the yummiest pre-dinner nibbles you could possibly enjoy. Cheese pastry twists. Oh yes! These are just too good. I usually make lots of these to serve on a big plate to hand round with some drinks so that people can enjoy one or two whilst waiting for dinner to cook. I would be lying however if I told you I hadn't ever made them for Rob and I to enjoy by ourselves...

Anyway, they're dead easy to make and take no time at all but they look delicious so they're perfect for impressing your guests!

College Lake, Buckinghamshire

Come rain or shine, there's nothing more refreshing than being outside and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer. A little while ago my lovely mum who is a school teacher, took my dad, brother and I for a walk around College Lake in Buckinghamshire. Mum had taken her class on a school trip there a week before and had come home full of enthusiasm about the place so off we went one Sunday morning on a family outing...

A former chalk quarry, College Lake is now one of Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust's flagship nature reserves, providing a home to over 1000 different species. It's vast space (65.00 hectares to be precise!) has been thoughtfully and beautifully  designed, along with it's grass roofed eco visitor centre. In the middle of the nature reserve is College Lake, home to many different birds, including the rare lapwings and redshanks. Specialist islands have been built on the lake itself, where birds roost and breed - birds have come all the way from Scandanavia to feed and roost here, how amazing is that?!

 

This week's happiness

Happy Halloween Friday!!

Things that have made me happy this week...

Jessica Mary
On Sunday I was reunited with one of my best friends, Jess. I went to school with this gorgeous girl, we've been friends for yonks. But somehow we hadn't seen each other in nearly a year!! There wasn't an excuse for it really, just that work and other plans kept getting in the way and before we knew it, months and months had passed. Anyway, she came down to Greenwich on Sunday to spend the day at ours. It was so good to see her again! We wandered around bustling Greenwich looking for somewhere to go for coffee (hot chocolate) but Greenwich is always packed with tourists at the weekends so everywhere was choc a bloc! But we managed to find a little table in the corner of Costa and enjoyed a good old natter over hot chocolates. Then we headed home and snuggled on the sofa for the afternoon, watching films and chatting whilst Rob cooked us all a roast dinner. Distance definitely does make the heart grow fonder but I don't think we should leave it so long next time! 
Love you, Jessica xxx

Pumpkin Carving!

Yep, it's that time of year again... No Halloween would be complete without a pumpkin carving session! I'll be the first to admit I'm a big kid at heart when it comes to this kind of stuff, I love going all out and getting creative. I missed out last year as I was working, so this year I was extra excited to pop on some music and carve our pumpkins ready for Halloween tomorrow. We live in a big block of flats, so we never get trick-or-treaters knocking at the door but the pumpkins look great in the windows none the less.

We've been pretty inventive with our pumpkin designs in previous years... here's what we created in 2012!

(That ghost literally took me hours...)

Halloween Baking: Jack Skellington cupcakes

I love October and the festivities it brings: Halloween, pumpkin carving, pumpkin flavoured everything infact! To well and truly get in the Halloween spirit, I decided to bake some Halloween themed cupcakes! I got the inspiration for these Jack Skellington (Nightmare Before Christmas) cupcakes from good old Pinterest.

I used one of Nigella's simple fairy cake recipes from her How To Be A Domestic Goddess book - you can find it here. I baked them for about 17 minutes and they turned out perfectly! Once cooled I slice the 'peaks' off the top of my cakes to make them flat, I find this makes spreading the icing much easier and means the cakes are neat and even. To make the buttercream icing I literally just whisked together 100g unsalted butter and 150g sieved icing sugar - it's quite rich in taste and undoubtedly very naughty but yummy all the same. I then used a dark chocolate 'writing icing' tube (bought from tesco, found here) to draw on Jack Skellington's notoriously cheeky face. Some of them are a little messier than others but I'm rather pleased with them, I think they look suitably spooky!

Positivity: Loving where we live ♥

After my last post moaning about the struggles of house-hunting, I've been thinking a fair bit. It is so easy to become wrapped up in this negative state of mind where you feel totally stuck and unsure of how things are going to pan out. Stuck in total limbo. Impatience has got to be one of my worst traits -  I am very impatient so the whole waiting thing in the house-buying process is my idea of hell. I just want to know whether we've been successful or not, so we can either get excited or move on! In this situation it can sometimes feel like your whole world has been put on hold. I really want to start booking some holidays for next year but then I start thinking "what if we get the house? We need to stop spending and have some money put aside". But how long could we be waiting?! I want a holiday! Arrghhh!!

In an attempt to be a little more positive Rob and I have both made a pact to make the most of where we live now. We may only be here another 6 months, we may be here another 3 years. Who knows. But we are so lucky to live in such a charming part of London. It's important that we don't let the frustrations of house-hunting take over. I don't want to depreciate where we live now! I've said it once and I could say it over and over: I love Greenwich! We live in the most beautiful, modern, light and airy flat with a lovely little balcony, we have the River Thames on our doorstep and an UNESCO world heritage site down the road. What could be better?! (Well, a cute little house with a pretty garden and a driveway, that would be better... but ssssh!). This may be our final Christmas in London and very few places do the run up to Christmas better than London. So we're going to make the most of every moment from now, enjoying all that this city has to offer.

A housing update: Why finding a home is making me want to cry

Half the reason I originally set up this blog was to document our house hunting journey... So I feel obliged to give you an update on the house front. But the truth is, there's not much to update you on I'm afraid.

After viewing some houses a few weeks back (which you can read about here) we ended up going for a second viewing to a house just outside Sevenoaks in Kent, but this time taking my Dad along with us. The house is a 1920s two bedroom semi-detached, with lots of character, beams on the ceiling and a cute cottage garden, with space for Rob to park his motorbike down the side-passage. Just perfect for us! They say that when you find the right house you'll know as soon as you step inside and for me that was the case - I felt so sure it was the one. My dad is an architect and can look at a property with great vision for the future so I really wanted him to be there. I'm so glad he came along because he gave us quite a few options for future extensions and it was nice to have a second opinion too.

Since moving to London in 2008 I've moved about 7 or 8 times (how on earth did that happen?!) but always just in rented properties that I have had no emotional connection to. Buying a house is a whole different ball game all together and at times can leave me feeling overwhelmed and pretty terrified. Although I'm 25 and rely totally on myself and my own income, it still doesn't feel like something I can do or want to do without my dad's seal of approval or practical help. It's just... such a grown-up step! I guess I just don't feel like a proper grown-up yet. Maybe I never will!! Has anyone else found that?!

Drinks in the sky... The Duck and Waffle

One of the most magical bars in London and one of my firm favourites has got to be The Duck and Waffle, situated on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower at 110 Bishopsgate. A speedy glass elevator on the outside of the building takes you straight up to the 40th floor - an exhilarating experience in itself! Then you step out into a light, beautifully designed space with breathtaking views across the city from large floor-to-ceiling glass windows. This classy, vibrant spot is the perfect place to enjoy a couple of drinks in the sky... quite literally!

Catering for a bustling city that is always on the go, The Duck and Waffle is one of very few restaurants in London open 24 hours a day(!) serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks. I can't imagine when the staff ever get the chance to vacuum the place?! But anyhow, the food is great and the service is very friendly. Prices are a little on the expensive side, breakfasts are priced between £10-15 and main courses for lunch and dinner between £15-35, but it's the view of London that wins, every single time and trust me, it's a view worth paying for.

Make sure to book a reservation if you're wanting to eat to avoid disappointment, as the tables in the restaurant get booked up fast. We got turned away on one occasion when we turned up spontaneously! Likewise if it's just a drink you're after, it's safer to book ahead to be sure you'll get in okay. 

Just check out these views... 

This week's happiness

This week I've been on nightshifts, so not a great deal has happened other than spending about 50 hours at work! Infact the past week has been pretty dull if I'm honest... but I shall aim to find some positives none the less!

Things that have made me happy this week...

Sunny morning walks home

People who don't work nightshifts probably wont understand this feeling, but when you've been up working all night long there is literally nothing better than heading home. I love that smug feeling whilst walking past all the office workers on their way to work, knowing that my day has finished and I will soon be reunited with my bed! But my journeys home are even better when it's sunny, and this past week has seen some beautiful mornings...

Recipe: Raw Chocolate Brownies

Like I explained in my Choc-Shot Review, this past year has seen a dramatic change in my eating habits, for the better. I've made a huge effort to eat less refined sugars and processed foods and to eat more raw, healthy foods. I am also trying to cut out dairy from my diet as much as possible as I don't think that milk is in agreement with my tummy and I'm wondering whether dairy foods have been the culprit of my acne for all these years. This is a difficult process because I'm in a long-term loving relationship with cheese... But I'm making baby steps and have quit milk in tea & am now eating porridge with water or soy milk!

Raw foodism is the practice of eating uncooked, unprocessed foods, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds (and in some cases meat, fish and dairy products). I won't go into too much detail here but many theories suggest that cooking foods above 48 degrees celsius "kills" the nutrients and enzymes that aid in digestion and health. Cooked foods apparently take longer to digest than uncooked foods, and in turn clog up our digestion system with partially digested fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Uncooked "live" foods however, in their raw and purest form, have more enzymes and nutrients than "dead" cooked foods and as a result are healthier. Some of the benefits of raw food as highlighted by raw foodists are:

- more energy

- healthier looking skin

- improved digestion

- weight loss

Documentaries such as Food Matters, Hungry For A Change and Food Inc (all can be found on Netflix) have opened my eyes to the reality of the food industry and the harmful effects that manufactured, processed foods can have on our bodies and health.  I've also taken to following some truly inspirational people on Instagram and Twitter (@ellenfisher, @healing_belle and @halfwaytohealthy to name but a few) who have shared the most wonderful recipes and have given me inspiration for meals, snacks, smoothies and more.

Lunch at The Savoy

We're true believers of celebrating birthdays properly in my family. I can never understand people who don't get excited by a birthday?! My wonderful mummy turned 60 this year and as part of her celebrations, my dad treated us all to lunch at The Savoy in London. It was such a special occasion and one of the most incredible lunches ever.

Located in the heart of London on The Strand, The Savoy is one of London's most renowned five star hotels. Built in 1889, The Savoy was infact the very first luxury hotel in London to have electric lights and lifts throughout the building and en-suite marble bathrooms in most of the glamourously decorated rooms, many of which overlook the River Thames. This year marks The Savoy's 125th birthday and the history and the glamour of the hotel still sparkles and delights. As soon as you arrive you are transported into a world of total luxury. It's no wonder that some of the true greats - Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, The Beatles and so many more - were regular guests here. 

It's all about burgundy... New Look shopping spree

So I had a one of those accidental shopping sprees in New Look this week... you know the ones where you just wander in the shop for a browse and end up coming out £26383627 poorer?! Big whoops! But thankfully (annoyingly) everything I tried on fitted perfectly and I fell in love with it all!

Burgundy and oxblood are really 'in' this season. This pleases me a lot as I'm a big fan of rich, dark, Autumn/Winter colours. I live in black tights throughout the colder months and love finding winter skirts and cosy tops I can layer up with.

Anyway, enough rambling. Here are some of my recent buys...

Steak cooking lesson at Jamie Oliver's Recipease

Last year I was really struggling to think of what to buy for Rob's birthday. Before moving in together, he lived with his mum, so with his disposable income he had pretty much everything he wanted. I desperately tried to think of all the things he really likes... going to the gym, cycling, steak... STEAK! Every guy loves a good steak don't they?! I suddenly had the idea of booking a cooking lesson where he could be taught professionally how to cook the perfect steak. 

I looked online and browsed various cooking schools, nearby and afar - some were extortionately expensive! - and then I found Recipease, Jamie Oliver's cookware shops, delicatessens and cookery classes. Recipease is situated in three locations: Brighton, Clapham Junction & Notting Hill and at each branch they offer a deli/cafe, cookware shop and kitchens where cookery classes are held on various evenings during the week. There's a great selection of classes to choose from ranging from Mexican Street-food, Chocolate Dipping, Japanese and Sushi-making to Pasta master-classes. They even have a 'Christmas with all the trimmings' class to prepare you for making the ultimate roast dinner!! And if you have children in tow there are several kids friendly classes to choose from too.

This week's happiness

We got back from our Scottish adventure last weekend and have both been back to work this week so it's been a busy one. I always find it so hard going back to work after time off... I could definitely be a full-time lady of leisure! But aside that it's been a good week, I can't complain!

Things that have made me happy this week...


Family
We drove straight to my parents' house on our way back from Scotland and had a lovely 24 hours with my parents and brother. I hadn't been 'home' in Hertfordshire for a little while so I was blissfully happy to be back and see everyone again (apart from my sister...waaaa!). We went on a long countryside walk together in Ashridge, one of our favourite spots (maybe a blog post will follow on this!). It was such a nice morning! If you follow me on instagram (@lydiasjmcm) you will have seen a few pictures already...