Cooking: A pie to warm the heart

As the nights start drawing in and winter gets closer by the day (12 weeks to go until Christmas!!), my dinners tend to change from light salads and stirfries to more belly-warming casseroles and pies. There's something so comforting about pie that just makes everything better, don't you think?!

I thought I'd share with you one my favourite go-to heartwarming dinners - chicken & bacon pie - I'm aware it doesn't sound too impressive and to be honest with you, it's not, but it's totally yummy and perfect for those cold evenings. 

The original recipe can be found here, but over time I've tweaked it and added a few more ingredients!

A bit of countryside in the city

Whilst there are so many things I love about London, I often find myself feeling rather claustrophobic and craving the countryside. I'm sure I often go for days in the city without seeing any proper grass or trees which makes me quite miserable! For me, this is one of the biggest reasons I can't wait to finally move out of London. I'm such a country girl at heart - I love being outside and going on long walks. This is something my family have always done together and whenever I visit my parents we enjoy one of our many favourite routes. As soon as Rob and I have a day off together we seize the opportunity to drive out to the nearest bit of countryside and enjoy the fresh air. I love it, it's such an escape.

Shortly after moving to Greenwich in the summer of 2013, I was googling nearly parks and 'green areas' in the hope that we could find somewhere nearby that we could visit to have a wander. I randomly came across Mudchute City Farm - one of London's many (yes, many!!) city farms. Being just two stops from us on the DLR (on the Isle of Dogs), Rob and I decided to visit almost immediately and Mudchute has since become one of our favourite nearby escapes. 

30 before 30

I turned 25 in August and, whilst I realise I'm still a young'un, my birthday did feel like a bit of a milestone. Halfway to fifty. Five years until I'm 30. Where is life going?! I feel so silly saying that - does anyone else feel the same?! It sounds so cliche but as I get older I'm finally realising that the saying "life goes too fast" is infact true!!

One of my worst traits is that I'm so impatient. I've found that in my mid-twenties I'm surrounded a load of people who are so sorted a in their relationships, their jobs, their housing situations etc... but then on the other hand I'm also surrounded by a load of people who are so UNsorted - Living each day as it comes, living for the present with no real plan. I see myself somewhere between the two, which can sometimes be can be difficult. I'm sorted in the sense that I have a respectable career and I've found a man who makes me happier than I've ever been... but there's so much I still want to do. 

I'm slowly but surely learning that actually, life is better when you're patient and I must stop comparing myself to others. It's not the end of the world if I'm not on track to have a baby at 29... It's not the end of the world if it takes us another year to buy a house. I am thankful that I have a job which reminds me so often of how precious life is and there are so many things I can be thankful for.

But it is nice to plan ahead and have some goals... Realistic ones that is. So I've decided to compile a list. Because who doesn't love a list?! I've thought long and hard about 30 things (30 realistic things) I'd like to do before I reach that big old three oh...

This week's happiness

Things that have made me happy this week...

Fresh flowers!
Beautiful pink roses and gypsophilia - I love having little flower displays around the flat, brightening things up.