2016 got off to a great start with lots of things to see and do.  Here are a few of my favourites!.

First up has to be blowing the dust off my ArtFund card and checking out what the museums of London had to offer.  I wrote about my favourite exhibition – Lee Miller – here.

After the excesses of the festive season I couldn’t wait to start using the slow cooker my mum got me for Christmas, (thanks Mama!) to plan healthier meals that don’t cost a fortune.  I’ll be honest, while everything has tasted good – great in some cases, much to my surprise – I took a while to get the hang of the water-to-food ratio and wound up making rather a lot of accidental soups in the beginning.

My favourite slow cooker concoction of the month has been this blueberry overnight porridge with turmeric and my favourite Scandi spices.  A big batch will last for around 3 days and is just the thing to kickstart the darker mornings.

Another Christmas present from Mama T has been bringing me joy this month and it’s this lovely print by Co. Down artist and Illustrator Danielle Wilson of Loveliest Little Things.  Every now and then I get a wee pang of homesickness so it’s lovely to keep a little bit of home with me wherever I go.

Over the Christmas holiday I finally bit the bullet and ordered some glasses I’d been coveting for around a year from Canadian glasses website BonLook.  A longtime fan of A Beautiful Mess I was excited when sisters Elsie and Emma collaborated with the brand to create their Jack & Norma collection.

I’ve never ordered glasses online before but I was impressed by the variety of styles available and I’ve seen some great reviews online so I thought I would give it a go.  I wasn’t disappointed!  I love my gold Jack&Norma frames – so much so that I’m currently waiting on a second pair in Snappy coming through my letterbox any day now!  The whole process was really easy and hassle-free and there was a great selection of styles that I hadn’t seen here in the UK before.  Keep an eye to their website for discount codes if you’re planning to upgrade your glasses collection.

Visiting The Adventure Travel Show was the highlight of my month and I came away feeling really inspired by all the adventurers who were speaking.  I’m planning one or two adventures of my own at the moment and it was really helpful to hear the unedited version of what it’s really like to take on a solo adventure.  It definitely gave me the focus I needed to stop procrastinating and start saving for my trips.

And last but not least we’re ending on a sweet note with these delicious Moreo cupcakes.  Very easy to make and they went down very well at work!  The oreo cookies in the frosting and the base give an extra dimension of texture and are a nice surprise from your average bun.  Let me know if you try them at home!

Until next time,

L X