I first met Sophie and Sophie when we were on our year abroad in Germany. As language students we had elected to work as English Language Assistants in North Rhine Westphalia and found ourselves in the city of Bochum in September 2005.
The first time we all went out together we met in a Hawaiian-themed bar for cocktails. The plan was to take advantage of the bar’s Happy Hour before heading on to a night club where Take That’s Howard Donald was doing a DJ set. Except I never made it to the club. One very strong mojito and an undercooked Döner kebab for tea – (classy, I know) – and I had to head home feeling very sorry for myself! Thankfully the girls didn’t hold it against me and we went on to make some great memories over the course of the year.
Last week I mentioned how I’ve started to get into watching YouTube videos when I’m chilling out and I thought I’d share a few favourites with you. They’re a quirky mix of creative folk who I think have done a pretty good job at making their own little piece of the internet nice and cosy.
I love a good fashion or beauty blog – or in this case, vlog – as much as the next person but at times they can come over like a bit of a sales pitch. I love Louise Pentland aka Sprinkle of Glitter‘s channel who chats to you like you’re a pal and has a lot of fun making her videos with her wee girl Darcy and her friends. I am obsessed with the song she’s featured in this one – I dare you not to tap your toes as you watch!
Greetings friends! This has been an exciting week! I started a new job in a part of town I’d never heard of (let alone visited), so it’s been great to see a new side to the city, albeit a fairly corporate, blue-y grey one. It’s pretty normal for folk to leave for work around 8.30am for a 9.30 / 10am start. Since my current role is very office-based just now I’ve decided to give the Tube a miss and walk a few stations further to kick start my day and I’m not alone. The pavements are packed with workers teaming their slick suits with Nike trainers, (which they switch out for more suitable shoes once they reach their destinations of course!) We herd ourselves along the Bridge like sheep, shuffling into our respective pens in the shortest time possible.
In the company I’m working at we usually wrap up around 6pm but it’s quite common for lots of people to stay on later. Getting home after 7pm means down time is very limited but I still think it’s important to switch off and recharge after a busy day. Switching off isn’t necessarily in my strong suit so I thought I’d look to my fellow bloggers for some inspiration and share their pearls of wisdom with you.
Let’s make time for the important things. One way for us ladies to maximise our ‘me-time’ plans for the long haul is to book a smear test. Now. I know: they are bloody horrible but the alternative is a hundred times worse. I am the first person to admit that I *hate* getting a smear test. If you’ve ever seen Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues and resonated with the woman who screams ‘My Vagina Is Angry‘ you’ll know what I mean. But I hate the idea of getting cervical cancer much more. This week my Instagram feed has been inundated with ladies faces with smeared lipstick as a reminder for us girls to make an appointment. The campaign itself looks a bit daft but it’s cast my mind back to the letter my GP sent me and prompted me to add it to my to do list. I’m making my appointment this weekend – don’t put it off girls.
I’ve already posted this year about getting a new DSLR camera for Christmas and I’m really keen to make the most of it. This handy post from Sweet Electric has compiled some of the top tips on the internet for making the most of your photography. I love that Zoe Louise has done the leg work here meaning I can dip in and out of the tips as and when I have the time. Good for (hopefully rare ) days when work runs over and I only have an hour or two left spare before bedtime.
I’m trying to reform my last-minute Laura ways and prepare my lunches for the week ahead. I like to get out and grab a coffee from down the road at lunchtime. It’s not ideal to be spending over £2 for a coffee I could make in the kitchen but I think it’s really important to get out of the office and go somewhere and needing a caffeine boost is the prompt I need to get moving. Where I am able to save money is making my batches of lunch throughout the week so I’m ready for a few days in one go. I love this idea from the team over at A Beautiful Mess. I’m not going to run out and buy mason jars but a couple of smaller jam jars (or an old takeaway container) would do the job rightly and making a couple of days’ lunches in one go frees up time later in the week.
Even though I spend most of my day in front of a computer screen I love to catch up on what some of my favourite bloggers are up to when I get home. I get a bit bored with countless identikit make up reviews and tend to veer toward more creative posters and, more recently, YouTubers. When I’m making dinner I often have bloglovin’ open on my computer or phone while I cook and one blog I love to visit is Cupcakes & Cashmere. Every week Emily does a post entitled ‘Links I love‘ and I love to dip in and out of these – I always discover something interesting. I’m loving this week’s tip on how to up my nap game!
The last tip I came up with all on my own, would you believe! Every day I’m going to try and take 20 minutes out to do something to help myself relax. Tomorrow I’ve earmarked painting my nails – I know, I know: I’m so wild!;) Joking aside, it’s important to do something that’s just for your own wellbeing whether it’s a bit of pampering, reading a book, listening to music or going back to basics and sitting in comfortable silence.
What are your top tips for tuning out? Enjoy the rest of your week and see you Sunday! L xx
This weekend marks RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch. I try to take part in this every year. All you need to do is set aside an hour to count how many different types of birds you find in your garden. I started doing this a couple of years ago when I was living back home and my mum has continued the tradition since I moved across the water.
Hi there! I’ve been playing with my camera this week and had a hankering for a spot of baking so made a wee video of my favourite fail safe bakes. You literally cannot go wrong with these wee buns – even if you overfill the cases or cook them for a little too long (as I did!)
The secret to keeping them deliciously moist is to glaze them with a drop of warm honey when they are just out of the oven. The honey seals in the moisture so that they don’t turn into frisbees on day two. Hurrah!
Here are the ingredients you need to make 12 cupcakes:
115g / 4oz soft tub margarine
115g / 4oz light soft brown sugar
2 eggs
100g / 3 1/2oz self-raising flour, sifted
1/2tsp baking powder
2tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
4 canned pear halves, drained and sliced
2tbsp runny honey, warmed
(*I also add 1tsp vanilla extract. I think it enhances the flavour – let me know if you agree!)
Method
* Preheat your oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Put your bun cases in your bun tray.
* Put your margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder (and vanilla extract) into a large bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until just smooth, (ie. a minute or two.)
* Spoon the mixture into your bun cases and smooth the tops. Try not to overfill – ideally you want to be able to see the pear sitting on top after baking but it’s not a disaster if they slide down into the mixture.
* Arrange two pear slices on top of each cupcake.
* Bake in your preheated oven until cooked, (around 20 minutes), before transferring to a wire rack.
* I put a bread board under the rack as the next stage can get a bit dribbly!
If you have a pastry brush use it to glaze each bun with a little of your warmed honey. (I warmed mine in the microwave in 10 second bursts – careful not to boil it by leaving it in too long). If you don’t have a pastry brush a teaspoon will do rightly. Allow to cool.
* Pop the kettle on and make a nice cuppa.
* Enjoy the fruits of your labour. Quality control is very important in baking!
Don’t forget you can win some delicious Titanic Tea and a whole host of other prizes by following my blog via WordPress or Bloglovin’ – both buttons are at the top, right hand side of this post. The giveaway closes this Sunday 25th January and the winner will be picked at random and announced here on the blog so make sure you check back to see if you’re a winner!
What are your favourite bakes? Why not share them in the comments below – the easier the better!
Tales of adventure 