Sometimes the most delightful evenings are the simplest!
Tonight I had a lovely (and long overdue!) catch up with some of my college friends who I do not get to see as often as I would like to. We all lead such hectic lives that it can be difficult to arrange a time to get together!
Tonight we gathered for food, drinks and some delicious scones baked by my friends flatmate.
We chatted about our lives and love lives, work, other friends and had a general catch up. Simple, inexpensive and pretty much perfect! I had a really good time and realised that you don't have to go out and spend a lot of money to have fun. I also realised that I definitely need to make more time to fit in nights like this!
Same again soon please people! xxx
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
WARNING! I just jumped out of a perfectly good plane!!
Jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane to raise money for charity is definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had! And it's up there with my 21st birthday and getting engaged as one of the best moments of my life so far!
On Saturday, along with a very brave fellow skydiver, I got the train up to Hinton-in-the-Hedges-a tiny village near Brackley in Oxfordshire. After a lovely meal in the local pub (where we worryingly got talking to the pilot who would be flying our plane the next day!!) we stayed in a gorgeous B&B and had a fairly restless nights sleep worrying about the next day!
6am saw us up and getting ready and at 8am we arrived at the airfield! There were lots of safety forms to fill out and a training session. I tried to listen really carefully to the training but I was so scared that I wasn't really taking much of it in.
After a gruelling two hour wait in which I watched other brave groups go up in the planes and glide back down it was our turn to go! We got kitted up and made our way over to meet our instructors who would be jumping with us.
Going up in the plane was probably the most terrifying thing. All I could think about was how far away the ground was and that once I was up, the only way back down was out of the plane!
The last thing I heard before it was my turn was my friend screaming as she went, which took me from scared to absolutely petrified! Going out of the plane door is all a bit of a blur now, I don't actually remember it happening! Then suddenly I was out and falling through the air at an initial speed of 200mph, slowly to a mere(!) 128mph as I fell at the speed of gravity!
I really cannot explain what freefall felt like. It was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. You know those dreams you have of falling...nothing like it! It was more like being thrown around in a tumble drier. I screamed the most when the parachute was released and we slowed down with a jolt-a bit like when you have to do an emergency stop in a car!
Gliding down to earth with the parachute was beautiful, and has made me want to give paragliding a go! It was a clear day so I could see for miles around and everything looked like a toy town. Although we were still falling quite fast it felt like I was suspended in the air and could really fly.
After landing I was completely shell-shocked that I had done it. I would definitely do it again and would recommend everyone give it a go! And the best bit was that I managed to raise over £500 for ActionAid by doing it. So it was a massive achievement for me-both personally to overcome that fear, and to be able to help a fantastic charity that do such brilliant work all over the world.xxx
On Saturday, along with a very brave fellow skydiver, I got the train up to Hinton-in-the-Hedges-a tiny village near Brackley in Oxfordshire. After a lovely meal in the local pub (where we worryingly got talking to the pilot who would be flying our plane the next day!!) we stayed in a gorgeous B&B and had a fairly restless nights sleep worrying about the next day!
6am saw us up and getting ready and at 8am we arrived at the airfield! There were lots of safety forms to fill out and a training session. I tried to listen really carefully to the training but I was so scared that I wasn't really taking much of it in.
After a gruelling two hour wait in which I watched other brave groups go up in the planes and glide back down it was our turn to go! We got kitted up and made our way over to meet our instructors who would be jumping with us.
Going up in the plane was probably the most terrifying thing. All I could think about was how far away the ground was and that once I was up, the only way back down was out of the plane!
The last thing I heard before it was my turn was my friend screaming as she went, which took me from scared to absolutely petrified! Going out of the plane door is all a bit of a blur now, I don't actually remember it happening! Then suddenly I was out and falling through the air at an initial speed of 200mph, slowly to a mere(!) 128mph as I fell at the speed of gravity!
I really cannot explain what freefall felt like. It was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. You know those dreams you have of falling...nothing like it! It was more like being thrown around in a tumble drier. I screamed the most when the parachute was released and we slowed down with a jolt-a bit like when you have to do an emergency stop in a car!
Gliding down to earth with the parachute was beautiful, and has made me want to give paragliding a go! It was a clear day so I could see for miles around and everything looked like a toy town. Although we were still falling quite fast it felt like I was suspended in the air and could really fly.
After landing I was completely shell-shocked that I had done it. I would definitely do it again and would recommend everyone give it a go! And the best bit was that I managed to raise over £500 for ActionAid by doing it. So it was a massive achievement for me-both personally to overcome that fear, and to be able to help a fantastic charity that do such brilliant work all over the world.xxx
Friday, 18 March 2011
Paddy and George!
Saint Patrick's Day. The day the Irish celebrate their Patron Saint. And the day the English jump on the bandwagon and get rip-roaringly drunk in the honour of Paddy!
How ironic is it that most people don't even know when Saint George's day is, and a some don't even know that he's the Patron Saint of England. Most people do nothing at all to mark the occasion, but people were out in their hundreds last night downing guiness to celebrate! Everyone was dressed in green and donning oversized top-hats in irish colours!
Don't get me wrong- I love any excuse for a celebrations had I not been religiously (pardon the pun!) sticking to my decision to give up alcohol for lent this yar, I would definitely have been mopre than a bit inebriated myself!
I just think that maybe this year we should give poor Georgoe a look in too? After all its another excuse to get hammered on a week night? I suggest everyone don red and white and grab a stuffed dragon (george slayed the dragon according to the legend...) and head out on the 23rd April in style!
Visit http://www.stgeorgesday.com/home for more info on saint george and his day!
xxx
How ironic is it that most people don't even know when Saint George's day is, and a some don't even know that he's the Patron Saint of England. Most people do nothing at all to mark the occasion, but people were out in their hundreds last night downing guiness to celebrate! Everyone was dressed in green and donning oversized top-hats in irish colours!
Don't get me wrong- I love any excuse for a celebrations had I not been religiously (pardon the pun!) sticking to my decision to give up alcohol for lent this yar, I would definitely have been mopre than a bit inebriated myself!
I just think that maybe this year we should give poor Georgoe a look in too? After all its another excuse to get hammered on a week night? I suggest everyone don red and white and grab a stuffed dragon (george slayed the dragon according to the legend...) and head out on the 23rd April in style!
Visit http://www.stgeorgesday.com/home for more info on saint george and his day!
xxx
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
So i guess what I'm reallly saying is....that I don't know what I'm really saying...
My thought of the day is a bit sombre. It's that sometimes you can be surrounded by so many people, and yet still feel like the loneliest person in the world.
Although I have plenty of friends, I sometimes feel like very few people really know me-my own fault entirely. But when I feel like this, I miss the people who really do know me best. I guess what I am saying is that I feel homesick this week. Today is the birthday of one of my closest friends, a girl I have known since I was tiny, and I feel quite sad that I'm not there to celebrate with her!
I was also looking forward to another close friend visiting in a couple weeks, but she has now sadly had to cancel through unavoidable circumstances. I compeltely understand but I'm disappointed nonetheless.
It has also been one of those weeks that really test you-with so much to do and learn in preparation for our show next week I have been stressy at best! I have found myself snapping at my fiance and my mum down the phone when really all I want is a great big cuddle!
I guess what I'm ACTUALLY saying is that sometimes you just need a hug! And that's definitely how I'm feeling right now! Ranting over and done with, I'm going to plaster on a smile and get on with it. Because like they say, if you act like you're happy, everntually it will rub off and you won't be able to help but smile naturally!!
So please people, smile, lend a hand, share the love, and give us a hug!!! xxx
Although I have plenty of friends, I sometimes feel like very few people really know me-my own fault entirely. But when I feel like this, I miss the people who really do know me best. I guess what I am saying is that I feel homesick this week. Today is the birthday of one of my closest friends, a girl I have known since I was tiny, and I feel quite sad that I'm not there to celebrate with her!
I was also looking forward to another close friend visiting in a couple weeks, but she has now sadly had to cancel through unavoidable circumstances. I compeltely understand but I'm disappointed nonetheless.
It has also been one of those weeks that really test you-with so much to do and learn in preparation for our show next week I have been stressy at best! I have found myself snapping at my fiance and my mum down the phone when really all I want is a great big cuddle!
I guess what I'm ACTUALLY saying is that sometimes you just need a hug! And that's definitely how I'm feeling right now! Ranting over and done with, I'm going to plaster on a smile and get on with it. Because like they say, if you act like you're happy, everntually it will rub off and you won't be able to help but smile naturally!!
So please people, smile, lend a hand, share the love, and give us a hug!!! xxx
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Happy Pancake Day!!
It's Pancake Day! Hurray!!
(It's also my sister's birthday AND international women's day! Celebrations all round!)
I LOVE pancake day, mainly because I love pancakes! They are so simple but taste so so good. Especially with lemon, sugar, and chocolate chips mmmm, my favourite!
Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of lent in the Christian calendar, and pancakes were made to use up all the goodies left in the cupboards before the period of restraint to follow! This year for lent I am going to attempt to give up alcohol!
My reasoning behind this is that it will save me a lot of money and my liver will be my new best friend! There is also the cheeky added perk that if (when!) I do start drinking again I will have a much lower tolerance level (i.e. I will be a complete light-weight!) and therefore nights out will be a much cheaper experience!
I do feel like I should get drunk tonight whilst I eat my pancakes to use up all the alcohol left in my house to take away some of the temptation....maybe just one glass of wine?
It's going to be tough with so many excuses to crack open the wine coming up-friends birthdays, St. Patrick's day, the night before my skydive... Some willpower is required! Wish me luck!
And I wish you all a very happy and sunny Shrove Tuesday! Enjoy your pancakes!! xxx
(It's also my sister's birthday AND international women's day! Celebrations all round!)
I LOVE pancake day, mainly because I love pancakes! They are so simple but taste so so good. Especially with lemon, sugar, and chocolate chips mmmm, my favourite!
Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of lent in the Christian calendar, and pancakes were made to use up all the goodies left in the cupboards before the period of restraint to follow! This year for lent I am going to attempt to give up alcohol!
My reasoning behind this is that it will save me a lot of money and my liver will be my new best friend! There is also the cheeky added perk that if (when!) I do start drinking again I will have a much lower tolerance level (i.e. I will be a complete light-weight!) and therefore nights out will be a much cheaper experience!
I do feel like I should get drunk tonight whilst I eat my pancakes to use up all the alcohol left in my house to take away some of the temptation....maybe just one glass of wine?
It's going to be tough with so many excuses to crack open the wine coming up-friends birthdays, St. Patrick's day, the night before my skydive... Some willpower is required! Wish me luck!
And I wish you all a very happy and sunny Shrove Tuesday! Enjoy your pancakes!! xxx
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Where does all the money go?
Money isn't everything, and the best things in life (love, happiness, family, friends) really are free. But having money certainly helps! Especially if you live in London. I am currently attempting to save up for my wedding and honeymoon next May-Weddings are expensive!!! But saving is hard, particularly when you are on a tight budget to begin with.
As a student in London, my student loan just about covers rent and bills. Fine. But you have to eat and have a life too and where does the money for that come from? I work part time a few weekends a month to fund my love of food and my lifestyle, but if I want to save I'm really going to have to watch where my money goes. It's easy to lose track-a coffee here, a sandwich there. A night out, a few drinks, a taxi....it soon adds up.
So the plan is:
-Use my flask-save money on weekly coffees and teas from Costa and take my own with me. Not really a hardship and much cheaper!
-Give up alcohol-just for March. I might allow myself a cheeky glass of wine once or twice, but no big nights out or going 'for a few' after college!
-No clothes shopping until the summer-I have enough clothes for now, and so I'll have to just 'Make do and mend' the old-fashioned (and fun!) way.
-Pack my own lunch-adding £10 to the weekly food shop and making our own lunch will save us over £25 a week
-Give up my first class habit-I have to travel to Devon once a month to attend church to be able to have my wedding there and it's all too tempting to pay extra for the luxury of going first class but the savings are huge by going standard!
-Talk less, text more-the main reason my phone bill is so high every month is I spend far too much time chatting away on my mobile and use up all my minutes. I get unlimited texts so I'll have to start talking less and texting more to save the pennies!
Fingers crossed, with a bit more working and a bit less partying it should all come together and there should be some serious saving going on...like I said...Fingers crossed! xxx
As a student in London, my student loan just about covers rent and bills. Fine. But you have to eat and have a life too and where does the money for that come from? I work part time a few weekends a month to fund my love of food and my lifestyle, but if I want to save I'm really going to have to watch where my money goes. It's easy to lose track-a coffee here, a sandwich there. A night out, a few drinks, a taxi....it soon adds up.
So the plan is:
-Use my flask-save money on weekly coffees and teas from Costa and take my own with me. Not really a hardship and much cheaper!
-Give up alcohol-just for March. I might allow myself a cheeky glass of wine once or twice, but no big nights out or going 'for a few' after college!
-No clothes shopping until the summer-I have enough clothes for now, and so I'll have to just 'Make do and mend' the old-fashioned (and fun!) way.
-Pack my own lunch-adding £10 to the weekly food shop and making our own lunch will save us over £25 a week
-Give up my first class habit-I have to travel to Devon once a month to attend church to be able to have my wedding there and it's all too tempting to pay extra for the luxury of going first class but the savings are huge by going standard!
-Talk less, text more-the main reason my phone bill is so high every month is I spend far too much time chatting away on my mobile and use up all my minutes. I get unlimited texts so I'll have to start talking less and texting more to save the pennies!
Fingers crossed, with a bit more working and a bit less partying it should all come together and there should be some serious saving going on...like I said...Fingers crossed! xxx
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