Vintage Finds

Vintage Finds, May!

London trumps Manchester in some ways but when it comes to shopping, the Northern counterpart wins every time. Manchester is ultimately brilliant for vintage / second hand shopping, as you will see!

Blackpool

Cardigan & Coat - Vintage, Skirt - Oasis, Boots - Office

Blackpool

Blackpool may no be the nicest seaside destination but after visiting every year since pre-birth, it has a special place in my world.

Aren't Bank Holidays the best? I finished work on the Thursday and zipped straight to Euston for the train to escort me back to Manchester. Waking up in my own bed, especially when accompanied by coffee and bagels is a rather ace wake up - even more when the prospect of Blackpool is thrown into the mix. I gathered my road trip necessities and we set off for a day of salty air and even saltier chips.

This may be a slightly saucy outfit choice for a day at the beach but... something about it just felt right. I discovered these shoes under my bed and decided they needed an airing despite the destination, these silver beauties caused mayhem in the charity shops of Blackpool - the older ladies were swooning...

We shopped, ate fish & chips (obviously), wandered along the sea front and scared seagulls by running at them to take pictures of my outfit.

All round great day - the seas air is actually magic.

I filmed our little day at the beach also, which you can see on my YouTube Channel!

A true beach necessity

The Weekend Vlog 04

The Weekend Vlog 04

This particular weekend was a Bank Holiday, Thursday night lead me to Euston for a weekend at home, in Manchester. This weekend in the North included a family trip to Blackpool, beautiful shop oogling, fish & chips, vintage shopping, lots of lunches, friends, cider and Sunday dinners.

Nadia from Nadinoo has just opened her first shop in Manchester's 'Craft & Design Centre', it is beautiful, obviously... more on that soon!

I have a few blog posts and a video to follow, but in the meantime you can hear more of me waffling on my YouTube channel.

Eat The Weekend

Eat The Weekend

I don't think I had ever properly realised the excitement Easter can bring - two days off work and it is perfectly acceptable to devour your body weight in chocolate? WHAT? The Easter arrived... along with the typical English 'let-down' weather. Allan was staying in London with me over Easter - days of food, beer and Game of Thrones followed.

Opening the curtains on Bank Holiday Monday pushed my bank into the confines of my warm duvet watching videos on YouTube and listening to the rain trying to enter the house. Opening the curtains for a second time was a lot more pleasing - SUNSHINE.

Me and Allan immediately leaped into the shower / clothes and in the space of 30 minutes we were out the door to make the most of this peculiar turn around. There were rumours of a Street Food Festival at Queens Walk along the Southbank so we set off in that direction, willing to take solace in a pub if the taps turned on again.

We hit the Thames, still sunny - so sunny in fact that we actually sat on a boat OUTSIDE with a beer before continuing onto Queens Walk. The food festival looked (and smelled) incredible. After runnin around all the stalls wanting to eat everything - I settled for a home brewed cider, the best hot dog in the whole world from ' The Polish Deli London', followed by a pot of churros from 'Churros Garcia'
Whilst walking along the Thames feeling that ' London in the sun feeling' I thought it was time to take a few snaps of what I was wearing - you can see under the rain mac my choice of outfit was slightly more optimistic.

Over Thinking Life

Over Thinking Life 

Me: What's wrong?

Me: Oh nothing... just over-thinking every aspect as my life as a human on this earth, sometimes thinking about things so much that I actually think myself out of them.

Me: Oh right, weird eh?

Me: Yeah, weird.



So I  over-think life. I over-think and worry about everything including ridiculously inconsequential details. I seem to spend a lot of my time worrying about the outcome of an action that it becomes a lot bigger entity than it needs to be. I stress myself out, I create scenarios in my head, I almost make myself believe someone is angry with me because they blinked twice instead of once, (ok not that mental but) you get it right?

How do you stop over-thinking things? I am over-thinking things now by compiling a blog post about it. I am just trying to find ways to leave my head, which can be so 'judgey' of my life and choices.

So again, how do you stop over-thinking things? Well I have discovered that you can't, this is where 'Mindfulness' has made itself known. The pessimistic side of my brain dismissed the concept of 'Mindfulness' instantly but the rest and better half of me was completely ready to take the (ever so slightly yoga mum) plunge.

Mindfulness is so hot right now... HA, ok ridiculous statement but the meaning behind it is true. Mindfulness is not only something that is becoming necessary in our lives, but it is something we crave. Being able to switch off, move a way from the computer, move a way from your phone and focus on being an actual human being.

I just so happen to have found a rather promising app, that just may help me stop worrying so much - get myself out of my head and get some 'Headspace'. This app only wants ten minutes of my life for ten days and in return I should become a happier person? Sweet deal right? That's what I thought.

I decided I would give it a go for ten days and see. I will report back with my findings - not thinking for ten minutes a day could work. I may miss someones witty comment on Twitter, someones meal on Instagram OR even a Buzzfeed link but I am willing to sacrifice this for my sanity.

If you are a yoga worshipper does this help? Any other headspace and mindfulness believers out there? I will report back in ten days, watch this (head) space.

Lazy Sunday Funday

Lazy Sunday Funday

After spending almost four days lay in bed, trying to give an evil chest infection its eviction notice - fresh air was more than needed and necessary.

When I'm tired, sickness strikes or I'm just being lazy I tend to reach for my comfiest jeans, a slouchy t-shirt and running trainers (they need to get some use somehow, I was sick of the longing looks...) and today was no different - I threw on my mac, left my face make-up free and went in search of fresh air and sunshine. We have a park really close to our house, which always provides solace. I dragged my friend for a walk around the park, before crashing in a heap to drink fizzy drinks and read Kinfolk magazine (hands down the most beautiful publication I have ever seen)

I don't think anywhere, any place ever looks as beautiful as it does when the sun is setting.

Sick of Being Sick

                     
Sick of Being Sick.

As the title suggests, I'm ill and getting rather bored of it.

I seem to have had a cough forever (read: 2 months, ever the drama queen...) and it's kicked up its game this week with an added chest infection. Super strength antibiotics, sleep, Netflix and vegetables seem to be helping matters, but I thought I would throw this out into the internet universe incase there is anyone else feeling just as shitty.

I have never had the most resilient immune system (I spent few years with tonsillitis as my sidekick) but it seems to have been ridiculously un-immune to everything over the past year. I have been trying to up my lifestyle to a healthier version, which I am not sure is making a massive difference but I understand logically that it should improve my life overall.

Taking a few days of work to binge watch the Vampire Diaries has certainly made the 'getting well' process easier to digest but I still don't feel 'well'. My face for one feels like the sahara - a desert that even my most moisturising moisturiser just won't touch...

But tomorrow will be better, episode two of Game of Thrones is on tonight so all is well with the world. If anyone has any immune boosting tips please let me know!