The perfect West Country break

I'm fortunate to have some lovely family and friends over Bath/Bristol way who hosted me for my penultimate week before heading back to university. All I can say is that they both know me incredibly well. Tearooms and cute cafés made up the majority of my stays and I'm not complaining a bit.

I started in Bristol with my friend who showed me the more upmarket Clifton first of all. With its little boutiques and independent stores, this was an undoubtable hit with me. She also introduced me to an up-and-coming café chain Boston Tea Party, which was simply a delight. So much yumminess and not many pennies so it made brunch a total hit with me. Think freshly made, balanced portions, sustainable restaurant awards etc... It's pretty awesome. Boston Tea Party, you need to hurry up and open in Cambridge ASAP.

Scotch pancakes with compote and Greek yoghurt for brunch, courtesy of Boston Tea Party. 

Being a tourist at Bristol suspension bridge.

After spending a night in Bristol, I headed over to Bath to stay with family. I've always loved Bath, and in my little dreamworld I envisage myself with a property in the centre one day. Oh I'm just going to go ahead and say it - I want one on the Crescent. Yeah, I know I know but I've always been a dreamer. I'd be equally as happy on Great Pulteney Street. Life ambitions and all that. Anyway, the point is that as a country girl, this is one city (alongside Cambridge and Paris) that I adore. So when I was also taken out into more rural Wiltshire to visit the village of Lacock, I could not have been a happier girl. Combining my perfect city break with rural and historic cuteness? I couldn't imagine anything better.

I had no idea little Lacock existed if I'm honest but turns out it's been the movie set for some kind of major productions. Most notably parts of Harry Potter were filmed there, but the recent Wolf Hall was also shot in Lacock along with the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, and Cranford. We happened to go on a beautiful day when there wasn't a cloud in the sky which made the village and abbey look all the more special, especially the early blooms in the gardens. Considering we went on a Saturday it was also fairly quiet as well so looking around the abbey, we basically had the place to ourselves. 

I have to say though, the village itself was the highlight for me. Owned almost entirely by the National Trust, it is like being transported back in time, minus the cars. There was such a quirky array of shops, from soap and gift shops, to antiques and recycling shops. Even though it's owned by the National Trust, there was still such a lovely village-vibe, the one I know and love. I saw several homes with books or plants outside for sale, where people would simply 'post cash through letterbox' to buy. Slowly restoring faith in humanity one plant/book at a time. It was just the most friendly, beautiful place to wander around and I was totally taken with all the period buildings. 

A special mention must be made for the King John's Hunting Lodge. The oldest house in the village, it's home to the most gorgeous tea room and garden. Because it was such a lovely day, we sat in the garden both times (yes, we ended up going back again for afternoon tea later!) and each time didn't disappoint. They serve proper tea, none of this teabag stuff, and delicious fresh food, handmade by the team on the spot I was assured. I had a mediterranean style tart with a special slaw and incredible side salad, it was utterly yum. If you're visiting Lacock, I cannot recommend this place enough. The staff were lovely and attentive, the food and cake excellent, and the atmosphere was so absolutely English and cute that I actually came away feeling sad it was so far away from home and wouldn't be able to go again anytime soon.

 

Bath, Bristol, you exceeded expectations. I'm an Eastern girl at heart but clearly there's potential to be a Western convert!

Easter weekend fun

When I come home for the big holidays, my family go mad with me because I launch into full-on 'let's-do-cute-family-fun-things-and-be-adorable' mode. I like making big deals out of occasions like Christmas and New Year, but more recently Halloween and Easter too. I started asking what Easter plans we had weeks ago and when I was faced with two parents who laughed and said they hadn't even thought about it yet, I challenged myself with the task of planning something. Starting with a long run early Sunday morning, we spent the bank holiday making the most of the weather (hello sunshine! we've missed you!) and taking advantage of the fact we were all together as a family.

Mum made the effort to do an Easter tree this year which was super sweet to arrive home to, and we bought some new decorations from Tesco too- the upside-down sheep and chicks in the photo that we couldn't get to hang properly! 

I actually did my first proper roast for our evening meal (took me long enough, I know). I was determined to make everything perfect and thought I'd nailed the timings, but typically it didn't go completely to plan. But, all things considered, and when it was finally all ready, I think I did a pretty awesome job! The roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, broccoli and red onion) were delicious, and were by far my favourite part of the meal. The gammon was super tender and the honey glaze I added topped it off perfectly. Yumm. Oh, and of course it was followed by chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Mum even managed to find me a white chocolate Lindt bunny which seem to have been difficult to track down this year. If they ever stop selling these, my heart will break.

Our miniature pony, Rupert, was also subjected to the Easter fun. I didn't expect him to look this cute - my heart positively melted. Unfortunately, I think he pulls them off better than me.

Like the rest of the British population, Easter Monday was spent in the great outdoors enjoying the glorious sunshine that finally arrived in England. Yay! We went for a bike ride, even managing to drag my brother with us too! It was my first cycle ride in a long time, and definitely my first since I've been properly running and become a bit of an exercise enthusiast so it was a fantastic feeling to find cycling so much easier than I remember! And it was great to be able to get out into the beautiful countryside that surrounds our little village.

Easter is fast becoming equally as exciting as Christmas for me. I get far too carried away with all the potential family time, good food and fun things. How was your Easter? Did you have any special plans, or just get down with all the chocolate?!

16 signs you're a horsey person

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1. You put your hands into the pockets of your jacket to find bits of hay, pony nuts and treats.

2. You're outraged at the idea of getting up early for anyone else, but if it's to do the horses 6am then it's totally fine.

3. You say 'I'm going to do the poo pick' as if everyone understands, only to receive crazy looks from your friends.

4. You have jackets, lots of jackets. And lots of boots. And you'll probably buy some more at the next horse show you go to.

5. Your friends are disgusted by your black finger/toe nail which you got from when your horse bit/trod on it.

6. You buy the top brands for your horse, but you happily shop at Primark.

7. And on that note, your horse probably has more rugs than you do clothes.

8. Your arms are more tanned than the rest of you.

9. As a teenager, your friends' rooms were covered with posters of celebrities, and yours was covered with horses.

10. You get angry when people say horse riding isn't a sport, and that all riders do is 'sit there'. NO. Just no.

11. You have at least one album dedicated to horses on Facebook.

12. The words 'tack cleaning' make you grimace.

13. If you're upset, you'd rather see your horse and ride than talk out your problems with an actual person.

14. There is nothing that makes you happier than the thought of summer and galloping over an open field.

15. Or winning that red rosette.

16. And when it comes down to it, your best friend is probably more horse-shaped, than people-shaped. 

[EDIT- contributed by my very good friend, Sophie, who clearly knows me very well] 
17. You're looking for a car to buy, but end up browsing through horses for sale instead. Because, hey, who needs horse power when you can have the real thing?

Can you relate? Any I've missed? Comment below!

A Perfect Sunday in the Country

Wasn't it just such a beautiful day yesterday? It's done wonders to my mood, which had quite frankly reached moody cow level recently. February is a really hard month- everyone is fed up with winter but there is little sign of Spring, and motivation is lacking all round. But all it takes is a day out in the countryside to help me appreciate that life is pretty damn awesome.

I started my day with a run this morning, hoping to do something half-decent because I've been lacking in motivation after my race last weekend. I managed just under 9k in 50 mins which I was pretty happy with. Plus, it was enough that it was such a beautiful morning and I got to see the sunrise so I wasn't too bothered about performance, just enjoyment!

I also finally rode Toffee. He's had a bit of a winter break, what with me being snowed under with work and the tracks around us being so wet and muddy. I almost wish I'd got back on sooner because we had such a lovely time. I forgot that there really is nothing like riding your own horse, and it's even better when we get to gallop over the fields (his choice, not mine- I told him he wasn't fit enough and needless to say we didn't get very far!). I've decided horse therapy is an actual thing.

Please excuse the blurriness of this photo- apparently riding and photography don't go together too well!

I tried to work, I really did try hard. Buuuut I quickly get distracted here, especially when the weather is nice. It's strange that this was only meant to be a little break during Reading Week and that I'm heading back to uni again on Tuesday but I think I'm in need of some proper routine back in my life. Going backwards and forwards all the time isn't doing me much good because I can't settle properly before I'm off again, and I really am a person who thrives on routine. It was such a great end to the weekend though and I feel all excited for Spring now. I'll be looking out for those new Spring buds!

Snow in the Countryside

If you live in England, then you'll know that as soon as people hear that snow is coming, or as soon as a couple of millimetres falls, the country goes wild. The other day, a café on our campus closed an hour early because of a brief flurry; Manchester airport cancelled flights the other week; and the news is always dominated by snow headlines when it's forecast. All in all, snow is a cause for panic and frustration and most people I know dislike it, a lot. 

I am not one of those people- I love snow. I'm the girl that walked off the train the other day into a snow storm with a massive grin on her face, and I'm the girl that still, at 21 years old, jumps out of bed early in the mornings to go and tread in the crisp, fresh, fluffy stuff. When it's covered everything under a great big blanket, I can't resist being the first to step outside.

And here's an article by The Telegraph which definitely made me giggle this morning. Oh, the British sarcasm is a wonderful thing.

Working in the South of France

If someone had said to me a year ago that I would be working in the South of France for a couple of weeks, I probably wouldn't have believed them. Even less so if they'd have said I'd be by a pool in 35 degree heat in my free time. But that's what happened- I've just come back from another fantastic trip, making the most of the time I have to travel as much as possible.

I've never really thought of myself as someone who could look after children that well so never saw myself as an au pair until the opportunity arose. I already knew the little 8 year old girl I would be looking after since I tutored her in English whilst I was in Paris and my job was to join the family on their yearly holiday to the French Provence to further improve her English and give her mum a much needed break!

The weeks flew by while I was there but I got to do some fantastic things. I visited the town of Roussillon, built from ochre clay found in the surrounding quarries which gave the most incredible red, orange and yellowy tinge to the area. I also went wine tasting to the well-known Baumes de Venise vineyard and tasted the most delicious wines. I got to wander around the little backstreets of nearby villages and visited the local market to sample saucisson, olives and fromage (lots and lots of it!). And when I wasn't working or exploring, I was lying in the sun by one of the two pools. I think it's safe to say I had a wonderful time!

Below are a few snaps from my time there, aided by Instagram because apparently I'm just not a natural photographer!

The view just outside where I stayed

I bought a new hat at the market!

Wine tasting at Baumes de Venise

I loved having early morning swims!

The ochre clay at Roussillon

Breakfast by the pool!

Birthday celebrations!

I've had a crazy past couple of weeks, but it's definitely not something to complain about! It's been a whirlwind of birthday fun and holidays/work with a lot of riding thrown in too!

My celebrations started on Sunday, the day before my birthday and my family took me to a very nice restaurant for lunch where I had a quinoa, roasted aubergine salad followed by a chocolate tart for dessert. The food was delicious and, although it was obvious to us that we were out celebrating, the staff obviously twigged too so when I got my dessert, I got a super cute surprise birthday message!

With my brother having our meal out

I spent my actual birthday out on a birthday ride and then had a lovely afternoon tea in the gorgeous sunshine. I drank lots of wine/champagne, ate (too much) good food, galloped across fields and opened some fantastic presents. One of which was this beautiful thing on which I am currently typing- a Macbook Air. It happened. I took the plunge (after so much deliberation that mum ended up just dragging me into the Apple Store) and I have to say I do not have a single regret. I've officially become an Apple whore, but it's awesome. I also got some lovely pieces of jewellery, and the most exciting thing- VENICE! I'm counting down the days until my biggest 21st birthday present in the form of a 4 day break with mum to this beautiful city.

Birthday lunch, 'scuse the ambulance- nobody was harmed!

I also celebrated with my gorgeous girls (minus one- we missed you!) over the weekend and we had the most wonderful weekend country retreat. We started off with afternoon tea and a BBQ on the Friday, and headed into Cambridge on the Saturday to go punting. We booked a private tour with Let's Go Punting (who were fantastic- full of banter and interesting facts and made for a great trip, find their website here). We took along a bottle of champagne and made some chocolate-covered strawberries in the morning to have a classy little picnic on board. This was followed by some shopping, and lunch at Harriet's tea rooms, which as always, lived up to expectations. Then we returned to mine to have a cocktail night with more champagne. It all made for a fabulous weekend. I had such a wonderful time.

Punting with champagne!

Giving it a shake!

As for the birthday cake, I decided to have cupcakes made in a cute vintage style which were so so yummy and absolutely perfect! There rates were very reasonable considering the quality of the cakes and they were perfectly decorated so if you're thinking of having some cakes made, seek her out! They were made by a lady in the Cambridgeshire area, and you can find her website here: http://www.thesweetkitchen.co.uk/

My lovely cupcakes, plus an extra 12 mini cupcakes too!

A day after my friends left, I was getting ready to jet off again to the South of France for my job as an Au Pair for two weeks! So I really haven't had that much room to breath but it's been a fab few weeks and now I have to whole of summer to make more memories before Venice, and then going back to university at the end of September!