My friend told me a while ago about this site which she deemed "like eBay, but better". This sounded too good to be true! I love eBay but I do think it's getting a bit too commercialised and it's starting to overlook all the little gems that are hidden in the depths of the website. So when I finally got around to visiting Etsy, I got super excited.
If you're into genuine vintage items, handmade jewellery and loads of other cool, unique gifts and accessories, this is the place for you. Everything ranges in prices so it can suit every pocket and the items are just gorgeous. I think the greatest thing about this site is that everyone is so like-minded: we're all interested in the same style and want to buy and sell genuine items. From what I've heard, although I can't yet speak from experience, the site is welcoming and is absent from any of the hostile tensions which quite often exist between buyers and sellers on eBay. I have read several online reviews of the website because I've been interested in buying a few things and, naturally, you always want to know that the website is safe/you're not going to see your money disappear. Whilst I've found the majority are very positive, particularly one reviewer who had set herself up as a new seller, there was one website where many of the comments underneath were hugely negative, with 1-star ratings littering the section. But I haven't been put off that easily. Etsy seems like it was literally made for me and my tastes and there are too many lovely things on there that I simply cannot wave bye-bye to. So, I'm, taking these with a pinch of salt and hoping that it's only those with bad experiences who have taken the time to comment. Like eBay, there is a feedback system with a percentage rating and obviously, you avoid those that look even vaguely dodgy... I'm going to give it a chance.
Take a look! It's well worth it... www.etsy.com
Once I've made my mind up on what to order, I'll post about my new goodies soon... xoxo
Friday, 2 August 2013
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Post-Birthday and Italian Travels
I'm two decades old... And halfway to 40. But I do feel a certain sense of maturity since turning 20, absent in turning 18 and 19, and something I'm sure will solidify itself in turning 21... Next year (!).
We soon moved on, however, and arrived in a tiny little village in the middle of the Italian countryside with this view from our bedroom window... Bliss.
We took a trip to the nearest town and it was a though we had literally stepped onto a film set, I've never seen anything so genuinely beautiful as the tiny little side streets of this Italian town. We sat and ate lunch at one of its petite cafés, drinking Prosecco and wine.
One of the things I miss the most is the food: everything was so fresh! From the perfectly red, sweet tomatoes on the bruschetta, to the herbs the café owner picked from the windowsill behind us with which he would cook our meal, it all tasted so good! It makes you realise how much packaged food we eat in the UK, which is such a shame.
We then travelled for a day to Florence, a beautiful city I really didn't know much about. The girls and I couldn't put our finger on it, but we all agreed it was very different to Rome. There was a different vibe, still very touristy, in fact possible more touristy because there were very little chances to escape down quieter side streets. Nevertheless, it was still home to beautiful sights, most notably the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.
We did manage to find a little ristorante off the Piazza della Signoria where I had the nicest salami pizza, and we could escape the tourists and sun for a while. Florence was just different. I still can't put my finger on it but I think it's because it's more manicured that Rome, which has that rugged historical element, whereas Florence is very structured and linear. I could still appreciated it but I think I did prefer Rome by a small margin.
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| Having a canter along one of our bridleways |
I had a wonderful birthday. We had a lovely birthday ride in the morning in the sun across the countryside, and Toffee was, uncharacteristically, an angel! After opening some lovely presents, I was then whisked off to my favourite little nearby pub for some lunch, finishing off with my new addiction- their malteaser cheesecake. Yum. A really lovely day.
But the excitement didn't stop there. Five days later, I jetted off to Italy with my two lovely girls, and did a crazy-fast tour of Rome before heading into the beautiful Italian countryside to stay at my friend's relatives'. It was genuinely one of my best holidays yet, second only to one with my family (because I feel guilty saying that all family holidays were topped by this one crazy trip). In fact, I remember saying to my friends while we were out there, looking over at the incredible view, that it was exactly what I wanted, and that was the sort of life I wanted to work towards. In the middle of the countryside, in a beautiful country, with gorgeous weather and scenery. That's my destination. Now I just need to fill in the journey...
So we started out in Rome, visiting all the major tourist sites, naturally. But we ended up getting lost due to a slightly unreliable map of the city, and for lunch found this cute little café on a side street we happened to wander down. It was the best way to experience a big city, just to stroll down tiny streets, away from the hoards of tourists and find the little gelato shops too, where I tucked into mango and chocolate flavours... YUM.
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| Proper Italian pasta and pesto |
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| Clearly enjoying gelato |
The Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Vatican, you name it, we went there. All in a day (thanks to the impeccable organisation of my friends!). And then it absolutely poured down on us and we got drenched... Probably after getting too cocky about being English and therefore being able to handle a bit of rain- we were soon proved wrong by the storm which went over Rome! Otherwise though, the weather was gorgeous and we had clear blue skies the rest of the trip!
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| Coming through a park to the Colosseum |
Our accommodation for our two nights in Rome was a lovely little hostel in the centre, literally two minutes from the train station. If you're considering going to Rome, I would absolutely recommend you stay here: Rome Accommodation B&B. It was nothing like we expected from a hostel! Seriously reasonable pricing, a lovely, clean room (with ensuite), small and friendly, and a gorgeous little breakfast delivered to your room in the morning made staying in the centre of Rome an absolute delight.
We soon moved on, however, and arrived in a tiny little village in the middle of the Italian countryside with this view from our bedroom window... Bliss.
We took a trip to the nearest town and it was a though we had literally stepped onto a film set, I've never seen anything so genuinely beautiful as the tiny little side streets of this Italian town. We sat and ate lunch at one of its petite cafés, drinking Prosecco and wine.
One of the things I miss the most is the food: everything was so fresh! From the perfectly red, sweet tomatoes on the bruschetta, to the herbs the café owner picked from the windowsill behind us with which he would cook our meal, it all tasted so good! It makes you realise how much packaged food we eat in the UK, which is such a shame.
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| One of the little streets in nearby town, Panicale |
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| Watching the sunset from a beautiful little restaurant, nestled in the backstreets of Chuisi |
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| Basilica di Santa Maria de Fiore in the centre of Florence |
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| Ponte Vecchio in Florence |
I went to Italy because it's somewhere I've always wanted to visit, and when the opportunity arose to complete one of the ten things on my bucket list, I jumped at it. I'm so glad I did. It's currently knocked France from my most favourite countries, and I have to say, I can't see it budging any time soon. There's something seriously enchanting about Italy, particularly about its untouched, idyllic countryside, and I feel like it's a place I could never tire of. I would return there in a second given the chance. Ciao xoxo
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Pre-Birthday Post
Yep, it's that time of year again when the last day of June signifies that I'm another year older. It's true what they say- birthdays really do get so much less exciting the older you get. Boo.
We pretty much have no plans and I failed to give anybody any clues as to what I wanted/needed (money? Poor student here...) so I'm not sure tomorrow is going to blow my socks off. I can barely be bothered to get myself into a birthday outfit to give myself the excuse of getting all dressed up. BUT, trying to be ever the optimist, I thought I would look not at the day itself, which after all only marks the year passing, and instead look at what I've achieved this year and what my aims are for next year (before the big 2-1... Eeeeek!).
There are three huge landmarks this year which immediately jump out at me as some of my proudest moments to date:
1. Finally getting Toffee to our first show. Sure, I fell off. Twice. In front of everyone. But we've come so far since then and just being able to get there after such a turmoil surrounding my riding life was an achievement in itself. Plus, we did get round... Eventually. And today I had the most wonderful hack on him as we cantered over the countryside. So overall, job well done. Nutty pony cured. Just kidding, that's wishful thinking but we're getting there.
2. News Editor of The Stag newspaper at uni. At the time, it was an incredible honour to be voted in and I seized the chance with both hands, throwing myself into research and emailing and generating fresh ideas. Little did I know that it probably wasn't as important as I had originally thought and it didn't bring me the university-wide fame I had envisaged. But hindsight is a beautiful thing, and also a really pessimistic thing. So whilst I can now say that I no longer I want to be a journalist and I often ended up loathing the time I had to take to complete my section, I wouldn't change it. It added to already massively high stress levels but taught me to better manage my time and balance work/commitments/me time.
3. President of the Equestrian Club. Especially with the thank you I received at the end, I have to say that this has been the highlight of this year at university. I never, ever thought this would happen. I was pushing my luck for Vice or Treasurer at the AGM, but through a change in circumstance, it kind of landed in my lap in what I can only put down to fate. To say that I have been President of the Equestrian Club is so important to me after everything I have been through with horses. It's as though it all paid off. I actually felt needed and important, and I guess I was. Best decision I ever made.
And to think at the beginning of this academic year, I was in floods of tears thinking that I couldn't juggle my degree with my other commitments, horse and all, and now I have finished with some of my best coursework marks to date, despite all the odds against me. I am capable!! This, of course, is ignoring the upcoming exam results- kill me now before I find out. But to top it all off, in the last couple of months the University of Surrey has been named eighth best university in the country by The Guardian's uni guide. It is mind blowing to think that when I was choosing universities, I told myself I couldn't even get into one of the top 20, let alone the top 10. And now I can proudly say that I go to a top 10 university. I'd say that's pretty damn good.
Of course, there's the little things too: I'm finally becoming a better, confident rider; I've cultivated seriously special friendships which I know will last for years and years to come (you know who you are girls!); I've met Lawson (still holding out for one of them to propose to me, I know they'll come back for me soon); I experienced the best Colours Ball yet; and there are so many more, I'm not going to list them. But how can I complain about one day when really that day is just a celebration of the amazing year that I've had?
So, to round off this now positive pre-birthday post, here are my five goals for this coming year:
1. Be fluent in French after my year abroad
2. Take Toffee to another clear round jumping
3. Be at a decent level on the drums (to be defined at a later date, possibly along with an uploaded video)
4. Go to Italy and have a photo at all of the most famous sites (granted this will probably be very shortly fulfilled with my dream to go to Italy coming true in 6 days! So I might replace it with another soon)
5. And finally one I cannot unveil to the wider public for fear of airing my laundry.
Small goals, I know. Nothing major here but... From little acorns mighty oaks do grow. Goodbye to 19 year old me. xoxo
We pretty much have no plans and I failed to give anybody any clues as to what I wanted/needed (money? Poor student here...) so I'm not sure tomorrow is going to blow my socks off. I can barely be bothered to get myself into a birthday outfit to give myself the excuse of getting all dressed up. BUT, trying to be ever the optimist, I thought I would look not at the day itself, which after all only marks the year passing, and instead look at what I've achieved this year and what my aims are for next year (before the big 2-1... Eeeeek!).
There are three huge landmarks this year which immediately jump out at me as some of my proudest moments to date:
1. Finally getting Toffee to our first show. Sure, I fell off. Twice. In front of everyone. But we've come so far since then and just being able to get there after such a turmoil surrounding my riding life was an achievement in itself. Plus, we did get round... Eventually. And today I had the most wonderful hack on him as we cantered over the countryside. So overall, job well done. Nutty pony cured. Just kidding, that's wishful thinking but we're getting there.
2. News Editor of The Stag newspaper at uni. At the time, it was an incredible honour to be voted in and I seized the chance with both hands, throwing myself into research and emailing and generating fresh ideas. Little did I know that it probably wasn't as important as I had originally thought and it didn't bring me the university-wide fame I had envisaged. But hindsight is a beautiful thing, and also a really pessimistic thing. So whilst I can now say that I no longer I want to be a journalist and I often ended up loathing the time I had to take to complete my section, I wouldn't change it. It added to already massively high stress levels but taught me to better manage my time and balance work/commitments/me time.
3. President of the Equestrian Club. Especially with the thank you I received at the end, I have to say that this has been the highlight of this year at university. I never, ever thought this would happen. I was pushing my luck for Vice or Treasurer at the AGM, but through a change in circumstance, it kind of landed in my lap in what I can only put down to fate. To say that I have been President of the Equestrian Club is so important to me after everything I have been through with horses. It's as though it all paid off. I actually felt needed and important, and I guess I was. Best decision I ever made.
And to think at the beginning of this academic year, I was in floods of tears thinking that I couldn't juggle my degree with my other commitments, horse and all, and now I have finished with some of my best coursework marks to date, despite all the odds against me. I am capable!! This, of course, is ignoring the upcoming exam results- kill me now before I find out. But to top it all off, in the last couple of months the University of Surrey has been named eighth best university in the country by The Guardian's uni guide. It is mind blowing to think that when I was choosing universities, I told myself I couldn't even get into one of the top 20, let alone the top 10. And now I can proudly say that I go to a top 10 university. I'd say that's pretty damn good.
Of course, there's the little things too: I'm finally becoming a better, confident rider; I've cultivated seriously special friendships which I know will last for years and years to come (you know who you are girls!); I've met Lawson (still holding out for one of them to propose to me, I know they'll come back for me soon); I experienced the best Colours Ball yet; and there are so many more, I'm not going to list them. But how can I complain about one day when really that day is just a celebration of the amazing year that I've had?
So, to round off this now positive pre-birthday post, here are my five goals for this coming year:
1. Be fluent in French after my year abroad
2. Take Toffee to another clear round jumping
3. Be at a decent level on the drums (to be defined at a later date, possibly along with an uploaded video)
4. Go to Italy and have a photo at all of the most famous sites (granted this will probably be very shortly fulfilled with my dream to go to Italy coming true in 6 days! So I might replace it with another soon)
5. And finally one I cannot unveil to the wider public for fear of airing my laundry.
Small goals, I know. Nothing major here but... From little acorns mighty oaks do grow. Goodbye to 19 year old me. xoxo
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