A 'Long' Welsh Goodbye.

...but just hopefully, 'Auf Wiedersehen'.


Seriously, seriously hoping to be a little more regular now. I've finally invested in a brand new laptop so it won't take me 10 million years to get anything done any more. Seriously, just editing a few of my holiday photos over the weekend took less than an hour from import to upload, so much better than the close to 3 hours it had been taking in recent months. I'm not trying to make excuses for my absence but I think it's pretty well justified, doing everything on that old thing was such a chore. With that being said, for 7 years and the amount of hard work it's been through, from CVs to final projects, my old Macbook didn't have too bad an innings.

These are some photos from the beginning of the month, when I said 'g'day, mate' to one of my closest friends as he totters over to the other side of the world with his girlfriend for the foreseeable.

I'm actually a little annoyed with myself as I somehow managed to delete the Friday evening up to the middle of Saturday from my camera. I've tried recovering it but unfortunately it hasn't worked. Still, I'm really pleased with the photos I did take. I also took some video so I'm hoping it will still work even with the missing files. These things happen though, I guess, and it doesn't take away from the fact it was a really nice weekend.

Midsummer — A little while back...

Here's to a New Living Room...

It's not ours yet but see how it's all square and not narrow, I'm so excited to hear when we can move in!
After a few hastily put together tweets, I guess the secret is out and after just a few short weeks of hunting, Moon and I have found a house!

It's quite a nice house too, in Bicester, which will be new to us but is a much better location for work and therefore work-life balance. A couple of brief trips around Bicester town centre indicate that I might like it, but Oxford's not too far away and we'll be spending so many weekends DIYing from here to what seems like eternity that maybe it won't matter that there's not much of a space for weekend pottering.

I am joking, the new little house is actually in pretty great knick, with just a bit of painting to do and a tiny issue with the en-suite shower room tiles, which is mainly down the laziness rather than there actually being anything wrong - and will apparently be fixed before we move in - though it's relatively inexpensive to do ourselves so we're not holding our breath either way.

I am excited but I'm still reluctant to shout it from the rooftops just yet because as horror stories dictate, it could all go wrong. I hope it won't and in my heart of hearts I don't think it will but it's still a (very expensive) situation to be approached with caution.

Apparently we've done the hard part of getting our offer accepted, a whirlwind 20 minute ride the weekend before last, exchanging 1-minute phone calls with the estate agents. Now we're waiting on the bank to officially approve us and for our solicitors to do 'searches'.

We're pretty lucky that we haven't got an upper chain so it should all run quite smoothly but I still don't feel the actual exciting part will come until we're in there, in our overalls painting over the current, incredibly dark, bedroom walls. DIY tips on a postcard, please.

I guess you're to expect a few wishlist posts and other things that come with house-buying but I wanted to get you up to date before that. I'm still very much in a bit of a blogging funk but as I've noticed over the years this tends to happen in the post-Christmas lull so I'm sure once spring arrives I'll have a bit more energy and motivation.

Worst Try at January, Ever.

Let's try that one again, shall we?

After being completely bowled over by a virus for almost all of this week, my first week in January hasn't exactly allowed me to start 2015 as I mean to go on.
It makes perfect sense now why I didn't feel like drinking much at our New Year's party and why I'd been so lazy in the lead up to feeling actually lousy last weekend.

So, I'm back to normal now and ready to start my year properly - I might get round to that 'fitness regime' I've been putting off and I definitely want to start taking more photographs again, feels like I haven't picked up my camera since just after Christmas - which I guess is true.

I'm hoping that nothing else is going to put me off my stride, or make me such a zombie that I leave my car window open on a rainy night - all night - again(!)

Happy almost second week of 2015! I hope your year is off to a slightly more productive start.

Doing Words.

[unknown]Might not be a surprise given the radio silence, but I've so not been feeling my computer recently.

Sitting on social media all day most days for a job and then coming home and doing it for fun... well, it kind of lost its fun, not completely I'm just not into creating any content. I've been using my computer to watch my American TV shows, do a bit of Christmas shopping price comparison and that's pretty much been it.

I have a bit of a backlog of posts I want to schedule but can't find the motivation to, it will happen, when I get two minutes to not clean the flat, brush the cat or catch up on the latest episode of The Missing - sure, it's a BBC Drama but I'm h-o-o-k-e-d!

So I've been lazy rather than busy but that's okay. I first saw this what feels like ages ago on Chelsea's blog and it feels like as good a filler as any to push me back into this thing.

Making :: Long to-do lists.
Cooking :: Easy things and broccoli.
Drinking :: More merlot, less rosé.
Reading :: 'In Real Life' - Nev Schulman.
Wanting :: This Seasalt parka.
Looking :: Tired with quite fluffy hair.
Playing :: Christmas songs.
Wasting :: Avocados, I don't have enough of a recipe repertoire to make the most of a twin pack.
Deciding :: The best way to be diplomatic about upcoming situations.
Wishing :: I had more lounge time.
Enjoying :: Earlier bedtimes.
Waiting :: For Christmas! ♥
Liking :: Finally actually feeling settled.
Wondering :: How long I can get away with not wrapping the Christmas gifts piling up in our front room.
Loving :: Planning the exciting things 2015 is set to hold.
Considering :: Mainly lunches for the week, but also mortgage advisors and where the best place to move will be.
Watching :: 'The Missing' - Sad to have all caught up and back to being drip-fed for the last two episodes.
Hoping :: That late-November's great news marks a spot of luck.
Marvelling :: At the cat's undying love for boxes.
Needing :: To prioritise.
Smelling :: Of Christmas cranberry moisturiser.
Wearing :: Pyjamas as soon as I get in the house.
Following :: Exposure on Pinterest and getting some srs wanderlust feels.
Noticing :: How much growing up I've done in the last 18 months, when did I become this chill?!
Knowing :: That I shouldn't feel too bad about intoruth not getting as much attention.
Thinking :: Sometimes it's dangerous to be a good judge of character.
Feeling :: Excited that there's only one more weekend until my sister is back from Hong Kong for Christmas!
Admiring :: How on-point everyone's VM becomes at Christmas-time.
Buying :: Christmas gifts, despite it being trickier than ever this year - and cushions for myself because I needed new ones and I survived Christmas shopping on a Sunday.
Getting :: Ill, slowly.
Bookmarking :: Things I might want once the Christmas sale kicks in and this post from Joy the Baker.
Opening :: Gifts I've bought for other people as they arrive through the post.
Giggling :: At mine and my sister's weekly life updates.

There's not a lot going on at the moment but I'll get back to you in a minute...

Make it Cosy.

With last weekend probably marking the last one before the madness of Christmas takes over, following on one of the busiest work-weeks of my life, I took the opportunity to make the most of my down-time and really relax.

From a couple of long lie-ins to a roast dinner and a short, leisurely stroll around the town, everything about last weekend was about being in the slow lane - and I think that's really necessary sometimes.

Now Monday is here and it's back to being in full-swing of designing the digital brochure that's been my main project for the last few weeks. It's so nice to be busy again, thinking about the last 18 months and comparing it to the last month or so and I can see how bored and unmotivated I was. It's amazing how far a little bit of praise and finally allowing myself to ease in can go, it's pretty good to back.

I Love November.

As I've said many, many times before, I love summer. It's not that I hate winter, it certainly has it's good points; Christmas, New Year, central heating and jumpers, but it gets darker earlier and lighter later and I really, really love vitamin D.

And yet with all that said, November is still one of my favourite months. Bonfire Night is one of my favourite nights of the year and I like that November allows for a lead-up to Christmas without as much intensity. Like, you're allowed to start Christmas shopping but you don't have to be angsty about it.

November always feels like a decision-making month and for the last few years it's always been packed with lots of things to do, with this year being no exception as we're pretty much booked up all month!

What I'm Looking Forward to in November:

• Firework displays of all sizes
• Planning our annual Christmas get-together with our friends
• The weather finally making up its mind and knowing I can wrap up without breaking into a sweat
• Bath Christmas Market
• Making more soups and stews
• A gig on a boat in Bristol
• Frosty mornings
• Partying up with old friends
• Making the most of the darker evenings by lighting all the candles
• Blowing out the cobwebs on weekend walks

What do you like about November? I love a month that showcases the changing of the seasons, and a month with fireworks, obviously.

How Pinteresting #2

I wasn't sure whether I would be doing this again, but I must admit that I'm feeling a little run down this week and I wanted to post something! It's all a bit annoying given that tonight I'm off to see Dry the River (for the 11,000th time), I'm doing my best to power through but there's no doubt that Sunday will be made for relaxing - I do hope to feel well enough to get up to Greenham Common at some point though, it feels like it's been almost a year since our last visit and it's perfect for this wild weather.

We're finally getting our changing of the seasons here but well, it is October after all. I do love different things about each season but as a summer baby, warm weather will always be where my loyalties lie. That said, being wrapped up and coming into a warm house from the cold does provide a lot of satisfaction.

I've found that in the last month, with the weather actually being all over the place, it's been hard to get into a theme on Pinterest lately. It still feels a little too early for Christmas (although that event is getting scarily closer) and it's not quite autumnal enough to start banging on about frost, changing leaves and pumpkin everything — that said, the clocks go back in a couple of weeks and I tried my first ever pumpkin bread this week so only time will tell...



1 // The Most Breathtaking Views of Beautiful Earth from Above — That title isn't a lie, some of these are pretty awesome. I think next year, once I'm back on my feet after throwing all my money at becoming a home owner (WIP), I'll start to get serious about updating my kit, everything I have Photography-wise is so old now and although I love it and actually don't fancy getting rid of it, I know it's time for a change, especially if I'm likely to be taking on more event photography at work (yeah, so that's something that might be happening).
2 // Watercolour Mural — I feel like I've had wedding thoughts and inspiration coming out of my ears lately, and I'm not even having one. This from my point of view isn't intended to be that weddingy and is actually something I like on more of the home décor level, such a simple but pretty idea.
3 // Mirdinara, Breeze — I feel like this .gif, with its hypnotic ways, epitomises autumn, I wish I knew the original source so I could find more - that's the real trouble with sites like Pinterest and Tumblr, it's very easy to get lost.
4 // Russian Dogs by Lili Chin — I've seen these illustrations floating all over the place for a while but when I finally uncovered the original source and discovered there was a Russian dogs version, I found my favourite. Borzois are fun but obviously I picked it due to the samoyed, I can't get enough of those guys are the moment.

It was a little harder than it should have been to sift through all the motivational quotes I've been pinning lately (even visual pick-me-ups can do the trick), I figured this was a slightly more interesting selection and better for a good, old-fashioned link-up.

You can follow me on Pinterest :: here.

Three Weeks in Oxford.

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I started working in Oxford!


I feel like I'm completely used to the walk - it only took me 20 minutes the other day(!) - and have finally got a hang of my bearings. As someone whose internal compass is wrong almost all of the time, that second part is a pretty nice feeling.

As I mentioned before, we've now changed our route, which means we're less panicked and actually, the walk is much more enjoyable too so everything is just much less stressful than I foresaw it being when I first started coming here.



I'm not sure how strange it is that as well as driving in and then walking to Oxford City Centre, Moon and I are also having lunch together - there's part of me that knows it is a lot of time to spend together, particularly as we live together as well - but it's quite nice to have a lunch-buddy and we haven't run out of things to talk about yet. It will probably all change when winter comes and it's too cold to sit out but it's nice to not do those kind of things alone, despite knowing it's probably something we'll probably get judged for.

As I quite like my own space and time alone, I've been making a bit of an effort to do things apart where we can, which seems like a strange idea but absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.



As a city, I quite like Oxford, I mean it showed its true colours a couple of weeks ago when I witnessed a busker get both bitten on the face and essentially mugged, but overall it's changed a few of my ideas about where we'll be thinking of buying a house in the next year or so.

It's a great place to have a camera, with every other corner having a picture-perfect scene all laid out for you, and a lot of that's just the architecture!

I was feeling a little overwhelmed towards the middle of my second week, I think because September seemed to rush by and so much has happened in the last few months. It might be a little while before I start to feel completely settled but, as I've said before, it's quite nice to see things piece together and just be able to take things in, even if that part of things is taking a bit of time.

Smiling on Sunday :: Six

[source]
It's been a little while since I've done one of these posts but I've just been so short of time recently. Now things are looking a little more settled in my new job and we've found a better way to walk and drive in in the mornings, it feels like everything is slotting a little more neatly in to place - even if only temporarily.

I must admit, a half-hour drive followed by a mile-and-a-half walk isn't my dream commute but it does the job at freshening me up in the mornings and it's a pretty easy thing to add to my 'fitness regime' (lol).

So, after the mega-high brought by last weekend and aside from a bit of secondhand family-related stress, everything is alright.

IRL:

• Celebrating our friend's engagement - It was so sneaky for Stacy and Pip to keep something like that a secret from us but I guess, knowing that we were going to see them and being able to tell us in person made it all the more special. I know... I'll stop blabbering on about it now but being the first of anything is quite a big deal, especially in such a close group of friends and I'm just so excited about it!
• Finding a new, shorter, less boring walk to work - Sometimes it's the little things but the new walk I've been taking to and from the car this week has been so much better. The old route was one road through a council estate, this one, yeah, it's not amazing but there's a cute woodland surrounded by fields filled with horses and cows. Not a bad way to start the day at all
• Trying to be a better friend - While everything in my life right now isn't completely perfect, catching up with a couple of my oldest girlfriends and hearing that they haven't been having the best time made me feel like it was time to just be a bit more available than I have been. It's lame to say but it's hard to keep track of so many people when they're all over the place doing different things with different time tables. It's easy to get caught up in something else or just your 'own stuff' and even if just occasionally, it's pretty good to be there for someone

Must-Try Recipes:

• Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies - After discovering the delights of Ben's Cookies and finding out that actually, with the right recipe, I can make some pretty killer cookies myself, I'm into trying out a few more recipes, especially ones with contrasting flavours. Also, I recently discovered that toasted almonds might be one of the best things ever, put them in a chicken salad a few weeks ago. Try it, it will change your life
• Bacon & Egg Shengjian Bao Pan-Fried Steamed Buns - There's a stall at the Giant Market in Oxford on Wednesdays and Thursdays that does baos for £1.80. Baos are one of my favourites at dim sum but even my mum buys them frozen rather than making them. Still, it would be neat to give them a go and they don't seem too difficult
• Peach Dumplings - 2 out of 3 sweet recipes? I swear I'm not a sweet tooth, but these peach dumplings just sound like something really special. They get bonus points for being pretty quick and simple too, this will be high up on my list of things to try out in the next few weeks

Lovely Links:

• John Malkovich Recreating Iconic Photographs - I was a little annoyed when I saw this reported in the Metro that they only focused on his celebrity portrait recreations. As a Photography graduate it was much more fun to see his portraits of 'classic art school photos', the Diane Arbus one really tickled my funny bone
• Messy 3D Typography by Allison Supron - Letters made out of cheese, you say? There's something I can devote some attention to
• Lauren's Thoughts on Packing in the 9-5 - Still feeling like I'm in a bit of a transitional period myself, Lauren's post about what it's like to run away to The Dolomites and leave a 'stable career' was pretty poignant. If it's one thing I wish it's that I could be little braver. It's the danger of comparison that can be so detrimental to so many aspects of your life too so I find her sense of adventure incredibly admirable

Hope you have a fantastic Sunday, I'll be heading back to Surrey to spend the afternoon with my mum, lunch is involved ♥

Smiling on Sunday :: Five.

[source]
This week has been one that's been full of second-hand stress but also excitement at the prospect of new beginnings and an(other) upcoming mini-break.

I'm not sure I know how to feel about finishing up my first proper grown-up job knowing that it's something that I wanted for such a long time. I'm really grateful for the opportunities they gave me and for the people I've met who have become friends. While I do feel sad about the state that it's in and leaving, I know it's the right time for me and it marks the beginning of something different.

I think it has been kind of difficult to find things to smile about this week because I've spent so much time feeling generally stressed and annoyed but there's something to be said about finding the good in bad situations.

IRL:

• Making plans for Northern Ireland - It's been pretty fun to pick and choose where we're going for our upcoming trip, naturally Pinterest has been a great help. I'm especially excited about a proper day in Belfast, as well as getting to spend some more time with some of Moon's extended family and maybe even go on my first ever fishing trip!
• Moving on to pastures new - As I said above, overall I'm not sure how to feel about it but I feel very excited about the progress that it all symbolises, maybe this time next year I'll be a real grown up
• Visits from friends - Even though we didn't manage to get even close to getting the whole 'gang' together last weekend, I do feel pretty blessed to have the friends that I do. As a self-confessed actual moody cat, I sometimes feel amazed that I've been able to maintain these friendships. It probably has a lot to do with what a great guy Moon is but I'm quite thankful for that too so...

Must-Try Recipes:

• Mexican Street Corn Croquettes - This is one I'm going to force myself to make before the day is done. I've been a bit obsessed with corn since my birthday dinner at La Bodega Negra and have wanted to try corn fritters for ages. This is the most hassle-free recipe I've found, does look like I'll be sourcing some panko breadcrumbs today though
• Blackberry Pie Bars - September is blackberry season and while I've not managed to find any brambles yet, you can bet I'm on the look out. Picking fruit is all well and good but foraging is all the more fun if you have a neat recipe to back it up
• Melty Ham, Brie and Peach Toastie - There aren't many words I can find for this one and I know it's not really a recipe but if you can ever go wrong with anything related to melted cheese I'd like to hear about it

Lovely Links:

• Clare's post about losing weight was a pretty brave one and I really feel for her both generally and because I had a similar kind of healthy-living epiphany at the beginning of the year
• Bee from Vivatramp's How to Get Out of a Reading Slump tips were really good. Having got back into the reading swing of things over the summer, it's nice to see that there are other people out there who slack in the book department sometimes too. After reading academically (yes, we do that on Photography degrees too) for such a long time up until I went away to Portugal it had been such a long while since I'd read book after book like I used to. Admittedly I put off reading my last book for quite some time but I'm hoping to be on to the next one once we're on the plane to Ireland
• How wonderful is Film4's re-brand? I must admit that I do skip over Film4 as a channel a bit because... well, films with adverts doesn't appeal but as a full-time film appreciator, their upcoming 16 shorts are really intriguing. Not only do they look stunning, they'll be full of cinematic references and the photo-nerd in me almost can't handle the fact they'll mostly be edited in-camera - can't wait!
• Emily Blincoe was featured on Mashable this week. I have followed her Instagram for a while now, I think I found her through one of The Dainty Squid's Friday Favourites posts, but I thought it was about time I shared her with you. Her work is just so satisfying to look at, I hear she's working with brands like Target now too which is so awesome
  

:: Have you entered my giveaway to win tickets to the Royal Berkshire County Show on the 20th September? ::

Being Next and Making a Leap.

A couple of weeks ago Moon's brother got engaged to his long term girlfriend. I'm happy for them but I guess there are a few things that make it strange for me - not in an out of turn way and not at all in a bitchy way like that first part makes it sound.

Knowing Moon's brother from when he was 15 and seeing him grow into the 23 year-old man he's become, particularly seeing him make such a huge 'grown up' step is quite strange to watch. I don't mean that in the sense that he shouldn't be doing it, I guess it's more of a self-conscious thing about someone younger doing something before me, it's like when you find out an actor or singer are 18 and you look at your own life and wonder what you've accomplished.
Before you go there, I'm not the kind of person to make comparisons like this really, although I know it's only human, I also think it's weak as hell and comparing myself to others by way of caring what other people think has never really been my bag. I'm more likely to get anxious over something I've done rather than something I haven't.

Do people in long-term post-teen relationships feel like they're missing out?

I often wonder whether people in long-term puppy-love relationships such as mine, who haven't 'made that step' feel like they're missing out on something. When Moon and I first got together, I was 16, if you'd have told me almost 8 and a half years down the line that we'd still be together, I reckon 16 year-old me would expect to have had a wedding and at least be on to planning on having a baby by now, 25 seems so old when you're that age.
Now that I am 25, I see that it's not old at all, there are so many things that I've yet to achieve, not from lack of experience or desire but just because I'm not ready. It's not something that's easy to explain because not being ready for something is so subjective but I'm not ready to jet off round the world or buy a house or have a baby or get engaged. I want those things at some point in the future, but I don't want them now, I'm still getting over figuring the day-to-day stuff out.

I figured that with the news of Moon's brother's engagement travelling around his family that questions about our relationship would arise. Moon and I have been together for over double the time they have, and that's not a 'big I am', it's just how time works. Being realistic, in the same timescale Moon and I were 20 years old by that point in our relationship and still at university, were we really ready for anything at that stage? Now we're 8 years in and I don't see myself with anyone else, I see myself buying a house with him and setting up a real home, we'll worry about weddings later.

We've never even been to a wedding together before.

Out of our close-knit (and wonderful) group of 10 friends, we are one of four couples and even the couple that seems to be at a wedding together every other week don't seem like they're going to be putting a ring on it anytime soon. As stupid as it sounds, peer pressure is a thing and there just isn't any here. Our friends in couples are long term and happy, just like us but don't seem to be ready either. Maybe it's our generation, maybe (hopefully not) they're being courteous to the fact Moon and I have been together the longest and therefore should 'go first' but, and this is probably going to be my canned response if I end up having this talk with Moon's Nana, it is what it is and we're happy so everything else can come after.

In the last two years, venturing outside of my 'peer group', I've seen a couple who aren't married but have been together for 25 years with a mortgage, a cat and no TV while on the flip-side, I've met a lady who was married by the time she was my age, separated before giving birth to their first child and divorced before she turned 30.
It would be a very boring place if we all did things in a regimented way at the same time, as I grow (and I always feel like I am doing just that), the differences I see never fail to amaze me.

Admittedly, I would be sad if I didn't see a ring on my finger in the future, it's silly, sentimental, girly and not really me but it's true. Put it this way, I'm not actually sad right now and I'm not in a rush. I feel like with each year we're happier and more comfortable with each other and we're just so lucky to have each other - sometimes I could burst - it comes down to each to their own.

Beaky interference and the stress that comes with comparison is tricky but all we can do is continue to celebrate life events in our family, and I'm happy for Moon's brother and his new fiancé.

Smiling on Sunday :: Four.

[source]
This week has felt short and long in many respects, I'm quite pleased to be hanging on to the weekend with an extra day added to my bank holiday and it only being Sunday.

There has been quite a bit to be pleased about this week, even if a lot of it has involved making grown up decisions that no one is able to make for me - a small part of me misses the time when I was always told what to do.

IRL:

• I got a new job! - After the uncertain feeling from last week, things seem to have turned around a bit, as I've noticed it seems to since doing these round-ups, maybe nothing is really worth the dramz. But yes, pending contracts and the like, I'll be a Digital Marketing Executive come the middle of September. It all marks the beginning of exciting (and scary) things
• Cups of tea post-dinner - This week I've been getting into the habit of making myself a nice cup of tea after dinner, not only that but I've managed to catch it at the perfect temperature when I come to drink it too. This is something that I tend to do more once it gets cooler but given that I've spent more nights this week with a blanket wrapped around me than not, I think it's justified
• Having the bed to myself for a few minutes each morning - What this really means is that Moon is having to get up earlier to beat traffic and coming home super-sleepy in the evenings because of it but there's something really good about starfishing out for an extra 10 minutes before it's time to make myself presentable

Must-Try Recipes:

• 21 Energy Boosting Breakfast Toasts - I think breakfast is my favourite meal of the day but I do still find my tummy rumbling at work come 11am, not good. Toast is usually what I go for but after seeing these, I recognise that what I'm putting on it might not make for the most nutritional breakfast. Definitely willing to give some of these a try, may avoid the ones with cottage cheese though
• Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup - I know it seems silly for it to be August and to be talking about soups but it's been so chilly around these parts, plus it's such a bright colour you could say it's summery. I made a stew at the beginning of the week, while I hope the weather does warm up, I do miss my staple one-pot dishes a little bit
• Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps - This is what I feel like we should be having, and on a warmer afternoon at the beginning of the month we had something very similar at my mum's. I always forget it exists, I think because I don't care for iceberg lettuce very much but as a wrap, it's a wonderful way to make a dish more refreshing

Lovely Links:

The birthday dinner party Ally from Now That's Pretty threw for her boyfriend looks wonderful. She's given some great tips for throwing your own big dinner party too, makes me wish our friends lived nearer to us so we could pull one of these out 'just because' rather than for a special occasion.

Lyzi's photographs from her Bucket List Balloon Ride are truly awesome. Going up in an air balloon is something I've always wanted to do, it looks so fun and peaceful.

Charlotte's post from her trip to Dublin had me quite excited to take a trip to Southern Ireland. With the Irish side of my family being from Belfast, most holidays to Ireland have been in Northern Ireland or more to the west. I think I've only been to Dublin once and I spent the day grumpy (because I am grumpy, not because of Dublin) and I think it's only fair to give it another go.

Next Week's Motto: 'You get out what you put in...'
What's made you smile this week?

Smiling on Sunday :: On Monday.

[source]
I'm not going to lie to you, after the mega-high at the tail-end of last week, there have been a few things to worry about. Between job uncertainty and the sad news of Robin Williams' passing, the first half of this week didn't bring that much for me to be happy about.

That said, it was my birthday week, and having booked myself in for a long weekend at 'home-home', bagging a few interviews and making a trip up to London, this weekend has been another great one.
Turning 25 is still strange to me but I think it's going to be alright, so much has changed in the last five years that it's easy to see some progress on the horizon, and I'm quite excited about that.

IRL:

• Birthday treats and surprises – I felt truly spoilt on Saturday and will have lots to share with you over the next few days. Starting with a cream tea breakfast at cat-lady mecca, Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium followed by my 'surprise gift' of a box at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. We then had a wander around Covent Garden before heading to secret Mexican restaurant, La Bodega Negra - what a treat! Mr Moon definitely won major boyfriend points and it was just the nicest day
• Let's go to the theatre some more! – After seeing a grand total of two plays this year, Moon has finally discovered that the theatre isn't all singing hams and he quite likes it. I'm not saying we'll be regulars now or anything but it's pretty cool to see that he's broadened his horizons a bit
• Little Doll feeling better – Dolly had some kind of virus all last week, which was a little worrying. She now seems to be completely better, her third eyelids are back where they should be and she's going outside again. I'm obviously happy she's not ill anymore anyway but the fact she won't be inclined to use the litter tray for a while is one of the best things about her recovery

Must-Try Recipes:

• Sweet Potato Nachos with Smoked Cheddar and Black Beans - Mexican food is one of my favourites and if Moon and I are out to dinner and there are nachos, you can bet we'll be eating them. These sound like a great twist and while the sweet potato hype has never really hit me, you can't beat anything covered in cheese
• Summertime Tea - I kind hate flavoured teas, they always smell so delicious and wind up tasting the same as each other, at least to me anyway. Mixing it with other (real) flavours to make something refreshing and (sort of) healthy sounds pretty good to me though.

Lovely Links:

This cute illustrated 'dress like a bookworm' wishlist from HelloGiggles.com


Sophie Gamand's lovely Pit Bull Flower Power photography series has the cute-o-meter dialled up to 11. I'm a firm believer in it often being a case of bad training than a case of bad dog. In fact, all of Sophie's dog portraits are wonderful, I've really been covetting a pup of my own lately.

• This list of beautiful Robin Williams stories - I, as I've seen from so many others, am genuinely mourning for the loss of Robin Williams. It still seems strange to say that given that I'd never met him and only watched his films but from comedy to drama, his are some films that I really love and I'd always name him among my favourite actors of all time.
  I even stuck it out with The Crazy Ones because of him, and despite the show's shortcomings, he's as brilliant as ever. It breaks my heart reading new details every day but his passing seems to have marked an opening for dialogue, that it's important to realise that some of us are fighting a hard fight and we need to take notice

Today has me looking ahead to a fresh week, hopefully with new challenges and slightly more of the positive thinking that was washing over me this time last week.

Smiling on Sunday | What a Week!

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This time last week I was psyching myself up for a mini-break to Bruges after the most beautiful Saturday evening with my sweet boy at Secret Cinema's showing of Back to the Future.

Today we're having a family leaving party for my sister who is off to Hong Kong in just 10 days! After spending a lovely day and a half with our friend's Tom and Matt, this whole week will really have been a great one. Even the Thursday down time where I took the day off to get my life together post-holiday before popping out in the evening for a lovely collegue's leaving do and a pulled pork burger.

As action-packed weeks go, I think this was one of them and I feel like I'll be finishing Sunday up feeling rather blessed indeed - not a bad way to go in to my birthday week even if I do say so myself - just under 6 days until I join The 25 Club!

I'm kind of aware that I'm a bit behind on things as far as posting photos and stuff goes, I haven't even shared my Bruges photos with Moon yet, but I needed to get some words out there, you know... to let you know that I'm doing pretty darn well, actually.

Here are some other nice things from real-life and the Internet.

IRL:

• Starting a fresh, new notebook ♥ - I'm well and truly converted to bullet journalling and it's the way forward for me as far as keeping myself productive goes. This time I've gone against Moleskine for something a bit more purse-friendly but I can tell we're going to get along just fine
• The return of Great British Bake Off - I missed the first half on Wednesday as I was still on my way back from Bruges via London but was able to insta-catch up as soon as it was over. So sad that Iain isn't nearly as good a baker as he is a beard grower but I guess time will tell. Do you have a favourite yet?
  
• Seeing Moon get a bit excited about my birthday - Because we've been together since we were quite young, have been together for quite a long time and now live together, I sometimes feel like there's less room for elements of mystery and surprises - Moon has proved me wrong. I wouldn't at all call him romantic and I quite like him the way he is but to see him get all giddy about the place he's booked for us to go to dinner on my birthday and be completely schtum about what we're doing during the day does kind of set my heart into a flutter
  

Must-Try Recipes:

• Lemonade Cucumber Spa Pops - Having just discovered the delights of Qcumber water, these really sound good to me, so easy too!
• Rosie's River Cottage Soda Bread - I just picked up a new recipe book about baking bread last week - Rosie's recipe is a bit simpler than the one in the book, I can't wait to give it a go.
• Salted Caramel Rice Krispy Squares - I'm obsessed with salted caramel lately, I blame Haagen Dazs.
• Rhubarb Upside-Down Yoghurt Cake - I've never made a yoghurt cake before and I think this one would be a good one to start with, not sure I could make one quite as beautiful though.

Lovely Links:

Kaylah's birthday posts always bring a smile to my face, such beautiful bright colours.

Rosie's short but sweet post about her and her fiancé reading together is so nice. Moon and I have been reading a lot more recently so this might be something to try when we finish our current books, makes a nice change from staying up and watching TV.

I really liked Clare's golden hour photographs of her allotment, something I love about this time of year. Even as a Photography graduate though, lighting's never really been my strongest point I wouldn't say but Clare has nailed it - her blog has also had a cheeky makeover too, which is really nice to see.

50 Songs from the 2000s That Will Instantly Put You in a Good Mood - Go for it, there are some real gems there.

Hope you have a fun-filled, relaxing Sunday. x