Friday Favourites 19th August - 1st September 2017.
FF01.09.2017
Somehow we have arrived in September of 2017 and there's like 4 months left of the year and wtf I am screaming. Luckily we were spoiled a bit with a 4 day week and next week I only have a 4 day week too and omfg so excited. Also can we just discuss the weather? Is that a terribly British thing to do? But I have a theory that it's always sunny when the kids go back to school and I haven't been proved wrong yet so just sayin......
1. Family Birthdays.
A fortnight ago my Uncle had a big birthday with a big party and my Mum was tasked to do the cake. He wanted the family on it so she made the grub and got me to decorate so I got my illustration head on and created this masterpiece. It took me 3 and a half hours but I bloody loved it (and luckily he did too) and it's the best cake I've done in ages. Didn't know I had secret talents did ya?
2. Financial Spreadsheets.
I mean bit of a weird one I appreciate. It's not the spreadsheets I particularly loved although mine are colour coded so they're pretty cool. Being self employed means doing my own taxes and it's a bloody ballache and takes a really long time - so long in fact I'm working on mine for several hours per week and it's not done yet. BUT I really broke the back of it last week, I did a lot of filing and felt super productive and all girl boss like by the time I got home. If only I could channel that all day errday....
3. Cardiff Museum.
Last week we started the bank holiday weekend early with a trip to Cardiff to take my niece to the museum. My Dad had a day off work, Joss had a day off work so along with my Mum and me we took my niece for her SEVENTH time there. She's 2. There's currently a dinosaur exhibition on at the museum that you pay for which we didn't go in but there's claws on top of the entrance which is pretty cool and we went round all the bits my niece loves most. She knows exactly where everything is and exactly what every animal is - down to the dinosaurs names and what beetles they are she had such a good day.
4. Primark A/W.
So I don't actually have a photo of Primark's Autumn/Winter selection in the Cardiff branch because I burst through the shop and didn't get swayed. I had to return a top that didn't fit and I was SO tempted to have a look round but SO skint I headed up to the top floor to exchange my item and leave. But but but I did swivel my head on the odd occasion and omfg it looks amazing. I saw wool coats, I saw pastel jumpers, I saw knits, I saw scarves and I saw a yellow puffy bomber jacket that I never realised I needed in my life but appaz I do.
5. Bristol.
On Saturday I drove across the Severn bridge to the outskirts of Bristol for a catch up with my old uni flatmate. I was supposed to go on the train but lol bank holiday meant bus replacements and I'm just not about that life so I hopped in the car and actually the drive was so nice. I was SO hot last weekend so we sat by her patio doors, cooked mac and cheese for us and her friends and family, had a big ol catchup and then went to Blaise Castle in the afternoon. Everyone told us it was super easy to find so naturally it took us over an hour and 3 and a half miles later and we finally found it - and turns out it WAS super easy to find once you knew it.... We were in desperate need of an ice cream at the end which was well worth it and then had to stop at Asda for a fanta too. We'll learn.
Photo credit - Jenny Webb
6. Coffee Dates.
Sunday last week was a busy old day for me for socialising. In the morning I met up with two friends from school for a coffee - even though it was already boiling - and a big catchup. We talked lives and jobs and families and relationships and drank hot drinks and talked it all out and it was SO good and not long enough.
7. BBQ.
After my coffee date and an afternoon (& Sunday roast) and my Mum's house with my brother, his fiancé and my niece I picked Joss up at home and went to my friends farm for a BBQ. We saw friends we haven't seen in forever, we took some of our cider, we ate LOTS of food and we stayed late into the night round the fire and it was the perfect Summer's evening. If I hadn't been dead on my feet I'm sure we'd have stayed later or camped like lots of other people and then maybe had leftover BBQ food for breakfast....
8. Lunch.
If my bank holiday wasn't busy enough I then met up with MORE friends on Monday for brunch that turned into an Ikea trip and lunch. My friends I met on my Foundation course are very very dear to me (although I'd never tell them cos we're not sentimental like that ;D) even though we only knew eachother 9 months before we went off to university. Even though we couldn't all make it this time those of us who were there had a glorious afternoon sat outside eating burgers and fish and ham and chips in the sunshine and it was flippin lovely. And yes I did get sunburnt.
9. Bank Holiday.
Firstly can we please discuss this Ikea set up? I need all of it in my house as soon as possible and preferably for free..... For the first time in I don't know how long I actually took the whole bank holiday, and the Friday before it, off work which when you're freelance and used to working from your laptop from anywhere is surprisingly difficult to do. I just didn't get time, it wasn't intentional to take that time off but I just had so many plans I didn't sit down or sleep for the whole weekend and it was SO good. To see all the people I love, to see my friends, to have good food and nice weather and sit outside and just laugh and catch up - it has done wonders for my mental state. I feel recharged, I feel energised, I feel like I've soaked up all the human interaction and I was so ready to get on and get cracking with the 4 remaining days of this week.
10. Hannah Gale Blog Queen.
I have always said I don't watch Youtube, that I never watch vlogs, that I never got into Youtube when it was a big deal and that I'm not all that interested in bloggers channels; but I've been lying to you. Over the past year maybe 2 I have been watching the odd Hannah Gale vid because like anyone else, I'm a nosey fucker and she talks about her life quite candidly and let's you in quite a lot and I love that side of getting to know a blogger. But it wasn't until her secret pregnancy vlog did I properly start checking in every week and it wasn't until the last fortnight that I went actively looking to see if her latest weekly vlog was live and now I'm hooked. Like I went back and watched loads from previous weeks because I was just in a Hannah Gale spiral. In fact I watched her latest a mere hour after it went live so when I say I don't watch vlogs and I'm not into Youtube I mean with the exception of Hannah obvs.
11. One Week To Go.
Oh holy hell the blog squad weekend away is a mere WEEK away. A week today I'll be in a little Air B&B in Hampshire with 4 of my favourite blogging girls having travelled from all ends of the country to get together for a few days of bliss. I have been so excited for this weekend for months and now it's just round the corner I can't wait to get down there but also want time to slow down because I feel like it's going to fly and suddenly it'll be Sunday and we'll all be travelling home again. Be sure to check in with my Insta stories cos I have no doubt we'll be uploading all the time and there'll obvs be blog posts when I'm back.
12. Ten Tiny Fingers & Ten Tiny Toes.
Well I only went and saved the best till last didn't I? Last Thursday I had the surprise of my life when my best uni gal messaged me saying 'so I just had a baby' and I made her send selfies until I believed it was really true. Yes boys and girls, the best thing to do when your friend tells you she's just had a baby in the last 45 minutes is to make them take selfies with a tiny newborn. I am the best. Oliver gave everyone a bit of a surprise making his grand entrance into the world a cheeky 2 months early but he's well, she's well and I am so hideously proud it makes me want to weep a bit. And not only that but I'm only being made his Godmother so here is my stinkin cute little Godson's blog debut and I am desperately counting down until he's home and I can get to Manchester to meet him <3
Photo credit Tania Clarke.
Happy September everyone - normal start of the month blog content will resume tomorrow.
