Getting To Know You

I now have that shite song stuck in my head. Thanks, brain.

While uuhming and aahing about what blog post to do next - and while browsing other blogs for inspiration - I thought to myself, 'Hey, I am quite strange. Surely I have a few facts about me other people may find interesting?'

So voila. A list of 11 facts about me. Hopefully some of you read this list without yawning once or going 'Dis bitch boring' and clicking out of it.

P.S. I know I'm strange.

P.P.S Please don't judge me.

1. Technically, I've had plastic surgery. No, not a nose job or a boob job or anything scandalous like that (though God knows I could do with them) but when I was around 14 I had my ears pinned back. For as long as I can remember, I got bullied in school for having slightly large super sticky-out ears. The nickname of choice was 'Dumbo' which was horrific at the time but now I think of it, Dumbo is awesome and really cute. So are sticky-out ears. 

2. I pushed my brother onto our marble fireplace when I was 2. He cracked his head open, I got put to bed in my slippers (the ultimate punishment when your brother is bleeding all over the place, apparently) and my mum nearly got arrested for child abuse. 17 years later all is forgiven (though I still get blackmailed with this sometimes) and I seem to actually recall doing it.

3. I dropped a glass on my big toe and I have a scar that looks slightly lightning bolt shaped. I guess you could call me Harry Pottoe. (That was bad I'm sorry).

4. I bit my bottom lip so hard my tooth went through it. Also have a scar under my lip. Why are so many of these facts about injuries? Weird.

5. My teeth are probably one of my biggest insecurities. They're extremely overcrowded and crooked so I avoid laughing/smiling/anything to do with my mouth - leave it - as much as possible. I also have very weak enamel and dental phobia so that's fun!

6. I left school when I was 16, just after I finished my Junior Cert. And I don't regret it one tiny bit - in fact I'd say it was a great decision. Now I'm not saying it'll be the same for everyone, but for me this was pivotal in bringing out my self confidence. I did a course at Sligo Community Training Centre, went on to do a course in Sligo College of Further Education and I'm now doing an internship - who knows what's next. I may not have a Leaving Cert but I am happy.

7. I used to have a snail collection when I was about 7. I hoarded all these random snails from the garden and kept them in a lunchbox. My two favourites were called Major and Champ and I used to race them against each other. Yes, it was possible. They also lived in my dolls' house and I drove them around in my Barbie car.

8. I also had pet stick insects. I was a stick insect breeder. They bred like rabbits so I gave some away to people at school and sold them to my teacher for a fiver each. #entrepreneur

9. My first words were 'Spice Girls'. I really loved the Spice Girls.

10. I make up little dances spur of the moment and perform them in the kitchen. Saying that, I haven't done one in ages. I've always thought to myself, 'I wonder if I'll ever find anyone who will dance in the kitchen with me?'

11. I used to have 2 pet chickens called Paxo and Stuffing (horrible I know) and I used to put them down the slide and dance with them. Pretty sure I have a video somewhere of me doing that. Those poor chickens. I always thought the fox caught them but now that I think of what I put them through they probably ran to the fox and begged him to take them away from it all.

I hope some of these facts were interesting. Do feel free to share or comment - it makes my day! If you have any weird facts I'd love to hear them.

All Good Things Come To An End...

As the Eminem song goes, snap back to reality. And as the Nelly Furtado song goes, why do all good things come to an end? Before I start to sound like a whimsical reading of the UK Top 40, I'll get into the meaning behind this title...

As you all know, the Christmas holidays are well and truly over at this point. I have tried to use the excuse 'Christmas is only just over!' to validate still eating 40 chocolates for breakfast but everyone sees past this façade now. I returned to work on the 5th of January, partly dismayed and partly relieved. I get bored so easily and I was beginning to get cabin fever so I was thankful to get back to some sense of normality and routine. Somehow I think the 3am bedtimes and 2pm breakfasts weren't doing me an awful lot of good! 

Whenever I'd go back to work/college/school after the holidays it would always take me a while to get settled. The things I find the hardest to adjust to are:

Getting up early in the mornings. I value my sleep a lot, as anyone who has tried to wake me up early knows. I live for those extra 5 minutes in bed, so much so that recently I've decided to sacrifice looking socially acceptable for extra sleep. I may resemble a baked potato going into work now, but at least I'm slightly more refreshed!

Eating at weird times. I say weird; they're actually perfectly normal times to eat. Whereas before I'd have breakfast any time from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. now I have to actually eat my breakfast IN THE MORNING. The indecency of it all. If I'm going to work I get up at 8:30 a.m. and have something quick like a piece of fruit or a smoothie before I head out the door and then have something more substantial at our 10 a.m. tea break, but I find myself getting starving soon after as I'm used to eating whenever, wherever (who am I, Shakira?) and I now have to adjust to having lunch at 12:30 p.m. During the holidays I would've barely been awake then. Oops.

Writing and using the phone. Bit of a random one but you know when you were in school and after the summer holidays you'd come back and forget to write? Yeah, this is me. In fact, I forget to function in society like a normal human being. On my first day back it took every ounce of willpower to avoid answering the phone with 'What up?!' and I can't even explain the amount of times I wrote words in some mumbo jumbo backward kind of way.

Writing 2015 instead of 2014. We all have this problem. I don't even know what day it is anymore to be honest. I judge the days by how motivated people seem. If it's a Monday, everyone seems a little less enthusiastic and if it's a Friday there's a spring in everyone's step and you can practically smell the weekend in the air (the sweet smell of vodka and regret, mainly).

My heart is this cold.

Another thing I quickly wanted to address, mainly because my blog is like my diary and I like to get things off my chest, is that unfortunately the romance is no more. I did a blog in October-ish about my new relationship and I've had a few people ask how it's going so I just thought I'd briefly clear things up on here. I'm not looking for sympathy or attention - it was a clean break and it was simply because of distance, timing and some other issues that seemed unfixable. Thankfully there's no hard feelings (I hope) so I'm thankful it ended on a somewhat okay-ish note and I'm certain it's for the best. 

I do wonder sometimes if I'll ever be capable of maintaining a relationship but I have to remind myself I'm only 19. I'm so young and I have at least another 15 or so years before I'll lose hope and reside to a life of 40 cats and watching The Late Late Show in my dressing gown. Mind you, doesn't sound all that different to what I'm doing now...

Out With The Old, In With The New

Firstly, I'd like to wish all my readers (all 2 of you, heh) a very happy New Year. Thank you so much for reading and sharing my posts. It's quite comforting knowing people care about the shite I ramble on about!

I was inspired by my mum's post to write a post about how my 2014 was. I feel like the majority of people didn't seem to have a good 2014 but for me it was, on the whole, a year full of experiences. Most were good, some were bad, but it's all a learning curve for a youngster like me.

 

Highlights:

Started driving. I would have liked to have been able to put 'learnt to drive' but alas, I'm not quite there yet. It's not that I find it extremely difficult, it's more that 50% of people on the road are fecking eejits and I can't trust their motives. Still, I have 7 lessons done and I haven't killed anyone yet so in my eyes that's a great start.

Finished a college course and got my qualification. I now have a FETAC level 5 in Business Administration which is what I want to do (until I change my mind and decide I actually want to do neuroscience or something completely random, because that's a me thing to do).

Went to London. For a proper, touristy holiday. Spent time with great people, ate some great food and nearly lost a limb trying to maneouvre my way around the tube stations, but it was an experience.

Went to Spain. My best friend Bethany and I had a blissful few days in Torremolinos, Spain, tanning it up (she tanned, I came back looking even whiter than I was before I left Ireland), checking out the nightlife and drinking far too many cocktails. I'd love to get to do this again in 2015.

Started an internship. I know some people think Jobbridge is a slave trade but I'm grateful for the experience and connections I'll get. I also get awful cabin fever and I love having something to get me up and out every day.

Started the blog. For ages I'd been going on about wanting to start a blog and in 2014 I finally bit the bullet. I love having a place to essentially store my memories, vent or just share my interests. I've only had this blog for about 7 months or so but I'm absolutely delighted with how it's going.

So those are just a few highlights of 2014, not to mention spending quality time bonding with my older brother and being able to always cheer each other up through hard times, with my dad who never fails to make me laugh and always looks out for me, and sharing every experience and good time with my mum who is always there for me to tell me when I'm being a muppet and keep me grounded. My family are my rock and I'm so fortunate we're so tight-knit. I love you guys. *sniff*

So before I get too emosh I'd just like to say thanks to my friends and family for making it a great year and to everyone who has read my blog. Hope you all have a great 2015!

An Afternoon at Lough Erne Resort

Yesterday after work I headed up t'North to pay a visit to Lough Erne Resort. Lough Erne is a 5* hotel situated beside the beautiful Lough Erne (imagine that) renowned for its golf course. However, as I wouldn't know how to play golf if Rory McIlroy gave me a personal lesson, I went to try their Afternoon Tea and check out the spa (starting to think Afternoon Tea and a facial is my trademark 'thing').

As we perused the Afternoon Tea menu, mulling over the Pink Afternoon Tea (includes a glass of champagne and strawberries), Christmas Afternoon Tea and Chocolate Afternoon Tea, our waitress, Nuala, passed around tea leaf samples so we could test the aromas of each tea. All the tea samples were locked away in a little case - it was like the Pandora's Box of tea. Shortly after, we were brought our chosen tea and a funky hourglass to tell us when our tea was brewed. I chose a chai tea which tasted like Christmas in a mug and it was so comforting sipping my tea in front of the warm fire.

 Shortly after, our cake stands arrived. As there were three of us we got choose one Pink version, one Christmas version and one Chocolate version. Of course, me being me, I sampled bits and pieces from each version (and regretted not getting the chocolate one for myself!)

Each cake stand included 4 sandwiches, a scone and a variety of different petit fours and sweet treats. The chocolate desserts were delicious and I enjoyed most from the Christmas variation too - although I gave the mince pie and fruit cake a miss. My cake stand included a delicious clove butter shortbread, a salted caramal macaron, a white chocolate eggnog soup in a delicate marbled chocolate cup and a chocolate cherry yule log. As I don't like salmon I asked for different sandwiches and the staff were happy to oblige. The sandwiches included cucumber and cream cheese, baked glazed ham and coronation chicken. I do have to be honest and say some of the bread was a little stale which was a bit disappointing. I also would've liked a few more sandwiches and petit fours but the selection was quite filling regardless - although I did end up stealing mum's glass of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries.

After our feast we headed to the Thai Spa - an authentic Thai experience with Thai spa workers and massage techniques. I had a facial (of course) and my skin still looks and feels beautiful, the woman who tended to me was very gentle and made me feel very relaxed. 

After the facial my food had gone down so we decided to head to the bar and have a bite to eat. I chose 'glamburgers' - two miniature burgers - so cute and dainty. I also shared chocolate fondue with my mum as I couldn't resist. However, weirdly, the strawberries tasted a bit like garlic - I'm assuming a knife that was used to crush garlic was also used on the strawberries! Bit of added flavour I suppose.

So that's how my day at Lough Erne Resort went - check them out on Facebook here. If you're going for the Afternoon Tea I recommend the chocolate version (they also have a coeliac version for those with dietary requirements and a kids' version) and you should also check out the spa - the staff are so accommodating and friendly.

Thanks to all at Lough Erne for a lovely afternoon.

Festive Frustrations (& Giveaway!)

I love Christmas. Who doesn't? I love the atmosphere, the way families come together and of course the presents and the food (if I don't put on at least 2 pounds this Christmas I don't know what's wrong with me).

However, as with everything, there are cons to go with the pros. While Christmas is spectacular when it all comes together, some of the events leading up to it can be disastrous if they don't go right. Here are some things that get my goat about the run-up to Christmas....

(P.S. at the end there'll be details on how to win my giveaway of a Christmas hamper!)

1: Overspending.

This winds me up. People seem to have forgotten what Christmas is really about (apart from eating as many Malteser Celebrations as you can find) and go mad spending money they don't have. It winds me up seeing someone whine about being broke and having to buy expensive presents and food. I believe there's always a way to do things cheap - a unique, thoughtful present seems a fair trade to me instead of an expensive piece of plastic or extravagant gifts. There's something not right about grown adults bating the heads of each other for an expensive toy (*cough* Frozen doll, anyone?)

2: People who crack out the Christmas jumper and the Michael Bublé CD as soon as Halloween is over.

People like this are akin to those ones who are always bubbly first thing in the morning. How is it possible to be this enthusiastic?! In fairness, I do wish I had that kind of festiveness - I don't get properly Christmassy until, like, Boxing Day. The minute the pumpkins get taken down (actually, the minute the Easter bunny leaves) apparently it's a sign to start fecking the Christmas trees up and playing every single Christmas carol until its exhausted. Side note - does Michael Bublé do reverse hibernation and only come out at Christmas?!

Coming close after that; people who are too damn organised. You know the ones, they have their shopping done in December the year before and the house is like something out of Elf as soon as is socially acceptable. They just make people like me (i.e. the lazier ones) look bad! On a serious note, though, I envy them for getting their shit together.

3: Wrapping presents.

On one hand, I love wrapping presents and if I had the motivation I'd wrap them in tissue paper with bows and bells attached and I'd be a renowned present wrapper. People would see me in the street and go 'There's your wan who wraps the presents!' But in reality, I end up with sellotape sticking my fingers together, in my hair, waxing my eyebrows, cutting my finger instead of the wrapping paper. I'm left with more cuts and scrapes after wrapping a present than I would have after completing Takeshi's Castle.

4: Those impossible to buy for people.

Basically, gift websites seem to think people fall into categories. All mums must like gardening and cooking. All dads must like World War movies and golf. All grandparents must like both those things and reading. And if they don't, you're buggered mate. Let me tell you, if I bought my mum anything 'mumsy' from one of those gift guides she'd look at me as if I'd sprouted another head and the only club my dad would enjoy is a club sandwich. Also notable: people who buy things for themselves in the run-up to Christmas. Y u make things awkward?!

5: The severe lack of Malteser Celebrations in the tin.

Slaps will be thrown whenever someone gets the last one. Need I say more?! Get outta here with your Roses and your Quality Street - gotta be the Malteser Celebrations.

Now for the bit you've probably all skipped down for: To celebrate getting 300 likes on my Facebook page (here) I'm giving away a Christmas hamper which includes biscuits, Christmas crackers, Philosophy shower gel, a festive stocking, bruschetta, chocolate and more goodies - it'd help a bit with some of the Christmas treats and presents! 

To enter all you have to do is head over to my Facebook page, like the page and like and share the post (here). Good luck!

Giveaway now over.

Scrumptious Seaside Dining at Trá Bán

I've mentioned Strandhill before in my blog - whether it's for a coffee and a cake at Shells quirky café, watching the sunset with a pint from The Strand or just for a stroll along the beach, Strandhill never disappoints. For fine dining, however, it has to be Trá Bán.

Last week me and my mum decided to head along to Trá Bán for a midweek meal. We'd never been before but had heard great things about it - not to mention all the impressive awards the restaurant (and its sister restaurant in Sligo, Eala Bhán) has won. I was initially a bit worried it would be all seafood - I'm not a fish fan - but I was thrilled to see the menu offered extensive choice for seafood lovers, meat eaters and vegetarians alike. All of the ingredients, meat and seafood are locally sourced so you really know what you're eating. As well as the usual foodie fare, Trá Bán also offers a range of wines and craft ales to compliment your meal. 

When we first went up to the restaurant (situated above The Strand bar in Strandhill) we were impressed by the décor - soft lighting was offset by sheer curtains and projected onto the wall was a light effect to look like waves. It was a very intimate and romantic setting - I can imagine this would be perfect for a romantic meal or something special. 

To start we were served a slate of bread with a seaweed and sweet chilli pesto - it may sound a little bizarre but it was divine and really whet our appetities. For the main course, as I rarely eat steak at home as I find it a treat to get when I go out for a meal, I ordered the sirloin steak. I'm not lying when I say it was the best steak I've ever had. It was cooked to perfection (I like mine bloody but the chef will endeavour to fulfill your request however you like your steak cooked), beautifully seasoned and juicy and served with pesto mash, mushrooms and onions. I don't like mushrooms so mum ate those but she said they were perfect also. Everything on the plate was so tasty and fresh - it made shop-bought steak taste like a McDonald's hamburger! Mum ordered the chicken linguini which I also had to sample of course. It was beautifully rich and creamy and again, fresh and cooked to perfection.

As I had a starter (the chefs in Eala Bhán and Trá Bán make some of the nicest soup ever in my opinion) I couldn't eat another thing until we noticed the chocolate fondue on the dessert menu. Chocolate fondue is one of my absolute favourite things in the world so me and mum decided to share one. The Belgian chocolate fondue is served in a mini saucepan and was absolutely incredible. It was rich, sweet and creamy without being too cloying or sickly - by the end I was tempted to just eat the chocolate with a spoon. The fondue came with diced fruit and marshmallows for dipping - there's nothing like soft fluffy marshmallows and sweet strawberries dipped in warm melted chocolate to finish off a perfect meal. Mmm...

If you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a nice meal for a special occasion look no further than Trá Bán. Beautiful food followed by a leisurely stroll along the shore - what more could you want?!

Trá Bán also offer Early Bird and Christmas menus for the upcoming Holiday season (it's creeping up on us!) here or you can enjoy a meal as part of the Thrill Of Strandhill package - be sure to check out the Facebook page to keep up to date on offers.

Thanks to Anthony and all at Trá Bán for a wonderful evening.

My Day In Photos: Rathcormac Market

I do love a good market, they're one of my favourite things (I know, I sound like an elderly woman) so I perused Rathcormac market for the first time on Saturday. Much like the Strandhill People's Market, Rathcormac mainly sells homemade crafts and local produce.

There were a couple of vendors selling all organic homegrown fruit and vegetables (shown above). There was such a wide variety - stuff you couldn't just pick up at Aldi! I was also really tempted by the selection of cakes and breads available but I managed to control myself. I thought the taster plate of jams and relishes above looked very appetising. I've had homemade jam before from Beltra market and it definitely trumps shopbought jam. 

There was lots of homeware for sale including some excellent wood carvings and abstract/Irish paintings by Ciaran Kavanagh of Annies He-Art Studio. Also at the market was a favourite of mine, Marshall Made It. They sell the most adorable kitsch homeware and trinkets - I want all the things. I thought the Christmas themed tins, above left, were beautiful and a great present idea (for myself of course). I also love the little chalkboards - I think they're such a good idea for writing notes or meal plans for the week. Marshall Made It also offers new Christmas wrapping supplies such as ribbons and bows - great if you're a perfectionist when it comes to wrapping presents, like me.

Again from Marshall Made it: Russian doll salt and pepper shakers (so cute), owl brooches and my favourite thing of the lot: PET ROCKS. I have to admit I got 2. They're adorable and they even have a Minion one! There was a tantalising stall full of (literally) sweet gifts - if I was a kid (and even now still) I'd be thrilled to get one of those treats for a present.  I also loved the marriage plaques above - they're so Pinterest and a really sweet idea.

Another gift idea if you have kids were these precious knitted characters - I love the Snowman and the monster-thing hat. I thought they were so unique and anyone crafty would be delighted with them. Also for sale were handcrafted colourful bead earrings and tiny birdcage tealight holders - I'm definitely going to get one for my bottom drawer collection. 

After a while I started to get chilly so I headed into the Vintage Lane Café to warm up a bit. If I had a café, it would be this café. The colour scheme and quirky decorations were perfect for the setting - I loved the idea of colanders for lightshades and the bunting by the window. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to eat there (it was quite busy at the time) but hopefully some day I will, I've heard great things about it. 

All in all I was very impressed with Rathcormac Market and I can't wait to go back and visit it closer to Christmas - the atmosphere was just wonderful and there's something there to cater to everyone.

Seasides & Spas

Over the weekend I was delighted to get the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Yeats Country Hotel in Rosses Point. I'd heard positive reviews about it but had never stayed there so I was excited to experience it for myself.

The hotel is in a great location, a stone's throw from the beach and only a 10 minute drive from Sligo town - so we didn't have too far to travel. First on our schedule - after we dumped our stuff in the room which was spacious (we didn't have to share a bed much to my mother's delight because I'm a nightmare to sleep with apparently) and had a beautiful sea view  - was an afternoon of pampering at the spa. 

The first thing that struck me about Eros Spa was the inviting decor and the wonderful aroma that accompanied it. The spa is all warm lighting and rich red walls. We were promptly greeted by the delightful staff and given fluffy bathrobes and slippers to wear. First on the agenda was a clay mask application. The lovely ladies set about with the arduous task of taking off my makeup and smoothing our faces with a gloriously cooling clay mask to detoxify our skin while we bathed.

As I haven't had a seaweed bath in years, mum let me try the seaweed bath while she chose the botanical bath. Our baths were in a double bath room which held a shower and the baths - perfect for a couple or mother/daughter pampering. Thankfully we were allowed to keep our swimsuits on - no one needs to see that ;-)

I was a bit tentative stepping into the bath; if you've never had a seaweed bath before they don't look very appealing - the water is brown and you step onto slimy slippery seaweed - but they feel incredible. Beside our baths was a jug full of water and a glass of juice which I thought was a lovely touch as seaweed baths can be dehydrating because of their duration. I relaxed and let my worries melt away for 45 minutes and made sure to rub the seaweed over my body (oo-er) so that the goodness of the oils really got into my skin.

When our time was up (and at this point mum had fallen asleep in her bath, it was that relaxing!) we were led to another treatment room where we both had a facial. I absolutely love getting facials and this one was the best I've ever had. There's nothing like getting a lavender scented hot towel placed over your face while getting your arms and hands massaged - bliss. 

Straight after our facial we were turned over (and I managed not to flash anyone like last time...) for our back massage. I've never had a proper back massage before so I was a bit apprehensive - I felt a bit vulnerable lying on my front butt naked - but my masseuse, Denise, was more than happy to explain it to me and made sure the pressure she was using was okay so I really felt at ease. When we were finished I was so relaxed I was struggling not to fall asleep - especially when we got to the relaxation suite (again, with a sea and mountain view!) and were presented with tea, fruit and melted chocolate! The service was second to none. It was definitely the best spa I've been to so far, usually I feel intimidated at spas but I felt relaxed and comfortable at this one - exactly how a spa trip should be. Thanks again to Denise and all the lovely staff at Eros Spa - it's a gem and I'll definitely be going back.

After all that hard work getting pampered we headed back up to the room to chill out for a bit before heading for dinner in the hotel's Elsinore Restaurant. We got a four course meal which I struggled with, as someone who usually only eats one course when I go out for dinner. To start I chose soup and mum got the chicken wings which were delicious. For my main I got steak which was one of the best steaks I've ever had - the staff again were lovely and endeavoured to any of our requests (I showed mum up by asking for chips). For dessert I chose a banana split and mum got the chef's sweet plate - both were very nicely presented. Overall I thought the food was tasty and portions were plentiful.

We headed into town for a few drinks after our dinner and the staff were helpful and ordered us a taxi - a nice touch. We heard music coming from the bar so I assume the hotel also offers evening entertainment for guests. When we got back we fell almost instantly to sleep. The hotel was quiet and the beds were very comfortable - both things are essential to me for a good night's sleep. 

Breakfast the next morning was extremely busy. We did have to wait about 15 minutes for a table which was a bit disappointing but it's a good sign to see plenty of people enjoying the breakfast. There were the usual cereals, fruit, yoghurt and bread as well as a self-service buffet for full Irish breakfast items. Again, food was fresh and plentiful. The only thing I would say is there's not a huge selection of breakfast items if you don't like cooked breakfasts.

Overall it was a lovely getaway and we were sad to leave - we truly felt like we'd been on a mini holiday. If you're looking for a nice relaxing short break I'd recommend the hotel especially for families and elderly couples. Thanks again to Tara for a great weekend and to all the staff at Yeats Country Hotel.

Fireworks & Firsts (Lucy's Life)

I know I'm all over the place with my tags but hey, I never said I was the most organised girl ever! Lucy's Life is basically a little update on what's been happening in my life. These past few months or so have actually been pretty eventful for me.

First off, I'm now (sort of) working! I'm doing an office internship - which I know causes a lot of controversy but we won't go into that, I see it positively as a way to gain experience and hopefully employment down the line - as a receptionist and I'm really enjoying it so far. So if it seems like I'm neglecting my blog it's because I'm just that bit busier lately - but I will still find time to post! 

Second, after many years of sitting on my bed in my cat onesie (yes, I really do own a onesie covered in cats) shovelling Doritos into my mouth wailing 'WHY DON'T I HAVE A BOYFRIEND' (that's only semi-true...) I can now say I am in a relationship. Of course, because the Universe is a bitch he happens to reside in the UK which is a bit unfortunate but I'm all about positivity and so far we're making it work. Last weekend I travelled to London - on my own for the first time, wouldjabelieveit - to spend the weekend with him and we had a lovely time. We went to Greenwich for our first date - he planned it perfectly for me; we ate Mexican, visited Greenwich market and got Starbucks *swoon* - and I saw the Cutty Sark, in case you're wondering what that random ship is. I'm a bit raging I didn't get any nice photos of the two of us (you probably think he's made up now) but I'm hoping I can convince him to take a few selfies when he comes over this month. 

Lastly, for Halloween I went up t'North to watch the fireworks display in Enniskillen. It's my second year seeing them and again, I thoroughly enjoyed it - and I didn't wake up the next day with a hangover, even better. I'm such a scaredy cat I jumped every time one went off (the fireworks, that is) and I hid behind people as a sort of human shield but apart from that I love watching fireworks, there's something so magical about standing around with a bunch of strangers watching the air getting polluted. I kid, I kid - it was beautiful.

So those are a few exciting things that have happened recently, hope some of you maybe found this little update interesting and I'll be sure to do another soon.