Pink Caravans & Pink Gin - A 'Staycation' At Ange's Cottage

My favourite places to eat in, stay at or visit are the ones that make me say 'wow'. The ones that make me take a second look around, with quirks and features that pique my interest. Somewhere that stands out. That's exactly what Ange's Cottage in Roscommon does - and it does it very well.

My mum and I were very lucky to be invited to stay overnight in Ange's Cottage at the weekend. We'd been wistfully looking at pictures of it for a while, so when we were told we could come along for a night we jumped at the chance! Ange's Cottage is a 'micro glamping' site nestled in Arigna, Co. Roscommon, with stunning country views and conveniently located near the Arigna Mining Experience. 

After getting a little bit lost, Angi, who runs Ange's Cottage, came to meet us and show us the way. Angi is a lovely lady, so friendly and welcoming - and very stylish to boot! When we pulled up to Ange's Cottage we both instantly said 'wow' - in front of us was the gorgeous little pink caravan and beside that was the cottage we were going to be staying in that night. 

The pink caravan - fabulous inside and out.

After a few selfies in front of the caravan Angi showed us around outside. We spotted a vintage typewriter by the trees and asked her about it. She said whenever she has families with children come to stay, she puts paper in it and tells the children they can write a letter to the fairies who live nearby. The day the family leaves the fairies will have written a reply to the child - so sweet! I love little touches like this.

We went into the cottage, which had a beautiful mint green door, and were instantly in love. From the minute you walk into the cottage it's evident it's owned by someone with an eye for details and quirky, colourful homeware. I adored the pink bar stools, the pastel blue microwave, kettle and toaster trio (I want them!) and the vintage tea set. A retro style pastel blue radio sat on the windowsill (again, I want one) and tied in with the appliances. Angi had very kindly filled us up a picnic basket with croissants, Tayto and a carafe of orange juice for our stay. She even left a pizza in the freezer for us for after the pub later that evening. This is definitely a very 'homey' place to stay!

We continued on into the living room, which was my favourite room. I thought it was so tastefully decorated and the colours were just fabulous together. A bright geometric patterned rug lay in front of the wood burning stove, which was framed by a mantelpiece which had some fabulous ornaments on it. I love the little pops of yellow throughout the cottage - in the living room there was a beautiful yellow armchair and a Foxford Woollen Mills yellow throw to brighten up the grey sofa. In the corner was an orange pull-down desk which Angi said contained her 'mindfulness library' - all of the books on the desk were about healthy living, food, mindfulness - I love it! Angi takes pride in the fact there's no WiFi and no TV in the cottage so you can really 'switch off' and relax. She told us that some people use the pink caravan as an office or to film vlogs in - such a good idea.

The cottage has 3 bedrooms - a single, a double and a twin - so plenty of room. All of the rooms are done up so nice, I loved the one I was staying in. Everything about it, from the upcycled dressing table to the blue record player, the shelf above the bed with tea cups hanging from it, and the amazing cushions, it was a pleasure to sleep in. Angi had left a few treats on our beds including a notebook, pencil, and a pack of funky tissues, which was a really nice touch. 

Angi left us to take photos, admire all the knick knacks and get settled in. She said she usually leaves her guests a 'to-do' list of things she recommends for people to do during their stay. On ours, she suggested a hot chocolate from Sweet Geranium café in Drumshanbo, a selfie in front of the pink caravan (check!), a selfie in front of the Arigna Mining Experience, and a pint or local gin from the Miner's Bar. Again, a great idea and it adds a personal touch to your stay.

Our first stop was to try out the hot chocolate in Sweet Geranium café - for research purposes, of course. We also had a bite to eat seeing as we were both starving after taking loads of photos! I went for the eggs Florentine and mum got a goat cheese toastie. Both were delicious - as was the hot chocolate. Definitely a good idea to head there if you're staying in Ange's Cottage!

We had a wander around Drumshanbo, which is a nice little town, before heading back to the cottage. Angi recommended we head down to the Miner's Bar that evening as there was going to be music - and gin (again, research purposes) - so we decided to relax a bit before getting ready to head to the pub. I had a bath, which I was embarrassingly excited about - I live in student accommodation, a bath is a luxury, ok?! - which was lovely, albeit a bit of a narrow bath for someone with big hips and a booty. I thought I might have to get a John Deere to haul me out of there, but it was ok in the end.

I flicked through some of the great books from the mindfulness library, and also perused the magazines, whilst relaxing in front of the fire to dry off. It was so cosy and chilled out, I didn't want to get off the sofa! Alas, I did have to put on real trousers as it was time to head to the pub. We got our glad rags on and headed down. The Miner's Bar is really nice and atmospheric, I loved the flowers in the makeshift Drumshanbo Gin bottle vases, and the candles on each table. Everyone was really friendly too - always a bonus! I had a Gordon's Pink Gin Fizz which was pink gin, prosecco and lemonade, with a couple of strawberries added in for good measure. The drink was absolutely delicious, but quite strong especially as I don't drink much anyway - it went right to my head! We chatted and enjoyed our drinks while listening to the great music from local musicians who were very talented and played an array of instruments.

After the pub it was time to head back to the cottage and sit in front of the fire with a hot chocolate to relax us before bed. I slept so well that night, the cottage was perfectly warm and peaceful. I have to say it was strange waking up and thinking 'when did I get a record player?!' before realising where I was! Still slightly disappointed I don't have a record player, but alas...

We were very sad to say goodbye to Ange's Cottage the next day. It was such a perfect 'staycation' to reset things and unwind. I left feeling refreshed and inspired to make my living space more interesting and relaxing. I might do a blog post if I happen to find any quirky homeware bits on my travels! We also went to Derreen Woods in Boyle on the way home so I'll include a snap of me from our little impromptu photoshoot.

Thanks again to Angi for being so hospitable and giving us the opportunity to stay in her beautiful cottage - it was truly a wonderful experience. You can find Ange's Cottage on Facebook here.

Boo! Quick, Easy Halloween Treats (No Tricks)

Once again, apologies for my long absence. I've been going through a disheartened spell where I haven't been motivated to blog. Combined with being in my second year of college, and battling depression, it's hard to find the time and energy sometimes. However, I'm feeling a lot better recently and am looking forward to getting back into blogging!

Seeing as Halloween is tomorrow (where has this year gone?!) I decided to make a few quick, easy nibbles for if you've forgotten all about Halloween or don't have time to put on a massive spread. Most of these recipes are pretty healthy too so it's a win-win! Note: I'm no Nigella Lawson and am aware some of these snacks look like I was blindfolded whilst making them, but I tried my best. You can play around with the execution of these snacks and do what you want with them - I'm sure you're all a lot more creative than I am!

I had a quick look through Pinterest to get some inspiration but kind of added my own flair to these. I also asked my lovely boyfriend, Laurence, for some ideas as he's pretty good with this sort of thing. So, without further ado, here we go!

1. Halloween Nibble Platter

Cocktail Sausage 'Rotten Fingers' - this one is easy. Simply get some (cooked, unless you hate your guests) cocktail sausages - I used Quorn ones as I'm veggie but you can use any ones you want - dab some ketchup on the top of them to look like blood, and add a pumpkin seed to each tip. Alternatively, you can use flaked almonds to give the look of nails, but I didn't have any so I improvised. Voila!

Babybel Eyeball/Pumpkin - get Babybels. For the pumpkin, just carve out eyes and a mouth with a small sharp knife. For the eyeball, cut out a tiny circular piece of Babybel from the middle. Slice an olive and take one of the little olive rings. Place the olive ring in the middle of the Babybel over the hole you cut out, put the circle you cut out on top of the olive ring and add some black food colouring to make it look like a pupil. I dabbed some ketchup around the 'eyeball' to give the illusion of bloodshot eyes.

Devilish Eggs - Hard boil some eggs. Leave them to cool, or if you're lazy like I am, run cold water over them until they've cooled down. Tap and roll them once on the kitchen counter so the shell peels off easily. Peel them, slice in half lengthways, and scoop out the yolk. You can mix the yolk with mayonnaise or just fill them with mayonnaise, hummus or even guacamole. I don't like hard yolks so I just filled mine with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with paprika. Get a red chilli pepper and cut out little devil horn shapes. Stick the horns into the mayonnaise in the middle of the egg. Don't do what I did and slice the chilli pepper and then go to the toilet, unless you're into that kind of thing.

Severed String Cheese Fingers - Get a Cheesestring or any peelable cheese. Cut it in two halves. Slightly peel the bottom of it so it looks like it's been cut off. Get a knife and slightly round off the top so it looks more like a finger shape. Dab a bit of ketchup at the top and bottom to make it look bloody. Again, add a pumpkin seed or flaked almond for fingernails.

2. Crunchy Chocolate Apples

Use your favourite apple (I used Pink Lady apples as they're my fave). Melt chocolate of your choice - I used some popping candy milk chocolate and a couple of peanut butter cups. Melt the chocolate either in a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water, or in the microwave - just make sure you take it out every few seconds and stir so it doesn't burn. Coat the apple in the melted chocolate and put on a tray. You can also stick a gummy worm to it if you want to make it look a bit funkier. Leave the apples to cool until the chocolate is set and dig in! I didn't have any wooden skewers or sticks to put in them but if you do you can just stab one through the apple before coating with chocolate.

So that's it! Like I said, they're really simple snacks and they don't take long at all to make. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go shove my face in the bowl of leftover melted chocolate and throw away those damn chilli peppers.

Until next time - have a good Halloween!

Waves

I've been back at college for 3 days and I already feel like I'm drowning. The drastic change in routine, workload and timetable has made my head feel like it's about to explode. I sit in lectures and wonder how I'm going to remember things and pass my exams. I get home so tired and cranky that I just want to sleep. 

Some days it really doesn't feel ok. I'll look at all the unpacking I still have left to do, the dishes piling up, my timetable that has changed for the fourth time, or I'll get a question wrong in class and be so embarrassed I don't want to ever answer up again. 

And then my boyfriend will cuddle me and listen to me, or make me my favourite snack, or make a joke, and it feels ok for a second. Or I'll meet up with a friend who I haven't seen since summer started. Or I'll drink a hazelnut hot chocolate even though I'm trying to have a healthier diet. Or I'll answer a question correctly in a lecture and feel a glimmer of pride.

I feel alone a lot of the time, like I'm trying to swim against the waves and there's no lifeboat to be found. I do have a supportive network of people around me which I'm thankful for, but there's only so much people can understand or help. I hate feeling like a burden so I mostly keep quiet until everything boils over and it all just comes out. 

But it's not all doom and gloom. I get up every morning, and I go to my lectures, and I try my hardest, and I do my makeup, and I try and be as affectionate as possible to my boyfriend. I try and talk to as many people as I can even if I feel like they're just being polite talking to me. I've applied for extra support in college. It's nice to know that some other people want to and are able to throw you a life jacket sometimes. 

At the moment I'm just trying to take each day as it comes, stick to taking my medication and just try to keep plodding on. Sometimes, it's like there's a glimmer of light trying to break through the surface and I can see it, I just can't grasp it yet. I found a song called Waves by Dean Lewis which I love, and I think the lyrics are so apt for how I feel right now:

"There is a light in the dark,

And I feel its warmth

In my hands, in my heart

Why can't I hold on?

It comes and goes in waves,

It always does."

So that's it. I guess I just wanted to write this to update whoever reads this blog, and to get it all out of my head and remind anyone going through depression or anxiety that it is good and okay to talk about it. We'll keep on swimming together.

Relaxation in Rosses Point

In my previous blog I mentioned how nice it is to take some time out and treat myself whilst struggling with mental health issues. So, I was delighted when Yeats Country Hotel & Spa in Rosses Point, County Sligo, invited my mum and I along for a mother-daughter spa day. There's nothing like getting pampered and escaping from the trials and tribulations of life for a few hours!

I have been to the spa at Yeats Country Hotel before and absolutely loved it. Sometimes I do feel a bit intimidated going to a spa as I feel like I'm not a normal person half of the time but the girls at Yeats are so lovely and welcoming. We were greeted by Mary who showed us to the relaxation room, which was gorgeous and bright and overlooked the sea.

We chilled for a short while as our aromatherapy baths were being prepared. The baths were so relaxing, the perfect temperature and the scented aromatherapy oils in them made our skin silky smooth and smelled amazing. We sat back in our baths and listened to the soothing music and got out after about an hour. I could've stayed in there all day!

Next, it was time for our treatments. I chose a facial and mum went for a back, neck and shoulder massage. I love getting facials, they always make my skin feel amazing and rejuvenated. My facial was just lovely, I loved the heated towels - so much so that I nearly fell asleep! If only I could get a facial every day. After my facial I had a lovely Indian head massage. I absolutely love head massages and this was heaven, I could feel all my stresses melt away.

For my final treatment I chose a nail file and polish as my nails were very chipped and in need of some TLC. I picked a gorgeous purple colour which was very hard because they had some amazing colours! I was tempted to get a different colour on each nail. Overall I was delighted with the end result, my nails looked fantastic and the polish lasted ages.

After our lovely pampering it was time for lunch. We were brought our food to the Relaxation Room which was wonderful, we didn't have to lift a finger! I had a delicious vegetable noodle stir-fry and mum had a sesame seed crusted goats' cheese salad which was to die for. The food was beautiful and the selection on the menu was really good, they do pizzas too. 

I highly recommend you go to Yeats Country Hotel & Spa if you ever find yourself around Sligo. It's one of my favourite spas, so friendly, relaxing and the food in the restaurant is great too so you can make a proper day of it! Thanks again to Yeats Hotel for such a brilliant experience.

Luscious Locks At Marian Dineen Hair Studio

If you've read one of my more recent blog posts you'll know I haven't been feeling myself for the past month. I'm feeling a lot better recently but I still have ups and downs. On my down days I like trying to get out of the house and do something nice for myself. So, I was very excited and grateful to be invited for a few blow-dries from Marian Dineen Hair Studio in Sligo recently! 

I absolutely love getting my hair done, it's so relaxing and such a treat and I rarely get it done since going to college. There's nothing like sitting back and getting your hair properly washed and massaged and leaving it in someone elses' capable hands. 

My mum and I have been twice now and the girls there are so lovely, the service is spot on and the salon itself is very swish. I like how friendly the stylists are and how comfortable I felt, sometimes I feel a bit shy going to the hairdressers but I didn't here. The girls really listened to what I wanted from my blowdry and used different styling tools to achieve the look I wanted. They even have a Steampod straightener which looks really snazzy!

The first time I went the lovely Sarah did my hair and it came out amazing. I went for curls seeing as my hair is naturally straight with a flick, and quite boring. I love having my hair curled but it usually drops fairly quickly. Sarah blowdried my hair and then ran a thin GHD over it to create gorgeous curls, finished with lots of hairspray. I was surprised with how long the curls lasted especially seeing as it was raining outside - a job well done!

The second time I went I went for a straight blow-dry and I loved it. I don't usually wear my hair super straight but it looked really sleek so I'd definitely wear it like that more often. Thanks to Chloe for making it look so chic.

Overall I had an excellent experience in Marian Dineen's. We also met Marian herself who was absolutely lovely and gave us both a hug and showed us round the salon. It was such a lovely treat and really perked me up so thanks again to Marian Dineen! Definitely pop in for top class hair styling! You can read my mum's blog about the experience here.

Recipe: Forest Feast Energy Balls

I was delighted to receive a box of Forest Feast goodies recently. Forest Feast offer healthy snacks such as dried fruit and nuts which are all so tasty. I love grabbing a bag for a college mid morning snack or to use in healthy recipes.

One of my favourite recipes to use dried fruit, nuts and seeds in are these really quick energy balls. Full of healthy fats and protein, they're great for grabbing on the go when you need something less naughty with your afternoon cup of tea, or on your way to the gym.

You can blend up all the ingredients if you like, but I prefer mine with a bit of texture and crunch. Bear in mind if you do blend them this will release the natural sweetness of the dates so you may need to adjust the sweetness of the recipe accordingly. Honestly these are pretty forgiving and are trial and error - play around with them and add whatever you'd like!

Ingredients

Forest Feast Dates (chopped)

Forest Feast Goji Berries

Chopped brazil nuts

100g oats

Sunflower Seeds

2 tbsp sweetener such as honey or maple syrup

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp water

Method

1. Add all of the above ingredients to a mixing bowl. Add sweetener to get the desired consistency and sweetness and roll into balls. Leave in the fridge overnight so they hold their shape. Enjoy!

You can also use this recipe to make breakfast bars, just shape them into rectangles or even bake them for a bit to make them crunchier. I like using different Forest Feast fruits to create different flavours - a lovely tropical version can be made using Forest Feast dried pineapple or mango and roll the balls in dessicated coconut. Delicious!

Hope you enjoyed this quick simple recipe. If you decide to make it, let me know how it was!

Life: Am I Doing It Right?

Hello, blog. I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I've been going through a pretty tough time with mental health related struggles, hence my radio silence lately. I'm not ashamed, there's too much stigma in this country. Going through this has shown me it is really ok not to be ok and the people who really matter will really care. 

It's early days yet, 2 weeks to be exact. Some days I feel like I'm actually drowning in emotion and tiredness. Other days I feel ok, and making the bed is a huge breakthrough. The human brain is a strange thing - how can we so quickly go from being fine, happy and content to just an explosion of worry, sadness and confusion?

According to the doctor it seems as though I'm just experiencing a period of extreme anxiety, but it seems as though depression is creeping in - unsurprising considering it is the summer time, I'm missing my boyfriend and as a creature of habit, not having a routine kills me. It's a vicious cycle that results in me withdrawing into myself and just lying in bed for days on end, too exhausted to even think about getting up or eating or doing anything. 

Sometimes I reach a point in the month/year/week where I just feel like I have too many thoughts going on in my head and I need to just dump them all out somewhere. And that's why I have this blog. Maybe not many people read it, maybe I'll never be on TV talking about my latest product (no cattiness there, I say fair play!) - but this helps me, and if it helps one other person, I think it's worth it. If nothing else, at least it gives me something to do other than Google 'what if xyz' all day and eating caramel Buttons in bed.

I'm beginning to think part of what's happened is a mere existential crisis. I'm going into my second year of college which is kind of scary because I can choose to finish this year and go out into the big bad world, or complete the third year add-on of my course.  I'm out of my routine, I have more alone time than ever, I'm adjusting to seeing Laurence once or twice a week and I have far too much time on my hands that enables me to come up with irrational worries and wonder if I'm actually a loser and everyone else is 'doing' life much better than I am.

Then I remind myself; social media is a snapshot into people's lives. Of course they're not going to document when their face is covered in spots for no reason, they have €0.89 in their bank account, they've watched so much Netflix they practically own shares in it and they've worn the same pyjama bottoms for 5 days now. 

I'm so fortunate to have an extremely supportive family, a partner who is just incredible and whom I feel too lucky to have in my life, and friends who understand that my distance doesn't mean I don't care. If it weren't for my support network I honestly don't know what I'd do.

I don't like uncertainty. Maybe it's because I'm a Virgo or maybe it's the simple fact no one really likes uncertainty, but some people are better at accepting it than others. I get nervous if I haven't got a plan for tomorrow, if I haven't set my clothes out and have my bag all packed in advance. Some may see it as an annoying character trait, I see it as a quirk that saves time and is practical. But I've let it get to a stage where my fear of uncertainty is holding me back, and making me obsessively question things, distorting my perception of how good things in my life really are.

So things have to change. I don't know how - whether it be medication, counselling, growing as a person (which is one of my main goals and I'm totally clueless as to how to do that but sure we'll see) - I can't live my best life feeling frightened all the time and I don't want to self-sabotage any more. Maybe I'll go back to college and have a breakdown (I'm still on the waiting list for any form of therapy, of course, this is Ireland) but if nothing else, I'll chalk it up to a learning experience.

Thanks for reading as always, if you made it this far - if you have had experiences with anxiety or mental health issues please don't be afraid to talk and reach out!