October Wrap Up

Another late post but sure what can you do? Here’s what I got up to in October.

Travelling- I went to London (you can see what I got up to in this post) and I also went back home to Ireland. Lovely and sunny when I left Liverpool, gloomy and drizzly when I landed. I’ll still take the Irish version any day though! It was nice to be back home, looking forward to Christmas there too, not long to go!

Playing- With cats! Three new cats at home, had fun getting to know them all. Also went to a quiz when home, I really need to do them here in Manchester, as I do love a good quiz!

  

Buying- Books! And this lovely Tracey Emin Books Are My Bag tote. Also went shopping one day with Sarah and got myself a lovely mustard jumper (for years I resisted mustard but it’s powers were too strong this year!).

            

Treating Myself- To my very first eyebrow threading! I went to the Love Beauty Brow Studio in Primark in Manchester and managed to suffer through the pain of having my eyebrow hairs yanked out. It was nice to treat myself though and I might got back to try something else soon.

Knitting- More things for my new cousin. I made her a hat for Halloween that looks like a pumpkin, however she doesn’t like wearing hats so the cat got to try it on. Also made some pastel birdies that will get made into a hanging mobile.

 

Watching- Guardians of the Galaxy in the cinema. Yes, my boyfriend and I were late to the party but we managed to catch it still in the cinema and really enjoyed it. Also started watching The Apprentice for the first time. Well, I’ve seen it before on and off but this is the first time I’ve started properly following it week by week.

Eating- This delicious breakfast at North Star Delicatessen. It was delicious! I’ve also been enjoying half price dinners next door at Oddest when with my knitting group. I think it’s become my local! Also enjoyed food at Beeny Green when in London.

Reading- Hurrah for the return of monthly reading recaps! There was none for September but since I read 8 books in October, you can check them out here.

That’s pretty much it! Besides working and just relaxing with friends and family back home. I very much enjoyed meeting my new baby cousin, she’s adorable and has quite the mop of hair! Onwards to November.

October Recap: London Part 2

So I’m pretty late with this one but better late than never!

My second recap starts on the Wednesday, which was my birthday! After waking up obscenely early, I travelled to Covent Garden to meet my boyfriend, who had flew in that morning. After failing to get cheap musical tickets, we went for some breakfast and then I went to get pampered in the Lush Spa!

I love Lush stuff and even though the treatments at the spa are fairly expensive, I decided to splash out on my birthday. I decided to go for the signature treatment, the Synesthesia. When I got to the shop, I was brought downstairs to the spa which looked like a lovely country kitchen.

I was given a glass of water and told what to expect of the treatment. I was shown the board full of words and told to choose one, which would be the theme of the treatment.

I chose uninhibited, it just seemed to pop out at me. I then had to go to a table full of glass bottles of different shapes, sizes and colours. Attached to these were little tags with words and I had to chose one of the bottles based on the word and which one stood out, without smelling it. This was also used in the treatment. The bottle I picked had the word free and after my massage, my therapist told me free was supposed to go with uninhibited, that they compliment each other.

The massage was wonderful. When I walked in the room, it was beautifully lit. I had a shower, where I got to use loads of different Lush products, then settled on the table and when ready rang a bell and the therapist came in. The massage was 80 minutes long, started at the face (including hot and cold stones), my arms, chakra stones, my feet, my legs and my back, which was done to the specially composed soundtrack that had lots of bird and countryside sounds. The time flew and after it was finished, I went back out to the kitchen table and was given Uninhibited tea and I also got a massage and bubble bar in the same scent.

After the massage, my boyfriend and I went to the Oxo Tower along the Thames for Not Afternoon Tea. Instead of tea and scones, we got a cocktail and desserts. I chose the chocolate nuts desserts with the matching cocktail.

My boyfriend got the fruity desserts with the matching cocktail.

Everything looked and tasted so exquisite and we picked the perfect time to go here, as it was sunset and we got to go out on the balcony and look at the beautiful view.

After we walked along Waterloo Bridge towards Covent Garden as I was told by my aunt this is one of the best places for views.

St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Oxo Tower at one side of the bridge.

The London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben to the other side of Waterloo Bridge.

At Covent Garden, we went to The Top Secret Comedy Club (we got in for free as we went before 7.30) and here we saw INSERT NAME AND INSERT NAME. We unfortunately had to leave before the last act to get to The Ice Bar at INSERT but I would definitely go back again if I had the chance.

As we walked towards the Ice Bar, we passed the M&M Shop at Leicester Square and couldn’t resist going in. Despite it being 10 at night, the place was still really busy and full of life. We had fun wandering around and looked at all the different merchandise and taking pictures at the statues.

The Ice Bar was great fun, a novelty once off though. Set in an old industrial meat freezer, the entire place is made of ice. The bar, the seats, large ice sculptures which change colours due to the lights behind them changing. When you get there, you’re given a cape and thermal gloves and voucher for a drink. You get one cocktail included in the entry price but after that, they’re pretty expensive. If you lose your ice glass, you have to pay £4 to replace it! You’re in there for 45 minutes, which actually flew by, mainly taking photos and swishing about in your cape (well, it’s what I did).

 

Finally, as a final surprise that night, when we all got back to the apartment we were renting, my friends had organized a surprise party for me! Including this awesome cake.

And then I collapsed in bed as we had to be up early the next day for Thorpe Park! Which despite the not so great weather (and the puking boyfriend), I really enjoyed, Stealth or Inferno were probably my favourite rides. And as it was Fright Night at Thorpe Park, they had loads of Halloween mazes and people dressed up ready to jump out and scare you. The mazes were so funny, as everyone got so scared.

After Thorpe Park, we went to Brick Lane for the two main things it famous for: Curries and bagels (with some drinks and dancing in between).

Friday morning we were up early again (and half relieved it was the last day!). My boyfriend and I went to Primark on Oxford Street and then to Camden Market. It was the boyfriend’s first time there and he loved it, as he got to barter to his hearts content. We headed to the airport early enough, so we’d have time to eat and do some more shopping there. A great great holiday and since I love London so much, I’m heading back there in 2 weeks time!

October Recap: London Part 1

I got to go to London the last week of October. Let me say I love London, so so much. I don’t know why but it’s a place I could visit over and over again and not get bored.

Anyway, I spend 5 days in London. Well, 4 really as I spent my first night and second day visiting friends in Oxford! Here’s a quick recap of my first 2 days.

After roughly 3 hours of sleep, I got up and headed to the airport with 4 friends (and a fifth met us at Stansted). From here, I went onto Westfield’s Stratford and met up with Lex, from bonjour, l’amour. We had a great day shopping, laughing and having fun, even though we did have wait 45 minutes for our lunch from GBK. Best shop was probably Forever 21, you could get lost in there looking at everything!

Lex on the giant shoes in New Look!

After Lex caught her train I did a bit more shopping and then headed to Paddington Station to catch a train to Oxford! When I arrived, Beth had made me a yummy dinner (as well as some delicious brownie cheesecakes!) and after we had some wine, chats and old music. And then to bed, which looked like this

The next day we did some shopping and went to lunch with Angela, looked at some of Oxford’s pretty scenery, had some Krispy Kreme donuts, saw a hotel that was once a prison and took advantage of Happy Hour! I was sad to leave Oxford as I was having a great time. And I wish our friend Donna could have been there too.

 

Yummy lamb burger for lunch; Pretty Oxford

Donuts! And the prison hotel

Beth, Angela and me.

That afternoon I went back to London to meet my cousin and my friends for a Jack the Ripper Walk! We went with Ripping Yarns and had a great time with our tour guide Dickie. The walk was about 2 and half hours long and brought us around a lot of the East End, through places like Brick Lane, Whitechapel and Spitalfields, showing us places where Jack the Ripper victims lived, worked and died. It’s very entertaining and well worth the £7. After we ate and then I headed back with my cousin to her house to catch up on some sleep!

St. Boltoph’s Church, Aldgate. Also know as “Church of Prostitutes”.

(last picture from http://www.jack-the-ripper-tours.com/)

Halloween Treats!

I know this is a bit late but here’s all the treats I made on Halloween for my family! I might edit it later and put in recipes, but for now just pictures.

Chocolate orange cake made in a pumpkin mould I got in Aldi! Next time I use it, I’ll probably ice the cake too.

Ghost muffins! Or as we called them Ghost Toast! Made from another mould I got in Aldi.

 

Mummys (Just home made sausage rolls, using puff pastry wound in strips to look like a mummy). Not the prettiest of foods I’ll admit!

Witches brew soup! (Pea, broccoli and bacon soup). Was surprisingly yummy!

Fudgy popcorn balls. Which I ate, a miracle considering I don’ like popcorn!

Skull and pumpkin white chocolates (pumpkins just have some food colouring in them). And the dark ones are made from left over fudge sauce from the popcorn. Another mould I got from Aldi (wish I bought them all now!).

Orange jelly with gummy worms and skulls inside. Made using the mould from the pumpkin cake above. I’m particularly happy with how this looks, my mother said it looked horrible (I took that as a compliment).

Of course, there was lots of sweets from trick or treating (with the odd bit of fruit too!).

Bonus cat picture!

Woody trying to steal some of the ribs from dinner (he got into the Halloween mood by getting out his creepy eyes!).

October Recap: Ballet

 

So for the second weekend in October, I got to do something I had never done before: Go to the ballet! The UL Concert Hall was showing The Moscow Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ and I went along with my mother, aunt, 2 sisters and a cousin, one big girlie night out! We got seats right in front of the stage, which is great in that venue as the stage isn’t high up. It was a beautiful production, the strength and stamina these men and women have is amazing! And the costumes are just so pretty. I got to take a few pictures and one video of the last half of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Although it was a little early in the year to be showing The Nutcracker (traditionally a Christmas show), I’d recommend going anytime. I love Tchaikovsky’s music and you’d be surprised how much you know (I think I knew most of it from Fantasia!). I’m really looking forward to getting the chance to go again to the ballet.

 

October Recap: Beaut.ie to Go Book Launch

So, I decided that I’d try and make October a jam packed month and I think I’ve succeeded! Here’s the first of my October recaps.
         
The first weekend was the launch of Beaut.ie book ‘Gorgeous to Go’ by Aisling McDermott at Brown Thomas in Dublin. I managed to get a cheap hotel room and travelled up the night before with the boyfriend. There was a large crowd at the launch so we had to queue for while but luckily I made some new friends while queuing. Aisling and Kirstie were looking beautiful and were so welcoming and friendly, as per usual! And we got a lovely goodie bag too. I had a great time with old and new friends alike and a special shout out to CherrySue, Emz, Lisa from Bride & Joy and Claire, who I enjoyed some food and drinks with after along with Aoife, Judith and someone else who’s name I’ve regretfully forgotten (sorry!). I had to leave early to get back home,otherwise I’m sure I would have enjoyed the rest of my evening with these lovely ladies!

Back to the book! Dinky size, perfect for carrying around. Well laid out, gives price ranges from cheap-as-chips to mega pricey and also even has pages to write notes too. Perfect present for Christmas methinks!