A lot has happened...

Firstly I should apologise for my sudden 'disappearance' from the blogsphere, sadly I have been just too busy to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard as I should say.

Since I last blogged on September 13 a few things have happened....

1. My mum finally married my step-dad in a lovely service, albeit a slightly rude vicar, at the local church where I grew up.

The wedding party photo!

As I'm sure all you girlie's are wondering the dress was a white, halter neck, backless affair with a medium length train; and was quite honestly stunning. The bride, aka 'mummy' looked absolutely gorgeous.

2. I have started my third and final (thank-god) year of uni and as always, am already behind. Dissertations, advanced projects, eughh - sick of lectures #wannabeintherealworld 

3. I'd also like to announce that the boyfriend and I celebrated our one year anniversary in true style, by getting ENGAGED! 

THE RING! Isn't it gorgeous? 

In case you were wondering we're not planning an engagement party just yet, and although we can't wait to get married we have agreed to wait a few years before doing so, as lets be honest weddings don't come cheap and we're totally skint! 

On the upside my newly engaged status does allow me to browse the bridal mags, after all weddings can take years to plan...no harm in starting early. 

Cheltenham's Top Lunch time Eateries - YO!Sushi

Fancy something a bit different this lunchtime? Then why not spend your lunch break filling your face at YO! Sushi - Cheltenham's hottest new lunchtime hang-out. Serving a selection of 80 Japanese inspired dishes including rice, noodles, sashimi, tempura, hand rolls, desserts, and of course my new fishy favourite, deep-fried Hairy Prawns - this Autumn YO!Sushi is definitely the place to be. 

Cheltenham's hottest new lunchtime hang-out.

Until yesterday, I had in fact never set foot inside a YO!Sushi or any other sushi restaurant for that matter. You see, I didn't find the idea of eating raw fish all that appealing. However, the fiancé, who happens to be a major food lover, managed to temp me into trying some sushi in a Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago, since then the idea of YO!Sushi became increasingly appealing; the delicious sticky rice, the salty soy sauce and of course, the perfectly prepared fish - the cravings were starting to get too much. So, yesterday when the fiancés sister came to see our new house and suggested we head to YO! for a spot of lunch, who was I to say no.

Yo!'s delicious Hairy Prawns.

Fun Fact of the Day: contrary to popular belief, YO!Sushi does in fact serve a selection of cooked fish, meat and vegetable dishes, so if you suffer from eating-raw-fish-phobia fear not, you are still at liberty to enjoy the succulent tastes of YO!'s finest food.

Money trouble? Get furniture for free!

I don't know about you, but these days I find myself constantly counting the pennies; I'm so skint that a couple of weeks ago I had no choice but to order a tap water whilst at a 'coffee' meeting in Starbucks with a colleague - it's okay, I blamed wanting just water on the warm weather.

Constantly counting the pennies?

My money trouble began when this year, for the first time ever, I struggled to get a summer job, meaning that for the past couple of months I have had to all but beg, borrow and steal my rent money, scraping it together from odd jobs, a tax rebate and even a deposit reimbursement from my old Landlord. I'll admit it's been tough, the worst part being that for the previous three months I have not set foot inside a coffee or clothes shop, my wardrobe is seriously out of fashion and my Starbucks cravings are at an all time high.

Obviously having just moved into our first flat, having a cash flow problem meant that the boyfriend and I struggled with furnishing it, however thanks to our parents, the Cheltenham Freecycle and the new British Heart Foundation shop on the high street, we managed to furnish it without breaking the bank.

Since the recession hit Britain a few years ago, the majority of Brits felt the pinch, and with government budget cuts only adding to the problem, people like myself with little spare cash in the bank had no choice but to cut back on luxuries.

But with furniture restoration schemes and re-cycling projects at an all time high, there is no need to go without. Furniture re-cycling has become so fashionable that Channel four's property guru Kirstie Allsopp recently aired a new home improvement show dedicated to furniture re-cycling - Kirstie Allsopp's Fill Your House For Free, complete with it's own shop selling, or I should say 'giving away' re-cycled furniture for FREE!

Learn how to fill your house for free with Kirstie Allsopp

Kirstie's shop may be in Scotland, a little far from Chelts, but believe it or not within our little racing town we have our own hidden gems: Emmaus charity shop, selling old furniture for budget prices, the British Heart Foundation furniture shop, selling not just re-cycled furniture but also fridges, cookers and all manner of other electrical items, complete with a year-long guarantee. Or if low priced furniture is still above your budget then the Cheltenham Freecycle is one of the best resources for for free furniture and other unwanted household items.

Believe it or not our sofa, DVD player and vintage style cream bin all came from the Cheltenham Freecycle, and all in great condition.

The thing to remember with re-cycled furniture is that despite appearances, with a creative eye and a lick of paint there really is no limit to what you can do with any piece of unwanted furniture. It really is all about seeing past how it looks and imagining how it could be. Old furniture is ideal for creating that pretty vintage look, a lick of paint, some wire wool and hey-presto you've got yourself some vintage style furniture.

Cheltenham's Top Lunch time Eateries - Paparrito's Mexican Cantina

For a delicious, authentic taste of Mexico, why not spend your lunch time enjoying a Paparrito's. Serving a selection of burritos, tacos and mexican-style salads complete with a choice of meats: free-range chicken, Hereford Beef, special cut braised beef and special cut braised pork, all served with a choice of white or brown rice, pinto or black beans and a range of salsas and additional extras; the food at Paparrito's rarely disapoints.

Paparrito's crispy tacos

Since opening around eight months ago, my boyfriend and I have become regular guests at Paparrito's - for my boyfriend, a major foodie, it was love at first site. I myself took a little more convincing, you see I've never been a lover of spice and my first thought when mexican was mentioned was that it would be too spicy; I'm the kind of girl who always orders a korma or uses Greek yogurt to dilute anything with even a hint of spice. However, fortunatley for me each meat is only lightly marinaided in gentle spices, with the real kick added with choice of salsa - mild, medium or hot. Being a spice-wuss I religiouly request mild, and of course a cheeky extra ladle of sour cream.

The boyfriend enjoying a pre-car journey Paparrito's



Shopping in Chelts

Shopping in Cheltenham is about to get a lot more interesting with H&M's new flagship store opening in just over a week on Cheltenham High Street.

H&M is well and truely on the way!

With high street shopping centre Regent Arcade's 20 million pound renovation, including the extension of TK Maxx and River Island's new much larger store, located next door to the new H&M, shopping in Cheltenham is changing - for the better.

Now coming complete with a Topshop, Newlook, Accessorize, Jack Wills, River Island and as of September 19th, a H&M, shopping in Cheltenham has never been better. Plus with student loans coming in in a couple of weeks and not to mention my 21st birthday heading this way at the end of the month, I would say it is definitly time for a serious shopping spree.

A little bit about moi...

I grew up in a little house in 'sunny' south Devon, complete with the customary country-side field of cows just beyond the back garden, and the beach just a few minutes walk away.

Devon really is a beautiful place...

With this idylic sounding lifestyle you're probably wondering why on earth I left, but in all honesty and despite the outstanding beauty of the South West and the wonderful ability to arrive at the beach in a matter of minutes, once you finish school and start to grow up the 'nothingness' of the countryside tends to lose its charm, especially when you reach that age of wanting to go out, hit the shops on an almost daily basis and order take-away at four in the morning - living in the middle of nowhere, it just isn't a possability.

So nearly three years ago, in Septmeber 2011 I left the comfort of my family home and moved to Cheltenham to begin life as a university student.

Life as a university Fresher

I spent my first two years in Cheltenham living in a student house in Marle Hill Parade, near St Pauls, aka the dodgy end, but have more recently upgraded to a small one-bedroom flat in the town centre complete with a selection of vintage furniture, four cats and a live-in boyfriend - it's all pretty ideal. Sure we don't have much money, especially with me being a student and all, and I'll admit the carpets are a little grundgy but having our own place is great, plus it's pretty much next door to Taylor's pub and a two minute walk to both Kukui and MooMoos - perfect for a night on the town.

(Just in case you were wondering about the four cats, let me just clarify that I am not in fact a 'crazy cat woman' the four cats happened pretty much by accident - it's a long and boring story.)

Apologies!

I apologise for my absence over the previous few weeks a lot has been happening - from a crazy family camping trip to the spur of the moment purchase of two insanly gorgeous kittens! .... Meet Alfie and Binky!

Alfie (left) & Binky (right) 

Happy 18th 'Chuggers'!

It is incredibly strange to think that you, my baby brother, have turned 18 years old today. I can't quite get my head around it...

Aww look at you in your little glittery 'Ibiza' t-shirt....

I remember this one time when you were about four years old and you went to play outside in the garden whilst mum and I were sat in the house reading a story or what not. After a few minutes we realised you were being unusually quiet, when mum went to investigate it turned out you had painted all the back windows with mud... apparently you were giving them a wash! Likely story...

Another time, I was playing in my room and suddenly realised my tiny tears doll (aka little timmy) was missing... Do you know where I found it? In the bathroom sink, full of water and missing half its hair! It turned out you and a friend you had over fancied playing a game of hairdressers... You gave poor timmy half a skin head! 

Like all kids we had our fair share of fights, some of them ending up with headlocks, food thrown up the wall and DVDs scratched into oblivion...

The fight that really stands out the most though was the time that we had that massive fight at a summer fete over a toy or something, and one of us, I can't remember which one, grabbed a sack of videos we had just brought, swung it round trying to hit the other but instead accidently whacked mum in the face with it! After that I'm pretty sure we were both lost for words...

I dunno how you did it but as a kid your ability to get messy was legendary, you were one of those kids who could end up covered in food just from eating a slice of toast - your talents were extraordinary. 

Mum has always said that as a kid you would come out of school looking like you'd tipped your lunch tray over your head and straight down your front whilst the rest of your friends were as pristine as when they arrived at school in the morning... 

However, despite your 'mucky streak', shall we call it, as a kid you were always the kindest kid in the world... If we'd fight you'd always be the first to apologize or if I was ill you'd find a way to make me feel that little bit better...

There was this one time when I was ill, I can't actually remember what was wrong with me, probably just a cold or something, anyway you came up to me and gave me a little bell so that if I needed anything I could ring it and you could get it for me... How cute is that? 

I don't know if you remember but growing up you spent a lot of time in the company of girls, especially as all Mum and Dads friends had girls... pretty much until you started pre-school you spent all your time in female company and what fun it was...

I don't know if you remember but when you were three or four, me, Lucy and Sarah decided it would be fun to dress you up in girls clothes, and do your hair in little bunches... you ended up wearing a floor length nighty with your hair in little pigtails all over your head - it's safe to say that Dad was not impressed!

Another time we dressed you up in a little swimming costume with pink bows down the back... 

But jokes and cross-dressing aside, Happy Birthday you adult you! 

Homeward bound....

After a lot of stress, sweat and tears my second year at university was concluded last week after one final (and incredibly scary) exam, which I should probably admit I am 99% certain I failed. And so finally free, tomorrow morning I'm heading home! Sadly it is only a flying visit though as I am then off to my crazy family's annual camping trip slash reunion where I will be spending a week with no less than 30 of my distant relatives. That's something you should know about me, my family is big and loud and somewhat resembles the Portokalos family from romcom My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this year we will even be roasting meat on a spit in our make-shift 'front yard'... we so should have been Greek!

Camping trip aside, the main reason I'm heading home tomorrow is just so that I can wish my baby brother a happy 18th birthday... I can't quite believe my little, or not so little anymore, brother is turning 18, where has the time gone?

10 years ago he was turning 8....

Inside my bag - my everyday essentials...

Recently I've seen a lot of bloggers posting about the everyday necessities that reside within their handbags - the things they truly cannot live without, so I thought I would give it a go.

I personally can't live without....

1. My diary slash organiser - without it I would be seriously lost. Unlike a lot of my generation I lack the ability to double up my phone as an organiser. I need to see each day and date set out on a page in front of me to have any hope of being in the right place at the right time, and even then it's a struggle. Relying on good old fashioned pen and paper may sound slightly outdated but trust me, in my world it is a complete necessity.

Plus I just love the pretty designs! 

2. Lip balm - because there really is nothing worse than the look or feel of dry, chapped lips. Plus you never know, today might just be the day you end up in lip-locked passion with that barman you've been hooked on for like ever... I'll admit it''s unlikely, but a girl can dream can't she?

Love this! It's hand made and comes from my home town...

3. Note pad and pen. You never know when you may need to jot something down - be it a business contact or the number of the local answer to Ryan Gosling, a note pad and pen really are as essential as wearing matching underwear on a first date.
4. A can of Dove. This cucumber and green tea scented deodorant spray is nothing less than a handbag essential (for obvious reasons).
5. A bottle of non-chip nail varnish. I don't know what it is about carrying around a bottle of the shiny stuff but knowing I have the ability to top up my nails wherever and whenever I want gives me a strange sense of comfort. I'll admit I do suffer from a slight case of chip-a-phobia, who knows, maybe it's something to do with that...

6. Hairbrush. My hair has to be the most frustrating hair on the planet, it has the most annoying and unnatural tendency to tangle... as in, within five minutes of being brushed. It really isn't normal. Hence a hairbrush is more than necessary, unless of course I fancy the birds nest look... I think it may be time to invest in a tangle teaser!
7. My iphone. If I'm being honest, I've always been a bit of a technophobe, even the most simplistic of technology ends up confusing me (I think I inherited my lack of love for technology from my mother, who at age 45 is still unable to use the internet or a computer). But there's something different about the iphone, the minute I laid eyes on it I just knew we were going to get along, and for once I was actually right. It's simple and easy to use, in fact I fell so deeply in love with it that I persuaded (aka bullied) my mother into getting one of her own.

It really is stunning....

8. My make-up bag. I'm one of these people who more often than not, ends up being late, so carrying around my make-up makes life a hell-of-a-lot easier. Many girls my age would squeal with horror at what I'm about to say...but I tend to leave the house bare faced, completely free of make-up pretty much everyday and it's only if I get a spare minute that I'll slap a little colour onto my face.

9. My purse - kind of obvious but totally necessary. I mean without my Starbucks loyalty card, oh and of course my debit card, where would I be? ... Gingerbread-latte-less

Ginger Beer, my not-so-secret love.

As you probably already know I have recently developed a love of Fentimans Ginger Beer.

Isn't it beautiful?



I can honestly say that until the other day, Fentimans was my one and only. However Saturday night brought with it a whole knew expereince...

Not a spot on Fentimans...

If it hadn't been for my boyfriend deciding that he fancied one of the above Ginger Beers, I doubt I would ever have strayed from the deliciousness that is Fentimans. However, he did and I have. Now not that I'm an expert or anything, but as soon as I'd tasted the Bundaberg, I knew - it just wasn't the same. The taste was different, not quite gingery enough. It was slightly fizzier than a Fentimans - I've never been a fan of overly fizzy drinks. There was just no competition.

Game of football ladies?

Football is so not my thing. However the problem I have, like so many other girls I'm sure, is that my boyfriend lives, eats and even dreams football - that's right he actually kicks me in his sleep, I presume he thinks I'm the football. But then again who really knows. 

For the past hour and a half I have been sat in my car on the sidelines of a football match, watching my boyfriend and his friends run madly around the pitch after the small black and white ball that is in fact the horrible 'creature' known as a football. As hard as I try I just cannot see the attraction of the 'sport', what can be so enjoyable about chasing a checkered ball across a muddy strip, of what I once presume was in fact grass. I mean really, what can it be? 

Is it the adrenaline rush, the nearly visible testosterone (men are so competitive) or is it something else? A friend once said that football is his one true love - he loves playing the game, watching the game and everything else that goes with it. But I just don't understand why? 

Football is my own personal anomaly, no matter how many games I watch or explanations I get I honestly doubt that I will ever understand a persons love of football. Plus it is just so rough - who wants to be hurt out of choice? 

I really hate football...

Reinhold Niebuhr

Earlier on I was having a mooch around google and I came across the following quote: 'God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.' (Reinhold Niebuhr - who I must admit I have never actually heard of, however that is really besides the point.) I should also mention that the reference to God that the quote makes is of absolutely no relevance, well not to me at least. The only reason I posted this was a) because I haven't managed to blog since my first post and b) because I fell in love with it. It might sound slightly strange, but the words of a stranger are so simple to fall into. 

10 Facts About Me

I've been meaning to start writing this blog for ages. The problem with this is that I wanted it to be perfect - I'm a bit of a perfectionist you see. Thus I seem to have recently spent most of my free time day dreaming about making it, rather than actually doing so. I tend to plan things out in my head rather than actually doing them - I'm a bit of a dreamer. That aside, you should also know that despite the fact I want to be a writer, I can't actually spell and find using punctuation increasingly difficult. So please excuse my poor spelling and lack of correct punctuation and although it may not seem like it - I really do try. Now all rambling aside (I also tend to ramble)... I've seen a lot of other bloggers doing these introductory '10 Facts About Me' posts, so I thought I would give it a try. Here goes...

10 (Slightly Random) Facts About Me! 

1. I have recently discovered a love for Fentimans Ginger Beer, as well as an even deeper love for Jamie Oliver's Polenta Chips.

Jamie's Polenta Chips. Yummy! 

2. I am currently so skint that I can't even afford to buy a new eye liner...or food for that matter. It's truly tragic.
3. I am addicted to Starbucks but due to my lack of funds I can't actually remember the last time I set foot inside their door.
4. In the previous three weeks I have become completely and utterly obsessed with a nail varnish colour that, according to my friends, resembles 'vintage poo'. Whatever that is.

Vintage Poo? 

5. I like to read magazines backwards. I start at the back and flick to the front.
6. I kind of want my own flat. The main reason being - so I can design it, decorate it and fill it with vintage furniture.

First on the list is a vintage suitcase! 

7. I am addicted to chocolate. One of my greatest life ambitions is in fact to embark on a personal crusade to prove that no chocolate in the world can beat a bar of Cadbury chocolate.
8. I love London. Not for the shops, not for the food, not for the culture - for the atmosphere. I love the hustle and bustle.
9. The idea of Karma is amazing. I just can't decide whether or not it exists.
10. I'm still, at age 20, scared of the dark.