The most perfect Nottingham weekend



 



So this weekend me and my boyfriend went on a little weekend adventure to Nottingham! It's a city that I have been to before but never really had the chance to explore properly and we found that there is so much to see there!
We stayed at SACO Apartments and worked with them to do an Instagram Takeover on the Saturday. The apartment we stayed in was probably one of the best places I have stopped in, I haven't stopped in an apartment before but this definitely made me want to re-visit and stay again. The apartment was so clean and spacious and had a real homely feel to it which I find the more mainstream hotels are often lacking and the staff were really friendly and helpful.

 

We was welcomed to our apartment with a little welcome pack which was a really lovely touch it included cereals, hot chocolate, tea, coffee, water and my favourite was the mini L'Occitaine products that were left in the bathroom for us on arrival - they smelt lush!

 

 

 

Another point worth mentioning about the apartment is the location! We was lucky enough to be in a very central location which was about a 10 minute walk to the city centre. We was on a hill leading up from the castle which was ideal for us as we visited the castle during our stay. The location makes SACO apartments ideal for all types of events, whether it be a relaxing break away, a concert or an event in the city.

Friday

We arrived in Nottingham on the Friday and instead of taking a taxi to the hotel, we decided to walk so that we could see more of the local area and hopefully work our way around a bit more. We must have looked like we knew what we was doing as we even got asked for directions! After we checked in we made our way out for dinner and managed to find a really nice restaurant (two meals for £9!) and I couldn't resist having the fish and chips, it was a Friday after all!

Saturday

Saturday was the day when most of our exploring took place. We started of the day by exploring the area and finding the adventure golf course at Lost City Adventure Golf, this was probably the best golf course I'd seen and at the very reasonable price of £6 before 12pm it's definitely worth a visit!

 

 

 Later on we visited Nottingham Castle and explored the City of Caves, the castle admission price is £7 and the cave tour an extra £5, if your visiting during the colder months make sure you wrap up warm as it can get a bit chilly! The castle itself has been modernised on the inside to make it into a shop and museum but there is still plenty of history to be seen in the museum area to get a feel as to what life was like during those times. We had a really great time taking lots of pictures around the castle before heading back to the apartment.

 

 

Sunday

 

On Sunday we checked out of our apartment and headed around the city to do some last minute shopping in the Victoria Centre and Broadmarsh Centre before boarding the train back home. Nottingham is a wonderful city and we found that there was an array of shops we could explore (I loved this, my boyfriend didn't so much!) I never wanted to leave the city or the luxurious apartment we were staying in but I cannot wait to return for more adventures in the future!



Overall, we had a really great weekend in Nottingham and can't wait for our next adventure, a massive thank you to SACO Apartments for having us and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to visit Nottingham, give them a follow on the social media channels below to keep up to date with all their latest news.

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 J x

2017 Goals

So I realise I'm a little late to the party with these goals but it's taken me this long to deeply think about what I'd like to achieve from this year, what I want to achieve whilst still making these goals achievable, yes I would love to travel the world - wouldn't we all? But realistically it's not going to happen this year on a massive scale.

1. Travel more

I don't mean the other side of the world when I say this, but smaller weekend breaks are definitely achievable and something that I didn't do enough last year! It's perfectly reasonable to plan a short break away every couple months and can really help you recharge after the stresses of daily life.

2. Make more time for myself

I always feel as though I never have time to properly invest in myself. I plan to dedicate at least an hour a day where I can sit back and relax and read a good book, I'd also like to reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone and online as part of this as I feel like this would be beneficial for a more positive mental outlook.

3. Create a skincare regime

A very easy task but something I've often found difficult to stick too, I often neglect my skincare regime which is something I'd love to get back into as I definitely felt better within myself as I felt more confident.

4. Write more

Not only do I want to make one of my main goals to write more on this blog I also want to generally write more, I enjoy poetry and expressing my feelings and options through that so I would love to invest more time in that and I think joining a local poetry group will really help with that!


J x

 

Time.

I believe people fear living. I think it's something that people put to the side while they're busy simply existing. I do not want to exist, I want to live. We become so stuck in a routine of go to school, graduate university, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old and then that's it, time up, that's your life. I think people only really start to live once they begin to contemplate death because that way there are no consequences, there is very little to loose.

People believe that they will only begin to die when they are old because that's the norm, that's the way it's supposed to be but the sad truth is that time could stop for any one of us at any given second and the question I like to ask myself is If I didn't wake up tomorrow, would I be happy with the life I have lived? If the answer is no, change it. You want to travel the world? Go do it.

 

 

 

 

 

The only thing that will ever hold you back is yourself.

 

Don't settle for a job that you hate, working unconventional hours with a boss that you can't stand. That's not living. You have one life and I don't believe in wasting it being unhappy. Happiness can be found in every corner of the universe, in every passing smile, in every passing moment it will be there waiting for you, if only you have the courage to find it.

 

 

J x







A healthy morning routine

I believe having some sort of routine in the mornings is an important factor in having a good day. When I wake up in the morning, I pretty much know within the first hour whether or not it's going to be a good day. Mostly, it's dependent on whether or not I've had enough sleep, how my relationships are and how stressed I am. If I have enough sleep, I'm comfortable with the way all my relationships are and I'm keeping stress to a minimum then I feel as though I do have a better day and ultimately a better week. Here are a few things that I want to aim for within the next month (and hope to continue with) to see if they have an impact.

 

 

 

 

Wake up early



If you wake up early then you can get the most out of the day. This can be helped also by having time to eat a good breakfast to start the day with and I think drinking water can also help to hydrate you for the day ahead. If you can walk to work, then this helps maintain a healthy lifestyle although I won't be walking to work myself as it is too far from where I live (I'd never get there in time!).


Listen to music

I enjoy listening to music on the radio in the car on the way to work as I believe a good song can really set you up for the day. Some people prefer to listen to more relaxing music whilst others like myself prefer the typically chart music and songs that are easy to sing along to, it starts the day off in a good mood especially on those miserable Monday mornings that we seem to be getting recently

Meditate

This is something I am really keen to try, there is a lot of research that indicates that meditation can be beneficial in dealing with stress and I think this is something that could be useful to me. It's something that I hope to try in the future and if I do notice a difference, am likely to be continuing with

Reading

One of the best and most simple ways that I dedicate time to myself is by getting into a good book. Sometimes it's good to just put down all the gadgets for a second and actually just appreciate the simplicity of words and how moving they can be. It's through this love of words that I tend to write poetry in order to express my emotions as the things I am able to write convey my emotions a lot more powerfully than anything I would ever be able to say in person


J x

The cutest Bonfire Weekend

One of my favourite things about November 5th is watching the fireworks go off across the city all weekend. I was talking to my boyfriend over the weekend about fireworks being a metaphor. Perhaps they are a symbol of hope which shows that even in the darkest of times, there is light or that a tiny idea can be turned into something amazing. Just think of all the successful bloggers out there that started blogging as a very small hobby. I am sure none of them could imagine to grow their blog to the size that they have. To me, fireworks are magical, lighting up the darkest of skies and showing that even in the darkest of times, there is light.

 

I do find it very hard to resist being one of those cliché 'let's post every firework we see on Instagram' people but after scrolling through Instagram on November 5th, I realise that to the rest of the world every firework photo can look quite similar. So on this blog I'll limit myself to a maximum of three cliché firework photos.

 

 

My weekend started on the Friday when I went to my boyfriend's house in Horncastle. I walked in to find the cutest surprise which I believe can only be explained by the photo below, he really is a soppy git ;)

 

 

After this adorable romantic gesture we tucked into a Chinese. As usual, we left the prawn crackers, not that we don't love prawn crackers we just decided to eat the rest of the food first and by the time we had finished that we was ultimately too full for the crackers - sad times.

 

On the Saturday we got the bus into Lincoln and decided to do a bit of shopping, we stopped off at McDonalds for some food and then continued with shopping, browsing the array of charity shops (one of the best places for bargain clothes) along the way.

After that we headed to the Odeon where we watched the new film 'A street cat named Bob'. For me this was a very personal film as I also used to have a ginger cat named Tilly, who was also a street cat and found his new home here. What makes this film even more of a tearjerker is that it is based on a true story, it's a film I can definitely recommend but I'd advise taking some tissues too! In the evening we then went to a charity fireworks display in Horncastle (photos above).  It was absolutely freezing but we managed to stay close to the bonfire they had which made us a bit warmer.

On Sunday I went to something I have never been to before at Skegness Stadium. It was known as slot car racing or banger racing and involved modified cars to race around a circuit. Honestly, if my driving instructor thinks I'm dangerous on the roads he should watch that. I really enjoyed the races but my favourite has to be the destruction derby at the end (I'm not a violent person at all) and this involved racing round a circuit smashing up caravans as much as possible. I have attached a video below but it may not be to everyone's taste.
After the racing there was also a fireworks display which we stayed to watch (no cliché photos this time don't worry) and then just as the fireworks finished and we was heading out of the stadium, it started to rain but luckily the car wasn't too far away.

 

 

Overall I had a really amazing weekend and had a lovely time celebrating Bonfire Night. How did you celebrate Bonfire Night?

 

 

 

J x

 

Winter bucket list

Is it too soon to start thinking about Winter? The clocks have changed, the nights are getting darker and it's definitely getting colder. Despite all this Winter still remains one of my favourite seasons, there is a few things I want to achieve this Winter to get the most out of the season!

 



 

1. Visit a Christmas Market

 

My hometown has a Christmas Market every year and I really do enjoy the experience to get into the Christmas spirit, it's a great place to pick up some little handmade items that make very unique and special gifts for loved ones

 

2. Build a snowman

 

As a kid two of my favourite things about Winter was sledging and building snowmen, I'd love to be able to get back into that feeling of being a kid again and just messing around building a snowman (maybe not the sledging as I do feel I am slightly too old for that now, plus have no idea where my sledge actually is at this point)

 

3. Have a hot chocolate with Marshmallows in

 

I am now a regular at the Saturday football matches where I watch my boyfriend play most weekends, one of the best ways to warm up after being stood outside in the cold (or rain in one particular case I remember very well) is with a nice warm mug of hot chocolate, as a special Christmas treat though I'd love to try one with marshmallows on the top and maybe some squirty cream too

 

4. Watch the Christmas lights switch on

 

Again this is something I went to last year which I found a great experience I really enjoyed watching the lights switch on as it felt like to start of Christmas, this is something I would love to do again this year.

 

5. Bake Christmas cookies

 

Not only Christmas cookies but I'd also like to have a go at making a gingerbread house, there's no way anything I bake will come out like the photos I've seen circulating social media but I feel it is worth a shot at anyway!

 

 

Finally, the isn't something I think I am going to be able to do this year but one year I would love to go to Winter Wonderland in London, I've heard so many great things about it and it's an experience I'd love to try!

J x

 



Whirlwinds and Wanderlust

So these last few days have been amazing as I have been celebrating my 19th Birthday! The adventures started on Friday when me and my family and boyfriend went to see Shappi Khorsandi. This is a comedian who I had enjoyed watching on Live at the Apollo and would like to see live. I could definitely recommend seeing Shappi live if you are a fan. The show was predominantly about culture but with a very meaningful message of patriarchy behind the humour. Shappi also had a support act who I can say was practically as equally funny as Shappi herself and I would recommend looking at Tom Lucy's work if you haven't before.

Me and Alan at the LPAC waiting for Shappi

On the Sunday we had been searching all day for anybody selling tickets to Russell Howard at our local venue as we had wanted to go since the tickets were released but the tour had sold out within minutes. Last minute somebody messaged us asking if we were still looking for tickets as they couldn't make it, amazingly they were willing to give the tickets away for free despite us offering them money for them so we both felt extremely lucky to be able to have that experience.

Me and Alan outside The Engine Shed to see Russell Howard

 

 

On Tuesday I finished work at lunchtime as we was going to a Jaime Lawson concert in the evening after my parents got me tickets for my birthday. Alan had booked the whole day off working and came to surprise me by picking me up from work at lunchtime with a McDonald's and surprising me with a cinema trip to see The Girl On The Train. This is a film that I had wanted to see prior to it's release as I had enjoyed the book so much! I felt the film was definitely worth a watch although it could get a bit weird in places.

 

 

 

 

 

Then came the actual day of my birthday! I had booked the day of work as who wants to be working on their own birthday? I hadn't had anything planned and was thinking of having a lazy day with Alan but was surprised to find that he had organised a bowling trip for us and my parents and that night I also went to Damon's for a meal where I had a lovely cheeseburger! I really enjoyed the two games of bowling we had and the Mississippi Melt burger from Damon's, I also tried one of the Damon's Special's cocktails which was really nice and made a change as I am not usually a fan of alcoholic drinks!



 

Overall I had a really lovely day and I can't thank my boyfriend and family enough for making it so special for me!!

 

J x