Ever since I was small I have absolutely adored Easter. As a carefree youngster with my only concern being if Nickelodeon were going to run back to back episodes of Sister Sister and Sabrina, Easter meant no school and loads of chocolate. Kid heaven. As an adult, I am still very much a fan of the Easter holidays and although I’m head over heels in love with Christmas, Easter is pretty amazing. 

Here are five reasons I love Easter…

1. Four day weekend.

Whilst I’m fully aware that not everybody gets bank holidays off, for those that do, having a four day weekend is pretty rad. It also means that you have two four day weeks, which makes the working week that much sweeter. Although you get two bank holidays at Christmas, they can fall on any day of the week, with no guarantee of a four day weekend. So Easter totally trumps that.

2. Chocolate.

It’s no secret that I possess possibly the sweetest tooth on the planet, so a holiday containing an abundance of chocolate provides me with almost as much joy as a lottery win. You will find me on the couch surrounded by foil over the weekend. 

3. It’s in spring.

Spring is such a lovely time of year, lighter evenings, the promise of summer and those gorgeous Spring days riddled with daffodils. What a great time to have a four day weekend!

4. No pressure

Christmas is truly wonderful, but there’s so much stress that comes with it. Visiting loved ones, sourcing gifts, cooking a feast. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and I think it’s easy to get so consumed with it all that you have little time for yourself. Easter removes all of that. Chuck a couple of Easter eggs (which are literally everywhere) at family members, hang out with a couple of people if you wish. No worrying if you’ve forgotten to get a gift/send a card/visit your Gran. None of that. Stress – free.

5. The dude resurrected.

If you are a believer, then believing the fact that Jesus resurrected is quite awesome. I mean everybody is born, but resurrecting, I mean come on, that’s pretty special. Can’t see myself moving a giant rock and coming back to life after such a horrific ordeal. The dude is a hero, possibly on par with the likes of Captain America and Batman. We aren’t big on religion, but I think Easter is a great time to be a Christian.

 

What’s your favourite thing about Easter?

L X

  
Life has been a bit mad over the past few weeks. We finally completed on our house move and are now living in our new abode. If you have moved home recently (or perhaps ever!), the complete upheaval it causes will be fresh in your memory. I always think of myself as someone who doesn’t have a lot of stuff, so I was flabbergasted on moving day when we managed to fill up the entire van and five cars! I literally had to call family members and demand that they bring their empty cars for us to fill. Phil also had to pop back for my lovely plants that I was adamant weren’t to be left behind. It was a full on day, but I’m glad that we are finally in and making the place our own. We also went to Iceland four days after moving house, which in some ways was great as it took us away from the cardboard chaos we had been living with for a couple of weeks, but also bonkers because it meant that we had to organise everything to do with our trip too. We had an amazing adventure and I’m so glad that we went. We also haven’t had the Internet for the past month which has resembled nothing less than the constitutions of hell. Sure, at times it was refreshing, but most of the time I found it quite stressful. It was made worse by the fact that I have little phone signal, so couldn’t even Google something quickly. I have learnt that adulthood requires quite a bit of Googling stuff I’m unsure of! Anyway, we have now arrived at this point… A month in, fully unpacked and today the builders have started so we can put a stamp on our new pad. I know that we have a long way to go until everything has settled and is perfect, but we are well on the way and I couldn’t be happier.

  
Are you looking forward to anything soon?

L x

  
When I was younger I hated to be seen without anybody by my side. The thought of nipping to the shops or walking to the station alone was completely mortifying. I used to feel like I was being judged and completely uncool, like I needed a sidekick to feel safe in my skin. As an adult I actually quite enjoy time to myself, hell I even embrace it. It’s such a beautiful thing to not have to take somebody else’s desires into the equation and only have to worry about myself. I know this all sounds terribly selfish (and it is), but I think that you can’t really be yourself if you are too busy being with others all of the time. It’s with this new found confidence that I’ve developed in adulthood that has led to me enjoying doing things on my own. I wouldn’t say I am that ambitious, but I quite enjoy a wander around the shops on my lonesome and a spot of breakfast/lunch. The freedom of just choosing which shops I want to go in and not wondering where my pal has disappeared to whilst I’ve been eyeing up a cord dress in Topshop. It’s incredibly self indulgent, but is also really effective in time management. No waiting around for the other person(s) you are with to finish noseying in River Island. None of that. Come and go at my own leisure. It’s also really refreshing to just enjoy my own company and enjoy things that I am fond of. 

Something that I never thought I would ever do is eat in a restaurant on my own, but these days I find it quite relaxing. Again I am in control of how long I spend there and can do what I want to whilst I’m there (like instagramming my food!!!). I usually read and stuff my face which are two things that I absolutely adore.

When I return home from my little date with myself I feel totally chilled out, like I’ve given myself a little holiday. I think that it’s so important to take care of ourselves and a part of doing that is making ‘you’ time. It’s important to remember who you are and what you like, you are important too!

I don’t think I’m ready to go to the cinema on my own yet (although I always see lots of people on their own when I go!), but I think these days I have almost completely outgrown my fear of being seen without a squad and it’s brilliant!

How do you feel about time on your own?

L x

A bright and sun shining day in winter is a little taste of heaven for England. When the grey skies clear to reveal the glorious ball of light that we can mostly only lust after, it’s most divine. Such beautiful days call for long walks and I’m really enjoying quality time with my husband and our little Jack Russell, Holly. We love getting outdoors, embracing our natural surroundings and it is so lovely to enjoy a walk together and have a chat. We often visit National Trust sites, but on this occasion we decided to check out Aldenham Country Park. It’s not too far from where we live in the leafy suburbs of London and I had heard such positive vibes about the place that I thought it was worth a visit.  

 
The hazy afternoon sun had created a false impression of warmth and there was a distinct, clean chill in the air demanding its presence be acknowledged. I was secretly gutted I didn’t bring my earmuffs as the cool air skimmed my little ears leaving them feeling frozen.

We walked around the lake that dominates Aldenham and I was very surprised that Holly had a paddle. I can’t even remember the last time she willingly entered water whilst we were out. She’s a funny little ball, who is a sun worshipper and despises anything cold. Her paddling pool becomes her best friend in summer, but Holly never normally enters lake water or even the bath willingly. She also surprised us by trundling through a little stream we came across. Must have been feeling adventurous!

  
It’s so nice to watch Holly take in natural surroundings and simply be a dog, sniffing scents and bouncing around.

I love having uninterrupted chats with the hubby too, often consisting of nothing that really matters. It’s great to just spend the time together without work or other things getting in the way. 

   
I always feel really refreshed after a long walk in beautiful surroundings, like I’ve taken a pause from life and can just exist for a short while with fresh air in my lungs. 

Nature is such a wonderful thing and I really appreciate being able to wrap myself up in surroundings that only nature controls. London is such a beautiful city, but it’s so easy to be swallowed up in it’s concrete existence, forgetting where life really began and what it’s all about.

I wouldn’t say that Aldenham is my favourite place after our visit and to be honest there are many other places nearby that are arguably more untouched, natural and beautiful. I’m glad that we went though and we had a lovely time (although I’m sure that Holly brought back ten bucketfuls of mud on her legs, belly and paws!).

  
Where are your favourite places to escape for a walk?

L x

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will probably be aware of the fact that I am a bit of a bookworm. I absolutely adore reading and have done since I was a child. One of my favourite Sunday’s as an eight year old was when I spent the whole day reading Roald Dahl books. I was so pleased that I managed to read so much in one day (complete nerd!). In adulthood I’m much the same and love a lazy weekend with a good book, so I thought that I would compose a short list of my most favourite books I’ve read in the past couple of years. I wanted to keep it as a neat list of five, but I  needed to squeeze an extra one (technically two) in!

The Fault in our Stars by John Green      

I absolutely adore this story. It is so beautifully written that I could read it every day for the rest of my life and still be satisfied. The story itself is terribly tragic and desperately sad, but it is written in such a wonderful way that you don’t come away feeling depressed or pitiful.                       

Good points: The writing style and the characters.                                          

Bad points: It is a really sad topic that will probably make you cry buckets.                                              

Read it if: You like a story that will take you on a journey. Even if you might cry.

 

Me before you by Jojo Moyes                      
Me Before You fell into my life at a point when I hadn’t read anything exciting for a while. When I was putting reading on the back burner and life had got in the way. This book had me gripped from the start and life was put on the back burner whilst I discovered what was going to happen to Will Traynor and Louisa Clark. This is such a lovely story (with some elements of sadness – sob!). It isn’t afraid to take a different path and break stereotypes. I really really love it, can’t wait for the movie!               

Good points: The characters are great. Will’s sarcasm and Lou’s bubbly personality are key to the telling of the story.                               

Bad points: You might cry (again!).    

Read it if: You like a good, substantial story that is unpredictable.

  
The Girl on the Train by  Paula Hawkins.                                                             

There is such a love buzz around this book and when the hubby bought it for me for my birthday I was really excited to read it and see if it lived up to the hype. It really did. I do enjoy a thriller now and again and I enjoyed learning about the characters (hating Rachel, hating Tom, liking Rachel, liking Tom, hating Anna, hating Tom). It’s a good read and I was so desperate to find out what happened to Megan that I couldn’t put it down.                  Good points: It’s easy to read and keep track of all of the key elements. It’s also constantly evolving. It probably won’t make you cry.             

Bad points: I found Rachel really annoying at times, I wanted to shout at her ‘just go home!’.                            

Read it if: You like a good thriller. 

 
Still Alice by Lisa Genova.                           

I was really sceptical of reading this book as I had seen the movie and wasn’t blown away. My Grandad had Alzheimer’s and I think that the movie glamorised the illness a bit and didn’t portray the devastation it creates. I’m so glad that I made the effort with the book because it is far more accurate and a brilliant read.     Good points: It gives a great insight into early onset Alzheimer’s disease and Alice is such a relatable, lovely character.                                                  Bad points: I found it really sad, but that’s mostly because of seeing the illness first hand.                                    

Read it if: You have ever wondered about Alzheimer’s and you like a story that isn’t all rose gardens and afternoon tea.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon                

This book is AMAZING. It is written perfectly and the character of Chrisopher Boone has been created with upmost accuracy to someone who is autistic. It isn’t just about autism though, there is so much more going on, all being told by the voice of Christopher. It’s such a great book to read and the stage production is pretty rad too!                 

Good points: The writing. It’s brilliant. The storyline is great too, unpredictable.                                          

Bad points: Honestly I can’t think of any!                                                                 

Read it if: You like something different. I haven’t read anything like it!

 
Paper Aeroplanes/Goose by Dawn O’Porter.                                                               

These two books go hand in hand. The first (Paper Aeroplanes) tells the story of Flo and Renee as they grow up in the nineties. It’s a fun read that took me back to my teen years! The second (Goose) follows the girls to college and a new chapter in their lives.                                                             Good points: 90’s nostalgia!                   Bad points: Can be a bit crude.               Read it if: You like being taken back to when you were younger.

What are your favourite books? Have you read any of these?
L x