Weekend in Norfolk

Last weekend I came away from the city, after spending two weeks interning at British Airways' High Life magazine. It was ultra exciting to see what went on behind the scenes of the magazine I read when I flew from home to Glasgow for university, and excited I managed to spend some time there. What also was a dream, was where the office was situated. It was right by Covent Garden, and only minutes from the Thames, making every lunch break different each day.

After leaving London on Saturday to catch the train, I met my uncle at North Walsham and we went into Cromer for the afternoon. I tried my hand at crab fishing (failing miserably), walked up the pier, and then settled with a cornflake cake and strawberry milkshake as we spoke about what we had been up to.

Leading on from that, we went back to his beautiful cottage situated by the North Sea and took his dear Cavalier King Charles named Poppy along the coastal walk.

The longest beach in forever, where we went for a walk in Bacton.

It was a really lovely day and the sun was shining on us, as we went to go and my aunt and sister in Norwich for dinner. We settled in a restaurant called Coast to Coast, where I had a full rack of ribs! It had an american diner feel to it.

Me, my uncle and sister.

The next day we were taken into Norwich, where we had a wonder round the city. It was a vibrant and buzzing place, somewhere I would definitely return to, and the Old Town was so picturesque!

Cobbled streets

It was a lovely weekend and I'm looking forward to returning soon! 

Have you been up to anything recently?

Kirsty 

xx

Welcome to the family, Chester!

I have finally returned from another week in Malta. The heat there was unbearable as the island is experiencing a heatwave and so I spent the most of my days with my kindle, reading by the water so that I can dip in and out easily, when I got hot.

However, whilst away on holiday, I saw a post on Facebook, advertising a puppy named Chester who needed rehoming. He's had a bad start in life and has been pushed from pillar to post. He just needed a family who could love him! I asked about him and made the rescue centre aware we were interested and when we returned home, a lady came to ensure the house was suitable for him so he could grow and nurture here.

And yesterday, we took Chester home! He's one years old and is an adorable little thing. Here are some photos we have already taken of him here:

Cleaning his eyes, they get very dirty because of this champagne furry colour!

The day we brought Chester home

He loves chewing a bone

Isn't he adorable, Chester is a Poodle cross Lhasa Apso! He's so bouncy, he's forever wanting to do something! What do you do to keep your pets entertained?

Kirsty

xx

Summer Reading

As the new week approaches, I'm getting ready again to fly off back to my second home, Malta. With all these travels I'm doing recently I've been needing to keep myself occupied and what best way to do that than to read the sizzling summer books, currently getting everyone hooked. 

I'm going to recommend two that I've read recently, that, in all honesty, I could not put down! I would be at a coffee shop and still have my kindle in one hand and my Earl Grey tea cup in the other! 

The first BIG read that I urge you to get your hands on this summer is The Girl on the Train. Now, at first, I was a bit sceptical. I usually like to read 'off the radar' books to find unknown writers that produce great novels (look at Rosamund Lupton, she's a star writer that not enough people praise her on). But I continued on, even my mum wanted to read the book, so I bought it so we could compare opinions after.

Source

I am SO glad I picked the booked up. It is full of mystery and suspense. It is gripping and Paula Hawkins lets you into Rachel's life, as her story unfolds. As the blurb says to the letter. She is the girl on the train who one day sees something that changes everything. She becomes involved in something so complex and becomes a major witness (if it weren't for her major drinking problem). I give this book five stars and would love to see what happens next for Rachel once the book ends, although, whether there will be a sequel, we have yet to see.

The next book I delved into, as I finished The Girl on the Train so quickly, was The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. 

Originally, Gaiman wanted to to make this a novella but soon turned it into a story as he began adding more and more to the plot line. 

The story is focused and told from a seven year old's point of view. This definitely did not mean that the book was angled at seven year old's! With a many allegorical meanings, Gaiman moves to the fantasy world when the narrator meets the Hempstocks'. Something about them brings a sense of mystery as he lingers back, something which the reader would like to find out too. He is wrapped up in a dangerous world that isn't quite human and is superficial. 

 Source

An interesting read for someone with an open mind. I would definitely put this on your to read list this summer.

Are there any other books you could recommend?

Kirsty 

xx

French Travels, Marseille #2

Hey Bloggers, 

We're halfway through the week and I thought I'd share with you what I have been up to in France. On our few days in Marseille, I took a boat trip to Les Calanques, a place that is coated with beauty and mystery as the boat takes you through the caves and to the mini rivers, leading from the sea. However, on this day we went, it was not to be the case as the sea was rough, and by the end of the trip I felt extremely sea sick! :(

The Les Calanques on a bad day, the water should have been crystal blue!

On our way back we passed Castle D'If, it is most famous in the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

However, after this, we managed to see a lot in Marseille, the photos I took below summed up my time here!

The view of Marseille from the Cathedral de la Gare.

The doors to the main Cathedral, down here where this photo was taken was the Crypt.

The beautiful embellishment inside the Cathedral.

This was the fort of St John.                  

The view from the fort, before heading into the adjoined Mucem.

Mecum garden, where you could stop for lunch!

Backstreets of Marseille.

Marseille has been lovely and it has been interesting comparing the cities between each other when we have moved on to other destinations. 

Is there a city you've enjoyed spending time in?

Kirsty 

xx

Marvellous Marseille

On Monday, my boyfriend and I jetted off to the South of France for a small adventure. We're currently at our first stop, but will be continuing our journey further along to the sunny city of Cannes in the next few days. However, Marseille has brought beauty and bliss as we're exploring the city's touristic sites and exhausted its many coffee shops! 

Upon leaving our bags at the hotel room on the first day, we hopped on the Metro from our stop, La Timone to Vieux Port, the escalator climbed to the city floor and we sprung upon this beautiful view!

We walked around the port and landed ourselves in Le Panier district. I would recommend anyone to go here as it is bustling full of unique shops and squares of independent restaurants.

                     

At the end of the port we found ourselves at Cathedral de la Major. The architecture in this cathedral was so beautiful, and a definite place to go to when exploring Marseille. 

                     

                   

                    

                    

After walking around this beautiful and historical cathedral, we then left to walk back around the port and book a boat trip to Les Calanques, something I will talk about on my next blog post! 

However, this insight to Marseille on the first day excited me of what was to come in the following couple of days we were here. 

I will write to keep you updated on our adventure in the south of France!

Kirsty 

xx

Mahiki Madness!

On Friday, Heather (whose blog can be found here), my friend Natalia and I made our weekend plans and decided to party out the week at Mahiki, Mayfair. With a little bit of networking, we managed to get free entry and free drinks. This made our night even more enticing and worth the all nighter we would be having, until the first train home in the morning.

Natalia, Myself and Heather

To describe Mahiki in one word, I would have to say exotic! Its Polynesian, Hawaiian theme makes the drinks even more exciting, and because of where the club is, it’s even more expensive! Pina Colada’s are placed in pineapple’s and you can buy a bottle of Dom for an eye watering £11,0000. 

That’s not all though, you never know who you’re going to be partying next to. The evening we went, there were one of the girls from Little Mix with the Daily Mail paparazzi flying round! The story of this can be found here.

On the journey up to London.

Even though I enjoyed Mahiki, I definitely enjoyed the events after. After happily devouring a Mcdonalds and sobering up, we all made our way to the Embankment to get on a boris bike and make our way back to Fenchurch Street.

Take note, we tied our heels to our bike and put on our flats!

After taking about ten minutes to work out how to rent a bike, we made our way, passing towering figures such as the London Eye and rode along the river Thames. We saw the sun rise over the Shard and saw the Tower of London in the morning light.

Once at Coopers row, we docked the bikes and caught the 05.10 train back to Leigh on Sea. Once we were back at mine at around 06.00, we all went straight to bed!

We had such a great evening and I 100% would do it again in the near future.

Have you ever had an exciting night out?

Kirsty 

xx

Wednesday Stroll

It's almost the weekend and I've been extremely busy recently, and will be able to tell you all soon about my new adventure I will be going on. For now though, I will let you in to what I have been up to these last couple of weeks!

My friend Heather came down to stay during the week and we went into London numerous times to play tourists and go partying. On Wednesday, when she arrived, we got the train to Brick Lane and had a nosey around. As usual, we made our way to the Beigal Bake and got ourselves a smoked salmon bagel and a jam doughnut. I can confirm, as ever, both impressed.

Later, after walking around, we found a lovely café where we both got a Mocha and stayed to chat more for a few hours.

 

Upon leaving east London, we both thought of west end shows we wanted to see. I had a friend who worked at the Shaftsbury Theatre and so messaged him to see what the availability was for Memphis. With a lot of luck, we were able to get tickets to see the show and so we made our way to Covent Garden.

Neal's yard, Seven Dials

Shoreditch

Memphis

Set in 1950s in Memphis, the production kept me on the edge of my seat as I watched Beverley Knight sing away. The show introduces Huey, a white man who goes into Del Ray's underground bar. As the regulars begin to leave, Huey tells the black men and women that he loves the music they produce and goes on to prove that he can sell and play their music successfully. In the midst of this, he falls in love with Delray's sister, Felicia (who is played by Beverley Knight). 

The story is an interesting one, and keeps me hooked throughout. Its catchy songs and dazzling voices, I enjoyed every moment.

I would definitely recommend anyone to go and see the show, whilst it is still on!

Kirsty

xx

Five fabulous beach hangouts

I returned from Malta earlier in the week and have been busy back at work and seeing friends. I have decided to make a list of my favourite five beaches and swimming spots to hangout by whilst sizzling in the sun! This list is not in any order, though.

ONE - WIED IL-GHASRI

Okay, this first one is in Gozo, but this idyllic hidden cove is one of the most magical spots on the island. Surrounded by rock, no seaweed has ever appeared when I'm here and certainly no current. It's crystal clear waters and picturesque view makes it all that more beautiful to visit. To get here ideally, you would need a car as it is north of the island and not very accessible by bus. You also need to be quite fit to get up and down the stairs to the alcove!

Photo taken from this link.

TWO - BLUE LAGOON

This stunning gem is situated in Comino. It's crystal clear waters make this area so enticing for swimmers, and the colour of the rocks the water makes when it glistens in the sun just seems to seal the deal for day-trippers who venture out to this lagoon. The best way to get here is by boat. These run daily from Valletta or Bugibba and can be arranged with a tour guide. The price to visit is usually around €20. 

The beautiful blue sea.

:)

Absolute paradise!

THREE - PARADISE BAY

Now, I'm not kidding when I say there are a few steps down to this dazzling beach, but there really is about one hundred steps (maybe more, eek). Paradise Bay remains firmly as one of my favourites for numerous reasons. Unlike the other two I've mentioned above, they can be susceptible to lots of jellyfish in the summer. Paradise Bay rarely sees many jelly's. The alcove can speaks for itself with its name as it looks out to Comino and Gozo, in the distance. It is surrounded by rugged landscape that keeps the wind at bay. With those one hundred steps, the last thing to think of is carrying an ice box down to the sand. Paradise Bay boasts its own shop, and, to make this beach more beautiful, it has its own BBQ shack where you can buy burgers and hotdogs for lunch!!

link

link

FOUR - PRETTY BAY

This is so close by to me that I'm forever returning to this beach. It has some lovely places to eat at lunch cheaply and the sand and sea is clean which makes me enjoy it a lot more. Pretty Bay really did used to pretty according to my parents and pictures didn't do it justice. A port was built in the bay and so this became an eyesore. Despite this, it is a lovely little place to swim and not too far from me!

link

link

FIVE - Mellieha Bay

My penultimate choice has to be Mellieha for several reasons. Firstly, this beach stretches for miles, and is the longest beach in Malta, stretching out at over 800m. It really is very long and so there is no doubt that you won't get your pitch. Secondly, the water at mellieha is shallow and I like this is summer when you just want to relax in the water. It also makes the water very warm, which is nice if you go later in the year. In the height of  summer, there is a massive inflatable park, full of trampolines and climbing mountains, which I LOVE! Again, this beach is north of the island, like Paradise Bay.

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This is only a part of the inflatable section at Mellieha. This is the link.

These are just a few of the beaches in Malta and Gozo, but some of my firm favourites.

What are your favourite beaches?

Kirsty

xx