Life Lately #149

Hello lovelies,

If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or read my blog regularly, you'll know I've recently been on holiday to Kefalonia in Greece. I'm going to write a full post about our holiday, but for now, let me just say it was one of the most stunning places I've ever visited. The views were breath-taking & the sea was the most beautiful shade of blue. I've already written a post about how to deal with the holiday blues as I'm missing it so much! But I can't wait to show you all the photos from the places we explored. (keep an eye out for that post coming soon!)

On Saturday, we finally got to give Char her birthday day out to Brighton. We started with breakfast at The Breakfast Club, a place I've wanted to visit for years! They do the most amazing breakfasts as I'm sure you can imagine. I couldn't decide between the pancakes & a full English, so ended up having bacon, sausages, egg & pancakes on the side! It was honestly so delicious & not at all greedy of me..

We then headed to Churchill Square to do some shopping before walking to the theatre to see Legally Blonde the musical, which has been on my list to see for the longest time. It was absolutely amazing. Rita Simons was fantastic playing Paulette & she had great chemistry with her co-stars. I also didn't expect the show to have real life doggies in it as well, which was an added bonus! We got to meet Rufus (Bertie) outside the theatre when we left, he was the cutest bulldog but sadly we didn't get to see Bruiser.

Last Sunday, it was Father's Day, so I visited both my grandparents & my dad with some gifts & to have a catch up. I headed over quite early to see my family as I'm still trying to sort out the house after holiday! We currently have clothes everywhere.. all clean but just scattered through-out the house! I really need to start selling some again soon..

Oh & in case you didn't know, the World Cup has started..

James is mad on football, so he is in his element with all the matches (3 a day! Sometimes 4!) We watched England play on Monday with some friends & what can I say.. I'm just glad we had Love Island to watch after.. ; D

& speaking of Love Island, I spent my day off yesterday in my garden, catching up on the episode from the night before. Are you watching this year? I have to admit I wasn't as keen when it started as I have been in previous years, but I'm really getting into it now! Relationships are being tested & new people are coming & are hopefully going to stir everything up.. it's very exciting! Who are your favs?

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Life Lately #142

Hi lovelies,

My birthday seems like so long ago, but also like it was yesterday. I managed to pack so much into my 5 days off, it felt like I was constantly on the go!

I started my celebrations off with an evening meal at my Grandparents' last Friday. We had a catchup over a roast dinner.

On Saturday, James & I went to brunch with Allan & Maria at our local pub. They have only recently started doing breakfasts & after James & I tested it out a few weeks ago, we brought Allan & Maria to try it out. I had a full English last time we went, but tried the pancakes this time & they were so delicious. Definitely will be going back again!

Our friend Tom came down to stay for the weekend on Saturday evening & we spent the evening playing games & eating pizza!

Sunday morning I'd organised a brunch with my girlies at Sunmers Pond. I won't go into too much detail as the service wasn't great, but the food was lovely. We had a walk around the pond before coming back to the cafe for cake & tea. I was thoroughly spoilt by the girlies & although we won't be going back there in a hurry, it was a lovely morning.

In the afternoon, we went to see The Greatest Showman. It was absolutely fantastic, I can't reccomend it enough. We've had the soundtrack on repeat since we saw it!

On Monday, James, Tom & I went to Brighton for the day. Tom had only visited Brighton once before, so it was nice to show him Churchill Square & The Lanes. It was pouring all day, so even though we didn't get to venture onto the pier, we briefly saw the sea from afar! I treated myself to the most beautiful coat from Pull & Bear, which I'm sure will be appearing on my Instagram in the next few weeks, as I've literally not taken it off since buying it!

& Tuesday was my actual birthday & I spent the day at my favourite place, West Wittering Beach. I wrote a full blog post about this place just over a year ago & why it's so special to me. It really was a no-brainer when Mum asked what I wanted to do on my birthday! It was extremely cold, but not too windy & it just started spitting with rain when we were driving home. We met so many adorable dogs & had birthday cake & tea when we got home.

& finally I wanted to mention one of my lovely birthday presents that I've become obsessed with, The Bullet Journal. I'm going to do a full post on this once I've properly finished organizing mine, but if your not sure what this journal is all about, just have a search on Pinterest & you'll find loads of examples!

& finally finally! I wanted to say a massive thankyou to everyone that wished me Happy Birthday. I had such an amazing week, filled with cake, presents & the best company! Roll on 28!

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Life Lately #124

Hello lovelies,

So on Valentines Day I did my last update post & said James & I were off to Brighton. We had such a lovely day. We explored The Lanes, popped into a few shops & visited the pier. I got some beautiful new tops in Primark & even got to pick up a few bits in Lush from their Valentines range, which was extremely exciting (reviews coming soon!) I mentioned we were hoping to go to The Breakfast Club, but we actually ended up in Days, an oriental buffet. I'd never heard anything about it & looking at the exterior of the place, you would never have guessed that it was like walking into a rainforest as you go in! The food was absolutely delicious & we are already planning another trip to Brighton again soon so we can go again! I also finally revealed to James we were going to see Craig David in concert in April! I bought the tickets back in December & had been waiting for the right moment to announce it & Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect time.

Ok, so last week was actually so miserable for me. I had conjunctivitis (I'm not gonna link to what it is, looking at pictures of people's eyes makes me feel so un well!) but basically it's an eye infection. It's one of the most painful, frustrating things I've ever experienced. You feel like a bucket of sand has been tipped into your eye, it constantly runs & hurts to open. I spent my first 3 days with my eyes shut, feeling hot / cold & not eating much, but then that subsided & I was just left with very sore eyes. My doctor prescribed me some eye drops which I had to take for a week & after a few days of hating the sunshine, I'm back to being able to see again! James was the sweetest thing & luckily this all started happening on a Friday morning & he was off over the weekend to look after me. He downloaded the audio book of Harry Potter so I could listen to that as it was impossible to watch TV or YouTube. He is simply amazing.

Last Thursday, Cathy & had a date day & went to Giggling Squid for lunch, followed by watching Sing at the cinema. I've mentioned Giggling Squid many times on my blog, but it seriously is one of my favourite places to eat. (There'll be a post coming soon about my top 5 restaurants to eat at, keep your eyes peeled for that!) Also, Sing. Most people I've talked to about it have loved it, but some haven't been so keen. I have to say, I really enjoyed it & will definitely be purchasing it when it's released on DVD. I didn't think it was as funny as some Disney films I've seen recently, but that didn't seem to matter because the characters were brilliant in my opinion. I might do a full review on it as I enjoyed it so much!

Last Friday; Cathy, Lily, Elisa & I went to Guildford shopping, on the search for my dream pair of jeans! I've been dreaming about the fit, cut & style of these jeans for weeks but alas, I still didn't find the perfect pair. I did however get some comfy blue jeggings from Primark for £6, so I'm gonna try to distress them myself & see what happens! We also had brunch in The Tea Terrace which is just the most adorable café at the top of House Of Fraser.

We also met up with Char & Mils at Nandos for dinner that evening. It was so lovely to see Char as she'd come back for the weekend from uni to visit us & her family. Mils had also just completed her first week of a new job, so we had lots to catch up on.

Last Sunday, it was my Nan's birthday. She turned 88 & we had a buffet lunch at my grandparents' house. My mum bought her the most fabulous cake, covered in iced rose petals. It was sooo delicious.

I also attended my manager's surprise leaving do on Sunday afternoon. Just look at the cake Elisa made! We all know how much Mike loves popcorn.. haha! So anyway, we'd been planning an afternoon tea since May last year, as Mike had a retirement date set early on! It was such a beautiful afternoon, complete with bunting, floral crockery & of course, a lot of tea & cake. He was so shocked when he walked into the barn we'd hired to see all of us standing there waiting for him. It's actually hit me harder than I thought seeing him leave. If you didn't already know, I've worked at my current place of work since I was hired at the age of 17 by Mike. I started as a steward for the films & after a few years & deciding not to go to uni, I was looking for full time work, to which he suggested I move onto the box office & that's where I've been ever since. I remember the day he came up to me & asked if I'd like to go on box office & I was so excited & asked when my interview would be, to which he replied 'you've already got the job Cat, you just need to start training'. I also wouldn't have met James if it wasn't for Mike. We met when he became a steward & we were put on the same evening shift together. I still like to think Mike knew we'd hit it off & become the power couple we are now! I can't thank him enough for all his support & friendship over the (almost 9) years I've worked with him. He really is such a wonderful man & I will miss him so much.

His final shift was last Saturday evening & we have his official farewell do this afternoon. People that know him or have worked with him over the years are travelling to say goodbye, so I think the worst is yet to come. Yes, I cry at everything, so I dread these type of things! Plus.. who's idea was it to jump straight onto box office after the leaving do.. I'm such an idiot.

How has your week been lovelies? I can't believe we are almost in March!
Where does the time go..

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Life Lately #123

Hello lovelies,

Cathy, Gemma, Gail & I met up for brunch at Cote last Sunday. They do such a good breakfast deal; you can have any cooked breakfast, with a juice & hot drink for £9.95! Definitely try to go if you haven't already.

After brunch James & I went to our local sports hall to play badminton. We booked a court for an hour & it was so much fun. I was really nervous about playing but it was so chilled there, it put me right at ease. We managed to do a full hour & even though it isn't the most energetic sport, we managed to make each other run around a bit & got our heart rates up.

Awwh just look at Stan. Isn't he just the cutest thing? James' family rescued him just before Christmas & he is always so excited to see us when we go round!

On Thursday, I met Lorna for tea at Pretty Things. It's one of the cutest little tea shops you'll find & they are currently doing a unicorn hot chocolate which Lorna had & it was the most sparkly, pink concoction I'd ever seen! If you live near or in West Sussex, I'd definitely recommend going! I had a piece of their home-made lemon cake & earl grey tea which comes in the cutest little teapot.

On Friday evening, we met James' parents at the pub for a meal. I was so excited to have a steak as I hadn't had one for so long! (Oh & some cheeky brownies!) Val & Barrie also have a new car, so we got to see that too!

Because I'd mentioned to the girls how awesome badminton was last week, Boop & Cathy decided to join James & I for an hour last Sunday. It was so much fun!

& finally, today is Valentines day! I hope you're having a lovely day whatever you are doing. James & I are heading to Brighton in an hour or so to do some shopping & hopefully go to The Breakfast Club. We've never been before, so I'm hoping it'll be as good as the hype suggests.

How is your February going lovelies? Do you have any plans for Valentines?

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Afternoon Tea At The Hickstead Hotel

Hello lovelies,

For my birthday earlier this year, James kindly bought me an 'afternoon tea for two' voucher at The Hickstead Hotel in West Sussex. After saving it for ages to try & find the right day & time to go, I finally booked it for the end of August on Bank Holiday Monday.

My Mum & I drove down to the hotel, only a short 30 minute drive from where we live & were booked in for tea at 2:30pm.

The hotel itself is beautiful & right in the heart of the countryside.

Our voucher entitled us to an array of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones with cream and jam as well as a selection of teas and coffees. Just look at this spread!

We started off with tea & coffee, before diving into the sandwiches!

This meringue / strawberry concoction was my favourite. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted!

We also got to sample some macaroons, which were strawberry flavoured with a lemon centre. They were amazing too! Nothing worse than too much lemon, but this was subtle & refreshing. 

We went for a short walk around the hotel after we had finished. (I'm surprised we could still walk as we ate so much!)

You can actually see the South Downs on a clear day from the tea rooms, so we took a few snaps with the view in the background.

I'd highly recommend this hotel for afternoon tea. The food & service was amazing, I really couldn't fault it from the moment we arrived, till moment we walked out the door.

I would actually love to go & stay there, it would be the perfect place in the Winter time, surrounded by snow with a log fire.

Have you ever been to this hotel or one similar for afternoon tea? : )

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Life Lately #111

Hello lovelies!

I mentioned in my last Life Lately post how many birthdays there are in August & yes.. they are still coming! We celebrated Mils' with a garden party on 13th August, which included a BBQ & lip sync battles. They are so much fun to watch, some people had put in so much effort! Well done to everyone who did take part.. you're braver than me!

On 14th August, it was Lorna's birthday & we headed to Drusillas for the day. We had such lovely weather & got to spend all day in the sunshine with the animals, complete with a cake & a picnic. We also explored Hello Kitty world, I've always loved HK from a small age so I was majorly excited! I've written a full post reviewing our day which you can read here if you like.

James & I had a rare day off together in the sunshine last week, so we headed to Brighton for the day.  I mentioned in my last update post that I went with the girls & we had so much fun, so thought it would be perfect to take James. We spent some time on the pier & going round the shops before driving home.

Last Friday I met the girls for lunch at ASK, which is one of our favourite restaurants in town. It was so nice to catch up with them all & after lunch we headed to Boop's for a movie afternoon.

Sunday night we celebrated Elisa's birthday. Look at the cake Char made! I attempted to make a lemon & raspberry loaf on Monday, which went better than expected, but I always worry I'm going to poison people! I took it to our girl's night at Shez' & thankfully, everyone is still alive after eating it! Oh & look how adorable her dog is!

Finally this week has been one of my favourites of the year. On Tuesday James & I set off to Beckington, a small village in Somerset. We spent two nights in The Woolpack Inn, which was a lovely B'n'B. We visited Longleat on Wednesday & spent the morning / afternoon exploring Bath yesterday. It was such a lovely break away, I'm tempted to book us a few nights in other locations nearby to do some exploring. I am going to do a full post on our adventure, so keep your eyes peeled for that soon!

How has your week been lovelies? : )

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Life Lately #110

Hello lovelies!

It feels like forever since I did an update post. So much as been happening recently, I've had no time to sit down & blog (thank goodness for the option to schedule posts!)

On 24th July, Cathy & I flew out to Lanzarote! I don't have the greatest confidence travelling as it is, especially to a foreign country, but I managed to get there in one piece! It was one of the best holidays I've been on. We stayed in the gorgeous Coronas Playa Hotel, which was a short coach ride from the airport. We decided to go all inclusive, which meant transfers were included + flights & all the food & drink we could ever want! The hotel was absolutely fantastic & I can't rave about it enough, so I'm going to do a full post on our adventure in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for that!

After spending a week in the sunshine, it was back to rainy England on 31st July. James stayed up waiting for me, our flight landed at 1.40am, so I didn't actually get home till 3am! But he was still awake. It was so lovely to see him as he'd been in France for 4 days before I flew to Lanzarote, so we hadn't properly spoken for almost 2 weeks. We spent the day on Monday relaxing & went on a Pokémon hunt with Honey around the countryside. still massively addicted to that game..

August is so busy for birthdays! Saturday was Cathy's & I unfortunately had to work 11 hours, so I missed the BBQ in the day but joined her in the evening for a quiz & cake.

Sunday was Gail's birthday & sadly again I was working till 8.30pm so couldn't join everyone till later, but we had a lovely evening around the fire pit.

& finally yesterday, the girls & I went to Brighton. We spent the day by the beach, exploring the shops & on the pier. It was so nice to spend some time with them all. It actually turned out to be quite a nice day & we had sunshine the whole time we were there. Of course, no trip to Brighton is complete without fish & chips, so we sat in the sunshine & enjoyed the view!

How has your weekend been lovelies? : )

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My 24th Birthday!

Hello lovelies,

 

I'm sure that those of you who follow me on Twitter & Instagram will already know from the continuous stream of photos & updates, that it was my birthday last Friday. I turned the grand old age of 24. Now a birthday for me isn't just a day.. it's a good few days worth of celebrations. Let's start with Wednesday..

 

Myself & my tea ladies went for a meal at Côte. Côte is a beautiful French restaurant, which serves a variety of dishes. I opted for the steak with fries & a praline & chocolate pancake for pudding. The only downside to this restaurant is the lighting.. It was impossible to take a photo of the food, let alone our faces..!

 

Thursday I had a total 'me' day. I decided to get my hair cut (nothing drastic don't worry!) & have my first proper French Manicure. I haven't had my hair cut since June last year & after it looking like someone had shredded it to bits, I wasn't in any rush to get it cut again! I tried a new salon in my local town & couldn't be happier. Also, my nails are still going strong. I'm soooo pleased with how they turned out. My parents cooked us dinner that evening too, where we had a gorgeous cheesecake & some birthday sparklers.

 

 

Friday, I went to visit my Grandparents in the morning & James treated me to a trip down to Brighton to go ice skating at the Pavilion. It's an outside rink, surrounded by fairy lights & speakers which played the cheesiest music. I haven't been ice skating for years.. & even then I was horrendous at it. But after half hour, I braved letting go of the side & with James holding my hand, I managed to skate round a few times. We came home late afternoon & headed out to the local Chinese with James' dad & partner Maria. After a bottle of champagne & two bottles of wine between the four of us, we stumbled home!

 

 

Saturday was the big night out with my friends in town. We headed to the pub around 8.30pm & drank the night away. I say this.. being a 24 year old means you have to have some restrictions.. midnight was late enough for me..

 

 

& finally Sunday was a chilled day. James headed back to uni & I went out with my ladies for dinner at The Giggling Squid. I've never been there before but the menu looked delicious & after some very high praise from people at work, we booked it & weren't disappointed. After all of us getting through three courses each, we rolled our separate ways.

 

I can't thank my friends, family & James enough for everything they did last week. I received some amazing gifts & had the best days & evenings out I've had in a very long time.

 

What have you been up to this week? : )

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Life At The Moment #53

 

Afternoon lovelies,

 

So let's start at the beginning of the week. Last Sunday myself & James kicked into fitness mode & as the sun was shinning, it was the perfect time to get those trainers on & go for a run. It didn't take long before I was puffing & panting & creased over with a stitch, but my legs hurt for the next three days which meant I'd accomplished something right? Not the best look when I had to keep bending down at work for envelopes & getting stuck on a Monday morning..

 

Also last weekend, we made a trip to Brighton. I love going on the pier in the sunshine & playing on the 2p machines. Nothing beats the feeling of excitement you get when a load fall into your tray!

 

Now, unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know this month is Sports Relief! We never usually do anything to raise money at work, but this year I was determined to get us involved. So I decided on a onesie day! I managed to get all my colleagues who worked on box office & who steward during the day, plus one manager, to dress up! I'm currently in Gloucester this weekend, but I'm excited to see how much we've actually raised when I count it up on Monday. The amount of support we got was amazing, so thankyou to everyone who donated, sponsored or bought cakes from us!

 

So, like I just mentioned, this weekend I'm up in Gloucester visiting James. (He's currently playing in a football match so it gives me an excuse to blog!) On Thursday, he took me to Frankie & Benny's for the first time. I actually love it, there was so much choice on the menu. I ended up having steak & chips & James had a burger, plus we shared a massive pudding & a bit of garlic bread on the side. Maybe we need to go for a run more often..

 

Oh & I can't go without showing you my gorgeous new smock dress from Karma Clothing. It was the perfect date night outfit, paired with some chunky boots & a cardi.

 

How has your week been?

 

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OOTD - Blue Lagoon

 

Pug jumper - Karma Clothing / Dress - Select Clothing / Converse - Schuh

Afternoon lovelies, hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather we've been having!

 

Myself & James headed down to Brighton yesterday. We haven't been for ages so it was the perfect opportunity to gather our 2p's & head to the pier. Of course, I couldn't resist taking some outfit photos (despite it being extremely windy..) & ordering the biggest portion of chicken fried rice imaginable.

I absolutely adore this maxi dress from Select Clothing. Am I the only person becoming obsessed with electric blue? It's such a stunning colour to wear in the Spring / Summer. Also, how could I not mention & show you this gorgeous pug jumper from Karma Clothing? It was such a steal for £9.99. I added my trusty Converse for a chilled vibe (& because I couldn't face wearing boots or heels & walking up that hill to the train station..) 

How has your weekend been?

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OOTD - American Obsession

Top - Republic / Shorts - New Look / Earrings & Necklace - Topshop / Bracelets - Primark & Dorothy Perkins / Nails - ELF Mint Cream & Lilac / Lips - Amped by Sleek Make-up.

Hey dolls!

Not often you get to see my face on here - you lucky things. ; )

I'm in love with this top, definitely one of my favourites for Summer & these amazingly hot days the UK has been having recently. Paired with shorts, it's my current go-to outfit. I know it's the Jubilee this coming weekend, but I'm seriously becoming obsessed with anything with the American flag on.. not very patriotic but still..

I'm off to Brighton with Gemma today, we're taking on the beach, pier & shops. Can't wait to add a few new maxi skirts to my collection. (& maybe a pair of American shorts..)

Hope you're all well lovelies. : )

OH & I got an e-mail the other day that my blog would be deleted by the end of May unless I did something?! I've lost the e-mail & can't find anything about it online.. help guys?!

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Nik L Nip's

 

Has anyone ever tried these?

 

I went to Brighton today with my girls & found these sweets in an old sweet shop down the Lanes. I've never seen them before - but thought I'd buy them 'cos they looked so unusual! If you haven't seen them before, they're bottle shaped wax 'sweets'. Apparently you're supposed to bite off the wax 'bottle top' & drink the liquid from the bottle. You can then apparently chew the wax like chewing gum after you've drunk the liquid, but it's such a waxy texture, it just didn't really appeal to me..

 

So, step by step of what I did..

Haha, excuse my face. I tried the blue one and came to the conclusion that.. dun dun duuuun..

 

 

EW.

Not the most yummiest thing I've ever tasted.. might have to give the other flavours a try when I'm feeling brave some other time.. : D

 

How was everyone's day? I had a major Primark spend out again today, so I might do a video haul sometime this week to show you my new items! Hope you're all well. : )