This Week I’m Loving… (#3)

After a busy few weeks, I’m so glad that things have started to wind down a little. I wrote about my 5:2 lifestyle the other week – a.k.a. how I like to commit to doing things 2 things a week, while the other 5 days are left to chill, spend time with family, and focus on other things that are important to me. Well, this week I’ve barely done *anything*. With a busy start to the year though, I’m enjoying having the time to catch up on blogging, spending time with the cats, and saving the pennies ready for a few exciting trips coming up.

That doesn’t mean that this week has been boring though! Here are the 10 things I’ve been loving this week.

1. Lighter evenings (and seeing sunsets later than 4pm)

There’s something about leaving work with the sun still peeping through that gives you a little spring in your step. Yesterday I left work at 6pm and the sky was still light blue, and I honestly had to check I hadn’t accidentally left work 3 hours early or something. I can’t wait until it’s light until much later so that me and Ian can actually see things (like the pavement) on our evening runs.

2. Reliving your childhood

I wanted to do something a little different for my birthday this year, which is why I headed over to Flip Out trampoline park for two hours of bouncing. I must admit, when we rocked up and saw kids limping out of the centre, I did have a few second thoughts… But I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun since my age was in single figures! The park has an obstacle course, a laser maze, dozens of trampolines, a gladiator-style beam, and a giant foam pit you could throw yourself into. I’m already begging everyone to go back with me… (So if you’re reading this and fancy it…you know where to find me.)

3. Winning competitions

I never win competitions. Like, ever. Apart from that £10 book voucher I won when I was maybe 4 for telling the local library that I loved going there because it meant I got to spend time with my Grampa. 🌚 But then this week, I got a lovely tweet from the lovely Milly from Mini Adventures letting me know that I’d won two tickets to London’s Tea Festival in April for National Tea Day! Anyone who knows me knows that this is probably the best thing I could have ever won. Ever. A festival dedicated to tea! Man am I excited. If you fancy getting in on the tea action for yourself, book your tickets here and let’s have a cuppa together.

4. Booking trips

Love a good train journey, me. That’s why I’m so so so excited to be going to Rotterdam in May on the Eurostar with my bestie Sophie from Luggage Tags and Ticket Stubs. We booked our train tickets the other day to get the best deal possible, and it’s making me get very excited for my next adventure! We’ll be in town for Traverse (where Sophie is speaking about how to pitch to in-flight travel magazines), and we’re hoping to tick off as many sights as possible while we’re there too.

5. My cat is people pins 

I bought a “My Cat for President” pin the other week and I’m a bit obsessed with it. Check out the My Cat is People online store for other cat-related goodies. I want to buy everything!

(Talking of cats, my boy Jim is now on Instagram! Feel free to follow him 😉 )

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgRhNsKHs2_/?taken-by=gingerjimjam 

6. My halloumi tray bake recipe

One of my mini resolutions for (at least) March and April is to bulk make meals for work lunches. Working in the middle of Shoreditch, I’m on the doorstep of so many incredible restaurants and food stalls – which is great for my stomach, but not so great for my bank balance. One of the meals I’ve been making is a halloumi tray bake (a recipe I got in my weekly Gousto subscription). It’s basically chopped up sweet potato, yellow pepper, red onion and halloumi all roasted in the oven with olive oil and some salt. It’s so good I haven’t got bored of it yet, and I’ve had it for 3 days running!

7. This Genoa hotel

Yesss it may be 7 months until our Italian train trip, but when I saw that so many places in Venice were either booked up or super expensive, I got The Fear. So the second I saw this Genoa hotel, I realised that my heart would never love anything in the city more. It looks like something out of a Wes Anderson movie! I booked it up because it was surprisingly affordable, and then I realised it’s rated the #1 hotel in all of Genoa. Can’t wait to get here now…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYaaGL4AIAf/?taken-by=grandhotelsavoia 

8. Patty & Bun’s vegan burger

As a vegetarian of over 15 years now (wow, I’m getting old), I’m so fed up of vegetarian burgers that contain just a big slab of tasteless Portobello mushroom and nothing else. That’s why I was sooo excited to sink my teeth into Patty and Bun’s new vegan offering, made up of a tempeh and mushroom fritter, plus bread and butter pickles, smoked gouda cheese, and all the condiments. For a vegan burger with vegan cheese (which I usually find a bit iffy), it was flavoursome and filling and just what my 2018 needed.

9. This meme

Me.

10. Reading blog posts that resonate with you

This week I’ve read two posts by bloggers that have stood out: the first, by The Slow Traveler, is titled ‘Why I Hacked My Own Instagram Account’, and will make you think twice about everything you see on Instagram.

The second is this piece by Brenna at This Battered Suitcase – I love Brenna’s honesty, and her life update about taking a step back from travelling to prioritise her life is kind of like where I’m at too. Check it out!

What have you been loving this week?