tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29456153400829604742024-03-13T01:42:05.393+00:00Simply CourageousFaith // Lifestyle // TravelDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-21138181878637680602020-09-23T19:37:00.007+01:002020-09-23T19:55:17.925+01:00Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUWEUhlz5AR2t0luYuusxWQ4oClHO1cUv2a088HgpYLV9FZ3qDcljHeslGZVfOsJERlPbnjdoUq6p9xFZdQrTStxwMdiGxV7ggNWCSqrUWr35XfakT9tb8GEkRiKaQitSjtPxToEVUg/s1070/Copy+of+Untitled+Design.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUWEUhlz5AR2t0luYuusxWQ4oClHO1cUv2a088HgpYLV9FZ3qDcljHeslGZVfOsJERlPbnjdoUq6p9xFZdQrTStxwMdiGxV7ggNWCSqrUWr35XfakT9tb8GEkRiKaQitSjtPxToEVUg/s16000/Copy+of+Untitled+Design.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To celebrate David's birthday this year we spent 2 nights at <a href="https://www.sperrinviewglamping.com" target="_blank">Sperrin View Glamping Pods in Cookstown</a>! They are super cute glamping pods in the middle of the countryside, in a designated <a href="https://www.darksky.org/davagh-forest-becomes-first-international-dark-sky-place-in-northern-ireland/" target="_blank">Dark Sky spot of Northern Ireland</a> - perfect for stargazing! The pods are designed with this in mind, with a huge window tilted towards the sky so you can lie in your cosy bed and watch the stars to your hearts content. I wanted to review our stay here as we loved it so much & are already planning when we can go back again!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uVIvkvQUEM5SbH6hcSXjsR9ouhhRs1fzvjpjOS5vlQ-BOv6rZjcX1w5a0aAKih1EFsSFV_CQiE2xmILinGHifM2fHqaEGhV_Hzco0pp68O1U9hyphenhyphenDb43py9pwvjBPZxeEoSdT8WCF2Q/s1070/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG+2+Review_+Sperrin+View-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uVIvkvQUEM5SbH6hcSXjsR9ouhhRs1fzvjpjOS5vlQ-BOv6rZjcX1w5a0aAKih1EFsSFV_CQiE2xmILinGHifM2fHqaEGhV_Hzco0pp68O1U9hyphenhyphenDb43py9pwvjBPZxeEoSdT8WCF2Q/s16000/Copy+of+Copy+of+IMG+2+Review_+Sperrin+View-2.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When lockdown started back in March I thought that there was no chance we would get away anywhere for a few days, either over David's birthday or at any other time over the summer! I was so relieved we hadn't booked anything & didn't have to worry about re-booking or struggle to get a refund, but at the same time I was a bit gutted that we didn't have a wee trip away on the horizon - I love having<a href="https://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2017/04/looking-forward.html" target="_blank"> something to look forward to! </a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Obviously, with Coronavirus & lockdown & you know, <i>a global pandemic</i>, it's completely understandable & I'm in no way trying to diminish just how serious the situation is in the world right now - but I think it's okay to recognise how serious Coronavirus is & also be a bit sad about all the things we've missed out on!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, as lockdown started to ease & <a href="https://discovernorthernireland.com" target="_blank">tourism in Northern Ireland</a> was given a date to reopen, I happened to be on Instagram at just the right time! I spotted a post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sperrinview/" target="_blank">Sperrin View Glampings page</a> announcing their opening date on 20th July! I went straight to their booking page & as luck would have it, they had 2 nights available over David's birthday. I would have loved to book it as a surprise getaway for his birthday, but because lockdown is such a weird situation to be in I wanted to make sure that he was comfortable with going away at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcglMDqVzqf_vQouStWMlC7NTsUybEIjuWO-lQstlCbDTAxqV8fzxNGdClMv4dEe_eP2CLl7i5QQak26WrvYo_668Mv_lKg6BTJUbogH54AxUFxYNjezDOj6vSoNoqjZ4HqNyxrOqKUg/s1070/IMG+3+Review_+Sperrin+View-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcglMDqVzqf_vQouStWMlC7NTsUybEIjuWO-lQstlCbDTAxqV8fzxNGdClMv4dEe_eP2CLl7i5QQak26WrvYo_668Mv_lKg6BTJUbogH54AxUFxYNjezDOj6vSoNoqjZ4HqNyxrOqKUg/s16000/IMG+3+Review_+Sperrin+View-3.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As we talked it out, we figured that glamping is quite remote & removed from other people anyway. We would be staying in our own wee pod, with no real need to be around other people, & we could bring our own food & supplies with us, so no need to be going out for dinner or into Cookstown at all! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We booked our stay at Sperrin View that same night & spent the next month & a half of lockdown counting down the days until we arrived at these amazing pods!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlEIegauGGWhvzVJSRAPUyv_-ciNSo8sXQhyOurgnT_-YfR9XJP4VRxBMsvrMyXoCsZSHOaK023YU9T5AIV_z60GzeN1YMMYBqrwtWAVHFvEXKpqzvCuI4es0MDauMOdkrHIH5HlLlw/s16000/IMG+2+Review_+Sperrin+View-2.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A change of scenery was just what we needed & these glamping pods were the perfect little getaway! There are only 4 pods on site (each sleeps up to 5 people) & a Communal Hub where you check in for your stay, which also has a fully functional kitchen, fireplace & chill out area. During Coronavirus, there can only be 1 Pod using the Communal Hub at a time to ensure social distancing is maintained. There was hand sanitiser on entry & plenty of cleaning products to make sure anything that was touched or used was wiped down when leaving. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For our first night we decided to use the kitchen & cook a Thai Green Curry for dinner - one of Davids fave meals & so simple to make! We brought all the food with us & the kitchen in the Communal Hub had all the utensils we needed. We decided to eat in the Communal Hub as well, instead of bringing our food back to our own Pod, mainly because it seemed like the other 3 Pods were all barbecuing so we weren't too worried about hogging the kitchen from the other guests!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HOsjcAxAdplSOAmauUJ987kKSne82EtA-WB55jR-097C2mdaf6D5l57waZ6HFtUI1W7hj0p32FnA9fW6MgQi58NKWXeiAb8qp4lTZJRu0Bp5uJtLQXnraKjfXINZsLTuojxSTU5VnA/s1070/IMG+6+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HOsjcAxAdplSOAmauUJ987kKSne82EtA-WB55jR-097C2mdaf6D5l57waZ6HFtUI1W7hj0p32FnA9fW6MgQi58NKWXeiAb8qp4lTZJRu0Bp5uJtLQXnraKjfXINZsLTuojxSTU5VnA/s16000/IMG+6+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a super cute place inside, loads of tables & sofas, and lots of quirky decor dotted about. I can imagine it being a really cosy space in normal times, with families & groups of friends using the space to hang out, maybe lighting the fire in the wee porch, playing boards games & just living the dream!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After dinner we headed back to our Pod to chill out & have a few drinks. We played some cards & David watched Liverpool lift the Champions League trophy! He honestly couldn't have asked for a better present on his birthday - but don't worry, the Glamping came in a close 2nd...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB2j1GzcQzkHr104eX_1pa6pdIuoGo13tPBDEz5c8prvDjETWRpAF3JSFu9-pq5oGv8MBXyDvBeb4SgMblm7rua6ejoHL681KFSKnWXZVgJj7kVFujUsBXF7LuKgEH1DA7Mcw7AgnPg/s1070/Copy+of+IMG+2+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB2j1GzcQzkHr104eX_1pa6pdIuoGo13tPBDEz5c8prvDjETWRpAF3JSFu9-pq5oGv8MBXyDvBeb4SgMblm7rua6ejoHL681KFSKnWXZVgJj7kVFujUsBXF7LuKgEH1DA7Mcw7AgnPg/s16000/Copy+of+IMG+2+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next day we had a really slow, chilled morning! We had some breakfast & enjoyed a wee cup of tea at our picnic table, before getting ready to head out for a walk. <a href="http://www.mountainbikeni.com/davagh-forest/">Davagh Forest </a>is a 2 minute drive away from Sperrinview & if we were more confident in our sense of direction (& weren't worried about our phone signal!) we could've walked there!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcApG14JxfjL8MC_gJh97pm7y11EJQ2WJRLbY0KKM8BWXGSNvF5gYUBVwajq-vZuKE8T4gfSrg1m88dnbeMfzy_Ppg0DLHL4RnkVg2KwBlo5GfiMLSz4EhVhyphenhyphenwO9RuNy0xsGqIuSm7AQ/s1070/IMG+4+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcApG14JxfjL8MC_gJh97pm7y11EJQ2WJRLbY0KKM8BWXGSNvF5gYUBVwajq-vZuKE8T4gfSrg1m88dnbeMfzy_Ppg0DLHL4RnkVg2KwBlo5GfiMLSz4EhVhyphenhyphenwO9RuNy0xsGqIuSm7AQ/s16000/IMG+4+Review_+Sperrin+View.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not wanting to get lost in the winding, country roads we decided to drive over to the forest for a wee stroll. This forest is mostly dedicated to mountain bike trails, but there is one route that walkers can use alongside mountain bikes. It's only 3km long, so not a very long walk at all, but it was lovely to get out and stretch our legs! It's a really nice forest, even if you do only get to dip your toe into it - there is so much more ground covered on the mountain bike trails, but those are a hard pass from me!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our walk was really peaceful, there was hardly anyone else around - we had 2 mountain bikers & maybe 2 families pass us as we walked around. There is on-site parking, which was free when we visited, but I'm not sure how long it will be like that, and there was also on-site toilets & a drinking water tap to refill your reusable water bottles! It is a shame that there is only one walking trail in the whole forest, but for all we were looking for it suited us perfectly!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb6-WF_SZX8aN4nlJ8BQg9pBV8rCc1PfPzApQPP_8un_69-PFfefosqdkPXk9cm8dkgF1w5nPHNd9o0IFpc_4hrwJg7_RQfnydEtPZhq9Alj8fctCGcGMBo1I37pTp_AxwN7cIMYfYQ/s1070/Davagh+Forest-min.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb6-WF_SZX8aN4nlJ8BQg9pBV8rCc1PfPzApQPP_8un_69-PFfefosqdkPXk9cm8dkgF1w5nPHNd9o0IFpc_4hrwJg7_RQfnydEtPZhq9Alj8fctCGcGMBo1I37pTp_AxwN7cIMYfYQ/s16000/Davagh+Forest-min.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When we got home from Davagh Forest it was late afternoon & we hadn't eaten any lunch, so we decided to start our BBQ for an early dinner! Each Pod has it's own bricked in BBQ, you just need to bring your own coal, which worked so much better for us than trying to use a disposable BBQ! For some reason, we just can't use them properly & end up taking our lives in our hands with our cooking!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We were starving, so sadly there is no photo evidence of our dinner, but it was so good - I'd even go so far as to say it's the best BBQ we've ever made! Not that we've made a whole ton, but we are complete novices when it comes to BBQ-ing, so I'll take it!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After dinner, we lit our fire pit & sat outside for the rest of the night. Luckily, the rain stayed off & the clouds even cleared up, so we had a really beautiful night! Each Pod has a basket of logs for the fire pit, which is more than enough for one night. But, we did bring our own logs because David loves to keep a fire going as long as possible and, I kid you not, we used the whole basket that was provided, our own full bag of logs & most of a box of firelighters! It seems a bit excessive for one night but we lit our fire pit around 5.30pm and kept it going until just after midnight, so the fire was going for over 6 hours! The heat was glorious! We even made a wee cat-friend who curled up on one of our blankets in front of the fire & then slept there the rest of the evening - she was adorable & so friendly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavHotfHh21-mAuNyAiYx9ZzdFvMHKRBtWhfQtsTqudkARYO7ZP5BFCNwBmpZQzpjJQTokdLsL29gXYItfI_M4BCebpND8RSmKqMnZ0rjDaMTabLmJWZwmtZaxcSQY3v-c8Pepyz-S1g/s1070/IMG+5++Review_+Sperrin+View.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavHotfHh21-mAuNyAiYx9ZzdFvMHKRBtWhfQtsTqudkARYO7ZP5BFCNwBmpZQzpjJQTokdLsL29gXYItfI_M4BCebpND8RSmKqMnZ0rjDaMTabLmJWZwmtZaxcSQY3v-c8Pepyz-S1g/s16000/IMG+5++Review_+Sperrin+View.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Each Pod also has a jar of giant marshmallows & these amazing extendable forks for toasting marshmallows at your fire pit! We brought some chocolate biscuits to make s'mores & they went down so well with some tea. I was so fascinated by the extendable forks & really need to get some for our camping supplies because they are so cool! A reusable way to toast marshmallows that doesn't splinter & break? Sign me up!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rest of our evening was beautiful, enjoying some chilled time beside the fire, watching the sun set & the sky get darker & darker. The starry night sky is a sight to be seen out here, with only a few houses dotted about on the hills, the stars look clearer than ever! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We had a beautiful stay at <a href="https://www.sperrinviewglamping.com" target="_blank">Sperrinview Glamping Pods</a> & will most definitely book in again! The only question is <i>when?</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmieKiN2CZqv_fR_nMFwu2Hy40B1p5mjewJmUuLyX7HIAfDZRWAOaK7s_VylBCAMOyRBi2uuWNbDSbhBryKwEWnUcyNrsF2mO2lgY81hD25_lF2IBONTm0AmUVdLIRDtB_BGBwhJT-GQ/s1070/And+of+post-min.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1070" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmieKiN2CZqv_fR_nMFwu2Hy40B1p5mjewJmUuLyX7HIAfDZRWAOaK7s_VylBCAMOyRBi2uuWNbDSbhBryKwEWnUcyNrsF2mO2lgY81hD25_lF2IBONTm0AmUVdLIRDtB_BGBwhJT-GQ/s16000/And+of+post-min.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Pods are amazing, each with their own bathroom, fridge, kettle & smart tv, and they are so cosy. They make glamping feel luxurious, & for some time away from everything, in the middle of nowhere, they are the perfect adventure!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tell me, are you a glamping convert? </div><div style="text-align: center;">Or are you more of a rough camper or luxury hotel kinda person?</div><div style="text-align: center;">All are welcome here!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2xt8cdPpxIqbWyRYWhjH4XT1IbK4yrBK-DUMvbRVnl2Ibp_fxF5I-b3uStQOUdEWAS1Vk0YJQ4QOyl66sunkwaHj_6IPzdkDqvG0GiKmSm8cYK8cgX3nJa4u7yxdOKqcNSfU5FUk-w/s334/Simply+Courageous+Blog.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Simply Courageous Blog" border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2xt8cdPpxIqbWyRYWhjH4XT1IbK4yrBK-DUMvbRVnl2Ibp_fxF5I-b3uStQOUdEWAS1Vk0YJQ4QOyl66sunkwaHj_6IPzdkDqvG0GiKmSm8cYK8cgX3nJa4u7yxdOKqcNSfU5FUk-w/d/Simply+Courageous+Blog.png" title="Simply Courageous Blog" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">♥</div><div><a href="http://www.twitter.com/SimplyC_blog" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/simplycourageous" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/simply-courageous-13107441" target="_blank">Bloglovin</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplycourageousblog/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07ZJNE3os0YaAaagOz6ZShKBVEIwugjY6p4yn1SlbRo5ACBaOk01ruuiH-sw00JcRoKlKMV55bD8jGBGHwOssKxFS6c5u-jncHmVHEDEh2HCbKA51FJhQSwZDAA2az6PzXvhDopwvbw/s1500/Glamping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07ZJNE3os0YaAaagOz6ZShKBVEIwugjY6p4yn1SlbRo5ACBaOk01ruuiH-sw00JcRoKlKMV55bD8jGBGHwOssKxFS6c5u-jncHmVHEDEh2HCbKA51FJhQSwZDAA2az6PzXvhDopwvbw/s16000/Glamping.png" title="Review: Sperrin View Glamping Pods" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comBelfast, UK54.597285000000007 -5.9301233.880913220097696 -41.086369999999988 75.313656779902317 29.226129999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-44167369763152887112020-07-09T19:00:00.000+01:002020-07-09T19:00:09.673+01:00Recipe: Caramel Squares<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCKqc3aSnMgvsaIFz_O_6dInE__7Ceh7y7XMvA5Ou5S4fvc7Rl98mdOlcrUFooAUwnpwZfxdS2pGZjRxQ_xe8W3-0-CYRVqWGpEJfSyR-CqBf4nXBm7RnDjrQ0yIH_AgazXhNqnYvJQ/s2240/Recipe_+Caramel+Squares.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Recipe: Caramel Squares, Millionaires Shortbread" border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="2240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCKqc3aSnMgvsaIFz_O_6dInE__7Ceh7y7XMvA5Ou5S4fvc7Rl98mdOlcrUFooAUwnpwZfxdS2pGZjRxQ_xe8W3-0-CYRVqWGpEJfSyR-CqBf4nXBm7RnDjrQ0yIH_AgazXhNqnYvJQ/d/Recipe_+Caramel+Squares.png" title="Recipe: Caramel Squares, Millionaires Shortbred" /></a></div>
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Over Covid-19 lockdown and during furloughed life I've been doing a lot of baking - much like everybody else! I was put on the furlough scheme at the start of April, 2 weeks into UK lockdown, and since then I've made a variety of cookies, brownies & cakes...with varying degrees of success! I'll hopefully share the recipes that I used for them all at some point but today I want to share the recipe for Caramel Squares, or Millionaire's Shortbread, whatever you usually call them!</div>
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The <a href="https://www.janespatisserie.com/2020/04/22/millionaires-shortbread-2/" target="_blank">original recipe is from Jane's Patisserie</a> - you should definitley check her out on everything! Her <a href="https://www.janespatisserie.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/janespatisserie/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> & <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/JanesPatisserieVlogs" target="_blank">Youtube</a> are coming down with amazing recipes & I can't wait to try more of them! I found her recipe for Millionaire Shortbreads so easy to follow & understand, even though I've never even attempted to make them before.<br />
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These went down really well in my house & had been requested by David since pretty much the beginning of lockdown! I used a mix of dark chocolate & white chocolate on mine, but on reflection I let the white chocolate harden up a bit too much before I poured it on. This just meant that the white chocolate was a bit harder to spread evenly, so we ended up with one half mostly white chocolate with a little dark through it & then the outsides had a bit more of a normal, swirly pattern! From David's perspective this was totally okay - he is a big lover of white chocolate, so he had no complaints!<br />
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Ingredients</h3>
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<b>Shortbread</b></div>
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200g Unsalted Butter</div>
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100g Caster Sugar</div>
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275g Plain Flour</div>
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<b>Caramel</b></div>
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200g Unsalted Butter</div>
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3tbsp Caster Sugar</div>
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4tbsp Golden Syrup</div>
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1 tin of Condensed Milk</div>
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<b>Decoration</b></div>
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200g Milk or Dark Chocolate</div>
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100g White Chocolate</div>
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Directions</h3>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Pre-heat your oven to 160C in a fan oven or 180C non-fan & line a 9x9in baking tin with baking paper. If you don't have a 9x9in tin, just make sure the one you use is fairly deep to allow for all the layers! Just make sure your tin isn't too big, as the shortbread may be too thin.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For the shortbread: Cream together the butter & sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour until it forms a crumbly dough.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Press the mixture evenly into your lined tin. Bake for 20-25 mins until it turns a golden colour. Remove from the oven & set aside to cool.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For the caramel: In a large suacepan pour the butter, caster sugar, golden syrup & condensed milk. Melt slowly on a low/medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently to prevent any from burning.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Once the sugar is dissolved turn the heat up high, let the mix come to boiling point & boil for 5-7 mins, stirring constantly. The mix is ready when it is a darker, golden colour & the texture is soft & fudgy.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pour the caramel onto the shortbread base & spread it out evenly. Set in the fridge for 1 hour.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Once set, melt both the dark/milk & white chocolate in separate bowls over boiling water. Pour the dark/milk chocolate over the caramel and spread evenly. Then pour the white chocolate on top & swirl together using a cake skewer or toothpick.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Chill in the fridge for another 1-2 hours until set. Then keep them in a container at room temperature.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cut into squares of your preferred size & enjoy with a cup of tea!</li>
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And there you have it. Lovely, moreish, homemade Caramel Squares. </div>
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I can't wait to make my next batch!</div>
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If you make these, let me know how you get on!<br />
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comNorthern Ireland, UK54.7877149 -6.492314553.6123164 -9.0739385 55.9631134 -3.9106905tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-39266879472110963012020-07-03T19:01:00.006+01:002020-07-07T16:28:41.060+01:00Buying A House As First-Time Buyers - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a href="https://aliandlaura.com/" target="_blank">Ali & Laura Photography</a></span></i></div>
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Well, hello! It's been an age since I last looked at or posted on my blog, but I'm glad that I've kept it up & running because I want to share about our experience of buying a house as first-time buyers. It has been <i>an experienc</i>e, to put it lightly!</div>
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Our journey to buy a house started in Feb/March of 2019. Our wedding was booked for October 2019 & we wanted to time things right so that we wouldn't have a house too early - we couldn't afford mortgage payments on top of paying off the wedding! Ideally, in our minds, we would get the keys for our home mid-September, giving us a few weeks to get the house set up & buy furniture, before moving in together after the wedding. This meant that we didn't start really looking at potential houses until April, for fear of the sale completing too early!</div>
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Looking back, we were far, far too optimistic! 8 months after our wedding & I'm sitting in my parents house <i>wishing</i> we had completed too early!</div>
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First Things First - Advice!</h4>
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The first thing we did back at the start of 2019 was book in with a mortgage advisor. The job I was in at the time was near enough minimum wage & David is a community youth worker, a sector that relies on funding being renewed every few years. We weren't sure we could even be approved for a mortgage, so it was really helpful to go to a mortgage advisor for some advice & direction before we really started looking. </div>
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Our mortgage advisor has been amazing throughout the whole process & reassured us that we should have no problems applying for a mortgage - at the time, she told us that banks were becoming more lenient to those on temporary or 0-hour contracts & recognising that this is how a lot of people are now employed. Unfortunately, Coronavirus has vastly changed the landscape of houses & mortgages, but we'll get to that later.</div>
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Anyway, we were confident in our ability to buy a house! We had a deposit, our mortgage advisor gave us the go-ahead after looking through our payslips & bank statements, and so we started looking at houses.</div>
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Viewing Houses</h4>
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We have looked at So. Many. Houses. I honestly couldn't even count them all. That's mainly our fault, because we hadn't narrowed down which area we wanted to live in, so we went to see any house within our budget that we liked the look of. Now we have a better idea of where we would like to live & a definite idea of where we <i>absolutely do not</i> want to live, which makes life a hundred times easier!</div>
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We both find viewing houses a super awkward experience! Going into someone else's home, obviously judging whether or not we like it enough to buy, trying not to show if we <b>really don't</b> like it, remembering to ask relevant questions & trying to remember that they might sugarcoat answers because they obviously want to sell their house. It's a lot to process! We are both quite awkward people in general though, so maybe it's just us! We defintely prefer viewings where the estate agent is showing us round the home, I don't know why there's a difference but it feels a lot less invasive than with the actual homeowner.</div>
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House No. 1</h4>
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In mid-May we <i>finally</i> viewed a property that we really liked, in an area that we were really keen to live in! The owners were semi-retired & spent most of the year abroad, so they had bought this house as a project. It was fully redecorated, with new carpets, flooring, kitchen & bathroom. Everything was grey & white, which meant it was bare, a good base ready for us to redecorate however we wanted! </div>
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We spoke to our mortgage advisor, asked around our friends for a solicitor recommendation & got in contact with them as well, then called the estate agent & put an offer in on the property. We went in at £2,500 less than the asking price & the offer was accepted! Yay, celebrations, right?! Not exactly...</div>
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As part of the mortgage application, the bank sends someone out to do a Valuation Survey, to make sure that the house you are trying to buy is worth the mortgage you have applied for. Unfortunately, the Valuation report concluded that the house was worth <b>£5k less</b> than what we had offered! Which also means, it was valued at <b>£7.5k less </b>than the original asking price! </div>
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Now, we are first time buyers & obviously don't really have a lot of knowledge of the housing market BUT if a bank is telling you that a house isn't worth what you are paying for, you listen to the bank, right?</div>
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We went back to the estate agent, explained what had happened & also emailed them a copy of the report from the bank. We asked them to speak with the owners to see if they would lower the price to the banks valuation. If we had the extra £5k spare, we could have used that to make up the difference between the offer & the mortgage, but there's two reasons why we didn't do that. Firstly, we didn't have <b>any</b> extra savings for the deposit, nevermind £5k & secondly, the bank was telling us it's not worth that cost - why would we pay it? Does that not lead to negative equity? Another thing I know little to nothing about but we didn't want to risk it!</div>
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Anyway, the owners came back with a straight-up no. They didn't want to lower the price at all, not even an offer to meet in the middle. On one hand, I understood where they were coming from - I don't know how much they bought the property for or how much money they put into it. Maybe lowering the price meant they weren't making any profit on the house? On the other hand, the liklihood was that if one bank has valued the house at £7.5k less than the asking price, others are going to do the same and the cycle would continue.</div>
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We ended up pulling our offer out, hoping that they would come back with the lowered amount, but sadly they never did! The house stayed on the market for a good few months after that & they eventually lowered the asking price a bit, but it was still more than what the bank had valued it. It was eventually taken off PropertyPal & I never saw whether it was sold or just removed!</div>
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House No. 2</h4>
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After we pulled our offer on the first house, we went back to PropertyPal & booking viewings. It was so frustrating watching the original house just sit on the market, knowing that we were keen to buy it if they would just go by what the bank had valued! But we ended up realising that the house wasn't as great as we had first thought - sure, it would be easily redecorated & was a good shell but there was nothing special about it. We were blindsided by the new kitchen, but in reality it was quite a small space.</div>
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We eventually found another house that we really liked, in a similar area with a similar asking price, except this house had an extension & utilty space, as well as a new bathroom with a separate bath & shower! We loved it! We put an offer in on this house, pretty much the same as the first offer, £2.5k less than the asking price, & the owners accepted!</div>
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That was back at the end of August & our wedding was creeping closer & closer. We came to terms with the fact that we wouldn't be in before the wedding, holding on to hope that it would only be a week or 2 after we came back from our honeymoon. We had an proposed completion date for the end of November, which wasn't too bad, it was only 3ish-weeks after our honeymoon.</div>
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A few days after we got home, we went out for a browse at some furniture & ending up buying our bed & mattress thinking that we could get it delivered for the day after we moved in.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Pro-tip - <b>Never</b> buy large furniture until you have house keys in your hand, no matter how optimistic you are! The delivery company have been so good, but it's not worth the hassle or the risk! They still have our bed!</span></div>
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The First Delay</h4>
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The week of the proposed completion date & our solicitor hadn't heard anything from the other solicitor about the move going ahead or an exchange of contracts. It got down to about 2/3 days before we were supposed to move, when the solicitor <i>finally</i> got in touch to say that there was a problem with the house that the owners were buying & they've had to pull out! <i>Great.</i></div>
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And so we're back to square one. They had another house that they were interested in and they got an offer accepted straight away, but the whole process was back to the start again. We were told that, all being well, we could move at the end of January 2020.</div>
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<b>Spoiler Alert:</b> It's now July & we still don't have a house!</div>
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There have been so many delays with their house, something to do with a boundary issue that has taken an absurb amount of time to resolve! We were reassured again & again that we would be moved in by April, when our extended mortgage offer would expire, and then Coronavirus happened.</div>
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The Second Delay & Coronavirus</h4>
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Coronavirus, understandably, stopped any and all progress on our house buy. </div>
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Lockdown obviously made moving impossible, but we assumed that the other issues could still be resolved by working from home, but our solicitor struggled for over a month to get in touch with the owners solicitor, before finding out that their solicitor had actually been furloughed & the office branch he worked from had been closed since the beginning of lockdown. Why was there never any communication about that? An out of office email, a voicemail message, anything? Dear only knows!</div>
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Anyway, because this sale had dragged on since August, our mortgage offer expired during lockdown. Mortgage offers typically last 6 months, so at the end of January we applied for an extension of 3 months, which then expired in April. In order to reinstate the mortgage offer, the bank we were with needed to do a revaluation of the property because <b>so much time</b> had passed. </div>
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Obviously, as our luck would have it, the bank downvalued the house by £10k. As it was a "desktop survey" (because no in-person valuations were allowed) there was no physical report to go alongside the downvaluation which caused a whole host of problems. The estate agent just couldn't understand why there was a reduction of that amount when nothing had changed with the house, even though almost a year has passed since the first valuation & hello? Coronavirus? Things are obviously going to change!</div>
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I feel for the owners of the property, because they will need the money from the sale of their current house in order to buy their new house, but we couldn't ignore what the bank said. We don't want to pay more for a house than what it's worth, and is that deja vu? I feel like this has happened to us before...</div>
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What Happens Now?</h4>
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As we stand, I've literally just had a phonecall today from the estate agents basically saying that the owners aren't happy to lower the amount, which is super disappointing & frustrating for us but fair enough I guess. They have put their house back on the market and, yet again, we are back to square one!</div>
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We had a feeling this might happen anyway, so over the last week or so, we have been to see a few different houses now that viewings are allowed again. As of yet, we haven't seen anything that we want to put an offer in on, but it's good for us to get back in the way of viewing house & to keep an eye on what's available at the minute.</div>
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The next hurdle we face thanks to Coronavirus, is that the banks have pulled a lot of their mortgage deals off the market. There are literally one or two 10% deposit deals available, but they are now mostly wanting deposits of 15%, 20% or even higher! Thankfully, we have been able to save a good bit over the last few months, so we will hopefully be able to get one of the 10% deposit mortgages - if we can't & have to get a 15% mortgage then it might be a year or two before we can afford to buy at all! Let's pray that's not the case though!</div>
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Here's To Part 2!</h4>
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If you made it through all of my rambling - well done! Hopefully Part 2 is on the not-too-distant horizon, & has some good news in it!</div>
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I just wanted to write it all down so that when we do finally have our own home we can look back and laugh <span style="font-size: x-small;">(someday, hopefully, we can laugh!)</span> at the mess this process has been! </div>
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I also think it's good to share this sort of thing. We thought that buying a house as first time buyers automatically made the process easier because we had no chain, but we've learnt that that's not always the case! Sometimes you can get lucky & have a really smooth, easy process but I wanted to share our experience. It could be that we have extremely bad luck, but I know when I read other peoples experiences it's good to know that not everyone sails through their first home buying experience!</div>
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If you've bought a house recently, how was your experience? </div>
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Let me know in the comments!</div>
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♥</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comNorthern Ireland, UK54.7877149 -6.492314526.479476435765651 -41.645952028419494 83.095953364234347 28.661323028419496tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-89207974657644642642017-08-09T11:21:00.000+01:002017-08-09T11:22:52.658+01:00Starting The Journey // 24-7 Ibiza<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XdiK4hOokH3CTF3NDKe6f0QTQ6S6nZUUVXO7ef9CjxT47Ze5Nk0F8T7Y3VWEi4FgIOUphOrzfWH-0l-2kvcb6qsFP1Dh75hZlR3mBvyQgROJIzkE2sZDmRXim_nBl_qkkpb0Ecc_xg/s1600/20160621_213240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XdiK4hOokH3CTF3NDKe6f0QTQ6S6nZUUVXO7ef9CjxT47Ze5Nk0F8T7Y3VWEi4FgIOUphOrzfWH-0l-2kvcb6qsFP1Dh75hZlR3mBvyQgROJIzkE2sZDmRXim_nBl_qkkpb0Ecc_xg/s1600/20160621_213240.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm sat in Belfast International Airport,</div>
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and my flight has been delayed by like, 2 hours.</div>
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To the point where, I don't even know what Gate I'm supposed to be at,</div>
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and that isn't being announced for another 1hr45mins!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So I figured, what better time to start recording my journey with 24-7 Ibiza.</div>
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I have a solid wifi signal, a hot coffee, my laptop is all charged up and I'm settled at a table with a clear view of one of those Flight Update screens that everyone seems to flock around at the airport!</div>
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For those of you who don't know, </div>
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I was part of a 2-week Short Term Team to Ibiza last year & the entire experience was just incredible.</div>
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I had the best time & over those 2 weeks I learnt so much about myself & about God.</div>
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But pretty much as soon as my first day in Ibiza was over last year, </div>
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I already knew that I wanted to come out for longer this summer!</div>
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I literally remember thinking during the induction, "Why am I only here for 2 weeks?!"</div>
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So I'm massively grateful to everyone who has made it possible, </div>
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by supporting & praying for me going on this mission!</div>
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I'm so excited!!</div>
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This morning was a wee bit weird though, if I'm being honest.</div>
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This will be the longest David and I have ever been apart, and 8 weeks is a long time.</div>
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I keep reminding myself that social media exists, </div>
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and we'll be able to instantly connect with each other whenever we need to. </div>
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It's not like we're going to be completely cut off from each other for the next 2 months!</div>
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I'm still going to miss sharing every day with him, </div>
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but I know that we'll be able to stay in touch really easily!</div>
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It's also alot more daunting than last year, because I'm flying out on my own, </div>
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rather than with a group of team members all travelling together.</div>
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I've travelled by myself plenty of times, but it's just a bit of a weird feeling,</div>
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flying out on my own to a group of people that I don't know!</div>
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<br /></div>
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But in saying that, I can't wait to meet the rest of the team already in Ibiza,</div>
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the guys who lead the mission and live in Ibiza all year round,</div>
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the other Long Termers & the Short Term teams that will be coming out every 2 weeks!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have so much excitement for the next 2 months, and I am filled with</div>
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anticipation for all that God is going to do,</div>
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but it doesn't stop that slightly sick nervy feeling in my stomach.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know that it's completely normal to be nervous & I'm confident that I'm doing the right thing, because God has led me here & if He didn't want me going to Ibiza this year, then this trip wouldn't be happening! It's as simple as that!</div>
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But still, the nerves are real.</div>
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Oh, there's just been an update on those trusty screens...my flight is now delayed until 12.05.<br />
But, on the bright side I have just found out that I've got a friend in the airport,<br />
waiting on the same flight!<br />
It'll be nice to have someone to chat to for a bit, especially if this flight keeps being pushed back later & later, and it will be great to meet someone who is part of the year round team!<br />
<br />
If you're the praying type, I would really appreciate your prayers over the next couple of weeks!<br />
<br />
Prayers for confidence & boldness to share who Jesus is & what He means to me.<br />
Prayers of safety & direction as we take part in the night time work on the streets of San An.<br />
Prayers for a listening heart, so that I will hear & understand what God is saying to me. </div>
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Thanks friends!<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5cZQHXy-qYE3VrIgc01MtozGvJd0FkwzrfCrKUAB6G3VAkW589EE241JdXgcFL_iNOAaLFxh12_7gXkWT_qJx509riMQp6T1XsVVjftli2mCUH0FMjvQSwXbybxCVCaImBDHSFxhkg/s1600/signature+-+Edited.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">♥</span></span><br />
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-59602571403224383982017-04-05T11:00:00.000+01:002020-04-07T12:49:09.673+01:00Looking Forward<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6p5TRb-j5zQIkNm-OFWcTzLm_C_SDpK7NLpTAeHOsShMj8-qh6VJgB45EY2m84swHAh0YlVhmN-1ggHSgtyIsrCIKyBP1x3WPmW0YSDx3ymr3qyaipeoyWIBPGCodvyUuBy26rlKMw/s1600/17776945_10158645678015637_942553077_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6p5TRb-j5zQIkNm-OFWcTzLm_C_SDpK7NLpTAeHOsShMj8-qh6VJgB45EY2m84swHAh0YlVhmN-1ggHSgtyIsrCIKyBP1x3WPmW0YSDx3ymr3qyaipeoyWIBPGCodvyUuBy26rlKMw/s1600/17776945_10158645678015637_942553077_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have a question for you... </div>
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Do you think it's important to have something to look forward to?</div>
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To have something to fix your eyes on, to strive towards, </div>
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to make working long, hard days worth it?</div>
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David & I talk about it pretty often, the need to have something there </div>
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that we're looking forward to, to make everyday life <i>worth it</i>,</div>
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to make working opposite shifts to each other<i> worth it</i>.</div>
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To answer my own question; I do. </div>
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I think it's so important to have things to look forward to.</div>
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Whether that's a holiday, or an event, or a catch up with a close friend,</div>
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having something to focus on & anticipate is one of the things I find most important in my life.</div>
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I don't know when exactly this started, or where it came from </div>
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but it's something I've felt for a good few years at least.</div>
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I always need to have <i>something</i> on the horizon to look forward to.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There are the big things I'm looking forward to, </div>
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like getting married & moving in together, </div>
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starting a home together, a family.<br />
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Being focused on preparing for our future together is a massive push for me.</div>
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Working full time when we'd much rather be away travelling again</div>
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is worth it because we're saving for all of these "big things".<br />
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But it doesn't always have to be something huge.</div>
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As long as there is something in my upcoming week, or month</div>
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that I can look forward to, I will be a happy girl!</div>
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It can be as simple as a coffee date with David on my next day off, </div>
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or planning to buy a new book or 3 once I get paid,</div>
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or knowing that I'm going to have a whole day by myself to relax.</div>
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Having that thing to look forward to makes it easier to push through the</div>
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long shifts of my new job. </div>
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It makes working 8 or 10 days in a row seem a bit less terrible, </div>
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if I have something at the end to keep my sights on!</div>
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It makes working hard & doing awkward shifts worth it.</div>
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Even if I'm not spending money,</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(which I'm trying really hard to do & failing miserably),</span></div>
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as long as I have something each week that will perk me up</div>
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I can guarantee that week will be 10x better than a week with nothing.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So I thought I would share with you some of the smaller things </div>
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I'm looking forward to in the next few months.<br />
Because, let's face it, the "big things" are a good while away yet! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>1// Being off this Sunday</u></div>
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In my new job on a hotel reception I work on a shift/rota basis, </div>
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with the working week running Friday-Thursday.</div>
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Since I started in the beginning of February, </div>
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I think I've only been off about 3 Sundays in total!</div>
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So I'm really glad I have this Sunday off, </div>
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I'll get to go to church & our youth programmes without having </div>
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to worry about leaving early to make it to work in time.</div>
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It will be so nice to have a chilled Sunday for once!</div>
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<u>2// Easter</u></div>
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I love this time of year when Spring starts to make an appearance,</div>
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the days get longer and the sun comes out,</div>
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and everywhere looks so pretty with flowers blooming and the occasional bout of blue sky.</div>
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The thing I look forward to most, though, is Easter.</div>
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The run up to Easter when we reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made </div>
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& the trauma He went through, and then the absolute miracle of the resurrection!</div>
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Jesus died for me, for my sin. </div>
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He fought death & won, & He did it for everyone on Earth.</div>
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But, I fully believe that if I was the only one alive, He would have done it all for me.</div>
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And I fully believe that if you were the only one on Earth, He would have done it all just for you.</div>
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Easter is such an important time of year for me, when I take time to actually </div>
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think about all the things that Jesus has done for me.</div>
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The Easter Dawn service at the shore where I live is so special as well,</div>
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even thought it's at half 6 in the morning!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>3// My bestfriends birthday!</u></div>
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Her birthday is this month and every year we do something really fun,</div>
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expect for last year when I was in Vietnam!</div>
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I've no idea what we'll be doing, </div>
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I just know that it's always a great day, so I'm excited to celebrate with her!</div>
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<u>4// A Court of Wings and Ruin</u></div>
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<a href="http://tidd.ly/f150534" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ACOWAR</a> is released on 2nd May and it's the third in </div>
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Sarah J. Maas' series of books 'A Court of Thorns & Roses'.</div>
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I am so excited for it to come out! </div>
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I love this series, I love the characters </div>
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& I love all the twists & turns of Maas' storytelling!</div>
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It's safe to say I'm very much looking forward to this release!</div>
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<u>5// Paris!</u></div>
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David & I are going to Paris in May for 4 days,</div>
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and I am SO excited!</div>
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I've been before but I was 11 & on a school trip,</div>
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so I barely remember any of it.</div>
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I can't wait to explore the city with David & fingers crossed</div>
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the weather is beautiful, for some super pretty photos!</div>
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We're also going to Disneyland for one of the days</div>
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& I can barely contain myself!</div>
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If anyone reading this has any Paris blog posts or recommendations,</div>
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fire them my way please!<br />
<br />
Let me know what you think!<br />
Do you need things to look forward to? <br />
<br />
<i> </i><i> </i>❤<br />
<br />
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</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>This post may contain affiliate links* </i></span></div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-50303817750093730722017-02-03T13:00:00.000+00:002020-07-09T18:19:27.447+01:00Recipe: Sweet Banana Bread<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL68ta2diI7NopZTamXqBl4GEaTUSkpIfxIpIsVS9_Q51C-wStzHckN-TqxqFMPFmOUbQbe12NSEKs8pKGRv1KdR7KKsA94Jy-jr3cJABvE2dvEsAgC4gpel3C4Iyy2N0vNcpdRoNOUw/s1600/16466277_10158350971940637_897018531_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL68ta2diI7NopZTamXqBl4GEaTUSkpIfxIpIsVS9_Q51C-wStzHckN-TqxqFMPFmOUbQbe12NSEKs8pKGRv1KdR7KKsA94Jy-jr3cJABvE2dvEsAgC4gpel3C4Iyy2N0vNcpdRoNOUw/s1600/16466277_10158350971940637_897018531_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
I'm doing something a little different & random on my blog today...</div>
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I'm sharing a recipe!</div>
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It's nothing difficult, by any stretch of the imagination,</div>
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but it was an experiment for me & it turned out really well, so I thought I would share it with you!</div>
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On my day off last week I had the odd compulsion to bake something.</div>
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I say odd, because as much as I like baking, I only get the urge to do it once in a blue moon!</div>
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This time round, it was triggered by the mere mention of banana bread on Twitter.</div>
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I vaguely remember baking this in school, and figured that it couldn't be too complicated,</div>
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so after having a look at some recipes online I had a root around in our cupboards to make sure </div>
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that we had all the relevant ingredients.</div>
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Luckily enough, we did!</div>
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I mean, I wanted to bake, but not so badly that </div>
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I was up for leaving the house to buy any ingredients that I didn't have! </div>
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I ended up using a combination of different recipes I'd found, </div>
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to compensate for the ingredients that I had to hand.</div>
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In my opinion, and on feedback from my parents & David, </div>
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the experimenting turned out really well!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-Atd7id2SK3toMXlOJENS553cey_gehK-YXjz7Ey25pHUNaw5JlP7eSp2Vh1CJXVCls93E3ZQcCLrRX5DYCAShO5mkGIgYmevs-dECihuldsXBv1nqegfRD8uGYgqHr41t91WIttHA/s1600/banana+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-Atd7id2SK3toMXlOJENS553cey_gehK-YXjz7Ey25pHUNaw5JlP7eSp2Vh1CJXVCls93E3ZQcCLrRX5DYCAShO5mkGIgYmevs-dECihuldsXBv1nqegfRD8uGYgqHr41t91WIttHA/s1600/banana+bread.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Ingredients: </b></u></div>
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200g Self-Raising Flour</div>
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100g Demerera Sugar</div>
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75g Butter (melted)</div>
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3 Ripe Bananas (mashed with a fork)</div>
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1 Egg (beaten)</div>
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1 Pinch of Salt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tsp Baking Powder<br />
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract </div>
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1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u>Method:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a bread tin with plenty of butter.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 - Put the mashed banana into a large mixing bowl & add the egg, melted butter, sugar & vanilla extract. I used a wooden spoon to mix it all together, but I'm sure you can use a mixer if you want!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3 - Lastly, add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon & flour and mix well. </div>
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4 - Pour into your prepared bread tin & bake for 1 hour at 180°C.<br />
<br />
It couldn't be more easy.</div>
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It is a bit on the sweet side, so if you would prefer to have a more natural taste to your banana bread, feel free to cut down on the sugar!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It tastes best eaten straight out of the oven when it's still warm, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with a helping of butter and a giant cup of tea!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's the perfect afternoon snack, especially when the weather is awful outside. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There's nothing better than curling up on the sofa, listening to the howling wind and rain battering against the window, and indulging in this sweet, spicy, warm Banana Bread.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Well, in my opinion anyway!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Let me know what you think!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
❤</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/SimplyC_blog" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/simplycourageous">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/simply-courageous-13107441">Bloglovin</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplycourageousblog/">Facebook</a></div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-8738805858350933002017-01-28T14:10:00.000+00:002017-01-28T14:10:49.032+00:00Why I Quit My Job To Travel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DBUKMuix0y7c2GOl_bVbNiEyVcDH-RKjpKLYpVFV4d_DZF-9F1Ynyi6sP_GfYEtrRv1CDJt8Q0ndIaGb1m4sgEO7MkpKvoIgCNmRShQyM4JeCsw5Zkn78zN95lpM5G_Rg4EheFDeAQ/s1600/quitjobtravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DBUKMuix0y7c2GOl_bVbNiEyVcDH-RKjpKLYpVFV4d_DZF-9F1Ynyi6sP_GfYEtrRv1CDJt8Q0ndIaGb1m4sgEO7MkpKvoIgCNmRShQyM4JeCsw5Zkn78zN95lpM5G_Rg4EheFDeAQ/s1600/quitjobtravel.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
At this moment in time, as I'm putting pen to paper, </div>
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I'm sitting in a froyo cafe (my current place of work) on my break, </div>
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looking out the window at the torrent of snow that's probably blanketing my poor wee car,</div>
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(side note - later on it took me a solid 15 mins to de-ice my car...)</div>
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and all I can think of is roughly this time last year when I officially "handed my notice in" </div>
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and let my old job know that I was leaving to go travelling. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That was quite the day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There were so many different feelings, all these different kinds of emotions</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
all tied up in that one act of voluntarily leaving a stable place of employment, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
all for 3 months of the unknown.</div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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I felt like I wanted to write this post, where I voice my reasons for quitting my job to travel,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as well as the most obvious reason of course - <b>to travel!</b> </div>
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I wanted to put words to the reasons floating around in my head, to give them shape </div>
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and really, to remember why I did it in the first place.</div>
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I wanted to bring myself back to those days, to remember the bravery & the courage that it took to step into the unknown, to make a decision that some people thought reckless or random,<br />
and yet ultimately, was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakfadAGv0Y3GmxwzQImHjxK7Hfz2f0Jn7asxBVhQVaWSYiTw0_pjApHKX_QCaU0VmyFPb0qy039xQHpYUEZc6W0_eO9LY_7r_9P0oYZOidOWaIhVQh-L_JeUTJ2_wHdunPpSz43xCag/s1600/travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakfadAGv0Y3GmxwzQImHjxK7Hfz2f0Jn7asxBVhQVaWSYiTw0_pjApHKX_QCaU0VmyFPb0qy039xQHpYUEZc6W0_eO9LY_7r_9P0oYZOidOWaIhVQh-L_JeUTJ2_wHdunPpSz43xCag/s1600/travel.jpg" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
The decision to quit our jobs to go travelling for 3 months was surprisingly easy.<br />
There were very few nerves, or concerns, or hesitation...it was almost too easy!<br />
<br />
Now, don't get me wrong - I had a mild freak out approx. 3 days after we booked our flights of<br />
<i>"ohmyword what in the world are we doing??"</i><br />
But I'm pretty certain that was the full weight of one-way tickets to Bangkok hitting me in the face.<br />
There was never the question of not doing it, of not going.<br />
<br />
My concerns were there, absolutely, but so was the pure excitement of the adventure to come.<br />
And honestly, that excitement was more than enough to overcome the fears I had.<br />
I knew that if David & I weren't meant to go travelling, then it wouldn't happen.<br />
I trusted that God would see us through this adventure<br />
& guide us onto the right track once we got home.<br />
<br />
Oh, and also? <i>We were leaving our jobs to travel!!</i><br />
We weren't planning to find work.<br />
We were legitimately going for a 3 month holiday!<br />
And I have absolutely zero regrets.<br />
<br />
So, the more I think about it, the more I've been able to distinguish a couple of key reasons<br />
as to why, exactly, I quit my job to travel!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
<u><b>1 - To Travel</b></u><br />
I mean, obviously.<br />
I feel like this goes without saying...<br />
it's the key reason I was willing to leave my job.<br />
<i><b>I was going travelling!</b></i><br />
I was going to see places I never once imagined existed<br />
& I was going to see places that had been firmly on my bucket list for years.<br />
I was going to open my eyes to new cultures, new people, new ways of life.<br />
And, I was going to do it all with the most important person in my life!<br />
We were going to have the total freedom to do literally whatever we wanted for 3 whole months.<br />
Have new adventures every single day or just laze on a beach reading a book - it was up to us!<br />
And it was glorious!<br />
<br />
<u><b>2 - No Financial Commitments</b></u><br />
Ok, I'll not lie.<br />
This definitely made our decision 10x easier than it would've been if we had major bills to pay.<br />
David & I both still live at home, with pretty minimal outgoings, which made saving alot easier.<br />
Neither of us have massive rent to pay, or huge bills every month.<br />
My biggest outgoings are my car, my housekeeping & my phone bill,<br />
which were all fairly easily solved for 3 months.<br />
My car was declared off-road & I didn't have to pay housekeeping<br />
as I was on the other side of the world!<br />
My phone was the only unavoidable bill, but I still needed to use it while we were away,<br />
so that was grand!<br />
But, not having any major outgoings made things <i>alot</i> easier!<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<b><u>3 - Mediocre Jobs</u></b><br />
Neither of us were in anything remotely like our dream jobs.<br />
Mine just wasn't a job that I enjoyed.<br />
It was tedious, and boring, and lonely, so handing in that resignation letter was so easy! <br />
It's only perks were the fact that it was full time, in Belfast & it gave me valuable office experience.<br />
I will be forever grateful for the experience it gave me - but it was way too easy to leave behind!<br />
<br />
<u><b>4 - Perfect Timing</b></u><br />
Okay, so David & I knew we were on the verge of doing <i>something</i>.<br />
We'd been saving for a few months,<br />
(read: David. David had been saving for months. I suck at saving.)<br />
At one point we were almost on our way to working in Canada for a year or two!<br />
And when I say almost, I mean we'd had Skype interviews, filled in Visa forms and everything!<br />
Then we changed our minds & decided that travelling for 3 months was entirely more appealing than working in a call centre - even if that call centre was in Toronto!<br />
Fast forward 2.5 months to November '15 and David decides to see how much one-way flights to Bangkok actually cost, y'know out of curiosity.<br />
Being cheaper than we expected, we worked out how much money we would need for 3 months travel & when we would have that amount saved by...<br />
and we booked flights then & there!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<u><b>5 - Because We Could!</b></u><br />
I know most of my reasons are personal & specific to where I'm at in my life,<br />
but honestly, it's not as difficult to go travelling as you would think.<br />
Anyone can spend 6 months, 12 months, even just 2 months<br />
saving up & planning to go away for whatever length of time you want!<br />
David & I saved for about 6 - 8 months & we had enough to cover 3 months travelling,<br />
including all of our flights, hotels, hostels & every journey inbetween!<br />
We were in jobs that weren't making us happy & we weren't planning to be in them forever.<br />
So, why not use that time to save for something that will be one of the<br />
most incredible experiences of our lives, and grabbing that opportunity with both hands?<br />
And that's exactly what we did! <br />
<br />
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<br />
These are just a few reasons why I quit my job to travel.<br />
For me, it wasn't a massively reckless decision.<br />
I've always wanted to go travelling, so when the opportunity presented itself<br />
and everything else fell into place, it was a no brainer really.<br />
<br />
But I'm not going to tell you that you should do it too.<br />
<br />
<i>"Just quit your job and go!!"</i><br />
<i>"Don't worry about the money - make it work!!"</i><br />
<i>"Travel is never a matter of money - but of courage!"</i><br />
<br />
Pinterest is chock full of these types of quotes, and <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2015/04/fernweh.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I hate them</a>!<br />
It's not realistic, travelling is expensive & requires a decent amount of money,<br />
at least to get you started.<br />
<br />
But I will say, that it is possible for anyone.<br />
Anyone can save up enough money,<br />
anyone can decide to quit their job & go on an adventure,<br />
anyone can plan a route & take that first step.<br />
<br />
And I will tell you that it's definitely, 110% worth it every time!<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Do you agree with me? What are your thoughts on travelling?!</i><br />
<br />
❤<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-69272099445664288182017-01-12T15:51:00.001+00:002020-04-07T12:41:41.839+01:00December 2016 Reads<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
December is always a super busy month,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
what with anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, catch-ups & carol services,</div>
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so I actually didn't get as much reading done last month as I had planned!</div>
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What I did read, however, was all absolutely amazing! </div>
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I'm still very much on a fantasy/dystopian/YA kick </div>
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and I don't see that changing anytime soon.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
These genres have so many fantastic authors with so much to offer</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and I plan to devour every amazing book I can find!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><b>Warning: Spoilers Ahead!</b></i></div>
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<i>The first book below is the conclusion to a series, so if you haven't read the first 2 books yet,</i></div>
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<i>the blurb might give some things away! </i></div>
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<b><u>Frost Like Night - Sara Raasch</u></b></div>
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My Rating: *****</div>
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<i>Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe.</i></div>
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<i>Meira will do anything to save her world. With
Angra trying to break through her mental defences, she desperately
needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a
mysterious order from Paisly offers to teach her, Meira jumps at the
chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth
deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to
enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to
control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.</i></div>
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<i>Mather will do anything to save his queen.
He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell
her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no
kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the
war—and protecting Meira—slips further and further out of reach.</i></div>
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<i>Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra
had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But
when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth
behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true
love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>As
Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen
must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together . . . or lose everything.</i></div>
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<i>A dark EVIL. A dangerous MAGIC. A Desperate PLAN.</i></div>
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<i>Can Meira master her magic and save her world?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Okay, so the award for longest blurb <u>EVER</u> goes to<i> </i>Frost Like Night!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Apologies if you haven't yet read the first two books from this series, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Snow Like Ashes & Ice Like Fire, because this blurb gives so much away it's unreal!</div>
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But, they are great books, totally worth reading if magic & fantasy & hidden royalty is your thing!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I loved this book! As a final instalment in a trilogy, I thought it was perfect.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meira really comes into her magic, and the growth we see in her as she tries to reconcile being a queen but also still a young girl is phenomenal.</div>
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I also really enjoyed the POV chapters of Mather & Ceridwen. Usually, when a book deviates from the main characters POV, I can't wait until I am through those chapters so I can get back to the main part of the story, but Raasch does it so well with these characters! I was just as wrapped up in Ceridwens part of the story as I was in Meiras, which is really saying something!</div>
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I thought this was a great conclusion to a fabulous series, and the only thing that I'm sad about, </div>
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is the fact that it's over!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Buy it here:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tidd.ly/cf22712" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> || <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-4215892-frost-like-night.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons </a>|| <a href="http://amzn.to/2jnamJ7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </div>
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<br />
<u><b>Starborn - Lucy Hounsom</b></u><br />
My Rating: ****<br />
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<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Death and destruction will bar her way. . . </b></i><br />
<i>Kyndra's
fate holds betrayal and salvation, but the journey starts in her small
village. On the day she comes of age, she accidentally disrupts an
ancient ceremony, ending centuries of tradition. So when an unnatural
storm targets her superstitious community, Kyndra is blamed. She fears
for her life until two strangers save her, by wielding powers not seen
for an age - powers fuelled by the sun and the moon.</i><br />
<i>Together,
they flee to the hidden citadel of Naris. And here, Kyndra experiences
disturbing visions of the past, showing war and one man's terrifying
response. She'll learn more in the city's subterranean chambers, amongst
fanatics and rebels. But first Kyndra will be brutally tested in a bid
to unlock her own magic.</i><br />
<i>If she survives the ordeal, she'll discover a force greater than she could ever have imagined. But <br />could it create as well as destroy? And can she control it, to right an ancient wrong? </i><br />
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<br />
Starborn was such a good debut novel, and I am so excited for the release of the next one,<br />
Heartland, in August!<br />
But I'm going to have to buy this first one again, because the covers have had a massive makeover and they look incredible, and I can't have mismatched books so...yep!<br />
Starborn is like old school fantasy. Kyndra is a normal girl, with a normal life, living in a normal village...well. Normal until you realise they have a weird ritual once you reach 16, that tells you your real name, and what your profession should be.<br />
That is, until it's Kyndras turn, and her so-called normal life is turned on its head forevermore. She flees her village with the two strangers that saved her life and embarks on the kind of adventure she had only ever read about in her stepfathers books!<br />
It sounds kind of cliche, but I actually really loved it.<br />
Kyndra is a strong heroine, with a bit of attitude and knows how to go after what she wants,<br />
so there's no mary-sue here. There also is no love interest for her, the only romance that happens is somewhat in the background between our two fab supporting characters!<br />
In conclusion, I loved it, I can't wait to read the next one, and you should read it too!<br />
<br />
Buy it here:<br />
<a href="http://tidd.ly/ba065ba7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> || <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-3401992-starborn.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons </a>|| <a href="http://amzn.to/2igAFEd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<u><b>Spinning Starlight - R.C. Lewis</b></u><br />
My Rating: ***<br />
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<i>Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the
spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in
the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men shows up at
her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That
is, until shots are fired. <br />Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into
an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have
imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the
conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in
Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her
hands: One word, and her brothers are dead. <br />Desperate to save
her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where
she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring
her eight brothers home - a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without
her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince
Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets
deeply intertwined with her brothers' survival, just how much is Liddi
willing to sacrifice to bring them back?</i><br />
<br />
Spinning Starlight is a sci-fi retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's,<br />
The Wild Swans, and it works so well!<br />
I don't read alot of sci-fi, but this book had been on my To-Read list for such a long time, purely because of the gorgeous cover & the fact that it's a fairytale retelling, so when I saw it in my local Waterstones I couldn't not buy it!<br />
Liddi is a really strong main character, made all the more amazing because for 90% of the book she can't speak! Liddi has to work out a way to communicate with other people, tell them what's going on & save her brothers all without saying a word, because her brothers captor has placed an implant in Liddis throat. One word, one utterance of sound and her brothers are dead.<br />
I really liked this book, but the reason it only has 3 stars is because I struggled to connect with the characters enough. I felt like they were missing something.<br />
Maybe it's because Spinning Starlight is a standalone book, and I very rarely read those.<br />
I'm more of a book trilogy or series kind of girl!<br />
But, it's still a very good book that I really enjoyed!<br />
<br />
Buy it here:<br />
<a href="http://tidd.ly/2926327b" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones </a>|| <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-4399832-spinning-starlight.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons </a>|| <a href="http://amzn.to/2iL8bOV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<br />
:::<br />
<br />
And that's it for the last month of 2016!<br />
I still haven't counted up how many books I read last year in total, but it would be interesting to see!<br />
3 books does seem to be my standard number of books per month at the moment.<br />
Although, I am already onto my third book of January, so maybe I'll break that record this month!<br />
<br />
<i>Have you read anything interesting recently?</i><br />
<i>Let me know in the comments!</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><i> </i>❤<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/SimplyC_blog" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/simplycourageous">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/simply-courageous-13107441">Bloglovin</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplycourageousblog/">Facebook</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This contains affiliate links</i></span>* </div>
</div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-14149816018005485042017-01-04T16:52:00.003+00:002017-01-12T14:04:54.200+00:00One Little Word 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year, friends!</div>
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I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a fab New Year, however you chose to spend it!</div>
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I really hope it was more exciting than mine... </div>
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I was wrapped up in bed, struck down by a horrible chest/cough/cold thing...not the way</div>
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I had hoped to spend the last night of 2016 if I'm honest! </div>
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Thankfully, it happened a day or two after Christmas day, </div>
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so I was able to enjoy all the amazing food and drink that Christmas has to offer </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
before I was confined to bed with only toast & water!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyway, now we're in 2017!</div>
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<i>How weird is that? How long does it take you to get used to saying/writing the new year?</i></div>
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<i>It usually takes me a good few weeks!</i> </div>
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A brand new year, 365 days full of opportunities & experiences </div>
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waiting to be grasped with both hands.</div>
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As this new year begins I want to carry over something that I did last year,</div>
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in place of creating New Years Resolutions or goals.</div>
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I'm sure you've heard of it before; the One Little Word project.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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I discovered the One Little Word project on Instagram last year, </div>
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and was drawn to it pretty much instantly. </div>
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I don't know about you, but I am so rubbish at keeping up with New Years Resolutions, & most goals that I set myself either don't get completed or keep being moved to the back of the line,</div>
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so the idea of choosing one single word to be my guide for the year to come, a word that I would focus on being more of,</div>
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of bringing it into my life more,</div>
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of living out this word to the best of my ability,</div>
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this was an idea I could totally get on board with.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You can find<a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/01/one-little-word-2016.html" target="_blank"> last years post here</a>, if want to have a little nosey,</div>
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where you can read about why my word for 2016 was "embrace".</div>
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<br /></div>
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Again, the same as last year I find choosing a word for the year to come quite difficult!</div>
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<br /></div>
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For me, the word has to mean something, it has to pull at my heart strings, at my soul & say to me <b><i>Yes, I am your word for 2017, </i></b></div>
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<b><i>this is what you need to focus on, </i></b></div>
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<b><i>this is what you need to learn</i></b></div>
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<b><i> or rediscover </i></b></div>
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<b><i>or bring into your life more, Dani! </i></b></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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Choosing a word is a huge process for me. </div>
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You never know, some years it might come to me really quickly, really naturally, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but at the minute it's a process. </div>
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It's a process that I deliberate over, I pray over it, I look at other peoples words and try to think through the year ahead...</div>
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What do I want to accomplish this year? </div>
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Who do I want to be this time next year? </div>
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What do I want to know this time next year that I don't know now? </div>
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What do I want to believe about myself, that I don't right now? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And after a good amount of praying, deliberation, reading & asking David, "What should my word be?" only for him to reply oh so helpfully, "Lampshade!" <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I mean...what even?)</span></i></div>
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</div>
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I finally landed on my word for 2017.</div>
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It can be so hard in the world these days to hold on to the knowledge that we are enough.</div>
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Especially at the beginning of a new year, when timelines are saturated with "New Year, new me!" updates, and adverts telling us how we can change ourselves because who doesn't want to completely overhaul themselves at the start of a new year?!</div>
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Personally, it comes down to personal preference & moderation.</div>
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I see no harm in someone wanting to be healthier, and using the new year to kick start that.</div>
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But, if it sinks too deep the "New Year, new me!" craze can hit a nerve it's not supposed to.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I don't want to be made feel like I am not enough by the world.</div>
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In fact, I know for certain that I am loved & cherished exactly as I am with all my flaws seen clearly & accounted for by one who is so much greater than I am. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I know not everyone who reads this is a Christian, and that is more than okay.</div>
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But I am, and I believe that in Gods eyes I am worthy to be loved,</div>
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I am more than enough, exactly as I am, without trying to better or improve myself.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And the more time I spent dwelling on this word, the more I felt like it was calling out to me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know in my head that I am enough, for this world, for myself, for God.</div>
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But sometimes, having that head knowledge doesn't cut it, and doubts creep in & set up camp.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This year, I want to focus on believing I am enough.</div>
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I want to remind myself daily that I am enough for whatever it is that God has planned for me.</div>
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I want to focus on believing that I am smart enough, worthy enough, strong enough, kind enough, brave enough for the challenges of the year ahead, whatever they may be.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So this year will be spent reminding myself that I don't need to focus on fad diets or</div>
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self-improvement techniques to better myself.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I am enough exactly as I am, the good and the bad included, </div>
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and friends, so are you! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Have you chosen one word for 2017? </i></div>
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❤</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-32603442843067688692016-12-01T15:00:00.000+00:002020-04-07T12:43:06.840+01:007 Things I Love About December<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last year on the 1st of December I wrote <b><a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2015/12/tis-season.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b> all about the things I was looking forward to in December, like my birthday, a trip to Edinburgh with my bestie and my 3 year anniversary with David, among other more Christmassy things. </div>
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So this year, when I sat down to write this post for the 1st of December, I figured I would do something along the same lines because it's fun, but try & change it up a wee bit from last year, while still covering all of the things that I love about December and the run up to Christmas!</div>
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So, here we go! </div>
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<u>1 - The Festivity</u></div>
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I love the festive buzz that descends over everything in December, although this year it seems to have started way back at the beginning of November for a lot of people! </div>
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But I love the atmosphere that Christmas brings out; </div>
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of people being generous to family & loved ones,</div>
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of cheerfulness & joy as we meet up with friends we haven't seen in a while,</div>
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and the general buzz of activity that towns are filled with,</div>
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complemented by Christmas music </div>
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<i>(although I do have a love/hate relationship with it)</i>,</div>
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twinkling lights & frosty air! </div>
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Everyone you come across seems so much happier than at any other time of year & I love it!</div>
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<u>2 - The Chill</u></div>
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Now, I may complain about how cold it is when I'm in work all the time, </div>
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but that isn't the kind of chill that I mean!</div>
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I mean the kind of chill when you're walking through town, picking up gifts for your loved ones,</div>
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you're wrapped up snug in a huge scarf, with a bobble hat & a pair of gloves on</div>
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and somehow you can still feel the bite of the wind through all of your layers.</div>
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I love that kind of chill because even though I can still feel the cold, I can also feel how well wrapped up I am, & I'm 99% likely to be dreaming of a coffee shop break (or several!) so I'll be looking forward to warming up with a festive beverage!</div>
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<u>3 - My Birthday</u></div>
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I mean, obviously I had to include this because who doesn't love their birthday?</div>
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Some people think it's annoying to have a birthday in the same month as Christmas,</div>
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but I don't actually mind it! Maybe that's because it's pretty early-on in December, so it doesn't actually feel all that close to Christmas?</div>
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<i>I feel like I should say though, that I don't speak on behalf of my family/friends/boyf </i></div>
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<i>who have to buy two sets of gifts in the one month...lol sorry</i>! </div>
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However, this year I turn 26 (boke, I'm actually an actual adult!) and that feels really weird.</div>
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26 feels properly old, and mentally I do not feel properly old, so that's fun. </div>
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But birthdays are always a great time, I have stretched my celebrations out over a whole weekend</div>
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so I can't wait for the fun times!</div>
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<u>4 - Gift Shopping</u></div>
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Okay, this is another love/hate kinda thing, because I love shopping for Christmas gifts,</div>
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but only really when I know what I want to get someone, or I have a vague idea of what that person would like, or if I have a full on list of possible gift ideas for all of the people...</div>
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Going shopping with zero inspiration or no ideas in mind at all is </div>
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possibly one of the worst things ever.</div>
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<b>But</b> I love buying gifts for other people,</div>
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spending time thinking about the kind of presents that they would like,</div>
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making a little gift hamper of sorts, and wrapping it up all nice & pretty.</div>
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I don't actually have that many people to buy for, which means that I can put more effort into the gifts that I do get to buy!</div>
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<u>5 - Carol Services</u></div>
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Every year my church has a carol service called Carols By Candlelight, </div>
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and it's one of my favourite services of the whole year! </div>
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I know that Christmas hymns/carols can get pretty repetitive </div>
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because we sing the same ones year in & year out,</div>
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but Carols By Candlelight is always so beautiful, & I look forward to it every year!</div>
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The church is decorated with <span style="font-size: x-small;">(probably...)</span> hundreds of candles which gives it this lovely,</div>
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cosy, special atmosphere, and we sing beautiful Christmas carols,</div>
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hear lovely solos and read verses from the story of Jesus' birth.</div>
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<u>6 - Our Anniversary</u></div>
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This December marks the 4th year of my relationship with David.</div>
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I can't get my head around the fact that we have been together for that long now, it's so crazy!</div>
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I think I say this every year, but on one hand it doesn't feel like it's been that long,</div>
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and on the other hand it feels like we've been together forever!</div>
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I'm so thankful that I get to share my life with someone who knows me better than</div>
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I know myself, and I'm so excited for our future together!</div>
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<u>7 - The Meaning of Christmas</u></div>
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I think it's pretty obvious that I love everything to do with Christmas, from the decorations,</div>
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to the gift-giving, to the movies but I also love the meaning of Christmas,</div>
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which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus!</div>
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It's so easy to forget in the midst of all the hustle & bustle, that Christmas is about the Son of God being born into this world </div>
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as a human baby, in the most vulnerable way possible.</div>
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I love that this time of year reminds me of that. </div>
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It reminds me that Gods love for us all is so vast, that he literally put his life in our hands,</div>
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so that He could save us further on down the line.</div>
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He came into this world as a baby, fully reliant on his parents to care for him & look after him,</div>
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all with the cross as his end goal. </div>
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What a Saviour!</div>
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<i>What do you enjoy most about December?!</i></div>
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❤</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-42726357799040201422016-11-29T13:00:00.000+00:002020-04-07T12:43:21.393+01:00November 2016 Reads<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's been a literal age since I shared what I've been reading recently, which is a shame</div>
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because over the past lot of months I've read some truly incredible books! </div>
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I might put together a post of my favourite books from 2016 closer to the end of the year, but right now I want to share what I've managed to read this past month. Sadly, I only have the physical copy of one of these books, the others have been read on the Kindle App on my phone, with the intention of buying a physical copy in the near future...it just so happens that I haven't done that yet, oops! </div>
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<u><b>Three Dark Crowns - Kendare Blake</b></u></div>
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My Rating: ****<br />
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<i>In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is
born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a
coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry
flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a
poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a
stomach-ache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to
bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of beasts.</i></div>
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<i>But
becoming the Queen Crowned isn't solely a matter of royal birth. Each
sister has to fight for it. And it's not just a game of win or lose . . .
it's life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle
begins.</i></div>
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<i>The last queen standing gets the crown.</i></div>
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I loved this book! The world-building was fab, if a bit slow at the beginning, and<i> </i>the whole premise of the story is so dark, yet completely mesmerising at the same time. Each chapter is the POV of a different sister, which is great because it means that we get to be a part of all sides of the story, and get to know all of the sisters instead of being stuck with one perspective! There is also a pretty massive twist at the end which I did not see coming, so I can't wait for the next book to come out. There's some romance throughout the book, but if I'm honest, it felt pretty unnecessary and forced. In my opinion, I think this book would have been just as good without it!</div>
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Buy it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/three-dark-crowns/kendare-blake/9781785173103" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> || <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-4371380-three-dark-crowns.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons</a> || <a href="http://amzn.to/2fxjcpn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<u><b>The Midnight Star - Marie Lu</b></u> </div>
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My Rating: ****</div>
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<i>There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.</i><i><br />
Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She's turned her back on those who
have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign
as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but the darkness within her
has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy everything.</i></div>
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When a new danger appears, Adelina must join the Daggers on a perilous
quest in order to save herself and preserve her empire. But this uneasy
alliance may prove to be the real danger . . .</i><br />
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I love The Young Elites as a series, but I have to be honest, I didn't <i>absolutely love</i> this book for some reason! I mean, it was great and it was the perfect way to end the series, in my opinion. Completely heartbreaking and satisfying all at the same time, and maybe that's why I didn't love it...I grow far too attached to books/series that I love, which means that I hate it when they inevitably end!<br />
So maybe I didn't love it, or connect with it as well as I should have because<br />
I knew that the story was coming to an end...<br />
Anyway, The Midnight Star is the perfect conclusion to this trilogy.<br />
We see Adelina's descent into further madness and her thirst for power deepen, but we also see her relationship with her sister flourish. We learn more about the other characters, and see their regret for mistakes made in the previous two books, which adds to them. We can see their flaws and that makes them seem more human to us as readers, which is a big reason why this has 4 stars, instead of 3!<br />
<i> </i>All in all, I thought it was a great conclusion to this story, but I just didn't love it as much as I expected too!<br />
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Buy it here:<br />
<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-midnight-star/marie-lu/9780141361840" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> || <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-4389703-the-midnight-star.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons</a> || <a href="http://amzn.to/2gRwgGj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<u><b>This Savage Song - V.E. Schwab</b></u><br />
My Rating: *** <br />
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<i><span id="freeText3815686749799819140">Kate Harker and August
Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has
begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as
her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for
his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his
own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s
one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of
music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been
kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps
at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed
assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.</span></i><br />
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This Savage Song was good, but I don't think it was amazing, that's why I've given it 3 stars.<br />
It felt a little like it was missing something, but I have no idea what that would be? It was still a great book, I read chapter after chapter after chapter, with each one ending on a cliffhanger<br />
so obviously I had to find out what happened next!<br />
The world was interesting, and I definitely got the "Romeo + Juliet" vibe, but without the romance element, which was strange and refreshing all at once,<br />
and yet I don't think the lack of romance is what is missing from this book.<br />
I love the creation of the monsters, the creepy little rhymes about them and how they come in to existence. August is my fave, I love how he struggles with being a monster and how he wrestles with his nature, but I didn't really like Kate.<br />
She seemed spoilt and nasty for the most part, for no real reason other than her craving for her fathers approval.<br />
This Savage Song is the first of a series, (maybe a trilogy? I'm not really sure) called Monsters of Verity, and book two, Our Dark Duet, isn't due to be released until June 2017!<br />
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Buy it here:<br />
<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/this-savage-song/v-e-schwab/9781785652745" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> || <a href="http://www.easons.com/p-4232688-this-savage-song.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easons</a> || <a href="http://amzn.to/2gs50ej" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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:::<br />
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That's it for this month, I only finished 3 books in November! I have a couple of great books that I'm looking forward to reading in December, so my hopes are high for next month!<br />
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Also, I'm actually really excited about doing a 2016 round-up of all the books I've read this year, but I may get started on it now because I think it will take some time, so you should wish me luck!<br />
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<i>What books have you read recently? Any recommendations?!</i><br />
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<i>Let me know in the comments, or on social media!</i><br />
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<i> </i>❤<br />
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-37700062048926836282016-11-10T13:02:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:07:33.990+00:00Rediscovering Beauty with Itty Bitty Book Co.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I find that looking for inspiration can be difficult, even in this world that is saturated with timelines and Pinterest boards filled to the brim with quotes and slogans all designed </div>
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to keep us inspired & motivated & encouraged.</div>
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But, a lot of the time I find that those inspirational quotes fall a little bit flat.</div>
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There are too many contradictory quotes on the same boards, </div>
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too many that actually manage to make me feel a little inferior,</div>
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<i>a little bit less</i>, if I don't want to #hustle or #girlboss it all the time.</div>
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And I'm pretty sure that is the opposite of their purpose!<br />
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But I do know how powerful true inspirational quotes can be, how much motivation, positivity, confidence & encouragement they can bring out in each of us, and that is why I want to introduce to you today the <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Itty Bitty Book Co. </a> </div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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Itty Bitty Book Co. are a local business here in Northern Ireland,<br />
and their entire purpose is to promote positivity!<br />
So I am very excited to say that I will be working with Itty Bitty in an attempt to bring more happiness & positivity to our lives, both on the Internet & in real life!<br />
<br />
Everything they sell is made locally in Ireland, either in their home studio or at local eco-printers. They offer a range of inspirational prints, greetings cards, Irish linen wall banners and the Itty Bitty Books themselves, which are mini books filled with inspirational quotes, handmade and decorated with ethically sourced beads. </div>
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If you want to find out more about the story behind the owners & have a look at some of their amazing products, you can visit their website <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/pages/about-us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
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Today however, I want to talk about two of their inspirational prints, and a quote that I think is going to be one of my lifelong favourites.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dRRUiOEFnfFbt5IJJ1iT_0DUycRIhF_En5axmoghmHNu5Lp10-qkh7xmKrld46d6nX6xslin9cIwpyq9YFLEbyoVPT-Td-JZoklMSfaRSpZ3dz0nxLuyJUH0FAm8RxinWgI1Kgt1jQ/s1600/ittybitty.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Itty Bitty Book Co</a>.</span></div>
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The print on the left is beautiful, and the idea behind it resonates heavily with where David & I are in our relationship at the moment! We haven't moved in together yet, but we are planning on getting married in the hopefully-not-too-distant future so I feel like this speaks to the truth of our relationship! Home is wherever I am with David, & I am so thankful that I can say that.<br />
You can <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/collections/inspirational-prints/products/home-is-wherever-im-with-you" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">find this print here</a>! </div>
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Now onto the print on the right. This print is just wonderful! You can <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/collections/inspirational-prints/products/beautiful-print" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">find it here</a>.<br />
I love <i>literally everything</i> about it.<br />
It reads:<br />
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<i>"She is beautiful,</i><br />
<i>but not like those girls in the magazines.</i><br />
<i>She is beautiful, for the way she thinks. She is</i><br />
<i>beautiful, for that sparkle in her eyes when she talks</i><br />
<i>about something she loves. She is beautiful, for her</i><br />
<i>ability to make other people smile even if she is sad.</i><br />
<i>No, she isn't beautiful for something as temporary</i><br />
<i>as her looks. She is beautiful,</i><br />
<i>deep down in her soul."</i><br />
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In a world where body-shaming is sadly still a reality & there is still so much pressure on how we look, how we dress, even on how we hold ourselves as women, this quote is like a breath of fresh air!<br />
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It reminded me that while it's more than okay to take care of my appearance,<br />
it is <u><b>not</b></u> the only thing that matters in this life!<br />
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<b>What is so much more important than our looks, is our character.</b><br />
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How we treat other people, the things that make us happy, that we care for<br />
& are passionate about, the way that we react to the world around us,<br />
these are the things that make us who we are, these are the things that truly matter!<br />
Not our looks, or how shiny our hair is, or how smooth our skin is. <br />
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I think it's important that we are all reminded of this, again & again.<br />
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Becoming too concerned with my appearance, with my looks, is a trap that I fall into time & time again, and I'm certain I am not the only one.<br />
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But I think it's time we stand our ground and say, no.<br />
No, to the apparent "rules" that society has created about beauty.<br />
No, to the misconception that beauty is only skin deep.<br />
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<u><b>So today I want to take this opportunity to remind you that</b></u><br />
<u><b>we are, all of us, beautiful in our own unique way!</b></u><br />
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<i>I am so excited to be working with Itty Bitty in promoting positivity & I can't wait to take part in</i><br />
<i>the #PositivityTakeover challenge! If you want to find out more about it you can check out <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/pages/positivity-takeover" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their info page</a>, or have a look at <a href="https://ittybittybookco.com/products/positivitytakeover-pack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the cards themselves</a>!</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This post is in collaboration with Itty Bitty Book Co.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">All opinions expressed are 100% my own. Please see <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/p/contact_26.html" target="_blank">my disclaimer for more info</a>.</span></i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
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❤</div>
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<a href="http://www.twitter.com/SimplyC_blog" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/simplycourageous">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/simply-courageous-13107441">Bloglovin</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplycourageousblog/">Facebook</a> </div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-1236881185075893442016-11-08T11:59:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:08:18.161+00:00The Secret Garden & Stormont Estate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I cannot wrap my head around the fact that we are now a whole week into November.</div>
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It's practically Winter, but tell me this: what happened to October?!<br />
I barely remember the last month, to the point where I'm not even really sure it happened.<br />
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It feels like only yesterday it was Summer and we were enjoying whatever meagre weather</div>
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Northern Ireland has to offer and now it's pretty much Christmas!</div>
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Sorry. Is it too soon for Christmas talk?</div>
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In all seriousness though,<br />
I feel like Autumn is over before I've really had a chance to enjoy it properly.</div>
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It's my favourite season, by a mile, and yet I feel as though I've barely experienced it this year.</div>
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Last year was full of forest walks and Halloween fun (<a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2015/09/my-top-7-autumn-activites.html" target="_blank">check it out here</a>) but this year has been relatively quiet.<br />
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Well, until this last week, that is!<br />
On Tuesday, Gemma (#heybestfriend) and I had the same day off, which rarely happens, so we<br />
promptly made plans to spend the whole day together.<br />
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No word of a lie, she picked me up at 12pm & I got home after midnight.<br />
Friendship goals!<br />
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We decided to be super cute, and went for Afternoon Tea at <a href="http://dundonaldnurseries.co.uk/restaurant" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Secret Garden, Dundonald</a>.<br />
It was amazing!<br />
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It was £22.98 for Afternoon Tea for two, and the<br />
selection of food that we were presented with was unreal.<br />
The sandwiches were really tasty, and the scones were perfect, but it was the<br />
selection of mini desserts that truly made it incredible.<br />
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There were mini pavlovas, brownies, fifteens, mint aero squares, shortbread & a raspberry panacotta.<br />
Ooh, and don't forget the TWO giant pots of tea that we washed it all down with. <br />
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It's safe to say that we rolled out of The Secret Garden that afternoon!<br />
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We decided to head over to <a href="http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/visit-and-learning/stormont-estate/opening-times-stormont-estate/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stormont Estate</a>, as I've never really explored the grounds before,<br />
and it was one of those perfectly beautiful Autumn days.<br />
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The sun was shining, the bright blue sky was dotted with white fluffy clouds, and the<br />
trees were in their element, showing off the golden tones and red hues of their crispy leaves.<br />
It was freezing, which only made our walk that much more enjoyable<br />
because we were wrapped up in warm coats and huge scarves!<br />
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We frolicked in the leaves and had all the fun throwing them in the air<br />
and taking cute photos of each other, because really,<br />
what else were we going to do with an abundance of fallen leaves?!<br />
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It was a beautiful way to spend my day off, and it reminded me of exactly why Autumn is<br />
my favourite! It's always the best before it starts raining in earnest<br />
and the leaves turn from crunchy, crispy glory to a soggy, slippy, gross mess!<br />
That part of Autumn, I'm not a big fan of!</div>
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In other news, I started my Christmas shopping last week!<br />
I'll be honest, it feels really good.</div>
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I'm never usually one for being totally organised for Christmas. </div>
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Most years you can find me running around still buying presents on Christmas Eve...yes, unfortunately I am <i>that</i> person! </div>
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This year I would like to be different.<br />
I'd like to be one of those people who has all their shopping finished well before Christmas,<br />
so I can be all smug and relaxed and enjoy the run up to Christmas Day without stressing out about<br />
buying last minute gifts for people I might have forgotten.<br />
I feel like I'm off to a good start, so here's hoping I can keep it up<br />
over the next few weeks!<br />
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Anyway, Autumn is the best & Stormont is pretty,<br />
so if you're in the area or visiting Belfast,<br />
you should definitely make an effort to check it out & have a wander through its grounds!<br />
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<i>What are your favourite things about Autumn?</i><br />
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❤</div>
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<a href="http://www.twitter.com/SimplyC_blog" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/simplycourageous">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/simply-courageous-13107441">Bloglovin</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplycourageousblog/">Facebook</a> </div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-16451949743474356182016-11-03T10:00:00.000+00:002020-06-28T21:36:44.797+01:005 Tips For A Productive Job Search<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Looking for a job can be one of the most soul-destroying, mood-shattering </div>
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things on this planet, and it's made even worse if you're unemployed and looking for a job. </div>
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Sometimes it feels hopeless,</div>
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it feels pointless, you feel like you're not good enough, or like you're never going to get <i>any</i> job, nevermind one that you <u>actually</u> like!</div>
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I know I'm not the only person who feels like this.</div>
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Scrolling through pages of vacancies that are:</div>
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Part time, when you want Full Time;</div>
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Temporary, when you need Permanent;</div>
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that are looking for 3rd level education <span style="font-size: x-small;">(that doesn't even have to be relevant - why?!)</span>, when you're more than qualified with tons of experience but just didn't happen to go to uni...</div>
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When I was unemployed this summer, job hunting made me feel like crap more often than not.</div>
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This obviously didn't make me want to spend much time looking for a job, whether I desperately needed one or not! </div>
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Coming home from Southeast Asia and then spending two weeks in Ibiza with 24-7 Prayer meant that my bank account was looking pretty dire. </div>
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As soon as I got home from Ibiza, the job search started, and I was super lucky in that I found a job in a froyo cafe within a week and a half of looking, and started at the beginning of July. David, on the other hand, has been looking solidly for the past 4 months and only recently, literally in the past 2 weeks, has he been successful in finding full time employment!</div>
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I'm well aware of the stresses of job hunting, of how dejected and discouraged it can make you feel</div>
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but David & I came up with some tips & tricks on how to keep the motivation & productivity alive.</div>
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<u><b>Go to the library.</b></u></div>
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Get out of the house & down to your local library for an hour or two of solid, </div>
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uninterrupted job searching. </div>
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It will help keep you focused on looking for a job, mostly because you'll probs feel too awkward to constantly be checking Instagram/New Look/ASOS every 5 minutes in the middle of the library - </div>
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I know I did!</div>
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I wasn't distracted half as much in the library as I would've been at home. But make sure you bring headphones with you, young children's groups ruin the whole 'quiet library' thing.</div>
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<b><u>Update your C.V</u></b></div>
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I know what you're thinking. Duuuh, right?!</div>
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Obviously, if you're seriously looking for a job your C.V is already completely up to date.</div>
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What
I mean is, make sure you have multiple copies, multiple versions of
your C.V for every kind of job you might be applying for.</div>
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I have a different C.V for office/administration roles, for cafe work, for retail work.</div>
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Brainstorm
for a while about the different kinds of jobs you want to apply for,
and spend some time tweaking your C.V so that it is appropriate for each
role. </div>
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<b><u>Sign up to an agency.</u></b></div>
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This might not suit everyone, especially if you're looking for a specific career,</div>
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& honestly, I haven't done this either.</div>
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I genuinely love working in a cafe, so for the meantime I'm content!</div>
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David, on the other hand, was itching to get into an office to do admin, </div>
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so an agency was perfect for him.</div>
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He
put it off for ages, because he was concerned that the only jobs an
agency would try and get for him would be call centre roles, and having<i> been there, done that & wanted to return the tshirt</i>, he definitely didn't want to do that again!</div>
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But,
he signed up to Ashton Recruitment, went in for a registration meeting
and within a few days he was being offered interviews!</div>
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The agency basically does most of the hard work for you. </div>
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All you have to do is tell them what you're looking for, what you definitely <i>are not</i> looking for, send them your C.V and they do the rest.</div>
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Obviously, you have to go through the whole interview process but that's a whole different ball game!</div>
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<b><u>Reward Yourself.</u></b></div>
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I mean, if you're between jobs right now, maybe don't go too crazy,</div>
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but if you're feeling particularly stressed/bummed out/rejected after a job search session</div>
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then take a breath and reward yourself for getting through it with</div>
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a coffee, or some cake, or let's face it, probably both!</div>
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It helps to shake off that horrible, dejected feeling of a crap job search. </div>
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Remind yourself to let it go after every session, don't carry it with you & don't let it bring you down for the rest of the day.</div>
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<b><u>Be Hopeful.</u></b></div>
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If it's taking longer than you thought it would to land a job you enjoy, or any job at all,</div>
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don't lose hope!</div>
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I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so if it's taking a while to find a job, try & figure out what this means in your life.</div>
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For David & I, our faith has been reignited in the last 4 months. </div>
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We've started doing bible studies together again, David feels as though he is closer to God than he's been in ages because he has had the time to rediscover Jesus & dive into the Bible.</div>
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I believe that it took David so long to find a full time job, <span style="font-size: small;">(while still working in his part time youth work role)</span>, because he wasn't <b>meant</b> to find a job until now. </div>
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Don't lose hope! </div>
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<br /></div>
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So don't let the stress and the negativity of job searching get you down! </div>
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There are many ways of nailing productive job searching, but </div>
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these are the ones that were most effective for David and myself! </div>
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<i>What are your tips for a productive job search?</i></div>
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</div>
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❤</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-17943860848187613312016-10-26T14:29:00.000+01:002020-04-07T12:45:05.633+01:00Hello Again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6Zw5E8pT2cMY6BXGvAe52yf1VAAdX0EijDc_JxGbB0WwyuIrLd8aXVSr72wKVOU_f5u4dQRIBpFLmTfgbNj1p0LnyOeSpI-6KCXsT4eta5yOcNGmKoV-uhhwLpjjUIkDJ-vh3xYUw/s1600/North+Coast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hello Again, Simply Courageous, North Coast, N.I" border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6Zw5E8pT2cMY6BXGvAe52yf1VAAdX0EijDc_JxGbB0WwyuIrLd8aXVSr72wKVOU_f5u4dQRIBpFLmTfgbNj1p0LnyOeSpI-6KCXsT4eta5yOcNGmKoV-uhhwLpjjUIkDJ-vh3xYUw/s640/North+Coast.jpg" title="Hello Again..." width="640" /></a></div>
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Hi there! I'm back!</div>
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It's been almost 6 months since I last did anything on this little online space, and I don't really have a reason for that except for; life! </div>
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David and I have been home now, and getting back into the swing of real life, for longer than we were travelling.</div>
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Let's just take a moment and let that sink in...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">we. have. been. home. longer. than. we. were. travelling.</span> </div>
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<b>I know, right?!</b></div>
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It's awful. </div>
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Everytime I remember that we've been home longer than we were away, </div>
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it's harder to believe that we ever actually went travelling at all!</div>
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I meant to keep this blog alive and well during our travels, I was full of grand ideas of blogging in exotic locations with exciting stories and plenty of adventures at hand.</div>
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Good intentions and all, I guess!</div>
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Consistency has never been my strong point when it comes to this blog, much to my own despair. </div>
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Life gets in the way all too easily, regardless of how much I love to blog, </div>
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and while we were travelling I was more concerned with </div>
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enjoying every moment to the fullest extent possible! </div>
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<br /></div>
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Then coming home, only to leave again 5 days later for <a href="http://24-7ibiza.com/">24-7 Ibiza</a> and 2 weeks where my faith was challenged and strengthened in ways I hadn't even imagined. </div>
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<br /></div>
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To the point where I'm pretty certain I've left my heart in Ibiza, and my main hope this year</div>
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is that I will get the opportunity to go back out there next summer on a long term team!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2ZSzGm9ye38ZvcMoeD1X6V6oKzG_wz8sFC_4FKSNm-Cv2ae1Qyp19102dhzyy7rUffZyUnAE355sAnuYw1ckS52U1co9GhM7O-ex9xLI691n-bMlkybkM0IXDYSksJzo8LBIVc9KJQ/s1600/Coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hello Again, Simply Courageous, The Bank House, Whitehead, N.I" border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2ZSzGm9ye38ZvcMoeD1X6V6oKzG_wz8sFC_4FKSNm-Cv2ae1Qyp19102dhzyy7rUffZyUnAE355sAnuYw1ckS52U1co9GhM7O-ex9xLI691n-bMlkybkM0IXDYSksJzo8LBIVc9KJQ/s640/Coffee.jpg" title="Hello Again..." width="640" /></a></div>
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For now, I can say that I love blogging, and that I've missed it these past few months.</div>
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I'm excited to get back into it, to find that passion for writing and sharing little adventures with you.</div>
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And for find joy in the little things again, instead of just</div>
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focusing on work and trudging through the days as they come!</div>
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<br /></div>
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❤</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b> </b></div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-20464039956421595602016-05-11T09:00:00.000+01:002016-12-09T11:10:55.763+00:00Travelling SE Asia // A Little Life Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKpSnyNF9A_nhquml3B0l6qMYLdV6AGxeePs71l8XPnbDv9xMygQRSv1EY1RXPsVbqbMoKJWEZ2Jskgl_4fDoFGC1MX_9sOgDfw_o78hlGO2v2WpNTLM8SmCmVi4VBv8RytruBrdETg/s1600/IMG_20160510_123458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Travelling SE Asia // A Little Life Update " border="0" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKpSnyNF9A_nhquml3B0l6qMYLdV6AGxeePs71l8XPnbDv9xMygQRSv1EY1RXPsVbqbMoKJWEZ2Jskgl_4fDoFGC1MX_9sOgDfw_o78hlGO2v2WpNTLM8SmCmVi4VBv8RytruBrdETg/s640/IMG_20160510_123458.jpg" title="Travelling SE Asia // A Little Life Update " width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Hey, how's it going?!<br />
<br />
As it's taking way longer than it should for me to keep you guys updated on our travels, I thought I'd interrupt standard proceedings with a little rambling life update, as the title suggests, of where we are, how we're feeling and so on!<br />
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David and I are currently in Luang Prabang, Laos and <i>(if you follow along on <a href="http://instagram.com/simplycourageous" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> you'll already know!)</i> today we visited the Kuang Si Waterfalls which were absolutely stunning! The water was the most amazing shade of turquoise blue, and each tier of the waterfall had quiet, bubbling pools flowing from one down into the next. It was such a beautiful place, and we loved it so much that we made the executive decision to stay in Luang Prabang for one more night, just so that we could go back to the waterfall tomorrow! #noregrets! We got picked up this morning at 11:30, arrived at the waterfall around 12:30 and had to be back at the bus for 15:30, but we felt like 3 hours there was nowhere near enough time. We could have easily spent the entire day exploring the waterfall and the surrounding jungle, even trekking to the very top of the waterfall! So we're gearing up for Round 2 tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited to get back to those bright blue pools!<br />
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We've been in Laos for about 1 week now and it's such a weird feeling knowing that this is our last new country of this trip. We're going back to Thailand around the 23rd May to spend the last 2/3 weeks on some beautiful islands, but because we've already been in Thailand for a whole month at the beginning of our travels it doesn't feel like a new country anymore! Which is pretty silly in itself, as we haven't seen any part of the South of Thailand or any of the islands, and I've heard that it is completely different to the mainland. <i>If you have any recommendations for beaches or islands or hostels, let me know in the comments!!</i><br />
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I am so excited to get back to some island living though. I can't wait to be a stones throw away from the ocean again and for our days to revolve around chasing the sun and taking shelter in the shade when it gets too hot for our pasty white Irish skin! And before you ask, <i>yes</i> we are tanned, David a smidge more than me, but for us that just means that we are slightly less white than before we left home...no glowing bronzed bodies here, sadly! But we live in the hope that 2/3 weeks on the Thai islands right before we head home will leave us suitably golden, and actually y'know looking like we've been in a tropical climate for 3 months!<br />
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But, even though I'm looking forward to some beach life, it kinda sucks because it feels like we're coming to the end of our trip. Which we are, I guess, but that doesn't mean that I want it to come any quicker! Yesterday we booked flights from Bangkok to Krabi <i>(for £15 each, winner!) </i>and it suddenly hit us both that once we get to Krabi we'll have about 2 weeks left before we head home! I can't wrap my head around the fact that our 3 month adventure is almost over. On one hand it feels like we've been travelling for absolutely ages, and on the other the last 2 months have completely flown by! Now that we have less than a month left, I wish we could rewind back to 1st March again, and start all over.<br />
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Although...part of me is actually super excited to go home, because five days after we land I'm going to Ibiza with 24-7 Prayer for two weeks, which will be beyond incredible! I'm so excited to get out there, to see what God will do and how He will use our team! I'm also looking forward to catching up with my friends and family, hearing about what's been happening in their lives over the last 3 months, and sharing all our photos and stories with them! And also getting some love from Honey, my wee Mini Schnauzer, I swear I miss her more than anyone else!<br />
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But apart from that, I'll be heading home to a serious job search, a Northern Irish summer (which lasts about 2 days, tops) and to being completely skint from the last 3 months. Not exactly things to fill me with excitement and joy about going home! So I guess you could say I have mixed feelings about coming to the end of our backpacking adventure!<br />
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It has been a phenomenal experience so far, we have seen and done so many amazing things and I'm really excited to see what our final month has in store for us!<br />
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<i>P.S. I created a good old fashioned Facebook Page for my blog, and it would mean the world to me if you took a wee look and gave it a like! You can find it <b><a href="http://facebook.com/simplycourageousblog" rel="nofollow">right over here!</a></b></i><br />
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❤</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-89457564821868448202016-05-09T11:09:00.000+01:002016-12-09T11:11:45.040+00:00Travelling SE Asia // Sleeper Train To Chiang Mai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JVJ0MxiPP8yw0Zba-iYCMqTdiBFmLEfaBMU5N-NNfTTfjehGyDV7AWO5871kr259ZzT5BGYd6iQmBO007AbVi3Yd65tADW92MqbfVFt_11sMozpjpLzZVkZPcH0ohj_0tDSDkkg88A/s1600/ABM_1462785973-1-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai " border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JVJ0MxiPP8yw0Zba-iYCMqTdiBFmLEfaBMU5N-NNfTTfjehGyDV7AWO5871kr259ZzT5BGYd6iQmBO007AbVi3Yd65tADW92MqbfVFt_11sMozpjpLzZVkZPcH0ohj_0tDSDkkg88A/s640/ABM_1462785973-1-1-1.jpg" title="Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai " width="640" /></a></div>
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The next leg of our journey to the north of Thailand was made via sleeper train. Most people seem to get the sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, but luckily for us it also makes some stops along the way, so we were able to catch the 12 hour train from Lopburi!<br />
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We tried to buy tickets from Lopburi train station the day before we wanted to leave, but were told that there wasn't any tickets available and to come back the next day when there might be last minute tickets. We didn't really understand why there would be "last minute" tickets available only a couple of hours before departure when they were apparently all sold out the day before but I guess that's Thailand for you!</div>
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After being slightly worried and concerned that we wouldn't be able to get tickets for the train on the day, David and I made our way to the station about two hours earlier than the man behind the desk had told us...okay, maybe I was more than slightly worried! We'd already stayed in Lopburi for two nights and exhausted the little town of things to do, so I really didn't want to be stuck for another night!<br />
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Luckily, we hit the jackpot and managed to get a 1st Class sleeper cabin for 8pm that evening! As soon as we purchased the tickets, I felt so relieved! Like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, it was great! And to make things better, we were able to get a private cabin!<br />
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So there a three different "classes" on the Thai sleeper trains.<br />
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3rd Class is the cheapest. It's seated only, no beds and with no air con. Honestly, I couldn't imagine much worse than having to sit on a stifling hot overnight train with no air con for 12+ hours!<br />
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2nd Class is an open train carriage, equipped with air con, where all of the seats fold out (or up!) into bunk beds. I think each bunk has a curtain that you can pull across for some privacy while you sleep, but apart from that you're sharing with everyone else in the carriage! For backpackers this seems to be the most popular ticket, you can hang out with your travel buddies or chat to some locals before everyone settles down for the night.<br />
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1st Class carriages contain private cabins, with a bunk bed for two people, air con, an electricity socket and a sink! They are the most expensive cabins, but don't be fooled! There is no such thing as 1st class luxury here, you're paying the extra money for your privacy and security! After hearing some horror stories of people having their belongings stolen while they were sleeping in the other carriages, I really didn't feel comfortable sleeping in an open carriage. This was why we decided to pay the extra for a private cabin, so that we could have that peace of mind that our belongings were safely locked inside with us.<br />
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The cabins are tiny, when I first walked in I had my backpack on my back, and I legit couldn't turn around because the bunk beds were already made up! I was stuck until David backed out and I had enough room to manoeuvre the backpack off! There must be about 1 Foot of space between the edge of the beds and the opposite wall, so maybe they aren't the best idea if you get claustrophobic. Excuse the absolutely terrible quality of the photo below, but just to give you an idea of the cabin size!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgBAvhKrwDmkW2U8fLUIglKGohDG7irY8BQv7SaSXAm2xaAnZR_iQEDBekWTKRXbNr8SN9hyphenhyphen2MrAqpWyPhmEv_l6q4Bw1PYsEYkPfyXMBRCovBg6WZu3afYLxzASRlcDinS-6U7DBuw/s1600/IMG_20160509_104754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai " border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgBAvhKrwDmkW2U8fLUIglKGohDG7irY8BQv7SaSXAm2xaAnZR_iQEDBekWTKRXbNr8SN9hyphenhyphen2MrAqpWyPhmEv_l6q4Bw1PYsEYkPfyXMBRCovBg6WZu3afYLxzASRlcDinS-6U7DBuw/s640/IMG_20160509_104754.jpg" title="Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai " width="512" /></a></div>
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David and I were happy enough in our little cabin though. We'd loaded up on drinks and snacks for the long journey, after hearing that the train food leaves alot to be desired. We didn't order any food, so we can't comment on it ourselves, but we decided not to risk it and just bring our own food!<br />
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It took us a while to get settled and comfortable in our cabin, as we tried to come to grips with the novelty of it all! There was an almost-awkward occurance as I very nearly open a partition door that connected to the cabin next to ours! Luckily I realised just before I pushed the door open and surprised the family next door, although I hope that they would have had their side of the door locked! Which I quickly did aswell, incase they didn't realise what the random door on the wall was either...<br />
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Once we got over all the excitement and got settled in, we played cards for a few hours and got stuck in to our snacks! During which we were treated to a rendition of Celine Dions "My Heart Will Go On" from the family next door...We still don't know if they were watching Titanic or just singing really loudly!<br />
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We had grand plans of watching a movie aswell, already downloaded and waiting on my tablet, but by the time we finished playing cards around 11pm we were both feeling pretty tired. Deciding not to question it, we got ready for bed in the hopes of sleeping through the rest of the journey and arriving in Chiang Mai refreshed and ready for the day ahead!<br />
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David was able to sleep just fine! I had no such luck.<br />
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Just as we were getting ready to turn the light off, we saw bugs. Stupid creepy crawlies, only 2 of them, but we couldn't get them before they ran away out of reach under my bunk. I was on the bottom bunk and David was on the top, which meant that I was closer to the critters. Obviously this meant that I couldn't get to sleep properly, because all I could think about was them coming up and crawling all over me, my skin was crawling and itching the whole night because of the sheer thought of them! On top of that, the train was rough. There was many a time I thought I was just going to topple straight out of my bed, the train jolted that much!<br />
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I did manage to get a few hours sleep, thankfully, before the train staff came round at 6am shouting, "Morning! Tea, coffee! Morning!" and banging on the cabin doors to get people up. Not long after that they come back round to make the beds back into seats, ready to arrive in Chiang Mai.<br />
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It is a hassle free way to travel almost the whole length of mainland Thailand, and as it stands we've done two journeys via sleeper train so far! They aren't the most comfortable of journeys, but it beats being shoved into a minivan for 12 hours and you technically save on one night's accommodation, so sleeper train travel definitely has its perks!<br />
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We arrived into Chiang Mai the next morning only to be completely overwhelmed by the amount of taxi, tuk tuk and songthaew drivers all shouting and competing to bring the new arrivals to their destinations. It was mayhem, and not something that we were expecting or appreciative of that early in the morning!<br />
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But I guess that's a story for next time!<br />
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Have you ever travelled by sleeper train? What's your favourite way to travel?</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-28520007253891352192016-04-22T18:44:00.000+01:002016-12-09T11:12:21.772+00:00Travelling SE Asia // Lopburi and The Monkey Temple!After spending 2 amazing days <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/04/the-ruins-of-ayutthaya.html" rel="nofollow">exploring Ayutthaya</a>, we decided to get the train to our next destination, Lopburi. I'm pretty sure this is another town that people usually visit on a day trip, but again David and I decided to stay for a couple of nights! We didn't want to feel like we were rushing through these towns on our way to the north of Thailand, and even though there isn't much to Lopburi, we really enjoyed our stay here!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhxdjqu31Med1hDTb0dNATOOHkIyeRpCmCRF9HO27vkiiAegdkijeEopR5ttrJiHppfn5GNp8CJ1_RUK_XuNQWZimC8y2PHEsKIN57C2CpXYNz0BNzBZk9bk3-xSSyuA9G6F9RUU5sg/s1600/FB_IMG_1461318469565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhxdjqu31Med1hDTb0dNATOOHkIyeRpCmCRF9HO27vkiiAegdkijeEopR5ttrJiHppfn5GNp8CJ1_RUK_XuNQWZimC8y2PHEsKIN57C2CpXYNz0BNzBZk9bk3-xSSyuA9G6F9RUU5sg/s640/FB_IMG_1461318469565.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The train lasted about an hour and a half, and the tickets cost 680 Baht, which is roughly about £14. We were so confused when the train attendant starting handing us free juice and a packet of cookies each, but as it turned out we had somehow managed to buy 1st Class tickets without even realising! The cookies were so good though, and massively appreciated after an early morning with no breakfast!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Lopburi is a small, quiet little town, with its main attraction being the hundreds of wild monkeys that roam both temple grounds and surrounding streets alike! There really isn't much to see in this town apart from the monkeys, but we had pre-booked two nights in our accommodation, <a href="http://noomguesthouse.com/" rel="nofollow">Noom Guesthouse</a>, so we used the time to relax and plan our next few days of travels. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Noom was a great little place to stay, we really loved it! We booked into a fan room, which turned out to be a mistake as the weather was so hot it got incredibly stuffy! Luckily they had a really great restaurant downstairs, where we spent most of our time, either reading, playing cards or planning our next few days! It was a busy little restaurant, but the staff were all amazingly friendly and there were 3 chihuahuas running about who were completely adorable. The food was great too! It had the best sweet & sour chicken I've ever eaten, and David discovered his love for masaman curry with roti bread!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oIA2rGAIePm6_9NzcolKacS9wycb-xG23p2nurTZ8lvoOXsjuOCXwDMRBNu7X9ZiCDupa2ROSPMuqfdBV6SJ_EB3YobyzK8ealt_JrTqBDMIBJQZiObNnX2xlOlPoN38HgDVTo0pRw/s1600/Photo_2016-04-22_12-06-54_PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oIA2rGAIePm6_9NzcolKacS9wycb-xG23p2nurTZ8lvoOXsjuOCXwDMRBNu7X9ZiCDupa2ROSPMuqfdBV6SJ_EB3YobyzK8ealt_JrTqBDMIBJQZiObNnX2xlOlPoN38HgDVTo0pRw/s640/Photo_2016-04-22_12-06-54_PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the joy on David's face...</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Like I said before, there really isn't alot to do in Lopburi. Once we'd got ourselves checked into Noom and had some lunch, we decided to go for a walk and see where our feet would take us. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Our first stop was to a temple ruin we had noticed that morning, just opposite the train station. It cost 50 Baht each to get in, and the ruins were amazing but it was just so hot I could barely appreciate them! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIpcsrg53ikdemmdHNM3kxDBfbrT6Mb92ZZDZcVzrgTI9-iV4noPnxCZBqLOz0Q5A80V4dvQ8xSpTcrXU99y4zJVVAiP65B4W6IhB3qUJZPT_Om_CflTJP_p1YNrV5IXsUHTbgDIPow/s1600/IMG_20160422_115342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIpcsrg53ikdemmdHNM3kxDBfbrT6Mb92ZZDZcVzrgTI9-iV4noPnxCZBqLOz0Q5A80V4dvQ8xSpTcrXU99y4zJVVAiP65B4W6IhB3qUJZPT_Om_CflTJP_p1YNrV5IXsUHTbgDIPow/s640/IMG_20160422_115342.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">Against our better judgement, apparently a running theme of our travels, we were out walking during the hottest part of the day and instead of taking in the beauty of the ruins all I was interested in was, <i>is there any shade in this part?! </i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAOHMsWxd-x7FqejO8PetusgBVD_59hy5KgCpdEcbehId2iPHb5cq6BbBLEE5J45JozN5nDAYKcKm-hWJPAHWJ2crLJNsfA6BLi8W_PkG9W5pn0nB6DNPk4c_fk0vI96upWrG19C81w/s1600/IMG_20160422_115417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAOHMsWxd-x7FqejO8PetusgBVD_59hy5KgCpdEcbehId2iPHb5cq6BbBLEE5J45JozN5nDAYKcKm-hWJPAHWJ2crLJNsfA6BLi8W_PkG9W5pn0nB6DNPk4c_fk0vI96upWrG19C81w/s640/IMG_20160422_115417.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Aside from melting in the midday heat, these ruins were beautiful. And they were so empty! Apart from the two of us there were a couple of school kids taking shelter in some shade, and that was it. I have to admit, it was great having the whole place pretty much to ourselves!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Next up we decided it was time to find some monkeys! We had seen a couple playing about on the rooftops near our guesthouse, which was a little surreal, but nothing could have prepared us for these monkeys! </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">There are <u>hundreds</u> of them, and once you reach a certain part of town they are literally everywhere! They run across the road, climb lampposts and wires, dangle from balconies, jump on top of cars sitting in traffic and rifle through the back of a pick up truck looking for something to steal...It is so surreal!</span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
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<span style="text-align: center;">They mainly live in the grounds of a ruin, Prang Sam Yot, which is bordered by a fence in the photo above, but they spill out all over the surrounding streets aswell. We couldn't belive just how many there were! Or how normal it is for the local residents, they treat them the way we would treat cats or dogs, for these people the monkeys are a normal part of their lives! But for us, seeing this amount of wild monkeys roaming the streets is just so bizarre!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FZXSnw4xHmw_6FNIw5n7HB6O1KVmnHAGNx75rDVXT_ZZr1aQFjM0I1nGn1-cwxtWrlQUPV6_4NZrGdwYNuEh_omjak05kWK1wEL58YjP7PnY9xjncNu3UV7coo9eOc5gpduNFrVwqA/s1600/Photo_2016-04-22_05-03-06_PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FZXSnw4xHmw_6FNIw5n7HB6O1KVmnHAGNx75rDVXT_ZZr1aQFjM0I1nGn1-cwxtWrlQUPV6_4NZrGdwYNuEh_omjak05kWK1wEL58YjP7PnY9xjncNu3UV7coo9eOc5gpduNFrVwqA/s640/Photo_2016-04-22_05-03-06_PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the temple costs 50 Baht per person, which is pretty standard, but I'm not sure it's worth it this time! This ruin is very small, and unless you're brave enough to get up close and personal with the monkeys, you can't really get close to the temple! The main draw here is 100% the monkeys though, and it is cool to be able to walk so close to them. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">What's not so cool, is when two of the monkeys decide that you're a target, even though you've been trying to keep a safe distance from them and not look like you'd make a good climbing frame. I saw the first one coming for me and tried to run away without really running away, if you know what I mean? It jumped on me anyway, launched itself onto my legs and was quickly on top of my head!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-BDDO9-X6L5b-ec2S-QUVEPA4D5LEPC6766t1iI3LPE4zPd9o51hZoCxK0pAkTko9gygqKxI8rimd3DBin8qqEoAEb828DJ27jFLcpmuyLTpSufkq_60YbTM3WVCbju2PEFK3hz-Og/s1600/Photo_2016-04-22_05-01-58_PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-BDDO9-X6L5b-ec2S-QUVEPA4D5LEPC6766t1iI3LPE4zPd9o51hZoCxK0pAkTko9gygqKxI8rimd3DBin8qqEoAEb828DJ27jFLcpmuyLTpSufkq_60YbTM3WVCbju2PEFK3hz-Og/s640/Photo_2016-04-22_05-01-58_PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Thankfully, we'd read about the monkeys before we went looking for them, so my hair was tied up, supposedly out of reach, and we weren't carrying anything apart from our bags. My ponytail didn't stop this monkey from trying to steal either my hair or the bobble, I'm not sure which but he was pulling at something! I put my hand behind my head to try and hold onto my hair and he bit my finger! It wasn't hard or sore, and it didn't draw blood or even scratch me, but it shocked me a bit! Then I felt his sneaky little hands close around one of my glasses legs and he almost got them off my face. Luckily I grabbed onto them in time! </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">We'd also read that you can get the monkeys off you by spinning quickly round in a circle, so here I was spinning round looking like I'm playing dizzy dinosaurs, the monkey was just like <i>nope!</i> and he didn't get off me until a second monkey jumped on my back! Thankfully this little guy wasn't a big fan of my spinning and he quickly jumped off, leaving me with a disheveled ponytail, a bitten finger and my glasses in my hands! David just kinda stood there, understandably not really knowing what to do to help me, and we didn't even get a photo of them on me! It was an interesting experience, to say the least. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVcObwB4VzglaR1BKpCUIh_K-6QZyqtn_8SFoXT5YdQYh3nLwSUjJ-iC3d0vVIyL7-rS3SJqyJAmHInlKYNgfeK4mWMoSOPKvr-K8vcW8NOtipJnj8RmMoe9vN_pJu2EF7rx2EdJHRg/s1600/IMG_20160422_110921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVcObwB4VzglaR1BKpCUIh_K-6QZyqtn_8SFoXT5YdQYh3nLwSUjJ-iC3d0vVIyL7-rS3SJqyJAmHInlKYNgfeK4mWMoSOPKvr-K8vcW8NOtipJnj8RmMoe9vN_pJu2EF7rx2EdJHRg/s640/IMG_20160422_110921.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">On our last full day in Lopburi we decided to visit the Somdet Phra Narai National Museum. Our ticket out of Lopburi was a sleeper train to Chiang Mai which didn't leave until 20:45pm, so we had a whole extra day in Lopburi than we'd planned. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczBsGbaIRMU7u024n9NYABqIasRwRLXMHPVv6ma4lh7JTSuzBOn46DtdVFYb4zOHoiw3F1SuOU0ju7qxckch1mn1XOBJpu4l59LnDQhLYxIPNtKPoepWTU8IVbdrOeeY_8q5nMhn6Ag/s1600/Photo_2016-04-22_06-06-51_PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczBsGbaIRMU7u024n9NYABqIasRwRLXMHPVv6ma4lh7JTSuzBOn46DtdVFYb4zOHoiw3F1SuOU0ju7qxckch1mn1XOBJpu4l59LnDQhLYxIPNtKPoepWTU8IVbdrOeeY_8q5nMhn6Ag/s640/Photo_2016-04-22_06-06-51_PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The day before had been spent mostly at Noom GH, with the odd walk scattered throughout the day, so we decided that we actually wanted to do something that felt productive on our last day!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJUfYEDf3X3iWvUFUV3KWgJ7EyISxFyia96ZybCYWHWmATgQLne2NPfPtl5sgiA92TUKM94KQWj4M-tiUhJpWpMXCsfp3xT7_Qyf9_qE-fbxKpoh2hOJYdmotF4tjwLGyVb35vFb0UQ/s1600/IMG_20160422_175925-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJUfYEDf3X3iWvUFUV3KWgJ7EyISxFyia96ZybCYWHWmATgQLne2NPfPtl5sgiA92TUKM94KQWj4M-tiUhJpWpMXCsfp3xT7_Qyf9_qE-fbxKpoh2hOJYdmotF4tjwLGyVb35vFb0UQ/s640/IMG_20160422_175925-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We'd noticed this museum on our walk the day before, and decided to head back to see if it was open. Thankfully it was open and we took some well needed respite from the sun that was beating down on us! The museum was really quiet, there was hardly anyone else in it with us which was great! It was also really cool inside, it felt like we'd found a really peaceful oasis with great air con! It was full of different displays and galleries, of statues and tapestries from many different eras of Thailand history. It was really interesting to walk around and read some of the background and meanings of the many relics that the museum held. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90EaW0sF9VfgA2YkKVnxwWvFfFut2FdwFkbMCZ74Ta5TohXZeCogcFt5GeTZwtB7EefaS-tEdaR2aje5N7CV2F7PB3sZP9a96JBPOTkvK1nWGrbv1M7BswHA-zfuEm1ujsKuGCU2PWQ/s1600/IMG_20160422_110840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90EaW0sF9VfgA2YkKVnxwWvFfFut2FdwFkbMCZ74Ta5TohXZeCogcFt5GeTZwtB7EefaS-tEdaR2aje5N7CV2F7PB3sZP9a96JBPOTkvK1nWGrbv1M7BswHA-zfuEm1ujsKuGCU2PWQ/s640/IMG_20160422_110840.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The museum tickets cost 150 Baht each, and I would really recommend it if you're ever in Lopburi! Even if you're not really that into museums, it's nice to walk around somewhere cool and quiet for a while! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ67op8qgJ3O3GvKeCVxTlvZXR5H2gpsugxNIk3qKRRK6oKy7H8mkkXP5pcDp4fOGqs1wu4jBbxxFuVbt-VtKlNKHyE39RQsQbob_oi_ZzYXcIquOtv-lfH8KX2qPHftceA8h01NwuiQ/s1600/IMG_20160422_175720-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ67op8qgJ3O3GvKeCVxTlvZXR5H2gpsugxNIk3qKRRK6oKy7H8mkkXP5pcDp4fOGqs1wu4jBbxxFuVbt-VtKlNKHyE39RQsQbob_oi_ZzYXcIquOtv-lfH8KX2qPHftceA8h01NwuiQ/s640/IMG_20160422_175720-1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The grounds around the museum are also completely worth a visit. They are really pretty, and lovely to just walk around in the calm before going back to the chaotic traffic outside!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">After the museum we spent the rest of the day at Noom GH, charging everything that required charging before our first experience of the 12 hour sleeper train to Chiang Mai!</span><br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-65857202314647974282016-04-13T12:31:00.000+01:002020-04-07T12:44:17.828+01:00Travelling SE Asia // The Ruins of Ayutthaya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it turns out that keeping a blog updated while traveling, isn't the easiest thing in the world to do! David and I are almost halfway through Month 2, so I have plenty of stories to fill you in on!<br />
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We're currently in Cambodia, in a town called Sihanoukville. It's a bit like Portrush on steroids, with bars and restaurants lining the beach, and tuk-tuk drivers constantly trying to get your custom! This is just a stop-over for us to recover from the absolutely incredible island of Koh Rong Samloem and prepare for our journey to the North East of Cambodia in the next few days!<br />
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Anyway, those are tales for another day! In this post I want to tell you about the 3 days we spent in Ayutthaya.<br />
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Ayutthaya is usually visited on a day trip from Bangkok with a tour group, but we decided to spend 2 nights in the ancient city so that we had plenty of time to explore the many temples and ruins that the city is now famous for. It was once a former capital of Thailand, and one of the largest and most impressive ancient cities of the world!<br />
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The majority of the ruins are located on the main island of Ayutthaya, which is bordered on all sides by 3 different rivers. There are a couple of sites across the river, but for some reason David and I never managed to visit these ones! Although it is recommended to take a boat ride along the river at sunset for some spectacular views, something I kind of regret not doing!<br />
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We got a local minibus from Victory Monument in Bangkok to Ayutthaya, a 3 hour journey that cost 180 Baht for both of us, so about £3.80! It wasn't the most comfortable of journeys, somehow we both got stuck on the back row shoved into the corner beside 2 other people. I legit had bruises on my knees from them being pushed into the chair in front for the whole 3 hours!<br />
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The minibus would have been a completely fine way to get to Ayutthaya, despite the lack of leg room, if they hadn't pretty much taken advantage of the fact that we were so obviously foreign. This is just one of the many ways that Thais scratch each others backs. Instead of being dropped to the bus station, like very one else on the bus, the driver pulled over and told us to get out, that this was our stop. Not having been paying much attention to where we were, and conscious of the fact that we were the only non-local people on the bus, we just gathered up our things, grabbed our bags and got off. Only to quickly discover that we most certainly were not in town, and actually we were at a tuk tuk stop, on the side of what looked like a dual carriageway.<br />
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As soon as we got off the minibus the tuk tuk drivers pounced, trying to bring us on a tour of the temples for 200 Baht...having just down a 3 hour journey for less than that we weren't interested! We also had our backpacks with us, so all we wanted to do was find our hostel and get our bearings before going round the temples. But the tuk tuk drivers didn't seem to understand that we only wanted to go to our hostel, nowhere else!<br />
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Eventually we just walked away from them. Thankfully, on the opposite side of the road was a massive shopping centre, with signs for Starbucks so we decided to go inside, find somewhere to sit that had wifi and try to figure where we were, and how we could get into town!<br />
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After a very welcome coffee break, we decided that we would try our luck by walking along the road and flagging down a taxi. As we left the shopping centre and began to walk down the road in search of a taxi, a Thai girl about my age was walking along behind us and started calling for us. She asked if we were lost, or needed help, and then proceeded to tell us that the only way into town was by taxi from the front of the shopping centre, or by tuk tuk across the road. We told her about the minibus debacle, and that the tuk tuk drivers only wanted to take us to the temples, when we only wanted to go to our hostel! She searched for our hostel on her phone, and then offered to speak with the tuk tuk drivers for us. She crossed us over the road and began talking to one of the drivers, showed him where our hostel was on her phone and negotiated a price for us (120 Baht, alot cheaper than we would have got!).<br />
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We couldn't believe how nice she was, and how willing she was to help us! If our hostel had been close to where she lived, she was going to bring us herself, but even the fact that she spoke to the driver and made it clear that we only wanted to go to our hostel was a massive help! We were so thankful for her, I don't know what we would be done if she hadn't helped us out!<br />
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After all that, we finally made it to our hostel, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303897-d1150831-Reviews-Ayutthaya_Place_Youth_Hostel-Ayutthaya_Ayutthaya_Province.html" rel="nofollow">Hi Ayutthaya Youth Hostel</a>. It was decent enough, a good sized room with an en suite and air con for 500 Baht a night, which is roughly about £10! The bathroom was big, with a good shower but there were alot of bugs in it. Strangely there weren't many in the bedroom itself, they seemed to stay in the bathroom which was better than nothing I guess! We didn't spend much time in this hostel, the way we did in New Joe. There was a garden area but they didn't do any food or drink, and the hostel was so quiet that it felt a bit awkward to sit outside. So we spent most of our time wandering around the town, and finding places to sit, chill out and eat instead of going back to our hostel.<br />
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After we got settled in, we decided to go out for a walk around town to figure out where we were, and see what we could find. As it turned out, our hostel was quite far outside the main part of town. There wasn't much in the area, and we had to walk for about 10-15 minutes before we found any restaurants or shops, or even temples! That first day we walked for so long and so far that we were exhausted by the time we got back to the hostel that night!<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wat Phra Si Sanphet</span></b></u></span></b></u></div>
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This was the first set of ruins that we visited, and the only ones we managed to see properly on Day 1 in Ayutthaya! Luckily enough, we managed to catch the sunset here, in what was considered the holiest temple in the site of the old Royal Palace, first built in 1350! This temple complex has a rich history, with several different kings and rulers adding their own buildings, and reconstructing others! (For a more detailed history, <a href="http://www.ayutthaya-history.com/Temples_Ruins_PhraSisanphet.html" rel="nofollow">look here</a>.) There's a 50 Baht admission fee for foreigners, which is slightly more than £1, and is a pretty standard fee across all of the ruins.<br />
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It used to hold a statue of Buddha 16 meters high, standing on a pedestal 8 meters long, with a bronze core weighing almost 64 ton and coated with 343kgs of gold! Unfortunately, when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya in April 1767, they burned Wat Phra Si Sanphet to the ground, taking with them most of the Buddha images and melting down the gold of the larger ones, including the 16m tall Buddha!<br />
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We really loved getting to see the sunset here, it was a perfect end to an otherwise annoying, slightly crappy day travelling with silly bus companies! But seeing the beautiful sunset over the tops of these incredible ruins made it all worthwhile!<br />
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Our second day in Ayutthaya was more productive! We rented two bikes (for cycling, motorbikes come later!) for 60 Baht each and braved the chaotic roads on wheels rather than feet! Cycling around the town was so much easier and faster than walking, it's definitely the best way to get around and see all the temples. I couldn't believe the amount of walking we did on our first day, but a bike makes all the difference! Besides, renting a bicycle for £1.20 for a full day is unbelievably cheap, how could we say no? The people we rented the bikes from were so trusting aswell, there was no deposit or passport needed, nor was there a designated time to have the bikes returned for...They just trust people to bring them back when they're finished with them!<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Wat Mahathat</span></u></b></div>
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The first temple ruins we visited on this day contained one of the most recognisable images of Ayutthaya, possibly even of Thailand; a lone Buddha head being engulfed by a tree! We were really excited to see this, even if we are slightly dubious as to whether the stories are true or not! Some say that it was left behind when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya, and others say that thieves abandoned it because it was too heavy to carry, and so it was was entwined in the roots of a tree that grew around it. Either way, the history behind the Buddha head is a mystery which makes it pretty cool to see in real life. The head is huge, and is just nestled in with the roots!<br />
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I would suggest going pretty early in the morning to see this Buddha head. It's one of the "main tourist attractions" in Ayutthaya, so there's nearly always a bit of a crowd around it! There is a small rope to fence the area around the roots off, I assume to stop people from touching or ruining it and there's also a sign that says you must not stand above the Buddha head, so if your getting your photo taken with it you have to crouch down on your knees, as a mark of respect.<br />
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The ruins of Ayutthaya are amazing to explore, there are so many statues, either intact or in pieces, that speak volumes about the history of this ancient city. It amazed us both how modern life has just sprung up around the old ruins.<br />
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Across the street from the temples are shops, restaurants and guesthouses, which just goes to show how life moves on and places adapt to new times! It reminded me of Rome, and how, on our first day there last March, David and I were just walking down the street exploring our immediate surroundings when we literally stumbled on the Colosseum! The massive ruins just keep there place while new, modern life builds up around them!<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wat Lokayasutharam</span></b></u></div>
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One of the last places we visited, before I died of sheer exhaustion as we got lost on our way home, was this amazing Reclining Buddha. It is huge! At 37 meters long and 8 meters high, it is the largest Reclining Buddha in the area, and it looks amazingly well preserved. It is covered in flowers and offerings, so I think it is still incredibly revered by many people.<br />
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The only real downside of our time in Ayutthaya was seeing people ride elephants for the first time with my own eyes. It completely broke my heart to see such beautiful, majestic creatures draped in chains, and trooping up and down the same stretch of road over and over again, as tourists paid for the chance to ride atop their backs. We stood for a moment, watching 10-15 elephants make the same journey, stepping out onto crazy busy roads, their mahouts just presuming that the traffic will stop or move out of the way.<br />
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I don't know why people still pay to ride elephants when there is so much information and awareness about how terrible and dangerous it is for them, both the elephant and the people riding them! It is no life for such a wonderful animal to lead, and witnessing it just made me even more glad that we decided to support Elephant Nature Park, who work with the Save The Elephants foundation to rescue and rehabilitate abused elephants!<br />
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Besides that one pretty big downfall, Ayutthaya was amazing! Spending a couple of days there is definitely, in my opinion, better than coming on a day trip! You have so much more freedom to explore at your own pace, see what you want to see and then move on, there are none of the restrictions of time limits or missed out ruins.<br />
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I think for both of us, the ruins of Ayutthaya are up there with our absolute favourite moments of our travels. It helps that we managed to time ourselves well, somehow we were able to avoid the big tour groups and pretty much have the ruins to ourselves, most of the time!<br />
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Next up: Lopburi & The Monkey Temple!</div>
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<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-29139762574250080522016-03-07T15:21:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:13:34.125+00:00Travelling SE Asia // 4 Days In Bangkok!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sawadee-ka from Thailand!<br />
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We started our travelling journey a week ago today, which is so hard to believe! It's Monday evening here right now, the sun is going down so the sky is a lovely pastel colour and the heat is still intense, but not as melt-inducing as this afternoon.<br />
<a name='more'></a>It's Monday afternoon back home, as I'm writing this, almost lunch time and I'm as far away from my old Mondays as it's possible to be! I'm sitting in the common, restaurant area of our most recent hostel (<a href="http://noomguesthouse.com/" rel="nofollow">Noom Guesthouse, in Lopburi</a>), drinking an Iced Lemon Tea, trying to soak in the slightly cooler air blown about by the several fans dotted about the room. Life at home, in my old job seems like an absolute lifetime ago!<br />
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We arrived in Bangkok last Monday morning, and by about lunchtime we had made the 40 minute taxi journey from the city's main airport, Suvarnabhumi, to the infamous backpacker area, Khao San Road. Luckily, our hostel was on a narrow side street just off Khao San, so it was pretty quiet at night and during the day it was a nice place to chill, away from all the madness of the city.<br />
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Our hostel was <a href="http://newjoeguesthouse.com/" rel="nofollow">New Joe Guesthouse</a> , and it was definitely a great first hostel to stay in! It had a beautiful, half inside half outside restaurant/chill area, which is where David and I spent the majority of our evenings in Bangkok. They played football and other sports on a TV on the wall, so David was happy, and they had good enough wifi and music playing so I was happy enough to just relax and catch up with people from home! There were also a couple of resident cats that wandered about the place , and I may or may not have nearly died of happiness when one of them jumped up and lay down beside me!<br />
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We stayed in Bangkok for 4 days, which was just the right amount of time to spend in the city, in our opinion. Everything I read before we left home said that Bangkok is a love it or hate it city, that it's absolutely manic, that people usually hate it the first time they visit, and love it the second, and so on.<br />
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We actually found that it wasn't nearly as bad as all that, and yet 4 days was still more than enough time for us. We didn't love the city, but we didn't hate it either, and I don't think either of us are absolutely dreading having to go back!<br />
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Unfortunately, despite all of our reading and preparing, we managed to get scammed twice in 4 days! Twice! They were annoying, but we didn't let them bother us too much, all part of my new <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/01/one-little-word-2016.html" rel="nofollow">attitude of embracing</a> the things life throws at us! But I think I'll go into more detail in another post and save this one from being waay too long!<br />
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<b><u>What We Did In Bangkok</u></b><br />
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<u>The Golden Moun</u>t: This was actually a stop-off on our first scam, but it turned out to be the only stop that was worth it! It's an ancient Buddhist temple built on top of a artificial mountain, in the middle of Bangkok. To get to the top you have to climb 346 steps (at least, that's what the sign says...We didn't count them as we climbed!), but the views over Bangkok are pretty incredible! There are loads of trees and carvings on the way up, along with a coffee shop and plenty of photo opportunities. You can find out more about the history of Wat Saket <a href="http://www.bangkok.com/attraction-temple/wat-saket.htm" rel="nofollow">here</a>!<br />
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<u>Khao San Road</u>: This is the infamous backpacker street in Bangkok, and while David and I aren't exactly looking for the massively crazy party scene on our travels, just walking up and down this street a couple of times was an experience in itself! Market stalls take over most of the street, food stalls are crammed in every spare inch of space, and anything that's leftover is taken by people carrying trays of insects, glow sticks, hats, fake tattoo sleeves and wooden carvings that make the hugely annoying cricket sound! We wandered this street a couple of times a day, and despite most sites recommending that you eat elsewhere, had our dinner there 3 nights in a row, with no nasty side effects, thank you God!! It's a great spot to sit and people watch, and as most of the restaurants have seating areas that spill out onto the street, it couldn't work out better!<br />
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Honestly, apart from this we didn't really do much else in Bangkok! We walked around, ALOT! From being abandoned by our tuk-tuk driver and having to find our way back to our hostel (more on that later!) to walking to the Grand Palace, queueing for the changing rooms so David could put trousers on, only to change our minds and walk back for lunch because it was too busy, crowded and hot, we definitely did alot of walking!<br />
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It was nice to have a couple of days to relax and get our bearings before actually starting on our travels to the North of Thailand. The heat and the culture is such a shock to the system, that it did take us a day or two to feel like it was real life and we weren't just dreaming everything! <br />
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We've just spent a couple of days in Ayutthaya, and today we arrived in Lopburi, a town famous for its resident monkeys! So keep your eyes out for those posts in the next week or so! As well as more info on our two scamming experiences!<br />
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-15425350860216954222016-02-23T10:36:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:14:08.437+00:00January 2016 Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't think it's any secret that I love everything there is to love about reading. I love reading books, reading reviews, wishlists, sample chapters and I love reading about what books other people are reading! So I thought I'd share what books I read in January, because it's been ages since I wrote about books here!<br />
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Aswell as reading ALL of the packing lists and travel itineraries on the planet, I managed to read 2 novellas and 3 novels in January! Not a bad effort, in my opinion!<br />
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1 - <u>Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard</u> ****<br />
This is a novella of the Red Queen series, a book that I read last year and absolutely loved! Glass Sword, the second installment, is out now. I still haven't managed to read it yet, but I did read the 2 novellas that Aveyard published to tide me over.<br />
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<i>From Goodreads, "Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life."</i><br />
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This novella tells the story of Cals mother, the events leading up to his birth and what happens in the aftermath. I really enjoyed getting to hear Coriane's story, learning about what she went through with the Royal family and Silver nobles. I don't want to mention anything in particular for fear of spoilers, but I did love this novella! I love novellas because you get to read about unknown backgrounds and history in more detail than the main novel, and you learn more about the characters and their lives.<br />
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2 - <u>Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard </u>***<br />
This is the second Red Queen novella that I read like ast month.<br />
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<i>From Goodreads, "Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow."</i><br />
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Instead of travelling years back in time like Queen Song, Steel Scars is much closer to the present day of Red Queen. It tells the story of Farley and members of the Scarlet Guard, a rebel society trying to overthrow the Silver tyranny that's corrupting the land. It's an interesting read because you learn more about the mysterious Scarlet Guard, and I'm a complete sucker for any sort of extra information in the books that I read. For some reason though, I didn't enjoy this novella as much as Queen Song. I don't think I connected with it as well as I did with the first one, even though I enjoyed finding out what happened in the run up to Farley meeting Mare!<br />
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3 - <u>The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon</u> ***<br />
The first novel that I finished last month, and the first in a 7-book series by Shannon.<br />
<i>From Goodreads, "The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.</i><br />
<i>It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die."</i><br />
It took me longer than usual to get into this book, and even as I was reading it I felt like I wouldn't be able to finish it. I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it, and it wasn't a book that I would normally go for! Clairvoyance as a magic I found strange and quite hard to come to terms with, especially as there are so many different types, it can be hard to keep up with it all! I'm also not a big fan of vampire stories, and even though the "bad guys", the Rephaites, aren't technically vampires it is definitely hinted at throughout the story.<br />
However! In saying all of this, I did actually end up enjoying this book and immediately started the second one when I was finished. I don't like to leave books unfinished, which is why I persevered and pushed through, but by the end I couldn't wait to find out what happened next! It is quite slowly paced, with loads of worldbuilding and even more info-dumping, but for a brand new series with a completely unknown world I guess that is necessary!<br />
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4 - <u>The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon</u> ****<br />
This is the second book in The Bone Season series, and I found it alot better than the first!<br />
<i>From Goodreads, "Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...</i><br />
<i>As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided."</i><br />
So I enjoyed this book alot more than the first! It felt like the story was actually going somewhere, there weren't as many huge, confusing info-dumps and even though the beginning is quite slow, the pace in this second installment really picked up speed. I could barely put this book down, almost every chapter ended in some form if cliffhanger that made me desperate to read on. We learn alot more about the characters and Scion, London in 2059 which is a futuristic, Victorian, completely unrecognisable society! We also discover more about the gang system and their leaders in amazing detail. There is so much action and drama and betrayal, and in my opinion this installment is much stronger than the first! I can't wait for the next book, and I'm so glad I pushed through the first one!<br />
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5 - <u>Grave Mercy by Robin LeFevers</u> ****<br />
Last but not least, my favourite book of January!<br />
<i>From Goodreads, "Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.</i><br />
<i>Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?"</i><br />
This is a historical fantasy novel set in an alternative Brittany, who holds a precarious independence from France. It's the first in a series, His Fair Assassin, which follows the paths of 3 different girls. This story centres around Ismae, an assassin raised and trained in a convent of nuns who serve the god of Death. She is sent to the high court of Brittany as a spy for the convent, but what she learns there is enough to make her question where her loyalties lie. This book is filled with mystery, betrayal, romance and intrigue, but it isn't overly fast-paced. The writing style might take some getting used to, it's a mixture of historical court language and modern phrases, but I actually really enjoyed it!<br />
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That's it for January! I'm already on my sixth novel for February, so this had been a really old reading month.<br />
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What have you been reading recently? Leave me some recommendations!</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-65918894216997088822016-02-05T10:00:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:16:53.808+00:00Friday Faves: 5th February 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week has been a relatively quiet one. It's that week of the month where all of my bills come out in one fell swoop and leave my bank account feeling barren and neglected and frighteningly low figures. Which, you know, isn't the best situation to be in considering I leave for SE Asia in like 3 weeks! So here's to saving like a madwoman for the next few weeks!<br />
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Happy Friday!!<br />
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1 > Nothing Weekends<br />
Last weekend David and I had no plans. He wasn't working, we had nowhere to be other than an eye test on Saturday morning and church on Sunday, and it was the best thing ever! We stayed at home, seeking shelter from the howling wind and rain under a snuggly warm duvet and just enjoyed having nowhere to be! We put the days in doing some backpacking research, David watched the football while I worked on a world map jigsaw, which btw is really fun but alot harder than I remember jigsaws ever being! Having no plans is sometimes the best thing in the world, you get to just spend time with each other and relax!<br />
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2 > Biggest Amazon Order Of My Life<br />
Over the last few weeks I've been putting together an Amazon order of bits and bobs that David and I will need for going away. My basket was full of things that we didn't realise that we would need, but the more packing lists that we read, the more we realised that oh right, we need all of the things! So this week, everything from that order has been arriving, and I've been so excited!! It makes the trip seem more real, the fact that we're going to have to start packing soon means that it's actually happening! Who knew you could get so excited over packing cubes, sleeping liners, bug spray and padlocks!?<br />
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3 > Reunion Dinner!<br />
Last night I went for dinner with the girls, to Chiquitos! It's a Mexican restaurant in Belfast that I absolutely love! It's really fun and the food is always really good, and you get to wear sombreros so what's not to love? It was a great night though, because it's been ages since all of us have hung out together! What with two of them being in New Zealand for the last year, and the rest of us either studying or in full time jobs, it's just really difficult for us to get everyone together! But last night was a wonderful success, with lots of laughter, chat and good food!<br />
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4 > Saving A Bird<br />
I mean, I'm not sure that this is a fave moment of this week, but it happened and I was a little traumatised, so here we are. David and I had our last vaccine appointment yesterday, so I got out of work early and had a nice wee half day. We went for out injections and headed back to my house, where we found a bird was trapped in my living room. Yep you read that right. A bird was in my living room!! Luckily, someone had forgotten to open our curtains yesterday morning, so the poor wee thing wasn't flying into the window all day but it's an absolute mystery as to how it got in! Dad thinks it came down the chimney but I'm not convinced. David and I were the only ones in, so it was up to us to try and get it out. We tried putting some bread on the floor so it would land, and we could throw a blanket over it and carry it outside, but the little thing was terrified, all it did was fly back and forth along the ceiling! Thankfully, long story short, we managed to open one of the windows, and after a few failed attempts where it flew straight into the window panes, it found the open window and flew outside. I felt so traumatised and sad for the poor wee bird, we thought at one point it was going to kill itself against the window! But yeah, we managed to get it outside and saved the wee thing! Not how I'd imagined my Thursday afternoon going, if I'm honest!<br />
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So that was my week! This weekend consists mainly of baking traybakes for my 24-7 Prayer fundraiser lunch on Sunday, and not much else to be honest.<br />
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<i>How has your week been? </i> </div>
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❤ </div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-41357931704544877872016-02-04T12:00:00.000+00:002020-04-07T12:43:52.587+01:00Travel Lessons Learnt So Far<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Planning to go away anywhere for a long period of time can be stressful enough, but I have found preparing to go backpacking pretty difficult. There are so many more things to factor in when backpacking for a couple of months than with a standard 2 week holiday, things that I wouldn't normally consider or even know about!<br />
<a name='more'></a>We haven't even left the country yet and we've already made a few mistakes, so I can only imagine how many we'll make when we're actually out there!<br />
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This is part of the reason why my word for the year is <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/01/one-little-word-2016.html?m=1" target="_blank">Embrace</a>. While we're away I want to embrace the fact that situations will change quickly, that we will make mistakes and that nothing really is in our control. We're going to have to let go of the reins and just go with the flow, something that I'm not all that used to doing. I don't want our travels to be ruined by whatever mistakes we do make, so that means embracing them, changing my outlook and my attitude, accepting that things won't always go the way we want them too, and moving on!<br />
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So far I have learnt 2 things in regards to preparing for a long term trip, and no doubt as time goes on I will learn many more things!<br />
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<u>1: Don't Be Too Hasty!</u><br />
My biggest regret so far is not booking return flights at the very beginning of our planning. At the time we didn't know which country we would be flying home from, so we just went ahead and booked one-way flights, figuring that we could get cheap enough flights home at a later date.<br />
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Literally about a week later we decided to fly home from Bangkok. We decided on doing a full circle, starting our travels in Thailand and then finishing in Thailand 3 months later by going some island hopping and making our way back to Bangkok to fly home.<br />
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If we had just taken a little bit more time to think through our planning and our route, and just waited a couple of days we probably could have saved ourselves a lot of money and hassle! Instead we were too eager to book flights, and the rush of having one-way tickets to the other side of the world was too heady to ignore.<br />
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We contacted FinnAir to see if we could change our one-way journey to a return journey, expecting there to be some form of charge and then paying the difference between tickets, but actually the airline said is just wasn't possible. If we want a return journey we would have to make an entirely new booking. It just so happened that a return flight with FinnAir cost way more than what we were willing to dish out.<br />
Instead, we've booked a flight to London with a layover in Germany, and a connecting flight to Belfast. It's a bit more complicated and stressed me out way more that in should have but it actually worked out so much cheaper! Plus, there are now no nasty 19hour layovers which is always a bonus!<br />
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As much as I would've loved to spend a day in Oslo, the thought of being stuck in an airport overnight was not an appealing one. I've already done that once in my life, and that's more than enough. (Blizzard of 2010, I'm still traumatised.)<br />
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While we saved money by flying London-Belfast, we would've saved even more by just booking a return flight at the very beginning!<br />
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<u>2: Do Your Own Research!</u><br />
Or, ask for a second opinion. Our Travel nurse gave us such bad advice that nearly ended up costing us over £300!<br />
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Firstly, we were told that we needed to get the Yellow Fever vaccine, which costs £58 each, plus a mandatory phone consultation each for £20.<br />
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We don't need a Yellow Fever vaccination. SE Asia isn't an area that suffers from Yellow Fever, at all. You <u>only</u> need proof of this vaccine if you are arriving from a country that does suffer from Yellow Fever eg. Central Africa.<br />
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So we don't need this at all, and yet our Travel Nurse was quite insistent that we get it. We decided to ring the clinic that administers the Yellow Fever vaccine, just to double and triple check, and the doctor there told us that we were right. We didn't need to get it!<br />
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Secondly, I was advised to get Hep A vaccine combined with Typhoid, and get the Hep B vaccine separate. Hep A and Typhoid are both available on the NHS, but Hep B has a charge because you can only get it privately, apparently.<br />
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Hep B cost David and I £15 each for the prescriptions from the clinic and £58 each for the vaccine from the pharmacy!<br />
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After I'd got these from the pharmacy I was chatting with <a href="http://thesarahstory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah</a> on Twitter, and she informed me that if I had gotten the <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1071.aspx?categoryid=70&subcategoryid=175" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hep A and Hep B combined vaccine</a>, there would have been no charge, and the Typhoid vaccine is available on the NHS anyway.<br />
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Obviously by this stage I had already bought the vaccines from the pharmacy, so it was too late to change them or do anything about it.<br />
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Annoyed is not the word! Purely because we trusted the advice of the Travel Nurse in our health clinic and didn't look into it ourselves we ended up spending £150 that could have been saved and used for something else.<br />
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Make sure that you look into everything yourself, just to double check the advice that you've been given! I was absolutely fuming that our Travel Nurse would've had us buying and taking vaccines that we don't even need!<br />
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That's it so far, but I'm sure the next 3 months in SE Asia will one giant learning curve, filled with lessons and mistakes!<br />
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<i>If you've been travelling, what's the biggest lesson you have learnt on your travels?</i> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: "lato"; line-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">♥</span></span></div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-74801892607219387712016-01-29T11:00:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:20:45.923+00:00Friday Faves: 29th January 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrvBuEavFFvGs2ryqo0VQe7nkuZjzn0nufDt2qd7sk19gBqzxmWBrAFLzAye_bR484Oq-qNmin0DKc1sPZAB79E7eTIroyu2DH9nmZ8gZTTjosw5UyrtOB5m3TgkpqWMCFs_X95vd_Q/s1600/IMG_20150928_161619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrvBuEavFFvGs2ryqo0VQe7nkuZjzn0nufDt2qd7sk19gBqzxmWBrAFLzAye_bR484Oq-qNmin0DKc1sPZAB79E7eTIroyu2DH9nmZ8gZTTjosw5UyrtOB5m3TgkpqWMCFs_X95vd_Q/s1600/IMG_20150928_161619.jpg" /></a></div>
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This Friday sees the beginning of Friday Faves, a new weekly roundup here on Simply Courageous! I actually really enjoyed doing these a couple of months ago but as always life got a bit in the way and my weekly roundup ended up discarded and forgotten!<br />
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I'm starting them up again (or at least, attempting to!) because I feel like it's a really great way of <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2015/02/all-small-things.html" target="_blank">appreciating the little things</a> in life again, the small moments that bring unexpected joy or the things that are usually taken for granted. So, in the spirit of <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/01/one-little-word-2016.html" target="_blank">embracing all that life has to offer</a>, I'm going to keep a record of all the little happy things in my life each week!<br />
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1 > Mini Eggs<br />
I have no shame whatsoever that the first thing on my list is food! I loove Mini Eggs, so when I called into Tesco the other day and discovered that they have a massive aisle dedicated to Easter Eggs, I couldn't leave without picking up a bag! Mini Eggs are the best.<br />
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2 > Pretty Little Liars<br />
I'm a bit late to the party with this one, but I'm obsessed with PLL. I'm only on season 3, but I'm steadily making my way through the episodes in a bid to catch up before stumbling upon any nasty spoilers! So far this week I've watched at least one episode a night...at the very least. Usually it's two or three...<br />
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3 > Hot Water Bottle<br />
Last weekend I spent the night at one of my friends house, and she gave me a hot water bottle to sleep with as her spare room was freezing. It'd been years since I last used a hot water bottle, but oh my goodness are they amazing!! I've been bringing one into work with me ever since to battle the icy abyss that is my office, and it's legit the best decision I've made in ages. Thanks for that one Lynsey!<br />
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4 > 24-7 Ibiza<br />
I got confirmation last week that I am joining a short term team to Ibiza with 24-7 Prayer in June, led by my amazing bestfriend Gemma! I'm going to do a separate post about it, explaining what it is and what I'll be doing out there, but I'm so thankful to have received my confirmation email!!<br />
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5 > Family Time<br />
Last Saturday I went out for the day with my granny! It was part of my Christmas gift to her, that I would take her out and treat us both to Afternoon Tea. It was such a lovely day, and the afternoon tea at <a href="http://www.simplycourageous.co.uk/2016/11/the-secret-garden-stormont-estate.html" target="_blank">The Secret Garden, Dundonald</a> was absolutely beautiful. I'll definitely be going back at some stage, their lunch menu looked amazing aswell. But it was just really nice to spend the day with my granny doing something special. It was my first experience of afternoon tea, so now I'm hooked!<br />
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How has your week been?</div>
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❤</div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2945615340082960474.post-23077364947344981642016-01-26T09:00:00.000+00:002016-12-09T11:21:51.296+00:006 Weeks To Go: Preparations For Backpacking SE Asia! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7lO2S1rY7fFcTaFr_CGbc_u-vlmBzE-LOmDh_gQdHLZ4cj16ZhfqWhlRYEBWt7WCw-z0Uvk42_YJZlFdlyoQ7PuEvBxGGjeOk_31M6W3RiMLu5JtSPQD6s0CsOZiSDMrxiFcgCtDNA/s1600/vietnam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Travel, Backpacking, SE Asia, Planning" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7lO2S1rY7fFcTaFr_CGbc_u-vlmBzE-LOmDh_gQdHLZ4cj16ZhfqWhlRYEBWt7WCw-z0Uvk42_YJZlFdlyoQ7PuEvBxGGjeOk_31M6W3RiMLu5JtSPQD6s0CsOZiSDMrxiFcgCtDNA/s1600/vietnam1.jpg" title="6 Weeks To Go: Preparations For Backpacking SE Asia" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It's officially less than 6 weeks until David and I make our way down to Dublin and board a plane for the biggest adventure of our lives to date! We leave home on the 1st March and on the 2nd March we will land in Bangkok, Thailand for the first leg of our 3 month journey!<br />
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I'm not gonna lie, I'm still a bit in shock that it's actually happening! Travelling is one of those things that people always say they want to do, and usually they end up not doing it, and a little niggly part of me thought that would be us aswell. Yet, here we are, preparing to head out into the unknown (to us, anyway!), with only the very vaguest of itineraries, a whole list of things to see and do, and only our first 2 nights accommodation booked. It's legitimately the craziest thing either of us have ever done!</div>
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When David and I go away together, I usually like having our days planned out to a T, filled with sightseeing and activities, which works perfectly well for a 3/4/5 day mini-break when you want to see as much as possible in the time you have. But backpacking for 3 months is going to be a whole different ball game, one I've never played before and one that's going to take some getting used to! Our time is SE Asia is going to have a different pace than what we're used to, we won't have to cram everything we want to see info a few days. We're going to have plenty of time for visiting temples, parks, forests and markets, and also plenty of time to chill out and relax, to enjoy the different cultures that we're in and take the time to experience them properly. I think I'm going to find it hard getting used to this different kind of travelling, as amazing as I'm sure it will be!</div>
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I can't wait until these next 6 weeks are over and we're on our way! It's crazy how quickly the time has gone in, I can't believe it was 3 months ago that we booked our flights into Bangkok! Hopefully our 3 months in SE Asia doesn't fly in as fast. </div>
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We've spent the last week or so tying up any loose ends and booking all the necessary things we need before we leave. </div>
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<b><u>>>Accommodation</u></b></div>
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We decided to book our first 2 nights in Bangkok in <a href="http://newjoeguesthouse.com/" target="_blank">New Joe Guesthouse</a>, a hostel close enough to the action but far enough away that you can get a quiet nights sleep. Winner, winner in my eyes! The reviews were decent enough, with everyone saying how amazing the location is, and at £4.10 pp/pn for a private room it'd be rude to say no! Fingers crossed that the reviews are legit, and there's no nasty bed bugs!</div>
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<b><u>>>Flights</u></b></div>
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We finally(!!) booked our flights home a few weeks ago, which felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I'd been feeling really anxious about not having a flight home, and worried about how much they would cost etc etc. We managed to book a flight from Bangkok to London and then one from London to Belfast. This actually worked out cheaper for us than going with a flight from Bangkok to Dublin with a 19hr layover in Oslo!! 19hrs was just too much for me to handle, and with the expectation that we probably won't be coming back with much money, I just couldn't face it. </div>
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In the last few days we also booked flights from Bangkok to Cambodia for the end of our 30 Day Visa Exemption in Thailand. A friend of David's said that flying into Cambodia would be safer and easier than crossing overland, in terms of visas, and you're less likely to get scammed at the airport than at the land border. With flights only being £30ish each we thought why not. It also gives us a legit ticket out of Thailand, I've read so many conflicting pieces of advice about how strict they are when it comes to having a ticket out of the country, so this will save us any hassle!</div>
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<b><u>>>Our Route</u></b></div>
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Getting those flights into Cambodia helped to cement our potential route for the 3 months. Aside from that flight and our date to go home, we don't have any other dates or plans that are set in stone, so our route is going to be fairly vague and easily changed!</div>
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<i>2nd March - 29th March</i>: Thailand!</div>
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We're spending the first month exploring mainland Thailand, making sure to hit Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pai, aswell as hopefully spending some time in the national parks! We'll then make our way back to Bangkok for our flight to Cambodia.</div>
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<i>29th March - 17th April</i>: Cambodia!</div>
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We'll hopefully spend 2, maybe 3, weeks in Cambodia, visiting Siem Riep, Angkor Wat and making our way to the coast. We have to make sure to get our Vietnam Visas from the Vietnamese Embassy while we're here!</div>
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<i>17th April - 2nd May</i>: Vietnam!</div>
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We're hoping to get a 15 Day Visa Exemption for Vietnam, as their visa process was far too confusing and complicated online! Hopefully we can get a visa from the embassy in Cambodia, and if not we'll just rethink our route a little! I'd love to see Vietnam though, Ho Chi Minh City and then making our way north hitting Hue, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay!<br />
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<i>2nd May - 16th May</i>: Laos!<br />
From the north of Vietnam we'll make our way across into the north of Laos, and head south. We're still not too sure on where we want to go in Laos yet, so there's still a good bit of research to be done before we leave!<br />
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<i>16th May - 7th June</i>: Thailand!<br />
From the south of Laos we will make our way back into Thailand for the last 3 weeks of our travelling adventure! We're planning to head south to do some island hopping, and praying that the weather will be nothing but beautiful sunshine and blue skies! I'm really, really hoping that what I've read on the Visa Exemption in Thailand is correct though. From what I've gathered, because David & I both have UK passports we will be granted another 30 Day Visa Exemption, even though we will be entering Thailand over a land border. Some passports/nationalities only recieve a 15 Day Visa Exemption when entering from Cambodia or Laos over land instead of by air. So hopefully we're granted 30 Days, otherwise we'll have to see about getting a tourist visa!<br />
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I genuinely cannot believe it's so close to our leaving date, I'm so excited it's unreal!! Also, massively nervous because I've never done anything like this before, but still mostly excited!<br />
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<i>Have you ever been backpacking? Any tips/recommendations are more than welcome!</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: start;">♥</span></span></div>
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Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15054125192201387297noreply@blogger.com