The Dream Team

11th April 2020

It feels strange putting up an outfit post right now, given the current situation (and also the fact that is over 20 degrees in the house and I’m currently wearing a pair of Bob’s shorts and a vest top). But here I am anyway, justifying to myself that the reason I am posting these now is that I’ve finally grown the balls to do so. These photos date back to February. I’ve been sat on them ever since because I hated how I look in them. But it’s not about me, it’s about the dreamy dress and ankle boots, about an outfit I felt happy in before I caught sight of myself and my face. So here we go- that polka dot dress that featured in a wish list post, and the most perfect ankle boots I have ever owned, snapped up for a bargain price in the Zara sale.

This post is also about trying to gain some normality in distinctly abnormal times. None of us thought, when we rolled in to 2020 that it would turn out like this, never in a million years.

And I consider myself lucky. I have the chance to leave my house every day during the week, to go to work in a GP surgery (despite the ever rising anxiety as I step out of the front door) where I work in a desk based role, making sure people get the prescriptions they need. And I’m not singing my own praises here, far from it. I am not one of the brave and courageous NHS workers that are being (rightly) applauded right now. I am there to support my incredible clinical colleagues as they make tough decisions and put themselves out there to make sure every patient that makes contact with us gets what they need. I get to feel the fresh air each morning, and each evening, and come home each night, a little stressed out but nothing more than that.

This whole situation is really good at making you take stock about what matters. What matters is that we come together, that we all do what we need to do to get through this. None of us know what we’re doing, but if we work together we can muddle along.

It’s sad, sad to not be able to spend time with my parents, or visit my Grandad who lives just around the corner, knowing he’s alone. It breaks my heart not to be able to travel to see my cousins and my aunt, give them a hug- which whilst would do nothing to heal the grief they are going through right now, having lost a great man to this virus, it would maybe bring the kind of comfort that only family can bring. It hurts not to be able to make a journey to see those that really need to be seen before it’s too late. Some rules were made to be broken, but some, like this lockdown, are not.

It puts my own battles in to a new kind of perspective. It doesn’t make them any easier to deal with, but it does make me realise how little they matter, how what they stand for and what my mind clings on to is so trivial. It fuels that fire to fight. When this is over I intend to live life with a new perspective; I suspect so many of us are. And in some funny way, writing this post, sharing these photos and this outfit…that’s the start of that.

This is not the post I had in my mind to write. I don’t even know what this is to be honest. Just a jumble of words that have been flowing through my brain, laid out to be read, to be judged, to maybe be related to.

Happy Easter weekend everyone. Stay in. Safe stay.

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The March Degustabox- Hello Spring*

05th April 2020

Box gifted by Degustabox
This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.

In amidst all of the craziness in the Supermakets, never has a delivery of food- treats especially, been more welcomed! The March Degustabox had a theme of “hello spring” and Bob and I wasted absolutely no time at all in getting stuck in.

We’re both big savoury snackers and loved these Flamin’ Hot and Sizzling Steak wotsits. These are flavours I remember well from my youth, and the nostalgia was a welcome break from everything. We both definitely favoured the Flamin’ Hot, but made short work of both packs. RRP £1 from major supermarkets.
(Now, bring back Prawn Cocktail!)

These roasted broad beans from Nudie Snacks were right up my street as I love anything like this. They are quite price, £1.59 per back, but delicious and a great stop-gap for hunger between meals thanks to their protein content. I’d love to see these in other flavours too, although my bank balance disagrees. Available in Asda, Holland and Barrett, Wholefood Markets, Amazon and at www.nudiesnacks.co.uk

I’ve already become addicted to these Smarties Buttons, ever since they first hit shelves a month or two ago. Milk or White chocolate studded with smarties- what’s not to love? I enjoyed both flavours but white had the edge for me. £1.59 per pack from major supermarkets- subscribers will get 1 of 2 flavours in their box.

I literally saw the colour drain from Bob’s face when I showed him this. He is not a marmite fan in the slightest. I however cannot get enough of the stuff, and whilst I was a bit scared of this peanut butter curiosity got the better of me…
My verdict? I prefer just marmite, or just peanut butter (neither flavour is quite strong enough here) but there is something about this that works. I don’t think I’d rush out to buy it again but it is oddly tasty on toast. £2.50 per jar from major supermarkets.

The testing of both of these drinks fell to my financé as it’s more his niche than mine. The oat milk galaxy milkshake £1.50 (at Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons and convenience stores) wasn’t rated as “good, but not really my thing but I can see other people loving it”.
The reduced sugar hot chocolate was a big hit though, he said he really couldn’t taste a difference between this and his normal Cadburys hot chocolate and would happily continue to buy this and try and help reduce his sugar intake. £2.49 from Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys.

We haven’t actually tested any of these drinks as we just ran out of time but they all look grand!
The beer with Elderflower is awaiting a sunny day (maybe even today) whilst the tonic from Merchant’s Heart we know is good as we regularly buy it. The Highball alcohol free pink g&t is part of a range of six alcohol free drinks from Highball, available online at www.highballcocktails.com and cost £1.99. Seedlip is a non-alcoholic spirit which is said to replace gin. I meant to try this at the weekend but fell in to the real gin trap instead (it’s been a week!). I’ll be giving this a whirl shortly and will feed back my thoughts.

These stock pots from Knorr are great! Perfect for adding tonnes of flavour to vegetarian dishes, I’ve already made the lentil bolognese, and look forward to trying something with the kaffir lime and ginger pot. £0.95 per two pack, these are a must for veggies and those looking to reduce their meat consumption without compromising on flavour. Available at Morrisons and Tesco, we’ll always be keeping these on hand.

We both eat a lot of instant noodles, they are perfect desk friendly lunches and Naked Noodle is a company we know we can rely on for a delicious mid-day meal. The Singapore Curry noodles are really quite good, aromatic with a good punch of garlic (not the most desk friendly, sorry colleagues). This flavour will be re-purchased without a doubt- £1.20 from major supermarkets.

The whole country has gone baking mad right now and I haven’t been able to get flour anywhere so getting this Homepride superior sponge flour felt like the biggest treat of all. Basically it’s pre-sieved and ultra fine, so perfect for the most delicate of bakes. I haven’t decided what to make with it yet, but you’ll see the results on social media once I do. £2 from Tesco- if you can find it!

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments.

If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money.
On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.

If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £5.00 off of your first box (making it just £7.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.

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The Perfect Hoop Earrings #MyAbelini*

04th April 2020

It might seem a bit trivial, or even a bit shallow to be blogging about a pair of earrings right now, but given that I’m working 9-5 every day for the NHS under increasingly difficult circumstances (and I’m not complaining, I’m not front line, and I have nothing but the upmost respect for those who are, and for every other key worker out there putting themselves at risk) I feel that a little bit of escapism is warranted.

I cannot even begin to tell you how long I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair of hoop earrings. I’ve long coveted a pair of the “huggie” style ones but struggled to find some that I liked, and that I knew would fit comfortably.
Abelini came through with this beautiful pair from their huge selection of hoop earrings and I have honestly not removed these from my ears since the day they arrived.

These earrings are of impeccable quality, and whilst I did wonder if they might be a bit too blingy, they are actually really quite subtle and work perfectly for every day wearing. I worked with the brand last year as well, and was impressed at the time- it’s good to know they remain consistent in making good quality and beautiful jewellery, all handcrafted in Britain and delivered straight to your door.

I was hoping to show you some photos of the earrings being worn as well, but trust me, nothing about me is photogenic right now and after a couple of days trying to capture some half decent shots Bob and I admitted defeat. Still, these beauties are helping me keep a little bit of sparkle about myself in these testing times.

What is everyone else doing to keep themselves feeling bright?

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Review: Orca Solo Plus*

22nd March 2020

[ad: gifted item]

With all that’s going on at the moment it’s been hard to pull myself together to write much in the way of blog posts. I’m a “key worker” in a field that is being hit full force by the Corona Virus and when I’m not in work, I’m in an exhausted, anxious and fairly brain-dead heap.

If anything was going to drive me back to cigarettes it would be this, and to be honest I can’t believe that (apart from the odd one) it hasn’t. I put this down in large part to having a really decent vape set up, my main mod, plus a sleek new addition to my collection courtesy of e-cigarette direct has kept me mostly on the straight and narrow.

The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus kit is a neat little set up that has become my go-to for when I’m out and about. It has an impressive battery life, is super simple to set up and despite being dinky and very lightweight it delivers a powerful hit.

“This easy to use vape device comes with a choice of two coils. The 1.3Ω ceramic CCELL coil combines great taste with a smooth airflow and is ideal for use with nicotine salts. Meanwhile, the 0.6Ω OC meshed coil utilises a mesh design for an even temperature distribution, improved flavour and vapour and a punchier throat hit.

The Orca Solo Plus comes with 6 power settings which are controlled by pushing the fire button three times.”

I let Bob have a try on this too, as he is even more picky over his set-up than I am and even he was pleasantly suprised at how good this was, especially for it’s £17.99 price tag. I think he’s considering getting one as a back up kit, and I can’t blame him.

The Orca Solo Plus comes in four colours, comes with a free e-liquid to get you started and would be an ideal kit for anyone wanting to test the waters of vaping.

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Five Ways To Treat Yo’ Self*

17th March 2020

Self-care is one of the biggest trends swirling around the internet universe right now, and for a good reason. Self-care is all about putting yourself first, and that’s not all that common anymore. There is so much research to show that self-care is excellent for your mental health, so why wouldn’t treating yourself be a good thing?

There is a lot of guilt that surrounds taking a moment for yourself, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. You need to be able to take a moment for yourself or buy yourself something new. It would help if you considered that spending the money on a new car with Reed Autos is going to be a good thing for your day to day life as well as a handy thing to have on the go. The good news is that there are several ways that you can treat yourself for a change, and you can change it today. Let’s take a look…

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Choose a spa day. It would help if you thought about how much time you spend hunched over a computer every day. Massages are proven to be beneficial for the whole body; whether it’s to ease muscle pain or to soothe anxiety, massage is fantastic. A day at a spa is going to feel life-changing, exceptionally when you are aching every single day.
Get into someone else’s world. What we mean is that you need to pick up a book and read it cover to cover for once. You need to snuggle down and read and be comfortable. You may not want to dedicate a whole week to reading, but you can still dive into someone else’s imagination.
Going shopping – it’s a must! Retail therapy needs to be controlled here, as “treat yo’ self is something that should be “treat yourself within your budget!” Buy that beautiful new jacket, or the leather bag you love so much!
Go to the movies alone. You don’t have to get a group of friends together to go to the movies. Get yourself some snacks, settle into a comfortable seat at the movies, and enjoy an immersive experience. You can really love the time you spend alone at a movie theatre when you don’t have someone sharing snacks or asking you questions.
Get outside for once. How often do you walk outside and just take an extra-large breath? Get yourself to the nearest field, beach, or forest and just breathe. There’s something so therapeutic in the air that we breathe, and when you can be in gorgeous surroundings, your body will relax.

These five ways to treat yourself are going to be the first port of call. You can do so many other things to look after yourself, but start here, and you can embrace a little life. You deserve to feel looked after, but you begin by looking after yourself. Self-care is not selfish. In fact, self-care is the best thing that you could do for your emotional and mental wellbeing.