My favourite Christmas film

I think most of us have that one film which makes you feel like the season is well and truly here. That one film that when you can watch over and over again and never get bored with. For me, it's The Holiday.

It's cheesy, packed full of plot holes and continuity errors. Not to mention as well the ridiculous stereotype of what living in the English countryside is like (seriously, when I worked in London, I never saw a quiet train like that, let alone a seat!). But despite of (or maybe because of it) I love it. It's gently inoffensive, no-one dies and everyone has a happy ending. And let's face it, that's all you want this time of year, isn't it?

This also seems a good time to confess that I've never seen The Grinch or Elf and that I truly believe Die Hard is a Christmas film.....

Cathy
xx

A Mini Flying Tiger Dream Days Haul

In theory, January was going to be a frugal month. With Christmas and a holiday to save up for I was sure I could do a no-spend January (barring essentials). Well, the intention was good... until I heard about Flying Tiger's Dream Day Promotion with everything in store for £2 or less. I decided to conveniently forget about no-spend January and see what was available giving myself a £10 spend limit. £12 later (!) I'm pretty pleased with what I got.

First up is an early birthday present. Fingers crossed the intended recipient doesn't read my blog. This was such a quirky, colourful clock and small enough not to overshadow the smallest of kitchens.

Next up, notebooks and a 5 year diary. I'm sure that like a large majority of people, I don't need any more notebooks. But this one had stars on and was padded and covered in the softest of materials...so of course it had to come home with me.

The diary - I haven't had a 5 year diary since I was at school but I thought it might be fun to try and keep this going. I'm very sure I won't post regularly and will probably be more like a 10 year diary. But I really wanted something to keep a record of key events over the coming years.

Similar to notebooks, I'm sure I didn't really need another travel make-up/travel bag but - it's cute!

And finally - the two things I really wanted and intended to buy all along. New perspex storage units for make-up and other bits and bobs I keep on my bedside cabinet.

So that was my mini Flying Tiger haul. Despite breaking my no-spend ban, I'm really pleased with what I bought. I also think this is one of those shops where it's almost impossible not to buy anything!

Thanks for reading

Cathy

Christmas at Beaulieu

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love Christmas. When I heard about the Christmas at Beaulieu event and I was invited to go along with Southampton Bloggers - I might just have squealed a bit (ok, a lot! I was very excited).

This is a magical after-dark illuminated trail and is the first time such an event has been held at Beaulieu. Probably most people think of the National Motor Museum when they think of Beaulieu, but there's also the Palace House, Abbey and beautiful grounds to explore.

On arrival we were greeted with mulled wine, some seriously scrumptious mince pies and a short introduction about the installations. The amount of planning, work and number of lights involved was impressive and with over a million lights and 11 miles of power cables we knew we were in for a grand show. We were then let loose to make our way around the mile long trail. The first piece was the 200 foot long Cathedral of Light with 30,000 lights (and as we quickly found out, was the best place ever for taking selfies).

I have so many photos of the evening, so apologies for this picture heavy post. They just don't do the evening justice though and there's really something magical about walking through the trails at night with Christmas music and lights. In the grounds of the medieval abbey we found the Fire Garden lit with over 180 torches. By time the event finishes on the 24th December, they will have used over 5,000 candles. This was one of my favourite areas, the natural lights with the surrounding history was a perfect balance.

Other highlights included singing Jingle Bells with Santa on his bus and The Twelve Days of Christmas installation (does anyone get confused after the 8th day?)

You could toast your own marshmallows in front of a Gingerbread House (raspberry and champagne flavour caught my eye). There was also a love lock tree where quite a few Christmas wishes were being posted.

Earlier in the evening we stopped off at the village of Beaulieu and looking across the mill pond, we got a hint of the lights and music in store for us. Walking around the other side on the banks of the River Beaulieu was even better.

At the end of the trail was a huge tree (serious tree envy here) and a selection of festive huts selling hot chocolate, crepes, sweets, mulled wine and bratwurst. Perfect Christmas snacks. And if you needed more lights and excitement, there was a carousel, ferris wheel and the Beaulieu monorail to ride.

Christmas at Beaulieu is on until the 24th December 2018. A big thank you to Beaulieu for the invite, this really is an event for all ages and the look of wonder on the children's faces was beautiful. There's also plenty of photo opportunities.

Thanks for reading, I'm off to dig out the decorations from the loft now!

Cathy
xx

*Gifted tickets - thoughts and reviews are my own

You lucky thing...working from home

Hey everyone,

This a slightly different post. Not much to do with clothes or travel, more of a bit of thinking out loud.

First off I'm very lucky person. I work from home.

Ohh, say most people when they hear this. How marvellous. Then there's a few seconds thinking followed by some (or if I'm really lucky) all of the following:

• Must get ever so lonely.
• What do you actually do all day?
• Ah you 'work from home' (insert jokey speech marks made with fingers).
• Must be nice to have all that time off.

To list just a few.

I fully admit, I would probably have thought the same a few years back when I was working in the Civil Service. And I would have been envious.

And yes, I'll fully admit to having a fair few days like this:

But you know what? I love it. I love being able to go and do boring admin stuff like the Post Office and bank runs early in the weekday morning when everyone else is at work. I'm especially grateful for the flexibility it gives me to deal with hospital appointments and how I can take time out to be with friends and family when they need me.

I love how I can go for a walk in the fresh air when I'm struggling for inspiration. My weekend can be in the middle of the week and as so many of my friends work shifts, I get to see more of them. Yes, sometimes I'll still be working 'till 2/3 in the morning. But it's my choice to do so. Bank Holiday weekends when everywhere is crowded will see me tucked away working.

I love how I don't have to do mid-year reviews and be answerable to middle management. I don't miss the mindless gossip, the back-biting or the constant struggle for a slice of the budget or having to justify my job/existence to every new manager that passes through.

But - don't think it's all sunshine and roses. I don't love the worrying gaps in between work. I particularly hate the middle of the night wake-ups where you suddenly imagine no work ever coming in again - ever!!! Trying to explain what you do to insurance companies and banks is a constant joy (not!). Tax returns are also an annual joyful occasion and I spend a silly amount of time chasing payments. As for spending money - I'm suddenly so aware of accounting for every penny - no frivolous spending here! (well, not too much...).

But would I change anything??? No way!!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

48 hours in Brussels - something a bit different

What can you do in 48 hours in Brussels?

(Ok - to be exact we actually had 2 and a half days but you get the general idea).

Brussels is a city we've visited many times before, so we felt a bit like we'd done all the obvious bits already. This time around we wanted something a bit out of the ordinary, so we planned to visit The Smurf Experience at the Brussels Expo on one day and The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History on the other.

We started off by checking into a hotel which was the most centrally located we'd ever had in Brussels. We wanted the advantage of seeing the city at night while being able to walk back to the hotel (note to future self - cobblestones are a nightmare to walk on, wear sensible shoes). The Ibis off Grand Place fitted the bill perfectly, it really was just a few minutes walk to the Grand Place itself where the evenings were spent people watching, eating ice cream, drinking beer and trying to take half decent photos.

It's no secret I LOVE smurfs so of course we had to do a bit smurf spotting around the city. This year is the 60th anniversary of the smurfs so there's just a little bit extra to keep an eye out for. This mural by Brussels Central Station was unveiled in June and if you don't mind hopping out of the way of busy commuters it's fun to spot the Belgium/Brussels themed smurfs.

First full day - The Smurf Experience. Now I know this isn't everyone's idea of a good day out, but stick with me. If you remember watching the smurfs on tv or enjoyed the latest movies then you'll love this. I dragged the other half along and at the end he grudgingly had to admit it was better than he thought it would be! It's on until January 2019 and tickets start at 11 euros so if you want something different to keep the little people in your life happy then this is just the thing.

The next day was The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History. We've been wanting to visit this for years, but always seemed to be in town on a Monday (when quite a few things are closed). This time though, we scheduled in a whole day. Even then, we missed quite a lot - you seriously need 2 days to see everything here.

The building the museum is housed in was built for the 1880 National Exhibition to celebrate 50 years of Belgium independence. It's quite obvious in places that it needs a bit of care and attention but when you have collections ranging from tanks, aircraft, weapons and uniforms, it somehow just adds a bit of character!

If you're not military minded, some of the things that might appeal include a stunning roof top view over the city, a sweet little cafe serving the best cooked lunches and the Parc du Cinquantenaire which the museum is situated in. And at only 5 euros each, it's ideal if you're on a budget or it's a rainy day.

That was our 2 and a bit days in Brussels. I'll skip over the bit where we drove through Belgian rush hour traffic (scary) and the joy we felt when the sat nav lost signal (many swear words used). We do love Belgium though and every time we visit we find something new.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Days out - Dippy on Tour in Dorchester

Did you know there's a dinosaur travelling the country?

Dippy the Dinosaur who used to grace the entrance way in the Natural History Museum, London is now on a natural history adventure across the UK. His first stop was the Jurassic Coast and the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

Now I remember visiting the Natural History museum many times as a child, Dippy was moved front and centre to the Hintze Hall in 1979 when I was 10 and as a lover of all things dinosaur, he was a big thing. I still have the model of a diplodocus I proudly bought with my pocket money. It sits on my bedroom window sill watching the neighbours like a minature prehistoric bodyguard.

His tail was a bit more curled than we remembered and according to the staff he's changed position a few times over the years. Also the balcony at either end had to be cut to accommodate him. After being at the Natural History museum for a total of 110 years, it's remarkable he's made it in one piece.

It was so good to see plenty of visitors, even towards the end of his stay. Talking to a member of staff they said they had had in excess of 100,000 visitors since Dippy's arrival. He really is a bit of a crowd pleaser! And what a beautiful location for the first stop!

Next stop on the tour is Birmingham - wonder if I could become a Dippy groupie and follow him around? His last stop is is Norwich Cathedral which I imagine will be spectacular.

The full list of stops and dates can be found here - if you're planning a visit, let me know!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx