Day Out: London Zoo

On the 8th of March my three best girlfriends and I headed off to London Zoo in Regent's Park. It was a lovely sunny day and we had the most fun so I thought I'd share a few little bits from the day.

First thing we did was (rather like a group of mums) was sit down and plan what the main things we wanted to see were. We even circled on the map... 

First we went to see Meerkats and see the Otters being fed which was totally adorable. Otters are my favourite animal so I was in heaven. 

We saw so many animals, a few of my other favourites were giraffes and the tigers (which are basically like my cats I have at home just bigger!) 

My friends forced me in the bug section which made me feel so creeped out...not cool guys. 

We ended the day with the penguin feeding which was absolutely adorable. I love penguins! They got so close to the glass and we got some amazing photos. 

What made the day really amazing was spending time with these girls. We've been best friends for years now, and going to uni nothing has changed. We can not see each other for three months but when we see each other again it's like we were never apart. Despite being in different cities with different courses and different friends/relationships we are closer than ever before. We have our own little group chat that we update each other with all the going ons in our lives so keeping in contact is easy! Spending time just as a four let us catch up on everything and have some really good talks. Sitting watching the penguins swim by and just talking in our own little cove was a really cute experience. We laughed so much and there was times I had tears in my eyes- definitely one of the nicest days I've had in a long time!

"Friends like this are hard to find but more importantly impossible to lose"

:) 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some photos and hearing about our day

What animals would you like to see at the Zoo? 

xxx 

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Even writing that title has started me humming Christmas tunes. It's no secret to anyone (my flatmates who were forced into Christmas dinner, my family who have been getting Christmas themed texts and emails since November 1st or anyone who witnessed my excitement at our Winter Ball) how much I freaking love Christmas. This year my festive spirits has reached new highs and so I thought I would share some of my favourite things about Christmas time.



1) The music. Yes I am one of those people who's had their Christmas playlist on since November. Yes I struggle to listen to any music that is not Christmas-y throughout December. The other day I resorted to listening to Justin Bieber's album as I couldn't bear a car journey without Christmas music. Personal favourites are All I Want For Christmas is You, Fairytale of New York, Baby Please Come Home and Merry Christmas Everyone. And you can't go wrong with a bit of Buble.

2) Lights everywhere. From my university to my good old home town of London, nothing says Christmas like beautiful Christmas trees and rows and rows of lights.

3) Festive drinks everywhere you go. particular mention goes to Costa who's entire Christmas menu makes me happier than anything. Our campus cafe had amazing "Snowballs" which was white hot chocolate and all kinds of other toppings. Mmmn I'm going to miss that cafe over the holidays! Chain cafes like Costa, Starbucks and Pret drinks are also delicious, perfect for warming you up whilst giving a little taste of Christmas!

4) Advent Calendars. Possibly the best invention ever. A treat everyday? Who doesn't love these? My very kind and amazing Mum brought me the Benefit advent calender this year. A bit different from the £4 Cadbury chocolate ones I've had the years before! I am loving the free samples and it is such a perfect way to test little bits before splashing on the full size. I also love genuinely not knowing what I'm going to get each day!

5) Christmas films. From Love Actually (which is actually favourite film and I will watch it all year round) to Elf there is nothing better than a good Christmas film to warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Everyone has their favourites but Elf and Love Actually I watch every year without fail.

6) Buying presents. It sounds so cliche, but I genuinely love buying presents. I know many people dread it *cough* Dad, my brother *cough* and yes trying to find something for that obscure family member you only see once a year or that person in secret santa who you've spoken to precisely three times is not my favourite part of the holiday season. However, taking the time to choose that perfect gift that you know will make your loved one smile or laugh when unwrapping is just soo worth it. Only a few days ago I said to my flatmate "I love giving presents more than receiving" to get the reply "That's good Alex as I haven't brought shit!" Boys ey?

7) The food. I'm almost disappointed at myself for putting this so low down on the list. Nothing beats Christmas food, from the turkey to pigs in blankets to my grandmother's roast potatoes (that are really Aunt Bessie's but shuuush). It also makes it even more special the chaos that leads up to sitting down at the table, from attempting to weigh the turkey with my Grandma and Mum last Christmas Eve on scales that had long given up the ghost to my Grandma insisting we could microwave all the vegetables. If there's anything better than Christmas dinner, give it my number.

I'm sure I could go on and name many more things that make this time of year so amazing and special to me but I think this is a pretty good start! Now I have some questions for you: 

Favourite Christmas song?

Favourite Christmas film?

Favourite part of Christmas dinner?

Where will you be spending Christmas this year?

xx 

Day Out: Miss Saigon

Ever since Miss Saigon landed in London in May 2014 and I have heard the amazing reviews I have been desperate to see it. Tickets are so expensive, Mum and I decided day seats were our best bet but we've had no free day to go and queue. A friend recommended to me we tried on a Thursday as there are two shows, a matinee and an evening so more tickets available!

Today Mum got two tickets to the matinee, in the third row from the seat. For anyone interested, day seats go on sale at 10am and my Mum joined the queue at 9:30 but she recommends arriving at 9:15 :) 

I was so excited for Miss Saigon and we had such an amazing view. (I took this before it started- don't be that dick that takes photos during shows guys!)

Miss Saigon was breathtaking. We had the understudy playing Chris who was Niall Sheehy that I had actually seen in Les Mis last summer. He was perfect. The entire cast was perfect. Special mention to Eva who played Kim who was absolutely insane. I can't believe she's never been on the West End before. 

The play itself is about Kim, who is a prostitute in Saigon who falls in love with Chris an American marine, but they are then torn apart. I cried. A lot. 

Ugh it's just so heart wrenching and tragic, especially because these were real events that occured in Saigon. 

The vocal talent was extraordinary, the staging was incredible and the lighting was brilliant. I also thought the dancing was amazing, considering it's not really a song and dance kind of musical it was still spectacular.

I can't fault this musical. I loved Niall's performance of Chris, it was sweet and vulnerable but he also had that aggressive side that made his character so complex and realistic.

Mum and I looking very happy to be there :)

Afterwards we lingered at stage door. Niall came out so quickly, after only about five minutes and there was a pretty large crowd around him but he was sweet and had time for everyone. I told him he was amazing (cos he was) and he said "ah thank you!" before signing my ticket. I then asked for a quick photo and he said "yeah of course!" He is such a lovely and talented guy and I wish him all the best.

If you can go see Miss Saigon- go go go! It is so good and I honestly can't wait to see it again. I also can't wait for the cast recording, out on the 22nd of September! 

Have you seen it? Are musicals your thing? 

xxx

Capital cities

I've been lucky enough to travel quite a lot in my short time on this planet, and some of my favourite places are capital cities of Europe! So I thought I'd share some photos...enjoy! 

Berlin! I took these photos in August 2010, on an amazing trip to Berlin. This city has so much history, even walking around you can seem remnants of the events that happened here. There's so much culture and things to see, and I can't wait to go back soon!

Rome! I went to Rome in July 2013, and I fell in love with it. I adore Italian cuisine, and the food did not disappoint. I would walk back to Italy for some more ice cream or pasta, even the pasta from the supermarket tasted insane. Food aside, the place itself is so beautiful. Even walking around, every street and plaza looks like something from a postcard. I also love Latin (which I studied at GCSE) and seeing all the sights such as the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, and Pantheon was so incredible. Rome, ti amo.

  PARIS!!! By far my favourite city on earth. I've only been twice, but being in Paris literally makes me feel like I'm home, like a part of me has been away for so long and I was finally where I belonged. The city is so so gorgeous, and the architecture and culture is just insane. (Also, is there anything better than French food?) Paris is also home to Victor Hugo and Disneyland, two of my absolute favourite things!  

And finally...my hometown, London. How I adore my city. It's just so beautiful. It's the place that has inspired art, music, literature, drama, and of course, let's not forget the 2012 olympics! I feel so lucky to be able to travel into London frequently, and I pray there will never be a day that I don't love Trafalguar Square, Covent Garden, Waterloo, Westminster, and all the other beautiful places to go.