The Royal Baby is HERE!!

Has anyone else been as excited as me about the news of the Royal Baby? It arrived this afternoon at 4.24pm! It's a boy and will eventually be king!

I don't know about you but I love it when things like this happen in the UK. I love the way that everyone comes together, people start talking to each other on the tube. It's exciting, they light up the city with red, white and blue and cover the streets with union jacks. It's like the royal wedding, the jubilee, the Olympics, where everyone feels proud to be British! I'm rambling on now but it's a historic event and I just wanted to document how happy I am! I love this country and the royals!

What do you think they will call their new addition? I'm thinking George or Edward but would quite like Alexander.

Let me know what you think about this!

<3

One Day in Brighton!

Last Friday, while my good friend Carla was over from Italy visiting me, we took a little day trip to Brighton as the weather was sunny and a beach day was in order!

We got the train from London Bridge, which meant starting our morning with a close-up view of the shard and a quick drink in the station. We caught a 10 o'clock train which got us there in under an hour passing through the beautiful sussex countryside on the way. We snacked on blueberries and grapes while reading an brilliant book on film  that I got for my birthday. If you have an interest in film or are studying it (like I will be soon) then I highly recommend - big thanks go to my friend Lici for gifting it to me!

Anyway, back to Brighton. Once we arrived, we moseyed on down the road to reach the beach, that first glimpse of the sea is always exciting when you haven't been in a while, don't you think? The sun was shining and we were excited at the prospect of a hot English beach day (which is so rare!) We headed straight for the seashore and then found a spot and sat for a while, skimming stones, chatting and pondering whether or not to go for a swim while watching the paddle-boarders and looking out at the intriguingly decrepit West Pier (it has been subject to collapse and fire for many years and now stands as a ruin that evokes a lot of mystery - I like it, I feel it gives quite a bit of character to the horizon.)

After staying on the beach for a while, we decided it was late enough for lunch, so I popped to the nearest fish and chip shop (which happened to be on the beach) and picked some up.

My friend had never tried this quintessentially English delicacy (since she is from Ecuador) so we both decided it was time. It's always most delicious when you eat it with this view:

After we went to the pier to delight in how 'deliciously tacky' it is. We even rode down the Helter Skelter (which really is just a glorified slide but good fun all the same) and C took on a mechanical bull which was pretty hilarious to watch.

Not a fan of rides.

The view from the Helter Skelter, it's funny how the sea looks so blue.

During the middle of the day, it was pretty foggy and this is the view back to shore from the pier. Once we came off the pier, we headed to find 99s and found them in a tucked away shop to the side of the pier, we ate them while watching the waves and I got hit in the back with a volleyball by a gaggle of foreign students, which caused us to start quoting the 'I've been shot' fat amy moments from 'Pitch Perfect' (If you haven't seen that film, it is a must.)

Then we explored the city, stopping to look in lots of random shops, finding the card below which sums up my crazy family quite well:

We found the Royal Pavillion which I love, I actually studied it in my Art History Class in Sixth form, so it is always cool to try and remember all the details about its history! Though, somehow, I still haven't managed to get inside yet, I always get there when it is closed or almost closed. But I think you will agree that the outside is pretty unique for something completed in 1823 for the Prince Regent at the time, I always love the way that it is right in the centre of the city juxtaposed with modern buildings and main roads, with buses rushing by every few minutes. It adds to the charm, I think.

We continued to explore the streets a little longer and stopped for some traditional tea before heading back down to the beach.

The light on the beach was beautiful and sparkling off the water, I just couldn't resist going for a swim.

I look very sunburnt and not too impressed in the above picture. But actually, sea-swimming is my favourite, despite the cold. I love it. 

I am so happy that the summer weather is now upon us and it is finally warm enough for swimming in the sea! Here's to more beach days in the future!

So here are my top things to do for one day in Brighton: 

-explore the lanes: there are so many cute interesting shops to be found, quaint tea shops and delicious places to eat (I recommend the sandwich shop on market street, 'Fat Leo' and the 'giggling squid' (its name alone should make you want to try it))

- A swim in the sea. It's invigorating and refreshing. And cold, so don't forget a warm towel for afterwards.

-A stroll down the pier (who knows what you might find)

-The Royal Pavillion (a fun place for a wander)

-The beach. 

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

<3

Being a tourist in my own city + Some London hideaways you may not know about!

This week, one of my good friends from Italy came to visit for a few days and I loved showing her around London! Sometimes it is fun to see your city from a new perspective and follow the crowds, because London is awesome....We even managed to do some things I hadn't done before, which was great to discover new places to go!

We started our first day with an impromptu stop at Abbey Road, where the Beatles took their famous 'crossing the road' picture, at this time of the year, it is full of foreign tourists all trying to recreate the picture and leave their mark on the wall where you can sign your name/write a message, as well as angry drivers who get annoyed at the traffic stopping every few seconds, we signed our names and I found my favourite little piece on the wall that I discovered last time we were there: 'We all want to change the world.' 

Later on in the afternoon, we met up with three of my friends for cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery, we headed to the one in Soho, since it was closest but there are a few branches in different parts of London. The cupcakes are delicious (and this is coming from a girl who is not the biggest cake fan!) - especially the yummy icing! I recommend the red velvet or the plain and simple vanilla. But they often have themes - on this particular day, they had bacon cupcakes - craziness! 

 

Then the serious sightseeing began! We went to Trafalgar square (I climbed a lion!), The Mall, (where all the union jacks are up - the colours are gorgeous!), Buckingham Palace, St James Park, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, The Eye and finishing up on the Southbank.    

On her second day, we explored St Paul's and the surrounding areas finding blue trees, the shard and we even climbed the monument (which is a brilliant for seeing the city up high and a steal at £3), afterwards we crossed the river via London Bridge and saw Southwark Cathedral, watched the stalls close at Borough market and explored a hidden side street full of eateries with a canopy of umbrellas.

It was so much fun having my friend to stay and discover a few new places to go! Tell me of any London recommendations!

<3

Video: The start of summer (June 2013)

June was the start of summer. BBQs, picnics, kayaking, climbing, fun with friends, bike rides, large amounts of strawberries, lots of guiding things, mass musical chairs, lots of tea, many afternoons spent at the park, birthday cake, lots of celebrations, dancing and family time. 

Life is good :) 

<3

End of the 30 Day Snap!

Read more about the series here and here.

(click on the image to enlarge) 

I really enjoyed the series of the 30 Day Snap! It got me to commit to blogging frequently and helped me to find some new blogs to follow and read! June also was full of fun moments and I enjoyed finding things each day to photograph! 


Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the snap series! 
<3 

#30 of the 30 Day Snap! The final day!

Read more about the series here and here.

Day 30. 

Pretty sky tonight! A lovely day spent in Suffolk with family. Reunited with my sweet little cousins too, who I hadn't seen since August! We had a lovely BBQ, numerous games of hide and seek and lots of catching up! 

<3