Tag: adventure

Hamilton: An American Musical Review

I first heard about Hamilton a few years ago and naïvely assumed I wouldn’t enjoy a rap musical. It was only last year, when my friend came to visit, that I was forced to listen to Yorktown and You’ll Be Back whilst having a giggly catchup. And the result? I fell asleep that night with the soundtrack on my Spotify. I have not turned it off since. For real. My Spotify Wrapped for 2018 was illuminating, to say the least.

Over the past year I have become, what can only be described as, obsessed with this musical. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything more perfectly written. Every time I listen, I’m again baffled at what I fucking genius Lin-Manuel Miranda is. That guy.

The exact day I first listened to Hamilton is the exact day I started talking to my boyfriend. I convinced him to listen to this soundtrack because my mind was being blown. He told me later that he didn’t really want to listen to it and he only did because I asked him to. The result of that one? Oh, he’s as obsessed as me. So this musical has kind of been there with us the whole way through our relationship. One of my favourite memories from the start of our relationship is driving around the Lakes singing along to Hamilton at the top of our lungs. (We still do that often.) So then at Christmas when he surprised me with tickets to the West End show I have never been so excited. I was completely not expecting it and then immediately wish I’d thought of it myself!

Skip to last weekend and we saw it. We actually saw it.

And it was bloody incredible.

If you absolutely can, get yourself there. We had previously been apprehensive to see it because we are so unbelievably attached to the original Broadway cast. I mean, they’re the ones you listen to on the album. What if these weren’t as good? What if they just didn’t have the same chemistry?

Well fear not.

All our worries were completely unfounded. Of course there are differences. Some lines are sung differently and some words are emphasised in a different way. It would be completely unreasonable to not allow for such change. But as a whole, this show was amazing. Completely true to its Broadway original. If you closed your eyes there was several characters that you could not have heard the difference in.

George Washington was the absolute star for me. His voice was so deep and commanding and perfect. Dom Hartley-Harris is everything Christopher Jackson made the character and more. He really is the general of that show. Lafayette/Jefferson was another highlight. Daveed Diggs is my favourite from the original cast so I was really nervous. But Jason Pennycooke brought so much sass and humour to this role that I was easily won over. My other favourite of the night was Eliza. Rachelle Ann Go was perfect. The way she sang Burn you could really feel the pain in Eliza’s storyline. For a small woman she can certainly demand the attention of a room. She was captivating. You could have heard a penny drop at the end Stay Alive – Reprise. I was definitely holding my breath. Eliza is just such a heartwarmingly good person.

I think it goes without saying that both Burr and Hamilton were also epically cast. Such great chemistry as a pair; Dear Theodosia was performed beautifully.

Top Songs: Right Hand Man, Wait For It, Helpless, Satisfied, Non-Stop, Cabinet Battle #1, The Room Where It Happened, One Last Time, I Know Him, Burn, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.

You know, so all of them. But no, the songs were incredible and seeing the choreography only enhanced them. The amount of steps and combinations that ensemble remembers is impressive.

So yeah, we had a bloody excellent time. We drank some beers, bought some merch, and danced our way through the show. We’re only gutted it’s over now. If you haven’t already listened to Hamilton I seriously implore you to. Hairspray has been my favourite musical for over fifteen years but last year Hamilton knocked this off the top. You will not regret it.

The ENTIRE Hamilton Soundtrack – Duh

April 14, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, Broadway, burr, daveeddiggs, gift, Hamilton, hamiltonanamericanmusical, hamiltonsoundtrack, leslieodomjr, Lin-Manuel, linmanuelmiranda, London, music, musical, rapmusical, travel, westend, writersofig
Self-Care For Travelling

During my holidays over the last few years I’ve tried to decipher what makes an optimum trip for me. I think it’s easy to get overly stressed out on holiday when we should be having fun. Our stress often begins in the packing stages (see last week’s blog post: https://sarahwilliamsandco.com/2019/04/04/minimalist-packing-list/) and lasts all the way to the ignored dirty suitcase two week’s after you get home. It should not be like this, am I right? So here’s a few tips to help you have a boss vacation whilst also remembering to keep self-care at the for front of your mind.

1. It’s super fun to try and pack eighteen different things into one day, and if you’re on a short trip it’s often the only way to see everything but try and be realistic. Timings you plan beforehand will always go awry because tourists. They’re the worst. Also you might want to stay longer at somewhere you like a lot. You’re going to have to prioritise so that if you don’t get everywhere you’ll be happy with what you managed to see.

2. Holiday walking pace. That’s something my sister invented. You have a home pace which involves marching to work, around the supermarket and such but on holiday you’re supposed to stroll. You want to actually enjoy yourself and take things in, not just tick them off a list.

3. Try not to have too tight of a budget. Obviously way easier said than done. But whilst you’re saving maybe try and keep a little bit back that you haven’t assigned to a daily budget. That way if you’re sat by the Seine having the time of your life and don’t want to go home then you don’t have to. Have the extra glass of wine because you will never be there in that exact moment again.

4. If you want to lie in, fucking lie in. I don’t get this whole waking up at eight am on holiday and then running around until you pass out from exhaustion. Don’t forget you’re on holiday. You’re literally supposed to be having a break. When you go home you’ll probably be back to the working life grind. You can get up early then. Remember to relax, the place will still be there when you wake up. Allow yourself to sleep past twelve if you’ve been out the night before enjoying the booze.

5. Make your trip your own. What I mean by that is research the place you’re going to. Don’t just hit the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe. By all means visit them. I’m in Paris right now and I’ve been to all of them! But finds ways to make the city you’re own. I like to find amazing veggie food using HappyCow. I love to find well-known and hidden away bookshops and spending all my money and time there. I love finding any park, locating the fountain (they’ve all got one) and then just sitting there in the sun listening to the water. I’m actually sat in Jardin des Tuileries right now writing this! I like to find alternative bars and an Irish pub cos I just think that’s hilarious. Take the time to do things other people won’t ever do because that’s what gets you up in the morning.

6. And duh, always remember to have fun! Sounds like an easy thing to do but sometimes it’s not. So give yourself that minute to fume and the person who just pushed in front of you on the metro but then release it and carry on with your excellent day.

Paris (Ooh La La) – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

April 11, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, bookstagram, life, Paris, relax, selfcare, selflove, travel, wanderlust, writersofig
The Travelling Book Bag

Today’s post will be a quick one cos I’m off exploring beautiful Paris but I’m really trying to stick to a regular posting schedule for you guys! Tuesdays are my book days. I don’t leave the house without a book. Do you? Sometimes I carry three or four. But I’m working on that. I live and breathe books, basically. Today I got to finally go to Shakespeare and Company after many years of waiting! It did not disappoint. I wanted to buy every single book. So I settled for five.

Below I have mixed together two of my favourite things: books and travel. Here is a list of books about travel. Or about a city. They’re books that focus on travelling within the plot, as part of a theme, or just in the words they say, they make you feel part of the world they’re describing. Completely immersed. Whether it’s Patti Smith’s love letter to New York or the powerful revolution in Animal Farm and their creation of a new home. Enjoy!

Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen

Brooklyn – Colm Tóibín

A Darker Shade of Magic – V. E. Schwab

Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi

A Caribbean Mystery – Agatha Christie

Astray – Emma Donoghue

The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin

Conversations With Friends – Sally Rooney

Just Kids – Patti Smith

The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J. K. Rowling

Wild – Cheryl Strayed

Tales of the City – Armistead Maupin

The Northern Lights – Phillip Pullman

The Power – Naomi Alderman

Animal Farm – George Orwell

Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere

April 9, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, books, bookstagram, life, Paris, shakespeareandco, travel, wanderlust, writersofig
Berlin Vegan Food + Drink

I’m currently sat on the Eurostar to Paris for the week with Danny, so I thought what better time to continue the world adventures series. Today we’ll be flashing back to February when we were in Berlin. I love Berlin. If I could live anywhere in the world it would be Liverpool, Dublin, Berlin or New York. I’ve always felt an unusual affinity with Berlin and I have no idea why. Before I ever went there I knew I’d feel at home. And since going in twentyseventeen I’ve been rushing back whenever I can. One of my favourite parts of Berlin is the insanely good and varied vegan food as well as the relaxed, alternative nightlife. We only popped over for a quick couple of days this time but we managed to fit in some delicious food and, of course, unlimited bier. Okay, let’s get going!

Dada Falafel

My sister recommended this to us and as we arrived at our Airbnb in the early evening we were famished! I got a falafel platter and it was amazing. Gigantic, crunchy falafel balls as well as hummus’, salads and pittas. Beware: there was an insanely hot sauce on this plate that looked like an innocent tomato sauce, don’t be fooled! Not solely vegan but very tasty and lovely staff who were happy to politely take the piss out of two English dickheads trying to use German fresh off the plane.

Die Bar

This little bar is in Prenzlauer Berg right by our apartment. It’s small and cosy with very low atmospheric lighting. Table service when it’s not rammed. This gin bar has over forty different gins as well as good beers and moorish cocktails. One thing to note about Berlin is it’s still legal to smoke indoors. If that’s something that might bother you then just be careful where you go. This place had a very cave-like ambiance that we really enjoyed but it meant smoke was very much in your lungs the entire time!

Samadhi

After spending a morning touristing around the Reichstag Dome and the Tiergarten we were ready for some delicious food. After a quick look on HappyCow we saw this little southeast Asian place just past the Jewish memorial. And man, are we glad we found it! It was delicious. They’re fully veggie but more than happy to make most of their dishes vegan. I had a tofu fried rice which just makes anything you cook at home taste like utter garbage. We also had a beer there that was like a German Guinness type thing. Was tasty.

Brammibals Donuts

Need I say more? This is a fully vegan donut shop! Really cute interior and friendly staff. We had oat milk lattes and too many donuts. They seem to switch the donuts around a lot however if the chocolate peanut butter one is there, get it! So good.

Soulcat

This bar is a lovely cosy venue with bright red walls that plays only vinyl records selected by the bartender. Very welcoming and great music choices. The Liverpool/Bayern Munich game was being shown when we were there (we tried to keep our scouse voices on the down low, turns out most of the people were actually Liverpool fans since Munich is obviously a Berlin rival) but we just sat in a little nook away from the big screen and it was perfectly pleasant. Another thing to note about Berlin is a heck of a lot of the bars are still cash only so don’t be caught out!

Lerchen&Eulen

This is hands down my favourite place in Berlin. What I love most about the Berlin nightlife is the fact you don’t have to go to the pub then come one am go off to some horrendous club and dance. A lot of bars are open til five and six am but they just stay as relaxed, causal, cosy places to sit and drink wine by candlelight. Literally so calming and fun. I first stumbled across this place a couple of years ago when I was with my sister and her boyfriend. She wanted to go in cos they had lots of nice plants outside! So glad we went in and now it’s a cosy bar I’ll head to every time I’m there.

Street Angels

This place, man, this place I had the most disgusting burger of my life. Zero exaggeration. I was so feeling just like a really good veggie burger and then we found this place on HappyCow so headed over. I don’t want to slate the venue itself because the place was nice, very quiet but it had just opened, and the staff were very friendly. But under no circumstances do I want anyone reading this to ever eat that burger! So I had to warn you. It was all kinds of wrong. Had like potato in, looked so crispy and good on the outside but then was just like a weird mushy fiasco inside. Tasted of nothing. Don’t do it. On the plus side, for any meat eaters, Danny had a schnitzel and said it was very good!

Bämeräng

On our last night we went to this vegan rock bar and boy, we were not disappointed. We had some nachos and garlic bread and some really weird Berlin delicacy which was just like dense bread with thick butter on and crispy onion bits (we were not a fan). We also had some huge steins of beer, cos, Germany. It was a small little place and we didn’t want to take up space for too long but the guy was really friendly and when he brought us another beer he brought some pretzels. Then he convinced us to try the tiramisu and I was easily convinced because I love tiramisu but have never had a vegan one. It was incredible. Next thing we know the guy puts a shot down on our table and we’re thinking errr we didn’t order those and then he said it’s a peppermint liqueur that’s very popular in Berlin. Oh, and it was free. It was delicious and we left feeling completely satisfied but also happy about how fucking lovely the service had been. Feels intimidating at first because it’s so small but we would definitely go back!

Hunger – Of Monsters and Men

April 7, 2019

adventure, amwriting, berlin, blogger, booze, drink, food, germant, life, plantstrong, pubs, travel, travel adventures, vegan, veganfood, wanderlust, writersofig
Minimalist Packing List

So for this week’s self-care post I thought I’d do something a little different. One thing I’ve not really spoken about on my blog is minimalism. I’d like to think I’ve been living a minimalist lifestyle for about five years now. I haven’t spoke about it much in my posts because I don’t necessarily think of it as something I do so much as something I am. I don’t know if that sounds obnoxious. What I mean is I live my life always with the intention of keeping things minimal, having things with function. But I don’t sit down and think ‘okay, how can I be ‘minimalist’ today’. Get me? So I’ve seen the huge surge of minimalism and konmaring recently and believe me, I’m all for it, but other than telling you what possessions I own I didn’t see how I could have anything to say about it. But I’m going to Paris next week and I always try to take inspiration from my life for the self-care posts, so then it hit me. I’ll do a packing list. Stick with me here.

I think as humans we can easily get overwhelmed. Often we make problems for ourselves. An area we tend to do this is going on holiday, or moving, or just generally having to look at things we own and decide whether they’re worth putting in a bag. Holidays, for example, are supposed to be a magical time. We’re literally supposed to be having the time of our lives. But who can tell me you haven’t started a holiday in the worst mood imaginable because your partner/dad/mate told you to hurry up, you underestimated how long you take to roll things and now you’ve got a bin bag of wet knickers in your hand luggage that you’re gonna have to dry when you get there and a face like a smacked arse? It should be simple. Hassle-free.

So I’m going to break it down for you.

Everyone’s packing list will be different. That’s the first thing. Because everyone has different priorities. But I presume we all wear clothes and brush our teeth and need passports to fly. So we’ll keep it open.

My first experience of minimalism was probably when I moved to uni with a seven-seater full to the brim of belongings. I also had a room on the third floor with no lift. I quickly reevaluated my life. Slowly I decreased my possessions until third year when I was flying to America for an exchange year. One suitcase and one carry on. That was my limit. This trip was already costing me so much, I certainly wasn’t paying for extra luggage! So I had to really evaluate what I thought I needed to survive. What things did I need in my life to feel safe and satisfied and functional. And so my hard turn into minimalism began. And you know what you instantly find? Fucking hell, is that shit freeing. I felt like I wasn’t being held back anymore. Even now, I feel like at the drop of a hat I could be packed up and ready for an adventure. I know where every possession I own is. Think about that. Cos I think that’s a really important part of minimalism. If you don’t know where it is or what it is then what exactly is its purpose? Do you know where everything you own is right now?

But before this post itself overwhelms you, let’s move on. We’ll work towards that. For now let’s just perfect the packing list because isn’t running away from our problems way more fun?

Sarah’s Minimalist Packing List

Passport

Phone + Wallet

Book and/or Headphones (I don’t know your life, though if you don’t go everywhere with a book I do not trust you)

Other electronics (laptop, tablet, camera etc)

Chargers

Papers (tickets, boarding passes, travel insurance policies, maps, or just you know, go paperless, man)

Water Bottle + Cloth Bag

Small pouch (lip sil, tissues, bobble, plasters, hand sanitiser, atomiser, portable charger, pen)

Bigger Toiletries (hair/tooth brushes, tooth paste, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, sun cream)

Clothes (jacket/coat x1, hoodie/jumper x2, shoes, jeans x2, t-shirts/underwear xamount-of-days-not-three-weeks-more-than-necessary, hat/gloves/sunglasses/swimwear (weather dependent), pjs)

Anything you need to make you feel human. Maybe it’s a bullet journal, maybe it’s a pair of straighteners, maybe it’s a teddy bear, hey no judgment here. As long as the object is serving a valid function for you and your trip then bring it along. You only need to justify it to yourself. If you come back from this trip and it hasn’t been used, remove it and don’t take it again. You’ll learn as you go. But don’t be breaking your back carting round garbage you don’t need. You’re not a pack mule. Now go and enjoy your trip!

ps. Shot every time I said minimal/ist/ism.

Little Talks – Of Monsters and Men

April 4, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, holiday, minimalism, minimalist, minimalistpacking, packing, packinglist, selfcare, selflove, travel, vacation, writersofig
World Adventures: Manchester Food + Drink

As promised, here, for our second World Adventures post, is my food and drink recommendations for Manchester. Where to even begin! Just reading this is gonna make you feel full. Not hungry, full. We were so full all weekend we could barely drink a pint! Just too much liquid. All the vegan food we had was absolutely amazing though! We also found a few favourite pubs around the Northern Quarter. Everything we went to was less than ten minutes walk away from our Airbnb. We’re now big fans of the Northern Quarter! Let’s stop this chit chat though cos we’ve got a lot to get through!

Go Falafel

Dude, best falafel in the North West. Without a doubt. It saddens me every day that I haven’t found a better one in Liverpool and I’ll keep looking. But for now I’d rather pop on a train when I’m craving insanely tasty deep fried chickpea goodness. Get a wrap or get a bowl, you literally can’t go wrong.

Pasta Factory

My first time at the pasta factory. It’s an authentic Italian restaurant with fresh pasta made in the kitchen. And a surprising amount of vegan options. I got a creamy, pesto, courgette spaghetti. Was fucking divine. Note to self: you will not need a starter, even an innocence breadoilolive combo. Also try the red Coca Cola, really good.

Little Aladdin

Dude, where to even begin with Aladdin’s. It’s a little kebab looking shop with plastic seats that turned vegan a while back. But don’t let your prejudices cloud your judgement. This place is no bullshit. The curries are amazing. There’s cheesy fries and burgers and wraps and homemade brownies. The people are always very friendly. Great value. And I’d definitely recommend the tofu/falafel wrap combo.

The Koffee Pot

Our apartment was literally on top of this place and people always looked like they were having a great breakfast inside! We finally caved on the Sunday and went in. They boast a different cooked breakfast from all four corners of the U.K., Danny can recommend the Scottish. The vegan breakfast was great though, could have done without the vegan black pudding but that’s just me!

V Rev

This I’ve known about for ages and just figured it wouldn’t live up to the hype. I was, of course, wrong. Burgers don’t come with fries, if you want to leave with your jeans closed I wouldn’t add them. I got a Jimmy Pesto which was buttermilk seitan, cashew pesto goodness. Such delicious goodness. Also loads of cocktails. Just go.

Castle Hotel

Probably my favourite pub of the weekend. Can be a bit of a squeeze if busy but if you get a seat you could stay all night. Nice atmosphere, dingy in all the right ways. Open late and even had mulled cider on! It was Christmas like, but still! Also has a venue room where live bands play.

Crown & Kettle

This place is a must if you love cider cos they have a cider bar! Yeah. An entire bar for cider. It’s bliss. There’s also lots of games to play. It’s a nice circular pub with a few nooks to sit. Just a lovely chilled out vibe, definitely recommend.

Shakespeare Pub

This one we honestly ran into to avoid the rain. I did appreciate the name though. It ended up being quite cute, aside from the loud drunk people next to us at three pm. But it was pay day weekend and the week before Christmas so what can you expect? Nice little place.

Sinclairs Oyster Bar

Right round the corner from Victoria station, this small and very old pub is a delight. Small selection of drinks but cheap. Lots of chairs and little hidden areas. We spent hours here just playing cards. Very relaxed.

And there you have it! I’d love to know your Manchester recommendations. Next week we’ll be jumping on a train to Birmingham!

Hey Now – The Regrettes

February 13, 2019

adventure, amwriting, bevvies, blogger, booze, cider, drink, food, manchester, plantstrong, travel, vegan, veganfood, writersofig
World Adventures: Manchester Books

So I want to start a new segment on my blog dedicated to travel. To my world adventures. Even when they’re just around the corner. Cos I think it’s fun to hear where other people have been. But also getting recommendations for sights and bars and food and pubs and bookshops (most importantly) is really handy. Also I just think it’s fun to be nosy sometimes. So here begins the world adventures. We’re starting small by just hopping over to Manchester (I’m from Liverpool for any of you nerds that don’t know).

In 2018 I challenged myself to buy only 12 books. Whether I did that or not is for a future post (I know, what a tease). But here I find myself in mid-December absolutely sure I shouldn’t be buying any more books yet wanting to explore all the excellent bookshops in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Enter my excellent boyfriend, Danny. This little gem treated me to five, read em, FIVE, new books on our weekend away and I guess that’s why he’s the best person ever. Basically all we did on this trip was eat, drink and browse bookshelves so I figured I’d start with the books!

Magma

Book Purchased: Devotion – Patti Smith

For the first couple of days of our trip we kept walking past this shop. Every time a different book caught our eye in their front display and we ended up stopping to look. Whoever curated that display, and indeed the entire shop’s catalogue, is a bloody genius. It’s quite a hipster little shop with a boutique feel. But as I say, could not fault the book choices. I wanted every book in there! From the Corbyn Annual to feminist non-fictions and from the illustrated Communist Manifesto to books on plants, it was bougie and spectacular!

Oxfam

Book Purchased: Dept. of Speculation – Jenny Offill

An oldy but a goodie. If you didn’t know that Oxfam stocks amazing books then literally where have you been? This one is no different, many secondhand gems. However the moment I saw this book I knew it would be mine. I read the Kindle edition when I was at uni in America and I loved it. This book is excellent. On further browsing there was about fifteen other books I would have had as well!

Paramount Books

Books Purchased: Aminal Farm – George Orwell, The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte

This amazing secondhand shop is only open the later half of the week so beware. It’s open til late though and blasts excellent tunes onto the street all day long. It’s a Black Books type of shop were there is so much to look at and you don’t want to miss a thing yet it’s overwhelming. Also you don’t want to piss anyone off. There’s ‘no mobile phone’ signs everywhere (literally Bernard) but the atmosphere is friendly and the collection is vast. When we made our purchase the guy also offered us a piece of fruit from a bowl at the register. How boss! I also found a lovely edition of Animal Farm for like £4 so how could I not?

Travelling Man

Book Purchased: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – Debbie Tung

We happened to stumbled across this hidden treasure as we were walking to Chapter One Books. It’s literally next door. I’m not sure it’s a bookshop so much a geeky shop. I don’t know the technical term, but I mean no disrespect. I loved it! There was endless manga and board games and funko pops and merch. There was also I gigantic section of graphic novels and the like. I enjoy graphic novels but I don’t know much about them. Then I noticed this book by Debbie Tung and I was completely drawn to it! A quick flick through promised beautiful illustration. A shop I’ll definitely be adding to my favourites.

Chapter One Books

One little bonus was this wonderful cafe! We didn’t buy any books here although there are some on display that you can buy. We went there expecting more books to browse to be honest but we weren’t too disappointed. The staff were friendly, the coffee was good and the atmosphere was chill. Gave us time to admire all my new books! Would go again.

Pt.2 Coming Soon. (Featuring many ciders and vegan treats.)

You’re Not Alone – Astræa

February 6, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, books, bookshop, bookstagram, life, manchester, selfcare, selflove, travel
twentynineteen

Well twentyeighteen disappeared into thin air didn’t it? Seems like just yesterday I was in a cottage in Wales bringing in the new year and writing last year’s version of this post. (I guess we’ll make it a tradition.) I was so full of hope and just, quite frankly, desperate for change and a chance to breathe after a shocking twentyseventeen. And you know what? It wasn’t a bad year. I’d say the positive definitely fought to be heard louder than the negative and I was very happy about that. I learnt a lot about myself, as I think you should aim to do every year. Lifelong learner and all that. There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. There were days when my heart was so full I thought it would burst. From joy. And from grief. There was lots of tears but maybe a few more smiles. My years will always be tinged with some sadness and thoughts of what could have been but won’t. But I’m still a kid, right? I don’t want to stop living. So I’m working on the perfect cocktail of misery and ecstasy. That’s the best I can do for now.

But let’s focus on fucking fun for a sec. Here are the boss things twentyeighteen brought me: I met my best mate and the boy I wouldn’t mind spending every day with; went to a prosecco party in Norwich; ate my body weight in vegan mac and cheese in Glasgow; saw Wicked at the Empire; had a gin crawl in Liverpool; went to Dublin, then went to Dublin, then went to Dublin again; had drunken sleepovers; went on two boozey cruises filled with ska on the Thames; sang Hamilton all around the Lakes; saw Legally Blonde at the Empire; danced to reggae in the Baltic Triangle; went to a casino and won fifty quid at black jack; went to Lake Fucking Como for my sister’s 30th; gave blood; ran away to Wales for the weekend; ate so many olives; saw Franz Ferdinand and The Cribs at a warehouse in Manchester; watched all the Rocky movies; floated around County Clare for a week sipping Guinness and being constantly blown away by the views; saw the Terracotta Warriors on their visit to Liverpool; turned a quarter of a century, yikes; played a lot of Mario Kart; saw a hundred women sing together at St George’s Hall; saw Liquidiation turn a quarter of a century; drank too many cocktails back in Norwich; went for a spa day with my boy; got blind day drunk with my work kids for Christmas; ate and drank and read my way through Manchester with the boy; had a couple of afternoon teas with the family; went to the pinewoods a lot; fixed my phone screen (proud moment for me); read fifty books; ate so much good food; watched so many amazing movies; drank copious amounts of booze at some awesome watering holes; and just spent time with the coolest people a person could ever hope to know.

So yeah, it was pretty sound, I reckon. I’m feeling pretty grateful and optimistic moving into 2019.

What are my intentions for the year?

They’re pretty similar to last year. I want to continue to better myself. I’m still working on being present. I want to do yoga and meditate and journal and write and read and dance and eat and drink and just live. I plan to wake up each day thankful that I’m alive. I want to get uncomfortable and try new things. I also want to hide in my reading cave and not see humans for five days. I think I can manage both! I want to see sunrises and stargaze. I want to inhale lots of love in and exhale lots of love out. That’s an Adriene reference for any of you who know what’s up. But really I think it’s just a good way to live. Plus nineteen is my favourite number so twentynineteen fucking owes me.

It’s gonna be a good one. Can’t you feel it?

You Get What You Give – New Radicals

January 13, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, family, life, love, new adventures, selfcare, selflove, twentyeighteen, twentynineteen, writersofig
Tattoo Origins: 53 03’ 40’’ N 9 21’ 46’’ W

These are the coordinates to my favourite place on earth. Yesterday I got to visit there again after three long years.

It’s been quite a while since our last tattoo origins story. I guess that’s because I find them quite draining. I love tattoos. And I love my tattoos. But the gravity I think comes with inking something permanently onto yourself means all my tattoos have very personal and emotional reasons for being there. They’re not secret, obviously, since I’m telling you about them. But sometimes they’re hard to write because I want to articulate their importance perfectly and that almost never happens. So it’s been a while. But yesterday made me realise this was the next journey for us to conquer together. So, onwards.

If you’ve read any blog post by me ever, or even just had a conversation with me, then you’ll know my family are the single most important thing in my life, bar nothing. Their journey is my journey. And my journey is theirs. We’re so wonderfully intertwined. I love them. Put in the simplest terms possible. Diving deeper, they are the reason I breathe. The reason I get out of bed. Fight Live another day. Hearing their voices, reading their sarcasm, feeling close to them is all I need to sustain myself.

You’ll probably also know that I love Ireland. The country just holds a special place in my heart. It’s my family’s home, so it’s my home. Aside from Liverpool, it’s where I feel most safe.

So how do these two facts collide to create this tattoo? And where is this place I’ve drawn on myself forever?

My favourite place in the world is a small slice of the Burren that stretches out alongside the Wild Atlantic Way. Driving from Doolin towards Fanore, just as the road turns to give you a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean, there is a small gravelled area to park a car. Park there. Cross the road, carefully. Climb down onto the world’s largest limestone pavement and breathe. Feel the harsh breeze from the water hit your face, close your eyes. Breathe deeply. You have arrived. You are alive.

My family and I have been travelling to the west coast of Ireland since the eighties, my brother’s first time being when he was still in our mother’s tummy. County Clare is our favourite. The Burren is possibly the world’s biggest playground and as kids we were mesmerised. I don’t recall the first time we ever found this little spot. But I’m thankful every day that we did. Every visit we’d park the car, wrap up in hats and scarves and coats, and just go. Whilst my sisters would hang back with our mum, casually exploring (they were older and more relaxed), my brother and I would run until we felt the sweat dripping down our backs beneath the winter layers. Under the watchful eye of our dad, it is a clifftop, we’d play the Burren game: no stepping on anything other than rock. You touch grass and you lose. Working our way to the cliff’s edge we’d all eventually pause. Blown away by the crashing waves below and the endless vastness that lay out in front of us.

It’s standing in that exact spot, looking at the ocean, that I’ve continued to come back to over the years. It calls to me. There’s nowhere in the world that I feel vibrates with such possibility. I could stare at the water forever. Yesterday was one of the windiest times I’ve ever been there. The powerful, white waves crashed so hard into the jagged black rocks next to me that I was periodically sprayed with fresh salty water. Feeling it hit my cold skin I felt alive. Peaceful. But secure. And loved. I don’t know how a place can make you feel that way. I think it must be magic. But all I know is I am one with that nameless piece of land. It is me. It has a way of emptying my mind and making me see clearly. About what I want. About what’s important. About what my life should look like. It guides me. Just as my mother guides me. It makes me feel safe. This spot is mine.

I’ll be attached to that place forever. It is my past, my present and my future. I just hope I don’t wait so long next time for the craving pull to ignite action inside me.

All I Am – Jess Glynne

October 9, 2018

adventure, amwriting, atlanticocean, blogger, burren, countyclare, family, fun, ireland, love, ocean, peace, tattoo, tattoomeaning, tattooorigin, travel
Veggie/Vegan Liverpool

I think the world would be a better more fabulous place if it was just a tad more veggie so here are four of my ultimate favourite veggie/vegan joints in Liverpool!

The Egg Café

No Liverpool vegetarian or vegan article would be complete without The Egg. This is the original Liverpool veggie hangout and a great place to start your adventure. Housed in a listed building off Bold Street, The Egg offers delicious casual dining. Perfect for meeting friends or enjoying a quiet lunch to yourself. There’s some staples on the menu like soups, hummus, quiche and cheese on toast. The garlic bread is a must! However, the café also rotates ever-changing mains like lasagnes, moussakas and curries. If that’s not enough they also have a BOYB policy! Corkage is a quid each and makes the treacherous walk up the infamous spiral staircase worth it.

http://www.eggcafe.co.uk/index.html

Sanskruti

Liverpool’s first ever veggie and vegan Indian restaurant, housed in the business district, is the perfect next stop on your veggie journey. Located right by Moorfields, Sanskruti offers a wide variety of dishes to match India’s vibrant cuisine and culture. Whether it’s the ‘Thalis’ of Gujarat, the ‘Dosas’ of South India or the ‘Chaats’ of Mumbai you’re in for a unique experience. The daal makhani is an absolute must as is the mushroom rice. Your visit is also not complete without ordering the family naan (even if you’re on your own). It’s gigantic and comes presented on a massive skewer. Lovely staff and very pleasant atmosphere.

http://www.sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk/liverpool/

Down the Hatch

Possibly the place you’ve all been waiting for. Praise for this relatively new venue has been spreading like wildfire. Although when you’re boasting vegan junk food how could it not? People are curious what that looks like, possibly deep-fried salad? Well what it looks like is decadent burgers, delicious pizza fries, comforting mac and cheese as well as endless homemade cocktails. Residing in a basement on Duke Street, the restaurant has a cosy and casual feel. The staff are very friendly and helpful to any newbies. They’ve also started selling their own vegan mayo and the sriracha one is not to be missed!

https://www.facebook.com/downthehatchLIV/

Greendays Café

If you’re looking for something a bit out the city then this gem on Lark Lane is perfect. It has a similar vibe to The Egg and is very bohemian and relaxed. The portions are huge and the prices are low. The veggie breakfast is a definite must! The staff are friendly and the venue feels very homey. This is partly due to size, so try to go off peak if you want to ensure you get a table! There’s also a Groupon for vegan brownies and milkshakes currently on offer: https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/greendays-cafe-2

https://www.facebook.com/greendayscafeliverpool/

Best of My Love – The Emotions

September 3, 2018

adventure, food, independentliverpool, junkfood, Liverpool, plantstrong, vegan, veganfood, vegetarian, veggie