30 Sept 2018

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

On one of our days in Split, Croatia, we decided to do a boat trip so we could see a bit more of the dalmatian coast. It was a bit of a weird boat trip tbh, slightly hampered by the uncomfortable boat (I ended up with a really sore back the next day) and some drunk and rowdy Spaniards. It was a small group and small boat so pretty hard to ignore them and whilst at first, they were just plain annoying, by the end they actual became really aggressive and tried to start a physical fight with the boat captain (whilst he was steering the boat) because – and I quote – ‘I want a cold beer’. So, yeah, that did put a bit of a downer on the day but we did enjoy the actual stops. We had fun snorkelling in the blue lagoon and spent a short but truly sweet hour in Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Trogir is lovely but we were there at golden hour, as the sunset bathed the whole town in a beautiful light, which gave it a real magical feel. We did a lot of wandering, making a drink stop and another ice cream stop along the way. The closer to sunset we got, the more beautiful the town became and by the time we were in the boat heading home, the sky was truly spectacular.

Naturally I took a shit load of photos:

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia
Feel I should probs point out that I had a wet swimsuit on underneath my clothes. Not quite at the leaking-boobs-stage-of-life just yet. 

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

Golden Hour In Trogir, Croatia

23 Sept 2018

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

I have a strange obsession with waterfalls. They’re really rather hypnotic don’t ya think?

I will admit, Krka National Park in Croatia was a lot busier than I was prepared for but still absolutely, 100%, worth visiting because it was just as beautiful as imagined. Croatia really knows how to do a sexy waterfall.

The practical bit – Krka is about an hour drive from Split. If, like us, you don’t have a car, we booked this tour which was perfect because it simply took us to and from the park and nothing else – exactly what we wanted. We took a coach ride to Skradin and then caught the boat that took us into the park itself. We spent about five hours in the park in total and that was plenty of time to do the walk all the way round the main area, have some lunch and then go swimming – yes, swimming.

It’s a stunning place. Lush foliage, crystal-clear, emerald-green waters and so. many. waterfalls. We wandered, gazed open-mouthed at the stunning water and took approx. 8968976 photos of the waterfalls. Couldn’t help myself.

There’s one area of the park where you’re allowed to go swimming in the water with a waterfall pounding down behind you, and it’s a little bit magical. If I could do it again, I would absolutely go first thing in the morning so you could swim by yourself – just to make the experience even more surreal. It felt once-in-a-lifetime and I had a little moment by myself as I hung onto the rope near the waterfall; I’m so lucky to be able to be able to do things like this.

Some photos!

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

Swimming In Krka National Park, Croatia

17 Sept 2018

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Hey hey.

Am currently living my most glamorous life: sat on an easy jet plane, middle seat, trying not to itch my mozzie-bite-covered legs and having dreams of a brie and pickle toastie. Don’t say I don’t treat ya with these little insights into my daily life.

We’re heading home! And I’m kinda okay with it. As good a time as I just had, I swear the mosquito bites and sweat-induced blisters were pushing me towards a mild tantrum. My ankle is swollen. My feet are truly battered. My legs look like I’m suffering from chicken pox. And don’t even get me started on what suncream does to my acne; jesus. I do not scream ‘week in the sun’ although I swear I was just in 30c heat for the past 7 days.

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

So yes, Croatia.

We based ourselves in Split, a coastal city surrounded by mountains; we settled on it because it was the most convenient for visiting a cheeky national park or two which was at the top of my to-do list whilst in Croatia.

On our first night – after arriving at 8 in the evening and immediately wanting food – we headed to the water front, drawn in like moths to a flame. It was heaving. There was a gag-inducing sulphur smell. There were bars with thumping music. We had an over-priced, underwhelming meal and yes, I felt a hint of mild panic that Split was way off what I’d imagined.

We were woefully unprepared for the expense (we literally spent double our food budget) and the level of tourists. Fuck me there were a lot of em. There were cruise ships piling in, and walking tours in abundance and so many freakin’ selfie sticks. Yes, yes I know; I was one of the tourists but I am not a cruise ship/walking tour/selfie stick kinda girl and there were aspects of Split (see: waterfront) that were there exactly for that kinda gal, hence why I wondered if I was in the wrong place.

I wasn’t. But it did take me a couple of days to start to get a grasp on Split, to decide if I liked it. It felt like a city that was still deciding what it wanted to be and I had to see both sides before making my mind up. Spoiler: big thumbs up from me. Yes, I was disappointed by the thumping bars, the crowds, the fast food places; but if you can put that aside (unless thumping bars are your bag, in which case, do your thang), Split has so much to offer and was a great base for us to get a little taste of Croatia.

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

The Dalmatian coast is a dream. We had a couple of beach days and did a boat trip, and every time I swam in that impossibly crystal-clear sea, I felt so lucky. We saw the most spectacular sunset, snorkelled in the blue lagoon and explored the historic city of Trojir, a UNESCO world heritage site. Oh and I discovered a baileys and banana cocktail; where you been all my life pal?

We also visited Krka National Park which demonstrated the surreal beauty of Croatia and we swam amongst the emerald waters at the bottom of the waterfalls with big grins on our faces.

As for the city itself, we stayed in a lovely little Airbnb up the hill – about ten minutes out of town – with spectacular sea views and lovely hosts. They brought freshly-made crepes to our door on our final morning! I fell hard and fast in love with Diocletian’s Palace; the living heart of Split. For those not in the know, it’s an ancient Roman structure; not an actual palace or museum though. It’s enormous! An entire town packed full of atmosphere, quaint bars & fairy-lit restaurants. You enter a different world in the palace and it’s where we spent the majority of our time when we were in the centre. There was always something to stumble across; usually people dancing in some shape or form – both organised and spontaneous. We got lost amongst those labyrinthine streets countless times and would find yet another new undiscovered area, just waiting for us to set up camp, drink local wine and nibble on dalmatian cheese.  I loved the terracotta rooftops and the narrow streets, the local buskers and the stray cats, the breadth of history and the gorgeous, ancient architecture.

Split was a slow-burner; I wish I could have stayed longer and I can’t wait to explore more of Croatia one day.

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia

Postcards From Croatia


7 Sept 2018

Bye Summer, Hello September

Bye Summer, Hello September

Bake Off is back. I’ve started to dig out the blankets in an evening. I’m wearing jeans. I keep thinking of stews.

Autumn is nearly here lads.

Summer has been ridiculously hot and ridiculously jam packed, and so many memories have been made. We did our incredible highland road trip, I found my wedding dress, went to the Edinburgh fringe festival for the first time, had weekends in IrelandDevon and the peak district and tried to embrace the heatwave by spending plenty of time outside with loved ones drinking fruit cider.

Honestly though? I’m knackered. I had a ball and I wouldn’t change it; but I’m slowly learning to accept that, unless I have consciously chosen to go abroad and embrace it, high heats make me irritable, mess with my concentration and completely fuck with how I feel about myself. It’s a hard one to explain without sounding like some summer version of the Grinch. I really enjoy the summer – I could give you a very long list of all my favourite things about it (those magical summer evenings being one) – but my heart does truly swell when September arrives.

Ah September; what a babe. She invigorates me in a way no other month can (I will always maintain that January is the worst month to attempt to revamp your life; it’s like a month-long hangover for crying out loud). It’s that classic new-year-at-school/uni feeling that, despite leaving education a good five years ago, still comes flooding back to me every time 1st September shows her face. It’s like I’m waking up; shaking off the lethargy and hangovers. It makes me want to organise the shit out of my life, tackle projects and just generally be sassy and ON IT. Basically it motivates me to be the best version of myself. It makes me feel the best version of myself. And that’s a grand feeling.

It also helps that I freakin’ love Autumn and September signals the start of the cooler months. You guys, bonfire night! Knitwear!   C H R I S T M A S. Golden leaves and candles and all the hygge; oh my!

Since September arrived last week, I’ve cleared out my wardrobe, emptied my work inbox, got back to putting my photo albums together, finally got my hair cut and started to change the aspects of my routine that have been bugging me for a while. And I’ve been swanning around in jeans, sandals and a light jacket; absolutely living for the blue skies and 19c temperatures.

I feel so organised, and so me.

And now, I’m off to Croatia. Because I didn’t really think all of the above through when I was booking my summer holiday back in January. Still, excited for one last summer experience and for all the autumnal vibes waiting for me when I get home.


4 Sept 2018

Five Years Since University: This Time Of Life

Five years since university

At the beginning of September 2013, I moved out of Bath for good. It had been 3 wonderful, ridiculous years in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I’d spent a year in halls, 2 years in a shared house and 9 weeks in different halls specifically rented out for the summer; a final hurrah if you like. It was these halls where the above photo was taken at the end of a drunken night and where I moved out of at the beginning of September; it had been a particularly hot, lazy summer clinging on to that ‘student vibe’ right until the end. And then I entered adult life. Lol.

FIVE YEARS.

It feels like an age and yet it feels like no time at all.

I always wanted to go to university. I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is about university and the life of students I find so alluring. It is entirely possible that I am on old romantic but I will always love the feeling you get when on a university campus; the possibility and adventure of it all. I was lucky in that my university experience met most of my expectations (there were some disappointments of course but that’s life), however, the downside of this is that leaving university was fucking hard. I was pretty done with shared accommodation and not being able to escape ex boyfriends sure, but no one really prepares you for the fact that you build an entire life in those three years and then suddenly, it’s gone, and you’re back in your childhood bedroom like it was all some kind of dream and you’d never left.

I struggled in the first few months post-uni. I was grieving so many things, had NO idea what the fuck I was supposed to do with the rest of my life and my mum insisted on feeding me vegetables all the damn time (love ya mum, thanks for making sure I get my nutrients).

And yet, now I’ve lived five years of being a ‘proper adult’ (and feed myself vegetables…. kinda), I am beginning to think that this time of life is actually my favourite yet. It’s harder, more confusing and infinitely more terrifying then anything that came before but also the most interesting and exciting.

Anything goes these days. After years of always being at the same stage, all my friends are now moving at completely different paces, doing completely different things; and it’s so fascinating to watch. It one week I can celebrate a friend getting engaged, another friend taking a leap and starting a new career and another friend quitting their job to go travelling. Equally I can watch long-term relationships fall apart, take little reassurance in the fact that none of us know what the hell we’re doing and feel completely alarmed that I am now six months away from the age I always said I wanted to have a baby at.

This time of life is full of uncertainty and possibility and that combination means it’s a time of life where anything can happen. Sure, ‘anything’ could be good or bad but that’s half the fun. When one door closes and all that jazz. It’s a time where wine is drunk, travel is experienced and friendships are well and truly cemented.

And in the meantime, we’re learning about who we are, becoming more comfortable in our own skin, embracing our quirks and slowly letting go of the shit that doesn’t matter.

This time of life may have caused me more anxiety than any other but I sure as hell wouldn’t change it. Here's to five years of adulting lads.