31 Dec 2019

2019: A Year In Review

Cor blimey, this won’t be a year we will forget any time soon. There is no way that, for Gary and I, this year won’t be remembered as the-year-we-got-married-and-bought-a-house and all that came with that. It’s been a bit mad, a bit hectic, a bit sometimes-anxiety-provoking but for the most part, it’s been pretty darn special. Here’s a round up of 2019!

JANUARY

We kicked off the year with a bang; heading to our wedding pub to see in 2019 with booze and our wedding band Katie Plus Juan. I wasn’t really feeling going out to begin with but ended up dancing and laughing until about 3am; the best kind of night. I felt all creative and excited for the year ahead – we had so much planned. We spent a lot of the month doing wedding admin, including my first dress fitting; it all suddenly felt a lot closer the other side of Dec 31st!

We also squeezed in a trip to the Kent countryside with my family, I headed to Towcester for a weekend with my girls and we introduced my mum and step-dad to Gary’s family which, again, made the wedding feel much more real! Plus I challenged myself to take a photo every day to keep doing something creative amongst all the madness.

Favourite moments – drunkenly dancing around the kitchen in the early hours of new years day & trying on my wedding dress for the first time.

FEBRUARY

February started with snow and ended with a freak heatwave. It was weird. I celebrated my twenty seventh birthday with lunch in Sketch and finally going to see The Lion King at the theatre (oh and ate huge doughnuts), and the next day Gary and I celebrated four years together with a night out at a cheese and wine bar. I think I found myself in a weird mood come the end of the month. It was over a year since we got engaged and I was impatient for the wedding now, but my birthday made me do a minor double take, mostly because my younger self used to think 27 was a good age to have my first baby. Come again? I found myself wanting to time to hurry up and also slow down.

Favourite moments – taking photos in the Sketch toilets with Alice (if you know, you know), scoffing huge doughnuts from Doughnut Time on my birthday, drinking huge glasses of gin to celebrate our four year anniversary, going for a walk without a jacket in the bizarre sunshine at the end of the month.

MARCH

Luckily, the beginning of March snapped me out of that mood as I kicked off the month in Lancaster with my girls. It was exactly what I needed to set me right and I will always be grateful for friends who can do that for me.

The highlight of March was absolutely my hen do in the peak district. I had a blast. Every time I think about it, even now, I feel so darn happy. I felt so lucky and grateful for the beautiful people I call my friends, and came away from the weekend feeling so incredibly loved. I will never not feel emotional at the effort Lizzie and Becca went to organise it for me or chuckle every time I hear the song Africa.

Favourite moments – every moment of my hen do, it’s impossible to pick just one although the moment I first arrived and saw everyone waiting for me with a glass of prosecco does spring to mind.

APRIL

Shit ramped up in April. It felt like we came out of a lull wedding-wise and there was suddenly so much to do. Just to add to our fun, somewhat spontaneously and earlier than expected, we started house viewings and immediately fell for the first one we saw which complicated things!

I took Gary on a surprise weekend in Suffolk for his birthday where we stayed in a windmill. It was a lovely relaxed weekend, interspersed with phone calls to the estate agents trying to arrange a second viewing.

A week later – on the 12th April to be exact – we made an offer on the house and it was accepted. I was in a café when Gary rung to tell me and I can remember wrapping my half-eaten flapjack up in a napkin and running through town like a flapping pigeon.

As a result, our Easter weekend was filled with Ikea trips and browsing kitchen catalogues!

Favourite moments – chilling out in our windmill in Suffolk, finding out the offer on our house had been accepted, sitting in the sunshine in the pub garden browsing kitchen catalogues during Easter weekend.

MAY

May was a lovely one. I’m sure there were moments of stress but my overwhelming memory is of feeling relaxed and excited. I went to stay with my dad for a few days, did a photography course I’d long wanted to do and had a lovely day with my girls a couple of weeks before the wedding where I got to see their bridesmaid dresses in the flesh for the first time. I also got to set my out of office for nearly a month which was uhmazing.

Favourite moments – the girls prancing around my tiny flat kitchen in their bridesmaid dresses, feeling proud at some of the photos I took on the course, finishing my last day at work for nearly a month, the day before our wedding when all our family and friends arrived and we spent the afternoon/evening jumping between pubs and restaurants to catch-up with everyone.

JUNE

What. A. Month. 1 June 2019 was our wedding day and it really was one of the happiest days of my life – yup, I’m a cliché. Everything just felt perfect for us and we had a whale of a time. It was such a special day.

Our honeymoon was also a dream. We spent a week in New York – our favourite city - before flying out to California for a ten-day adventure, covering San Francisco, Sonoma Valley, the Redwoods and Yosemite National Park. It was once in a lifetime and a trip we will never forget.

A complete whirlwind of a month but one we will be talking about for the rest of our lives!

Favourite moments – I honestly wouldn’t even know where to begin. Watching a stunning sunset over the Manhattan skyline, seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, the first moment we arrived in the wonder that was Yosemite National Park… to name a few - there are so many! You can read all of my favourite moments from our wedding day here.

JULY

My main memory of July is packing. The Move was upon us and we had to push through any post-wedding, post-honeymoon blues to get shit sorted. Whilst stressful, it does prevent you from brooding too much should you also be wondering what to do with yourself after a major life event/holiday. Leaving our flat carried so many emotions; we were excited to begin the next chapter but that flat and those three and a bit years in St Albans will always be so special to us. It really was bittersweet.

Favourite moments – picking up the keys to our new house, having a moment stood outside our lovely flat the night before we left, having a picnic in our new garden on moving day – the packing was over and we were in!

AUGUST

And so the DIY began! The house has turned into way more of a project than we had really prepared ourselves for and a lot of work and love is going into it. August was the start – the paint brushes were out! The temperatures were bloody hot and the house was bloody messy but we were doing this!

Favourite moments – getting the office painted and a desk set-up – the first small step! A brief trip to Kent to visit Gary's friends and family. Heading to Towcester on the bank holiday where we were given wine, a baked Camembert, good company and a lawnmower; it was as a welcome break from painting. Thanks Claire and Bec!

SEPTEMBER

This month feels blurry. Work was hectic, we started the bedroom renovation; I felt wound up and like there was so much to do. I was genuinely surprised when we were suddenly at the end of the month – where did it go?

We spent the final few days in Devon which was well timed; we had a week doing nothing apart from eating and reading which was probably what prevented us from losing the plot slightly.

Favourite moment – the golden leaves appearing and getting the opportunity to breathe in some sea air and actually, well, breathe.

OCTOBER

October was a weird one. Whilst I had a lovely weekend in Nice, France with my family, there were also a few events that threw me off kilter and I’ve not felt that anxious in a long time. A sad and frustrating one for the most part.

Favourite moment – walking along the Promenade des Anglaise in Nice at sunset. It was stunning and a rare moment of peace during October.

NOVEMBER

A month that made me feel like me again. The girls and I had our annual weekend away to the countryside – this year to Warwickshire – and there’s nothing like some of your favourite people, autumnal countryside and a roast dinner to make you feel calmer again. The weekend after, I went on another venture to the countryside with my uni brother and sister and it was so good to catch up with them. There was also a surreal moment when we realised we were staying in a famous tv presenter's house which was very amusing.

On the back of October, I also challenged myself to National Novel Writing Month. If you’re unfamiliar, the concept is to write 50,000 words in a month, to focus on getting your novel down and worry about the editing later. I already had a busy November planned so I knew I would never get anywhere near the final word count but the year had been so hectic that I’d had very little time to write, and the challenge put a rocket up my arse. I came away from the month £15k words up and was really happy about it.

Favourite moments – walking down a country lane lined with autumnal trees with my girls, the moment Greg, Hayley and I realised whose house we were in (cue much laughter), typing away every day, twinkling Christmas lights starting to appear everywhere.

DECEMBER

And finally! December has been more relaxed than normal, with little desire to jump into party season and plenty of desire to just potter about with the Christmas tree twinkling in the background. It’s been a mammoth year and we were ready to stop. New Year’s Eve plans don’t go much further than good food and a few films and I’m happy about it.

Favourite moments – putting our first Christmas tree up in our new house, chilling out at my dads for a few days before Christmas, introducing Gavin & Stacey to my mum & step-dad on Christmas Day, taking a Boxing Day trip to Ikea (we can’t stop) and our master bedroom finally being ready to move into, just before the year is out!

Happy new year folks x

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30 Dec 2019

When Travel Goes Wrong: The Stories From 2019

I’m not saying I’m cursed or anything but public transport and/or the weather have been known to fail me quite epically whilst trying to get somewhere. I’ve been stranded in Brussels, pulled out of mud by a tractor, ended up in completely the wrong part of the country thanks to a train derailment, driven up the motorway during the beast from the east and I’m always getting travel sick. I do try to see the funny side when writing up the stories for the blog and amusingly, they are some of my most popular blog posts. So here are the stories from 2019. Thanks for enjoying my pain guys.

Er, why are we in Miami?

Not entirely sure I’m over this one tbh because it happened ON OUR HONEYMOON. Ffs. Alright, yes, a major first world problem but still. No one wants to spend part of their honeymoon stuck in Miami airport. Which, just so we are clear, is like the very centre of the seven circles of hell.

We’d just had a dreamy week in New York and were ready for our flight to San Francisco and the next part of our adventure so I practically skipped into JFK airport. And then we found out our flight was cancelled and I promptly stopped skipping. We were told we would have to turn back around and traipse to La Guardia airport, fly to Philadelphia and then be on standby for a flight to San Francisco. She may as well have told me I had to go sit in a bath full of spiders and I may have had a tantrum at the desk. My tears suddenly made her look a little harder and she presented us with the ‘best’ alternative which was to fly from JFK to Miami, wait in Miami airport for 4 hours and then do the 6 hour flight to San Francisco. No it did not make any geographical sense. Yes it turned our 6 hour flight into a 21 hour door-to-door journey. Yes it tested our very new marriage. Miami International airport had a huge, flowery ‘peace and love’ sign in it but we felt neither. It was like a huge shopping centre we couldn’t escape from. There was a hefty amount of British sarcasm about not being eaten by crocodiles. A burger so disgusting we agreed to never speak of it again. I had to beg the guy behind the desk to actually allow us to sit together and, despite the fact the flight is 6 hours long, domestic American Airlines flights apparently don’t have in-flight entertainment.

To top it off, British Airways refused to take any responsibility for the fiasco despite the fact all our flights were booked through them and American Airlines were not obliged to give us any compensation because they operate outside the EU law. So we got nada apart from the lovely honeymoon memories of our day out to Miami airport. I do begrudgingly admit that the plane views were rather good.

Boiled alive on a bus

I’m just going to dive right in on this one – the air conditioning failed on our minibus between Yosemite and San Francisco and the temperature outside was hot. Inside that bus, the temperatures were pushing the perfect boil-human-alive numbers. We’d been camping in Yosemite and hadn’t showered in two days, none of the windows would open and I was approximately 50% sweat, 50% angry gremlin. I am genuinely surprised someone on that bus didn’t snap and murder everyone in a delirious state. I can honestly say, I have never been that hot. Not in recent heatwaves, not in Singapore, not if I chose to sleep in a fucking oven. It was horrendous.

The only respite in that six hour journey was a supermarket stop which, blessed relief, had air conditioning. I marched up to the drinks counter and asked the guy if I could just buy a cup of ice without the drink. He was distracted and clearly thought I was a bit mental (picture me in hiking gear, un-showered, sweat everywhere, a delirious look in my eye) so just told me to help myself for free. I took an American extra-large cup and filled it with ice chips and then spent the rest of the journey either eating them or dropping them down the back of my t-shirt which was an improvement but didn’t really curb the delirium. At one point, the hellishness of the heat finally cracking me, I started laughing hysterically like a possessed banshee whilst throwing ice cubes at my face. We haven’t spoken about it since.

Stuck on a plane with drunk misogynists

Such a strange experience on our flight home from Nice, France. During the safety procedures, some moronic bloke behind us kept talking in an extra-loud and arrogant voice, telling the entire plane why he thought Brexit was a good idea. The air steward had to tell him to be quiet three times and the entire plane had firmly decided that the guy was a plonker. We’re literally on the runway, about to take off, I’m all ready to stick on my noise-cancelling headphones to drown out his stupid voice, and then suddenly the plane is swinging around and returning to the airport because ‘passengers are not complying with safety procedures’. Aka the guy had been talking throughout the entire thing. Never again will I have one eye on the in-flight entertainment during the safety demonstrations – no one wants to be the wanker delaying the flight.

So we’re then sat in – basically – a parking space not knowing what the hell is going on. There’s talk of someone being thrown off the plane but I can’t work out whether it’s the idiot behind us or some thing else has happened. You’d think this might make the moron shut up in the hope that he isn’t about to get kicked off the flight but oh no. He starts loudly bitching about the air steward and – I found out later – called her a ‘fat cow’. I missed this because I was trying to phase him out. My sister on the other hand – who was sat three seats away and closest to him – didn’t miss it and, it’s fair, to say flipped out. One minute I was scrolling through holiday photos determinedly not listening to anything he said and the next I was nearly dropping my phone because my sister had spun around in her seat and started shouting at him, kindly (okay not really) pointing out that the way he was talking about and treating women was horrific. Because you can never leave a sister (literally) to fight em alone, I immediately shouted YOU TELL HIM GIRL much to the amusement of my mum and step-dad who were sat between us. The woman sat directly behind me then shouted GOOD FOR YOU GIRLS so it really was a merry old party.

I’m not sure he got the point though because he was heard muttering that ‘clearly none of the women on the plane got laid recently’ so we will be making him re-sit his how-not-to-be-a-misogynist exam.

It then transpired that the person they were throwing off the plane was actually some drunk dude at the front so christ knows what drama we’d missed up there. Unfortunately, this meant we had to spend the rest of the flight, and passport control the other end, listening to our moron chat up a woman via the means of sexist jokes. She genuinely seemed to find them hilarious and LEFT THE AIRPORT WITH HIM. I have no words.

He also made sure the whole plane knew that he was a Trump supporter. Exactly 0 people were surprised.

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29 Dec 2019

The Best Books I Read In 2019

It’s that time of year again. I’ve no idea what day it is or what’s going on with my sleeping pattern but I know that I’m supposed to be reflecting on 2019 and planning ahead for 2020. In fact, I’m watching Toy Story 4. I’m okay with my life choices right now.

Here are my favourite books from the last 12 months.

The Bees by Laline Paull

What a book. A dystopia set in a beehive and one bee is rebelling against the totalitarian state. Yes, the characters are bees. It’s weird. It’s brilliant.

Eve of Man by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher

A friend recommended this to me cos she knows I’m a sucker for a bit of YA dystopian fiction and it did not disappoint. Basic premise – until Eve, no female baby had been born for 50 years. She is the last girl on Earth, kept hidden away in the Tower until she is old enough to procreate because the future of humanity rests with her. Whilst not quite as good, if you’re a fan of The Hunger Games, you’ll definitely enjoy this.

Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger

If you’ve come across this beauty, then you may understand why a cookbook has made it onto this list. This book is one of a kind. Part cookbook, part memoir. A cookbook that begins with a story and a suicide attempt. A cookbook full of lovely illustrations and a devastating love story. I have read this book on and off throughout the year. It’s gentle and wholesome and makes you want to cling onto the small, lovely things in life – of which this book is one.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

A memoir that had been read by millions around the globe and made into a film starring Julia Roberts – you could say I was late to the party. Following a nasty divorce and an intense, unhealthy relationship, Liz embarks on a year-long journey across the world; splitting the year between Italy, India and Indonesia on a mission to rediscover herself. Whilst I found the time in India a little dragging and the whole talking-to-god thing not to my taste, on the whole, this is a really interesting and empowering story, and a great travel tale.

Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd

Absolutely fascinating memoir by one of the UK’s most prominent pathologists who has been involved in some high-profile cases including serial killers, natural disasters and freak accidents. I raced through this account of an extraordinary career and would highly recommend – unless you’re squeamish.

Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story by Leah Hazard

You know the drill with these type of books; I’m sure there has probably been one for every front-line profession now and that’s because they are so interesting. This one – as you probably guessed – gives you an insight into the life of an NHS midwife and some incredible true stories of the women she has cared for.

Paris For One by Jojo Moyes

A lovely little book full of heartwarming short stories. One to read if you need cheering up or just want something cute and charming.

My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

This book kicks off with the main character, Korede, reflecting about the hardest places to scrub clean of blood. Which she knows a lot about; this is the third man her sister has murdered in ‘self-defence’. Examining the relationship between sisters, and what happens when her sister goes after the doctor Korede has long adored, this is a classic love triangle with the added twist of murder. It’s not what you expect, it’s not a thriller or a crime drama, it examines the complexities of family relationships and it’s funny, full of razor-sharp wit. One of my faves from the year.

A Half Baked Idea by Olivia Potts

A lovely, lovely memoir about how Olivia turned to baking after the sudden death of her mother and eventually gave up her career as a barrister and enrolled on Diplôme de Pâtisserie at Le Corden Bleu, plunging herself into the world of patisserie. It’s heartbreaking, hilarious and completely heartwarming. Be warned – it’s also interspersed with recipes and will make you very hungry. The banana and Rolo cake is dreamy.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I could not wait to get my hands on Margaret Attwood’s new instalment of Gilead’s world and it did not disappoint. I raced through it and, controversially, might have enjoyed it more than The Handmaid’s Tale? Whilst the original will always be a classic, I think I found The Testament’s more accessible and loved finding out more details of the world. Terrifying, but a brilliant book.

Killing It / The Nursery by Asia Mackay

An assassin… with a baby. Need I say more? Loved the concept of this; a new mum trying to go back to work after maternity leave, only her job involves assassinating people and she has to keep it secret from her husband. If you like Killing Eve, I can imagine you liking this book series. Am looking forward to the next.

The Night Shift Before Christmas by Adam Kay

Following on from his original best seller, which I loved, this is a little stocking-filler of a book where Adam returns to his diaries from when he worked over Christmas as a junior doctor. Short but still just as funny and a great accompaniment to his original memoir.

Happy reading folks x

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

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27 Dec 2019

California Adventures: San Francisco Travel Diary Pt 2

Sweet Maple

On our next full day in the city (part 1 here), we had a late brunch (we were somewhat ‘delicate’ after a trip to Wine Country the day before) at Sweet Maple. This was from my pre-trip research list and it is very popular but 100% worth queuing for in my opinion. Gary went for the ‘two eggs any style’ and I went for the ‘Big Hip’ – their famous deep-friend French toast. Absolutely delicious. The real attraction though? Their trademarked (!) Millionaire’s Bacon. Thick, free-range bacon baked with brown sugar, cayenne, red and black pepper. Gary’s breakfast came with but I got some as an additional side because I just had to try this out for myself. It was a taste like no other, a bit bonkers and a bit epic. The only way I can think to describe it. Add to your San Francisco bucket list!

Painted Ladies

Although San Francisco is full of beautiful, pastel coloured Victorian houses (although we hadn’t seen that many yet what with staying near the financial district), there’s one set in particular that’s famous and we headed there with our bellies full of Millionaire’s Bacon. Commonly referred to as the Painted Ladies, this line of houses are beautiful and iconic and we couldn’t not go to see them. They are on the edge of a pretty park and the San Francisco skyline sits behind them so all in all, it’s a lovely little spot for taking in the view. I was also delighted when a VW van drove by just as I was taking a photo!

We spent the rest of the afternoon building an impressive step-count as we wandered in and out of several neighbourhoods. We saw the Mrs Doubtfire house to satisfy my younger self and wandered around Chinatown. I’ll admit that I didn’t love the vibe of just wandering, like I do in other cities. I felt perhaps I was missing something but – as I discovered later – we just hadn’t found the right bit yet. We did take a walk along the pier in front of our hotel when we got back which reinforced my opinion that the waterfront was (at that point in the trip) my favourite bit.

Alcatraz

One of the world’s most notorious and best-known prisons, our visit to Alcatraz was a highlight of our trip for both of us and I can’t recommend enough. You have to book plenty in advance (up to 90 days) and I would highly recommend booking the night tour. It was eerie and immense, being on that little outcrop in the middle of the ocean as the sky started to darken. Plus, there are great views of the San Francisco skyline lit up at night and it just felt appropriate to visit the world’s most notorious prison in the dark, making it all the more spooky and Hitchcockian. The audio tour around the prison is so, so interesting but the extra talks and events put on in the evening are what made the experience and totally worth the marginally higher price that you pay for the night tour. The best one (and by far the most popular) was by a guy who spent twenty years in prison for second-degree murder and spoke of his experiences in prison but also what it was like to then come back out into society. It was fascinating.

Cable Car

We spent our next day out of the city visiting the tallest trees in the world (more on that soon). On our fifth day, we started with brunch at Jane on Larkin which felt very ‘hipster’ and actually provided us with healthy food, which we promptly ruined by following it up with a trip to Mr Holmes Bakehouse. Admittedly this was one we went to because I got drawn in by the Instagram hype. By the time we got there, they had sold out of their famous cruffins which was kinda disappointing but we still weren’t gonna turn down the opportunity to sample some of their other baked goods. I went for the chocolate banana doughnut and Gary had the lemon meringue croissant and we both snaffled them down in record time, and then had to de-sugar our clothes afterwards.

We needed to get back to the hotel to check out so – finally – we hopped onto one of the iconic cable cars which headed down the hill back to the waterfront. They were everything you want them to be – retro, iconic, the big leaver, the bell jingling, people hopping on and off, people standing on the steps and clinging on. It was so much fun and one of the best ways to experience those San Francisco hills. If you want a cable car recommendation – ride em downhill. Excellent views with the full effect of the steepness of the hills and the way they roll down to the water.

Height Ashbury

Without a doubt, our favourite area. Our second accommodation in San Francisco was a basement apartment in Ashbury Heights and we were immediately like oh this is what we’ve been missing. Whilst we’d had a great time so far, we mostly felt like we’d been in the big sites / tourist hotzones and moving here made us feel like we were experiencing local life for the first time. We loved. After checking into the Airbnb, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around, gazing open-mouthed at all the exquisite, colourful Victorian houses. Every. Single. One was a beauty. We also saw the famous Height Asbury street which stills gives off a hippie movement vibe (of which the area is famous for) and makes for excellent people watching. Our favourite find in this area though was, without a doubt, Zazie; a little French bistro with the most delicious food. Our first (yes we went back) meal there was the best of our entire time in California. Zazie are also extra special because they lead on the Tip Free movement; you don’t need to tip there at all as 25% of every menu item is paid directly to the staff as revenue shares. If you ever go, I highly recommend the baked hot chocolate – so good.

Final San Fran diary coming soon!

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16 Dec 2019

California Adventures: Wine Tasting In Sonoma Valley

I would love to bang out this post and sound like I’m now some connoisseur on wine but, alas, we drank the wine. All the wine. And the majority of the knowledge I gained was lost somewhere between my 24th glass and the nap I took on the way back to the hotel. Ah well.

Wine country, California. You can’t not go right? We were staying in San Francisco without a car (and even if we did have a car, you can’t just have one of you drink without causing a major argument on your honeymoon) so I did a lot of research as to how we could have a decent experience of wine country without feeling like we’d missed out or wasted money on a poor quality tour.

Enter: the Painted Ladies Tour Company. The main thing that pulled me in about these guys was the fact that the tour is in a vintage VW bus. Plus that also means the tour group is a max of 6 plus guide. Sold.

Our first stop was a photo stop at the Golden Gate Bridge which, given the fog at our last visit, we were more than happy to make sure we got a photo whilst we could actually see it! And then we drove out into wine country which was pretty much exactly how I imagined. The clouds melted as we left San Francisco and we drove through the winding roads, staring at rows and rows of vines in the glorious sunshine.

We visited four different wineries in Sonoma Valley and we had a ball. The tour was absolutely on point.

Each vineyard we visited was different but equally interesting. Our first stop was a very tranquil setting; huge and perhaps with a touch of glamour. Think the vineyard out of The Parent Trap (if you don’t get that reference, I can’t help you). The second – where we stopped for lunch – was similar, only with a deli. The third was a cute rustic cabin, much more stripped back and relaxed, and the fourth had a cool, underground bar vibe going on, with a hilarious barman who had never seen snow before (blew my mind).

We didn’t have a tasting session at the second winery but utilised their deli for our lunch stop and we had the tastiest cheeseboard sat in the sunshine. The rest of the group took a break from wine over lunch… Gary and I did not. It just seemed appropriate to go for a glass with lunch so we ended up having more wine than everybody else, which may explain why I fell asleep on the way home. Still, no body could accuse me of not making the most of it.

We tried 6-10 wines in each of the three wineries; white, reds, dessert, ports – the whole hog. And yes, we were suitably pissed by mid-afternoon. Each place had a really informative wine connoisseur who talked us through each wine and the process of how the vineyard worked and the process of making the wines. Even if you didn’t like wine, it was so interesting. Luckily we do, and there wasn’t a wine we didn’t try. By the end of the day, we were firm friends with the other two couples in the group, a little bit in love with the guide and his playlists and convinced we were now wine experts. The whole vibe was really relaxed and civilised and it was such a lovely way to experience Sonoma Valley.

Ending the day by driving through Californian wine country in a VW bus, with bellies full of wine and The Beatles playing on the radio (the same song I walked down the aisle to) was probably one of my favourite moments of our honeymoon.