What I Read On Holiday

So, I'm a bit of a bookworm especially when it comes to holidays as allllll I do is read. This year I went away for 10 days and got through 8 books, pretty impressive huh? So the last of my summer posts brings to you my 'what I read on holiday' list. Most of these aren't summery books, and will be as equally enjoyable when you're curled up on the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping on a milky hot chocolate, sounds dreamy doesn't it? 

1. Dream A Little Dream- Giovanna Fletcher
It's no secret that I'm a huuuuuge fan of the Fletcher family. I have been to 3 McFly concerts and obsess over all of their #futuregoals vlogs, so it's only right I work my way through Gi's books. I read You're the One That I Want on my city break to Barcelona, so for this trip I ordered Dream A Little Dream, partly because the front cover screamed summer at me. I loved this book, and was genuinely sad when I finished it. If you're someone that loves a romantic story then this'll be right up your street. It's funny and super relatable, and I have the Christmas novella in my Amazon basket ready to be ordered!

 2 Just One Year- Gayle Forman
This book follows on from Just One Day, and has taught me one thing- always, always, always have the sequel(s) to hand. There is nothing worse then a book ending on a cliffhanger, and you not having the next one on in the series. Unfortunately, this book also finished on a cliff hanger, and I'm yet to purchase the next, but it did answer some unfinished questions. As a classic lost love kinda tale, you get to see things from a different perspective, and you'll find yourself wanting to skip to the end, to find out some answers.   

3. The Rosie Effect- Don Tillman
This book follows on from The Rosie Project, and lived up to my expectations. I struggled to get into the first book as it wasn't my typical romantic narrative that I was used to. It follows the thought process of a guy named Don, who is one of the most socially awkward characters I've ever come across, but also becomes one of the funniest characters I've ever read about. Without giving away any spoilers, The Rosie Effect continues to follow his journey into a milestone you'd never think he'd get to, with an ending that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside. 

4. Me Before You- JoJo Moyes
Beware, you will need tissues. After all the hype surrounding this book, I couldn't not get it and boy oh boy, it didn't disappoint. I was captivated after the first page, and just couldn't put it down. This story isn't your conventional boy meet girl novel, no no. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you angry and it'll make you cry. I was left sobbing by the pool, feeling emotionally lost, now you've gotta be a damn good author to have that effect on your readers. 

5. After You- JoJo Moyes
I'd learnt from my previous mistakes, and also bought the sequel to Me Before You with me, so I could continue reading about the characters I'd dedicated so much time to. If you're as invested in the first book as I was, then this one is a no brainer. This story follow the journey over unexpected bumps, and twisty bends, but you'll be guaranteed some closure. 

6. Beautiful Broken Things- Sara Barnard
I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I bought this book was because of the front cover, it's all gold and shiny. I did read the blurb too though, and was quite intrigued by it not being a romance novel. It tells a story of teenage friendships, which took me back to my teenage days, in a good and bad way. It left me feeling pretty nostalgic, and was a breath of fresh air in comparison to my usual romantic stories. 

7. Watermelon- Marian Keyes
Still to this day, I have no idea why this book was called Watermelon, not a clue, but it was a gooden none the less. This was a, 'I've got one book left for the flight home and one more day in the sun' book that I picked out of our apartment's bookshelf, but it didn't disappoint. It focuses on one of five sisters, each of whom have their own book, and will have you belly-laughing in no time. It's written in first person, which took a little getting used to, but it definitely brought the story to life. I'm now on the hunt for the next sister to read about. 

My amazon basket is filling up pretty damn quickly!

Lagos

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was prancing around in bikinis and swooning over the gorgeous beaches. It's only been just under two weeks, but if I could, I'd be hopping on the next plane out there. This was my third visit to Portugal, and Jay's second, but it was our first time in Lagos, so it was super exciting for the both of us.

Our home for the ten days was Apartmentos Turisticos Marsol, a quaint little complex equipped with plenty of cacti and a twelve-hole mini golf course just north of the main-centre. We knew the moment we drove through the town that we were going to have a jolly good holiday, and when the owners of the apartments have a giant smile on their face at your arrival, you know you've chosen a gooden.

The first evening was spent mooching round the gigantic Intermarche, where naturally I bought too many bars of Milka and not enough OJ. But with a fridge full of food, we headed off into town for some dinner. Our route took us down a steep old hill, which was never too fun on the way up, but when there's gorgeous cobbled streets, tiled walls and bustling souvenir shops, you can't really complain.

For the rest of our holiday we managed to split our days between relaxing by the pool and snorkelling in the sea. I'm a sucker for the big, blue ocean and when you pair that with the Algarve's gorgeous coastlines, you have a hard time dragging me away. We also managed to choose the hottest day of the whole holiday to explore the town by light, thank goodness for the rows of ice-cream shops & the gorgeous little place that we stopped by for some brunch- keep your eyes peeled for the next post.

In the evenings we managed to spend half of our nights cooking in the kitchen, and the other half trying out some gorgeous eateries. The favourite probably has to be O Camilo, a terraced restaurant that overlooked the beach. I was definitely not prepared for my sea-bass to still have the head on, I managed to play it cool though and keep my shit together. {Secretly I was dying inside!} After eating we'd normally wander round the town, stand and watch the buskers, grab a ice-cream and head back to play cards. One great place I deffo recommend for an evening is Pro Putting Garden. Think of a golf course, think of a putting green, then merge them together. It's great fun, and guarantees lots of laughs! I could keep rambling on forever about what we got up to, but I don't want to bore you. There's stills some exciting holiday blog posts to come. before the Autumn weather sets in- although I think it might already have!

Scarbados

Something University taught me was that spontaneous plans are always the best ones, and when you combine that with exploring new places then they are even better. So, when we woke up to sunshine and scorching temperatures (I've learnt 20 degrees is considered that up North) a few weekends ago we made the impromptu decision to spend the day at Scarborough, the closest thing we could get to Barbados. 

Obviously my touch-and-go stomach decided that it would be a good day to flare up, but after a delayed start we were tooting along. As usual we had a bit of a mare when it came to finding somewhere to park after missing pretty much all of the turns to parking, but after what seemed like forever, we were eventually parked and on our way to the beach (beach, let's go get a wave).  

The last time I went to Scarborough was when I was about thirteen so I can't remember much other than a few penguins at the Sea Life centre, so it was all pretty much new territory to me. I, of course, got way too excited when I saw donkeys on the beach (they had little hats on), and rainbow-coloured beach huts. Once I'd gotten over my excited-ness we found a sunny spot and settled down with some fish 'n' chips- they always taste soooo much better when you're surrounded by the salty sea air. 

In true English style the sun didn't stay shiny for long, so we took a wander over the clifftop and in true Beth style my tummy didn't stay happy for long- this was our cue to leave. Unfortunately this meant we didn't get to relive our Barcelona rowing experience or waste countless 2p's in the arcades, but that just gives us a good reason to go back!

How To Plan A City Break

When it comes to travelling I have the same cliché ambitions as any other dreamer, being able to quit your job and just travel the world with nothing but a camera and backpack to keep you company. But frankly, I'm just not ballsay enough, my funds are insufficient, and this dream crosses my other life-plan of owning cute country cottage with enough land for a Shetland pony. So, the next best thing for keeping my travel bug under bay is a city break.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love two-week holidays, especially when I come back feeling fabulously tanned, but this year we thought we'd go for something a little different, not that it took me four months to bring in some dollar. Neither me or Jay have ever been on a city break, so knowing where to start was a challenge. But we got their in the end, and as of 5:15pm today I will be bursting out of the office a little like this.

1. CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION
This is probably the hardest decision of them all, unless you know exactly where you want to go. With the popularity of city-breaks rising, there are so many new places popping up that you've probably never heard of. From this moment onwards Trip Advisor should be your new best friend. Take time to research into the city, to understand the best time of year to visit, the types of things you can see and do whilst your there, what food is on offer. More importantly, ask around. The best travel tips come from those who have already experienced it- it's the main reason as to why we chose Barcelona.

2. SET A BUDGET
Be realistic. I'm not suggesting you do something crazy like try and stick to only spending £462, but give yourself a price range. It'll help with the whole deciding on where to go part, and when it comes to booking flights, the earlier you book, they cheaper they are!

3. FIND A HOTEL
This is one we pondered over for far too many evenings. I spent hours on Booking.com, Trip Advisor and Airbnb searching for that perfect accommodation. Reality check, if it's a city break then you're most probably only going to be using the room to sleep in, so don't stress out. The most important factor is location. We've settled for a quirky, but budget, hostal that's has the most perfect location, there's a Mango Outlet store just across the road, meaning we can spend more of our budget on enjoying the surroundings, eating good food and buying a whole new wardrobe.

4. CREATE AN ITINERARY
I'm not one of those weirdos who has every single minute of their holiday planned out, but it turns out I do like to have an idea of what we want to do. When you're going away for a long summer holiday its quite easy to go with the flow, but when you only really have 3 whole days, you want to have some kind of kick-ass plan. Trip Advisor is great for getting the inside info on what you can't miss, and even if you don't go with anything pre-booked, you can still have a few ideas floating around.

See ya on the other side

Lusting for Fall

Don't get me wrong, I'm such a summer lover not just by birth, but because I love the beach, long warm evenings and the flowers the season brings. However, the last of our summer seems to be fading away and being replaced by rainy days, cold winds and dark mornings, which is making me even more ready for what September brings, and after reading my list of what I'm excited for, you might realize that you are too!

1. Mugs and mugs of hot coco
There's nothing more satisfying then coming in from a chilly day, making yourself a hot chocolate and curling up on the sofa under a blanket. 

2. Autumnal scents 
I am a candle obsessed blogger and the move into autumn means new scents of pumpkins, spiced oranges and campfires {Yankee have a divine range at the moment!}

3. Your wardrobe is full of knitwear
Each day is a struggle choosing which jumper or cardigan to wear instead of what skirt or dress

4. Boots
And every outfit is complimented by a beautiful pair of boots

5. The satisfaction of jumping into crisp, fallen leaves
And the colours of the trees make perfect Instagram pictures

6. Pumpkin carving
Everyone becomes an artist the night of Halloween

7. Salted caramel and caramel apples
Lip-smakingly good

8. Come November skies will be filled with fireworks and Bonfire ashes
Alongside sparklers, hot dogs, hats and gloves

9. Not forgetting the lead up to Christmas
Less than four months to go!

Maybe now you're ready to say goodbye to August, and hello to September!
{Disclamer: click on the photo to be taken to the source}

The sun has got his hat on

What glorious weather we have been having recently, the sun has been shining, birds have been singing and I have been stuck at work. Yes, whilst half of Britain basked in our mini-heatwave that made us warmer than the exotic lands of Spain and Greece, I was part of that other half who was stuck inside, following the fan around the room and spraying myself with water at every opportunity. It wasn't all doom and gloom though. I have managed to enjoy and appreciate this weather on a few occasions!

The first was a short bike ride with my sister to deliver some party invitations to a friend (yes, I felt like I was 7 again posting their envelopes through the door with their names written in gold, sparkly pen). I'm lucky enough to live right next door to fields and woods, making it a picturesque place for pedaling up and down hills. Granted, I did get eaten alive by bugs and it wasn't the most padded of seats, but I did have a nice bonding session with the littler version of me, even if I did give her no choice as to whether she was coming or not, and I got to enjoy the evening summer sun we all wish for when it's pouring with rain.

My second encounter with the big, yellow ball of fire happened over the weekend when I finally got to see my 'little sisters', not technically my little sisters but they might as well be. Mum gets to go every Friday afternoon to spend time with them, but due to my work schedule I cannot accompany her. So instead me and Jay spent our Saturday morning taking them to the park, splashing in a stream, hopping on stepping stones, singing copious amounts of nursery rhymes on the trampoline (ring-a-ring-a-roses and sleeping bunnies were popular choices) and enjoying a lunchtime BBQ. No better way to spend a Saturday, apart from the dodgy sunburn mark on my shoulder that better disappear before I go on holiday otherwise I will be spending my days trying to cover up the fact that I'm a typical British sun disaster, that I try to convince myself otherwise.

As of this week, the sun seems to be fed up and has gone back into hiding, although the Telegraph tells me that we are expected another heatwave, and it will be even hotter (a 'I'll believe it when I see it ideal)! The weather lady also promises me that it's going to be nice by the end of the week, and I hope she doesn't break her promises as I've got Friday off work (yay) and I'm off to London Zoo for their Sunset Safari. Keep your eyes peeled, as I will give you an update on how my adventures in London unfold later this week!