Why I Love... Where I Live

My love affair with my neighbourhood - Clarendon Park in Leicester - began six years ago, when I first visited the area for a colleague’s birthday celebrations.

I’m not sure if it was her stories of guerrilla gardeners or the excellent tapas at Barceloneta, but the next morning I found myself searching online for rooms to rent and a couple of months later I made the move.

On that first day, hungry from unpacking boxes, I stepped out in search of lunch – and almost immediately bumped into a friendly neighbour who warmly welcomed me to the street.

Fifteen minutes later, the guy chattily wrapping up my doorstop sandwich at Salvador Deli offered to lend me a hand if I needed any help shifting heavy boxes or putting up shelves. I was going to be happy here...

So starts the beginning of an article I've written for Leicester's cultural magazine Great Central! 

You can read the rest of the article HERE - including insights from former and future Weekend Reviewers David, aka One Man and His Loaf. and Ruth from Clarendon Spark (who I have to credit for the photo at the top of this page!)

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A night at the drive-in

I've just moved into a new decade of my life. In the lead up to this momentous occasion, I had attempted to  complete a list of "30 things to do before 30" - inspired by friends and fellow bloggers.

I say "attempted", because I didn't get far past writing half the ideas down, let alone ticking all them all off. Never mind. I've extended the deadline another 10 years.

And I'm pleased to report that last  weekend I ticked one of those boxes - and I didn't have to fly long haul to do it. Motion in Motion have brought the American drive-in experience to the UK (more specifically, the East Midlands) and were kind enough to let us into one of their first events. 

So on Saturday night, Paul and I packed up his Fiesta (we didn't dare brave my attractive-but-uncomfortably-tiny-convertible) and drove through sunny Leicestershire countryside to the Prestwold driving centre, for a screening of Dirty Dancing. (Fittingly the romantic 80s classic also turns 30 this year!)

Arriving around 90 minutes before the film started, we were ushered into a great spot on the second row back. Once parked, we were quick to go in search of dinner - locking eyes almost immediately with Peter Pizza  (weirdly I'd thought earlier that day that I'd not had one of their sourdough creations for a while).  Kindly the chef allowed me to be nosy and climb inside their van to watch our pizzas go into the woodfired oven. 

To wash it down, Paul opted for a super sweet milkshake creation from the Shake, Waffle and Roll van - while I rather boringly got a tea.

Back in the car we pushed back the front seats and got comfy - and increasingly excited as the sun began to dip and the big screen became visible - prompting us to tune our radios into a particular FM frequency. The car stereo sprung to life with a selection of tunes from the film (and boy, is it a good soundtrack!).

There was a small delay in the advertised starting time of 9pm, but the general pleasant atmosphere and being in the comfort of our own car meant we were happy to just chat and sing along to the radio. Plus the darker it got, the better the screen view.

And then it began - and I quickly remembered how much I like the film, plus we had the added novelty of the situation. It felt a bit like we were in a film when other cars flashed their lights to grab the attention of the stewards walking and rollerskating around with sweets and popcorn. I half expected Rizo from Grease to saunter by.

Our enjoyment wasn't dampened (ha) when the rain started pouring - our only concern was how many car batteries might die if we all had to use the wipers for the full film.  As the temperature dropped, we snuggled into the duvet we'd brought with us.

Unlike being in a normal cinema, it was absolutely fine for us to loudly comment on the film - but we weren't in a complete bubble. We were happily reminded of the other cars and their occupants at key moments in the film - e.g. "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" - when horns started beeping and headlights illuminated the screen.

We left (swiftly guided by stewards) listening to the end credit music until the FM frequency was out of range, with big grins. Fully recommended night out.

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Why I Love... Working in Cafes

If you’ve never done it, working from home seems like the dream – and I have to admit there can be real joy in a 20 step commute to ‘the office’, a uniform which can happily incorporate novelty pyjama bottoms, and full control of the radio dial. 

But, as a semi-regular home-worker, I find it’s not always the greatest. We humans are flawed creatures; prone to distractions, loneliness and chocolate-eating.

I’m never one to actively procrastinate; I’ve truthfully never binged on box sets in work hours – I couldn’t live with the guilt or build-up of emails. But other things shift my focus from report writing and Excel spreadsheets – mainly, despairing over my messy house.

It’s true there’s no risk of distraction from work colleagues at home, and this can be a massive bonus when I need to be completely absorbed in something without any interruptions. But equally being alone for too long is rubbish. On these days, I’m so desperate for company I’ll make up reasons to call my boss and am a little too keen to make conversation with anyone/thing I come into contact with (the postman, fellow shoppers in the Co-op, Siri.)

Of course there’s an alternative, and one that seems to fix many of my issues with home working. It does require me to lose the PJs, but for some reason my productivity levels soar when I move my portable office (i.e. laptop, notepad and phone) to a cafe.

We’re lucky in Leicester to have loads of great independent coffee spots with friendly staff and fast wifi. Just before Christmas I profiled a few of these places for Great Central magazine - which you can read HERE

But, there is a small disclaimer - yes, I might have paid for a flat white, but this does not entitle me to be kept warm, connected and fully charged for a whole day. So I stand by the following:

1. As a general rule, one coffee equals 60 to 90 minutes of work time. If you’re also having breakfast/lunch, you can just about push this to two hours.
2. Be open to sharing your space, especially if the place is rammed. You might even make a new friend/creative collaborator.
3. Don't take long phone calls if they are clearly going to be overheard and therefore annoying to everyone else. See also - use headphones when playing audio

Are you a cafe worker? Would love to hear your tips for non-office working!

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Travel: Hermanus

This weekend I'm getting increasingly excited about my upcoming trip to Amsterdam - for our annual mother/daughter getaway - while praying for my cold to go away. Perhaps three years is a bit premature to deem an event "a tradition", but I think these things can be as much about intention as they are past evidence!

It started in September 2014, when mum won a holiday of her choosing through her work (yes, I know!) and decided this was the opportunity to go on her dream holiday. Being hugely interested in all things nature, and a David Attenborough worshipper, she'd always fancied a safari - so that was the starting point for what turned out to be an amazing 10 days in South Africa.

I've never fully written about our trip online, so thought I'd take the opportunity now (as I sit under a blanket feeling a bit grotty) to share some of our experiences on what is one of the best holidays of my life, so far.

To start... Hermanus

After the 11 hour flight from London to Cape Town we were picked up by car and travelled another 90 minutes to the seaside town of Hermanus.

Why here you say? Because during springtime in SA it’s where you can stand on the coast and clearly see Southern Right Whales frolicking in the waves. We also thought it would be a calm location to relax into the holiday before we tackled the more touristically-demanding streets of Cape Town.

We weren't disappointed. Not only did we see the whales almost immediately after arriving - helped by the whale caller, a man who blows a huge pipe whenever a whale is spotted - but we continued to see them from the comfort of our hotel balcony.

And when we weren't looking at the whales, there was plenty of other nature to wonder at - from the dassies (who the locals consider a nuisance but we thought were quite cute!) to the absolutely stunning flora and fauna, set against the sea.

Hermanus also offers lots of lovely boutique shops, with a few surprises - including an antiques shop with it's own retro cinema (sadly there was nothing being screened during our visit). In one shop I bought some locally-made, brightly coloured pottery as a memento.

Where we ate

When travelling I generally use two methods to find the best places to eat - search Tripadvisor for restaurant reviews and/or ask a friendly local where to eat. These proved very successful for us in Hermanus...

• The Eatery: This lunch spot was recommended to us by the owner of a beautiful shop selling regional crafts. We both had vegetable and beef soup, with a thick slice of toast - delicious! Add in two coffees and a bottle of water, and it came to just R95 (around £2.50 each!) - it was a this point we realised just how favourable the exchange rate was for us.

• The Cuckoo Tree: Run by a mother and daughter, this restaurant has only a handful of tables - including out in their lovely courtyard, which is also frequented by lots of garden birds. We had a delicious two-course lunch - I opted for toast topped with roasted veg, goats cheese, salad and nuts, followed by an almond and fruit tart with homemade orange ice-cream (see above) - delicious!

• Bergundy: Only 30 seconds from our hotel, this is where we ticked off two SA specialities - malva pudding (like a light sticky toffee pudding) and bobotie (spiced mince meat and dried fruit topped with a layer of egg - very tasty but also very rich - we only managed to half a portion!)

Next, we travelled on to Cape Town...

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Travel: A day at Sandringham

We're big fans of Norfolk and have reported back from holidays there - including one weekend together - a number of times (see here, here, here and here for examples!)

So it's no real surprise that I found myself back in the eastern county just a few weeks ago, when Paul and myself gatecrashed my parents' summer holiday.

Most of our break was spent in and around our beach-side cottage and nearby Hunstanton - playing the 2p machines, eating our weight in fish and chips, taking short walks with the dog, playing board games and watching Wimbledon on the telly.

However, within this busy schedule, we (that is me, mum and Paul - dad took the opportunity to enjoy some time without us!) did find time for a day trip to the Queen's Norfolk retreat.

I'd visited Sandringham once before as a child, but only had a hazy recollection of standing by neatly trimmed hedges with my Granny, on a hot summer day. I'll definitely remember it clearly the second time round.

First stop was the museum, which contained a number of interesting displays on the history of the house and the Royals' relationship with it since 1862, plus a selection of vintage vehicles and gifted objects from all around the world. I was particularly amazed by a mini replica of a James Bond car, made for one of the princes, which took three months to make - who knows how much that's worth!

After refuelling at the stable cafe (one of the best cheese scones I've ever had) we headed into the house itself. Only a section of the downstairs is open, but as someone who can quickly develop "museum lethargy" I actually preferred this  - not to say I wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity to peek inside the Queen's bedroom given half the chance!

“Dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere in the world.””

— King George V

The thing that really made the house visit special was the attitude and the knowledge of the museum guides, who were dotted around each room. Not only did they know their stuff, but they delivered interesting nuggets of information with humour and energy which really got across the history of the house, but how the rooms are still used today. I'm not sure I entirely believe that Prince Philip himself uses a ride on mower to trim the grass, as one guide suggested...!

However the star attraction, particularly on a sunny day, has to be the 24 hectares of gardens. They're a mixture of highly manicured and more natural landscaping, dotted with sculptures, and overall stunningly beautiful. We took in the beautiful view looking back at the house, as we strolled over to the estate church, and wished we were floating in a boat on the lake.

Altogether we spent around four hours exploring the house and grounds, which felt a good length of time, before making our way back to our home-away-from-home on the coast. A fully recommended trip out.

Have you visited Sandringham - what were your impressions? What's your tip for a sunny day trip out in your neck of the woods?

Happy Friday!

We're nearly there! To ease you into the weekend, here's a few recommendations for your perusal and inspiration...

I've been absolutely gripped by Radio 4's 15 minute drama, Life Lines, which follows the calls of ambulance call handler, Carrie. Written by Al Smith, it's  been fascinating and often emotional to hear the 999 calls - even when I know they aren't real!

Sarah's thoughts on blogging for fun are really interesting. It's something we're often asked as bloggers - "Why do you do it?" - and while there's definitely more than one reason, ultimately it's because we just enjoy doing it (even if we too aren't immune to the occasional moments of doubt).

This week work has brought me to Oxford, where I've been enjoying the mash of traditional and modern architecture  - including the glass building (The Blavatnik School of Government) in the photo at the top of this post, which has just been nominated for a RIBA design award.

We've already blogged about the beautiful styled shoot by the Wedding Collective - which included cakes made by Elle. Now talented florist Louise, from Number 27 Floral Designs,  has posted her reflections on the day.

I 'm currently trying to simultaneously de-clutter and add character to my house. I admire anyone who can make their collecting habits look stylish, rather than messy - e.g. Kaylah's vintage globe collection

What have you discovered this week? Share your suggestions - whatever shape they may take - in the comment box below.

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