Getting to know you, getting to know me

The World Cup football final was last Sunday. Now normally the mere mention of the word sport elicits a groan from me and cues me rolling away from the torture I know is about to come my way. I can see the appeal of sport, really I can (those Rugby players are yum). I'm just not into it. Maybe it's because my first real memory of gym class at school is traipsing outside to play hockey whilst it was snowing and being frozen like a popsicle to my hockey stick. A hockey stick whacking you around the ankles hurts. A frozen hockey stick whacking you around the ankles is pure agony. Or maybe it's because I am the most awkwardly coordinated person ever and all I can think about when faced with the possibility of having to play sport is all the horrible things that could go wrong. Guys, I can't even walk in a straight line without tripping over my feet, why do you think passing me a ball/bat and asking me to run is a good idea??

But I am quite patriotic. And the World Cup is  all about supporting your country. Now, I love England. I am well proud of being British. Truly I am. But England are rubbish at football. And Argentina are good. And the majority of my family are Argentine... so I support Argentina during all football games. Sorry not sorry. (Argentina I still feel your lose deep within my soul. Germany, congrats and all that jazz.) Some people were surprised these past few weeks to discover my Argentine roots, which in turn surprised me. I just assumed everyone knew... It got me thinking of all the other little pieces of information about me, silly, nonsensical things that just make me, me. So here are 20 facts about me that you definitely didn't care about but i'm sharing with you anyway:

1. This is me. I'm British with some Pakistani and Argentine thrown in there somewhere. Also some Welsh and Irish further back. I don't even know. I'm 23 (urgh so old) and an only child (it's super boring). My immediate family is pretty small and i've always been envious of large families.

This was taken a few weeks ago in London. I'm 23. Totally in denial about the fact that i'm OLD...

2. I am a third generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I love it. It is the greatest thing in my life and has brought me such peace and comfort. I am incredibly blessed because of my faith. I have wonderful friends who support me and love me. But most importantly I know that I am a daughter of God.

3. I bake. Like all the time. Sometimes not successfully. My oven at the moment is a tad temperamental. And by tad I mean a big fat lot. It runs about 40 degrees hotter than it should and cremates everything within about 10 minutes. which makes following a recipe really hard. But despite my oven acting like a stroppy teenager, I live and breathe for baking. which brings us onto point number...

This was the first cake I ever baked

 4. I dream of owning my own bakery. I have it all planned out. I have folders dedicated to it on my laptop, pinterest boards and a hoarders collection of recipes. I will bake scrumptious treats and serve them on china in my cute cafe with mismatched furniture and squishy sofas. There will be fairy lights, bunting and book shelves. There will be board games and puzzles and newspapers, there will be art adorning the walls from local inspiring artists. I will hold book clubs and quiz nights and mother and baby groups. I will teach baking classes and throw birthday parties for kids. And it will be amazing.

5. I love ribbons. My Mum likes to tell the story of when I was little I was more enamoured with the silky label on my teddy than the actual teddy. And thus an everlasting l o v e was born...

6. Christmas has always been, and forever will be, my favourite time of the year. I L O V E Christmas. The smells, the food, the excitement, the carols, the presents... It makes me super happy!

7. Giraffes are my favourite animal. It all started when I was about 12 and was travelling on holiday with my Grandparents. I was bored and grumpy and when we stopped at the services I spotted a teddy shaped like a giraffe. I think to shut me up my Nannie brought me said giraffe teddy and the rest is history. 'Lofty' (because he has a long neck, duh) and I are still best friends and I get overly excited about anything giraffe related. Even though I have never ever seen a real giraffe...

8. I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E). It is more commonly referred to as as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I had Glandular Fever when I was fourteen but was really late in being diagnosed and treated. I spent a year off school before returning part time for the rest of my education. There is a whole long story that I might tell one day but for now I will just say that it sucked. It still does. Although I am way better than when I first diagnosed, I still have to watch myself everyday to make sure I don't relapse. And although people try, nobody really understands. Read the excellent 'Spoon' theory here to understand a little better what it's like to suffer with M.E.

9. I love thunderstorms. They are my absolute favourite ever. Especially when i'm tucked up snugly inside and can watch them from my window.

10. I knit. My Nannie taught me when I was a little kiddo and I thought it was boring and never did any. Then one day at university I was procrastinating writing an assignment and picked up my needles again. And now I can't seem to put them down... I only do small projects as my attention span is quite short but one day I will knit myself a jumper and it will be glorious! 

11. I can't ride a bike. For this I totally blame my Mum for not being interested herself and therefore not teaching me when I was young and fearless. Now i'm old and scared of learning and making a giant fool of myself!

12. I like brightly coloured nail polish. It just makes me super happy to have brightly painted nails. Hot pink is currently my favourite.

13. I only ever wear skirts or dresses. I own two pairs of jeans and I loathe the days when I have to wear them.

Even the weather being freezing cold, wet and foggy on the moors would not deter me from wearing a dress.

14. I am not a morning person. If I could I would probably sleep all day. It doesn't matter how early I go to bed the night before, come morning I am a grumpy mess. And don't even think about talking to me for at least an hour.

15. I have curly hair. Except it's not the nice, sleek curly waves that people are always envious of. It's a tangled mess of frizz and knots that I never really know how to tame. Any suggestions of how to style my mop of hair would be greatly appreciated!

16. I adore sending and receiving post. It makes me sad that all I ever seem to receive is bills in the post. Who doesn't love to see a prettily addressed letter waiting for them when they get home from work? I want to keep the art of handwritten correspondence alive! I send post cards to friends in far-flung and not so far-flung corners of world. If you want to get involved then send me your address, I would love a new pen pal! 

17. Charity shops are the best shops. I've gotten some real gems from browsing my local charity shops, and all for dead cheap prices! £40 for a Burberry trench coat?? Heck yes! My love of charity shops stems from having no money or decent fashion sense. The clothes on the high street are expensive and generic, whereas I am cheap and not fashionable. And that's how I like it.

18. I love the game Scrabble. A game all about spelling and words, what's not to like?? Seriously though, i'm trying to persuade my family to start a Scrabble championship...

19. Cereal is the greatest food ever. I love it probably an unhealthy amount. When I was a kiddo my church snack used to be a pot of dry Cheerios. And at university it was a main staple of my diet. It still is too be honest..

Photo not mine. I found it on the interweb here and liked it a great deal. I hope you don't mind me borrowing it! You are very talented and have great taste in cereal...

20. Talking of food, I am addicted to jaffa cakes. I have been known to eat an entire packet in one go... don't judge me.

And that's me folks. This has been fun! Send in a message telling me fun facts about yourself, I want to know you all too!

Catherine

Oh England, my England...

Summer in Britain, is there anything more wonderful? I vote no. Well... kinda. To be honest i'm more of a autumn/winter person, I prefer the crisp bite to the air, crunching through leaves, the long cozy nights, curling up with a blanket and hot chocolate and getting lost in a good book, the anticipation and excitement of bonfire night and Christmas, the smell of cinnamon and spices...

... Where was I?

Right, Summer. Glorious summer. Alice pretty much summed up my feelings with her blog post on why it is a stressful time of year. Summer for most (normal) people is all about carefree living, having fun and relaxing and living life to it's fullest. Instagram is full of happy, over-filtered snaps of the beach and half naked people and reckless activities like jumping of cliffs (health and safety people!). You see the young and the carefree teenagers hanging out in the parks and making cool (annoying) summer playlists full of preppy poppy artists i'm really too old and uncool to know/care about. You want to go do things but it's too humid and you become a hot mess as soon as you exit the shower. You wear sandals as it's sunny when you leave the house but then you get caught in a typical British summer rain storm.

The struggle is real.

BUT for a few short weeks, just before the schools break for summer, Britain can be a peaceful, magical place. And I got to spend those magical moments in my happy place..

Be jealous.

Let me introduce you to the wonderful place that is Exmouth, Devon.

I took lots of pictures of boats. Just because.

So it's not some exotic, white beached, clear blue seas, foreign destination.

But look at this sunset and tell me this place is not special. I dare you.

Seriously. 

We ate fish and chips overlooking this view of the Exe estuary and it was the best night ever. We also decided that we could walk on the mud banks like the cockle pickers were. Except we both forgot that my  Mamma has the worst coordination and balance ever. And that mud is kinda slippy. It was an interesting walk. Also the state of our feet... they were not a pretty site. Even the friendly stray cat that wanted our attention once we got on dry land was put off by all the mud.

Good memories. 

I just love this place.

My family have been coming here for as long as I remember and then some. It's home away from home, in the best possible way. I know the best spots on the beach away from the noisy tourists. I know the best fish and chip shop, the best pizza place and the best place for a cream tea (crucial information). I know what time the trains leave the one platform the station has. Exmouth is as much my home as Bristol is but much more exciting.

You can't go for walks like this in Bristol.

Hi Mamma!

This was about eight in the evening. And it wasn't getting dark anytime soon. Coastal walks in the balmy evening summer air? Oh if you insist...

I dare you to tell me this isn't a magical place.

It rained pretty heavily one day when we were there so we decided to go the cinema. It is literally the cutest place ever. It only has four screens. The theatre we were in seated 40 people so you have to get pretty up close and personal with the strangers seated next to you. Maybe it's a small town thing but everyone is super friendly and we were personally escorted to our seats. Talk about customer service.

We walked through the park in the rain on the way home, because yolo this is England, and there was bunting in the trees! I l o v e this place.

The surrounding places are pretty cool too. My favourite is Topsham. It has dutch styled houses and a pier called " The Goat Walk" and amazing charity shops. I brought some real cute skirts and a Burberry trench coat! Who the heck gives away a designer coat?? "One mans rubbish is another's treasure" has never rung so true. I guess I win this one! Ha!

On a food related note (what isn't with me?) Topsham also has the BEST cheese shop. I am not exaggerating. The cheese is sublime. I'm drooling just thinking about the shop... It's our main reason for going to Topsham. We brought a small fortune in cheese, as per. I regret nothing.

I love Lympstone as well because it has a book shelf and home made jam and washing lines on the beach.

I'm seriously all about the food.

I don't even care.

I didn't get to go this time as I ended up going to London for a couple of days (a story for another time) but my Mamma walked there whilst I was away and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mostly because she brought some more jam..

It was pretty much had the best week ever. I loved being able to spend time with my Mamma and relaxing. Every time I go to Exmouth, I never ever want to come home.

Where are your happy places? Comment below, i'd love to know and maybe discover some unknown corner of the world! Maybe i'll become one of those summer people who plan exciting adventures in the sunshine..

Anything is possible.

Catherine xoxo