It was the day before New Year's Eve: Reflections on 2014

There are so many words I could use to describe 2014: challenging, emotional, grounding, full of sorrow but also happiness. Long story short, 2014 has been pretty life changing. There are probably many more I could pull out of the bag but both my limited vocabulary and time prevent me from spending too much further thought on this. I have lost someone but have been fortunate enough to be able to learn the true extent of friendship and gain a certain someone along the way.

Ice Ice Baby: Why I will donate but not videotape

As I was coming back to London from a weekend spend at home with the family on Sunday, I was lucky (or should I say unlucky) enough to be nominated for the #ALSIceBucketChallenge by my lovely friend Jeremy. 

All I care about is like 3 People: Friendship Choices

I haven’t blogged in a while because life has been getting in the way. But today has been one of those days where one thing has led to another and the thoughts that have been bubbling away in my brain are burning on my finger tips to be put onto (digital) paper.

My social media life: Happy Birthday Facebook

“Are you on Facebook?”

Human connections in the times of the digital age: Anybody out there?

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” – Simone Weil

Sunday is one of my favourite days of the week; it is totally acceptable to spend a good proportion of your day in bed, new PostSecret secrets are up and I can guilt-free indulge in geeky reading of all my favourite websites. The New York Times Sunday Review Opinion page is one of those. To my delight this week one of my favourite authors had contributed his thoughts about human connections in the digital age. 

New Year’s resolutions or learning to like myself a bit more

“No one could ever hate me as much as I hate myself, okay? So any mean thing someone's going to think of saying about me, I've already said to me, about me, probably in the last half hour.”

- Hannah, Girls

Its 10 days into 2014 and I am now back in London and back to reality after a relaxing 2 weeks at home. 2 weeks of no writing, hardly any emails and nothing more than time with my dog (not that she appreciated it), my family (they were glad to ship me back to London by the end) and my friends (sadly missed). 

Colleges, Coffee and Coxes: A weekend in Oxford

A weekend away can do wonders. I have had a few not so great weeks and desperately needed some time away from London. Don’t get me wrong I love London and could not ask for a greater place to live but sometimes, very occasionally, I need to leave London and breathe some fresh English country side air.

Cocktails, Chatter and Chin-Chins: A night at Happiness Forgets

I am normally not much of an East London girl. Shoreditch and surroundings are just that little bit too cool for me; I never quite feel like I can keep up with everyone. Does not mean that every now and again I venture East for a night out. Or a hair cut in fact – I love Amy at Taylor Taylor enough to hop on train to Shoreditch every couple of weeks. 

Do you know how to reel? The University Lodges' Ball

Its been nearly two weeks now that a group of my friends and I went to the University Lodges' Ball and I thought it was about time I blogged about it. Not just because it was a fantastic night but also because it is an event that, if it ever happens again, I would strongly recommend you go to.

The awkward truth about silence or why silence really can be golden

“Silence speaks where words cannot”

It all starts with a story. We were having a dinner party for a couple of close friends the other day. While I was making custard to go with the dessert (we had baked apples in case you were wondering) one of my friends comes into the kitchen to have a little private catch-up. After all we hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks and quite a few things had happened since then. She was catching me up about her new ‘boyfriend’ (she hates the word, or so she says) and was asking about how the boy and me were doing.

Overcoming my writer’s block: Or why it is a good idea to let people surprise you

I am sat at my big worktable in a place I like to call my little paradise: our house in the south of France. It’s been 4 days since I stepped of the plane from London and into the peace and serenity of a place I call home. Bikini top and shorts, skin glistening with sunscreen; it is 28 degrees and slightly cloudy today. Perfect weather for writing. Except that, as might have been obvious by the lack of posts, I have suffered from the worst writer’s block. Yes there have been times when I have felt uninspired but never has the draught lasted aslong as this.

OMG You Guys: The Six Friends Everybody Needs

Having friends is great. I love my friends. Some of them a little too much, one might say. I will go above and beyond for the people I truly care about and as an inherently social being am to be found out and about most evenings. And weekends for the matter. Some weeks I don’t really see my housemates because I come in once they are asleep and wake up as they are leaving just to rush around before work. 

When Flat Hunting feels like Online Dating: The adventures of finding a new home in London

About 2 weeks ago I signed up to spareroom.co.uk. Having happily cohabitated with 2 of my friends for the last year in Arsenal (you know the footie is on when your room smells like onions on a Saturday morning or you can’t get onto the tube on a Wednesday night) our lease is almost up and we are all moving to pastures new. N has bought a cosy little flat a little further north in yummy mummy town aka Crouch end S will go back to being a student. That means I will be homeless in about 8 weeks time unless I find another abode, preferably with some lovely people who will eventually become friends as well as flatmates. I always complain that I never meet new people anymore (despite the fact that I have trouble seeing all my friends on a regular basis already) so making new friends via a lovely new flat share seemed like a good idea. That is how I have come to call spareroom.co.uk my new and temporary “home”.

The Baking Experiment presents: Spiced Apple and Elderflower Cupcakes

So I haven’t posted a baking blog in a while, which is unusual for me. But to be honest life has been pretty hectic and with me starting a new job and a lot of personal stuff happening, baking and blogging had to take a step back. As life is starting to calm down a little (Mission: Look after myself a little better!) I spend last Sunday in the kitchen baking cupcakes and Kiss biscuits (blog to follow soon, promise!). 

Where The Happiness Begins or The True Friendship

"You should see my favourite people;

You catch a glimpse of gold through their skins.

I walk on air whenever I'm with them; They're where the happiness begins.

And I'm alright on my own, but with them I'm much better.

They're like diamonds and diamonds are forever." - BOY, Army

There a people in everyone's life who make it better; who make you feel safe and warm. All they have to do is turn up, be there and suddenly the world is ok. Plain and simple.