Hangovers, Hipsters and Hygge

Bonsoir mes petites cerises!

How have you BEEN?! It's only ruddy Friday, innit! Three cheers for the weekend- let's crack open the wine. 

I'm still daydreaming about last weekend, when I easy-jetted off on a mini-break to Paris and Copenhagen. I was already expecting it to be a whole heap of magic, and that was before I found out there were complimentary copies of Men's Health magazine available on the flight to Paris... 

WHAT?! I'll have you know I read Men's Health magazine ALL. THE. TIME.

In what felt like mere milliseconds we were landing en France. At least, I assume it was that fast; I was engrossed in a very informative article on the best vegan recipes to increase my muscle mass. Yes, that IS what I was staring at so intensely. Shush.  

I'm lucky enough to have been to Paris several times before, so I stepped up to be a real life Lonely Planet for my travel buddy's first ever visit. Paris was as beautiful as ever, from the gorgeous gothic buildings to the perfect places for people watching... Hell, it's so chic even their vegetables are on trend:

We managed to fit in some serious sightseeing during our two day visit, from the classics (Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Sacre Coeur etc etc) to the more unusual (fancy escalator rides at the Pompidou Centre, the red light district's no 1 Erotic Museum, and a karaoke bar in which we heard a song where the entire chorus comprised solely of "la la la la la"). After our Museum visit, I felt like I should've had a quiet word with Notre Dame about its cheeky fundraising sign...

Sorry, love, but I've seen more impressive organs this weekend...

We also (literally) stumbled upon the most fabulous bar I've visited in my entire life. With house punch at €15 a litre, a bar-wide game of "find your pair" using playing cards, and colour-coded glowsticks for "taken" (red), "single" (green), and blue for "try and convince me" I was in my absolute element. Even the unsolicited offer of sex in a car (seriously, Paris?! Aren't you the city of romance?!) couldn't ruin the evening. 

Car sex in Paris: about as romantic as holding someone up by their right boob

Admittedly, this was mostly because I was too busy chatting to a tres, TRES beautiful French-Brazilian couple who'd met on Instagram(!!!), and the Brazilian then moved across the world to marry his husband (now of 3 years). Which may honestly be the most adorable story I've ever heard. And also the main reason I'm going to up my Instagramming...

...Possibly starting with this snap of a door I saw in Copenhagen.
That should snag me a beautiful French husband, right?

Copenhagen was the second stop on our mini tour of Europe. I think it might be my Spirit Animal in city form (Spirit City? Is that a thing?). 

Some seriously stylish cauliflower soup at the Museum of Danish Design.

It's almost achingly hipster, from the Ikea-chic tumblers of red wine we sipped (and I mean s.i.p.p.e.d. Copenhagen is crazy expensive) at a meatlocker-turned-bistro, to the rainbow of canal-side cottages we glimpsed through a perfectly timed flurry of snow, to the underground patisseries full of comfy leather sofas and be-cheekboned Danes serving up huge slices of cheesecake...



Also, their money is so pretty I've started wearing it like jewellery:

The icing on the cake (besides all the actual cake) was being bumped up to the easyjet equivalent of first class on our way home, when Dan (the man, the legend, the air steward) moved us into the over-wing exit aisle seats - I could actually STRETCH my legs(!!!) Bliss. 

All in all, an utterly brilliant first break of 2016. And, given that the flights cost a total of £69, I've got no excuse not to hop on over to Europe more often in future. I'm off to browse AirBnBs in Berlin...

Katie xxx

Resolution update: Happy Things

Hello lovelies!

How's your week going?

I've been meaning to share an update on my List of Loveliness resolution for a while, and last night I finished the pen I'd been using and simultaneously reached the halfway point in my awesome notebook; which seems like a good point for reflection.

I have to say, 2014 has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far, and I've been dwelling on the negatives more than I normally would. Which I've realised is rather ridiculous, given that so much good stuff has happened that I've used up an entire Biro in under 3 months!

To make sure I gave a suitably random sample of my 247(!) points of happiness to date, I've included every 25th entry. For no reason other than I'm 25 (for another two weeks, anyway) so that seemed like a good number to choose. Here goes...

25. Forcing myself to spend some time sorting out the garden, then feeling proud of how much better it looks.

Approaching another of my resolutions with as much enthusiasm as I could possibly muster for a task involving mud and spiders. 

50. Buying a second hand Roberts radio from the flea market- after a flash of inspiration to turn it into a handbag!

I was going to wait until I'd finished this DIY before telling y'all about it, but my stupid "every 25th entry" honesty just let that cat out of the (super awesome radio) bag. Oops. 

Bargain radio. Before I attacked it with all of Tom's tools. 

75. Picking such an amazing place to stay including a pool, air hockey, table tennis, vast sofas and willow pattern china.

An entry from our Isle of Wight adventure.

100. Peanut M&Ms.

'Nuff said. 

125. Finding some serious bargains in the veggie feat freezer section, and buying six boxes.

"Feat" is mine and Tom's term for "fake meat", which I eat sometimes due to being one of those vegetarian types. We also have terms for specific kinds of feat including fricken (fake chicken), facon (fake bacon), and fish (fake fish. Oh wait....) 

"Fausages" (pronouced faux-sages). Do you see what we did there?
[image source]

150. Tom being equal parts hilarious and adorable.

He is, y'know. 

175. Pushing myself to clean the bathroom, which is now all sparkly.

Ooh look at me go - two recorded incidences of housework in under 3 months. I'd better slow down or I might get Duster's Elbow. 

200. Being on comedy fire, sans drink.

At my friend Pat's birthday party (the one with the Viking Longboat). I was the designated driver, but still managed to make my friend Jenny laugh until she cried about Ready, Steady, Cook. I wasn't aiming for tears, I hasten to add; that would be pretty mean!!

225. Weirdest, but one of the funniest plays I have ever seen- involving taxidermy, working at B&Q, chicken fillet vaginas, and stalking men at Morrison's checkouts. Odd.

Yep. Thanks, Sick Festival. I don't know what to say...

Did you make any resolutions? How are they going? 

Katie xxx

I DO love a bloody good list!

Hey m'dears 

How's your 2014 going so far? 

I'm keeping the January blues very much at bay with my weapons of choice; Earl Grey and leftover Christmas chocolate (although chocolate is very much NOT just for Christmas in this house!). I've also decided to ensure I feel smiley all year round by turning my new favourite notebook into the stationery equivalent of a Jar of Awesome. 

Beautiful notebook from Oh Squirrel

A Jar of Awesome is basically a jar you fill with notes about the good stuff that happens over the year, and at the end of the year you smash the jar into a billion pieces empty it and reminisce about all the cool stuff that happened. 

I just realised the quote marks for #2 look sarcastic. Which they aren't.
They're genuine quote marks. Seriously, I work really hard. Seriously.  

I'm really looking forward to filling this notebook up in 2014, along with my Question A Day diary. I wonder what number I'll get up to?

Have you ever done something like this before? 

Katie xxx

Dear Diary...

Hey gorgeous face!

How's tricks? 

I arrived home today to an exciting parcel from Amazon, after deciding to treat myself last week to something from my ever-growing Amazon wishlist (good work, Past Me! It's like a present from the past. Woah.). I can't remember the (made-up) reason I had for "treating" myself now. It was probably because it was Thursday. Or maybe I'd done the washing up. Something like that. 

Anyways, a few months ago I'd added this genius little book to my wishlist after discovering it on Hannah's drool-worthy blog Corner Cottage Bakery. Which you should totally check out by the way because:
1. It is excellent
2. As I met Hannah in real life and whatnot at the DotComGiftShop Bloggers event in July I can confirm she is equally awesome in reality
3. She really does live in a cottage on a corner.  

When the pages are edged in gold you KNOW it's going to be good.

It's not your average diary to fill with teen angst and musings about your not-so-secret crush on Joe Manganiello (erm, hello!?! that's what blogging is for...) but instead has one question for every day of the year and enough space to write a response to each question for five whole years(!) So, in *counts on fingers* August 2018 I'll be able to flick back through five years' worth of answers to a smorgasbord of weird and wonderful questions and see how I've changed (or not. As if I'm ever going to stop loving Lego!). 

1,825 answers(!) Which means, by the time I finish, I'll basically have written a novel!!

I think it's an absolutely genius idea for capturing feelings and innermost thoughts, and monitoring how someone's opinions change over the next half decade. It's basically science. And I'm really looking forward to finding out what each day's question is going to be.

I did say the questions were weird and wonderful...

In a rather happy co-incidence, today's question is "Did you complete your To Do list for today?" and, as I've just finished work to have a nice long weekend at home, I'm very glad to be able to write "Hells yes I did" as the first entry in the diary that's will become my constant bedside companion over the next five years. 

Very much looking forward to reading back this one...
It'll probably say "A bee", "My feet", "Some Toast"...

It's quite weird to think that when I finish this I'm going to be 30. I wonder how different my life is going to be then?!

I have a feeling this answer is going to be the same every year... 

Do you keep a regular diary, or would you try something quirkier like this book?

Katie xxx

P.S. I love your dress! Where's it from?!