Finding out I was expecting

Early November, almost a week before my 27th birthday, I’d had this feeling all day at work that I was pregnant but I was too scared to pick up a test from our local pharmacy and Spar shop, in fear that I’d bump into someone I knew or was served by someone I knew.. which is more than likely with where we live, so I waited until Josh got home that evening to collect a test under the cover of darkness, hoping that nobody would catch us and start any rumours! I’d taken tests before, but this time felt different. I just knew that two lines were going to appear, so I took the test and turned it over to let it work it’s magic. I was too nervous to look, not because I was hoping it would or wouldn’t be but because I just knew in my gut what it was going to say anyway. Josh had the first peek and there it was… those two faint lines. It was so overwhelming, we sat there just wondering whether the faint line really meant I was pregnant or whether it could be a mistake but I read the instructions over and over and even the faintest of lines meant high levels of HCG were detected in my urine sample.. and this could only mean one thing.. we were going to be parents.

The next few days were like walking on cloud 9, I’d never felt anything quite like it. I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited to tell my friends and family. I was constantly thinking of wonderful ways I could share the news but shortly after I began to feel anxious about the future and whether we were able to fully support a child. My worries about our finances were consuming me and I worried that we would never be able to do all the things we’d planned, now that we were expecting. Those worries soon subsided when I began telling my family and friends. I could see how excited they were for us and I kept telling myself that if most other families can do it, then why the hell couldn’t we?

Soon after seeing a nurse, who surprisingly didn’t even check to see if I was pregnant with a urine sample because home tests are so reliable, I started developing some symptoms. The most noticeable one for me was how sore my boobs were and what literally nobody tells you.. constipation! The first week or two of this was incredibly hard. I was waking up in the night with the most horrendous stomach pains that I thought something was seriously wrong but apparently constipation is a common symptom of early pregnancy. I wish someone had told me at the beginning because I would have started eating prunes much earlier on, so take my advice. Buy the prunes and don’t delay! You’ll thank me later…

As the weeks passed, and the constipation disappeared, I did wonder if I was even pregnant. I’d had no sickness, only a little nausea which was neither here nor there, and my first midwife appointment was just a lot of questions, a blood test and a urine sample. I’d contemplated taking another test but for some reason didn’t and awaited the 12 week scan, just before Christmas. This was when it really began to feel real, though I sometimes don’t believe it, even now! To see a little person on the screen growing inside of me was just the most wonderful feeling. It was emotional and incredible to see its little heart beating and it’s arms moving around. What was more amazing was that it was only 5cm head to toe, which still blows my mind that something that small is fully formed, has a heart, fingers, toes, and lungs.

And now here we are, in a little bubble of happiness after a lovely first Christmas in our first home together, just waiting for the next time we’ll get to see him or her. I’ll keep you updated on how we get on! I’m so excited for this next chapter in our lives <3

Easedale Tarn and Tarn Crag | Grasmere

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It’s 10pm Monday evening and I’m in bed with a hot water bottle on my toes reflecting on what has been a busy but truly lovely weekend. We took Friday off to get a walk in, as the forecast said it was meant to be the perfect winter day, pure blue skies, no wind but it wasn’t as expected. We decided on a shortish walk from Grasmere up to Easedale Tarn and had planned on walking right around on to Helm Crag and back down but we set off a little later than planned and cut the walk short down Tarn Crag. We only ended up taking one bag with a sandwich each, some water, a flask of hot chocolate and that’s pretty much it. We should have known that Met Office can never be trusted, and packed ourselves a waterproof each but you live and you learn! When we got home I prepared some food some friends we had round that evening and ended up staying up well past my bedtime! I feel like it’s all caught up on me and I’m literally falling asleep as I type this… so I’m going to leave it here. Love, L.

Decorating for Christmas

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Our first Christmas in our first home together. What an amazing feeling! When we were renovating (still are), it felt like forever until we’d actually be in, settled and making our house a home. We still have so much to do but I love how cosy the living room is at the moment. We usually get a real tree for Christmas but we’d easily spend £60 a year on that for it to be then thrown out, so this year I decided to get us a fake one from Habitat. It was £90, so a low end/mid range price in comparison to a lot of trees you see on the market but I am actually super happy with how it looks. It’s actually reduced at the moment if you’re a little late to the Christmas party, you can find it here.

I used all the decorations I had accumulated over the years. Many bought in sales and the odd one here or there that we picked up whenever we visited a nice shop. I just bought a roll of tartan ribbon from TKMaxx and made some bows to add a touch of red and I’ll also use some to hang the wreath I made on the front door. I also bought some trays with oasis in to decorate the mantle with some foliage I’d collected. I think it needs a bit of colour or some delicate fairy lights but I’m super happy with how it turned out!

This weekend I have some friends coming round for tea, some house work to do and the last bits to find and order for the bathrooms. And I think we are going to make time to get ourselves to Manchester Christmas markets, seeing as I couldn’t get there the other week and last year was a right off. I’m not letting anything stop us enjoying ourselves or spending time with loved ones this year! Have a lovely week! <3

First snow of 2021

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Storm Arwen


Well, that certainly wasn’t the weekend I was expecting or had in mind. I had train tickets booked to Manchester with my friend Bethany, so we could enjoy the Christmas markets, eat some nice food, buy some Christmas presents and just treat ourselves.. but most the trains were cancelled and we missed the only one that was running, which I’m kind of glad about because it doesn’t look like we’d have made it home! So instead we treated ourselves to breakfast at the Farmhouse Kitchen in Kendal, walked round the shops and had a little ride out to Ambleside. By 3pm I was shattered and ready for a cup of tea and a lie down. No sure how I would have ever managed a whole day in Manchester!

On Sunday I’d planned to get up really early, pre sunrise, for a walk in the Lakes but obviously due to the weather the roads weren’t great so we stuck to the good old Howgills, right on our door step and had a wander up on to Arant Haw. It was so slippy most of the way up but once we got to where the thick snow was it was so magical. I just hope it snows like this on Christmas Day because it’s our first year hosting and I want it to be extra special this year! It was tough going, I haven’t been on a proper walk in so long, I felt out of touch with it. The best part is when you get back down and you go to the pub or a cafe and order something sweet and warm, like hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a huge bowl of cheesy chips with sweet chilli sauce. Yep, that was my order at Smatt’s Duo cafe in Sedbergh, the perfect after walk combo.

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Josh and Dan with Arant Haw in the background

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Mum, Dad and Erik at the top of Arant Haw. Great timing with the little love heart snow flake on Erik’s cheek.

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Mum and I at the top of Arant Haw

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Snow covered Howgill Lane

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Mum and a ginormous hot chocolate in Smatt’s Duo

Nimsdai Purja – Kendal Mountain Festival

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Anything is possible

On Friday afternoon, Josh and I rocked up at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal, ready to watch an early screening of Nimsai Purja’s 14 Peaks, Anything is Possible.. until I actually read my ticket and we should have been at a totally different venue, so we ran back to the car and off to the Leisure Centre we went. The film was incredible and I highly recommend watching it when it’s released in a few days time on Netflix. We’ll certainly be watching it again!

The footage was all recorded by Nims and his team which is incredibly. But what inspired me most was Nims and his team approach to life. They weren’t too serious, they knew how to have good time but more importantly they were team players. They knew that to achieve what everyone thought was impossible, they would have to be able to rely on one another because on your own, something like this would be near impossible.

After the film ended there was a standing ovation, as the whole room welcomed Nims on to the stage. I was already emotional after seeing Nims Mother on screen  – who reminded me so much of my Thai Granny, so it was real hard to hold the tears back. I felt, in a sort of way, proud that someone from a Nepali background was making history and setting the pace for future climbers and adventurers, even though I’m not Nepalese myself! Kendal Mountain Film Festival is one of the best events held so close to home, I’m already looking forward to next years and making a full weekend out of it. Who knows who we might see there next year!

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A day in Edinburgh

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Christmas Shopping, eating & drinking


We had originally planned to stay in Edinburgh for two nights to celebrate my birthday and as just a little break for the two of us, seeing as we haven’t really been anywhere or spent some time and money on ourselves in so long. Then 2 weeks before our weekend break, the Air BnB cancelled on us and every hotel, bed & breakfast, apartment etc. were charging well over the odds so we decided to keep our reservation at one of our most loved restaurants and get the train up for the day and head back home for the evening.

We got one of the earliest trains from Oxenholme to Waverley, which took around 2 and a bit hours. When we got to Edinburgh the sun was shining and it was just the most perfect crisp November morning. We headed over to St James Quarter which has a whole load of lovely shops and a huge John Lewis which I’ve never really shopped in before, but it was great to get some ideas for Christmas presents.

We forgot how much shopping and travelling really tires you out and because we are so out of sync with doing stuff like this, we were really looking forward to sitting down and having some food at Tattu. Ah, the food, the service, the atmosphere, the decor is just unlike anywhere else and we had a lovely waitress called Alba who looked after us for the afternoon.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Alchemist and enjoyed a few cocktails each before getting the train home. It was such a lovely day but I did feel like we needed a few extra hours or a night in the city centre so we could spend a bit more time browsing, eating and drinking. I’m looking forward visiting the Manchester Christmas markets in a few weeks time!

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Hello & welcome to my very messy ‘dressing’ room.. This was me at 7:30am drinking Lemsip, waiting for Josh to get out the shower.

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What I’m wearing:

Topshop Jeans, here

Zara boots, here

Zara body, here

River Island bag, here

All Saint leather jacket, here

Leather belt old from ASOS

I treated myself to the green/yellow jumper from & Other Stories whilst n Edinburgh, you can find it here. But this colour doesn’t appear to be online.

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Tattu

Our original booking for when we were staying over was for the evening but the lovely lady I spoke to helped us change our reservation to earlier in the day, so we were able to enjoy the food and a few drinks without having to rush off to catch the last train home. We had a sticky beef short rib and Sznchuan rock shrimp for starters. The rock shrimp was delicious, highly recommend that if you go. Then for mains we shared the fillet steak and caramel soy with duck egg and Chinese sausage fried rice, Thai style crispy monk fish and special fried sweet potato. The fillet steak was beautiful and perfectly cooked, highly recommend. You can find the Edinburgh menu here.

Autumn Days

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Wonderful colours of Autumn


Isn’t nature just delightful? I love it when the seasons change and now that the rain has (dare I say it) finally stopped.. the colours of the leaves changing from green to gold and the soft sunlight in a morning after the clocks changed over the weekend is just magical. I love this time of year! We have lots planned this month, so I’d like to begin posting regularly again by sharing 2 posts a week, on a Wednesday and a Sunday, over the next few months because I always find November and December to be the busiest and most fun months of the year and I love documenting it by taking lots of photographs!

I recently started selling a lot of my old clothes on Depop in order to treat myself to some new items for my wardrobe. I’ve always loved fashion and trying to dress nice, and that’s what I’d really love to share more of over the coming months but I’m ordering stuff and not liking in and having to send it back which is so frustrating. I just have no idea what I like anymore or how I want to dress. I find there’s just way too much inspo out there and a lot of the stuff I like on other people just doesn’t suit me. I loved the years I used to wear chunky loafers, tights and mini skirts, those were my favourite outfits but I can’t even find any skirts I like or any shoes, other than trainers, but I want something that’s a bit more dressy and not so casual. Gosh, that was a ramble. Hopefully I’ll have my style figured out soon so I can share some outfit posts and rope Josh in to helping me with those.. wish me luck!

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B&W photo diary

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Happy Halloween! If I remember correctly, Halloween is always this wet & miserable! I’m just glad to be sat in front of my fire with a cup of tea after a lovely weekend at home.

This weekend we were puppy sitting Toby, Josh’s brother and girlfriends 6 month old Labrador. He was the cutest, most chilled little guy and Erik loved him! It would be nice to have the space and time for another dog but most definitely not in this house as we don’t have much garden space for them to run around in. Plus, I can imagine life would be pretty hectic with two large dogs in the house!

Today we went for a walk with my parents, prepped a cottage pie for bait boxes and headed over to Hayes in Ambleside for some Christmas decs but only came home with a Yankee candle ‘tree farm festival’ which FYI smells amazing, 2 baubles, some dog treats and some chutney for our cheese boards we find ourselves eating most nights over Winter period. We then decided to stop and have a Sunday roast at a pub on the way home, which was nice but now I’m sleepy after just one glass of red.

I’ve really missed blogging and I’ve really been wanting to get my camera out again to film a bit more, so I’m hoping to do a bit more of that over the next few weeks and over Christmas when we decorate and do lots of winter hiking/camping. I go through stages of not wanting to share anything and now all I want to do it film, photograph and edit. Speak soon! L x

 

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Photo Diary from October

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It’s been 20 days since I last posted and it feels like so long ago. I’m trying to be a little more present whilst spending time with Josh, friends and family and even when I’m just out walking Erik. It’s felt so nice to spend less time on my phone and more time in ‘real life‘.

I haven’t taken many photos this month but here are some I did manage to capture. Special moments, like my childhood best friends first time swimming in cold water, food & drink, sunsets, Erik and our cosy living room, the view of the trees, celebrating big birthday’s like my Gran’s 80th, spontaneous evenings at our local and more.

What I’ve discovered over the last month is that I’m so happy when I’m cooking and testing out a new recipe. Saturday morning’s are my favourite. I love to watch James Martin’s Saturday Live Kitchen and wake up early on a Sunday and just sit in silence on the sofa with a cup of tea. I love organising my drawers and folding my towels and tea towels like Marie Kondo, hoovering & cleaning. Wow you can really tell I’m approaching my late 20’s now.

I’ve enjoyed finishing a few jobs off in the house, making it cosy for winter, relaxing in front of the fire, watching some hella good series like Squid Game and finally season 3 of You. We celebrated my brothers and my Mum’s birthday in September and my Gran’s earlier this month, so we’ve eaten out a lot! Last weekend Josh and I hosted a Dishoom evening and cooked a Salli Boti curry with gun powder potatoes, onion bhajis, chicken tikka skewers and I made my first tiramisu which was delicious if I do say so myself. 4 of our close friends came round for a lovely evening of food, wine, cocktails and bad dance moves. It was so much fun and just what I needed. It’s felt so good to just do some normal things again with the people I love. Now I’m looking forward to seeing the people I love half way across the world, in Thailand <3

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Puppy products we love

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Products both Erik and ourselves love


 

Erik turned 1 years old in April and we’ve had him for 1 whole year (plus 3 months by the time I’m finishing this post off)! Time goes exceptionally fast, although I can’t remember what life was like before him. My life pretty much revolves around this handsome boy! Being a first time dog Mum (lol, I hate calling myself a dog mum but I also don’t want to call myself a dog owner either), I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought that he’d sleep much more as a puppy and we’d be able to do stuff in the house without him creeping up behind us or whining for our attention, but no. It really wasn’t like any dog owner made it out to be! It’s been hard work but we are getting there. Lock down and working from home certainly wasn’t the best start for him but as life slowly starts to return back to normal, he too will have to get used to us going to work and also going out and having a bit of a social life.

I wanted to share some of the bits and pieces we have continued to use for him and also a few things we have had our eyes on for a while. To us, long lasting, good products are what we look for, not only for Erik but in general too. If you’re a first time dog parent, some of these pet products may take your fancy!

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Food & treats

There are so many different dog food brands on the market and I really wanted to make sure we were feeding Erik the best that we could. I wouldn’t want to eat crap food, I wouldn’t feed anyone crap food and I certainly didn’t want to feed my dog crap food. I read a lot of reviews and both Josh and I agreed on Arden Grange. He’d been on the puppy/junior food for about a year and a couple of months ago we started introducing the adult food into his diet by mixing it in with the rest of the puppy/junior food. We add hot water and let it soak through before putting it in his slow feeder bowl. You don’t have to add hot water but I just thought it might make it a little tastier for him.

His slow feeder bowl was something we got really early on. He loves his food (just like his Mama, lol), and was scoffing it so fast, making himself burp and sometimes sick. The bowl does make him eat it a little slower and I’d recommend it if you have a gannet of a dog like ours. Just recently, we have stopped using the bowl because he has slowed down eating a lot and we have stopped putting water on his food which we think he prefers now.

We fill the Kong with peanut butter and put it in the freezer. This is a great long lasting treat which we tend to use when leaving Erik for a while. I do buy the big Asda’s own peanut butter, cause it’s purse friendly and it doesn’t have Xylitol as one of the ingredients which is harmful to dogs, so always check the label!

Sprats and Bonio’s are always in our cupboards, on hand for treats. The sprats smell gross (dried fish) but they’re oily and really good for your dogs coat. He loves them too but we don’t love his breath after he’s had a few!

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Other

We didn’t want Erik to wear a collar so we scoured the web for a well made, comfortable slip lead. I found the brand Mendota from Leading Dog and bought 1 x 3/8 6 foot lead to use when Erik was a puppy and then 1 x 1/2 4 foot lead that we now use. I’d like a 1/2 6 foot lead so it gives him a little more room to walk but really it is better to keep him close by on a short lead, as there’s more control.

The flashing collar is something I’ve had my eye on for ages. I need to actually purchase this now the nights are starting to draw in. I’ve searched high and low for a good quality light up collar to use when we do have to walk him at night during the Winter months and this one seems to be the best quality.

Our ‘dog bag’ i.e. the pop up tent you can see below is our most used doggy product. Erik uses this to travel in the boot of our hatchback and uses it to sit under my desk when he has to come work with me. Now that we no longer need a cage for him, he also uses this to sleep in at home. We went for the medium which is fine for him because he tends to curl up but if you did want a little extra space, the size large is an option.

The Olivewood chew was something I bought months ago and it’s still going strong. Erik loves sticks and tends to have this habit of chewing them, eating them and then throwing up on the rug… which isn’t ideal so this is one we can give him at home without making a mess and not worry about him getting any splinters in his mouth or throat.

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I really hope you enjoyed this post and if you have a new companion or are looking to get one in the future I hope it’s helped you find some great doggy products.

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Ready for Autumn

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The end of a wonderful summer


 

This time last week, if you’d have asked me ‘are you looking forward to Winter?’ I’d have honestly said ‘absolutely not’ but after a walk and chit chat with my Mum this evening, wrapped up in a knitted jumper, an oversized waterproof jacket, my woolly socks and walking boots, something about the cooler air and sun setting early just felt special and I’ve decided I’m going to fully embrace the colder days and darker nights, instead of continuously moaning about it and wishing my life away – who’s with me?

We had a really lovely Summer and I feel like this was the first year we really made the most of our surroundings. We’ve swam, paddle boarded, hiked, camped and ran more than ever. I’m still itching to discover some new places off the beaten track and hopefully we can over the Winter months when the Dales and the Lakes are a little quieter. That is what I’m looking forward to the most, Winter hikes and hopefully some Winter camps!

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Wastwater, Wasdale

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The best loaded fries at Sticklebarn | Great Langdale

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Chasing waterfalls & eating good food


 

After a day spent in the sunshine, swimming in streams and under waterfalls, the only thing that could put the cherry on top of the cake was some really good, finger licking, plate scraping kind of food and I’m so glad that the Sticklebarn in the Langdales just knows exactly what you need after a day in the hills.

We sat outside because it was scorching and enjoyed a cold cider. It was the perfect cool down whilst we waited for our supper! The views of the Langdales from here are stunning and the amount of people coming and going from here is really lovely to see, so it’s a great place to people watch or bump in to someone you know, especially if you’re a local!

Moving on to the most important thing part, the food.. Josh and I shared the hummus bowl & toasted flat breads and the loaded fries too. They are certainly generous portions but us being us could have totally eaten another portion of each! Instead we went for pudding and ordered the raspberry brownie with coconut cream (sorry no photo of this one, we dug straight in!) and let me just say.. wow. So good! We shared that between us again too but next time I’ll be getting my own.. as well as the loaded fries and the hummus! I’m always extra ravenous after a walk and swim, especially when it’s this good.

 


There is a National Trust car park about 100 metres from the Sticklbarn, so if you’re a member don’t forget your card!

The Sticklebarn is dog friendly, inside and outside, so it’s the perfect place for your pup to have a snooze whilst you enjoy a drink and some food.

Tables are available on a first come first served basis and there are a lot of tables to chose from usually.


 

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