Llana November 3, 2021

Autumn Days

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!

Llana October 31, 2021

B&W photo diary

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

Llana October 26, 2021

Photo Diary from October

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

Llana September 29, 2021

Ready for Autumn

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!

Wastwater, Wasdale

Llana September 20, 2021

The best loaded fries at Sticklebarn | Great Langdale

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.

Llana September 14, 2021

Cornwall | Part 2

By the coast

Don’t mind me, just reliving last Monday in sunny Cornwall whilst the weather here in the Dales has turned cold, wet and dark! The last few days of our trip down South were a mix of gloomy, misty weather, to glorious blue skies and seas. We wanted to cram as much as we could in, so here are a few of the things we got up to on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning, before making the 7 and a half hour drive back home.

St Ives | Beer & Bird

On Saturday we were a little tired, so we had a good old mope around St Ives and lingered outside Beer & Bird until it opened at 12pm. We’d been dying to try this spot, but the other nights we’d tried to get in they were full and unfortunately booking a table wasn’t an option, which was understandable, so we made sure we were first in the queue for Saturday lunch! Josh went for the K Pop Coq burger which consisted of… buttermilk fried chicken, gochujang hot sauce, kimchi slaw and honey sesame dressing. He said it was delicious! I.. well, I went for a whopper. The Sweet Mercy. This one consisted of.. buttermilk fried chicken, candied maple syrup, chilli jam and a wheel of deep fried camembert. Mmm, mm, mmmm!

Kynance Cove

On Sunday we made our way to Lizard Point to go paddleboarding but we spotted that Kynance Cove was only a short drive away so we made a little detour, as it was somewhere on my must see list for this trip. The car park is a National Trust one, so if you are a member it’s free.. don’t forget your membership card! It was only around a 5 minute walk from the carpark down to the cove. It wasn’t the best of days weather wise but it did make it super eerie and reminded me a bit of those scenes from King Kong where they approach the island by boat in the mist.. spooky! There is a little cafe down there, so we stopped for a brew and there are lots of nice little hidden spots where you could sit and have a picnic, go for a swim etc.

Lizard Point | Paddleboarding with seals

After watching the seals the other day following some swimmers, we really wanted to get a little closer ourselves.. and of course go back to Polpeor Cafe for scampi and chips, so we blew up the paddle board, jumped on board (Erik included) and paddled a couple metres off shore. We spotted our first seal which was bloody huge, so quickly did a u-turn and got back off, lol. When that humungous thing disappeared, we were greeted by a playful young pup who was inquisitive but kept his/her distance.

Carbis Bay

Monday was our last day in Cornwall and the forecast for the day was the best we’d seen it. We’d spent the morning slowly packing our camping gear away, ate croissants and sipped our tea in the warm morning sun. When we were ready to leave, we decided not to stray too far off route so headed down to Carbis Bay. It was the most beautiful morning, the sea was so blue but super cold!

Carbis Bay Beach Club & Spa

We decided to have a bite to eat and a drink before heading home at the Carbis Bay Beach Club & Spa. It was a little pricey but the food was really good and we were just so happy to be sat in the sunshine looking out to sea. It felt like a proper holiday!

Llana September 8, 2021

A week in Cornwall | Part 1

Cornwall Part 1

What a week! It’s been a total whirlwind but we needed this break from normality to do something fun, to see somewhere new and to eat all the best food. I’m breaking up our week in Cornwall in to two blog posts, because we all know I love to take a lot of photos!

Last Monday we left our home in Cumbria at midnight, and travelled all the way down to the very tail end of England to St Ives. It took us over 8 hours, with 2 stops and an hour stuck on the motorway because of an accident. I do not recommend attempting to drive through the night without any sleep that day, it was torture, my eyes were burning so Josh had to drive most the way.

When we arrived in St Ives the sun was shining, it was just the most beautiful morning. We walked from our campsite in to town along the coastal path where we spotted our first seal. The town itself was heaving, there were people everywhere and all cafe’s/pubs/restaurants were full. We managed to get some breakfast at a little takeaway called MOR, then made our way back to the campsite to set our tent up. We spent the rest of the afternoon on Porthkidney beach but we didn’t rate it, it was very big and spacious but so windy.. perhaps it was just a bad day for this particular beach.

The Devils Frying Pan

Lizard Point

Coastal path from Cadgwith to Lizard Point

On Tuesday we walked from Cadgwith to Lizard Point. It was a long walk but fairly quiet, with some pretty spectacular views. The best part for me was reaching Lizard Point and ordering scampi & chips from Polpeor Cafe, the most southernly cafe in Britain and finishing it off with one of their homemade donuts topped with jam and cream. It was that good we ended up having food here again later in the week and of course I ordered the same two meals. If it’s a good day, it’s great to sit outside and watch the seals in the sea below.

Pedn Vounder

Pedn Vounder Beach

I had read a number of blog posts on this beach, so it was on the top of my list of beaches to see in Cornwall. It was stunning and my photos don’t do it much justice. The Cornish Life and Meet Me by the Sea have some great photographs which of course tempted me to this beach in the first place. We spent all day Wednesday and all day Thursday here, soaking up the sun, swimming, trying to balance on the paddle board and even made some friends on one of those days. Erik got to make lots of doggy friends too, and met another German Pointer from Bath who was a similar age.

Tintagel Castle

On Friday we made the long journey up to Tintagel. I must admit, we were both a little disappointed when we got to Tintagel Castle and paid the £32 entry fee to find that there actually wasn’t much of a ‘castle’ to be seen. Don’t get me wrong, the views were stunning but for £32 we kind of felt a little cheated. You can still visit Tintagel and see the views without having to pay to enter the castle site which I’d recommend instead.

Padstow

On our way back down from Tintagel we decided to stop at Padstow. Padstow has to be my favourite town in Cornwall that we visited. It was lovely and small, plenty of quaint shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants etc. but a much nicer vibe than St Ives. We actually really wanted to go to Rick Steins fish and chip shop but just weren’t fancying it, so instead we got a bite to eat at Cafe Rojano. We didn’t order much, because we were expecting to eat when we got back to the campsite but had we known it was going to be so good we would have gone all in. We went for the crispy baby squid, diavola pizza and the Rojano chips. Each dish was fantastic and all the other dishes we drooled over coming out the kitchen looked insane also. For pudding Josh had the affagato and I had went for another prosecco. We ended the evening in Newquay at Fistral Beach where we met Josh’s brother and his friends and watched the sun disappear behind the sea.

Llana August 22, 2021

Weekend at home

Quiet weekend

A quiet weekend at home, doing odd jobs around the house, getting out in the rain with Erik, cooking and cleaning in preparation for a week off was so needed. On Friday night we were invited around to one of Josh’s clients house who is a trained chef. She had her own restaurant in Hong Kong and has travelled all over the world. The food was delicious and she was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. I was so nervous about going because I’m socially awkward but chatting with her about her life sparked something inside of me to start chasing my own dreams. Last night we made cocktails, ate lots and listened to love songs on the 80’s channel. We started work on the house again, which has been long awaited. We managed to get the oak flooring down in our master suite and it has made all the difference. It’s a big room anyway but now it feels even bigger!

We only have one full week left at work before we can really switch off and relax. I cannot wait to eat out, go for long walks on the beach and discover somewhere new, even though I have a list as long as my arm of things I want to see/do! I am so excited, I feel like the past 2 years have been hard with the house and then the pandemic and with last years trip to Scotland being a total fail, I have high hopes for our next trip away! Keep your fingers crossed for us…

Meet Toby. Isn’t he just gorgeous?

Burmese food. Red prawn curry, goat and lentil curry, cinnamon chicken & a tomato and nut salad.

I can’t tell you how much satisfaction cleaning and organising the kitchen cupboards give me.

Our flooring in the master suite is down and it’s made such a difference.

Llana August 15, 2021

Dinner party

French toast made my Sam and Lena. So good!

Our first dinner party

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for so long but because of covid and not being completely ‘finished’ with the house renovations (will we ever be finished?) we put it off. Then our friends Coops (Sam) and Lena moved to the UK from Bucharest and brought their new fur baby with them too, Aki. You might remember we visited them a few years ago and they planned a wonderful trip for us, where we got to visit some of the most beautiful Romanian villages and stayed in a cabana on the Transfagarasan. We even got to stay in Coops hostel, Podstel, in Bucharest. It was an incredible experience, I wish we could do it all again now. If you’re interested, you can see all those posts here.

Anyway, during our time in Romania we discovered that we all had one thing in common.. and that was food. We all love to eat good food and so it only felt right to have an evening where we would cook, drink wine and eat. It would have been nice to have the living room a little more finished but we did do a little shop yesterday and got ourselves a new table lamp and a few cushions to make it feel a little more homely. Some floor cushions are next on our list, as I actually enjoy eating from the coffee table. I saw these Thai style cushions which I’d love two of. My brother and I used to have one each for our bedrooms and I loved it! I used to sit on it to play my PlayStation 2 – Sims Pets 2 if you’re wondering.. oh and The Urbz! That was one of my faves.

Lamp from Armstrong Ward, foot stool made by us, yellow cushion from TK Maxx, blue cushion made by me, Sofa from Laura Ashley (second hand), print from King and Mcgaw by Lesley Birch.

I absolutely adore how the homely the house is starting to feel. It’s amazing how some ambient lighting, candles and soft furnishings really make all the difference. I’d like another lamp for downstairs, as this one pictures here is actually sat next to the log burner where we can see it. It would be nice to have another the same but also nice to have something a little different to not make it feel too matchy matchy. Below are some of my favourite lamps at the moment, just need to decide which to go for eventually!

The menu:

Homemade bread with balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Chicken tikka kebabs, chilli chicken, roast potatoes

Tiramisu

Porn Star Martinis

Ok, so the menu wasn’t too adventurous and you might think that roast potatoes with chilli chicken and tikka is a weird combo but it actually went really well together. It would have been good to have done a few more small dishes as well but for a first attempt it was good. Lena made the bread and the tiramisu, which was so delicious! Then they both taught us how to make the Martini’s. Josh has now ordered a cocktail making set, so you’ll find us drinking Porn Stars for the foreseeable!

The next morning, my head was a little sore.. so we went for a long walk and then came home to have breakfast cooked by Sam and Lena – yes, we were really spoilt! They were supposed to be our guests! They made this amazing French Toast which was incredible, I’ve just finished my portion for tea because I was still feeling a little delicate this morning.

Llana August 6, 2021

Green slip dress

Wedding outfit

Well hello! I’ve missed blogging so much but the past few weeks I’ve focused on eating well, living well and exercising as much as possible and oh man, I feel good!

It was a dear friend of mine’s wedding last weekend. I used to work with her on a Saturday at our local flower shop, where she taught me how to put together bouquets and wreaths. I remember it like yesterday, we always had so much fun and always ate so much on our lunch breaks.

I really struggle with wedding outfits because I’m not a floral type of girl and I didn’t want to spend money on something I would only wear once. I wanted a dress I could wear again, not to another wedding but either dressed down or dressed up for dinner. When Josh and I spent the day in Manchester, this is the dress I came home with. A silky little slip dress, the perfect fit. It made me feel so tall and sexy, I loved it as soon as I put it on. You can find it here (ad) (if you like it too). With freshly shaved legs, lots of moisturiser, some new shoes from Zara, my trusty Sophie Hulme bag and a bright lipstick, I was ready to celebrate the day.

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Llana July 25, 2021

Rekindling and reconnecting

Reconnecting & rekindling

Life.. it’s a funny old thing. One day we are happy and content.. the next we are looking for more. We lost our way a little over the past year or so, life got in the way, we started working more, stressing about funding the house renovation and found less and less time for one another. It’s hard for me to be open about my feelings, to anyone.. but this time was different. Something in both our lives needed to change so we have spent the past week dating again, spending time with one another and reigniting that flame. It’s been so nice to have the weather to do all of the things we love and really just get to know one another again. It’s almost been 8 years since we started dating and we have both changed so much. Sometimes we lose our way.. and maybe we’re bound to after so long but it’s important to keep dating, doing things together, surprising each other and do something crazy & stupid every now and again.

Wild camping under the stars

Friday was the last day of good weather here in the lakes, so we both booked the day off work and went camping Thursday evening. We only took sleeping bags, some roll mats and a ground sheet to sleep on. We watched shooting stars, planes and satellites over head, whilst drinking Pimms, beer and eating a packet of pasta. It was the most beautiful evening, albeit a little cold at 2am when a slight breeze picked up but it was fine. Next time I’ll take the winter sleeping bags! The following morning we woke up at 4:30am and watched the sunrise over the Lakeland mountains. The clouds sat below us in the Langdale valley, it was so peaceful, warm and one of the best experiences of my life. We went swimming in Stickle Tarn at 7am, not just swimming but skinny dipping. It was so liberating, the cold water and then the mist making it’s way over the tarn. It was an experience that not so many people will get a chance to do. So grateful, so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

Paddleboarding

Our friend Kelly lent us her two paddle boards for the day. We headed over to Coniston and spent the afternoon paddle boarding, swimming, cooking sausages and sunbathing. It was like being abroad, the water was so warm and Erik enjoyed jumping off the SUP boards and swimming in Coniston Water.

Swimming

We’ve done so much swimming lately, in rivers, tarns, streams and in this quarry which has just felt so good for soul. That weightless feeling of swimming, or the thrill of jumping off a rock in to the water below is just the best.

Running

It’s been so good to get back in to running, even though we’ve had to go early morning/late evening because it’s been so hot. I always used to like running alone but since we’ve started running together I’ve pushed myself much harder and have bagged lots of PB’s.

City break for the day

We got the train to Manchester yesterday for food, drinks and a spot of shopping. We ended up eating way too much.. a Wagamama’s for lunch and Dishoom for tea. Won’t be doing that again, we could barely move! Next time, just 1 stop for food and plenty of day drinks will do just nicely.

Llana July 4, 2021

Freedom never felt so good

Testing positive for coronavirus

Hello! It’s been a long 2 weeks without posting here and I’ve missed it so much. If you’re wondering where I’ve been and you didn’t see my moany posts on my Instagram stories about losing my taste and smell (bloody nightmare), Josh and I actually tested positive for Covid almost two weeks ago now, the day after the 32 miler my friends and I completed! It was a challenging 10 days and I don’t ever want to have to repeat it again. My body was aching, especially my lower back. I was sleeping for a ridiculous amount of hours a day, but still trying to keep in a routine with when I went to bed and got out of bed, I was continuously coughing, headachey, fatigued, everything! But the worst symptom for me was losing my taste because food always keeps me going but because I couldn’t taste anything I totally lost my appetite. Now all I’ve craved since my taste has started to come back is really healthy, fresh, homemade meals, like smoothie bowls, fruit, vegetables etc. and because I’m usually someone who craves carbs and cheese, I’m using this time now to get my arse in to gear and really try to focus on portion control, as well as trying to work out some kind of fitness routine in order to shed a couple of pounds and feel happy and healthy in myself.

Smoothie Bowl

I saw @justjessfood had made an Acai Smoothie Bowl on her Instagram. It looked delicious so when I did our most recent Asda order I ordered a load of stuff so I could make these regularly. This one we had today had frozen cherries, frozen mango, frozen strawberries and coconut water for the smoothie. Then I just topped this with Goji Berries, sliced strawberries and granola. I do have some of the Whitworth’s Shot packets but I didn’t want it to be too sweet. This was perfect!

Wild Swimming

You all know I love cold water, so when I came out of isolation the first thing I did was take Erik for a long walk and then went for a swim in the river. I’ve never swam on my own before but I’m trying to get used to doing things solo as much as I can, therefore I have no excuse not to try anything once.

Homemade Hummus

I always buy a couple of Moroccan Hummus pots from M&S when I do my fortnightly shop but because we’ve started ordering from Asda and getting the food delivered I had to miss out on the hummus and Asda’s just isn’t the same.. so I made my own! This was just a really simple recipe, so I could get used to the ingredients and the flavour/texture of a simple hummus. Next time I’ll try various spices but this was a great first attempt.. paired perfectly with these Manomasa crisps!

Walking

I recently downloaded OS Maps on my phone and have discovered 2 new walks close to home over the weekend. It’s been so nice finding footpaths that I never knew existed and a change of scenery has been good, even if it’s only the odd mile in another direction. Erik always loves new walks and he seems to get so excited when we go somewhere he’s never been before. I have missed getting out walking Erik so much during isolation. He went to stay at our wonderful dog sitters for those 10 days and had the best time but I was so glad to have him back.