Explorer of Life

I wanted to write a couple of blog posts about Christmas, so have decided to write about the mediums I shall be consuming that are Christmas related. This episode: books! I've only recently started reading regularly again after since finishing uni and thought it was the perfect time to try and fit some Christmas reading in to get me into the spirit! Below are three books that I have/am currently reading. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote I only discovered this short story after buying and reading Capote's popular tale about Holly Golightly- Breakfast at Tiffany's . The book contained two short stories, one of which being A Christmas Memory . It's a short but fairly sweet story about a young boy named Buddy and his older cousin and their Christmas tradition of making fruitcakes. Much like the Charles Dickens' stories, these characters are poor, and Capote has written it in such a way that helps you to appreciate the little things during this time of ...

Now, if you know me, you know I love a slow cooked meal. Gosh darn it, it's one of life's joys. Imagine this: you've spent a long, hard day at work and you travel home. You put the key in the lock, turn, and push the door open. Your senses are bombarded with the welcoming smell of slow-cooked food, ready for the taking. Smells glorious, doesn't it? I specialise in two slow-cooked meals: sausage, potatoes and veg, and bolognese, with the latter being a more recent discovery. It never dawned on me to make bolognese in a slow cooker. What a revelation! I'm yet to perfect my recipe, but I wanted to share my discovery because HOT DAMN it's good! WHAT YOU MAY WANT TO USE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BECAUSE THIS ISN'T AN ACTUAL RECIPE: - Slow cooker - Mince (I opt for 250g of beef) - Veg (Just went for mushrooms because of my tiny cooker) - Passata (I find 500g is enough the amount I cook) - Tomato Puree - 1 vegetable stock cube - Mixed h...

I've been going back and forth on whether to write this post. It's not because I don't want to share it, I just want to create a new post and don't have a damn clue what to write it on! But now is as good a time as any to post this.  As we know, I started this blog with the main intention being to encourage myself to look after me by eating healthier and going to the gym. Eating healthier has definitely been going well, despite my eating habits today *pushes 5 Galaxy Ripple packets under the bed* (Edit: I ate two more after posting this. I'm a mess, alright?! Leave me alone). Although the fridge is being a dick and freezing my cucumber and peppers meaning they then go soggy. CHANGE THE SETTINGS ON THE FRIDGE, I hear you cry, but alas, I shan't. I feel like I'm enough of a hassle in this shared house at the moment without throwing another spanner into the works. Following on from that, my mind set hasn't been great. I am not a hassle within this ...

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post and I can thank October for that. It's been one hell of a busy month, what with conventions and seeing friends, but I've managed to fit in a fair few spooky things within the month. So, on this day of All Hallows' Eve, I shall recount my spooktastic adventures. October opened up with my week at Disneyland Paris. Safe to say that was a spooktacular experience (okay, I'll stop with the spook now) and I had so much fun! The parades, the decorations, the costumes, everything was in the spirit of Halloween! And it gave us a chance to dress according to the season, as you can read in the previous blog post.  There was Halloween treats, villains, and just general fun scariness.  Did anyone see the red sky over England in October? Apparently caused by the nearby Hurricane Ophelia. What can we say, Ophelia's always causing trouble. She brought over the dust and god knows what from the S...

I'm back from my trip to Disneyland Paris and that can only mean one thing: a post about my trip! The excitement! One integral part before going on a trip is planning what clothes you want to take with you, so I thought I'd talk about my outfits... Day 1- Arrival We arrived early afternoon on the Sunday, meaning that (using our annual passes) we could go to the parks for an evening jaunt. This outfit was comfortable to travel in but with that little bit of Disney: I'm wearing an old 3/4 sleeve jumper with a Mickey print from Primark, my new and SUPER comfortable long cardigan also from Primark, classic Jamie jeans from Topshop and my Coralia Venice boots by Dr Martens. I folded some socks over the top of the boots as I'm still wearing them in, but they're still super comfortable- the plus of leather shoes!  Day 2- Exploring! I went with my friend who had never been to Disneyland Paris, so we used this day to explore and I showed her the rope...

Disney is two days away guys! The excitement is real!  Whilst trying to plan my outfits, I thought I might dig out some Disney pins I have that I could possibly wear whilst at Disneyland. This is a bade that I've had for yeeeaaaaaars! It's got to be around 14+ years old? It has my little initial on it so people know what my name begins with. (Why do we like to buy things that have our names/initials on?) It's like a little vintage pin that I want to bring back and start wearing again. This one my friend got me from her trip to a Disney park or some kind (probably Florida). It's 9 years old and I remember her giving it to me. I used to keep a pin badge collection so this was a perfect edition to that collection. Although I don't talk to the friend as often now, it's nice having this as like a little reminder. I've never actually worn it out so it'll be nice to show off the bling bling.  One of my favs is the Tomorrowland badge...

I am off to Disneyland Paris next week! Woooo! Apart from trying to calm myself down from the excitement, I've been mulling over how to do a pre-Disney blog post. I wasn't sure whether to show the outfits I'd wear, the ears we have, or what! So what I've decided to do is show you one simple outfit (almost like a teaser I guess?) and I'll perhaps do a full outfit post when I come back. I purchased a new dress for this trip: It's a red summery dress with a leaf pattern, but with a subtle stitch design. (From EMP:  https://www.emp.co.uk/p/lilo-leaf/349047.html#q=stitch&lang=en_GB&start=12  ) Although we're not going in summer (I'm so excited to see the Halloween decorations!) it will still look great without being too in-your-face Disney. I got it a size bigger (Large) than I normally would have due to my weight fluctuating recently. It still fits nicely with a little extra room so I can eat all of those Disney treats! There is a tied b...

Today is the day of Autumn Equinox. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and it's time to get super cosy. I'm currently writing this from the comfort of my bed with what I would describe as a cosy set up.   I have my mega cheap copper wire fairy lights on that I bought from Primark, wrapping around my many miscellaneous possessions.  I also have my £3 Asda- own vanilla candle lit. Now, call me an amateur, call me what you will, but I love a vanilla scent and it makes me feel cosy af. This is my first ever candle so please leave me alone and go away with your Yankee Candles that are probably called "Breath of Autumn" and god knows what. (I have nothing against Yankee Candles.) I'm wearing any old tshirt I could find, but super cosy bottoms by Little Blue House. I bought these when flying back from Canada and can not recommend them enough. They're brushed cotton which, in my correct opinion, is the ultima...

A truer statement has never been stated. I've always been able to cook. From the days I helped my nan in the kitchen, I can at least cook a basic meal. Nothing fancy, mind you, but I'll take my cooking over damn microwave meals any day.  The end of uni has kicked my arse into getting my body back into good condition. Food has been a part of this, and the spare time I have now I can actually prepare healthy meals and packed lunches for work. I bought myself a nice bit of haddock (don't talk cod to me, scum) and decided to oven cook it tonight. Accompanying said haddock would be white rice and veg. Now that's a plain meal. What could make it more interesting? We know how Charlotte likes to research things, so Charlotte searched what seasoning goes best with haddock. Garlic and thyme ended up being my culprits. I used the minimum of each, smearing my garlic paste on and sprinkling my thyme away, I then wrapped the haddock in tin foil and cooked for 10-15mins. The ...

Despite having a jam-packed day of going through everything I own and then for some reason feeling like shit, myself and my friend ventured to the gym to try out our next experimental class: Zumba. But wait, were we sure? Did we read the title properly? No. Of course we fucking didn't. It wasn't just any Zumba, it was Strong by Zumba. Little did we realise what exactly we'd got ourselves in for. The Strong by Zumba website says of itself: " Strong by Zumba combines high intensity interval training with the science of Synced Music Motivation. " It's safe to say that we did not realise this. We died ever so slightly. Considering this, time during the class went pretty quickly- it had been 50 minutes just as we thought it would never end. There's literally no explanation regarding the class that I can give. The website says it all, and it was tough man. But do you know what? We got through it. We fucking got through it. And for the fourth class I...

Today I did my first yoga class. I didn't really know what it entails and I'd never done it before. It was an...interesting experience. I'm totally unsure of how I feel about it.  Let's start with my post-yoga research. Myself and a friend (also a yoga newbie) decided to take a "flow yoga" class. The "flow" meaning that in this practise the movements flow smoothly together. Yoga is meant to help benefit your strength, flexibility and balance. Now, referring back to my very first post (Gym Life Starts Now!), it becomes apparent as to why I'm unsure if I enjoyed it. I want to take part in activities where I feel more active like I've actually done something. Yoga does not suit my aims right now, although it may still be a class that I take part in now and then. My flexibility has always been lacking, and this was definitely proven when taking this class! It would be nice to improve upon this in the future, in which case, I feel yoga will...

I did my first spin class this evening. Fuck man. The following is the result: Now, in my family we don't just gain nice rosy cheeks. Oh, no! We like to take it up to 11. We like to make sure the world knows we're exercising, or blushing, or whatever the hell is making us turn red.  FACT: Charlotte goes red too fucking easily. On to the spin class part: it went pretty well. During the first half I struggled, but once passing the half way mark I settled into it and could cope with my imminent death of cycling. I pushed myself, but didn't go over the top- it was my first gym class and first time using a gym in over 6 years after all. If people were standing up and I couldn't hack it, I'd stay seated, pedalling all the while. I know I am gonna fecking hurt tomorrow and probably not be able to walk on stage for my graduation on Wednesday, but future me will (hopefully) thank me. Overall, I'd recommend a good ole spinaroo. As my spin-experienced a...

EDIT: The awkward moment when the preview of your first post is a picture of your crotch but you don't know how to change it. We're just going to jump straight in here: I'm going to the gym tomorrow. Now, this might be a normal sentence to the average joe, but for me, that is a pretty big thing. Having always wondered why people go to the gym when you can exercise a-plenty in the great outdoors, I'm surprised to find myself excited at the notion of gyming (am I doing this right?). My main reasons for going to the gym is to lose a bit of weight (as some of my favourite clothes have become uncomfortable due to my change in weight/shape), gain a bit of muscle and just get fitter in general. I don't know how much I weigh and don't plan to track this throughout the whole gym thing. I want to rely on my eye. I've always been a lover of my body but recently I've just not been feeling it, so I want to get to the point again where I look in the mirror at al...