Jan recap// Beating the January blues and the freezing weather// Work Work Work…

This month I’ve been in denial about being back to work and all this cold weather has been bleh! I’m currently wrapped up in my fluffy dressing gown with a hot cup of tea and toast. The frosty mornings have made for some nice pics though!

Jan is one of my busiest months at work which means I’ve had lots of early starts and late nights working – saw some lovely sunrises and sunsets from work… Yeh it is quite depressing but should be calming down a little bit soon… well I hope so! One of my clients I work on in Jan has the best sausage sandwiches which we’d get every Friday morning which has been a little perk. Gotta make the most of it!

This month has gotten soooooo chilly! I treated myself to new slippers in the Christmas sale and have literally been living in them ever since. If I could wear them to work I 100% would!

For those that know me will know I’ve been seriously thinking about what I want from work and if being an auditor is still what I want to do. Its no secret that I haven’t been happy with how things are and I really need to do something about my stress and anxiety. It’s gotten to the point where something needs to change as my health has been taking such a hit. Change is a scary thing but can also be exciting! I think I’ve made up my mind with what I want to do and I think I need to stick to my guns… watch this space!

Enough with all the seriousness for the mo… back to tasty food and nice treats!
It seems like a long time ago now but we went to the Hinds Head for a meal with my parents a few weeks ago. I’ve written up a post here – it was so tasty and lovely treat!
My fav course had to be the starter which was pea and ham soup with a scotch egg 😍 I could literally eat those scotch eggs non-stop.

A couple weekends ago I had a spontaneous trip down to London to see some of my old school friends. Luckily they were free so we met up back in Balham and went to Megans. Omg – the food was so good! Its also the most instagrammable place! The decor is on point! We all had the chicken and chorizo deconstructed pan kebab with a side of halloumi… it was to die for! I mean who doesn’t like halloumi? I also had a mango frozen margarita which was very yummy.
After a couple hours we then popped across to Brickwood for a coffee. I had an extreme hot choc which was perfect! It was such a lovely day and so nice catching up! Sometimes you just need a break from reality and catching up with friends just makes everything better.

One of my friends has a cake business on the side and made us all a batch of oreo brownies. They are the best! Check her out here for your daily dose of cake and sweet treats. They literally fuelled me all week. They are so good if you heat them up in the microwave for 20 seconds… heaven!

To break up the work slog Tim and I went to the Glee Club in Brum one evening after work. We went for yo sushi first then made our way over. We were shown to our seats which were in the 2nd row but luckily we didn’t get picked on! The tickets were fairly cheap because it was mid-week and we’ll defo be going again!

7 months later I’ve FINALLY written up the final leg of the road trip in Las Vegas! Going back through all the pics really makes me want to go back. The absolute dream would be to be paid to just go on hols and enjoy all these lovely places but then I think would it not be as special?… oh well thats not going to happen! Reality is the day job and it just makes all our holidays a special treat. Tbh it isn’t that long until our next holiday – we’re going to Florida for a week and are going to stay at my Nanny’s in St Petes – I can’t wait!

See here for the post – had to share some of my fav pics of the trip again…. sorry not sorry!

I’ve also started reading Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ which I’m loving! Has anyone else read it yet? What do you think? I’m not normally one to read autobiographies and usually prefer fiction but this is a refreshing read. Its nice to curl up on the sofa with a hot choc and read. I’m usually one to just watch tv in the evenings and work but I’ve really been trying not to work so much in the evenings and reading has been a good distraction.

With Tim away in Barcelona this weekend I met up with one of my good friends for Afternoon Tea at New Hall Hotel and Spa. It was right up my street – Henry VIII stayed here. I did a history degree and did my dissertation on this guy so anything ye oldy is perfect! I would defo go back here.

The afternoon tea was delish! I actually enjoyed all the sandwiches and the cakes were just the right size! We didn’t feel rushed at all and spent about 3 hours there including a little walk around the grounds. Every part was so good. We stuck to the hot stuff (ie. tea) and had both normal English Breakfast tea and then switched to Assam. We both love a strong tea!

At work we have an American secondee over for the year and when I said I was going for Afternoon Tea this weekend he said he couldn’t justify paying £20 for a cup of tea… I have no idea what planet he’s been living on! He had no idea that Afternoon Tea was sandwiches, cakes and scones as well as tea… maybe I’m just being very British but doesn’t everyone know what Afternoon Tea is?!

The south of England has had so much snow and for once Brum hasn’t had any! It’s been very very cold so there’s been loads of frost! It did make for some pretty pics at New Hall.

With this freezing cold weather I love to have a bath. Something about the steaming hot water and a bath bomb is the perfect thing after a long day. I’ve always known that LUSH are known for their bath bombs but I’ve never tried one of theirs. Recently a huge LUSH opened in Brum so I popped in one lunch. As a treat I got 2 – ‘Twilight’ which is a relaxation one (Warning: this is very glittery! I hadn’t realised until I got out go the bath!) and ‘Sakura’ which is inspired by Cherry Blossom in Japan. I’ve only tried Twilight atm which I loved. The fragrance was gorgeous and it made the most pretty patterns – pinks, purples and blues! Anyone else love bath bombs? Any you’d suggest?

Finally this month, I’ve rediscovered my love of painting! 😍
I used to love painting and brush lettering but in July it became more of a chore and I decided to close down my Etsy shop. I’ve recently had an itching feeling to get back to it and got out my inks and brushes. It was so much fun! Here’s a few of my recent ones:

I’m thinking I might open up my shop again/ maybe sell through my Instagram… what do you think? Would you say £15 is an acceptable price to sell them at? All are hand lettered by me so it takes a little while to do each piece.

Until next time my lovelies,

Cathers x

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