Adventure O'clock!

So...it's been over a year since I returned from my Big Travelling Adventure and so high time that I went somewhere else. Not that I haven't been on holiday since I returned, I've been to Wales, Gibraltar, Cornwall, amongst other places...but now I'm itching to go somewhere further away....to do some proper backpacking.

Sadly, (well not sadly becuase I love it, just sadly becuase it means not much time off) as I now have what my Dad would call a 'proper job' (some of my friends would argue this point as it still involves buttons and hat wearing) I only have a limited amount of holiday time.

My conversation with my boss went along the lines of:

'How much holiday can I book off in one go?' (me)

'Well most people just book a week, or 10 days, but 2 weeks I suppose' (boss)

'What happens if I accidentally book flights 3 weeks apart?' (me)

'Well....we'll see what happens' (boss)

Well then  as it turned out, on the dates we picked to start looking for flights, they were £200 cheaper than flights on any other days. I've no idea why. Hopefully we are actually travelling on an aeroplane, and not on a severely long distance bus! And yes, they happen to be 3 weeks apart.

So I'm off to Malaysia for some sunshine and adventuring! The decision went along the lines of me having a conversation with my friend Sharon, who is Malaysian, being offended that I'd been to Thailand and Singapore, but not Malaysia. Like I'd deliberately skipped going there (I didn't - Singapore = 2005, Thailand = 2006).

So when my friend Claire said she wanted to go somewhere hot where she could dive, it was an easy choice!

Now, with a week to go, I'm dealing with daily random questions from the lovely little Claire. Things like:

'Do we need malaria tablets?'

'Do we need leech socks?'

'Should I take travellers cheques?'

'What should I pack?'

'Do I need a visa?'

The answers to which are: I don't know, but I'm sure we can buy them there; hopefully not; nope, you can never find anywhere to change them at a good rate; not too much; no.

Hopefully that means we're now sorted and ready to go!!

In the meantime I'm going to admire my beautiful new fabric map from Etsy, and dream of where I'll be in a weeks time :o)

Sausages, Mushrooms & Other Stew Ingredients

I love cooking and especially cooking with random ingredients and making stew concoctions. Last night, it was raining and so I couldn't be bothered to go to Sainsburys and so raided my shelf in the fridge and the freezer.

I ended up making a bit of a hot pot which had: Sausages (I don't normally eat them for fear of what's hiding in processed meat, but they were finest ones), onions, tomatoes, lentils, potatoes, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. Oh, and a stock cube. Yum!

It was a bit runny though and very lumpy and so after eating a bowl full, I blended the rest into incredibly delicious soup!! I've never made sausage soup before but they are a seriously good addition!!!

My wish list...

I've noticed that all magazines and blogs are at the moment encouraging us to re-vamp our wardrobe, get the new back to school makeover, and buy lots of new clothes. As I'm currently saving for my holiday, shopping is definitely on the list. But for the day I win the lottery...here is my current wish list:

Orla Kiely for People Tree (and it's got tea pots embroidered all over it!!)

Emma Watson in Erdem (ok, so I know it's last season, but I love it more than the Fall collection)

Cosmoparis' Anabel sandels - I want!

Better avoid the Vogue Fashion Party tomorrow night then...

Interview, Sales & Other Reasons To Go Shopping

Twice a month I have a Wednesday off and I always try to use my Wednesdays wisely. On this particular Wednesday, as well as going to my usual Barre & Stretch Class and Jazz Class at Pineapple, and going along to give blood, I also did a spot of sale shopping.

I was on Oxford Street anyway, as I went to the West London Blood Centre and so seeing as there were all these big red inviting signs saying 'Sale' everywhere...I couldn't really say no!

I ended up buying this outfit which is pretty good going seeing as I'd been after a pair of smart black shorts and a yellow cardigan for ages. And then the Shirt was so cute I couldn't resist.

I did feel slightly bad when I got home but the whole outfit only cost £39 which is pretty amazing really! So where's it all from...

1. Cardigan = Mango £11

2. Blouse = Urban Outfitters £18

3. Shorts = Gap £9.99

I wore it to my interview at work...fingers crossed it made a good impression!