Easter treats then back to reality | Finally Friday

A long Easter weekend was the ideal ending to my week last week. Stress levels were at maximum by Wednesday and a peaceful weekend at home was just what I needed. The Easter weekend was spend in the best way, in the company of good friends and family, enjoying the idyllic Sussex scenery with a few pints to begin the weekend. 

I rustled up a few treats in the kitchen over the weekend. It was Easter and a week of full on working out and healthy eating earned me Saturday mornings American pancakes. And the lemon shortbread and the carbonara and the chocolate dog courtesy of Sarah, a survivor of the rugby tour to Belgium. It was Easter and I wanted to treat myself so I did and so should everyone every now and again. Everything in moderation. 

It's so nice to have light, warm evenings again. The day is longer and I personally just feel more energised and happier when every evening isn't spent huddled round the TV donned in fluffy clothing. Spring is probably my favourite time of year. 

Tuesday was back to the grind though. The last full week of a 6am alarm though and that thought has definitely kept me going. I've been on the shorthand like a woman possessed this week, determined to get that 100 words per minute down. I'm not going to say how I feel I did cause I'm also a tad superstitious, only when it comes to exams really, and I don't want to jinx it. 

The beginning of another week also saw the return of the healthy food and plenty of exercise. Much to my pleasure. Don't get me wrong I love full fat pancakes and lots of chocolate on occasion but I definitely feel better all round for healthy food and a workout a day. Never thought I'd say that. Is this a new me? I think it might be. 

Anyway, not a bad week, not the best but definitely not the worst. Got a busy weekend with lots of seeing lovely people and lots of revision for my final exam.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, until next time.

Post-Easter Crackdown | Thursday Talks

Despite all the sweet treats I've been showcasing on Instagram as of late, mainly because of Easter, I have still been trying to keep as healthy and fit as possible. My fridge and cupboards have been stripped back and the running shoes have been donned more often than normal to ensure I am as bikini ready as possible in three and a half weeks, because even though I tried to keep healthy over Easter I did eat my body weight in chocolate. I don't claim to be a health and fitness whizz kid, cause let's be honest my abs are still far from peeking out and I still struggle with the three mile run I sometimes manage, but I have picked up a few little tricks that make it all easier and so I thought I'd share with you. These are the things I'll be definitely sticking too over the next few weeks.

1) Don't buy naughty treats
When you're doing your food shop, don't be tempted to pick up the things you shouldn't. You don't need the multipack of crisps or the kitkats, even if they are on offer. Instead pick up some raspberries or some low fat crackers. Ryvita things or snack a jacks are a really good crisp alternative. Just as satisfying but without the naughty fats. Also, don't go to the supermarket when you're hungry. You'll be most tempted to by the naughty goodies then because they're quick to satisfy the hunger.

2) Don't cut out, cut down
It's ok to think that cutting out dairy or carbs or sugar will help you loose those extra pounds because it will, but it's not easily sustainable to it might not last. Instead of completely cutting out the things carbs, fat or sugar just cut down. Have things that aren't full of added sugar, and things that are low fat and low carbs. I try to have days where I don't eat dairy, or veggie days to help cut down the fattening stuff. This week I'm trying really hard to have no unnecessary carbs and no added sugar.

3) Find your exercise
Everyone finds different exercises easier. Some people can run for miles, some can cycle, some can do an hour of weights. Everyone's different. I try to change it up every week but workouts I can do in my own house are my favourite. I try to an hour a day and this week I'm going to be doing workouts in my bedroom as I'm revising for final exams as well so I'm staying in but next week I'm going to running and home workouts so I get enough cardio to melt that fat. Find what you enjoy and do it as much as you feel comfortable with.

4) Water and Green Tea
2 litres every day minimum. It stops you snacking, it keeps you hydrated, helps keep your skin clear and keeps your insides nice and clean too. I drink a glass with every meal and also carry a litre bottle with me which I feel up twice in the day which ensures I've drunk at least two litres. Over the next few weeks I'm also cutting out alcohol. I don't drink a lot anyway but alcohol can prevent fat burning so I don't want to be doing that. Also green tea is great to drink. It's full of goodness and is great for detoxing the body, a drop of lemon juice makes it super tasty. I have a mug in the evening before bed and it serves me well.

As well as alcohol, over the next three and half weeks I'm completely cutting out chocolate, crisps, bread and any unhealthy snacks. Fruit and veg all the way for me now.

So they're my top four tips: no naughty treats, cut down, enjoy exercising, and drink lots of water. Hope these help you.

N.B I'd like to point out I don't condone restrictive diets, I eat three healthy meals a day and snack on fruit and nuts if I get hungry in the day. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF. It's not healthy.

TBR: Australia | Wednesday Reads

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If you follow me on GoodReads you may have seen that I recently created a new shelf. This shelf is my Australia TBR. Now as my 'before Aus TBR' failed miserably I'm determined to be successful this time. All the books listed are on my kindle as I'm not planning on taking any physical books unless I haven't finished what I'm reading. So here's my list of books I want to read whilst in Australia.

A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons - George R.R. Martin

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson

The Universe Versus Alex Woods - Gavin Extence

The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox - Fleet Street Fox

The Hundred Year Old Man who climbed out the window and disappeared - Jonasson Jonas

Twelve Years A Slave - Solomon Northup

The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

These are all books that have been sat on my Kindle for ages so I've obviously been meaning to get round to them for ages. Hopefully I'll get at least these read but I wouldn't mind getting onto a couple of others as well but we'll see. Don't forget you can follow me on GoodReads to keep up with how I'm doing and also to see what I think of what I'm reading.

Travel Essentials #1 | Tuesday Travels

It's just under three weeks until I leave for Australia and finally I'm allowing packing to enter my mind, although I can't let it take over just yet. As we're now getting closer to the day I get on that twenty-four hour flight, something that I'm definitely not letting take over my mind just yet, I thought Tuesday's (normally known as Tuesday travels) to become a travel essentials series. Only a few until I go detailing a few essentials that I feel are, well, essential for travelling. Of course there are things that I am taking because I'm going to Australia and wouldn't normally take so I suppose this is more of a long-haul/long-stay travel essentials but that's long a boring so we're going with travel essentials.

This weeks essentials is technology. The things we wish we could all live without, but when it actually comes down to it we can't. I'd love to go to Australia technology free but apart from anything else my mum would die if I didn't take my phone and I'd be a little upset if I didn't get any photos of this big part of my life. So here's a few gadgets and gizmos that I'll be putting into the bag in a few weeks time.

1) The Laptop
I normally wouldn't take my laptop on holiday with me. It's huge, weighs a tonne, and is simply an inconvenience. However, the laptop will serve as memory card free-er up-er over anything else. I.e. me and Jack can put all our photos onto the laptop as we want to rather than buying 101 memory cards that could end up getting lost or forgotten about. As well as this, although it's perfectly obvious I won't be able to continue blogging as regularly, I would like to get a few posts up every now and again and I also am doing a few posts for Travel & Trainers whilst I'm away and although iPhone's are great laptops are definitely easier when it comes to blog post writing.

2) Cameras x 2
Yes two cameras. Now you may be thinking, but Emily your baggage weight allowance will suffer so. Yes it probably will but as the owner of DSLR, and fellow DSLR owner's will understand, there are times when you really need your DSLR. Moments when a standard compact camera won't do the moment justice. However, there are other times when you think why have I bothered carrying this beast around all day, all I've got is shots of my family eating lunch. So for this reason, I will be taking my DSLR for those days when I know nothing else will do and my compact camera for those days where me and Jack are all day in the van eating, but memorable days none the less.

3) The Kindle
If you read my blog regularly and read Wednesday's posts you will know that I've always been planning on taking my kindle. It's great for the long plane journey in which I could potentially read two or three books, but with a kindle I don't have to lug around three huge novels sacrificing something else for them. It will also be good throughout the trip as I can easily buy new books when I'm done with what I've got without having to drag Jack into a book shop against his will. Kindle's were designed for times like these.

4) The iPod
Obviously. Since the early 21st century man has not travelled without some form of musical listening device. In the next few weeks I will deleting and updating my iPod to ensure it is fit for the long flight and expanse of time we will be travelling. I'm sure it will help pass any dull hours on the plane. I say any like it's only a possibility I'm going to be mind numbingly bored for a vast majority of the plane.

So there we are. My technology essentials for my trip to Australia and, apart from the laptop for all other trips you may undertake. Let me know if you have any other technological essentials you think I may have forgotten or anything that you take that's not on the list.

What feels like the end | Motivational Monday

Things come to an end all the time. This week is the last proper week of my NCTJ course. It's the end. But although it's the end of the course, it's important to remember it's the beginning of my life as a qualified journalist.

It's easy to feel stressed and scared but whatever is ending is ending. That last part of your life is coming to an end. It's easy to get wound up and worried because something's coming to an end but it's better to think productively and think about what's happening next.

The end of now is the beginning of the next part of your life where you learn more and become a better person for it.

Easter Treats | The Weekend Post

Easter is most definitely a time to enjoy all those treats that normally you know you should really say no to, even if you don't. The huge chocolate eggs, that I'm sure are getting bigger every year, are definitely a giveaway. But as well as those I enjoy to make a few extra treats for us all to enjoy in the house over Easter. I definitely earned it after a 10 mile bike ride on Thursday.

Pancakes are a must. If you read my blog regularly you might have seen my protein pancakes that I sometimes make if I have time in the morning. Now they are delicious and healthy, which is a winner, but nothing beats a proper American pancakes doused with maple syrup for breakfast at Easter. Fluffy and light and sweet. Absolutely what the Easter bunny ordered. They're quite simple, just flour, baking powder a pinch of salt then beat in an egg a tablespoon of oil and some milk leave it to sit for a moment then fry up and lather in your favourite topping.

I also made some lemon shortbread esque biscuits. I can't really tell you what this recipe was cause I mixed a few together to get the end result. But I guess a simple shortbread recipe, add the rind of a lemon would create the same effect. I then topped with some yellow coloured, lemon icing and they're deliciously sweet and tangy. I'm normally no good with biscuits and end up with burnt edges and biscuits that are more like crisps but these turned out well and I might try different flavours in the future.

I also made a sort of carbonara. Though I was feeling lazy and instead of making a sauce just used a tub of garlic and herb philadelphia. I actually found it a lot tastier than a regular carbonara but just as satisfying and tasty. Super good alternative if you're in a rush but want something filling and not too fast food esque. But still a treat cause let's be honest a pot of phili a day would not keep the doctor away.

So there's a few of my treats. Not forgetting of course the piles of chocolate that I'm going to put away this weekend. But then that's it, no more chocolate or any such treats before Aus. What are your treats over this weekend?

Cooks: Homemade spiced meatballs | The Weekend Post

I made this a couple of weekends ago and you may have seen it on my Instagram. I did say I'd put this recipe up last weekend, but last weekend ended up being a little more hectic than first expected so it's up now. Better late than never. Anyway this is a really simple meatball recipe. I think people have a belief that anything homemade like meatballs or burgers will take a lifetime, and it can but it doesn't have to. I made this on a Saturday for a quick Saturday in front of the tele dinner, which it's perfect for.

You will need:

• Food blender
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 white onion
• 2 teaspoons of dried coriander
• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 500g of beef mince
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of tomato puree
• 1 vegetable stock pot
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil (better if fresh basil but dried is fine)
• Pasta of your choice for the amount of people (1 handful per person +1)

To begin with you need to blitz the onion, garlic, mince and spices in your food blender. It needs to look almost like a pate as there's no egg in this for binding so if its not really stick and mushy they won't hold together. Don't worry the texture isn't mush although when it's in the food blender the mix will look like something the dog left in the garden for you, but don't be put off. Roll the mixture into balls, I made four for each person  with the ingredients listed above so you can add or reduce depending on how many you're cooking for and how many meatballs you want.

Once you've rolled the mixture into balls pop them in ready heated pan with a little oil and begin browning them off. Whilst the meatballs are cooking you can make your sauce, which is so easy. Empty the tomatoes and puree into a pan and bring it to the boil then add your basil and stock pot and boil until the stock pot has dissolved. These Knorr stock pots are great for creating flavour when you haven't got a whole tonne of time but they're even great when you've got all day to slave over a pan, they create great flavour in sauces, stews and casseroles. Once the stock pot has dissolved bring the sauce to a simmer. You'll need to keep an eye on your meatballs. The best way to turn them is with tongs or a spoons try not to move them too much as they are delicate.

Obviously you need to cook the pasta for this dish. As always I used rigattoni pasta as it's my favourite and as always used a handful per person plus one. So I was cooking for four so used five handfulls. I also made a salad of lettuce, yellow pepper, tomato and cucumber to go along side it and bunged some garlic bread into the oven. Once it's all cooked drain your pasta and serve. Pasta, then meatballs and topped with sauce.

So that's it simple, easy, Saturday night dinner that's fresh, healthy and tasty. Why not give it a try and let me know how you got on? 

Rediscovering an old love | Thursday Talks

I've ridden horses for as long as I can remember. My cousin Kerry has had a horse, or been involved with horses all my life and as such I have too, almost. I started riding at about four or five, not properly just sat in the saddle with Kerry having the time of my life. But as I got older and understood horses more I got more independent with them and confident. I started riding twice a week up at a local stables and grew to love the past time almost to the point of obsession. I always wanted my own horse and in all honesty if I ever had the money to be able to have one, I still would. Anyway the stables I went to closed down and I never found anywhere else I wanted to ride. Last September, Kerry got a new horse and the plan to get me back in the saddle commenced. It's been something we've been meaning to do for months but haven't gotten round two until last weekend. 

It was so good to ride again. I was more than rusty and things that were drilled into me years ago have slipped - heels down, toes in, shorten the reins. But I still felt as confident as I did before and that was something I wasn't sure would happen. 

It's so reassuring when you can go back to something you left behind so long ago and enjoy it in the same way you always had. It was also lovely to see my two younger cousins being so brilliant on horse back. Doing the same things I was doing at their age and loving it so much. I just hope they don't forget how brilliant it all is like I did. 

I'd really like to get back into horse riding again but being so busy it's unlikely to happen. Might have to chat Jack up into going on a pony trek in Aus, or buying me a horse. One or the other.

P.s. I'm not going to ask him to buy me a horse. 

Classics TBR | Wednesday Reads

I have a lot of 'classics' on my shelf that need to be read but I have a few I want to get to sooner than others. A few are hard copy books but I have a Kindle and on a Kindle a lot of old classics are free due to copyright only lasting so long after the author has died. This means I have an always growing list of classics on Kindle that really need to be read. In this post I am mainly talking about old classics, though I have a lot of love for modern classics this isn't what this is.

Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist.
My dad is a massive Charles Dickens fan, I suppose you could call him a Dickens fanboy. He's forever telling me to read more Dickens and so far the only one I've read is 'Great Expectations'. On my shelf I have the most beautiful copy of Oliver Twist that he gave me and I'm determined to get around to it this year.

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
I've read a fair few of Austen's works now and Mansfield Park is the only one I own that is still to be read. Therefore, I want to get this one read pretty soon so I can add to my Austen collection some more.

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
My aim is to read a book by every Bronte sister. I've read Wuthering Heights and it fast became my favourite classic so far. I've heard a lot of good things about Jane Eyre so I'm looking forward to ticking Charlotte of my Bronte list.

1984 - George Orwell
A book that has been sat, staring me down, literally, for a year now. I bought this last spring and have been meaning to get round to it since but haven't yet. Obviously. I genuinely really want to read this as I've heard so many good things about it and it will be my first dystopian novel, yes I've avoided them this long so far, but what a way to get into the genre.

Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
Another one that's been on my shelf for a while. I bought this mainly because I loved the copy I found and it was something I'd been planning on getting round to. But when I got it home on my shelf it's just sat there. I plan to get round to it soon and get ti ticked off the list.

So that's it for now, they're the classics that I most want to get round to next but not necessarily in that order, we'll see.

One month to go | Tuesday Travels

It's official, I have one month to go until I leave for Australia. Well on Friday I had one month to go, I now have 26 days but the sentiment is still the same. Seeing as I only have a month left I thought I'd share with you the things I have left to do before I go. It might spark some things in your mind if you're planning for a trip and it will also serve as a reminder for me.

• TRAVEL INSURANCE - this needs to happen ASAP fingers crossed by the end of the week
• Board shorts - thought I had some I don't, need to get some
• Rash vest - thought I had one, threw it out, need to get one, hoping to nab the one Jack left behind but he's in Melbourne at the moment so I can't get hold of him to give him puppy eyes and a pleading speech
• Prescription letter for the doctor - need a few months worth of pills so got to get the doctor to get me some and need to write a letter to explain the circumstances
• Money transfer - need to transfer money over into my account and get me hands on some Aussie dollars in cash and some Korean money just incase I fancy a dog sarnie in the airport
• Sort out iPod - music for the plane needs to be up to date so I can get through it
• Make sure everything is charged before packing it 
• Pack 
• Online check in
• Don't panic
• Passport, documents, money
• Don't panic

Quick note, yes that looks like a lot and it is just a long list = a very boring post but as you can tell I have a lot to do so blogging is a little bit of a second at the moment. Especially when I've seen what I've got left to do. I'm trying not to stress and panic now. Hopefully you'll get some better ones soon and the last week before I go I've got some good posts planned. 

Also if you could take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey for one of my friends would be much appreciated, thank you :) 

Let it go | Motivational Monday

When you get into bed at night it's easy to think about the things you should have or could have done. Should have revised that little bit more, could have watched less TV and read more, should have washed my hair this evening. 

It's so counter productive. 

Instead of laying in bed and thinking of all the things you could have done today let it go of it. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to get things done.

Instead of thinking about what could have been done today, or should have been done, think about what you're going to get up and do tomorrow. And then tomorrow, when you're alarm goes off get up and do them and then when you get into bed tomorrow night you won't be able to think about what you could have and should have done because you'll have done them. 

Spring is here, smiles all round (and the regular tablespoon of stress) | Finally Friday

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Spring is finally here and I am loving it. The sun is out, evenings are lighter and mornings aren't quite as much of a chore. If it wasn't for being stuck inside Brighton Journalist Works everyday I'd probably be the happiest chica going but as it is stress is still present as ever and therefore, spring still isn't quite would it good be.

I made the best of it though and bought some daffodils when I got home on the weekend to brighten up my day of slogging over portfolio cover sheets, at present the bain of my life and the only thing I seem to be doing, and cracking on with shorthand. I also treated myself to some strawberries and raspberries, they were there and my breakfast looked so much better with them involved. Natures sweeties I believe.

The final tour fundraising quiz night happened at the Rugby club which was as fun as ever. All in good spirits and I think the boys are all happy that it's finally here and they can journey off to Belgium on a coach and play rugby for the weekend, and do those other things we can't say about but we all know will happen. Behave boys. It was selfie central that night our group selfie isn't quite as impressive as Ellen's but with Will Cullen in charge of the camera we got one of everyone there so that's good. A good mood to start the week in.

Sunday was one of the best sunday's going. A stroll through a local village with afternoon tea. Glorious and just what the doctor ordered. Gorging on scones, clotted cream and jam always makes everything better. Followed by a pamper session my Sunday was the best way to start my hectic week.

We hit one month til Aus today so that's super exciting though scary knowing there's still a few things on the to do list and with how quickly the weeks have been going thus far it's going to fly by. Better get ticking.

I took breakfast by the reins this week and have really enjoyed all my breakfasts. Bit of a boring way to end the post but seeing as breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day it's got to be important to enjoy it so I've been making sure that's been happening recently. Lot's of yummy fruit and oat varieties to get me going for the day.

So that's my week. I'm not going to tell you about shorthand and course details all the time just assume their still present until otherwise stated. Oh I can't wait.

Enjoy your weekend!

Let's make breakfast exciting | Thursday Talks

Breakfast is the one meal a day that has to ability to get boring through repetition. Think about it, you'd never have the same dinner twice in a row. Unless like me your family think they have to make Shepard's Pie and Lasagna for eighteen people rather than the four they make every other dinner for. But in normal circumstances dinner and lunches vary daily. Why not with breakfast? I'll tell you, it's early and you can't be bothered to think of something else to have so Monday-Friday its cornflakes and maybe you'll switch it up on the weekend. It doesn't have to be this way. I love breakfast time, mainly because its socially acceptable to eat at 7am or on a bus as is often the case nowadays, but also because I like switching it up.

Breakfast is such an important meal in the day, I know you've heard every doctor/health person say it, but it's true. It gets your digestive system kicking so treat it well and it will do the same to you, start the day as you mean to go on. My breakfast larder mainly consists of oat based cereals like granola and porridge and weetabix, because weetabix is God's gift to breakfast cereals. I then pack on different additions to make each day different. Apart from bananas, bananas are a daily morning requirement. 

Weetabix, yes I promise there's one under all that banana, is a great start to the day. Full of energy and super filling to keep you hanging on until lunch time or at least until the 11 o'clock short hand break. When I was about five I remember loading it with sugar which I'm not going to lie was super tasty but my 20 year old self can't handle the 1/2 in the same way so sweetening it in a healthy way is the aim. Bananas and raisins are great for doing this with any breakfast and I add the almonds every now and again for a bit of protein and extra fibre. All good things going on here. 

Porridge is great for getting you going again. Packed full of energy and protein its just what you need to get the day starting in a good way. I make mine with half milk, half water as all that milk leaves me feeling a bit bloated. But you can just go all out milk or for healthier but still tasty options (all water is gross, don't do that to yourself) almond or coconut milk will go down a treat. I tend to top my porridge with either cinnamon or vanilla to sweeten again with the standard banana and again here I went for almonds though they're not a staple. 

Granola is probably one of my favourite breakfasts. Though you can't beat porridge in the winter granola is just so tasty and irresistible and if I don't have it for breakfast I normally take a handful to snack on dry though the day. Granola is the most filling of these four me and I sometimes have it with greek yoghurt rather than milk which is so filling I really don't need anything until lunch time. Granola is great because you don't have to add anything to make it tasty because it's already filled with lots of dried fruit and nuts but I sometimes add a few extra raisins or if I need to use up some fruit I'll chuck that in too.

So there we go. Making breakfast more exciting isn't as hard as you first thought. Pick up a few different cereals this week and try it out. It's not even more expensive because they last longer. Let me know how you get on. 

Admitting Defeat | Wednesday Reads

Back in January I created a post called 'Before I fly to Aus reads'. Oh how naive I was. I listed 18 books that I wanted to read in the time before I flew to Australia. They're all paper/hardback books from my shelf as I won't be taking any of those to Australia with me, only my kindle, so I wanted to clear as many books from my shelf as 'read' before Aus, as I could.

Normally 18 books in four months would be a breeze for me. In fact normally I'd probably have time to spare. However, normally I'm not undertaking an intensive, fast track NCTJ diploma. And there we have the issue.

In January I knew the course would be time consuming but I didn't know it would be that time consuming. I knew I'd be there 9-5 everyday but I didn't know I'd come home and have to work until 11 every night just to try and keep up with the work load. A lot of people say 'oh I don't have time to read' and that's fair enough and I now fully understand that.

The only time I'm not working is when I'm eating, and that is not a lie. I literally don't have a spare minute away from work. I take half an hour a day away to workout but I can't find it in me to take another half an hour to read. Boy I've changed.

However, it doest upset me. I'd love to be rampaging through that list a book a week but within three days of the course I knew that couldn't happen. I am so looking forward to getting on that plane and reading two or three books, a to keep me awake so I don't get jet lagged and b to make up for lost time.

So here's to 11th May onwards for getting reading done and completing my reading resolutions. 

Finding Travel Insurance | Tuesday Travels

Travel insurance is an annoying little bugger. It's one of those things that you don't always think about but is necessary. If you're going to Europe it's not such a problem as you can get a EHIC card and you're covered. Easy. So if you're going to Europe, and live in Europe grab yourself one as it's the cheapest travel insurance you'll ever get. However, if you're going elsewhere you need to get yourself some proper insurance. You may be thinking, nah nothing will happen to me. But even if you're the safest, most sensible person in the world you could still need insurance.

Travel insurance doesn't just cover you for medical and health purposes, it also covers your baggage, passport, if you have to come home early anything. A lot of these things you have no control over. If your baggage gets lost on the plane there's nothing you can do about so travel insurance will be handy as many offer a certain amount of money to cover your baggage and belongings.

There are a lot of policies out there though and finding the one for you can be difficult. So like with choosing flights, with travel insurance you need to do your research and you need to shop around before you commit to anything.

You need to make sure your policy is going to cover what you want it to. A lot only cover for a certain amount of days at a time so if your going for four, five, six months check the policy will cover you for that long. The best thing to do in those circumstances is to have a look on a website like gocompare. They will show you every policy that covers your dates and the price. Obviously some will be madly expensive and others will be slightly cheaper. When I first looked mine ranged from £120 - £300 but that's because I'm going for a long time. If you're on a budget then obviously look at the cheaper ones but make sure the medical covers you for at least £2 million, that sounds extravagant but America and Australia will charge the earth just to call an ambulance out and you don't want to get stuck with a whopping bill because you're insurance doesn't cover it.

Also check the excess. You don't want to make a claim and then find you've got pay £500 out of it when you know you won't have that money. Be realistic about it.

Once you've got an idea of what you think you need and want from your insurance start shopping around. The post office and your bank or building societies are great places to look. The post office are great for travelling requirements generally but I didn't find they were the cheapest. Different banks and building societies may offer deals depending on the type of account you hold with them and how long you've been banking so it's worth asking. But don't expect it, my building society offered me no discount and I've banked with them all my life.

There are tonnes of companies who don't put themselves on comparison websites so it's important to just have a google and see what you get. I googled 'working holiday insurance' 'australian insurance' 'young person working holiday insurance' and lot's of other things and found a great website which is perfectly suited to the type of  holiday I'm going on. Google will forever be your best friend when planning a trip so don't be scared to google ridiculous things to find what you want. You may find a gem.

So there's a few little tips and tricks and places to look if like me you're putting off getting you're insurance. The longer you put it off the more expensive it's going to get so dive it and get it sorted. It will be super exciting when you do - one step closer and £120 lighter.

There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy | Motivational Monday

Spring is here. And though sometimes the sky is still grey, and it still rains and some mornings you have to don the scarf as well as the sunnies spring is definitely here and it's beautiful. 

The flowers are bright, birds are singing, bees are buzzing all those little signs that better days are on their way are about and if that's not a reason to be happy I don't know what it is.

Sometimes it can feel like you're always going to be down. Stress is always going to be your company, doubt is always going to be in your mind and you'll never find a way out. It's not the case. Think of those feelings as the winter and spring is on it's way. And spring always comes.

That sounds so cheesy but if it helps you feel better about how you're feeling sometimes, and it does me, then go with it. Sure there may be more winters to come but this isn't Game of Thrones, spring and summer always come and they're never that far away.

Find the small things in your day that make it better. Don't look for big things to make you smile. Let the colourful flowers, or the smiley people or the ability to go for an evening walk without freezing your fingers off be the reason your day is a good day. 

Cooks: Spicy Parma Ham Pasta | The Weekend Post

If you follow my instragram you may have seen this photo last Saturday. I cooked this for my mum and dad last weekend and as promised here is the recipe. I love cooking but for me cooking is experimental. I generally chuck things together and hope that it works. This was pretty standard ingredients for me but it was Saturday and we wanted something quick so this is how to create my Spicy Parma Ham Pasta.

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice, I use Rigatoni
• Parma Ham
• 4 mushrooms
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large onion
• 2 teaspoons of red pesto
• 1 can of tinned tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons of hot chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Firstly you need to create the paste that will form the base of the flavour for the dish. To do this you need a pestle and mortar or some other way of creating the paste, a food blender might work but I haven't tried so don't hold me to that. Add a fair glug of olive oil, the garlic cloves, chilli powder, oregano and paprika to your pestle and mortar and grind until a paste is created. You can add more or less spice depending on your preference I ended up adding more parika as I love the flavour it gives but it's completely up to you how much of the herbs and spices you use.

Next chop the onion and fry it off until it's browned slightly and softened. Then do the same with the pepper and mushroom. You can chop these any way you wish depending on how chunky you like pasta sauce to be. Then tear (with your fingers it's so much easier) the parma ham into shreds and add it to the pan. Once all the vegetables are softened and the parma ham is beginning to cook off add the paste and stir well to cover all the other ingredients. You want the paste to cook into the ingredients for about 5-7 minutes to make sure they soak up all the flavours.

Once everything in the pan is beginning to brown add the red pesto and tinned tomatoes. Bring this to the boil and taste. At this point you will probably want to add salt and pepper to taste you may also feel that you want to add more spices. This is all down to personal taste so season how you like. You want this to boil for a good ten minutes before bringing it down to a simmer to reduce and soak up all the juices. There's a thing that pasta sauces should be really liquidy and slop over the pasta. No. A thick sauce that sits on top is tastier and far nicer to eat. 

Once the sauce has begun to reduce cook your pasta. You all know how too cook pasta so I won't tell you but if you are unsure read the back of the packet. I find a handful per person plus one give about the right about of pasta generally. I also made a salad to with the pasta. A basic salad of spinach and rocket leaves with chopped tomato, cucumber and onions drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and seasoned with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese goes nicely with any pasta dish. I also cooked some garlic bread to go with it but this wasn't homemade because who's got time for that. Once your sauce has reduced nicely and your pasta is cooked, drain your pasta and mix the sauce through thoroughly making sure it's evenly distributed throughout. Once you've done that, that's it, serve and enjoy.

So there we go. A simple, easy, tasty pasta dish perfect for a Saturday night in in front of the TV. If you try it out let me know how it goes.

Enjoy. 

Can't remember | Finally Friday

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It's awful, but this week has flown by so quickly I can't really remember all that much about it. It started well though with A's in both my Law exams. I'm still waiting on reporting results and I'll be honest I'm not as hopeful after we've practically been assured that if we get any more than a C we'll be knighted, sainted and godified for the rest of NCTJ life. Always reassuring. 

I also received a new book for review in the post. I'm hoping a new book is going to get me back into reading properly. I have done hardly any reading since I've been on the course because I've been so busy. Remember that 'before aus' reading list that I was banging on about throughout January, well that fell by the way-side pretty soon into NCTJ life. Reading is has been a bit of a no-no this week as well with every spare minute, ha that's funny, being dedicated to getting shorthand up to as best 100 words per minute as possible or last minute portfolio shenanigans. 

I've been keeping up with the running though. Three runs this week amongst everything else is pretty good going trust me. With spring evenings now here, there is a good side to losing an hour sleep, it means running is much easier to do because the dark evenings aren't tempting me to stay inside rather than pull on the running shoes and get out there. It's also been relatively warm which always makes me happier and so running shorts rather than running leggings has also been a thing I've been enjoying.

I was home over the weekend as always which is always nice. Enjoying the company of the evil miserable looking dog and some galaxy hot chocolate as well as the company of my family. We enjoyed a good mothering Sunday on the rugby sideline to a cracking lose by our boys but that's the name of the game and I don't think we're talking about it yet so let's hope none of them see this post. 

So that was about as much as I've done apart from the finishing off of the portfolio stress and shorthand speed development I have nothing else to say. So I hope you had a good weekend and enjoy your weekend. Until Monday chaps. 

Finding your coping method for stress | Thursday Talks

If you've done a fast track, intensive course of some kind you will understand the type of pressure me and my fellow NCTJers are feeling at the moment. 14 weeks may sound like a long time when you decide to pay x amount of money to get a qualification you want. But when it hits four weeks left and you're finishing off a ten story strong portfolio, cover sheets for each and trying to crack 100 words per minute shorthand so you can take the exam next week and get that off your plate, 14 weeks seems like it went in the blink of an eye. I am not alone in the stress I am under with all of this going and I'm fully aware of that but it's about finding your coping method and everyone does so differently. 

If you're susceptible to stress as me it's important to find the way you cope with that because otherwise it'll push you into the corner of your room and then you're more stressed because you've spend hours worrying about what you're stressed about rather than getting on. It often seems like the best thing to do, or rather easiest thing to do, is ignore your problems and come back to that every growing mental to do list tomorrow. It won't make it better I promise.

I find the best thing to do is make a physical to do list. I've discovered, and boy did it take me a long time to work out, that half my stressing grounds itself in worrying that I might forget something important. Making a physical, written to do list, on your phone, on a note, on your computer where ever, means you won't forget anything you've got to do. Important or menial. As well as this the feeling when I cross something off my to do list is so gratifying that it reduces stress incredibly.

At the beginning of the week I created a post about how running can help me de-stress. And it's true not just for me but for a lot of people. Being active, I don't know how, some psychology wizz will probably be able to tell me, really helps me feel better. So of course taking a couple of hours away from what you've got to di is important. But ignoring your to do list all together is no a good way to de-stress. 

There are many things that have been proven to help people feel less stressed. I find of an evening a cup of herbal tea and a good book for half an hour before bed relaxes my mind before sleeping. This isn't always the case and often I take hours to sleep because my mind is reeling with all the things I've got do. If I wake up in the morning knowing I haven't slept well because I've got a lot on my mind I use a herbal roller ball stick on my temples and wrists which sends calming vibes. This probably sounds so hippy-esque but it works so I'm sticking to it.

The most important thing here is that you find what works for you. Whilst scouring the pages of pinterest the other day I found the image below with lots of ways to help feel calmer and less stressed. Maybe try a few and see what works for you. 

Happy de-stressing. 

Picture Credit

Book reviews: a review | Wednesday Reads

As someone who reads a lot, I read a lot of book reviews. Not all of them are that good or intellectual or deep, some are just a few sentences on why a book is amazingly brilliant that I must read it right away or why a book is appalling I may as well burn it and be done with it. For the record I would never burn a book no matter how bad it is - just before all you crazy book lovers try and hunt me down and kill me. 

Book reviews can be really great. Other people's opinions can be really helpful in deciding why or why not you buy a book or read a book. When you're as skint as I am other people's reviews have definitely saved me a few pounds in the past. Everyone has different reading likes and dislikes but if someone's found something in a book, such as a linguistic technique or the style of narrative voice, that you know you don't like in a book it can prevent you from wasting money that you may have spent otherwise. It can also push you into buying a book that you end up loving that you may not have bought without a review you read.

I think it's really important to read negative reviews as well as positive ones. Not only can they help stop you spending the last £5 you have to your name but they can help you look at a book more critically if you do buy it. Being critical of a book isn't a bad thing, but it's important to go into a book with an open mind. 

Reviews can also create great discussion among readers which is always positive. Discussions about books are a great way to make a reading an interactive, social thing which is something I am a great champion of. Anything that makes reading enjoyable for more than just one person has to be a good thing. Arguments in this case are good. You get to see other perspectives, and others often see things in books that you may not have done. 

Reviews have their bad side though. They can prevent you from buying a book that you may have loved and reviews can also sway you to buy books that you end up really disliking. That's why I always read more than the first three reviews for a book, especially when buying online. In fact only when buying online. Reading as many comments from other readers as you can means you get a better idea of how people are feeling towards it and what the general consensus is. However, sometimes too many reviews can spoil a good book and then there's no point reading at all.

If I'm buying a book in a shop it's often very spur of the moment in which case I won't read reviews for it apart from the ones printed by the publisher, which are obviously all positive. However, if I'm going into a bookshop to buy a book that I've been thinking about for a while I've normally done my research. I.e. read amazon reviews, read more critical reviews and also see if it's been reviewed or mentioned on BookTube, particularly by my favourite booktubers as I trust their opinions. 

So reviews have their positives and their negatives. I review books because I enjoy sharing my thoughts and hearing what others also have to say. Hopefully I'll get some book reviews up here soon but to be honest I prefer just having chats about books and book related things.

Let me know what you think of reviews and where you go for trusted opinions before buying a book?

Top 5 things I want to do in Aus | Tuesday Travels

I have, with Jack, been looking at all the things we want to do in Australia that isn't working or driving. He probably has a bit of a different top five but this is mine. And yes today's post is just a list because this wasn't the post I had planned but someone who's hiding in New Zealand at the moment hasn't been able to send me the pictures for the blog post I had written and planned for today. Sorry. Blame Jack.

1) Ayers Rock, Perth

2) Sydney Bridge Climb, Sydney

3) Great Barrier Reef Diving

4) Skydive, Mission Beach

5) Penguin Island, Perth

I am fully aware that we probably won't get to do all these things as money is going to be an issue. 

But 3/5 ain't bad! Right?