5, 4, 3, 2, 1! - Happy New Year (2018 Edition).

Hi!!!

So, the last post of 2017 is here! I almost can't believe that we've arrived at the end of this year. Anyway, here's the annual review of the year and a message for you for 2018.

2017 has had some amazing moments for me. I've celebrated a milestone birthday, I've spent time with my friends and family and I left the kind of 'work place' I've known for most of my life. I've been to some great gigs, I've taken on big blog projects like Blogmas. I made some achievements in my 'work' life that I am still super proud of. I've watched my friends achieve and I truly could not be more proud of them than I am everyday. I worked harder than I actually knew I could but I've also taken plenty of time to play. I've danced and I've laughed. I've explored castles (and lived in one for a few days!). I conquered one of my biggest (although somewhat irrational fears) and had some dental work done that I'd been putting off for ages. I've passed on my knowledge of party dances and I've worn glitter all over my face and I finally got to go to London with my friends and I had the most amazing day. I went to Birmingham's MCM Comic Con in both March and November (and did some pretty cool cosplays). I dressed up as a fairy for Halloween and made jokes around a bonfire with friends. It snowed. And the snow settled. I got my Irish passport. I took ten million photos and am in the ten million other photos those around me took. I went bowling (and actually hit some of the pins!). I spent a day picking apples with my cousins. I watched a cake get set on fire and I ate candyfloss and we helped one of my friends build her first ever blanket fort. I got rained on while watching outoor Shakespeare and then later in the summer saw some far better and less rainy outdoor Shakespeare. I celebrated one of our closest family friends getting married and I ate pasta in Brighton and went on an Easter egg hunt and I sat on the grass and watched a Horrible Histories themed show and got lost in a maze with my best friend. I saw a fox in real life. I've carved pumpkins and sent an obnoxious amount of memes and played on a pinball machine and ate fries from a fake tree and and I reconnected with friends. I had really lovely and sometimes deep conversations. And looking back, I have loved so much of 2017 and I have learnt so much and done so much and I feel incredibly lucky.

If 2017 hasn't been a great year for you, for whatever reason, then I am really sorry. I hope that it at least has had some good moments and that you have smiled. Your story is so very significant and you really do matter.

I hope 2018 is an amazing year for you. I hope you get to make lots of lovely memories and spend time with the people who matter to you and I hope that when you get to this time next year and you're reflecting on what has gone before, you smile fondly and you realise that you've come a long way. I hope you and those who you love are happy and healthy and safe in 2018 and I hope you all love every second of the year. Thank you for your readership and support in 2017 and thank you for supporting me. Sending lots of love and good vibes for the New Year.

Thanks for reading.
What are your plans for the New Year? Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know by leaving a comment.
I'll see you all next year.

Happy New Year!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - A Visit To Warwick Castle (And Why You Should Visit This Summer).

Hi!!!

Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about a day out that Elf Girl and I went on back in April and also tell you why you should also go on a similar day out. We went to Warwick Castle, a popular heritage site that is local to us, and we had a great day.

I hadn't been to Warwick Castle for at least 6 years - I'd been on many a childhood family and school trip - and so I was excited to see the new features I'd seen advertised, and of course to spend the day pretending to be royalty with my best friend.

The first thing we did when we arrived was head over to the new Horrible Histories Maze. As Horrible Histories fans, and big kids, we were excited to see what it would be like.

 We weren't disappointed.

It was one of the highlights of the day. There are several sections within the maze based on different historical periods. It's more about finding those places than finding the way out and it is so much fun. There are plenty of photo opportunities, and lots of bitesize information, and it's fun for all ages.

When you leave the maze, there are two exits - one for the grown-ups, one for the children. The children's exit is like an obstacle course, and I can tell you first hand that it is a whole lot of fun, even if our heights did make it a bit complicated - I had to walk across the tops of the obstacles but I think it made it all the more enjoyable.

The State Rooms are open to visit, and so we saw a range from bedrooms to libraries to chapels.

The rooms are gorgeous, although I will say that there isn't as much information available in them or about them as there is at similar heritage properties, which is something to bear in mind if you love your history, like me.

However, they are still very much worth a wander through. Oh, but just to warn you, we did hear a really odd hissing noise in the library and we practically flew out of the room because our first conclusion was "It might be a ghost". It was hilarious, and probably not a ghost, but do let me know if you hear it on any recent visits, haha.

The Mound and the battlements give great views of the castle grounds and the Warwickshire landscape - which is beautiful - as well as allow you to be taken back in time to the castle' s history as a defensive site. I think my last visit before this was on a school trip that was centred on defensive castles - in the same year we studied William the Conquerer, so it was with that time period in mind - so it also called back a few memories to be up on the battlements again.

The grounds are home to several birds of prey, gift shops and restaurants (where you can stock up on sweets and toy swords), small archery workshops for children and lots of shows.

We saw an amazingly informative and totally hilarious Horrible Histories show, but at other times of year there are other cool shows - such as epic War of the Roses battles over the summer, which sound incredible. There are also falconry displays and trebuchet shows (their trebuchet is the largest working siege machine in the world) on throughout the year, which are awesome, and were a staple part of visits for me when I was younger.

There are several other cool things to see and do at Warwick Castle but I would recommend following our plan for the day.

I had so much fun - of course spending the day with my best friend probably helped a lot, but I'm sure the castle and it's grounds played their parts too, haha.
Oh, and there are Ben and Jerry's vending machine in the car park, and if that final statement hasn't convinced you, I don't know what will.

I had such a great time, and I'm so glad we went - you should definitely put it on your list for 'Days Out' ideas, it's well worth it. I mean, really, what's better than spending the day scanning round a castle in pretty dresses, pretending to be princesses with your friends? Not much, I'd bet.

I hope you enjoyed this post.
Have you been to Warwick Castle? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Leave me a comment to let me know.
Thanks so much for reading.

I hope your day is brilliant!

GingerSnaps xxx

5, 4, 3, 2, 1! - Happy New Year (2017 Edition).

Hi!!!

Last post of the year, then. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can. Here's the annual look back on 2016, and a message to you all for 2017.

In the eyes of many, 2016 hasn't been the best. I've seen books about how 'bad' it's been, I've heard people talking about all their low points. People talk about the celebrity deaths, Brexit and Trump winning the election as though they make the year an instant write off. I take a few issues with this, one being that just because other people didn't vote for what you voted for, doesn't mean that they are wrong, it just means they don't share your views. But also because I think it's a shame that people are playing down the good times they've had this year to fret about things they can't change. If, however, 2016 has really sucked for you, then I am truly sorry and send lots of good vibes your way.

2016 has had some great moments for me. I went on holiday to Cyprus with my Auntie and my Mom, I went on a tour of the National Theatre. I hit some of my goals in my 'work life', I've danced like crazy with my friends. I've created blog content that I'm really happy with. I've been to gigs. I've been to the theatre. I've cry-laughed and worked hard and read more books. I've spent more time in the cinema than I think I ever have, and I've seen some amazing movies because of that. I've managed to get seats on the bus (yasss). I've spent time with my family and visited London and been for meals with my family and friends. I've been to birthday parties and taken millions of photobooth photos. I got my guitar and I've written stories. I've been able to spend time with family members and friends that I hadn't seen in ages. I've just done loads of cool things and looking back on all these things has really made me smile and has reminded me how lucky I am.

I also feel like 2016 has been a year in which I have learned a lot about myself in so many ways, and I hadn't really realised quite how much until I was thinking about what I'd be writing in this post. Looking back from where I am now, I feel content and I feel proud, which is are lovely things to be.

I hope 2017 is a completely amazing year for you. I hope you and your loved ones enjoy happiness and health, create beautiful memories and love every single second of it. 

Thank you for your continued support for the blog, and I guess also me. Much love to you all.

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve whatever you're doing (and stay safe).

What are your New Year's Resolutions? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Leave a comment below if you do.

Thanks for reading. See you in the New Year!

Happy New Year!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Christmas at Chatsworth

Hi!!!

You guys, Christmas is well and truly on its way and I am so excited, not least because it brings so many fun opportunities to spend time with family and friends. This year, one of those things has been visiting Chatsworth at Christmas, and I wanted to share some snaps from the day and tell you what we got up to.

I'd been to Chatsworth once before, which was also a Christmas visit - it was in 2014, and the theme for the decorations was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (one of my favourite stories). That was an amazing visit and so, upon finding out the theme was The Nutcracker, I suggested booking tickets for this year.

I adore the story of The Nutcracker and have been to see the ballet (one of the most wonderful things I've done) and so I was massively excited.

We set off early and made the drive from Birmingham to Derbyshire - Chatsworth is in a town called Bakewell, which I think is such a cute name. Anyway, we got there at about quater to ten and our slot for the house was 10:15am so we took a little early morning dander round the market beforehand.

Every room in the house was decorated beautifully with a different scene from the Nutcracker. The decorations followed the story from Clara's early encounters with her Nutcracker Doll to their journey into the Land of Sweets (aka where I would like to live, please and thanks).

There were also rooms decorated like the stage of the ballet and the dressing rooms of the dancers playing each character.  One of my favourite rooms was the Sugar Plum Fairy's dressing room - it features a Christmas tree made of tutus and a very magical bubble bath.

The staff are all dressed in themed costumes which was another really special touch, and the music from the ballet plays throughout the house.

We spent some time in the afternoon in the gardens exploring, looking round the Christmas market and getting carried away with the cheeses and game meat stalls and drinking hot chocolate, and we even took a short horse and carriage ride (which cost £2 each) which was lovely.

It was such an amazing day and it was a really lovely thing to experience with family, too. 

I'd highly recommend going this year if you can - I think the Christmas market might still be on but I know the decorations and gardens are definitely still there all the way till the big day.

Find out more here.

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed seeing what I got up to on this very festive day out.

Have you been to Chatsworth House? Do you like The Nutcracker? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts, be sure to leave a comment.
Peace out, sugar plums.

I hope your day is delightful and magical!

GingerSnaps xxx

It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Reviews - The Ambassador Box Experience at The Harold Pinter Theatre.

Hi!!!

As you may well know, I recently went to see Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter theatre. I usually get tickets in the stalls but was treated to the Ambassador Box Experience, which I'll be reviewing for you today (if this was any other blog, this would be sponsored but we all know that isn't the kind of ship I run).

We arrived ten minutes before the start of the show (which was a bit stressful for me, not gonna lie. I don't like to be late to important things) but we had been told that you can access the seats in the experience from half an hour before the show begins, which impressed me because it gives you plenty of time to get settled.
 I'd had seats in the box before but that was for a pantomime when I was very, very young so I can't say that I have anything to compare it to, sorry.
Anyway, we were shown to our seats by a member of staff who was incredibly kind and helpful, as I found all of the staff at the Pinter to be. You get some added extras as part of the experience - savoury snacks, Belgian chocolates and some Cava. I can say for certain that all were enjoyed very much (whoever does the theatre's weekly big shop gets a gold star from me). The seats were super comfortable and there was loads of space. The view from seats in the box takes some getting used to, especially if you normally sit in the stalls, like I do, but I felt like I had a good view of the majority of what was going on onstage, as most of the action is central or on the platform. And you can't really complain because there are seats with a restricted view around the rest of the theatre (I would assume) - at least I had the option of leaning on the little rail, too.

 

So to recap - the staff were very accommodating and helpful, the seats we had were incredibly comfy, I had a relatively good view of everything, the snacks/drinks/extras were of high quality, show was fab and I was really happy with the Ambassador Box Experience. Plus, I had extra room to dance and air guitar at the end.

I would definitely recommend it to you, if you ever get chance. It really is a great experience and you do feel very special. Five stars.

Ta Dah! As always, thanks for reading. After hardly doing any theatre-y content for a year, I'm glad to be back at it.
Have you been to the theatre lately? Have you seen Sunny Afternoon? Have you ever had tickets for seats in the box? If you have any comments or suggestions for future posts then be sure to let me know.
Happy weekend to you and yours.

Have a fantastic day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



 

I've Been Thinking... - These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things!!! (Volume Two)

Hi!!!

I really loved writing (THIS) post a while back and I thought that it'd be nice to do that again today. I've chosen some of my favourite things to share with you at random and hopefully it'll make an interesting read - I think it'll be a great way for you to get to know more about me.

These Are Few Of My Favourite Things, Volume Two.

Harry Potter (Gryffindor for LIFE)

Blossom trees

VW Camper Vans

Snow

Dungarees

Hot air balloons

Milkshakes

Blanket Dens/Forts

The sea

Daffodils

 

Thanks for reading! I hope that you enjoyed reading this - I like doing these kinds of posts because they're a bit more personal and fun and spontaneous.

What are your favourite things? What do you think of mine? Would you like to see more of these posts? How has your week been so far? Let me know in the comments.

See you soon, enjoy your Saturday.

 

I hope your day is full of your favourite things!!!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Roses, Wishes, Fairy Lights, Balloons, Candles and CAKE!



Hi!!!

So, before I begin, I would like to address the fact that I haven't blogged in about a hundred years - holidays, weekends away, visiting family and friends and good old fashioned bloggers block amongst other things can take the blame. I feel like summer is probably when I end up blogging the least, and I am so sorry about that but hopefully you've been spending lots of time outside enjoying the sunshine and so haven't been at your computer all that much to notice.

Anyways, today I wanted to talk to you about my birthday back in July and the kind of things I got up to. I hope that you enjoy and that you find this interesting...

Little Disclaimer: I am under no circumstances writing this as a way of "showing off" about what I did for my birthday or the kinds of things I received. I know that I am incredibly fortunate for everything that I have in my life. I am writing this because I find these types of posts interesting to read and to write and I hope that you enjoy this. xxx

 



I was born on the 24th of July and so that is, quite predictably, my birthday.

This year was a "milestone" kind of number and so it called for something extra special.

It has always been the case that I spend time on my birthday with my family and that we have a bit of a celebration-get together-meal-type thing (usually at my house) and this year was no different.
 

I woke up on the morning of my birthday to big silver number balloons and tonnes more pink and silver balloons dotted around the house from my lovely Mother - balloons are one of my favourite things and I was delighted.

 Somewhere along the line this year, I was bitten by the DIY bug and so I spent some free time making decorations to make everything lots more colourful and pretty and I spent the morning of my birthday hanging those up and cooking (because food, obviously).

Elf Girl came round to my house in the morning as well to say "happy birthday" and she also gave me a lovely card and gifts. She made a "birthday box" to put my presents in and every present was very thoughtful and creative (homemade presents are the best kind) and I absolutely loved everything - Thank you, Elf Girl!

I spent the afternoon getting ready.

 I put on one of my favourite dresses which has a 1950s silhouette and the most beautiful colours to it - it makes me feel like I'm going to a carnival in the 50s with all intentions of clearing the place of milkshakes and candyfloss.

I also put on my Chucks, because I didn't feel like wearing heels that day and Converse look good with dresses - it is an actual fact, let's not pretend it isn't.

 I then did my makeup which consisted of lots of rose and gold tones on the eyes and a peachy lip and popped a jewelled tiara/hairband on.

And then, somehow, the day had flown by and people were showing up at the door.

I had so, so much fun that evening. Lots and lots of birthday cake was eaten, photos were taken in the "photo booth" that I had DIYed (featuring handmade props and backdrop), fairy lights lit up the garden and party poppers scared the life out of everyone.
I was also lucky enough to get some super nice and special presents and cards off of my family as well as some money off one or two people as well.
 I am so, so fortunate to have received such beautiful things from everyone - big, huge thank you to everyone!!!!!

 

A few days after my birthday, Lauren came round for a catch up and she gave me a really cute Pop! Disney Vinyl of Princess Belle - I adore Disney and the Vinyl is so sweet, Belle now sits pride of place on the coffee table!

 

Also, a week or so before my birthday I met up with the other side of my family and ate homemade Pavlova that was covered in birthday candles and did cards and presents - all of which were very thoughtful, beautiful and will be well enjoyed - as well as going out for a rather fancy meal and I would just like to say a huge big thank you to everyone for that brilliant weekend.

 

I had the most amazing birthday in the world and I feel extremely lucky.

Thank you again to everyone for all the birthday wishes as well as the cards and gifts. Big love xxx

 

Well, I think that's everything, I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post today and that I'll see you again for my next post.

When is your birthday? What do you think the best part of birthdays is? Do you have any comments? Do you have any suggestions for future posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments.

I'll speak to you all soon, guys.

 

Have an utterly awesome day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - A New York Minute, Dancing in the Street, Free Fallin' Buskers and Milkshakes.

Hi!!!

So, the other weekend I headed down to my beloved London with my wonderful mother for a day full of all of the best things and I had an amazing time. I thought that I'd tell you all about it today and I hope you'll enjoy this post.

I was doing some browsing around the interwebs a few weeks ago and I found out about the (free to visit) "Fifth and 57th" installation at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London to celebrate the opening of the new Tiffany and Co store in Selfridges on Oxford Street. I have always loved Tiffany and could sit at my computer or stand at the counters admiring all of their exquisite pieces of jewellery all day long so this just seemed like a must for me. I was telling my lovely Mom about it one day and she suggested that we go together on a weekend. We ended up going on the last day it was running - the 12th of this month - and we had a great time in London.

I hadn't been to London in a while as I'd been fairly busy and so I was really looking forward to taking a trip down - it is one of my most favourite places ever. We drove down on the Sunday morning, caught the train from Watford and walked from Euston Station to Covent Garden because we love spending time there. We looked around the markets and smelled and spritzed numerous perfumes in the high end shops before continuing on to Oxford Street. I love walking around London and on our way up to Selfridges we passed many a school trip in Leicester Square which is where we passed a pretty good busker with a guitar who played "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty and made me smile and sing along until we couldn't hear him any more. We were just about to walk up Regent Street and we noticed that the bottom of the road was closed off and we stopped to figure out if we could still walk that way.

It turned out that we could indeed walk that way, and I am very pleased we did. Every Sunday in July, Regent Street has been completely closed to traffic so that "Summer Streets" can take place. It features performances and workshops from dance acts and musicians, benches and deck chairs in the middle of the road, games (such as Penalty Shoot-Outs) and pretty flowers everywhere and nearly everything is free (except, I think, for things like food or certain games which have small fees). One thing I really liked about it was that I had the ability to see people's faces and to see people enjoy themselves. I love London, but it is true that on the busier streets like Regent Street and Oxford Street, you see less of people's faces and more of the backs of people's heads. I really relished being able to see people smiling and being able to stop and take photos without being in someone's way. That and being able to dance around in the middle of the road to "Uptown Funk" and not get run over because that is pretty hard to beat.

We managed to drag ourselves away and continue on to Oxford Street where we had a quick look around Selfridges before heading next door to the installation which was at the Old Selfridges Hotel. I hadn't ever been into the hotel but it is a great space which I really believe should be used more often. We were given our free guide brochures by the girls at the entrance and walked up the stairs to the installation itself. As we turned into the space, I instantly felt that my expectations had become a reality. Bright lights and the sounds of busy streets filled the room and we walked through the doors of a subway car to be greeted by a lovely Tiffany and Co employee and a slice of New York itself. There was a little corner inspired by Central Park which featured a beautiful backdrop, a crisp white bench and a "blossom tree" - we took photos and admired how pretty it was. We moved further along and found ourselves living the New York life, with "Walk | Don't Walk" signs flashing at us and projections of a subway station on the 1837 plain white Tiffany boxes that surrounded us - 1837 were used as Tiffany and Co was established in the year 1837. We watched a short film about the "New York Minute" and the influence Tiffany and Co and its founder, Charles Tiffeany, have had over it - for example Tiffany and Co had one of the first public timepieces on display in New York City by which everyone set their watches. We moved from there to the recreated Tiffany and Co storefront which looked identical to the one that sits on the corner of 5th and 57th Street in the Big Apple itself and watched a master engraver at work which was incredibly interesting. We then grabbed a complimentary bagel from a street cart and headed over to Charlie's Bar - a speakeasy inspired bar named after Mr Tiffany - to see the gorgeous décor and check out the scene. Finally, we caught the stunning "Manhattanhenge" Sunset which, as if it were not special and beautiful enough alone, transformed as it set, to become a gorgeous Tiffany Diamond, the boxes surrounding us turning blue and sporting white ribbon. It was a fantastic end to a brilliant exhibition. I had such an amazing time and was incredibly pleased that we went.

The rest of the day featured lunch at Selfridges, window-shopping on Oxford Street, more dancing and actual shopping on Regent Street, walking on walls in the rain in Leicester Square, dinner at Bella Italia and milkshakes on the motorway to keep us going until we got home.

 

I had the most brilliant day - a big, huge thank you to my fabulous mother for joining me.

 

Browse the Tiffany and Co at Selfridges website (HERE)

Browse the Selfridges website (HERE)

Find "Summer Streets" (HERE)

Find Bella Italia (HERE)

And listen to "Free Fallin'" (HERE)

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, it was lovely to sit and think about all the cool things we did while I was putting this together. It's my birthday on Friday so the next time I see you I'll be another year older (and ready to write more posts!).
Have you been to London recently? What do you think about the idea for Summer Streets? Did you get to go to the exhibition? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Please do let me know in the comments below.
I'll speak with you guys soon.

 

I hope your day is full of joy!

GingerSnaps xxx