tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59831346337762672772024-03-18T21:50:54.318+00:00girlnextdoorfashion: running, food, lifestyle, lipstickFood, fashion, running, lipstickCharlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.comBlogger1198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-16452661941694963322023-06-04T18:50:00.000+01:002023-06-04T18:50:29.159+01:00Reflections on Me Made May 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJj974rlVUKlHmKCWf5ERHwFjh_esDcaez9dCOfp8BmAwipa3jAcqPpnU1oYriKvfSuqaiRT9SI4uOoZvcCk8YFx4n3dAm2j2hGR0kDz2JgM28dIX7pxyv6ReQ9LKHMEtO7M5B1OU1QXIpigeri3hgvcb1_UvD2SgaEX7njWdhTe1RoPIS-cLtZsJ0/s1080/%23memademay2023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJj974rlVUKlHmKCWf5ERHwFjh_esDcaez9dCOfp8BmAwipa3jAcqPpnU1oYriKvfSuqaiRT9SI4uOoZvcCk8YFx4n3dAm2j2hGR0kDz2JgM28dIX7pxyv6ReQ9LKHMEtO7M5B1OU1QXIpigeri3hgvcb1_UvD2SgaEX7njWdhTe1RoPIS-cLtZsJ0/w640-h640/%23memademay2023.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month I took part in a sewing challenge called <b>Me Made May</b> created by Zoe of <a href="https://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com/p/about-me-made-may.html">So Zo What Do You Know?</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In her words, Me Made May is <i>"a wardrobe challenge that helps you improve your relationship with your handmade items. It can also teach you what to make (and not make) in the future!"</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Me Made May is all about the personal challenge - you set a pledge and throughout the month of May you work to complete your pledge. It's not about sewing throughout the month or taking photos or Instagram - it's just about challenging yourself to wear more of your homemade clothes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For my first Me Made May I kept my pledge simple:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1g-EBbTMZtUkRAWZu2bWvAQZ1ieGGtjF-ADUK8K2WAcGGRbAsd8kj9d6G--Z2z_ffRi5nhZme_8FoT6GDA3e9OTpmEZ5leY5-vrf2o6pnsWb0g4srDtFpNzgd2r9XnuCpvzC9HDaAZkM130vGqNL42Xob0L8J3Lv107DNZ8uehCxDLwtIRmiqzLQ/s872/pledge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="867" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1g-EBbTMZtUkRAWZu2bWvAQZ1ieGGtjF-ADUK8K2WAcGGRbAsd8kj9d6G--Z2z_ffRi5nhZme_8FoT6GDA3e9OTpmEZ5leY5-vrf2o6pnsWb0g4srDtFpNzgd2r9XnuCpvzC9HDaAZkM130vGqNL42Xob0L8J3Lv107DNZ8uehCxDLwtIRmiqzLQ/w398-h400/pledge.png" width="398" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I went with 8 because I work from home 3 days a week (usually in leggings and a sweatshirt to be honest!) and I keep it pretty chilled over the weekends too if I don't have plans, so I decided to focus on the 2 days a week I'm in the office and aim to wear Me Made for those 8 days I'd be in over the month of May. I also haven't made that many things yet so I didn't want to make it too difficult for me to keep up with.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How did I get on?</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I absolutely <i>loved</i> Me Made May - I loved the challenge to try to wear me-made as much as possible and I actually ended up wearing 14 outfits. It really pushed me to try to wear something I'd made instead of something ready-to-wear which got harder as the month went on! May is also a great month for this as it enabled me to wear a mix of my more wintery clothes on the cooler days and then dip into my warmer weather clothes as the month went on.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What did I learn?</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>1. My homemade clothes will not fall apart in the washing machine!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">With the challenge involving wearing a lot of my homemade clothes throughout the month I had to finally be brave and put them in the washing machine... and they survived! Previously I'd been handwashing or just trying to wear things as little as possible to avoid washing them so this was a huge step for me!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>2. I'm really glad I didn't add "no buying any fabric in May" to my pledge</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">...I bought a lot of fabric in May!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>3. I definitely need more summery makes</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though it's now been a year since I started sewing (a big blog post is definitely incoming on this!) and I spent a lot of last summer really learning and trying things without consciously making items I really wanted to wear and making things to learn the skills instead. I feel like my sewing has really improved since the start of the year and I was making a lot more wintery clothes then so I feel like I've got a few gaps for summer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>4. Some of my older makes are still good!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've got a habit of being a bit dismissive of anything I've made in the past and deeming it not good enough to wear, so I was surprised by how much I still love my old makes even though my sewing has improved a lot since I first made them!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>5. It's encouraged me to talk more about my sewing</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wearing me-made for work every day meant I ended up in a lot of "oh I love your dress/thanks I made it" conversations with more people at work than usual and while my immediate team are my biggest sewing cheerleaders, a lot of people in my wider team had no idea I sewed so it led to a lot of new conversations about sewing and lots of lovely compliments!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>6. I've made some really good stuff I'm super proud of!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I wore my chambray Lyra dress for work for the first time even my colleagues who know I sew couldn't believe I'd made it! I'm extra proud of that one.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>7. Nobody notices your tiny mistakes and imperfections</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's sometimes really hard to get past this and Me Made May really forced me to wear things even if they're not "perfect". I've also really tried not to point out the mistakes either!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>8. I love being part of the sewing community!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The sewing community is amazing and I love being really involved in it throughout May. I've had loads of great conversations and sooooo much inspiration!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>9. It's really inspired me to sew! </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a really busy April we consciously had a quiet May which meant I also had my most prolific sewing month and ended up sewing 4 garments, so I loved being able to share those right away.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>10. Creating new outfits really took me back to my old fashion blogger days</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I absolutely loved feeling like a fashion blogger again trying to find new ways to wear my homemade clothes! It's definitely helped me to find some new outfits to wear.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>11. Of my 14 outfits, 13 were Tilly and the Buttons patterns</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It seems I definitely have a favourite pattern company!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>12. It's made me not want to wear <i>not</i> Me -Made!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I definitely do not have enough completed projects to do that but I've loved how much it's increased my need to make the clothes I want rather than to jump onto Vinted or Depop. I also hate it when someone says "oh have you made that? and I have to say no haha!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've loved my first Me Made May and I absolutely can't wait to see where I am next year!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-52380335598172186352023-02-11T22:19:00.000+00:002023-02-11T22:19:35.111+00:00January Life Lately <div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-size: 17px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We did it! January is done for the year. Wow it was a long cold dark one wasn't it?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's everything I got up to and here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoGAZPHpIEH/">One Second Every Day for the Month</a>.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We started the year in our favourite way with a </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">New Year's Day parkrun. </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last year we had a Covid scare over the Christmas break so we missed New Year's Day parkrun, but the special event parkruns are always my favourite.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnZJptCM_dH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnZJptCM_dH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></span></a><p style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnZJptCM_dH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</span></a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of parkrun, I ran my <b>300th parkrun</b> in January too. I love going to Heaton Park to celebrate our milestones!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<center> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmn4cQSK6MF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmn4cQSK6MF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></span></a><p style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmn4cQSK6MF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</span></a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">For Christmas I was thrilled to receive an <b>overlocker</b> so I spent a lot of the month learning how to use it (with a bit of help from Tilly and the Buttons as always). I'm just starting to get my head around it and even used it on my first project in January!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn97tF4KA_v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn97tF4KA_v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></span></a><p style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn97tF4KA_v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</span></a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In December I made my first <b>Indigo dress</b> and loved it so much that I knew I'd be making more soon. Last month I made my second in this gorgeous blue brushed cotton which I got as part of my brand ambassador work with <a href="https://ukfabricsonline.com/">UK Fabrics Online</a>. This might be my favourite dress I've made yet (don't I always say that?). The cotton is beautiful and soft and I love the extra midi tier I added for beautiful length. I cannot wait to wear this in the summer!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_ySF6stcj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_ySF6stcj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_ySF6stcj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Finally in January we ran one of our favourite races, <b>Stockport Daffodil 10K. </b>It's genuinely one of the best-organised races I've ever done and the goodie bag is like no other. Can't wait to do it again next year.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots watched in January!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">At home we watched:</span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Frances Ha </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Menu </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Meyerowitz stories </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Con Air</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Velvet Goldmine </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thelma and Louise</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We absolutely loved <b>Frances Ha</b> and <b>The Menu</b> was great fun after just finishing The Bear, and I can't believe I'd never seen <b>Thelma and Louise</b> before! We also rewatched the original </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Mission:Impossible.</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One cinema trip to see </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>M4gan</b> which we loved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">TV was excellent in January! Like everyone else we are hooked on <b>The Last of Us</b> and I love it being dropped once a week especially as I'm in the office on Tuesdays so I love catching up with my colleagues on the latest episode.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the best thing we watched in January was undoubtedly <b>The Bear. </b>I am telling everyone I know how much they need to watch it. I hope I eat my words but I don't think I'll watch anything better on TV this year. Absolutely fantastic in every way.</span></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A great start to the year with 8 books read, including a 600+ pager:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Joy of Snacks by Laura Goodman </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Which as You Know Means Violence by Philippa Snow</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was a fantastic reading month with a real mix of books! Two audiobooks (Aubrey Gordon and Jenette McCurdy) and 5 of the 8 books I read were non-fiction (Monsters, Snacks, Violence and the two audiobooks). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The Joy of Snacks</b> was exactly that, a joy. I love Laura Goodman's recipe book, Carbs, and I knew I would love this. A perfect mix of memoir, essays and recipes, focusing on my favourite food type, snacks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Of course anyone who knows me and how much I love Maintenance Phase won't be surprised at how much I loved Aubrey Gordon's new book. I'm so glad she read the audiobook this time. <b>You Just Need to Lose Weight</b> is not an easy read and while it's nothing new if you're a Maintenance Phase listener, I do think it's such an important book that every single person should read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've mentioned before how much I love Celebrity Memoir Bookclub podcast, and Jenette McCurdy's book <b>I'm Glad My Mom Died</b> is the first book I've read on the back of an episode. I listened to this incredible and heartbreaking book over a weekend and while it's a hard listen, I can't recommend it more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, my favourite book of the month, and undoubtedly one of my books of 2023, was of course Bret Easton Ellis' <b>The Shards. </b>While I might disagree with him politically and culturally, I am a huge fan of Bret Easton Ellis' writing (I wrote my undergrad dissertation on American Psycho) and The Shards was a real return to form for me and one of my favourite books of his. Despite being 600 pages long I didn't want it to be over and absolutely savoured it over a long reading week. Definitely not for everyone, but definitely for me.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to<br /></span></h3></div></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One new podcast for me as well as the audiobooks mentioned above, <b><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c5w0zm/episodes/downloads">Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV</a></b> with Pandora Sykes. This is the second podcast I've listened to about the history of reality TV and I just find it fascinating.</span> </div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-size: 17px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like everyone else I absolutely hate January so I loved these two pieces<span>- </span><b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/11/why-you-hate-winter/576787/">why you hate winter</a></b><span> and this one on how to have a </span><b><a href="https://www.oliveandartisan.com/my-gentle-january/">gentle January</a>.</b></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really loved this piece from The Guardian on <b><a href="https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/03/52-acts-of-kindness-how-to-spread-joy-in-every-week-of-2023">how to spread joy every week of 2023.</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots I loved in January around resting and resetting - <b><a href="https://www.self.com/story/what-does-rest-mean?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">what does rest really mean?</a> </b>And <b><a href="https://www.self.com/story/quitting-books-shows-you-dont-like">why you should quit books you don't like</a>. </b>One of my goals for this year is definitely to be more intentional with my rest and also be better at putting books (and anything down) I'm not enjoying so both of these resonated with me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Related from the Guardian - <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/31/new-years-resolution-more-books?CMP=fb_cif">if your resolution is to read more books, here's why you shouldn't</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a person who absolutely hates throwing this away and who is very sentimental, I love this piece from Anne Helen Petersen on <b><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/archiving-your-teen-self">archiving your teen self</a>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The internet can be a scary and not very nice place but I was so happy to see everyone rally round this piece - <b><a href="https://www.autostraddle.com/you-fat-shamed-your-beautiful-girlfriend/">you need help: you fat-shamed your beautiful girlfriend</a>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-size: 17px;"><div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-61235557335632980802023-01-22T13:50:00.004+00:002023-01-22T13:50:59.985+00:002022 Favourites<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wiyUkPlFh6AMNFS0zkap7E8IwkffDl-UdZjNCyFOLQ9_kbnN4FYIXCm_5UoLo0gbVx5jpZ3Oocdw6f9gaJauz-xcH7wWDoOPSyLoaOh2ppE9dlnBSB-MowUKHstH4wcIV0EiaYhKPNWLI6yoPj_hbzL1bHh6wRDVQkBvL1Ba1vS2G9KaEsqHnECv/s600/2022%20favourites.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wiyUkPlFh6AMNFS0zkap7E8IwkffDl-UdZjNCyFOLQ9_kbnN4FYIXCm_5UoLo0gbVx5jpZ3Oocdw6f9gaJauz-xcH7wWDoOPSyLoaOh2ppE9dlnBSB-MowUKHstH4wcIV0EiaYhKPNWLI6yoPj_hbzL1bHh6wRDVQkBvL1Ba1vS2G9KaEsqHnECv/w640-h320/2022%20favourites.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2023/01/2022-in-review.html">Last week</a> I looked back on everything I did in 2022, but today I'm looking back on my favourite things I read, watched, listened to and loved last year...</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Books</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm84XLjgAf0-9Q8Y6JKpHwrDiVT6bDz5y1kthJ4Gzs3-_jf822GGchFr4AEggrxMuWr-o5ipmWlCK_kXKRWW4f7LZnR9vhNqGBwQNx-KnMXtWSJJPfiXcbeFCy3C85ODbPFMP-guFgbL4wiLYdiRyfQRu3fFfbqorho1QcwAGto_tZdTdKTxD71W7/s811/2022%20in%20boooks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="811" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm84XLjgAf0-9Q8Y6JKpHwrDiVT6bDz5y1kthJ4Gzs3-_jf822GGchFr4AEggrxMuWr-o5ipmWlCK_kXKRWW4f7LZnR9vhNqGBwQNx-KnMXtWSJJPfiXcbeFCy3C85ODbPFMP-guFgbL4wiLYdiRyfQRu3fFfbqorho1QcwAGto_tZdTdKTxD71W7/w640-h510/2022%20in%20boooks.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 2022 I read 80 books and completed my 5th year of reading every single day. My original goal was my usual 100, but I cut it down to 75 when I realised I was spending a lot of my free time sewing instead of reading. So while this was my lowest reading year since 2017, I still read a lot of amazing books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">These were my top 10:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Top 10:</b></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Arena of the Unwell by Liam Konemann</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Death </span>of a Bookseller by Alice Slater</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">What We Don't Talk About when we Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalis</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gra</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">While these aren't in order, my number one book of the year last year was <b>The Arena of the Unwell</b> because I loved it so much I read it twice in a row. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had such a great reading year. I'm very fortunate that a few of my favourite books of the year actually don't come out until 2023 - I'm eternally grateful to Netgalley and the fantastic publicists who let me read early advanced copies!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Choosing a top 10 was so hard so here are my honorable mentions...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: georgia;">Honorable Mentions:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Sound Mirror by Heidi James</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">In The End It was All About Love by Musa Okwonga</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Friday Gospels by Jenn Ashworth</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen by Rebecca May Johnson</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Storied Life of AJ Fikry</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guest by Emma Cline</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yellowface by R F Kuang</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty </span></li></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Podcasts</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Whenever I write this section every year I want to make it really clear that this list is only podcasts I discovered in 2022 and</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> of course I am still listening to Maintenance Phase and Decoder Ring and What Page Are You On?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My most-listened to podcast of 2022 was hands down </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/celebrity-memoir-book-club/id1533533467">Celebrity Memoir Bookclub</a>. </b>I feel like I spent my entire year listening to it wherever I was and whatever I was doing. After listening to hundreds of episodes last year I'm almost up-to-date but it's so much fun and I'm so glad I discovered it last year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other podcasts I loved last year were:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0011cpr">Things Fell Apart</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.wbur.org/podcasts/endlessthread">Endless Thread</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sentimental-garbage/id1444729607">Sentimental Garbage</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/harsh-reality-the-story-of-miriam-rivera/id1594927287">Harsh Reality - The Story of Miriam Rivera</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/once-upon-a-time-at-bennington-college/id1521731236">Once Upon a Time at Bennington College</a> (<i>which I loved so much I think I still I have half an hour left of the last episode because I didn't want it to be over)</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://thetipsysewists.buzzsprout.com/">The Tipsy Sewists</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/60-songs-that-explain-the-90s/id1635211340">60 songs that explain the 90s</a></span></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2022 films (cinema):</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The first normal cinema year since 2019 so we were back making use of our <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2017/01/is-having-cineworld-unlimited-card.html">Cineworld Unlimited cards.</a> I finished the year having been 19 times which I think is the exact number of times I need to go per year to break even on my card.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">2022 was a fantastic year for the cinema! Any one of my top 5 could easily have been my favourite film of the year in any other year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">These are my top 10 favourites in order:</span></div><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Everything Everywhere All at Once</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Licorice Pizza</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Worst Person in the World</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maverick</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Aftersun</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Barbarian</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Banshees of Inisherin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Batman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Glass Onion</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bones and All</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Special mentions to Scream and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies which were great fun.</span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">TV</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We are rubbish at watching TV and 2022 was no different, but these were the TV shows we loved (though they're almost all still unfinished...)</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Welcome to Wrexham</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Severance</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Only Murders in the Building</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brooklyn 99</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Great British Sewing Bee </span></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Misc</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other fun stuff I loved in 2022...</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally going out for my birthday 2 years after I turned 30</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ruby Tandoh's most recent book, Cook As You Are <i>(which is so good I've been trying to write a review of it for about a year...)</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Learning to drive on the motorway finally </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My perfect yellow coat</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kayali Vanilla perfume</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Completing my perfect gin collection</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gnocchi in most forms </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our monthly date night </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ginger beer </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Regular cheese nights (and also </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Manchester/The-Manchester-Cheese-Crawl/d4056-49063P54?m=64814&supag=127985999200&supsc=dsa-694098303804&supai=537208497737&supdv=c&supnt=g&suplp=9046448&supli=&supti=dsa-694098303804&tsem=true&supci=dsa-694098303804&supap1=&supap2=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt66eBhCnARIsAKf3ZNGZ5dzjiVZYxCKP1-8ESAU6NzwWzYieeOYQxpQ83AxsJoL_nck8LS8aAo9BEALw_wcB">Manchester Cheese Crawl</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peloton pivot</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My running vest </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our Cocktail book collection </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The best meal of my life at Where The Light Gets In for my 32nd Birthday</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lizzo’s new album </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lukas Volger's Snacks For Dinner</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">A year of rainbow nails </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Video essays about rollercoasters</span> </li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Emo night at Dr Feelgoods</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Manchester Alcatraz experience </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Going to Flight Club three times (and twice in one week)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buckle and Boots country festival for the third year</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I can't wait to see what I'll discover in 2023!</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-10042392896194523912023-01-12T19:56:00.002+00:002023-01-12T20:12:57.660+00:002022 in Review<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GOo_F1Kz4iXu_hw1tv8N3BZDo5_hcezmlFTRcvkWgknC_PNRWzVfLeHY_MbAMcmuMtOkIaz3ntGF9A2b89nR4PQPUPfp_2W6YnzNJbo_TMWAc22yPus6Bchwvdr2is-wG3TdJPBShtZUYOPIchURVXKzT3dAUSxY60IaY3N88u_eURtBMij8X-fF/s935/header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="935" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GOo_F1Kz4iXu_hw1tv8N3BZDo5_hcezmlFTRcvkWgknC_PNRWzVfLeHY_MbAMcmuMtOkIaz3ntGF9A2b89nR4PQPUPfp_2W6YnzNJbo_TMWAc22yPus6Bchwvdr2is-wG3TdJPBShtZUYOPIchURVXKzT3dAUSxY60IaY3N88u_eURtBMij8X-fF/w640-h174/header.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After 2 years of lockdown and uncertainty, 2022 was a really great year for me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We "made up" for so many things we couldn't do in previous years - going to see Hamilton again (Phil had bought me tickets for Christmas in 2019), going away for our wedding anniversary for the first time (despite being married for 3 years) and finally, finally getting our trip to Barcelona my parents bought me for my 30th back in 2020.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also had a great year for my hobbies - so many parkrun milestones this year, 2 half marathons for the first time sine 2018 and most importantly, learning to sew!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While there were no big milestones for us last year - no new jobs or pets or major life events, I feel so truly grateful for the year we had and the people we shared it with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 2022 I also completed my 4th year of One Second Every Day! Instagram wouldn't let me share a video longer than a minute but here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm7WP3noo_P/">1/6 of a second every day</a>!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Holidays</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were so lucky to have so many amazing holidays in 2022 after two years of not getting abroad.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
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height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZB1vpFMEeF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">For Christmas 2019 Phil got me tickets to see Hamilton again, and in January last year we finally managed to go. We had the best long weekend in </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">London</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> which included a parkrun Bushy pilgrimage and two theatre trips.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyf6rNNzOdV-hqXcEbERjRRqU16dZwC-GNNj0XlZ8gwJ9qeOCXx11gHqeMjkoASadqtaVxlqe4Mbdt6Ny_8w6jmcBtQmjrYKIHG9KkhUkmtcBNBM7fhQaD8n_WRZC3Njpyx6V0yP8bJkmleAeeaj0HenUYKAW_uULqKpqvsrJ3Eh6qDMY7NTJDGxQ2=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyf6rNNzOdV-hqXcEbERjRRqU16dZwC-GNNj0XlZ8gwJ9qeOCXx11gHqeMjkoASadqtaVxlqe4Mbdt6Ny_8w6jmcBtQmjrYKIHG9KkhUkmtcBNBM7fhQaD8n_WRZC3Njpyx6V0yP8bJkmleAeeaj0HenUYKAW_uULqKpqvsrJ3Eh6qDMY7NTJDGxQ2=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In February we had a fantastic weekend at </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Centre Parcs</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> celebrating Phil’s Mum’s 60th. We played badminton and I tried, and failed, to learn archery. It was so much fun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In April, after 3 years of marriage we were finally able to celebrate our wedding anniversary and had a lovely few days in <b>Chester</b>! One of the highlights was staying at the Oddfellows which was honestly one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDwoXZMGGt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDwoXZMGGt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; 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height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDwoXZMGGt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>
<p>Another rescheduled trip at the end of April to <b>Barcelona</b>! Finally! My parents bought me this trip as a 30th Birthday present in 2020, but I’d been asking Phil to take me to Barcelona for 6 years so it was long in the making! I am fully obsessed with Barcelona and could go back right now. One of the best holidays I’ve ever had.</p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over the summer we had a couple of trips with Bobby - starting with the most brilliant long weekend in <b>Yorkshire and Northumberland</b>. We loved it so much we might go again this year! And then we also had our annual family trip to the <b>Lake District</b> in September which is always so lovely and was made even better by Phil’s cousin and his fiancée from Australia joining us.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Clb54_UMFNb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Clb54_UMFNb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Clb54_UMFNb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>And finally, <b>Australia</b> of course! I’ve <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/12/35-best-things-i-did-in-australia.html">written enough already about our incredible trip</a> to Australia in November. The most amazing trip and the perfect way to end the year. </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Running</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNme97-N5pNxjHAQuKMFA4Ld1xShCQrtjfIH7KPJnw1YWA8MO5jF0e96QykJSzkCJxr84IG-rW_04y6IoD5Ku-qykJPHzmnkqYEwllUunKqUzmgVm4U5wb_bGnpAFsypPRwe1lJ286NzjtI5S2D4hNaOPoZvB49GLnbphtDE4nn0M6Lj7Wr4RVigBF/s750/parkrun.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="596" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNme97-N5pNxjHAQuKMFA4Ld1xShCQrtjfIH7KPJnw1YWA8MO5jF0e96QykJSzkCJxr84IG-rW_04y6IoD5Ku-qykJPHzmnkqYEwllUunKqUzmgVm4U5wb_bGnpAFsypPRwe1lJ286NzjtI5S2D4hNaOPoZvB49GLnbphtDE4nn0M6Lj7Wr4RVigBF/w318-h400/parkrun.png" width="318" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Not my absolute best year for races - <b>two 10Ks</b> (the third one I was meant to be doing was cancelled at the end of the year due to ice!) and my usual <b>two half marathon</b>s (one only 2 weeks after I had Covid and the other where I went out way too fast and completely messed up my time), but it was a great year for parkrunning!</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">2022 was the first full year back parkrunning after 2 years so it allowed us to finally hit our<b> 50 parkruns in a year</b> goal we’ve wanted to hit since we ran 49 in 2019 (we managed it on our last parkrun of the year!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also ran my <b>250th parkrun</b> last year, as well as volunteering 12 times, getting my first PB in 6 years, and visiting 13 new parks (including our Bushy pilgrimage and 2 parkruns in Australia).</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hobbies</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<center> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1X_W8Kp_E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1X_W8Kp_E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1X_W8Kp_E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div> Did I mention I started <b>sewing</b> last year?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love sewing sooooo much I genuinely wish I’d started doing it years ago! It’s such a huge part of my life now. I feel like I think about sewing all the time and after years and years of not going on Instagram I now have a dedicated sewing account with over 400 followers which I love! I surround myself with only positive sewing accounts and it keeps me so inspired!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 2022 I made:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">3 Lotta dresses</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">2 Stevie tops</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">2 Dominique skirts</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">2 Lizzie skirts</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">1 Indigo dress</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">1 Zadie jumpsuit</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">1 pair pyjamas</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also took 3 fantastic sewing classes with Ministry of Craft.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Outside of sewing I read <b>80 books </b>(down from 100+ the last few years) and went to the <b>cinema 19 times</b>. More on this in my 2022 favourites blog coming soon!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Needless to say, I had a great time in 2022. I can’t wait to see what 2023 brings!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-21431860532454967272023-01-01T16:35:00.000+00:002023-01-01T16:35:32.059+00:00December Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy New Year and welcome to 2023!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had a blissfully quiet December which was exactly what we needed after being away for most of November. You'll see I did a lot more reading, sewing and film watching than usual!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's been the perfect end to a fantastic year. I'm in the middle of writing my end-of-year review posts so over the next few days I'll be going through my year in review, plus my favourite books, films, podcasts etc. of 2022.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my final <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2d5tAoUFC/">One Second Every Day</a> for the year!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUm9h0xHLkC88P0JmajSGZpaFcfKOB0zmUDbTMMQ0Se5dFJ5ZW5mW8tt4JenU32NROBFzxlgFdSAjqYpmFmoa5K_3ZRSuUfYtm7r3PrRdki4dZcmcqb0LaeaKXTtlwz9lhp5wozf37iYNX6RxGfRrZoHwZ1cRqsmEtPDhuy--wXp7NW0s8kisjtve/s1080/goodreads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUm9h0xHLkC88P0JmajSGZpaFcfKOB0zmUDbTMMQ0Se5dFJ5ZW5mW8tt4JenU32NROBFzxlgFdSAjqYpmFmoa5K_3ZRSuUfYtm7r3PrRdki4dZcmcqb0LaeaKXTtlwz9lhp5wozf37iYNX6RxGfRrZoHwZ1cRqsmEtPDhuy--wXp7NW0s8kisjtve/w400-h400/goodreads.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I mentioned back in the summer that thanks to sewing taking up a lot of my reading time I lowered my<b> Goodreads reading goal </b>from 100 books to 75. I hit my 75 books read in mid-December and I finished the year on 80 books which I'm pretty happy about!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had such a good laugh on my work team night out to <b><a href="https://www.barhutte.co.uk/bar-hutte-manchester/">Caroloke</a> </b>just before Christmas where we sang karaoke in a cosy wooden booth - it was so much fun!</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favourite Christmas film is <b>The Muppet Christmas Carol</b> so when I started getting Facebook ads for a showing at the Bridgewater Hall with a live orchestra I knew it would be the perfect thing to do just before Christmas. We've been a few times to see films with a live orchestra (La La Land was my favourite) but this was so fun and Christmassy - I loved it so much!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzZWn9jNmIVFzIB30aipV8S0yrlUDa-At050a18QpH3vTv-0vzhLjpXzr-d1NwptzPrd1WHD6G2D_1Uz14Q6ihTCsnNz-GcVn7YH72aK3_E0pZtDFn8u_fHPDXCYrUyP4NaP9CyH1CD_wE7GgUvEGzidxFGBDKzYqHEZOh9892OGSGYmo0Jw-ecST/s1080/christmas%20parkrun.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzZWn9jNmIVFzIB30aipV8S0yrlUDa-At050a18QpH3vTv-0vzhLjpXzr-d1NwptzPrd1WHD6G2D_1Uz14Q6ihTCsnNz-GcVn7YH72aK3_E0pZtDFn8u_fHPDXCYrUyP4NaP9CyH1CD_wE7GgUvEGzidxFGBDKzYqHEZOh9892OGSGYmo0Jw-ecST/w400-h400/christmas%20parkrun.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had a lovely quiet <b>Christmas</b> this year. We started with Christmas Day parkrun as always then spent some time at Phil's parents' before heading to my parents' in the afternoon. I loved giving everyone their presents and I'm so happy I got an overlocker! I can't wait to learn to use it!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS2MvjolJqhMK3NXaRw1gS36Lg6YIU4TDLjYPMexOG0k3ltl0jAUSaxVv_9pGsJ1ciXhJJd1kQN5JH6SOYU_w99Nlgr-w5ccKtXYq_GCkAMywEs9YPQVeiq5j3hsJy3efRpqyOdEjUQM7eR0xbC1hHz4j4tbJT80dhHL21grBm4jmll6CDB6pp2l2/s1080/lyme%20park.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS2MvjolJqhMK3NXaRw1gS36Lg6YIU4TDLjYPMexOG0k3ltl0jAUSaxVv_9pGsJ1ciXhJJd1kQN5JH6SOYU_w99Nlgr-w5ccKtXYq_GCkAMywEs9YPQVeiq5j3hsJy3efRpqyOdEjUQM7eR0xbC1hHz4j4tbJT80dhHL21grBm4jmll6CDB6pp2l2/w400-h400/lyme%20park.png" width="400" /></a></div><b style="font-family: georgia;"><p><b style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></b></p>Boxing Day </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">marked 5 years since we got engaged (5 years! How?!) so we did our favourite walk at Lyme Park which was where Phil proposed, and then went for our annual Boxing Day curry which we do every year.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEwC_mUAfak7Q-hYXtMhII8mzxdFT5CT1l3cXFyxZOSvHSdI7lpnYQZB2bU-5u6rjrb3NE8YXIrqbcg6dcQAVqPClQl_mnqxdNMmlAAK_pbqWMky5t-xCvHvHf3uKpqayeWKLagRYzIXQ9K1jjx3Xc4g91gHxPh-4UAsEnvtG1xdgA7-lVOBC57MA/s1080/322954489_542288057811457_3698326966032353978_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEwC_mUAfak7Q-hYXtMhII8mzxdFT5CT1l3cXFyxZOSvHSdI7lpnYQZB2bU-5u6rjrb3NE8YXIrqbcg6dcQAVqPClQl_mnqxdNMmlAAK_pbqWMky5t-xCvHvHf3uKpqayeWKLagRYzIXQ9K1jjx3Xc4g91gHxPh-4UAsEnvtG1xdgA7-lVOBC57MA/w400-h400/322954489_542288057811457_3698326966032353978_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Twixmas this year has been very quiet and I've mostly spent it reading and sewing, but we did celebrate </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">50 parkruns in a year </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">on New Year's Eve, a goal we've been trying to hit since we did 49 parkruns in 2019. With a few icy weeks recently and a lot of cancellations it wasn't easy to get to 50 but I'm so proud of us for doing it!</span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I made</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots of sewing in December and lots of festive-themed sewing!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dsuN56OluMdiD9AHU3XLNYuOOxnDoEe5SFg_JXQg0IZ78m0QF1Pk0Xf5Dli8LszdjwwaUM4KRXERPL-xcNHA-7ISSENi7EFzDVc0LZRHZePKOknshqH8DML_oEa6YCv_lcSFItKZOpDtdrMwDtkQ5Uzjmvmpj-F2CiqgBOHvZnvJsayV_l6cnH8W/s1350/322311678_206764815079138_3822491051103841126_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dsuN56OluMdiD9AHU3XLNYuOOxnDoEe5SFg_JXQg0IZ78m0QF1Pk0Xf5Dli8LszdjwwaUM4KRXERPL-xcNHA-7ISSENi7EFzDVc0LZRHZePKOknshqH8DML_oEa6YCv_lcSFItKZOpDtdrMwDtkQ5Uzjmvmpj-F2CiqgBOHvZnvJsayV_l6cnH8W/w320-h400/322311678_206764815079138_3822491051103841126_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was really excited to make my Christmas Day outfit this year, so I ordered some Christmassy fabric from Etsy and made another Sew Over It <b>Lizzie Skirt</b>. One of my goals for 2023 is to be less self-critical, particularly when it comes to my sewing, so while I'm not 100% happy with this skirt I'm not going to point out all the flaws in it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxtpXZgHfDq3jThN7GKZ5n0_F_S2OYs7XReJHYm462ndt68jA7dXfEJZCIUHk4VHRAnQaNKLzAwt_eeSrQitF3lOHg3C5PORAgvxwoO4NIm8bN-Pabmrn81g66o9iLMS8KJ7U4sTOQILEFXLMT2Otdprb8iiEWrGTNYANr8ygKbSfMMu5-ou6ySEn/s1350/320733076_906479213819162_9167370851418404934_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxtpXZgHfDq3jThN7GKZ5n0_F_S2OYs7XReJHYm462ndt68jA7dXfEJZCIUHk4VHRAnQaNKLzAwt_eeSrQitF3lOHg3C5PORAgvxwoO4NIm8bN-Pabmrn81g66o9iLMS8KJ7U4sTOQILEFXLMT2Otdprb8iiEWrGTNYANr8ygKbSfMMu5-ou6ySEn/w320-h400/320733076_906479213819162_9167370851418404934_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In November I also found out I'd been named as a brand ambassador for fabric website <a href="https://ukfabricsonline.com/">UK Fabrics Online</a>, so every month we're given a theme and a choice of fabric to create something in that theme. December's theme was Christmas fabric so I made these <b>Christmas Margot Pyjamas</b> from Tilly and the Buttons' book Love at First Stitch. It was my first time making trousers and I found them really fun and easy to make and I'm looking forward to making more pyjamas for people!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfuv5hIc6xo7AJ3mm-qUnE9ai8YldUCH5cPxFok7Bs-MxvK8hWpFPCe051_lNFCIvMO6V5NMshDB5N138qMekPVVW66GgG4xv6OtJz_DqSHNlFPbrtR8Sn14E8hWESQhJKaavpJYjabNC60NmEqOiF7CmYF3veoIh4mSN1_Zzuf5l3QAKTEY03Uee/s1350/322100778_582223933740959_2283485051353078232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfuv5hIc6xo7AJ3mm-qUnE9ai8YldUCH5cPxFok7Bs-MxvK8hWpFPCe051_lNFCIvMO6V5NMshDB5N138qMekPVVW66GgG4xv6OtJz_DqSHNlFPbrtR8Sn14E8hWESQhJKaavpJYjabNC60NmEqOiF7CmYF3veoIh4mSN1_Zzuf5l3QAKTEY03Uee/w320-h400/322100778_582223933740959_2283485051353078232_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favourite make of December, and one of my favourite makes of the year, was a Tilly and the Button <b>Indigo dress.</b> This dress is a real darling of the sewing community but I did not think its loose, smock-style top was for me. But then I kept seeing it everywhere, especially in gorgeous winter tartans, so I decided to give it a go.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was so fun to sew and I learnt loads of new skills in gathering, darts and pesky sleeves, and when I put it on I just fell in love with it! It's so cute and comfy - I've already ordered fabric to make 3 more!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally I finished my <b>Zadie Jumpsuit</b> which I've had on my unfinished project pile for months as I knew I'd got the fit wrong. It's not quite wearable and looks terrible photographed but I can see so much potential and I know once I figure out how to get the fit right it will be really cool! And even though it's not quite right - I still made a jumpsuit! </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">8 books read in December which feels back to my pre-sewing monthly numbers! This was made up of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">5 books and 3 audiobooks:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guest by Emma Cline</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Conquest by Nina Allan</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yellowface by R F Kaung</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maame by Jessica George</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chase Darkness with me by Billy Jensen</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thicker than water by Tyler Shulyz</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Empire of Pain by Patrick Raddden Keefe</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I still can't believe I got approved for Alice Slater's <b>Death of a Bookseller</b> which was honestly my most-anticipated book of 2023. Alice and I have such similar taste I knew I would love her debut novel and it's undoubtedly one of my favourite books I read in 2022.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I chased up Death of a Bookseller with R F Kaung's <b>Yellowface</b> which made a perfect double bill and was another of my favourites of the month.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I haven't listened to many audiobooks this year but they're perfect for when I'm sewing so I got back into them this month with 3 listened to - <b>Chase Darkness with Me, Thicker than Water </b>and <b>Empire of Pain. </b>All 3 were brilliant but Empire of Pain was a true epic and fantastic on audio.</span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two fantastic cinema trips to see </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Bones and All </b>and </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Aftersun. </b>Aftersun was absolutely incredible and one of my films of the year, and Bones and All has made my Timothee Chalamet obsession reach new levels.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then a</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> mix of Christmas films and classics at home:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Miracle on 34th Street</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Planes Trains and Automobiles</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Die Hard</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gremlins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Star Wars - A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Talented Mr Ripley</span></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As an only child I loved this piece in The Atlantic - <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/11/are-only-children-worse-off-kids-siblings/671955/">Why are people weird about only children?</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As someone who feels passionate about reading every day, I love Anne Helen Petersen's newsletter <b><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/reading-is-important-to-me-and-i?">Reading is important to me and I will prove it</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots of my usual links on anti-fat bias - <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/shallow-hal-20th-anniversary-never-ending-fat-joke/620637/?">Shallow Hal at 20</a>, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/the-whale-and-the-fat-suit-brendan-fraser-darren-aronofsky">On Brendan Fraser's fat suit</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://nationalpost.com/life/trust-me-im-skinny-how-fat-phobia-helped-deflect-attention-from-jared-fogles-dark-side">How fat-phobia helped deflect attention from Jared Fogle’s dark side</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eater on <a href="https://www.eater.com/23488255/why-we-need-recipes"><b>why we still need recipes</b></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally this piece from Greg James on<a href="https://inews.co.uk/opinion/greg-james-loving-someone-mental-health-struggles-hard-sometimes-2043105"> <b>loving someone with mental health challenges</b></a> really meant a lot to me</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy New Year - I hope 2023 is a great one for you!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-57595133441879446382022-12-23T11:32:00.000+00:002022-12-23T11:32:19.152+00:0035 Best Things I did in Australia<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Australia was amazing, but it was also absolutely jam-packed!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I realised as much as Phil and I love going through every single day and what we did, a blog post that goes "and then we did this" "and then we did that" probably isn't the most engaging thing to read!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So instead I thought I'd break it down into my absolute favourite things we did on our trip, from the best food to the best beaches, from hidden bars to animal encounters. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now even at nearly 4000 words, there are so many brilliant things we did which I can't possibly include on this list! So I've narrowed it down to my top 35 favourite things...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">1. Spending time with family (and Anna and Liam's wedding!)</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkL3h319xLgCVE3y1TxN_VymTdZhau6FhEDwEJG9VTDddxlaImfjSgLvCBFIJAekMRFjySmApZuiD5nqf9SC6Of7ZETWvKuFsbSNChi6Kzslve4ZkRTu8goErAI8RzFytjZMNjtXRLraqOlXSDyH9_qbPNId5_hgbBZ2E5C84VIyU4_qt8vZfYMMb/s1125/73028CF3-0B81-45E2-B39C-68A427482DC2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1125" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkL3h319xLgCVE3y1TxN_VymTdZhau6FhEDwEJG9VTDddxlaImfjSgLvCBFIJAekMRFjySmApZuiD5nqf9SC6Of7ZETWvKuFsbSNChi6Kzslve4ZkRTu8goErAI8RzFytjZMNjtXRLraqOlXSDyH9_qbPNId5_hgbBZ2E5C84VIyU4_qt8vZfYMMb/w400-h300/73028CF3-0B81-45E2-B39C-68A427482DC2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Our main reason for travelling to Australia was to celebrate Phil's cousin Anna's wedding. We hadn't seen most of Phil's family who live in Australia since our wedding three and a half years ago, so one of the best things about the trip was getting to spend time with them. They all met us at the airport with a sign and balloons and party hats and it was just the most amazing welcome after a day and a half of travelling! I think we were all pretty emotional to be reunited! We were so lucky to get lots of time together while we were in Sydney, plus enjoy the most beautiful wedding. It was the best to spend time together in real life and not on Zoom!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2. Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHQA1YCUnNip6J-fvpzZXWZpme9Fps-lVLyhgM3-ouHqKtWgjQSpGh8QChXfU3vN-CKv0esbG6BJWOylGof9hbNp6aW_1f9frjGrKotZddZmRiVhm8BRIclNHdsA5i6YLS4HECYOlpmW6VRbx6mOozu__PtIv_MNJKlnQhxYylsWwt4wo6TMeTzx7/s2048/FCA346C5-312C-48E2-B6A8-BECA6D9F310A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1538" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHQA1YCUnNip6J-fvpzZXWZpme9Fps-lVLyhgM3-ouHqKtWgjQSpGh8QChXfU3vN-CKv0esbG6BJWOylGof9hbNp6aW_1f9frjGrKotZddZmRiVhm8BRIclNHdsA5i6YLS4HECYOlpmW6VRbx6mOozu__PtIv_MNJKlnQhxYylsWwt4wo6TMeTzx7/w300-h400/FCA346C5-312C-48E2-B6A8-BECA6D9F310A.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>While we didn't get time to do the Sydney Bridge Climb (another reason to go back!), one of the best things we did was to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon. The museum was so interesting and the views were incredible. One of my favourite things we did in Sydney.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">3. Visit Lunar Park (and taking the ferry back)</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJRbipd95fNfPjI26Nu22v9VbtEWrshmdTNEpETFqGAW4_tHwN_uyKJsGKrhklqyEJJOhSRluwBMYtOIkN690QMiQk694lRu2_9UT-G3EsO6McJqJJwuJ3bWTO7QcqvNRMi8z3Wi2XgFnjdJAcuFKGJtgBr2UBmjO8Hd-F7EDHqNZ_OVmUfddoUNq/s2048/374A1181-22EC-4EA7-BE5C-7C73C85ADDE3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1538" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJRbipd95fNfPjI26Nu22v9VbtEWrshmdTNEpETFqGAW4_tHwN_uyKJsGKrhklqyEJJOhSRluwBMYtOIkN690QMiQk694lRu2_9UT-G3EsO6McJqJJwuJ3bWTO7QcqvNRMi8z3Wi2XgFnjdJAcuFKGJtgBr2UBmjO8Hd-F7EDHqNZ_OVmUfddoUNq/w300-h400/374A1181-22EC-4EA7-BE5C-7C73C85ADDE3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>After walking over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Phil and I were really excited to visit Lunar Park. We are both really into theme parks (and watching theme park video essays on YouTube...) so while we didn't go on any of the rides we loved visiting the park and having a photo with the iconic gate. It was also really cool to take the ferry back across the harbour.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">4. Two Australian parkruns</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmN11XEohEOdukaUkKfbO8U9u_QfzF8kf3DsMkH3sabbunXpk1bI8nKaNhRD56sjEeNQkv3qWhS-o4QN1I9g5VMVd9JM6diEMTW77AnHYOV1DVDQA0SYLNvdJeRHET1HwixiAeyRl0m7195gQ_e9OcNudEOoNiSIrJLIT6HlstEqyWwl4AazdPF7xY/s1600/ED4F60C7-B203-4169-9A36-F5EB480F8DDB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmN11XEohEOdukaUkKfbO8U9u_QfzF8kf3DsMkH3sabbunXpk1bI8nKaNhRD56sjEeNQkv3qWhS-o4QN1I9g5VMVd9JM6diEMTW77AnHYOV1DVDQA0SYLNvdJeRHET1HwixiAeyRl0m7195gQ_e9OcNudEOoNiSIrJLIT6HlstEqyWwl4AazdPF7xY/w300-h400/ED4F60C7-B203-4169-9A36-F5EB480F8DDB.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Of course we managed to squeeze parkrun in (twice!), while we were away! We did Cowpastures Reserve parkrun the day of the wedding, and Huskisson parkrun while visiting Jervis Bay. While neither parkrun were actually on the beach, Huskisson did start on the beach and I loved running along the beautiful beachside houses</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">5. Ate the best vegan tacos of my life</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEdWZSHzdT-EFOR4m-YF--1dkQaT-g8zD4WNOAoYmiLupt08QqpobgsSS8zTd2E_72DIpkuiLwEkYVIfGZcXskPTLCfQmBhiEU6MMgI_57zg_rEH20J4KjF9SWbbj6Yd_Ok8JEaBaF_4BspG6AIFQcRUauLeqduCXfIDXPrzAiVLvJwhkc-HADdzY/s2048/208BAE87-00F2-440F-BE37-5CE6A7D1CC96.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEdWZSHzdT-EFOR4m-YF--1dkQaT-g8zD4WNOAoYmiLupt08QqpobgsSS8zTd2E_72DIpkuiLwEkYVIfGZcXskPTLCfQmBhiEU6MMgI_57zg_rEH20J4KjF9SWbbj6Yd_Ok8JEaBaF_4BspG6AIFQcRUauLeqduCXfIDXPrzAiVLvJwhkc-HADdzY/w300-h400/208BAE87-00F2-440F-BE37-5CE6A7D1CC96.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>In September, Phil's cousin Rob and his fiancee Fenna came over and Fenna promised that when we came to Australia she would take me for the best vegan tacos. Now, I didn't know if she had remembered and she didn't know if I had remembered, but thankfully when we met up we realised we had both been obsessed with making sure we went for these vegan tacos. The problem was, the taco place was closed on Mondays, the night out we had planned. Let's go Sunday, we decided. So Sunday comes around and it's the day after the wedding and the jetlag is hitting me so hard I feel absolutely sick to my stomach. I didn't even want vegan tacos anymore! But we'd promised so we headed into the city and I had a ginger beer to settle my stomach (currently obsessed with ginger beer) and it ended up being one of the best nights of the trip!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The tacos at <a href="https://www.vandalsydney.com.au/">Vandal</a> absolutely blew my mind! The prawn one in particular looked and tasted and felt so much like a prawn that I think I'ves shown the photo of the prawn taco to every person I've seen to since we got back. I'm so glad we went out! </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">6. Earl's Juke Joint</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After tacos, Rob jumped up and said, "we just need to nip into the butchers". What? He headed over to the butchers next door and opened the door and.... a secret bar! Now Phil and I am obsessed with secret bars (there are a few more on this list) and this was just such an amazing surprised. The inside was fitting with church pews and it was so just so cool. Another of my favourite places we went to.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">7. Clifftop walk from Bondi Beach</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyAlcW42_sTEtGB48eERG1Hgxwv7k7it83AP_MLojfjkrL9MzXNGJx7grC3wQTu9qCRSgJR7sTpZTUxlpSC6E0P7tMWikBSARlpsn45ueDSIcJxvUoDjNamjDOGHq1dm3cr4IwQDwQ7q7OZMG1CxW164In_vKwxKYJkObdtvKKTpbwSWQQEMODZup/s2048/C7EAB274-8675-4207-B521-CE1EA891F0CC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyAlcW42_sTEtGB48eERG1Hgxwv7k7it83AP_MLojfjkrL9MzXNGJx7grC3wQTu9qCRSgJR7sTpZTUxlpSC6E0P7tMWikBSARlpsn45ueDSIcJxvUoDjNamjDOGHq1dm3cr4IwQDwQ7q7OZMG1CxW164In_vKwxKYJkObdtvKKTpbwSWQQEMODZup/w400-h300/C7EAB274-8675-4207-B521-CE1EA891F0CC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>You can't go to Sydney without visiting Bondi beach right? We had the most beautiful day by the sea doing the clifftop walk from Bondi to Coogee on Monday. The weather was stunning and people were surfing and swimming and sat on the beach. I loved the Iceberg Pools and the beautiful walks. My favourite beach on the walk was Bronte where we stopped for a beautiful lunch.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">8. Holey Moley Night Out</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY28fRcEJ2X3eBPFJjwRp_9C3vp4qwje0QiieSofbAEY-PhFVgl7EJeUsX-NGYqwc96km4YGkag3wJjTdWP73CNXV2e76lAsO7484gXu93Uc2tUJJz-VgT9FRjoeaoUcstJ5R2SKQgZX1aUOKX0-vxtL-GX3QO18Oy1EsX1JbfvfLtTkwBty91R4-v/s2048/6F463A3A-8465-4BB3-82FA-768D2FE0B576.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY28fRcEJ2X3eBPFJjwRp_9C3vp4qwje0QiieSofbAEY-PhFVgl7EJeUsX-NGYqwc96km4YGkag3wJjTdWP73CNXV2e76lAsO7484gXu93Uc2tUJJz-VgT9FRjoeaoUcstJ5R2SKQgZX1aUOKX0-vxtL-GX3QO18Oy1EsX1JbfvfLtTkwBty91R4-v/w300-h400/6F463A3A-8465-4BB3-82FA-768D2FE0B576.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>On Monday night we had a cousins night out with everyone and partners, and it was just so much fun. We got chatting so much we forgot to have dinner and then headed out to play mini golf at Holey Moley. It's one of my most cherished memories of the trip as we so rarely get that time together living so apart. It was the best.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">9. Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaMlnKKa-qI7ns0xQcPuMF8uZeLEsh2GymPIKLqkC9I8vqGohJUq1xuQSw0TzhXN5T-bfpVMrmAr3yiXUQVREg2aMMP74_N80V5O_oVWe5DnYN9KwbxVVR-9-KPiKq5v4I2K726i_8k5ujTmOWQTaP1xQk4xlEfTvZcmwHBzkAW5LkH33tQ4RZW9C/s2048/4929EFDF-CD4A-4E12-B9BA-B92FA649183D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaMlnKKa-qI7ns0xQcPuMF8uZeLEsh2GymPIKLqkC9I8vqGohJUq1xuQSw0TzhXN5T-bfpVMrmAr3yiXUQVREg2aMMP74_N80V5O_oVWe5DnYN9KwbxVVR-9-KPiKq5v4I2K726i_8k5ujTmOWQTaP1xQk4xlEfTvZcmwHBzkAW5LkH33tQ4RZW9C/w400-h300/4929EFDF-CD4A-4E12-B9BA-B92FA649183D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Tuesday was our last day in Sydney so we spent it in the city, and Phil and I made sure we had a walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens which were just beautiful with a gorgeous view of the opera house and harbour bridge.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">10.Sydney Opera House and Opera Bar</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoDOabr82MhozeY9jb9Cz92Gk54pwpWUe8s9q5ndLPiXVg2BEy1Jxji4G3vgHezup3hsRzyTkGbN_v7WBh87Z9N8KAfE4Tzy5A66NfysySlrCqDgpXnrtM6UaQivXA8-8CTx1suybhej1WYnrIM1JgSo8tAtnbCUMhzcpaToYOvfPw3ww25J87J_/s2049/866FD62D-ED72-4C54-BAE0-D943DC46634F.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoDOabr82MhozeY9jb9Cz92Gk54pwpWUe8s9q5ndLPiXVg2BEy1Jxji4G3vgHezup3hsRzyTkGbN_v7WBh87Z9N8KAfE4Tzy5A66NfysySlrCqDgpXnrtM6UaQivXA8-8CTx1suybhej1WYnrIM1JgSo8tAtnbCUMhzcpaToYOvfPw3ww25J87J_/w400-h300/866FD62D-ED72-4C54-BAE0-D943DC46634F.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When it comes to famous Sydney architecture, Phil's favourite is the Harbour Bridge but mine is definitely the Opera House. We couldn't do much exploring inside as there was a performance on, but we did have a drink at the Opera Bar with a view of both the bridge and the Opera House. Definitely the best drink with a view I had on the trip!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">11. Blue Mountains National Park</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HiPmzQmS2q9tcER7-KAAmxN1WWDDJ36R7gQ6_MB8efcV43-aM_wKcEJKhMYQPBWeNGvhaMsvqM7AdJ0fEaH79o3FGGrtqnyhl6er7wdO8DK0VHqBtXo5lxMUYjUgc9a73AI7Pdf15EQX7ox8c64EYmv14TjdH5pmAfZOdXHdlM9EDvuMyeN87ERS/s2048/DAB2F909-2BA4-435E-8B0C-79919562D37C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HiPmzQmS2q9tcER7-KAAmxN1WWDDJ36R7gQ6_MB8efcV43-aM_wKcEJKhMYQPBWeNGvhaMsvqM7AdJ0fEaH79o3FGGrtqnyhl6er7wdO8DK0VHqBtXo5lxMUYjUgc9a73AI7Pdf15EQX7ox8c64EYmv14TjdH5pmAfZOdXHdlM9EDvuMyeN87ERS/w400-h300/DAB2F909-2BA4-435E-8B0C-79919562D37C.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our first stop after Sydney was to visit The Blue Mountains National Park. This was such a great day out! We started out at Scenic World and took the World's Steepest Railway down to the valley walk first, then got the Glass Floor Cable Car across to see the Three Sisters (I was even brave and stood on the glass sections both rides!). We went to see one of the waterfalls first, then walked across to the Echo Point lookout. Unfortunately due to weather, the clifftop walk was closed so we had to walk along the roads but the views were totally worth it. Then Phil persuaded me to walk down some pretty questionable steps to get to actually reach one of the Three Sisters, It was a bit treacherous but I'm so glad we did it!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">12. Bald Hill viewpoint</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBQHbSJouj6xHKy_WyyFqjIbwL_wb7o-yK00GsdWp3jZTFzKtGmnfXa7yoy1pFQNKv2mmxVWvA2rt8jh3GXId9x5wG29jlbs6xEzr_S6wOwSOhjUlWwwQ7hFVRqGP81IjNWl7IRtLXGBhNWhSIyUapW05gfbdQMlQCfouSer9aaJ4NsjLbeuOoBDW/s2049/69BCCAC1-9918-41CA-AD72-F7FB9EF6684F.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBQHbSJouj6xHKy_WyyFqjIbwL_wb7o-yK00GsdWp3jZTFzKtGmnfXa7yoy1pFQNKv2mmxVWvA2rt8jh3GXId9x5wG29jlbs6xEzr_S6wOwSOhjUlWwwQ7hFVRqGP81IjNWl7IRtLXGBhNWhSIyUapW05gfbdQMlQCfouSer9aaJ4NsjLbeuOoBDW/w400-h300/69BCCAC1-9918-41CA-AD72-F7FB9EF6684F.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thursday was my favourite day of the whole trip. We got up early and our first stop was a viewpoint at Bald Hill we'd been recommended. Wow, this is such a well-kept secret This spectacular view was my favourite view of the whole trip! We also saw people handgliding off the top which was incredible!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">13. Kiama Blow Holes</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIcUNEVfuQ7EoWIamDWwlFQgUaAbA75JI1fUw7uidjperPlnfL99faypFda7ej6eOL_i2ePqFpiv72con9SzKKgmP_G8WFNXLTeA72b4lyEVWE7pixNMKZ0bwVS7UkgRc0gPJMwMXFTXTvgv91PY6C_Mbu3ZslqtMlw6PV699b9wHN7yHa7iak65O/s2049/471D56A2-144B-47CC-A13D-5C66A6403277.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIcUNEVfuQ7EoWIamDWwlFQgUaAbA75JI1fUw7uidjperPlnfL99faypFda7ej6eOL_i2ePqFpiv72con9SzKKgmP_G8WFNXLTeA72b4lyEVWE7pixNMKZ0bwVS7UkgRc0gPJMwMXFTXTvgv91PY6C_Mbu3ZslqtMlw6PV699b9wHN7yHa7iak65O/w400-h300/471D56A2-144B-47CC-A13D-5C66A6403277.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>After a beautiful drive we stopped at Kiama Blow Holes. These were so much fun! They're big holes in the rocks which the sea splashes into and they spurt the water back out. I could have watched these for hours!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">14. Minnamura Falls</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiSeQDFAD0o2KMUC7ekbIFF-i08O1wuLF7BMdAMe8IQ5pY4n3xSipqnIEz6AiPM2CgTVtV1zZv-aN3Y91sOfYogCdmv8hWIY_Hccrmst1aDfaiOneIbdW7ynyj5j_l3YSkAsc-aAqJ0kzJjZxMv0T6zhV4FHU-nOEzQ88CeP552nlQSCWL3qz7Z5J/s2049/1F6468E1-9EB5-42A9-8968-275E7E9E486C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiSeQDFAD0o2KMUC7ekbIFF-i08O1wuLF7BMdAMe8IQ5pY4n3xSipqnIEz6AiPM2CgTVtV1zZv-aN3Y91sOfYogCdmv8hWIY_Hccrmst1aDfaiOneIbdW7ynyj5j_l3YSkAsc-aAqJ0kzJjZxMv0T6zhV4FHU-nOEzQ88CeP552nlQSCWL3qz7Z5J/w400-h300/1F6468E1-9EB5-42A9-8968-275E7E9E486C.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Our next stop was Minnamura Falls, a beautiful raniforest walk within Budderoo National Park. This was such a lovely quiet and relaxing walk with lots of waterfalls (I love waterfalls!).</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">15. Two Figs winery</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3efsE3NTZhGOtyqEq2WXJ-kaYC2nVKm4R6dUoeYAPlVBiDDhUOhsFPm50wITuAZwNSTj3gOjT9ZcruEkZMP_3JVmeO-atWyrJs1wLakXgeZNAvBL7myx92LtZhQbtOISIxSMddQHW_qkt9NPJEqSKJ0XVnWM1lroqDmGGnPqIoPrwOuwVMLQOy4M/s2048/7266EFF3-53A5-4E41-833B-E8FB0C876818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3efsE3NTZhGOtyqEq2WXJ-kaYC2nVKm4R6dUoeYAPlVBiDDhUOhsFPm50wITuAZwNSTj3gOjT9ZcruEkZMP_3JVmeO-atWyrJs1wLakXgeZNAvBL7myx92LtZhQbtOISIxSMddQHW_qkt9NPJEqSKJ0XVnWM1lroqDmGGnPqIoPrwOuwVMLQOy4M/w300-h400/7266EFF3-53A5-4E41-833B-E8FB0C876818.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>We visited two wineries while we were in Australia but Two Figs was hands down the best. It was such a beautiful setting next to a river, and the views were incredible. We did a wine tasting with a cheeseboard and we were talked through every single wine while eating the most delicious cheese. It was such a calming, serene experience and honestly one of the best things we did on the trip.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">16. Huskisson</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gdGZN4REUn6NlHFZlXc__rgHurc17zAZJhSZioMeCU7gbiri5mNgl5OJ30PscdCv16B4AE_bLW0yd_J6e-HRv7Kl9_3rnXIEMxLWjECuwNFDBy0TPznNC9726UbFq-eEnyvHwP5iEyJvB3wf1cUm0x_JPZ0R5wMi-C_3GsEZG9pBtYF8qIuDsqMS/s1208/06E0C729-896D-42A1-914A-262AA77D3E6B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="1208" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gdGZN4REUn6NlHFZlXc__rgHurc17zAZJhSZioMeCU7gbiri5mNgl5OJ30PscdCv16B4AE_bLW0yd_J6e-HRv7Kl9_3rnXIEMxLWjECuwNFDBy0TPznNC9726UbFq-eEnyvHwP5iEyJvB3wf1cUm0x_JPZ0R5wMi-C_3GsEZG9pBtYF8qIuDsqMS/w400-h389/06E0C729-896D-42A1-914A-262AA77D3E6B.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Our final stop on Thursday was beautiful Huskisson where we spent 2 nights. Huskisson was the perfect base for us to explore Jervis Bay and had the cutest little brunch spots and cafes and shops looking out onto the sea, It's also where we did our second parkrun which started on the beach!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">17. Jervis Bay Brewing Company</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqkXhWlPwnhSDfpcXBcQWlCyBhl8FKAugSUIaVO4W4MwKYdyEnnNqCpfoX6EUpI2Ia_xMo1gS0z41Rh4VlN7IuE5t_M0vo-nu6U41CN2Yog9pD0jaJHx49MXtWD4_KUEDTROBQjMUR87OAoMV8V9B7T7ibpG5bYOs_NqAK3fMSjwtStu0jQ-Xm7OB/s2049/260F572C-83AD-419A-A906-BE16E7C8F2BA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1537" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqkXhWlPwnhSDfpcXBcQWlCyBhl8FKAugSUIaVO4W4MwKYdyEnnNqCpfoX6EUpI2Ia_xMo1gS0z41Rh4VlN7IuE5t_M0vo-nu6U41CN2Yog9pD0jaJHx49MXtWD4_KUEDTROBQjMUR87OAoMV8V9B7T7ibpG5bYOs_NqAK3fMSjwtStu0jQ-Xm7OB/w300-h400/260F572C-83AD-419A-A906-BE16E7C8F2BA.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>When we arrived in Huskisson it had been a super long day and we were exhausted and I couldn't work out why Phil was dragging me on a half an hour walk to get to the pub when there were plenty of other pubs in Huskisson?! In the end he was right to make us walk - Jervis Bay Brewing Company was the coolest little brewery and we ended up stopping there all night thanks to a food truck selling food from a local restaurant and a monthly quiz, where I ended up wining a John Denver record for drawing the best toilet.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">18. Hyam Beach</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZKCQ_0cdW-PgztL717m2TGgZFpajX4IRoyvoZPOScSSN-Ko9oPS3lrEJh2afD6_kui4RxjhQnFHfHZBPCtyP9rJndqZEuopm7CM4WI238CACIwDFaYpqOrv23x8OFcvf6fWkIvBmybJWNsIXRMIaVFW7H1JyTh0MAR6ps4iHNCxJymeqj6kZD_LP/s2048/F215A873-023F-4F1B-8A51-C9F089A57633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZKCQ_0cdW-PgztL717m2TGgZFpajX4IRoyvoZPOScSSN-Ko9oPS3lrEJh2afD6_kui4RxjhQnFHfHZBPCtyP9rJndqZEuopm7CM4WI238CACIwDFaYpqOrv23x8OFcvf6fWkIvBmybJWNsIXRMIaVFW7H1JyTh0MAR6ps4iHNCxJymeqj6kZD_LP/w400-h300/F215A873-023F-4F1B-8A51-C9F089A57633.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Maybe it was the time of year, but everywhere we went in Australia we found it quiet - in a good way! No queues for restaurants, no struggles for parking. Hyam Beach was the perfect example - it was a Friday morning and it felt like we had the whole beach to ourselves. This was probably my favourite walk of the trip - all white beach and blue sky, walking barefoot with our toes in the sea, it was absolutely stunning.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">19. Merry Beach/Pretty Beach/Goanna spotting</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcYbTu3J7fiq2wnCGUC8dm6BKspx6DxV_FLcXvZcrT88qN9HvT85Td3Kg4jkJak_RX-feUU69RaH0xN2Ga9AKBG4Qes6jNtOqO9aiyGiZebWGi8ROA0B7U2PnHLUG3fQ30C8vQzeMprOQxQqPJKb9vpSHB8Rr8IHbXV-iHS9PU9-cXaGe_w6EOqzu/s2049/ADDADE19-EF2C-4A37-935B-EBEFBCBB879D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcYbTu3J7fiq2wnCGUC8dm6BKspx6DxV_FLcXvZcrT88qN9HvT85Td3Kg4jkJak_RX-feUU69RaH0xN2Ga9AKBG4Qes6jNtOqO9aiyGiZebWGi8ROA0B7U2PnHLUG3fQ30C8vQzeMprOQxQqPJKb9vpSHB8Rr8IHbXV-iHS9PU9-cXaGe_w6EOqzu/w400-h300/ADDADE19-EF2C-4A37-935B-EBEFBCBB879D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have to give Phil all the credit for planning our entire trip. He booked every hotel, planned our route and researched all the best stops along the way. I mostly just turned up. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of his trips from Huskisson was Merry Beach walk to Pretty Beach, which started with a muddy trail from a caravan park and didn't seem very convincing. (However this carvan park was where I saw absolutely huge groups of kangaroos which was amazing! I think we saw at least 50 that day!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Once we got up to the cliffs a bit more we met a fellow walker, an Australian, who told me we were going to have some of the best views in New South Wales.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We left him behind and kept going, not completely sure where we were going, down some path, up some steps and into a forrested area, then suddenly we turned a corner and out of nowhere, a creature!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">He was huge, at least a metre and a half long, black and scaly and walking like an alligator. We had no idea what this was. Could it kill us? We were in Australia for god's sake!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">He was blissfully unaware of us to start with, crawling thankfully away from our path, but then legged it as soon as he spotted us.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">(You can spot him in his glory in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Clo3JBBvgSP/">Phil's Australia video roundup here</a>)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We nervously managed the rest of the walk, on lookout the whole time for him or anything else. There was nobody else around and our Australia friend was at least half a mile behind us.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When we finally reached Pretty Beach I was not keen to do the walk back through the trees again, but then our Australia friend arrived. Relieved, we showed him the video on Phil's phone, "that's a goana!" he said, in the broadest Australia accent.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A goana? No not an iguana but a generic term for several species of lizard. Not harmful to us, it turned out, but enough to give us a shock.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We did walk back and actually saw another, smaller, goanna on the way back, and it was worth it - for both the views and the wildlife!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">20. Lakes Entrance walk</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM75-CxbD5KMjYh60mcF94EGqIlaFnRqs1upuC9DTb43Rmt5MCl4SNG9P8ChOxV0kCUd4Ilj3OzJiHgAabNV7nvSAMMocy5sf7N-QEvIZiAaa81GDwYch1szCHpUTvpJqGoCFPOPQ8DjIsqGcFsF2SdBh-8wmL82wxpMqLqcFzg1qUriH-I1YUYtCE/s2049/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM75-CxbD5KMjYh60mcF94EGqIlaFnRqs1upuC9DTb43Rmt5MCl4SNG9P8ChOxV0kCUd4Ilj3OzJiHgAabNV7nvSAMMocy5sf7N-QEvIZiAaa81GDwYch1szCHpUTvpJqGoCFPOPQ8DjIsqGcFsF2SdBh-8wmL82wxpMqLqcFzg1qUriH-I1YUYtCE/w400-h300/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lakes Entrance was one of the last stops on our trip, a lovely seaside town with a gorgeous beach and a lovely walk through the bush alongside the lake. Again this was a lovely quiet walk where we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">21. Met some koalas at Raymond Island</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB6lh0EU4NO5F8Y082qGnZz-sHo0wDyhyEMIwSebp4jNUx-EkmfyKpmDQ0svpXroo3KVlxUletYY2H8NNcXGTkRpHDpOr1nlp91jOO7cr79x7AhIyIAavl0o2M5HjS5Mcbv28RSXeaVzEZhII_CIDgp6rO3wH687dQY-r5baUPBTtquKOwsRIc1y8/s2048/3D444228-580A-492B-BF1E-C5BBAEC4EC59.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB6lh0EU4NO5F8Y082qGnZz-sHo0wDyhyEMIwSebp4jNUx-EkmfyKpmDQ0svpXroo3KVlxUletYY2H8NNcXGTkRpHDpOr1nlp91jOO7cr79x7AhIyIAavl0o2M5HjS5Mcbv28RSXeaVzEZhII_CIDgp6rO3wH687dQY-r5baUPBTtquKOwsRIc1y8/w300-h400/3D444228-580A-492B-BF1E-C5BBAEC4EC59.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Obviously going to Australia I wanted to see some wildlife. Well no I wanted to see kangaroos and koalas, not snakes and spiders. I was told I would probably see a kangaroo, and we saw loads at Merry Beach, but for a koala I'd probably have to go to the zoo.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Well, I said, I'm not going to see one in the zoo. I could see them in a zoo anywhere.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">So I gave up on my dream of meeting a koala friend and focusing on all the kangaroos I had seen.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Until we got to Bairnsdale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bairnsdale was our last stop before Melbourne. A good-sized town with a good selection of bars and restaurants and a nice-looking hotel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As we were checking in the manager asked us "what brings you to Bairsndale?" and we said well we've been driving from Sydney to Melbourne and this is our last stop before the 4 hour drive to Melbourne tomorrow.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And she said oh well if you're interested while you're here, there's a town called Painsville about 20 minutes away and from there you can get a 5 minute ferry to an island full of rehomed koalas.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">WHAT!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When Phil tells this story he says he wasn't looking at me but he could <i>feel</i> the beam coming across my face.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were too tired to go that evening, but first thing the next morning we headed over to Painsville and waited for the ferry. True to her word, the ferry was every 20 minutes and took less than 5 to get across.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was walking with my head facing upwards so much I'm surprised I didn't walk into something, desperate to spot a koala. Phil saw one first, sleeping up in a tree, almost perfectly camouflaged. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then we saw two women a bit further along taking photos, and saw right up close this beautiful huge koala. He was so close that Phil was convinced he wasn't real! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We ended up seeing 8 koalas on the island and it was absolutely magical. Undoubtedly one of the best things we did the whole time.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">22. Ate the most incredible Indian food at Tonka, Melbourne</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWMC-hb9nuInXEbjePHI5KU7gMUkLZlguQi4hiTdubQsXVHYn6XwExMDCxE6sPK6J7NrTHNAmgp_OlscfEh1XTS_CCm8AGNAKL8N8pjPf30knVbs3ca8pMY1mpSgAsa3ddYIsrAEIfqLuB_NANuDyWvkJZUhN2-JTfmCv3ReIZ7tG87swmkpLjaoI/s1556/6DD02DEF-7F12-469D-A752-8FB7A0B7260C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1556" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWMC-hb9nuInXEbjePHI5KU7gMUkLZlguQi4hiTdubQsXVHYn6XwExMDCxE6sPK6J7NrTHNAmgp_OlscfEh1XTS_CCm8AGNAKL8N8pjPf30knVbs3ca8pMY1mpSgAsa3ddYIsrAEIfqLuB_NANuDyWvkJZUhN2-JTfmCv3ReIZ7tG87swmkpLjaoI/s320/6DD02DEF-7F12-469D-A752-8FB7A0B7260C.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Finally we arrived in Melbourne! We were mostly excited for Melbourne for the food and drinks. We'd saved so many restaurants and cool bars, and ended up going to Tonka our first night,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tonka was one of the restaurants we were desperate to go to in Melbourne. In hindsight it was even more fancy than we expected and we weren't quite dressed for it, but the food and service were absolutely impeccable with the most beautiful Indian food and drinks. With the exception of the vegan tacos in Sydney, this was the best meal we had.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">23. Watched an England game at midnight</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe33TXUpWR1iTKBvZsge3PSX6nS-bp4I3GFDJVHrnLLeH9Pef0ItV4foSxve1UgFaWYEeYc2Rmi38bKlqmNdctbY5071x_K4n4HLxdRXlpweI_eO0yRgtKucsQMSoNevGNhHdATJBEBIWKlWVJsNKpOnjgHvRE2b-IsorOb1zMWS_zR63v4uaqJo8/s2048/13E67198-8590-44E6-B5F7-4A777EDB5F1A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe33TXUpWR1iTKBvZsge3PSX6nS-bp4I3GFDJVHrnLLeH9Pef0ItV4foSxve1UgFaWYEeYc2Rmi38bKlqmNdctbY5071x_K4n4HLxdRXlpweI_eO0yRgtKucsQMSoNevGNhHdATJBEBIWKlWVJsNKpOnjgHvRE2b-IsorOb1zMWS_zR63v4uaqJo8/w300-h400/13E67198-8590-44E6-B5F7-4A777EDB5F1A.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>The World Cup started while we were in Australia, but due to the time difference the matches were a nightmare! 1pm games were at midnight, 4pm games were at 3am and 7pm games were at 6am. But we were determined to watch England so our first night in Melbourne, after our meal at Tonka, we got refreshed and into our England shirts and headed to the pub for midnight kick off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There were about 30 of us there watching it on the big screen. I got chips and tea at half time and just about managed til about 70 minutes at 1.40am when I absolutely had to go to bed!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">24. Ate Turkish Street Food at Queen Victoria Market</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On all the Youtube videos we'd watched on what to eat in Melbourne Queen Victoria Market was a must-do so we were so excited to visit! First stop was Turkish food as we'd heard the Borek Shop was the place to start. We had both a feta and spinach Gozleme and a feta and spinach Borek, which we washed down with a smoothie from the juice bar across the market. We'd also watched loads of videos about the American Doughnut van which Phil greatly enjoyed!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">25. The World of the Book and State Library Victoria</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz37zb4uLk1NTA6D1efb61jtB5xK7RnDnRgdBsvYRD1mCEDskj2Z0VACFW7RzQVrfuHO0xfI5QRS1vADMHUesObXk6rD1B-PDdwSy09HMGkn8T7XxHFuvbhzQYKdLc1pSTaehjgVwK1b2qWemPAcXG-PPkewrO-fK5wgPkgYiQh1p5Pg92vBFhbYkk/s2049/5FB6402B-B8B6-42EC-864D-ECA55567FC64.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz37zb4uLk1NTA6D1efb61jtB5xK7RnDnRgdBsvYRD1mCEDskj2Z0VACFW7RzQVrfuHO0xfI5QRS1vADMHUesObXk6rD1B-PDdwSy09HMGkn8T7XxHFuvbhzQYKdLc1pSTaehjgVwK1b2qWemPAcXG-PPkewrO-fK5wgPkgYiQh1p5Pg92vBFhbYkk/w400-h300/5FB6402B-B8B6-42EC-864D-ECA55567FC64.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>We were staying just around the corner from Melbourne Library and you know I can't resist a library! State Library Victoria wasn't just a beautiful library, it also had a fantastic exhibit on The World of the Book which had some incredible pieces including old manuscripts and first editions of books.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">26. Explored Fitzroy</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD8V_a9mcWAtz5aJ0jpivl-oI4ZhgktnTBCVwSCG-arFF_L2W0e2cN2sfIdnFhEI3jl8UVF-gD5p1LcKQ1LOvbZqZ6izpgDwP1C41nSD6j6T7n_ZVvsr6B3dJ1aQVar9420nhpCMYHS7etD-ldJfiIZlZTuQgJ9HdqrHqNw1f9elYw2iqykuH62zR/s2048/DBF9796A-9B1E-4375-9176-2CA4FBFA34BF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD8V_a9mcWAtz5aJ0jpivl-oI4ZhgktnTBCVwSCG-arFF_L2W0e2cN2sfIdnFhEI3jl8UVF-gD5p1LcKQ1LOvbZqZ6izpgDwP1C41nSD6j6T7n_ZVvsr6B3dJ1aQVar9420nhpCMYHS7etD-ldJfiIZlZTuQgJ9HdqrHqNw1f9elYw2iqykuH62zR/w400-h300/DBF9796A-9B1E-4375-9176-2CA4FBFA34BF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Fitzroy is one of the coolest areas of Melbourne, all vintage shops and cool bars and shops. We absolutely loved it! We had a great afternoon exploring the shops and bars before heading to our most anticipated eatery of Melbourne...</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">27. Ate a burger from a disused train car on top of a roof at Easey's</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFdcPZSL_p4Z50fMAzDRAS6NAsBTLWgNZNa6bx830rzX7xQYpPkrP-gLB9Bn4WPnuQwBDnrGWGpMiIrm-dr2YuQhHRf-LqMTPudmpCSQIC4A9akBwyqEiKQvaQTuNbFc1qpeMC2N6UTl80IZC3o2cZDoL3af-RPl9HeISGHR_s2_IokWiINJ9gHwD/s2049/43D7CDB5-2CD5-4C9C-B64C-E8DA4EA12153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFdcPZSL_p4Z50fMAzDRAS6NAsBTLWgNZNa6bx830rzX7xQYpPkrP-gLB9Bn4WPnuQwBDnrGWGpMiIrm-dr2YuQhHRf-LqMTPudmpCSQIC4A9akBwyqEiKQvaQTuNbFc1qpeMC2N6UTl80IZC3o2cZDoL3af-RPl9HeISGHR_s2_IokWiINJ9gHwD/w300-h400/43D7CDB5-2CD5-4C9C-B64C-E8DA4EA12153.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>The number one food place we wanted to visit was Easey's, which I think we'd seen on almost every foodie Melbourne video we watched. Located in the cool district of Fitzroy, Easey's is a burger place inside an old train carriage.... on top of a roof! We were so desperate to go I made sure I booked us in just to be sure we could get a seat in the main train car. The whole place was incredibly cool - even the toilets were in an old train toilet - and the food was fantastic! Definitely one of the coolest meals we had.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">28. Drank cocktails at The Everleigh</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKtiJcaTppCT-yKufoqTnwpc1S63SEiNaJ3HH4Q8oyOkwqloqAIU-ZKOcZtp5NXP0e7P7bKJYDI7F0WqpyVIUJZpbRdoH7lTzGjn2nQv0netrWz3dxsxMYfQJgQIGQF2A_Gb_jxFsSiFuTS_aGnGqwRHlWOzKZPG0awPupR2X1OtTBRD_aNS7Ogwf/s2048/19BC0932-E42C-4F68-A8E4-03C10419A211.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKtiJcaTppCT-yKufoqTnwpc1S63SEiNaJ3HH4Q8oyOkwqloqAIU-ZKOcZtp5NXP0e7P7bKJYDI7F0WqpyVIUJZpbRdoH7lTzGjn2nQv0netrWz3dxsxMYfQJgQIGQF2A_Gb_jxFsSiFuTS_aGnGqwRHlWOzKZPG0awPupR2X1OtTBRD_aNS7Ogwf/w300-h400/19BC0932-E42C-4F68-A8E4-03C10419A211.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>The Everleigh, also in Fitzroy, is a classic speakeasy-style cocktail bar hidden around a sneaky corner. As I mentioned before we love secret bars and we love cocktails, so we were really excited to visit the Everleigh. Next time I would definitely request a seat at the impressive-looking bar so I could watch the bartenders, but the drinks we had were fantastic.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">29. Had a famous Melbourne Magic Coffee</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another foodie-thing we wanted to try in Melbourne was a famous magic coffee, a coffee mix you can only get in Melbourne, but in most cafes it's a secret menu item that only those in-the-know to ask for. We were too scared to embarrass ourselves as tourists so we were so grateful that the coffee shop near our hotel had Magics on the menu! It was absolutely delicious and I'm so glad we tried it!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">30. Watched Australia v France in Fed Square at 6am</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2v9Y04z1mmwhOtd8sJ1pEc5hb6M9p9xr-cnYIVS6sl44MBzon64jI89IorZgxEX20YF0s-BDNZxuDUieVEB3dftSdB8RqLPBqBIcisn2YIceLZX9lyHPt_htgvx7IdVY5Nf0WU0yCuU0MPOfWQdAPPJn1NuRENiWQH2pMg29uS9QA7vA7pw6OmCXC/s1536/8AEB8672-43DD-44A4-88B7-CA6E8AB7AD91.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2v9Y04z1mmwhOtd8sJ1pEc5hb6M9p9xr-cnYIVS6sl44MBzon64jI89IorZgxEX20YF0s-BDNZxuDUieVEB3dftSdB8RqLPBqBIcisn2YIceLZX9lyHPt_htgvx7IdVY5Nf0WU0yCuU0MPOfWQdAPPJn1NuRENiWQH2pMg29uS9QA7vA7pw6OmCXC/w400-h400/8AEB8672-43DD-44A4-88B7-CA6E8AB7AD91.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>One of the reasons we went to get a magic coffee in the first place was because it was just after 6am and we were heading to Fed Square to watch Australia in the World Cup! Unfortunately we woke up just after 6 and missed Australia score, but made it to the square for the second half. There were hundreds of people gathered before work to watch the match on a big screen and even though Australia lost it was amazing to be in the crows to watch!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">31. Queued for a famous Lune Croissant</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZcmDhNz2uaStkhuMjtYdnzF3AZ6UrCdeeCfp65wCxDwJTizjyPaBP7Kdu6nnHQMWCba0mGq-Bxejmnnxw1kHg5zr6JPZGrLbogTJe8OcnIoSgmxKLrVneQ3Sl4Tlg1SnEnITC7L2NCQCJjGGznFQEhf--VmTAE1r1M03o13BRIv_BHKeDzUX4D-M/s1855/73C8615A-62C7-4B2B-A933-82871944661A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1855" data-original-width="1405" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZcmDhNz2uaStkhuMjtYdnzF3AZ6UrCdeeCfp65wCxDwJTizjyPaBP7Kdu6nnHQMWCba0mGq-Bxejmnnxw1kHg5zr6JPZGrLbogTJe8OcnIoSgmxKLrVneQ3Sl4Tlg1SnEnITC7L2NCQCJjGGznFQEhf--VmTAE1r1M03o13BRIv_BHKeDzUX4D-M/w303-h400/73C8615A-62C7-4B2B-A933-82871944661A.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's getting pretty clear isn't it that we planned pretty most of our time in Melbourne around food isn't it? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now if you know me you'll probably be like wait, Charlotte hates pastries, why would she queue for a croissant? And you're right, I famously hate pastries (I know, I know, it's weird). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But every video we watched said 2 things 1) we had to get a croissant from Lune and 2) we would have to queue for it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">So after the football we joined the (already sizable for a Wednesday morning) queue for a croissant. We queued for about an hour but it was SO worth it! Seeing as I'm not a big croissant fan I decided to pick the one that was most covered in chocolate and pecans, and Phil went for a classic almond. We decided to really enjoy them and sat at the counter while they were being made and had a coffee to go with them. Mine was incredibly rich and sweet but it was so delicious! Well worth a stop!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">32. Took a tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VmsITZ8EDDNz7E5NOepL2jPnaBDoEvc4bE4baDcPKVXuVcXMonHPShpyT5tE1zIeBlmGzboGmgcBKOBba39or_LqbTUjOJa5EKPPN6_VS_61u3RIb9QKqUmzJYZwqzsY2chae4WnIDs-lmK4_xBUr0wz-XBk-oMgsxkqxoRGnTSIC7t1ng7N3SC8/s2049/E9E2355D-D877-4C96-942D-DEF9893B2538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1537" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VmsITZ8EDDNz7E5NOepL2jPnaBDoEvc4bE4baDcPKVXuVcXMonHPShpyT5tE1zIeBlmGzboGmgcBKOBba39or_LqbTUjOJa5EKPPN6_VS_61u3RIb9QKqUmzJYZwqzsY2chae4WnIDs-lmK4_xBUr0wz-XBk-oMgsxkqxoRGnTSIC7t1ng7N3SC8/w300-h400/E9E2355D-D877-4C96-942D-DEF9893B2538.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When Phil's family last came to Australia 8 years ago, they said Melbourne Gaol was one of the best things they did, so this was high on our list! We managed to get a guided watchtower tour too which was both really interesting and great fun, even if you did get a bit shouted at by the "guard". The rest of the gaol was a self-guided audiotour which I thought was really fantastic. Well worth a visit in Melbourne.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">33. Took in the view of Melbourne from the Skydeck</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiLyZqzF_9n8U9oDCsvU0o0JO5ESy-I3I_HJEvnAYTKaynVAugwvSevg67Jd413IPKB3z3qdBKao32IVUQbq6awFoWJ9d5JK4zCHcmUOPRZ00RLaMfJss0lEzCT7-ZozH52KC8uYJvIqOFmB9N8RiY3rjlGAnyYhpOkySBM9rqVptC1ZOF0Z49PF1/s2048/2A1294C9-1394-4239-B755-0F0254ECC319.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiLyZqzF_9n8U9oDCsvU0o0JO5ESy-I3I_HJEvnAYTKaynVAugwvSevg67Jd413IPKB3z3qdBKao32IVUQbq6awFoWJ9d5JK4zCHcmUOPRZ00RLaMfJss0lEzCT7-ZozH52KC8uYJvIqOFmB9N8RiY3rjlGAnyYhpOkySBM9rqVptC1ZOF0Z49PF1/w400-h300/2A1294C9-1394-4239-B755-0F0254ECC319.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On our last full day in Melbourne we wanted to take in the last few touristy things we could do on our trip, so we headed to Eureka Tower to visit the Skydeck. I love going up those towers with the super-fast lifts and taking in the views, and this was a wonderful way to see all of the city.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">34. Visited ACMI</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the middle of Fed Square, Melbourne has a fantastic film and television museum, ACMI, and as film-lovers this was the absolutely perfect way to spend a few hours on a drizzly Melbourne afternoon. There were some fantastic exhibits on, but the main exhibit, The Story of the Moving Image was absolutely incredible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">35. Drank our last cocktails at Beneath Driver Lane</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jataQhC8nqAVsV0ib0OUXZI1XA9RSyYNCmzzQmUdldBzOy7M63Nq0HLPKTkZhkryNJPYRmr6L3szEwhRBf1p2HlZD0E0wIBu6_opClZSpsV1G_kW_njkj9BUgLrzAwOvz1bL6eJ39LmVqjy0Z4_3GIyI5_I4gbafG5N6lTmzlNqjBS8qCT9x6Jqu/s1839/5CB2748E-BE73-48D0-A04C-46CA1D6E0AE2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1839" data-original-width="1534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jataQhC8nqAVsV0ib0OUXZI1XA9RSyYNCmzzQmUdldBzOy7M63Nq0HLPKTkZhkryNJPYRmr6L3szEwhRBf1p2HlZD0E0wIBu6_opClZSpsV1G_kW_njkj9BUgLrzAwOvz1bL6eJ39LmVqjy0Z4_3GIyI5_I4gbafG5N6lTmzlNqjBS8qCT9x6Jqu/w334-h400/5CB2748E-BE73-48D0-A04C-46CA1D6E0AE2.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>We had one last secret bar to do before we left, and it ended up being our favourite. Beneath Driver Lane was hidden in an alleyway down some steps, and as soon as we walked in we knew we were going to love it. We loved it so much we ended up staying there all night! We had a couple of drinks and a cheese board and a selection of their bar snacks - it was the perfect way to end the trip!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And that's it! So many things I didn't get chance to talk about, but I think after nearly 4000 words I've probably covered quite enough!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'll be back after Christmas to round up 2022!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-2943215593025468212022-12-06T20:13:00.000+00:002022-12-06T20:13:36.761+00:00November Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is going to be a short post this month, as most of what I did in November is going to be in my upcoming post all about our trip to Australia, but I didn't want to break tradition (and I always love to talk about whatever I've read, watched and sewn each month!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClnZ3IUpBHC/">One Second Every Day</a> for the month is here (spoilers for my Australia post!) and below is the stuff I got up to which wasn't in Australia...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Made</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGu96ya4yIUCIzwRmEUr2WT5XtNM3dyq7PohrhcaUXL9kzXTCXCD3ooJVAocjqP2X5pP2cAVyoytytBtgbp3OWUMSMkdG8v8JtOHJMndI8yqLRHwwtw_YCfuoN5Tn56uaPiW_JCx6hOXlFU7z5bFSGEwnM09ylwSCMOLsjfT5GGeKXlyPY0NU8sMP/s3249/dominique%20skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3249" data-original-width="2959" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGu96ya4yIUCIzwRmEUr2WT5XtNM3dyq7PohrhcaUXL9kzXTCXCD3ooJVAocjqP2X5pP2cAVyoytytBtgbp3OWUMSMkdG8v8JtOHJMndI8yqLRHwwtw_YCfuoN5Tn56uaPiW_JCx6hOXlFU7z5bFSGEwnM09ylwSCMOLsjfT5GGeKXlyPY0NU8sMP/w582-h640/dominique%20skirt.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm not even going to bother making this "What I did" because most of what I did was "go to Australia" (did I mention I went to Australia?) so I'm going to call this "what I made"! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I only made one thing in November, which was a panic-sew I decided I needed about 3 days before going away. It's another Tilly and the Buttons<b> Dominique skirt</b> (the same pattern as the first thing I ever sewed myself!) in a cotton chambray. I made it to wear with light tshirts and trainers on holiday... then didn't end up wearing it at all!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As always I learned a lot making it, but it's not my favourite make. It's all practice though!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Five books read in November:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Winners by Fredrik Backman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallet</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Despite downloading 6 books for holiday, plus having at least 10 Netgalley ARCs to review, I didn't actually read as much as I thought I would on holiday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The best book I read in November was Jessica Andrews' <b>Milk Teeth</b> which will undoubtedly end up on my books of the year list. I also enjoyed <b>Carrie Soto is Back</b> which I read nearly all of on my journey home.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Watched</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Me and my best friends had a girls night where we watched <b>The Lost City</b> which was great fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Comfort rewatches on the plane of some of my favourite films - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>In the Heights, </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The Social Network </b>and </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Palm Springs.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">One cinema trip when we got home to catch the week-long cinema release of <b>Glass Onion</b> which we absolutely loved, and I'm so glad we caught it in the cinema.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also finished Mike Flanagan's <b>Midnight Club </b>on Netflix.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I loved</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had many, many hours in the car as part of our Australia road trip, and as well as my usual favourite podcasts (Evolution of Horror, Celebrity Memoir Bookclub), we also discovered <b>60 Songs which Explain the 90s</b> and listened to some great episodes of that on the trip.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/05/cookbook-review-start-simple-by-lukas_5.html">Lukas Volger's Start Simple </a>is one of my favourite recipe books (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/05/cookbook-review-start-simple-by-lukas_5.html">my review is here</a>!) so I just bought his latest book <b>Snacks for Dinner</b> and it's been perfect for us for simple snacky dinners after coming back from holiday.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I read some great pieces in The Atlantic last month - <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/the-office-tragedy-dwight-schrute-warning/">Dwight Shrute was a Warning</a>, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/07/when-harry-met-sally-and-the-high-maintenance-woman/">The Quiet Cruelty of When Harry met Sally </a></b>(WHMS is one of my favourite films but this was spot on) and my favourite one of the month <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/11/kids-pass-down-games-rhymes-legends-childlore">Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood?</a></b> which talks about how no matter where and when you grew up we all did the "cool S" and peeled PVA glue off our hands.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As someone who tracked a walk on my Peloton app on holiday so I didn't lose my 100+ week Peloton streak, I loved Anne Helen Petersen on <b><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-did-we-get-so-obsessed-with-streaks">why we're so obsessed with streaks</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guardian reporting on <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/nov/16/manchester-selected-as-top-travel-destination-for-2023-by-lonely-planet">Manchester being named the top place to visit by Lonely Planet</a></b>. Even after living here for pretty much all my life, I still get a buzz going in Manchester. This makes me so happy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also loved this long read from The Guardian on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/nov/15/who-remembers-proper-binmen-facebook-nostalgia-memes-help-explain-britain-today?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" style="font-weight: bold;">nostalgic memes which explain Britain today</a> with the excellent and hilarious example of "who remembers proper bin men"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally a fantastic piece from Haley Nahman on <b><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/123-on-cosmetic-procedures-and-the">the destigmatisation of cosmetic procedures</a></b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-53415444238052362232022-11-07T18:25:00.000+00:002022-11-07T18:25:44.997+00:00October Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cramming this one in just before we head off to Australia for quite a big chunk of November! It's been in the diary for months but I can't believe it's nearly time for us to actually go! I'm so excited!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a result of having Australia on the horizon, October was such a busy month! There were two weeks where I had something on every single night after work trying to cram in all my socialising before we went away. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So in October my social life was high, but my sewing and book-reading was low and I've realised I definitely need a bit more of that downtime in my life! Here's to remembering that and a bit more balance going forward!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkY9P8NJnN7/">One Second Every Day for October</a> and below is everything else I got up to...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<center><p></p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjSo3E0qBq1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjSo3E0qBq1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjSo3E0qBq1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p></p></center> Only one thing finished in October, which was my lovely <b>red Lotta dress</b>! It's the same pattern as my yellow one, and the same fabric in a different colour. However, when trimming my seam allowances I accidentally chopped into the bottom of the dress and snipped through 11cm! I spent a good week dithering over what to do before I committed to shortening the length and living with it. I'm a bit disappointed but I do love the dress and the print.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3cbDWKe1W/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3cbDWKe1W/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3cbDWKe1W/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</a></p></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></center><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div> While I didn't get much sewing done at home in October, I did take a 3 week evening course with <a href="https://www.ministryofcraft.co.uk/">Ministry of Craft</a> called <b>Develop your Sewing Skills. </b>We covered invisible zips, piping, binding, overlocking, darts, gather stitching, blind hems... it was SO good. I've found all-day classes quite exhausting but 3 evening classes was perfect for me. And I came home with this lovely apron I'd made!<p></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjfZrO9MOjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjfZrO9MOjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjfZrO9MOjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></center><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div> October also brought my <b>11th half marathon</b>. I'd been looking forward to this one, training hard and hoping it would finally be the one to get me that PB I've been chasing since 2016. But it wasn't to be. I did something super unlike me and went out too fast, thought I could maintain it and was absolutely exhausted after 7 miles! I was absolutely gutted to miss out on sub 2, but for all I'm being dramatic I finished in 2 hours 1 minute and 30 seconds. While that 90 seconds is driving me insane, I know in the grand scheme of things it isn't a big deal, and I'll be training for my twelfth and thirteenth half marathons next year!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjvcgh4MJim/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjvcgh4MJim/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjvcgh4MJim/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></center><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another running milestone in October, but not mine. Last month Phil ran his <b>250th parkrun. </b>SO proud of him and so happy we now have matching green tshirts!</span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCz66IQetY2_Bq60ZdoQBEo9ymoKv_N58D-qSJnyIR_dlnqi8h0f4_mRpVcIGIwZWpQlnRsG973oSaAfN_KgHUIqXe60-Z_aB0ep4V6eG4ZZiMzA1_Jr7Pn5n__8zO8gqlVjmDmxIq9RKIlNZZCEev30mZ_nsGUbOClAf2fO8zTlhGV_PYdMwDns0/s1080/county.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCz66IQetY2_Bq60ZdoQBEo9ymoKv_N58D-qSJnyIR_dlnqi8h0f4_mRpVcIGIwZWpQlnRsG973oSaAfN_KgHUIqXe60-Z_aB0ep4V6eG4ZZiMzA1_Jr7Pn5n__8zO8gqlVjmDmxIq9RKIlNZZCEev30mZ_nsGUbOClAf2fO8zTlhGV_PYdMwDns0/w400-h400/county.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I was a kid I used to go watch <b>Stockport County </b>every home game. I had a season ticket for years and then my Mum's company sponsored them for a few seasons, so we used to go for the nice meal before and get a sandwich at half time, but I haven't been for absolutely years.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My parents are season ticket holders now so last month when there was a spare ticket going I was thrilled to be able to go for the first time in ages. Watching live football is just so much fun and I'm happy to report none of the chants have changed in the last 20 years.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFaqtIPt8ETD1RD_W2FDkhWGCbTnjqnComYvifevgx5HC-6faEZ4cVnW26yZH7pdv9L1BL1SeWcYRq8q3-9GQgW2Z57GXZymN62GkS_SVYo1azWxsCy37YRIn7hKxUP56P4YlNn5I-rfjLTpm1fiC_Uznbj27IrL6NFi-xwmS4NJDZZM9xaCYVcxG/s1080/bongos.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFaqtIPt8ETD1RD_W2FDkhWGCbTnjqnComYvifevgx5HC-6faEZ4cVnW26yZH7pdv9L1BL1SeWcYRq8q3-9GQgW2Z57GXZymN62GkS_SVYo1azWxsCy37YRIn7hKxUP56P4YlNn5I-rfjLTpm1fiC_Uznbj27IrL6NFi-xwmS4NJDZZM9xaCYVcxG/w400-h400/bongos.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month I also had my first experience at <b>Bongo's Bingo</b> with my team at work. I've never been before (though Phil and I did do it virtually during lockdown... can confirm, not quite the same) but I loved it even more than I expected. My team even won two of the rounds!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Only four books read in October! I've lowered my Goodreads Reading Goal down to 75 books which I'll definitely hit, but I'm going to set it to only 50 next year. I do miss the days of reading 100+ books a year but I love sewing more!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I did read four great books in October though:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Collected Works of AJ Fikry </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Gabrielle Zevin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better by Benjamin Wood</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where Furnaces Burn by Joel Lane</span></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In our house, every year we have Horror October where we only watch horror films at home in October. Phil did much better than me and watched 16 (!) horror films (this is what happens when I go out too much and leave him at home!).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I only managed 3 horror films at home, but we did squeeze in 3 cinema trips too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's what we watched:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Halloween Ends</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Banshees of Inisherin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Barbarian</span></li></ul></div><div><b style="font-family: georgia;">Halloween Ends</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> wasn't quite as much of a mess as it's predecessor but it still was really not great, however I love going to see horror films in a packed cinema on the opening Friday night. We also loved </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">The Banshees of Inisherin, </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">especially as In Bruges is one of our favourite films (Phil actually wrote his dissertation on it despite studying geography...), and we'd heard so much hype around </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Barbarian</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> and it did not disappoint!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">At home we watched the old TV series of <b>Salem's Lot</b>, which was fun, <b>Triangle</b>, a 00s horror film I'd never heard of which we ended up really enjoying, and rewatched this year's <b>Scream</b> which I still think is great as the original Scream is one of my favourite films.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've also, obviously, been watching Mike Flanagan's <b>The </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Midnight Club </b>and even planned our weekend around watching it when it dropped on Netflix, but in true Cantillon household fashion, it's been out a month and we've only managed to watch 6 episodes.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As always, three fantastic pieces from Haley Nahman - as someone who hates astrology, I loved this piece on <b><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/117-astrology-and-the-death-of-personality?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=33628&post_id=77316386&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email">astrology's relentless appeal</a>, </b>this one on why we feel <b><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/116-emma-chamberlains-deeply-personal">conflicted consuming celebrity home tour content</a> </b>and this one on <b><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/120-living-aesthetically-friend-group">"aesthetics" and authenticity</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm sure we are already over the Taylor Swift controversy last month, but as someone who follows and supports a lot of fat people and anti-weight stigma activists, <b><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-hero-taylor-swift-video-fat_n_635594b3e4b0b7f89f62e690?d_id=5061381&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000046&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_women">this piece explains a lot of how I felt about it</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am not on TikTok because I am 32 years old and have hobbies coming out of my ears but <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2022/tiktok-popularity/">I love reading about TikTok</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sort-of related, this piece on <b><a href="https://www.eater.com/23399320/secret-menu-order-hacks-starbucks-workers">secret menu items</a></b> gaining popularity on the platform and the challenges for service workers was depressing and fascinating </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved this long read from Buzzfeed on how <b><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/albertsamaha/tom-brady-giselle-divorce-masculinity-football?d_id=5079225&ref=bffbbuzzfeed&utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bffbbuzzfeed">Tom Brady represents a dying masculinity</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why everyone wants to be a <b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/10/twitter-gradient-accounts-relatable-tweets/671788/">hot, anxious girl on Twitter</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, you know I hate fast fashion so I loved this piece on whether the <b><a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/fast-fashion-online-returns/716650?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">rise in businesses charging for returns will be the end of fast fashion</a>. </b>Here's hoping!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-1534902454139876882022-10-20T19:41:00.000+01:002022-10-20T19:41:11.236+01:00September Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">September already feels eons ago, but October has been so busy so far it's taken me until now to finally dust off my keyboard!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I feel like the signs of how busy a month was comes down to how much I sewed, and I feel like I got quite a lot done in September (compared to October so far where I think I've used my sewing machine once so far!). We also squeezed in a little break to the Lake District.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjJabMvj-8b/">One Second Every Day for September</a> and here's everything else I got up to...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of s</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ewing, I got two things finished in September and I think they're my favourite things I've made so far. </span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiLDtErsbdF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiLDtErsbdF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiLDtErsbdF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></center><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I made a yellow floral cotton lawn version of the Tilly and the Buttons <b>Lotta dress</b> (which I'd previously made in teal poplin). It's my perfect dress in a drapier fabric, and I also added in-seam pockets which weren't on the pattern. I've worn it so much already and I'm so proud of it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<center> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CisofEwMeJ5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CisofEwMeJ5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CisofEwMeJ5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also made the <b>Sew Over It Lizzie Skirt</b> where I learned how to do pleats and also do a zip for the first time (though my "invisible zip" is far from invisible!). I absolutely love this skirt and Phil says it's the best thing I've made so far. I already can't wait to make a Christmas version!</span></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CinZXCnKpIk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CinZXCnKpIk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CinZXCnKpIk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@sew_worries)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also did an excellent <b>sewing class</b> last month with <a href="https://www.ministryofcraft.co.uk/workshops/">Ministry of Craft</a> called "Clone your closet" which taught us how to make patterns from clothes we already own. I took my favourite dress which I honestly just want in a 100 different colours and fabrics so I'm super excited to be able to recreate it!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwH1RdeJoL8zVd2NBeW8c0yT-Rw8zZbolz3g_AJQw1Sul0vQJDnei7qg594zaiONdJwAmAuoeg873cZ01KVIJ81rREm_3KyEElvUtR2sGcgXhx3IfjCFlZosy8ZDZg5ZveQAZU5pEXA-IMwO_JmTYlf039S7-kgLhpLEFJRL7tvqQT8NeQydzTt_t/s1024/194b54f8-cfc1-4e1b-9ae6-c224e9e5d5a2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwH1RdeJoL8zVd2NBeW8c0yT-Rw8zZbolz3g_AJQw1Sul0vQJDnei7qg594zaiONdJwAmAuoeg873cZ01KVIJ81rREm_3KyEElvUtR2sGcgXhx3IfjCFlZosy8ZDZg5ZveQAZU5pEXA-IMwO_JmTYlf039S7-kgLhpLEFJRL7tvqQT8NeQydzTt_t/w640-h480/194b54f8-cfc1-4e1b-9ae6-c224e9e5d5a2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Outside of sewing I did my </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">annual charity day</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> for work. I mentioned this last year but at Pets at Home we all have to do one day a year of charity work which is such a lovely initiative, so in September my team went to the <a href="https://caft.co.uk/">Children's Adventure Farm Trust</a>, an amazing charity based near Altrincham. They provide respite and support for families and kids dealing with everything from illness to disability, to providing support for the siblings of ill or disabled children, to supporting teens with behavioural problems or families in poverty. We spent the day decorating their grounds for Halloween, ready for the first groups of kids and families of the new term to visit. It was such a good day for an amazing charity and so rewarding. I also got to feed the pigs and the alpacas which was honestly the best thing ever.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the <b>volunteering</b> theme, I mentioned a few months ago that I've started pacing once a month at parkrun and how much I love it, but I've always been woefully bad at giving back to parkrun through volunteering because I always want to run! But last month I was approached to write the post-run report, and I realised there were loads of other roles I could do whilst still being able to run. So I've starting volunteering every time we run at our home parkrun of Bramhall by writing the run report and also doing the first timer briefing. I absolutely love it - I love giving back to parkrun but I also love being part of the volunteering team. I'm hoping to get my purple 25 volunteer tshirt over the next few months!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PZ8nchTIX4-VBCusfKaFNGudvGIn32QUj08f9i-GWxeXbJW37_2UHwxKlnFHwwJdbifrBiM0-50RJfb8ErWfNyL_YOp4E224aUz0Ppi7xSOf6pTyaORiwIe-nWFHAcSPAFglG6RyF7CA5fALI4z2YhTLXRukElGDpnPubqEaQvpWE455xzS1aN0Z/s4032/IMG-2916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PZ8nchTIX4-VBCusfKaFNGudvGIn32QUj08f9i-GWxeXbJW37_2UHwxKlnFHwwJdbifrBiM0-50RJfb8ErWfNyL_YOp4E224aUz0Ppi7xSOf6pTyaORiwIe-nWFHAcSPAFglG6RyF7CA5fALI4z2YhTLXRukElGDpnPubqEaQvpWE455xzS1aN0Z/w300-h400/IMG-2916.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I mentioned in the intro, we had our annual little trip to the <b>Lake District </b>with Phil's family and this year there were lots of us! Phil's parents were joined by us (and Bob), Phil's sister and her boyfriend, plus Phil's cousin from Australia and his girlfriend! We're actually going to Australia next month (next month!!) for Phil's other cousin's wedding, so having Rob and Fenna over chatting about the trip has made us so excited!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Lakes was a lovely break as it always is - some parkrun tourism for us at Rothay park (beautiful views!), lots of walks, lots of time to relax and reset and some lovely family time.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrIyn3IQcsHGKPX_iMVhKcsk6PN2A3yWAwTOXBj4b9e8OJxBT5YRVR8iN5FJ-djcStTAZCHOEtfSsMAWM9q-0hvtURM4l2KIwfgfev_s0nXXzWecGixP0DGwX2TVFS3Pr-jK4jrfu36V5oOIUwS9Jd7QE1oemoH2bNXTxJw454p7itxulAvTSwNQG/s4032/IMG-3271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrIyn3IQcsHGKPX_iMVhKcsk6PN2A3yWAwTOXBj4b9e8OJxBT5YRVR8iN5FJ-djcStTAZCHOEtfSsMAWM9q-0hvtURM4l2KIwfgfev_s0nXXzWecGixP0DGwX2TVFS3Pr-jK4jrfu36V5oOIUwS9Jd7QE1oemoH2bNXTxJw454p7itxulAvTSwNQG/w300-h400/IMG-3271.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another fun thing I went to in September was <a href="https://www.manchestersfinest.com/arts-and-culture/how-art-battle-manchesters-stockport-debenhams-takeover-breaks-down-barriers/"><b>Art Battle Stockport</b></a> which was an art event which took place in Stockport's old abandoned Debenhams Building. It was a really cool little event where 5 artists had 30 minutes to paint in front of an audience, and then after each round we all voted on our favourite. There were two rounds of painters, plus a celebrity charity round, and the venue had lots of cool stalls with food, drink and art you could buy, plus it was all in Debenhams! It was so different from anything I'd done before, but it was so cool to do something so unusual in the centre of Stockport. I'd really recommend it!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The days where I used to read over 10 books a month feel well and truly gone now that I try to fit in as much sewing as I can into any free time at evenings and weekends. It makes me a bit sad because I have much less time for reading, but I still manage to read a little bit every day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Five books a month is definitely becoming my new normal!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In September I read:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O Donoghue</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My two favourites were <b>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</b> which was every bit as fantastic and everyone said it would be, and <b>The Book of the Most Precious Substance</b> which was dark and twisty and fun - right up my street. I also loved <b>Children of Paradise.</b></span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Three cinema trips in September to see <b>Bodies Bodies Bodies, </b><b>Ticket to Paradise </b>and <b>Don't Worry Darling. </b>I enjoyed Bodies Bodies Bodies a lot more than I expected, and I've been recommending Ticket to Paradise over Don't Worry Darling to everyone who has asked about it. I have nothing to say which hasn't already been said but it's a total mess and I <i>so</i> wanted it to be good.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">At home we called our film choices "shit film September" and watched cult classics <b>Showgirls </b>and <b>Face/Off. </b>Face/Off in particular is amazing and I can't believe I hadn't seen it before.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">TV-wise we've been loving <b>Welcome to Wrexham </b>and <b>Only Murders in the Building.</b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/eating-disorder-stereotypes"><b>This piece from CBC News</b></a> on the harm of outdated stereotypes of people with eating disorders</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This one from <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2022/09/11055840/personal-style-core-aesthetics-tiktok"><b>Refinery 29 on personal style and TikTook trends</b></a> took me right back to my early blogging days (shout out to Lookbook.nu!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guardian on <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jun/28/why-we-love-to-keep-tabs-on-what-were-watching-and-reading?utm_source=pocket_mylist">why we love to track our habits</a></b> (which as a person with a 1348 day streak on reading every day really spoke to me). Related - <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/113-the-new-quantified-self?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email"><b>Haley Nahman on the quantifiable self</b></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another from Haley Nahman which is from 2019 but still fantastic - <a href="https://repeller.com/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-sorry-people-and-thank-you-people/"><b>are you nice or are you kind?</b></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a country music fan who often has to grapple with elements of the music which conflicts with my ideology, I found <b><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/elaminabdelmahmoud/brittany-aldean-tucker-carlson-maren-morris-controversy">this Buzzfeed report on a conflict I had no idea about </a></b>within country music fascinating</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This piece from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/06/psychologist-devastating-lies-mental-health-problems-politics?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1662463538">the Guardian</a> feels like everything we've been saying about mental health support but it's still so depressing to see it written down - <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/06/psychologist-devastating-lies-mental-health-problems-politics?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1662463538">how can we address overwhelming mental health challenges without addressing the social structures which have contributed to them?</a></b> "<i><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Will six sessions of </span><a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/" style="background-color: #fef9f5; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #c74600; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CBT</a></i><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><i>, designed to target “unhelpful” thinking styles, really be effective for someone who doesn’t know how they’re going to feed their family for another week"</i>. A must-read.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">As a recovering (or trying to be) perfectionist, I've gotten really into the blog The Imperfectionist. I love this piece called "<a href="https://ckarchive.com/b/0vuwh9ho9p3nn"><b>nothing to prove</b></a>"</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Finally this McSweeney's piece - <a href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-your-favorite-2000s-emo-pop-band-says-about-you"><b>what your favourite 2000s emo band says about you</b></a> - is obviously my dream. And if you're wondering - </span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">"</span></span><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fffefa; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Brand New:</strong><span style="background-color: #fffefa; color: #212121;"> You have cosplayed as Edgar Allen Poe."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: #fffefa; color: #212121;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: #fffefa; color: #212121;">Catch up soon!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: #fffefa; color: #212121;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: #fffefa; color: #212121;">Charlotte x</span></span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-82106183039230402472022-09-07T18:28:00.000+01:002022-09-07T18:28:02.188+01:00August Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I heard someone say recently that August is "the Sunday of the year" and I've never heard my weird feelings about August described so perfectly!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I always find myself feeling so much pressure in August to soak up as much summer as I can, as though as soon as the calendar reads "September" any second of sunshine evaporates.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And as much as I'm a basic autumn girl, there are so many things I love about summer and I hate feeling the soul-crushing pressure of not having "made the most" of it! Exactly how I feel on a Sunday!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the end August was a bit like a Sunday for us - a quiet one for us this year with lots of BBQs, sewing and hanging out with friends which was much-needed!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch77fhbufUm/"> One Second Every Day </a>for August and below is everything else I got up to...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I might start calling this section "what I sewed" because I feel like all I talk about in this section now is sewing! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbFlhyxCUkkh7q4z7qOifn5BUtxYa54itq7QrNaD0r5k8GX-Rk1qrNRB0gkrUNt_LdDZN5mm40BF160Aiq2sNR-WNWJmhuCdgHPEgNIcMK-_EmjhdQbfzPhe9o8YL8BRGZ3ZnvcyDksxcALhfyMGHX7D9kcAAMab6j1ztz3XEzgLvdF-9FfwEyPFM/s1346/297795220_840600340258690_7256290547633551183_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbFlhyxCUkkh7q4z7qOifn5BUtxYa54itq7QrNaD0r5k8GX-Rk1qrNRB0gkrUNt_LdDZN5mm40BF160Aiq2sNR-WNWJmhuCdgHPEgNIcMK-_EmjhdQbfzPhe9o8YL8BRGZ3ZnvcyDksxcALhfyMGHX7D9kcAAMab6j1ztz3XEzgLvdF-9FfwEyPFM/w514-h640/297795220_840600340258690_7256290547633551183_n.jpg" width="514" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>In August I finished two projects. The first was a <b>Tilly and the Buttons Lotta dress</b> in this lovely teal animal print. I absolutely love this dress and have actually made another since - more on this next month!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL5E4Ys8Z8Le6clxvpiVJDOoPuZuhNNn0YZAEzgwGqLD7es7_BazY_-8sMazcVcBZdw3xHJx2PoVmxqhq_e29LBFRlHq9R2-EEKZxp-1i-TRWKLS7XywxFbuckkeUy6zpde6GezOJCar0axb_hQmRiJHN1NUAKwLQImNKw7BPCJOwxqX0kqRtwkgl/s1095/301995309_131835856235326_4782489606985686521_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL5E4Ys8Z8Le6clxvpiVJDOoPuZuhNNn0YZAEzgwGqLD7es7_BazY_-8sMazcVcBZdw3xHJx2PoVmxqhq_e29LBFRlHq9R2-EEKZxp-1i-TRWKLS7XywxFbuckkeUy6zpde6GezOJCar0axb_hQmRiJHN1NUAKwLQImNKw7BPCJOwxqX0kqRtwkgl/w395-h400/301995309_131835856235326_4782489606985686521_n.jpg" width="395" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>I also made my second <b>Stevie top</b> in this amazing pineapple print! I am so proud of it! It was definitely much easier making something I'd made before, especially as I've been making notes after every project to help me for next time.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've also now set up a separate Instagram account for my sewing adventures. Find me at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sew_worries/"><b>sew_worries</b></a> !</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XieVGONuO73BrQxT33gyWPLuZE1DGIhB6g6CxpGdqvD_Hu0Giv3mkPn4dCSAeq7ImT36F_aLv5_iByoQKwUVTJBOsccEwlsckSp0k6w-CBuX3FIT2RPmxV2QEYBWt560C0gF_w5HGPoK25X6wHNT8XZp2kudJMsLqAnVP9lbEPOJcH9X2tXby58W/s1080/cricket.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XieVGONuO73BrQxT33gyWPLuZE1DGIhB6g6CxpGdqvD_Hu0Giv3mkPn4dCSAeq7ImT36F_aLv5_iByoQKwUVTJBOsccEwlsckSp0k6w-CBuX3FIT2RPmxV2QEYBWt560C0gF_w5HGPoK25X6wHNT8XZp2kudJMsLqAnVP9lbEPOJcH9X2tXby58W/w400-h400/cricket.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had a team social at work last month and I went to </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">the cricket</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> for the first time at Old Trafford. We went to see The Hundred and watched the women's game first followed by the men. Football is still definitely the only sport to have my heart but we managed to get great weather and it was a really fun day out with my team!</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxIkl7kXyp5JwnEuCNmbprM1EgHVeq1lEWexUj_kj3MtghhHFbVxUgQkuCbTF1dRnUsZdxcjTdfd8J_DD32ddnsDHAi54AhLkHctpJVzDxGPYhIUVSakudpEZmJ8bJAaykTX5h_c6Th_twrf_nada5xvO9k-rEC9RCaQVFtPN9RQptWJIDAM4MQiX/s1080/charlotte%20and%20ellen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxIkl7kXyp5JwnEuCNmbprM1EgHVeq1lEWexUj_kj3MtghhHFbVxUgQkuCbTF1dRnUsZdxcjTdfd8J_DD32ddnsDHAi54AhLkHctpJVzDxGPYhIUVSakudpEZmJ8bJAaykTX5h_c6Th_twrf_nada5xvO9k-rEC9RCaQVFtPN9RQptWJIDAM4MQiX/w400-h400/charlotte%20and%20ellen.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thanks to the pandemic and most recently, train strikes, I hadn't seen my friend Ellen for over two years but a couple of weeks ago we finally had a reunion! I took the train down to <b>Stafford</b> where we had a lovely lunch and well-overdue catch up and I met her gorgeous little dog, Otis! It was the best day!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I mentioned last month, sewing has definitely been eating into my reading time over the last few months so I'm definitely finding my reading goal taking a bit of a hit. Only 5 books read in August!</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Brimstone Wedding by Barbara Vine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Cloisters by Katy Hays</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elizabeth Strout is one of my favourite ever authors so I adored <b>Lucy by the Sea,</b> and Rebecca May Johnson's <b>Small Fires</b> is definitely going to be in my books of the year list in December.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think I had a slow reading month because I really struggled with my other reads! The Twyford Code wasn't a patch on The Appeal which I loved in July, I found The Brimstone Wedding too slow and meandering and I didn't find The Cloisters as exciting as I expected! I'm finding if I'm not really enjoying my book I'll find myself sewing instead of reading!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Quiet month = lots of film watching!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two cinema trips in August - we went to see <b>Nope</b> on its opening night which was very entertaining and we also went to see <b>Maverick</b> again as it was somehow still on at the cinema (I loved it just as much second time!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A few new-to-us films at home in August - <b>Prey, Thief, The Princess and the Frog, Amelie </b>and <b>The Conversation</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also got really into the <b>Commonwealth Games</b> and started <b>Only Murders in the Building</b> which we are loving!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally a rewatch of one of my favourite films of all time, <b>La La Land.</b></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vox on<a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23292282/harness-envy-jealousy-motivation"><b> How Envy Can be a Good Thing </b></a>in helping us discover what we really want</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guardian on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/06/revealed-how-tiktok-bombards-young-men-with-misogynistic-videos-andrew-tate"><b>how TikTok bombards young men with misogynistic videos</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Independent on <b><a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/love-island-taylor-swift-bekind-avoid-accountability-1791921?">how "Be Kind" is just another way to a</a><a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/love-island-taylor-swift-bekind-avoid-accountability-1791921?">void accountability</a></b> - this explains so much about why I find "be kind" messaging uncomfortable</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I obviously loved this series from The Ringer on emo music, and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/7/29/23283712/women-in-emo-third-wave"><b>this piece on the women of emo</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My monthly Haley Nahman - this newsletter on <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/108-the-fear-of-forgetting?"><b>the fear of forgetting</b></a> and the<a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/110-the-problem-with-epiphanies?"><b> trick of the epiphany </b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've got a new favourite newsletter in the form of Embedded, which started with this piece on <a href="https://embedded.substack.com/p/the-millennial-pause"><b>The Millennial Pause</b></a> and led to my reading this piece - <a href="https://embedded.substack.com/p/hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-millennial?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email"><b>hell hath no fury like a millennial scorned</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">This Virginia Sole-Smith newsletter on<b> </b><a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/dana-miranda-budget-culture"><b>How Budgeting is Diet Culture for your Mone</b>y </a>absolutely blew my mind</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Very much relating to this Stylist piece - <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/am-i-burnt-out/698441"><b>Is this Burnout or is this just life now</b></a><b><a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/am-i-burnt-out/698441">?</a></b> and related - <b><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1039676445/laziness-does-not-exist-devon-price?">you aren't lazy, you just need to slow down</a></b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then on the flipside of slowing down - <b><a href="https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/93a3we/slow-living-tiktok-trend">how "slow-living TikTok is inherently capitalist"</a></b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, this Tweet on <b><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/shockproofbeats/status/1432980092158943235">the best newspaper correction ever</a></b></span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-49582520886703003702022-08-14T10:53:00.000+01:002022-08-14T10:53:42.842+01:00July Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had so much fun in July! Lots of sewing and hanging out with my friends and family, and even a little holiday!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgsLaGJF6Vr/">One Second Everyday</a> for the month, and below is everything else I got up to!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhjPBlVImG6SioE9rY3GCyEFrxa9pUq5hbebBE6qzpcmX_GasfQ8dQ8Q1yTfVH0H9IyB2y-V5rlojiQg5Km_5VU2I8vwopusax38i0Eda-dRcAz7SG1yySpMJ2Kp1v0f4XQBV8tseeGbw3Nf2w4PWLLlr-hsb_dNGryl3ptYZLurFVJFWY7vsJliS/s1080/Skirt%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhjPBlVImG6SioE9rY3GCyEFrxa9pUq5hbebBE6qzpcmX_GasfQ8dQ8Q1yTfVH0H9IyB2y-V5rlojiQg5Km_5VU2I8vwopusax38i0Eda-dRcAz7SG1yySpMJ2Kp1v0f4XQBV8tseeGbw3Nf2w4PWLLlr-hsb_dNGryl3ptYZLurFVJFWY7vsJliS/w320-h320/Skirt%20.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots of sewing in July where I finished two projects completely by myself! I sewed the Tilly and the Buttons </span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/dominique">Dominique skirt</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> which was a fantastic first project. I used the Sew an Easy Skirt workshop which was absolutely perfect for walking me through every detail of each step.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHtIenxnegIaD6LLxHzdx9g0txGQrQ20BAJLJZVTa75FKpVQ1tVNtlIKb6hV6alJ30yYNxz2lAG6V1pcn7vFMVgvKLGEobkUK_xjM4AE5ILZjQPE3dVFCOj5M3nBiulFk9Ub4A2tv5_5AOgFheGSNcI5qxaqeSd1Yi8gYqMyLkBQ3A9_NA9iD7nGB/s1080/Stevie%20top.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHtIenxnegIaD6LLxHzdx9g0txGQrQ20BAJLJZVTa75FKpVQ1tVNtlIKb6hV6alJ30yYNxz2lAG6V1pcn7vFMVgvKLGEobkUK_xjM4AE5ILZjQPE3dVFCOj5M3nBiulFk9Ub4A2tv5_5AOgFheGSNcI5qxaqeSd1Yi8gYqMyLkBQ3A9_NA9iD7nGB/w320-h320/Stevie%20top.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I then made another TATB pattern in the<a href="https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/stevie"> </a></span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/stevie">Stevie top</a> </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">which was a real challenge without the step-by-step guide I had from Tilly's workshop for Dominique but I learned so much and only threatened to throw my sewing machine out of the window once! I am enjoying sewing SO MUCH - I think about it literally all the time! I definitely need to write more about it but right now I just really want to focus on getting better and practicing more and not getting overwhelmed by everything I want to make!</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/06/may-life-lately.html">Remember in May</a> when I went to <b>Flight Club? </b>Well I ended up going twice again in July! Once with work and once with Phil's family. It's a good job I love it (I really do).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYWuXxsoJy2VRBbXocA5TVP13HQIbUGQ6B-SXVVB3xzpxXdoWKv46nez2ilUqy-r4E3tTosCRn22hcrO0BdO5MrQW_4b_r5UMZj0CA2J_EvEbUnpJ9X1IfboZWtwZRY0YZ_FnLeksgWglxpaezTMJPqQ18jvPv9AiVbgG_hHbjCQqkWUuGNmfBOPe/s1080/bobby%20parkrun.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYWuXxsoJy2VRBbXocA5TVP13HQIbUGQ6B-SXVVB3xzpxXdoWKv46nez2ilUqy-r4E3tTosCRn22hcrO0BdO5MrQW_4b_r5UMZj0CA2J_EvEbUnpJ9X1IfboZWtwZRY0YZ_FnLeksgWglxpaezTMJPqQ18jvPv9AiVbgG_hHbjCQqkWUuGNmfBOPe/w400-h400/bobby%20parkrun.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ahead of our little holiday at the end of the month (more on this later!) we took </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Bobby to his first parkrun! </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">When we talked about getting a dog being able to run with it was a real dream of ours, but having a somewhat challenging reactive rescue dog who doesn't like other dogs made us think it would never happen for us. Well, we managed to do it twice in July! Our local parkrun is quite narrow and not dog friendly so we took him for some tourism at Stamford park. Going to be honest, I don't think he's going to be coming with us on the regular (especially as he had to stop and have erm, a "break" in the first 5 minutes both times!) but I'm so glad we were able to do it!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then the highlight of July! You might remember last year we had a little holiday just the three of us and went to Wales, and this year we wanted another little UK break. We are going to the Lakes next month so we wanted to go somewhere different, and then our dog trainer told us how much he loved <b>Northumberland</b> and the decision was made!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTIefvpsVEnLBMD0dbCUDCdsvJgw9YNGtshFLSIN0YzZKRpnBuEZPZ4GZU_1RPLd8gVnh-Uj_Pe8itQQm0208zQ8dSUyzTmwjXPySpuCAZ1RQmONy9zQOWGe277eNVsEwT6eJT4KN76Yqlbv4zzYrIpsiW-eiZOMzGLBQ1QlK1eQ-0F8Pe93wiXjB/s1080/Glamping.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTIefvpsVEnLBMD0dbCUDCdsvJgw9YNGtshFLSIN0YzZKRpnBuEZPZ4GZU_1RPLd8gVnh-Uj_Pe8itQQm0208zQ8dSUyzTmwjXPySpuCAZ1RQmONy9zQOWGe277eNVsEwT6eJT4KN76Yqlbv4zzYrIpsiW-eiZOMzGLBQ1QlK1eQ-0F8Pe93wiXjB/w400-h400/Glamping.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had planned to go on the Friday morning, but then a few days before Phil had the brilliant idea to go on on Thursday night after work and stay somewhere on the way. It was so fun to get an extra little bit of holiday! So after work on Thursday we packed up and drove to just outside York where we stayed at the most incredible little <b><a href="https://seawayscafe.co.uk/glamping-and-camping-2/">glamping pod</a>.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDz-lu9-c2lkazmpQjlHrN-I_zrdy05QghNluG9osCb75lzoy7etbcgiYbTi4jf1_ZRbVIiifcDWv2E1ortwoMJ9kWw_uK3zk2zgeJaK8ntO7Nzt1D7SHzqtcbWIpSd7YaRN_6Aoi_ISqozJ0CrsA6_L9rQdS67ZP3CFwGGmz7QtfZ0LFxF8MAEefI/s1080/Glamping%202.png" style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDz-lu9-c2lkazmpQjlHrN-I_zrdy05QghNluG9osCb75lzoy7etbcgiYbTi4jf1_ZRbVIiifcDWv2E1ortwoMJ9kWw_uK3zk2zgeJaK8ntO7Nzt1D7SHzqtcbWIpSd7YaRN_6Aoi_ISqozJ0CrsA6_L9rQdS67ZP3CFwGGmz7QtfZ0LFxF8MAEefI/w400-h400/Glamping%202.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b>It looked like a fairy town! We had our own little cabin with a bed and the kitchen and bathroom were just a few doors down, and there was a cafe on site for breakfast and hot drinks. It was honestly so much fun and I would 100% stay there again!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqeazrOAimFb2OL4RKGn_XRf6pZ74_8OfWoqt7kFlNwLYzsdc4MFISXLFuSA_BnnjE2jjJ_KgpN2e3MKvGxm8x5Kyg9W--11iWNkwmXOB-fhVpKbIo-_ksCs9fZgu7KmS9KQNklNxGFXhm2PEAP4htfFKan_e8NgmdHh6somoRTVffhAH_Zk4f_v4/s1080/Whitby.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqeazrOAimFb2OL4RKGn_XRf6pZ74_8OfWoqt7kFlNwLYzsdc4MFISXLFuSA_BnnjE2jjJ_KgpN2e3MKvGxm8x5Kyg9W--11iWNkwmXOB-fhVpKbIo-_ksCs9fZgu7KmS9KQNklNxGFXhm2PEAP4htfFKan_e8NgmdHh6somoRTVffhAH_Zk4f_v4/w400-h400/Whitby.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We still had another few hours drive to get to our final destination, but while we were on the North East coast we really couldn't not visit </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Whitby. </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Long long time readers will know that Whitby is a really special place in Phil's family, especially to his Mum, and as a kid Phil used to go every year. I've been with them three times but we hadn't been for 5 years and we loved the idea of taking Bob. So even though it added about an extra 4 hours to our journey, we had to go!</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4ubxUxWuo-MZtU1fpmEUV5xho87X_aOR60DdOJT2slfnwTLf1KfYi7jrJAT6KJAy9mm4dNlAKvWd_0v_mWh458RJiEBKkErJBh6ChxkUGWYL0EEwNT8H0k9JzndNXB9E9Tnuxz0c_P3pYR4VkNmv5XXjT65N15v7jHcL69vwkpvzF_MSWbtEhUXL/s1080/Whitby%20chips%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4ubxUxWuo-MZtU1fpmEUV5xho87X_aOR60DdOJT2slfnwTLf1KfYi7jrJAT6KJAy9mm4dNlAKvWd_0v_mWh458RJiEBKkErJBh6ChxkUGWYL0EEwNT8H0k9JzndNXB9E9Tnuxz0c_P3pYR4VkNmv5XXjT65N15v7jHcL69vwkpvzF_MSWbtEhUXL/w400-h400/Whitby%20chips%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was so good to be back in Whitby! It was quiet and a bit drizzly which was perfect for us. We weren't sure how Bob would get on with the narrow streets and many, many dogs but he was absolutely amazing! We went to the Whale Bone, up the 199 steps to the Abbey and had a drink at Whitby Brewery, one of my favourite spots. Then we got a box of chips from the Magpie and ate them walking along the pier. We were about to go for a longer walk when the heavens opened, which we took as our cue to head on!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the drive up we stopped again at <b>Ormesby Hall </b>to stretch our legs and make the most of our National Trust membership, and then we arrived at our beautiful Airbnb in <b>Lesbury. </b>We were about a 10 minute drive from Alnwick, where we stopped at M&S to get weekend food essentials before we settled in for the night. Our Airbnb was absolutely perfect for the three of us, and it had a hot tub! Exactly what we needed for a relaxing break.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwHR7jkOhx7s4BDoUiAcO8sbuhFU1sg4NC_rxugMgpnWl-8xMYvafSrrkHh6CPP6c1ALaUirdz5WploMyv2apbIeD3LdNkrkqcmcalmokCPd5RnjJBtv1Krfi47d29wFak2HKySKUjdDpgGSQL-TRASiixnV6SN2_Vogg2LLcNVwE_6_1cOq04UgS/s1080/Pastures%20parkrun%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwHR7jkOhx7s4BDoUiAcO8sbuhFU1sg4NC_rxugMgpnWl-8xMYvafSrrkHh6CPP6c1ALaUirdz5WploMyv2apbIeD3LdNkrkqcmcalmokCPd5RnjJBtv1Krfi47d29wFak2HKySKUjdDpgGSQL-TRASiixnV6SN2_Vogg2LLcNVwE_6_1cOq04UgS/w400-h400/Pastures%20parkrun%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>On Saturday morning we obviously did some </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">parkrun tourism </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">at The Pastures which had a beautiful view of Alnwick Castle, and Bob did so well and got lots of attention from the marshalls! After a quick shower we drove down to explore a few of the local beaches before heading into Alnwick. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksWbH1g15vQhxZp3b6HhAAdAjleh-JeeUeUcqQS-mgWXZMOT95lpr3o9jwCkQE4-IiFuzoJK-OHScWLC434kTdLYSQ6jOCTzo6CJe3Ws9MGIjK4csKb4dohMFcOF-CmqZpT3ZY9jrAXV2ih1lz5UTIkJ4iu7vH2wrFk9EZU1gluRSGvvT14RMdrAs/s1080/Barter%20books%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksWbH1g15vQhxZp3b6HhAAdAjleh-JeeUeUcqQS-mgWXZMOT95lpr3o9jwCkQE4-IiFuzoJK-OHScWLC434kTdLYSQ6jOCTzo6CJe3Ws9MGIjK4csKb4dohMFcOF-CmqZpT3ZY9jrAXV2ih1lz5UTIkJ4iu7vH2wrFk9EZU1gluRSGvvT14RMdrAs/w400-h400/Barter%20books%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We wandered around the gorgeous town and got an ice cream (and a dog-friendly one for Bob!) before I dropped Phil and Bob off at a bar so I could go enjoy </span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/">Barter Books</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;">. So many people told me about Barter Books, the biggest second-hand bookshop in the UK and of course I adored it. I could have spent hours in there! I got myself a new book and went to meet the boys in the sun.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were getting a bit tired but didn't want to head back just yet, and then I remembered a brewery we had driven past between Lesbury and Alnwick so I suggested a visit their on the way home, and offered to drive so Phil could have a drink. <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/alnwickbrewery">Alnwick Brewery Co</a> </b>was utterly perfect! It was dog friendly, had loads of fantastic beers for Phil, and had a pizza van, so after a few drinks (for Phil!) we picked up some delicious pizza and headed back to our hot tub!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vtyQdoU3N4dk9PvDFdDX_8Ty1LNGTB8SrU1WgZQ2Bu8etGc3c979HIqIAfZMkPoXn_fco3wvhkRLz4h5gyGBYNO5ppGlkadjNvYj6zt4yD99qc-O62-Hji8m2Ujcicrk914LvTCMH7nrmW9066mSSqjk7-UyXGo_y-xHSHXxb4ok8cc_Jsksten3/s1080/Fountains%20abbey%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vtyQdoU3N4dk9PvDFdDX_8Ty1LNGTB8SrU1WgZQ2Bu8etGc3c979HIqIAfZMkPoXn_fco3wvhkRLz4h5gyGBYNO5ppGlkadjNvYj6zt4yD99qc-O62-Hji8m2Ujcicrk914LvTCMH7nrmW9066mSSqjk7-UyXGo_y-xHSHXxb4ok8cc_Jsksten3/w400-h400/Fountains%20abbey%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sunday was our last day so we got up and out to visit </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Seahouses</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> and buy our holiday mug (a tradition!) and then it was a case of finding a National Trust or two on the way back. I realised as I mapped the route that our favourite National Trust was almost on the way back and knew we had to go. It was our third trip to </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Fountains Abbey, </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">one of our favourite ever places. We first went together in 2019 on the way back from Newcastle, then right before the pandemic we took a trip to North Yorkshirs so we could go do Fountains Abbey parkrun (still my favourite!) so it was another place we were so excited to take Bob! I just love it so much - it's so beautiful and peaceful and there's so much to explore. A perfect end to our trip!</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyepuFlghPMZlVyfFyttArnWiRVX6HBDBZFq__p5VGEJvKtYHJMK8WF0Kv-awGhEoJ-49ujK-Wdz2QE82Twio0-Cj8LkkI5uYjDNowhO-utAgf51MyoEerW3Bhxp3B11meGfP2yrPfFqxlCRZq4aW8n8eQEkCubmjK2JMm0FCaXGwgK_H-VTI5SiPh/s1080/Fountains%20abbey%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyepuFlghPMZlVyfFyttArnWiRVX6HBDBZFq__p5VGEJvKtYHJMK8WF0Kv-awGhEoJ-49ujK-Wdz2QE82Twio0-Cj8LkkI5uYjDNowhO-utAgf51MyoEerW3Bhxp3B11meGfP2yrPfFqxlCRZq4aW8n8eQEkCubmjK2JMm0FCaXGwgK_H-VTI5SiPh/w400-h400/Fountains%20abbey%202.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was such a relaxing little break that I am tempted to suggest we go again next year!</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k-Vu37qO_0hKQiyfVgeCDroV9eSfFWa0OMn3uEdbfervynRHZnA_XYYhiDD5TIGGdmbQ3RAu35gHg8Tf-ikkng2VmokF8xLbC2UqSwgRFrarnOCpm2EdkkHTzjoctkXB2XqrXNwo22gfQTY3S7twI2YH1qwOV80wzfKck0YrW9Jy0JlHaavazqD9/s1080/Paula%20wedding%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k-Vu37qO_0hKQiyfVgeCDroV9eSfFWa0OMn3uEdbfervynRHZnA_XYYhiDD5TIGGdmbQ3RAu35gHg8Tf-ikkng2VmokF8xLbC2UqSwgRFrarnOCpm2EdkkHTzjoctkXB2XqrXNwo22gfQTY3S7twI2YH1qwOV80wzfKck0YrW9Jy0JlHaavazqD9/w400-h400/Paula%20wedding%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, another highlight of July was celebrating my friend Paula's <b>wedding</b> at the end of the month. The most beautiful day for such a great couple! We had the best time and danced the night away!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O Connell</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stargazer by Laurie Petrou</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Appeal by Janice Hallett</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seven books read in July. My favourite was <b>The Night Always Comes</b> but I also really enjoyed <b>Just By Looking at Him, </b>especially as I remember reading Ryan O'Connell a LOT back when I read Thought Catalog religiously, and <b>The Appeal</b> was great fun.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some absolutely top-tier rewatches in July of some of my favourite films - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Ocean's 11, Airplane! </b>and my absolute favourite, </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;">The Godfather.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also watched <b>The Dawn Wall</b> on Netflix which was fantastic and went to the cinema for the first time in ages to see <b>The Black Phone</b>, which I really enjoyed.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From Culture Study - <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-to-show-up-for-your-friends-without?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">How to Show Up For Your Friends Without Kids — and How to Show Up For Kids and Their Parents</a> and this brilliant piece on <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-quiet-glory-of-aging-into-athleticism?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">Aging into Athleticism</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From Harper's Bazaar - <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a34052490/are-the-90s-responsible-for-our-filter-obsessed-generation/">Are the 90s responsible for our filter-obsessed generation?</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From Refinery 29 - <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/07/10563596/that-girl-tiktok-gen-z-trend">Who is "that girl" of TikTok?</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A piece I really needed to read - <a href="https://blog.closetcorepatterns.com/just-make-it-already-how-to-boost-your-sewing-confidance">How to Boost your Sewing Confidence</a>, from Closet Core Patterns</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And this <a href="https://valerieloftus.substack.com/p/botoxic">Vanity Project piece on Botox</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-37747140683884325692022-07-12T20:02:00.001+01:002022-07-12T20:02:28.715+01:00June Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hello from baking-hot July! I swear June already feels a lifetime ago!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The problem with picking up a new hobby, which for me is sewing, is it means I suddenly have that little bit less time for all my other hobbies! Hence this post being super later, yet again!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">June was a really fun month! It involved two interesting and fun classes, my favourite country festival, a hen do and celebrating two years of my our good boy Bobby.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfcWAcKlnzg/">One Second Every Day for the Month</a> and here's everything else I got up to in June...</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I feel like sewing is starting to take over my life. I swear I spend most of my unoccupied minutes thinking about sewing - thinking about projects I'm working on, projects I want to work on, things I want to buy, fabric...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">However I am still <i>very much</i> a beginner and there is nothing that hits quite like that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect">peak of Mount Stupid</a> when you're learning a new skill. How is there so much to learn and know? How do people learn all of this?!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Well, one of the ways people learn is by taking a class, and my friend Riven who introduced me to sewing in the first place recommended I take a beginner class with <a href="https://www.ministryofcraft.co.uk/">Ministry of Craft</a>. So over the long Bank Holiday weekend last month (side note, how long ago does that long weekend feel now?!) I took a <b><a href="https://www.ministryofcraft.co.uk/workshops/sewing/dressmaking/dfitnflare220807c-sew-your-own-fit-and-flare-dress">Beginner Dress-Making Class.</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was so interesting and exciting and overwhelming! I was definitely the most beginner of the four of us learning but Alison was so patient with me and used my dress to demo to the rest of the class. I learned how to cut my fabric, how to create darts, how to insert a zip, how to hem, how to insert a sleeve, how to use interfacing, how to use an overlocker... I was exhausted by the end of the day. But I did finish the class with a fully-made dress! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyzD9MJlNp9RgJU6_ZV4YAjMXDsU6qxUcQccX3ZDnP532lqlqnFMhZ4Orxt_wb9zKQd0fMAbbDweCoj6r0wM-kcmk-MDoa2zSUEAJT1Z5MBoL7Ye8sa7Ry1BCKZWu4t15rMMxY_6yFAhSGAPbkv2T0NX_XPpQeBrS6LPebQ-nxvPeIM54qfOjx58T/s1080/Dress%20making%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyzD9MJlNp9RgJU6_ZV4YAjMXDsU6qxUcQccX3ZDnP532lqlqnFMhZ4Orxt_wb9zKQd0fMAbbDweCoj6r0wM-kcmk-MDoa2zSUEAJT1Z5MBoL7Ye8sa7Ry1BCKZWu4t15rMMxY_6yFAhSGAPbkv2T0NX_XPpQeBrS6LPebQ-nxvPeIM54qfOjx58T/w400-h400/Dress%20making%20.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I still have so much to learn and honestly, I need to relearn basically every skill I learned in the class, but it was an amazing education experience for me and really got me even more excited about sewing! I'm already signed up to another course with Ministry of Craft in September and I've got my eye on a few more. I really recommend them if you're in Manchester and want to develop your craft skills.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpNsrWW6TtWva1njzipQOoDcxGLi4qzILHDV9FsKvq5bdSKyTJhOIUuCxHdY5aDWUa8BuPbraR8mHZx0x4PelO6PbsC5IJPRHRU8hmLAzBfk-OmWcFezTFQSvxJK7JwaD-VTYmkuCsgqFFGe2Suunm7JpwUat0V1C5755QLaO6XK-XvBKCnERd148/s1080/Buckle%20and%20boots%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpNsrWW6TtWva1njzipQOoDcxGLi4qzILHDV9FsKvq5bdSKyTJhOIUuCxHdY5aDWUa8BuPbraR8mHZx0x4PelO6PbsC5IJPRHRU8hmLAzBfk-OmWcFezTFQSvxJK7JwaD-VTYmkuCsgqFFGe2Suunm7JpwUat0V1C5755QLaO6XK-XvBKCnERd148/w400-h400/Buckle%20and%20boots%20.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you've been around here for a while you'll know that the summer brings my favourite festival, <b>Buckle and Boots Country Festival!</b> Phil and I have gone with my parents every year since 2019 and it's always one of the best weekends of the summer. We get dressed up in our country gear (this year I got a Sugarhill Boutique dress off eBay with cowboys on which I've had my eye on since my first Buckle and Boots) and have the most fun day listening to country music and having a great time. This year was no exception - all the bands were great, the drinks were flowing and we had a good old dance and sing. I already can't wait for next year!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pCK1LxK4Vrla5MXT-KRiz28FcuqPVbidCNTByT433WTlGwa0KoDzNjVaBKRZcAxa3AUw_57CXyg3CnJiGwBaXJBhAyRKVp8-4dvao14fpUCZFZtEiUcPGNw7Zad2yJW7ECQecFX-_nTffwuwmEuw-IbWw_I455SriG642-RlrBNaQmUFprDYyF0E/s1080/Bobby%20gotcha%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pCK1LxK4Vrla5MXT-KRiz28FcuqPVbidCNTByT433WTlGwa0KoDzNjVaBKRZcAxa3AUw_57CXyg3CnJiGwBaXJBhAyRKVp8-4dvao14fpUCZFZtEiUcPGNw7Zad2yJW7ECQecFX-_nTffwuwmEuw-IbWw_I455SriG642-RlrBNaQmUFprDYyF0E/w400-h400/Bobby%20gotcha%20.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">June also marked <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/06/meet-bobby-our-dog-adoption-story.html">two years since we brought Bobby home</a> from Dogs Trust. I cannot explain how much we love him and how much our lives have changed since we got him. <b>H</b><b>appy Gotcha Day</b>, Bobby Dog!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UpOOxgktNYbbOdMwgv6u-Yq5goSOwiqhagozsqX90PWzzAiGbVoVzUcCrh8HtVqraG4uhlX0pS3YDcc8o-Wfyn5xtVY3BUkPVPl3vyLcHSjgi0p1Zf0tyJaoNSc5EGsxopcjfoloU7mMUacdX4mnbAjgy0DVN-1Dx0vhhLKieOcH3o2bgxWJDVBs/s1080/Vegan%20street%20food%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UpOOxgktNYbbOdMwgv6u-Yq5goSOwiqhagozsqX90PWzzAiGbVoVzUcCrh8HtVqraG4uhlX0pS3YDcc8o-Wfyn5xtVY3BUkPVPl3vyLcHSjgi0p1Zf0tyJaoNSc5EGsxopcjfoloU7mMUacdX4mnbAjgy0DVN-1Dx0vhhLKieOcH3o2bgxWJDVBs/w400-h400/Vegan%20street%20food%20.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not only did a take a sewing class last month, I also took a <b><a href="https://vegsoc.org/product/vegan-street-food/">vegan street food cooking class</a></b> with the <a href="https://vegsoc.org/">Vegetarian Society</a>. This was a gift for my Mum for Christmas which we finally managed to get in the diary. We made seitan nuggets and jackfruit kebabs and sampled amazing veggie burgers and vegetable bacon. It was so much fun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRi1WCpku1urdJ-XZD8GrrCCM1X8xmBRHwaV4CK6HVXtN7cQp1G1Q6VOU149Ggak4HYEy2c44HtFdjdPwT38Qht_1_cCe5n8A1ZSpLhjbQ8Xw9FxuXwCT6E4-TGtpQD3pXkqPR0tQ1Azx7y8ufmcOicmeecL_tlSX5MpEHYFN-um-d2opMbi-g5HE/s1080/Stockport%2010k.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRi1WCpku1urdJ-XZD8GrrCCM1X8xmBRHwaV4CK6HVXtN7cQp1G1Q6VOU149Ggak4HYEy2c44HtFdjdPwT38Qht_1_cCe5n8A1ZSpLhjbQ8Xw9FxuXwCT6E4-TGtpQD3pXkqPR0tQ1Azx7y8ufmcOicmeecL_tlSX5MpEHYFN-um-d2opMbi-g5HE/w400-h400/Stockport%2010k.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally Phil and I rounded off the month with a race. <b>Stockport 10K </b>was my first race back in 2013 but it's always a bit of a mess - the route seems to change every year, one year they had to stop traffic to let the runners cross, and it always seems to be a lot more of a challenging course than it needs to be. We had been dithering on whether to take part and only signed up a few days before as Phil had had Covid and wasn't feeling his best. Well, the least said the better! It was warm and claggy and awful to run in and the route was horrible (steps! Steep uphills and impossible downhills!) but at least I did better than Phil, who, with a few other runners, got lost and accidentally did an extra kilometer! Luckily he didn't care and hadn't been checking his watch after being ill and we've had a good laugh about it since. Still, we got a medal and a tshirt and that's always what matters!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seven books in June:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Arena of the Unwell by Liam Konemann (reread)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">From Blue to Black by Joel Lane</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Appendix by Liam Konemann</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt (reread)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">French Braid by Anne Tyler</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yes that was the second read of <b>The Arena of the Unwell </b>I mentioned last month... straight after I read this book for the first time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">That also inspired a few of my other June reads - Liam's first book, a non-fiction account of trans positivity called<b> The Appendix</b>, and Joel Lane's <b>From Blue to Black</b>, which has similar themes to The Arena of the Unwell.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I started thinking about the idea of rereading books, there was one book I wanted to reread the most, Siri Hustvedt's <b>What I Loved</b>, which I remember as being one of my favourite books. I'm happy to say I adored it just as much second time around and I'm very excited for more re-reading of my favourites in the future.</span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After how much we loved Maverick in May, we created "Tom Cruise June" and watched a lot of Tom Cruise films in June. Namely rewatches of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Mission Impossible Rogue Nation</b> (one of my favourites) and </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Edge of Tomorrow</b>, plus two new-to-me films of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">T<b>he Colour of Money</b> and </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Born on the 4th July</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also revisited two of my other favourite films in June -<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>In Bruges </b>and<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Licorice Pizza</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally we loved the Val Kilmer documentary, <b>Val</b>. I highly recommend it.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I like a juicy multi-episode story but I was a bit disappointed by <b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wecrashed/id1494781373">We Crashed</a></b>, but I have a new podcast obsession in the form of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=celebrity+memoir+book+club+podcast&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB778GB778&oq=celebrity+memori&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0i10l9.4942j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">Celebrity Memoir Book Club</a></b>. My favourite episodes so far have been the ones on Rachel Hollis, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and Carrie Fisher.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Loved this piece from my girl Anne Helen Petersen on <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/budget-culture-and-the-dave-ramseyfication?s=r">how budgeting "experts" ruined our relationship with money</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Your monthly Virginia Sole-Smith on <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/who-gets-to-say-fat?s=r">who gets to call themselves fat</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two excellent pieces from two of my favourite newsletters on similar topics, <a href="https://sociallives.substack.com/p/social-lives-134-compare-and-contrast?s=r">Social Lives on comparison</a> and Maybe Baby on how summer being the <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/103-season-of-envy?s=r">season of envy</a>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also from Maybe, Baby - <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/102-no-worries-if-not?s=r">"No worries if not"</a> which taught me the absolutely mind-blowing concept of "ask/guess" culture which I cannot stop thinking about</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, Michael Hobbes absolutely perfectly summing up <a href="https://michaelhobbes.substack.com/p/the-bleak-spectacle-of-the-amber?s=r">the bleakness of the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp trial</a></span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stay cool!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-33066980765659474592022-06-09T08:20:00.000+01:002022-06-09T08:20:07.346+01:00May Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">May disappeared in the blink of an eye for me!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I mentioned <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/05/april-life-lately.html">in my last post</a>, the day after we came back from Barcelona, I started coughing. Then the next day I felt absolutely awful. And then the day after that I finally tested positive for Covid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s been a long time coming and I’m so grateful to be triple vaccinated. I felt pretty awful for a few days and was testing positive for 6 days but I managed to keep working the whole time from home (though one day I did have to go to bed as soon as I finished work at 5pm!) and thankfully I don’t seem to have had any lasting effects.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the result is I feel like May was a bit of a blur! While I was ill I obviously couldn’t do much and I really struggled to read and mostly spent the time feeling lethargic and sorry for myself! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But looking back, it wasn’t all bad. Here’s my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeQHWGMlT6v/">One Second Every Day for May</a> and everything else I got up to …</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I Did</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was soooo relieved to finally test negative on the day that I had a big work team meeting and a trip to <b>Flight Club</b>. <a href="https://flightclubdarts.com/">Flight Club</a> is a social darts game and it's just so much fun, especially with a big group. I'd been so excited to go so I was thrilled to see only one line on that Lateral Flow test! I had such a great time and I'm actually going again with my other team at work in a few weeks.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8FytfhaDXN2g6BsAO5KnUSROX5G5J2bzdU2zSCDc_C2HGYIGybHEwnP7x6G1bcbkXpkNCyXIS8_0Eh3hbTAXIKCyFUCdEeJptgB3AwBby1GeTp_NwL-HO2Z0mF-yPYh2T6odUopCcBk76ZD7qYD3m4w6c0ILgAV0mZJVj9HUeCSH2yVI_lxUTr2I/s1080/bag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8FytfhaDXN2g6BsAO5KnUSROX5G5J2bzdU2zSCDc_C2HGYIGybHEwnP7x6G1bcbkXpkNCyXIS8_0Eh3hbTAXIKCyFUCdEeJptgB3AwBby1GeTp_NwL-HO2Z0mF-yPYh2T6odUopCcBk76ZD7qYD3m4w6c0ILgAV0mZJVj9HUeCSH2yVI_lxUTr2I/w400-h400/bag.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I mentioned in my last post I've decide to <b>start sewing</b> so in May I had an evening with my friend Riven when she taught me to make a tote bag! I'm so so so proud of it and learned so much (I am a notoriously slow learner!) and I am really enjoying my sewing journey!</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLANaV1GRuiS-BhfLIpdLiEUIBFjXZK6jIlHf2mFbvrOjFhezkMTwypfVPxf7ibWUnl7-4BrOaoGwVj4GZ-kONbwqh3IEkAyRWHjCyAAz3XVHBM7n218ZB5E0duCHrasHto8l7p0Fuhm00TSbSpmj3DENijlcm4AD9R8gyjn2HRuzsOJfTnq8mYf6/s1080/sewing%20machine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLANaV1GRuiS-BhfLIpdLiEUIBFjXZK6jIlHf2mFbvrOjFhezkMTwypfVPxf7ibWUnl7-4BrOaoGwVj4GZ-kONbwqh3IEkAyRWHjCyAAz3XVHBM7n218ZB5E0duCHrasHto8l7p0Fuhm00TSbSpmj3DENijlcm4AD9R8gyjn2HRuzsOJfTnq8mYf6/s320/sewing%20machine.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month I also caved and got myself a <b>sewing machine</b> too. More on sewing next month!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zc02eIe6WQT4oaBnouhWXgK_WGZWyLtL4QQJudplSOj3TSTQsrryj0HK8Mx5gNgxijgR3jZvBcnQlOhNq_h_d_ejJ8eKhufJnqA9UmsrU4ten6twjpImV7L2zhCzLxY0P2Bv5uZD46ClzifriJ4s4ICMo_HNHfp0NsV1_fVIMYjMMnnMDy_Aygu-/s1080/half%20marathon%20(2).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zc02eIe6WQT4oaBnouhWXgK_WGZWyLtL4QQJudplSOj3TSTQsrryj0HK8Mx5gNgxijgR3jZvBcnQlOhNq_h_d_ejJ8eKhufJnqA9UmsrU4ten6twjpImV7L2zhCzLxY0P2Bv5uZD46ClzifriJ4s4ICMo_HNHfp0NsV1_fVIMYjMMnnMDy_Aygu-/w400-h400/half%20marathon%20(2).png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The main reason I was so gutted to get Covid in May was because at the end of the month I had my <b>10th half marathon</b>. After crossing the line at 2:00:23 last September I had trained so hard to get back under a 2 hour half marathon and I was feeling really great about my training. And then I got Covid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was just less than 3 weeks out from my race when I got ill and I knew there was no way I'd be able to race at the same level I wanted to. I was still coughing at least a week after testing negatively and I could tell my lung capacity was reduced and I'd lost a lot of fitness. I was absolutely gutted but I knew it was time to reassess my goals.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Even up until a few days before I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish the race or have to walk portions of it. Phil was running the 10K only 3 hours after my start time, but he was happy to push back to another wave if I wasn't done by the time he needed to head to the start. I set myself a best-case goal and hoped I'd be able to finish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As always I had to resist every urge to just go for it the second I crossed the start line, and I started trying to adjust to the pace I'd planned in my best-case goal, but it felt too slow! I was having a good time, it was cool but sunny and I was just so grateful to be able to do this race. So I just ran by feel. I can't remember the last time I ran a half marathon without a time goal and I just decided to run and see how I felt. When I crossed the half way point at just over an hour I knew Phil would be laughing at my plan to "take it easy" and though the second half was tough, I finished in 2:02:58 - less than 4 minutes off my PB.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was absolutely buzzing to not only be finished but to have hit such an unexpectedly good time for me after being so ill only 2 weeks before, and also that I just really enjoyed it!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy1OBBuLCwWpmAWrSHIWh1U5Tm_BqFoU3y8N_WULQY33mXFgvF1B3TEEQBEAOl7bGb4mcaJvlTEFe4-vY2rvP_1l4lGIrOTHEIPrhSQVGVDY0KpJP_AwXwYl5kh2X056w-iKCcU_CBjLQKGqs0EngYBo9iDybI06BreOedIRnS7ekh2PHjBtOuEio/s1080/bundobust.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy1OBBuLCwWpmAWrSHIWh1U5Tm_BqFoU3y8N_WULQY33mXFgvF1B3TEEQBEAOl7bGb4mcaJvlTEFe4-vY2rvP_1l4lGIrOTHEIPrhSQVGVDY0KpJP_AwXwYl5kh2X056w-iKCcU_CBjLQKGqs0EngYBo9iDybI06BreOedIRnS7ekh2PHjBtOuEio/w400-h400/bundobust.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the race I took Phil to the start for his 10K and cheered him on, then waited at the finish and grabbed a great spot at the finish to watch the Elite Women and Men finish, and then all the 10K runners. Phil did so well too and we treated ourselves to a <b>Bundobust</b> to celebrate!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTkw29oc2Ir-XnDhR-SkA9lMtPmkHZLDg2j2EToXutHbbtKw-SJWR05UqPVsy4cPYNxhiWFMx-cMFOAL-sBW9jOOgYjapb2N21AhUVxUDx7A5i2qQBwTYSoTXLb86cQcH-90yCB2O_b4mNUf1_vv9f5Rx3FHLUKEEqaxCC-o2f9IsSrgA3zxoIh76/s1080/petfest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTkw29oc2Ir-XnDhR-SkA9lMtPmkHZLDg2j2EToXutHbbtKw-SJWR05UqPVsy4cPYNxhiWFMx-cMFOAL-sBW9jOOgYjapb2N21AhUVxUDx7A5i2qQBwTYSoTXLb86cQcH-90yCB2O_b4mNUf1_vv9f5Rx3FHLUKEEqaxCC-o2f9IsSrgA3zxoIh76/w400-h400/petfest.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally I finished the month with our Pets at Home end of year party, <b>Petsfest!</b> We had a little mini festival in our office car park with food stalls, drinks and amazing entertainment. I had such a good night with my colleagues dancing to the amazing band and spending way too much time in the photobooth.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not a lot of books in May, but some great ones:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine De Vigan</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Run time by Catherine Ryan Howard</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Arena of the Unwell by Liam Konemann</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So a weird thing in May - I got completely obsessed with one book. I'd preorded <b>The Arena of the Unwell</b> cause it seemed like something I would really like (a story about a young queer guy obsessed with his favourite band who makes friends with two guys in a toxic relationship). I started it the day it came out and absolutely devoured it.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I loved it so much so that the day after I finished it I felt so bereft that I... started it again? And then read the whole thing again in 2 days. I even had it on my Kindle app on my phone so I could read it in those dead phone-times where you just pick up your phone to kill some time. And there's a chance I might be on what I'm calling my "third close read." Honestly, weird! I can't remember the last time I reread a book let alone twice in a week. I'm obsessed.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I absolutely love Jon Ronson's podcasts, especially because his voice drives Phil mad (and what is marriage but doing things that annoy your partner?). His latest podcast, <b><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0011cpr">Things Fell Apart</a> </b>is a fantastic look at the "culture wars" from TERFs to abortion. I devoured it.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A lot of comforting rewatches of some favourites in May:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rocketman </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Whiplash </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Top Gun</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">When Harry Met Sally</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mission: Impossible Fall Out</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Goodfellas</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And two excellent films at the cinema - <b>E</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>verything Everywhere All at Once </b>which was honestly one of the best cinema experiences I've ever had, and <b>Top Gun: Maverick</b> which was just the most fun, especially in IMAX.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also finished <b>Severance</b> which we loved and I cannot wait for season 2!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Your monthly Virginia Sole-Smith - <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/vogue-mom-fat-sam?s=r">The Cautionary Tales of Vogue Mom and Fat Sam</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/99-i-finally-found-it?s=r">Haley Nahman on getting Covid</a>, which I related to so much after being ill myself</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Marisa Bate on <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2022/01/10831955/should-you-give-friends-advice?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=uk&utm_campaign=220504-money-diary-25k-editorial-assistant-london">Why you shouldn't give friends advice and what you should do instead</a> was a real eye-opener</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved this piece from The Atlantic - <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/05/david-epstein-range/590704/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3-GEyBFOLBnCFNDk1MfTdDBbJhawOxx0YbUeh7ats3sIsuA6o6VjK3-HU">The Case Against Grit</a>. It talks about how trying lots of different things, rather than sticking doggedly to something you don't love, could be the key to happiness and success</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, <a href="https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/05/12/whats-the-difference-between-jack-monroe-suggesting-budget-recipes-and-a-tory-mp/?amp=1">the difference between Jack Monroe suggesting budget recipes and a Tory MP</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div><div><br /></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-72274284693749999652022-05-15T15:31:00.000+01:002022-05-15T15:31:16.816+01:00April Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy May! I'm <i>super </i>late with this update due to spending the start of May in beautiful Barcelona (more on this below!) and also because I tested positive for Covid just after we got back so I've been recovering from that! While I had a fairly mild case I did feel pretty rubbish for a few days and I'm still mourning the plans I had to cancel, but I think I'm thankfully over the worst of it now! My concentration has also been all over the shop since I was ill so I think this is my fifth attempt to finished this post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Anyway, before I came down with Covid I had such a good April!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">April involved two trips away, to both Chester and to Barcelona. To continue the theme of 2022 being the year in which I finally do all the things I was planning to do in 2020, not only did we finally get to go to Barcelona but we actually had a few days away for our wedding anniversary too! (Can you actually believe we've been married for 3 years?!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've also had loads of brilliant nights with friends and family lately which has been so great. As much as I love a quiet night I absolutely love looking back on a busy month, especially after the last few years!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So here's everything I got up to in April, and here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGbv-FKbXK/">One Second Every Day for the month</a>.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeUpdH8rnkcGRwOMEzYB_qh_34QF3kzl1-8tntGjesa6e8BCqMSY0mUBz2xYHY5I5vwuljNSgYd-H2rMyTBR4GNkghOp_nCZ7hpjU3RdexkckEYn93Sw8tqY7AgcqeqEntBFrNDc3qY-xmSGbODMxFrStgzPmuBYUhzMmlBkK6QpTDoIns92dCoPa/s1080/cheese%20geek.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeUpdH8rnkcGRwOMEzYB_qh_34QF3kzl1-8tntGjesa6e8BCqMSY0mUBz2xYHY5I5vwuljNSgYd-H2rMyTBR4GNkghOp_nCZ7hpjU3RdexkckEYn93Sw8tqY7AgcqeqEntBFrNDc3qY-xmSGbODMxFrStgzPmuBYUhzMmlBkK6QpTDoIns92dCoPa/w400-h400/cheese%20geek.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I feel like cheese has been a real theme around here this year! I mentioned in my last post that one of my Birthday presents from Phil this year was a 3 month </span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://cheesegeek.mention-me.com/me/referee/registerko/101164828/392833048/er/e37a289285dae995fb9ab6335e3304aab8f6e259/ol/cw?epr=1">Cheese Geek subscription</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;">, and in April we had two deliveries to enjoy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The first was my actual first box which Phil gave me as my Birthday present, then we had a second one towards the end of the month. We make a proper evening of it, with wine and lots of crackers and homemade bread and fruit and chutney, and we rate each one on the scorecard which comes with the box and add our notes. It's so much fun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We have one more box left and I'm not sure I'll keep the subscription, but come winter-time monthly cheese nights will definitely be back on the agenda.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0dNdCxLZcwTcUCP_SFdUP1KZhP_4NU42exm5Pxg76pXoBaUdhzAnZ-czZw0Le7nWN01X9pQmHKMJF5HXHjapLYWEXmEqhwo1uzI2mK95Umv9ZZUrLZ2v2iSs3-4u3WPNCNarKNBXn64DRSl2uPDNz399uJJBzbriKopiQpoy2vhTEEEQHeLU6i4r/s1080/cheese%20night.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0dNdCxLZcwTcUCP_SFdUP1KZhP_4NU42exm5Pxg76pXoBaUdhzAnZ-czZw0Le7nWN01X9pQmHKMJF5HXHjapLYWEXmEqhwo1uzI2mK95Umv9ZZUrLZ2v2iSs3-4u3WPNCNarKNBXn64DRSl2uPDNz399uJJBzbriKopiQpoy2vhTEEEQHeLU6i4r/w400-h400/cheese%20night.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On another cheesy note, we also had a </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">cheese and games night </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">with friends in April which was so much fun! We all brought food to share and played Socialist Monopoly which was a great laugh, if confusing if you're used to normal Monopoly!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjwtqQ77KPVTKxS3WemL1krMZbEPPwhTEouwzXo731uoK9StkIZqdtVzwN5fEqIVGVYbvSCjhqhpN1EnEqXUBtxfKeUQydMnTH2vt7JcarwSDl40DYU99WShtV-NQRg4FU3LSeUkInjUMhhGcexFELhbXi_JpL_5aaca9xBNjRSfG6T6uUJcAm3C5/s1080/bee%20dress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjwtqQ77KPVTKxS3WemL1krMZbEPPwhTEouwzXo731uoK9StkIZqdtVzwN5fEqIVGVYbvSCjhqhpN1EnEqXUBtxfKeUQydMnTH2vt7JcarwSDl40DYU99WShtV-NQRg4FU3LSeUkInjUMhhGcexFELhbXi_JpL_5aaca9xBNjRSfG6T6uUJcAm3C5/w400-h400/bee%20dress.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcM6grHM64P/">a (rare!) outfit post of me</a> showing off the <b>incredible dress my friend Riven made me</b>! For my Birthday, I was allowed to choose a fabric and a pattern and Riven <i>literally made me a dress</i>. I am obsessed! It's so beautiful and perfect for me and I am so impressed and fascinated! I'm so inspired, in fact, that I'm desperate to learn to make my own clothes and I've actually booked on to a dress making class in June. I'm so nervous but excited!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In exciting parkrun news, in April I managed to get my first <b>all-time parkrun PB</b> in nearly 6 years! We took a trip to <a href="https://www.parkrun.org.uk/peel/">Peel park</a> which had been on my list for ages as it was my NENDY (Nearest Event Not Done Yet in parkrun nerd speak!) and also a nice flat course compared to my usual hilly Bramhall! I'd been feel really good with my half marathon training so I was really hopeful I'd snag a PB so I was thrilled to beat my previous best time by over 15 seconds!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHpfGOLB0euI3obzJqwAm7F_MYRHCM32gpBiSgYj1RnGFU7lxGVnmmkdaGWbYpsYR5iEWFHX7K9m4Cq8myTnpQGxqq7Zab_RxDKldmY8JRrWXB2bP5QYlNlh05FdYdmQK0lMvhPOe271ArYS1MBvNMNrMK7CB9RjY4eWPmdj3y-5kmpCvqtZbeu5Q/s1080/pacers%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHpfGOLB0euI3obzJqwAm7F_MYRHCM32gpBiSgYj1RnGFU7lxGVnmmkdaGWbYpsYR5iEWFHX7K9m4Cq8myTnpQGxqq7Zab_RxDKldmY8JRrWXB2bP5QYlNlh05FdYdmQK0lMvhPOe271ArYS1MBvNMNrMK7CB9RjY4eWPmdj3y-5kmpCvqtZbeu5Q/w400-h400/pacers%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And speaking of parkrun, I <b>volunteered to pace</b> at Bramhall parkrun a few weeks ago and it was so much fun! I managed to secure 30 minutes which I was so happy about because I remember this being a huge goal for me when I first started running (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2016/09/the-myth-of-10-minute-mile.html">remember this post on the myth of the 10 minute mile?</a>). It was funny being the 30 minute pacer because I kept hearing people going "oh no I need to beat her!" as I went around and I felt bad whenever I overtook someone! I ended up going a bit fast on my second mile so I'm desperate for a chance to pace again soon and be a bit more accurate!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFw5G0FiW_pbl6zZTt7bUsL9Q6S8HIuH-dX1ya5CllaHc7a6VgaCZD2PVQkqIbEvYhX3PJ1Mg9NNmnlyyCJKHxosL-xzWRCQCgKc_xPn9W-istMqwj6cDzylH_HQ-PmgKaSFtuyGsZpXFYpuGJTaxG6QdSAi6gMmIG_dT3qgQpJvORu_cwTpvkPz0/s1080/oddfellows.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFw5G0FiW_pbl6zZTt7bUsL9Q6S8HIuH-dX1ya5CllaHc7a6VgaCZD2PVQkqIbEvYhX3PJ1Mg9NNmnlyyCJKHxosL-xzWRCQCgKc_xPn9W-istMqwj6cDzylH_HQ-PmgKaSFtuyGsZpXFYpuGJTaxG6QdSAi6gMmIG_dT3qgQpJvORu_cwTpvkPz0/w400-h400/oddfellows.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had the best few days away for our wedding anniversary last month! We stayed at the <a href="https://www.oddfellowschester.com/"><b>Oddfellows in Chester</b></a> as we love the Oddfellows in the park near us in Cheadle. It's such a great hotel! So quirky and fun, and our room was enormous!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmi-NZkg0asH7D5gjQpsgJ4483wfS_p35pM_dkW0T9FIVy2Xfna8mY-oAnpPzpXPmXO41PI0zNfirxOdYBlmIBeR2wWnQQwOtsLYvN0WSsuCDYLndsKP9FO3kIpvrmpoqy5jHD9L9uZXj0QRfkUu5XpPySHHjlGWWbjuOsabBghnDYnyzuM3CS0U-/s1080/anniversary%20trip.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmi-NZkg0asH7D5gjQpsgJ4483wfS_p35pM_dkW0T9FIVy2Xfna8mY-oAnpPzpXPmXO41PI0zNfirxOdYBlmIBeR2wWnQQwOtsLYvN0WSsuCDYLndsKP9FO3kIpvrmpoqy5jHD9L9uZXj0QRfkUu5XpPySHHjlGWWbjuOsabBghnDYnyzuM3CS0U-/w400-h400/anniversary%20trip.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had our anniversary dinner at</span><b style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.stickywalnut.net/">The Sticky Walnut</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> as I remember reading </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/14/sticky-walnut-chester-restaurant-review" style="font-family: georgia;">a review of it in the Guardian</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> years ago and the name has always stuck with me. It was absolutely fantastic and they made a fuss of us for our anniversary.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's become an anniversary tradition for us to have a<b> massage</b>, and we had a fantastic one at <a href="https://www.scented-garden.co.uk/">Scented Garden</a> in the rows in Chester. We had a brilliant few days walking the walls, eating amazing food and discovering cool bars (shout out to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cocktail-Bar/Prohibition-Chester-1508726686043583/"><b>Prohibition</b></a> - I love a secret bar!).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJGy5hIBLzbmOXqpU6N9FpQBb-3SiB_YO0U0donuIaV_ilvmYWk_ilcdOz899-ypRspuQtEoEv4TLQfvPRRrGMFlB5UHzLbsXktLtLcS1iJngVjTFzUsipvK-ZloQ0Ava3rEcXcL_3DLhvVocFJ-n_ehIPnZ-gUPtDck4y7FzpWVs9Z-Mzt3XyWsd/s1080/chirk%20castle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJGy5hIBLzbmOXqpU6N9FpQBb-3SiB_YO0U0donuIaV_ilvmYWk_ilcdOz899-ypRspuQtEoEv4TLQfvPRRrGMFlB5UHzLbsXktLtLcS1iJngVjTFzUsipvK-ZloQ0Ava3rEcXcL_3DLhvVocFJ-n_ehIPnZ-gUPtDck4y7FzpWVs9Z-Mzt3XyWsd/w400-h400/chirk%20castle.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the way back we stopped off at <b><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chirk-castle">Chirk Castle</a></b> as you know we love a National Trust, which was fantastic. The only downside was it was only when we got back that we found out there were dungeons - definitely one to visit again!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And of course, April brought out our incredible trip to <b>Barcelona</b>, two years in the making. Wow I have never fallen for a city like I fell for Barcelona, I absolutely adored it.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_qggVKNannlIsVhelFCXYPPyrd9BNITqifkapA0ovzq2BoT776U-tBbqtl6ePthsYCkgm_Me1IBiL7z-5600JXjL-UjCPndF7wPnS7yvmGOPeOczp-lLE_PJ_gT8WRhLyX9Fikwfx9W4NR5MYT5dtseoq-7DMCdH8Mz6-qCaydC8CTmAngaKUOKM/s1080/beach.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_qggVKNannlIsVhelFCXYPPyrd9BNITqifkapA0ovzq2BoT776U-tBbqtl6ePthsYCkgm_Me1IBiL7z-5600JXjL-UjCPndF7wPnS7yvmGOPeOczp-lLE_PJ_gT8WRhLyX9Fikwfx9W4NR5MYT5dtseoq-7DMCdH8Mz6-qCaydC8CTmAngaKUOKM/w400-h400/beach.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We arrived on Friday and headed straight for a walk along the <b>beach</b>. We were staying quite far out of the centre, but a beachfront walk was the perfect way to start our trip. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw02J0wGj_rc5sIH8O94BGG77kmAtzmMpXVjvXtfMGm7PIsvxa2qLR2GX9US1MuAg8cn0CoC-NKbnJjGl2IHN1elfXetnNLXnlfwbvTUtOatd2s4QzbVkZQ9lwhU5xhSs_bE-Rq5s0V-y_KHBZ89XanWfFOU1Hxtu7_-INcyXlFNUokXSul0j8d2JI/s1346/279743334_729756291556004_4664669703281514732_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw02J0wGj_rc5sIH8O94BGG77kmAtzmMpXVjvXtfMGm7PIsvxa2qLR2GX9US1MuAg8cn0CoC-NKbnJjGl2IHN1elfXetnNLXnlfwbvTUtOatd2s4QzbVkZQ9lwhU5xhSs_bE-Rq5s0V-y_KHBZ89XanWfFOU1Hxtu7_-INcyXlFNUokXSul0j8d2JI/w321-h400/279743334_729756291556004_4664669703281514732_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We walked to the edge of<b> La Rambla</b> where we had some gorgeous tapas and did some people-watching in the sun, then we took a cable car up to the <b>castle</b> which was really cool and had some great exhibits on! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv-H7iEY_n-S84KVanbgkGr7VhGADLfLF4xwoo7njFRG-a4J0iLWh-bs5Unv0Z8tfWBtaMYD4i1gon7twCbsP4IRBc84Cs-sJGJ5Ir21hATu-sS0kVucJWnp3LzY0Zi7WtcxoMnl_JUPyqXJtLrGw3W6bM-xpHEfBkuUdUkHYQxP5xtr8sNm1amxU/s1080/olympic%20pool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv-H7iEY_n-S84KVanbgkGr7VhGADLfLF4xwoo7njFRG-a4J0iLWh-bs5Unv0Z8tfWBtaMYD4i1gon7twCbsP4IRBc84Cs-sJGJ5Ir21hATu-sS0kVucJWnp3LzY0Zi7WtcxoMnl_JUPyqXJtLrGw3W6bM-xpHEfBkuUdUkHYQxP5xtr8sNm1amxU/w400-h400/olympic%20pool.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After coming back down in the cable car we explored the <b>1992 Olympic park</b> and then had a drink at the coolest bar ever in the seats overlooking the <b>Olympic pool</b> with the most spectacular view of the whole of Barcelona. The sun was shining and it was warm and beautiful and we had the most stunning view and we'd just waited so so so long for this trip, it was just so perfect. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We finished the night with some amazing food at <b><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d2151085-Reviews-La_Pepita-Barcelona_Catalonia.html">La Pepita</a></b> which was recommended to me by two people, and a cocktail at <b><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d717318-Reviews-Les_Gens_Que_L_Aime_Pub-Barcelona_Catalonia.html">Les gens que j'aime</a>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My absolute favourite thing to do on a city break is a <a href="https://www.neweuropetours.eu/sandemans-tours/barcelona/free-tour-of-barcelona/"><b>Sandeman Walking Tour</b></a> - I've done them in Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, Berlin, Bruges... if I've done a city break there I've probably done a walking tour there! We headed down for the tour early and grabbed some breakfast before the incredible Leon took us around Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. It was absolutely fascinating and Leon was so fascinating and passionate and a fantastic storyteller. We just loved the Gothic Quarter and spent a lot of time around there over the weekend.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yqsK0ipkGDPq8m1I2ZpS8WsQq5oUhoms5qxfJKjcOfzdjz0BaQiTNnLlefzpbjKM2NAMrdH5AueSgAbioX31OnrYA4cARIDOCvUU9Svq76RYsgg4yrRPY-zQQfDdYUwvltA0_AeMT2kHpupMFZY27yLCkTDBvO7Uy9WfRCQgNZQdLlZZKrbc_SpM/s1346/279630354_740578603619565_757923452922541926_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yqsK0ipkGDPq8m1I2ZpS8WsQq5oUhoms5qxfJKjcOfzdjz0BaQiTNnLlefzpbjKM2NAMrdH5AueSgAbioX31OnrYA4cARIDOCvUU9Svq76RYsgg4yrRPY-zQQfDdYUwvltA0_AeMT2kHpupMFZY27yLCkTDBvO7Uy9WfRCQgNZQdLlZZKrbc_SpM/w321-h400/279630354_740578603619565_757923452922541926_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After lunch we headed to <b>Camp Nou</b> for the stadium tour and museum. We had tickets to see a Barcelona game on the Sunday night but we wanted a chance to explore a bit more on the tour than you are able to do on match days, so decided to go the day before. While the stadium tour was amazing, my favourite part was the museum! I loved all the artefacts and reading about all the players and hearing the stories, and seeing all of Messi's Ballon d'ors was a highlight for me, even if it was bittersweet as when we originally booked the trip in 2019 we had tickets to see him play for Barca.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We headed back to the gothic quarter in the evening where we found another amazing bar and had some excellent Spanish food for dinner.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapiVmmlIx703acJjzwRieDG7FcWyHHWhdgzZxM6aT0Pg4sVcDJ7B_3TEjACnr5RAs_LOnOlAlE8txScpKEvKOwTpsTB0e0y56DRK4HjeNQyGJOdn4uv_zoLE7G9MPF1Pe_gQM6K8YTJyqDSMaZVZGqHS7VLjNM7afBOSxPGExxkF2qu03X1_Y1h0Z/s1346/279669159_389785876191494_4351555650471373851_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapiVmmlIx703acJjzwRieDG7FcWyHHWhdgzZxM6aT0Pg4sVcDJ7B_3TEjACnr5RAs_LOnOlAlE8txScpKEvKOwTpsTB0e0y56DRK4HjeNQyGJOdn4uv_zoLE7G9MPF1Pe_gQM6K8YTJyqDSMaZVZGqHS7VLjNM7afBOSxPGExxkF2qu03X1_Y1h0Z/w321-h400/279669159_389785876191494_4351555650471373851_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Sunday we got up early and headed to <b><a href="https://parkguell.barcelona/en?q=en">Park Guell</a></b> for opening time. We were a bit confused when we arrived as we'd seen a video online which said it was free to see some of the park but extra to view it all, but the video must have been a bit out of date as now entry to the park is 10 Euros but wow is it worth it! We didn't pay the extra to see the extra Gaudi exhibits but there is still so much to explore! The views are incredible and we got to see the famous gecko - it was so beautiful and I'm so glad we made the trip!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVJPW1aZCm3neOhmTwyVjlFgx-W0q7SNHg2rVYdWYak0oq25Ivo3YnK7RlSBpZ7H54McAv3NpIQrCpgFtriVdcBwukNaEPGsevd-wI4SLw4ETXjJN9KibxwMvinyiLeQqz7amcQ1SOHTAoe8jvwxkEoDDSgteiZU6Wm_sx-meljvTQKybSQrzq2bs/s1346/279583731_379568270856890_3016604479351123257_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVJPW1aZCm3neOhmTwyVjlFgx-W0q7SNHg2rVYdWYak0oq25Ivo3YnK7RlSBpZ7H54McAv3NpIQrCpgFtriVdcBwukNaEPGsevd-wI4SLw4ETXjJN9KibxwMvinyiLeQqz7amcQ1SOHTAoe8jvwxkEoDDSgteiZU6Wm_sx-meljvTQKybSQrzq2bs/w321-h400/279583731_379568270856890_3016604479351123257_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From there we walked down to the <b>Sagrada Familia</b>. I'll never forget the moment we turned a busy corner and it was just, there! The most beautiful building I have ever seen. Even though I'd seen so many photos of it I could not get over it in real life. I'm glad we were told by our tour guide to book tickets in advance to go inside as it was so busy when we arrived for our slot. And going inside was even more amazing! Wow it was just incredible. I'm so glad we discovered the museum underneath while looking for the toilets because that was just amazing too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBy0Vo5lhgBMcUTGZ-MHNi8I2L6DahKWlb3zK8HUidGcQYRJNl2cXTDjlItGY97wRlpc642QzRFggAz8B5Ln1lN0FoDRAj9j03zG3mRubJq5GmO356DMdN9d3Kvd8tfP9POZabxDqQ4K17qbF5sDu4CINEYAPvsErKV8YPLN75CyAMlyIlqmku9AkX/s1343/279549878_376674897719672_3473356570696591291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBy0Vo5lhgBMcUTGZ-MHNi8I2L6DahKWlb3zK8HUidGcQYRJNl2cXTDjlItGY97wRlpc642QzRFggAz8B5Ln1lN0FoDRAj9j03zG3mRubJq5GmO356DMdN9d3Kvd8tfP9POZabxDqQ4K17qbF5sDu4CINEYAPvsErKV8YPLN75CyAMlyIlqmku9AkX/w321-h400/279549878_376674897719672_3473356570696591291_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the Barcelona sun and general vibes, drinking Sangria and eating tapas and wandering around La Rambla (and buying some <i>very official</i> Barclona shirts) before heading to the Nou Camp to <b>watch Barcelona</b>. We were actually hoping to grab some food near the stadium and really struggled, but can confirm a cheese sandwich and a bag of crisps at the Nou Camp did the job! The match was great fun and the atmosphere was amazing. We had a brilliant time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our flight was back early on Monday but it just gave us enough time to go for a walk around <b><a href="http://www.boqueria.barcelona/home">La Boqueria</a></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> market hall and get some excellent baked goods and smoothies!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Barcelona was so so so so worth the wait. It's honestly the best city break I've ever been on - I'm already desperate to go back!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seven books read in April:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">That Green Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Sentence by Louise Erdich</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wet Paint by Chloe Ashby</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Promising Young Women by Caroline O Donoghue</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really love Caroline O'Donoghue's podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sentimental-garbage/id1444729607">Sentimental Garbage</a> and despite having a couple of her books on my kindle, I hadn't read any of them, so I really enjoyed reading <b>Promising Young Women</b> (not to be confused, as I did originally, with the film Promising Young Woman!).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The new Otessa Moshfegh, <b>Lapvona</b>, is as weird and brilliant as I expect from her. This one is definitely going to divide and confuse people, and I'm always here for the discourse.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally I really liked Chloe Ashby's <b>Wet Paint.</b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two new-to-me (but not new!) films at home in April of <b>The Handmaiden </b>and <b>Everybody Wants Some!! </b>plus a trip to the cinema to see <b>The Northman</b>, which I realllllly did not fancy and ended up enjoying a lot!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the Northman we also rewatched Robert Eggers' <b>The Witch</b> which I still absolutely love.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've also started to watch <b>Severance</b> which I am just soooooo into. It's just so dark and weird and smart. I am obsessed.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/on-loving-a-company-that-doesnt-know?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MjY4MjU2NCwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjUwODExNjc0LCJleHAiOjE2NTA4MTUyNzQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNDUwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.kdAU-xLuPSav00UZF1-oRqlxXKQ8Fx3gehlTCXR4S24&s=r">brilliant piece from Culture Study about Peloton</a>, and <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-feast-of-severance?s=r">the piece that made me start watching Severance</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My fave, Bethany Rutter, <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a39647099/interview-bethany-rutter/">on writing fat main characters, in Cosmo</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've reread this piece so many times already - <a href="https://inews.co.uk/opinion/greg-james-worrying-about-the-small-things-in-life-ive-got-an-idea-for-you-1581170?ito=social_ifb_theipaper&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3LdPm_KQWJGZX-YtD08RrjU36c9T0-rJp_Y6tju-nyLiQXG_xm2Gr-77U#Echobox=1650293039">Greg James on worrying about things that don't matter</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two excellent but depressing pieces on the cost of living - Jack Monroe doing what they do best, <a href="https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/04/12/its-not-about-the-pasta-kevin-jack-monroe/?amp=1">responding to idiots on Twitter who don't understand poverty</a> and <a href="https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/heat-the-human-not-the-home-save-energy/">Money Saving Expert tips on keeping warm without the heating</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love this fascinating piece on a <a href="https://www.inputmag.com/culture/will-white-tiktok-fandom-gen-x-middle-age-women-drama">TikTok star exploiting his middle-aged audience</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">An excellent <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/overtraining-syndrome-burnout-rest?utm_source=pocket_mylist">Buzzfeed essay on the dangers of overtraining</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Absolutely loved this from Haley Nahman - "<a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/95-are-you-baby-a-litmus-test?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MTQ2Mjc0MCwiXyI6IkprQ29mIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ4OTkyMDk0LCJleHAiOjE2NDg5OTU2OTQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.5dzTdA36Lo8CbkOE1vlUP5w4zRiQehZyN1eokq9fOow&s=r">Are you a baby? A litmus test</a>"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, my monthly Virgina Sole-Smith appreciation -<a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-visible-abs?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MTEzNzQwMiwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ4NzI2NjM0LCJleHAiOjE2NDg3MzAyMzQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi03NTY3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.nLCkrAb-veJNnkDr_s_pwaTgR5iVV0LiK-9Jb0Yhrqg&s=r"> The Myth of Visible Abs</a> and this piece, <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/no-one-needs-your-workout-selfies?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MjM0MDUzMiwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjUwMzYxODY1LCJleHAiOjE2NTAzNjU0NjUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi03NTY3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.sJXNLG1riwBfCafEIUuPjUQ70SKeirOX3UWExfewLG8&s=r">No-one Needs Your Workout Selfies </a>which made me think a LOT</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'll be back soon - hope you're having a great May!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-87751282510653512482022-04-06T19:49:00.002+01:002022-04-06T20:22:00.434+01:00March Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh March. March was just the best.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbxvSKUFPUg/">One Second Every Day</a> for the month of March).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">March is a huge month for me - it starts with Phil's Birthday and ends with mine, plus we have Bobby's birthday in the middle and the Birthdays of lots of my closest friends too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But because of this the last few Marches have been tough. Two years ago lockdown happened just a week before my 30th Birthday, and even last year we could only see my family and friends outdoors and no shops, restaurants or bars were open.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But this year, finally, I was able to have the Birthday I'd dreamed of for two years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Despite the fact we've had rain and even snow this week, March brought with it the promise of spring. I'm on my second bunch of daffodils, Bobby has resumed his favourite garden spot in the middle of the flowerbed and we've even had our first BBQ of the year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've seen loads of our family and friends, had dinner parties and Birthday parties and trips to restaurants and pubs and all those things we so desperately missed the last two years. The whole month I felt very grateful for all the things I could do</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The day after my Birthday I received an email, from myself. I had absolutely no recollection of it, but the day after my Birthday last year I'd sent myself a letter via <a href="https://www.futureme.org/">FutureMe</a>. This is something I do sometimes, usually around New Year's Day, but I had no idea I'd done this last year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">2021-me asked 2022-me, "were you able to go for a meal this year? Did you get to see people?". Past me worried about the new job I was about to start, the job I've been at a year this week. Past me worried about loads of things that don't cross my mind now. It was so reassuring and refreshing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And yes, I was able to go out for a meal for my Birthday. And it was oneof the best meals I've had in my life. And yes, I went out with all of my best friends and drank cocktails and sung so hard my throat was wrecked for days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">March, you've been the best. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHOyEEk7y2ukfz86MAvMbXHgkZdufm8WluXzEDk29Fla0Wl6A-PSwYvB61vrnM9ZHb5pA990kbEJkJXbReC7wQeyQHPP_iRyNkBWyZq3vGmAy7JZ9iQkgvnfyzl4ImbdPvTA23Y0Mv9UCEUEx95_ZRZjBUNqjacm6fubkcOVKHWbybuAReewSKnZ6/s4032/IMG-9001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHOyEEk7y2ukfz86MAvMbXHgkZdufm8WluXzEDk29Fla0Wl6A-PSwYvB61vrnM9ZHb5pA990kbEJkJXbReC7wQeyQHPP_iRyNkBWyZq3vGmAy7JZ9iQkgvnfyzl4ImbdPvTA23Y0Mv9UCEUEx95_ZRZjBUNqjacm6fubkcOVKHWbybuAReewSKnZ6/w480-h640/IMG-9001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">March starts with Phil's Birthday <span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">which, as a person who loves giving presents and celebrating literally everything, I absolutely love. We went to the pub and for a lovely meal at Phil's favourite local Italian and I baked him a Victoria Sponge.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of the presents I got for Phil was a Japanese Whisky Tasting set. Phil got really into whisky a couple of years ago but we kept hearing about Japanese whisky which he hadn't tried much of. We decided to make a night of it and had a <b>Japanese night.</b> We bought sushi and gyoza and I made the most amazing tempura vegetables (so easy! So tasty! Why haven't I done this before!) and we tried all the whiskies. It was so much fun and such a nice way to spread his Birthday out for longer.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT55HuKR7oYrBk1fXMEkvX9Yc81Gor38htxjgSMvkf8QO3-Zuk0lDljOg3APto2MCynXN_rShqy-39YBx4qmbGuIda8PL9WArjbmCRw0pthgZYaVWaXGK6gtE7niskSCkqEUhwAf5_kNBCxdYG7x4Qx9RRZ0iWi-b0n5a6Lczmkcf4sgteU0CtkcNY/s4032/IMG-9520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT55HuKR7oYrBk1fXMEkvX9Yc81Gor38htxjgSMvkf8QO3-Zuk0lDljOg3APto2MCynXN_rShqy-39YBx4qmbGuIda8PL9WArjbmCRw0pthgZYaVWaXGK6gtE7niskSCkqEUhwAf5_kNBCxdYG7x4Qx9RRZ0iWi-b0n5a6Lczmkcf4sgteU0CtkcNY/w480-h640/IMG-9520.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>As I mentioned in the intro, for the first time in 3 years I was finally able to do something for my Birthday, and I wanted to finally have the 30th Birthday night out I'd have planned in 2020. And guys, it happened. It finally happened! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Me and a bunch of my favourite people went for the most amazing night at <b><a href="https://www.ultimatepowerclub.com/">Ultimate Power</a></b>, I screamed so much I lost my voice for days, I stayed out til after 2am (!), my two best friends arranged for me to have the most amazing 30 & 2 balloons. It was just everything I had been dreaming of for the last two years. I can't believe it finally happened! It was the best!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjTh4AaoIkG_wZeesUJFoTwBFt9hbVBOdoIdhq8UfyHd05VIBjZXiZegdOrFor7R0aABo-95fzsUO8-VvhBBuGAjh-_jlfCWwsAl9Ulyq21ofCK-Sfo5YKhZIxwYpEC7z-65lePKpQhEs-3xoJ9yDucphgSIcdq-N784w0lSXp8z_5bP9gwniA4VD/s1800/277745642_10158467986721921_2676073663775836437_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjTh4AaoIkG_wZeesUJFoTwBFt9hbVBOdoIdhq8UfyHd05VIBjZXiZegdOrFor7R0aABo-95fzsUO8-VvhBBuGAjh-_jlfCWwsAl9Ulyq21ofCK-Sfo5YKhZIxwYpEC7z-65lePKpQhEs-3xoJ9yDucphgSIcdq-N784w0lSXp8z_5bP9gwniA4VD/w512-h640/277745642_10158467986721921_2676073663775836437_n.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And then there was my actual </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Birthday! </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had the absolute best day ever! We got up and did presents (Phil got me a </span><a href="https://cheesegeek.mention-me.com/m/ol/ti4vp-philip-cantillon" style="font-family: georgia;">Cheese Geek subscription</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> - I've linked to his referral code if you want to try it with £10 off, and I'll have more on this next month!) and then we did exactly what we did last year and went to </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Dunham Massey. </b><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHuDjfarT3dJkbPwzC5y1nfiyxTN94XCNaMzv4-yOwrqGRVspJAtiwDy2yyZXPqikkQ2o4FhQnfdJLVnvBeIeQY2nso6RNavqAu9e4s0fuLUadsIEggzYYGk5aBJkBpFDaYX2aC-1D7N4IWL5-xO089yofiiqowe-i-06116glp3-VOWeSC5VRSnR/s4032/IMG-9130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHuDjfarT3dJkbPwzC5y1nfiyxTN94XCNaMzv4-yOwrqGRVspJAtiwDy2yyZXPqikkQ2o4FhQnfdJLVnvBeIeQY2nso6RNavqAu9e4s0fuLUadsIEggzYYGk5aBJkBpFDaYX2aC-1D7N4IWL5-xO089yofiiqowe-i-06116glp3-VOWeSC5VRSnR/w480-h640/IMG-9130.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The weather was nowhere near as nice as last year but I didn't care one bit. We had a lovely walk with Bob and then took him to the pub (this is quite a new thing to us as parents of a reactive dog and super exciting! He was a very good boy) and then we went to my parent's for the delicious <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sticky-stem-ginger-cake-lemon-icing">sticky ginger cake</a> Phil had made me. And then we went out to <b><a href="https://www.wtlgi.co/">Where the Light Gets In</a>.</b></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxJq3Y5lIJAMBSrqJmSB24UCqtagxA0lK7e3na16oIWNv74q9O9ESsHwV8lBBCT3daKxurigyLPwth2MSpTCcc2_PwQxOAvb8zDzL6Np9Jmlu5kmS7zZKa0Hx7CpicAsQygPPo3j_Y2V3FmMCja5O8OtL62pSSau2jtUk66cYOXHzrUKgqT_enHH6/s531/birthday%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="383" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxJq3Y5lIJAMBSrqJmSB24UCqtagxA0lK7e3na16oIWNv74q9O9ESsHwV8lBBCT3daKxurigyLPwth2MSpTCcc2_PwQxOAvb8zDzL6Np9Jmlu5kmS7zZKa0Hx7CpicAsQygPPo3j_Y2V3FmMCja5O8OtL62pSSau2jtUk66cYOXHzrUKgqT_enHH6/w462-h640/birthday%201.png" width="462" /></a></div><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where the Light Gets In is a restaurant in Stockport which I've wanted to go to ever since this <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/26/where-the-light-gets-in-stockport-greater-manchester-restaurant-review-marin-oloughlin">review in the Guardian</a> a few years ago. It's on the Michelin guide and has a Green Michelin star. I was so excited to finally be able to go! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had 10 absolutely incredible courses - honestly one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. The chefs came over to introduce every dish (and they all wished me a Happy Birthday!), and I loved the cabaret-style seating with all the tables facing the open-plan kitchen. It was absolutely beautiful and just the absolute best evening. I hope we get a chance to go back again!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vladimir by Julia May Jones</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Woman, Eating by Claire Kodha</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ocean State by Stewart O Nan</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Odyssey by Lara Williams</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Violets by Shin Kyung-sook</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Get Rich or Lie Trying by Symeon Brown</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">What We Don't Talk About When we Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">10 books in March, plus my long-awaited return to audiobooks! I listened to <b>Get Rich or Lie Trying </b>and <b>What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat</b> on audio which was a fantastic return to the medium after close to a year's worth of Audible credits racking up!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourites in March were <b>We Had to Remove This Post</b>, <b>Woman, Eating, </b>and <b>Cleopatra and Frankenstein</b>, but the best book I read in March was unsurprisingly, Aubrey Gordon's </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'd actually started this book last year but had to stop because it was making me too sad! I was actually glad Aubrey wasn't narrating it herself as I adore her and the stories of the treatment she has received purely for existing in her body was heartbreaking. If you are a fan of her incredible podcast, <a href="https://www.maintenancephase.com/">Maintenance Phase</a> you should definitely read this book. It's so important to hear voices like hers and just like Maintenance Phase it debunks so many common myths about weight.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two cinema trips in March to see two films I adored, first </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">The Batman</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> which I loved, and then Norwegian film, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The Worst Person in the World</b> which is tied with Licorice Pizza as my favourite film of the year so far.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also bonus cinema trip to see a St Patrick's Day showing of the 25th Anniversary of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Riverdance</b>, which was a great laugh.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've just renewed our Disney Plus subscription so two new-to-me Disney films with the excellent </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Turning Red</b> and my first time watching </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Monsters University.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And two rewatches - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Get Out</b> and <b>An </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>American Werewolf in London, </b>which I feel like we watch at least once a year because it is a masterpiece.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I wrote</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm currently in training for my 10th half marathon so I wrote <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/03/how-im-using-peloton-to-train-for-my.html"><b>this post on how I'm using Peloton to train for it</b>.</a></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've been thinking a lot about this article from TED on <b><a href="https://ideas.ted.com/which-of-these-6-time-traps-is-eating-up-all-your-time/?utm_campaign=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2022-03-06">six time traps which steal your time</a>. </b>I've thought for a long time about the idea of time being a more important commodity than money and this definitely food for thought.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also loved this article on <b><a href="https://www.headspace.com/articles/building-a-meditation-practice">why you shouldn't become obsessed with keeping a streak</a></b>, from Headspace.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My monthly dose of Virginia Sole-Smith, this time from 2020, <b><a href="https://www.health.com/mind-body/virginia-sole-smith-metoo-body-positivity-health-at-every-size">Being Thin is Just Another Way We Try to Follow 'the Rules'—but at What Cost?</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And another fantastic piece from Anne Helen Petersen on something I'm hearing a lot about at the moment - <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/a-case-of-zoom-dysmorphia?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJfIjoiWGJ6bGUiLCJpYXQiOjE2NDcxODIxNzEsImV4cCI6MTY0NzE4NTc3MSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTI0NTAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.LUHTrUCBtvX1kmz4C6ptVd2WjyRMFNFTX4f541E8DD0&s=r"><b>Zoom Dysmorphia</b></a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two really depressing but important articles on the current cost of living crisis -<b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/09/cost-of-living-crisis-fatal-some-uk-children-jack-monroe-food-writer-tells-mps"> this fantastic piece from Jack Monroe</a> </b>in the Guardian and this piece on the <b><a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/universal-credit-struggle-uk?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=uk&utm_campaign=220313-weekly-horoscope">reality of living on universal credit.</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love this piece from Haley Nahman on <b><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/93-5-new-terms-that-i-made-up?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MDYwNzMzNCwiXyI6IjJoMjNrIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ3Nzg3OTM1LCJleHAiOjE2NDc3OTE1MzUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.BqzdPRXYEqctgnxweZNC2BTUN_gMfdbkGRCtpltcYWQ&s=r">terms she made up during lockdown</a></b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm obsessed with Caroline Calloway, so I obviously <b><a href="https://www.curbed.com/2022/03/caroline-calloway-moves-out-of-her-apartment.html?utm_medium=s1&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=nym">loved this editorial on her</a></b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, this fun piece from The Guardian on <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/mar/08/i-went-from-basic-to-flamboyant-overnight-the-people-who-transformed-their-style-in-their-50s-60s-and-70s">people who discovered a new style in their 50s, 60s and 70s.</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catch up soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div></div><p></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-57961165698038515302022-03-31T12:36:00.000+01:002022-03-31T12:36:34.260+01:00How I'm using Peloton to train for my 10th half marathon<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4PZV9WHTomqtoFEWfGX8ezf_48t_fIRJ1HpeSJz6rxE3gMplmppVrlu-0aKpPskNWkDNwEo1hPVHIMi877oLbp7-BAyRJKCx7xzIbjkKKoZMhfNGiqqxClW3z06908Kz8c4AgsbY45vXveKLw5b5Lh8WCVzex9NCob0CPOE0EoJALtkUIDQo3KrE/s600/Peloton%20half%20marathon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4PZV9WHTomqtoFEWfGX8ezf_48t_fIRJ1HpeSJz6rxE3gMplmppVrlu-0aKpPskNWkDNwEo1hPVHIMi877oLbp7-BAyRJKCx7xzIbjkKKoZMhfNGiqqxClW3z06908Kz8c4AgsbY45vXveKLw5b5Lh8WCVzex9NCob0CPOE0EoJALtkUIDQo3KrE/w640-h320/Peloton%20half%20marathon.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Despite the tagline of my blog being "running, food, lifestyle, lipstick", I don't really talk about running much here anymore! I guess that's for two reasons - I don't really have much to say about running and I don't really like talking about running!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I'm currently in the middle of training for my 10th half marathon and I've been thinking on those loooooong Sunday runs about how much I love using Peloton Digital for my training.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I know I've banged on about Peloton plenty of times here on this blog. (I wrote about <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/why-im-obsessed-with-peloton-digital.html">how much I loved Peloton Digital</a> back in January 2021 and then in November we caved and got ourselves a Peloton bike (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/01/we-got-peloton-bike-and-heres-what-we.html">and I wrote about that here</a>)). In that original post over a year ago I talked about starting to use the outdoor running content but I think I'd only done one or two classes and I definitely hadn't used any of the Tread workouts outside.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now, with the except of parkrun, I almost never run without a Peloton Digital class (or two, or three) loaded up.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Half marathon training with Peloton Digital</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I talked in my post about getting our Peloton about using the Mastering the Basics program on the bike to give myself some structure and routine when we first got the bike, as well as, well, mastering the basics. I talked about while the program was really helpful, it was a bit restrictive and lacked flexibility.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peloton does actually have a marathon program (and I have used some of the classes in my training - more on this later) but not a half marathon one, but honestly, given the inflexibility of the programs I'm not sure even if a half marathon program was offered it would be something I would use.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instead, I use my tried-and-tested <a href="https://www.halhigdon.com/training/half-marathon-training/">Hal Higdon half marathon plans</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've used Hal Higdon's plans for every single half marathon (and the one marathon) I've ever run, and with nine under my belt now I know what works for me. I always adapt the plan to suit me - Saturday runs are parkruns, I never run more than 3 miles in the week, I extend the training plan to 16 weeks and I always include two 10 and two 12 mile runs if I can squeeze them in (I definitely feel the benefit on race day if I managed to get those extra miles in my legs). I've also learned that 5 days of running per week is too much for me, and usually do 4 days of running plus at least one rest day and some strength and cross training.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My week usually looks like this:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday - cross train</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tuesday - speed (alternating tempo runs and 400m interval runs each week)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesday - cross train</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thursday - 3 mile run</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Friday - rest</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Saturday - parkrun</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sunday - long run (6-12 miles)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now this is just my plan and I am no expert! This is just what has worked for me over the years. There are always a few days I miss due to being ill or a weekend of runs I miss for being away, but I usually try to stick to a structure like this. Every Sunday I add a mile or two to my long runs, and every Tuesday I add time to the tempo portion of my tempo workout or an extra interval to my speed work (as per the <a href="https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/half-marathon-training/intermediate-2-half-marathon/">Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan</a> which is the one I follow).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also have weak glutes (thanks to both being a runner and sitting down all day at work) so I try to incorporate some glute-specific strengthening work a few times a week to protect my knees. I use Peloton for this too - I love <a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/strength?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=44f8b81bdbb6484c8a54ebc333577bb8">Matt Wilpers' 10 minute Strength for Runners class</a> for this, plus <a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/strength?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=cde21df617e74336bb59cabc65b40ce7">Hannah Corbin's barre classes</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">When it comes to using Peloton, on Mondays my cross training is usually a mix of the bike, plus some of Peloton's brilliant Strength for Runners classes, and maybe some core or other strength, Tuesday I either use one of the Peloton Marathon Training program tempo runs (while I don't do the actual program, <a href="https://www.pelobuddy.com/road-to-26-2-part-1-program/">Pelobuddy has a link</a> to all the workouts in the program so you can access them without committing to the program itself, and the tempo runs are just fantastic so I'm following those every other week), or I do my 400m intervals using my Garmin (one of my few runs with no Peloton!), Wednesday is usually another bike or strength day, then Thursday I do a 30 minute Peloton run (usually an outdoor class), Saturday is parkrun and Sunday is my long run.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For my Sunday long runs, I really love Peloton's stacking tool. This allows you to add multiple runs together. For some reason, they don't have any runs over 60 minutes, so in order to hit my mileage I need to stack a few runs together. The only downside with this is they don't autoplay, so I have to grab my phone to move onto the next workout when one finishes. I really hope they add this feature soon!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For pretty much every half marathon I run, I'm aiming for a time just under 2 hours, unless I've had any injuries. My PB is 1:59:20, and I've ran 1:59 three times, so on the day I'm aiming for a pace of around 9:07 minutes per mile. Most training plans recommend running your long runs 60-90 seconds per mile slower than your goal pace, so I aim to run my long runs around a 10 minute mile pace. Which makes things super easy when it comes to working out how long my Peloton stack needs to be!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I always start out my long run with a <a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/stretching?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=f64da869b5ca430591482d9a4e8dddb5">Matt Wilpers 5 minute pre-run stretch</a>, so I stack this first, and I always end with the same <a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/stretching?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=f9772930ece44e039015252dbdfd5f42">Rebecca Kennedy 10 minute post-run stretch</a>, so both of these always go into my stack. Then the filling of my stack depends on the length of my run.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peloton's 60 minute content for outdoor is pretty woeful, with only 3 classes, but there is plenty of content for the Tread that is over 60 minutes. On my long runs I tend to ignore most of the callouts anyway but it's really easy to run a Tread run outside - just speed up when they say to speed up, and then you can either speed up for the incline increases or just ignore them, especially if you're running around hills as I do!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favourite 60 minute outdoor run is a<a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/running?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=738c17d87fb7426e82c4f096ad6b3100"> 60 minute Becs Gentry Marathon Prep run</a>, and when I'm training I basically do this exact same run every week. Yep, every single week. I probably know it word for word now. It's a great run and you're encouraged to run super slowly and increase your pace gradually throughout the run, so it's just perfect for a Sunday long run.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But it's only 60 minutes! So while that's fine for a 6 mile run for me, when it comes to the following week and I've got 7 miles, what then? Well that's when I add on a 10 minute warm up run from the Tread selection. I run that first, then have my 60 minute run ready next in my stack.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Once I get to 8 miles, I have a favourite Chase Tucker 20 minute <a href="https://members.onepeloton.com/classes/running?modal=classDetailsModal&classId=4dd845c3696f4607a1712c7de95d7bdc">Punk Rock Run</a>, which I add on after Becs' 60 minute run, taking me to 80 minutes. Then for 9 miles I do the same as 8, plus an extra 10 minute warm up. For 10 miles, I do a 10 minute warm up, a 60 minute run, then a 30 minute run, then finally for my 12 hour run I stack two 60 minute runs together.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">With the exception of Becs' 60 minute run which is a marathon training run anyway and perfectly paced, I mostly ignore the cues in the run (especially if I add on a short fast 20-30 minute run at the end of my stack when I'm already spent!) but I love the feeling of having someone talking to me while I run, reminding me to check my form and coaching me throughout. I also love someone else taking control of the music - all I have to do is run!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's been a real game-changer for me to run with Peloton, especially as those long Sunday runs can be a bit boring! But even in the week, I love choosing the run I'm going to do for my morning runs the night before and adding it to my schedule. After running 9 half marathons it's so refreshing to do something different.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've been asked a few times about using the bike now I'm training and the reality is I'm not using it as much, as I knew that when I got it! I just physically can't cycle much on top of running, and I've definitely noticed a decrease in my cycling fitness as I've started my running training again. And that's okay! I love the rides I do do on Wednesdays and sometimes Mondays, and I'm excited to be be back on the bike after this race (before I start training again in July for my October half marathon!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hit me up if you have any questions about Peloton Digital!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-87249672487096560032022-03-05T14:26:00.002+00:002022-03-05T14:33:23.189+00:00February Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So it's somehow March already! March is one of my favourite months of the year - nearly all my favourite people (plus my favourite dog, and myself!) have March Birthdays so it's always a month of fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It also feels like spring is in the air, and I think like everyone else I'm doing my best to find signs of positivity in the world right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am in no way the right person to be talking about the state of the world right now, but it feels wrong to not acknowledge it at the same time. I'll just direct you to<a href="https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=c57652c13c9dc67f231eb9ee1&id=32657a8626"> this newsletter of Karen's</a> -she is much better than I am at talking about ways to help support Ukraine right now, as well as ways to look after yourself if you're finding it all a bit too much.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I still want to reflect on the positives of February here, even if it's just for me to look back on. Sometimes it's an act of self-care for me to remember the good things going on and also, for me, writing is cathartic, which is why I'm still doing this 12 years later.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaiFV12lPHf/">One Second Every Day for February</a> and below is everything I got up to...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">February brought with it a special Birthday for my mother-in-law Helen, so we all went to <b>Centre Parcs</b> for the weekend!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyf6rNNzOdV-hqXcEbERjRRqU16dZwC-GNNj0XlZ8gwJ9qeOCXx11gHqeMjkoASadqtaVxlqe4Mbdt6Ny_8w6jmcBtQmjrYKIHG9KkhUkmtcBNBM7fhQaD8n_WRZC3Njpyx6V0yP8bJkmleAeeaj0HenUYKAW_uULqKpqvsrJ3Eh6qDMY7NTJDGxQ2=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyf6rNNzOdV-hqXcEbERjRRqU16dZwC-GNNj0XlZ8gwJ9qeOCXx11gHqeMjkoASadqtaVxlqe4Mbdt6Ny_8w6jmcBtQmjrYKIHG9KkhUkmtcBNBM7fhQaD8n_WRZC3Njpyx6V0yP8bJkmleAeeaj0HenUYKAW_uULqKpqvsrJ3Eh6qDMY7NTJDGxQ2=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I discovered I am very bad at archery, remembered that I love playing badminton and Phil and I managed to get 3 people to join us on our parkrun tourism to Sherwood Pines. The weather was drizzly most of the weekend but we still had a great time playing board games, eating cake and relaxing.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXe3f2Qd1Tj1hl4k_L3dnJc6Iji9bQD-q5yNZURnYCETOauD0HGv-i23QKw2SV_NWzNc98g358mF003YcacJ3XwEqjJBdYAFBwAfusVbqqXWCYybL_3phHobp_110UEyZLqhREZBNoV8N9BrmMLtH0CYp7E5MHTdfl3rVyW6M0csYuSiErWdMuFU0M=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXe3f2Qd1Tj1hl4k_L3dnJc6Iji9bQD-q5yNZURnYCETOauD0HGv-i23QKw2SV_NWzNc98g358mF003YcacJ3XwEqjJBdYAFBwAfusVbqqXWCYybL_3phHobp_110UEyZLqhREZBNoV8N9BrmMLtH0CYp7E5MHTdfl3rVyW6M0csYuSiErWdMuFU0M=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As well as the trip to Centre Parcs, we had another surprise planned for Helen - a trip to </span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.alcotraz.co.uk/locations/manchester/">Alcotraz</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;">, a prison-themed cocktail bar and theatre experience. I really don't want to say too much because it's best if you go knowing as little as possible, but let's just say we had an absolutely brilliant time and it was even better than I expected!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXIAxAC2IN-a8Uj0Ra_5eVzYcHjDS9oglPNo-NtwsOkFfE73Y2ezChsBGC0B28tzWW6Tkj1FI9-44sRylC3B2yaA7EUs_ylaBwUPw_ftUS8szVv3cJ5STQTRJuVI6oQyXaAodYxHv6BtZLiHuYH-HQxdUwsEJo1yvnk-YdYAPvhEZzx_GXM7Ae0iBb=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXIAxAC2IN-a8Uj0Ra_5eVzYcHjDS9oglPNo-NtwsOkFfE73Y2ezChsBGC0B28tzWW6Tkj1FI9-44sRylC3B2yaA7EUs_ylaBwUPw_ftUS8szVv3cJ5STQTRJuVI6oQyXaAodYxHv6BtZLiHuYH-HQxdUwsEJo1yvnk-YdYAPvhEZzx_GXM7Ae0iBb=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am forever grateful to work for a company as fantastic as Pets at Home, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">and one of my favourite things about working for Pets is how committed the business is to our values and to giving back to the community. As part of that commitment we all have to do one charity day per year. So last week my CRM team visited a local park (which actually used to be our home parkrun course back when we lived in town!) to </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">help out at their pets corner.</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> We cut down trees, weeded gardens, fed the goats and chickens and rabbits and helped make a secure enclosure for the ducks! It was so much fun and so nice to be able to give back to the local community.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last week was particularly social for me, starting with my charity day leading into going out for my Nan's 90th Birthday. Then a bar in Stockport was doing an <b>emo night</b> and obviously I had to go! We had the best time singing along to our favourite songs from 2008 (even though if I'm honest, it's mostly what I listen to 90% of the time anyway!). I also went to Stockport's Foodie Friday night with some friends, and then on Saturday I did yet another trip into Stockport for a tour of <b><a href="https://www.stockport-gin.com/pages/our-shop-and-distillery">Stockport Gin's Distillery</a>.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjT2w1h1z4uxOiE_0xf9JiOe5OD3kdRsYM9nhtXXkbU00Gj2nqWAJQpu_-YiQZM5GizTcnAZ27PgHbX01AA6vmL7NHiJ-vQysKJhytG5YfKEq7yHLQm5aFoPfSZmMT7mCsdiGPmaPSUc54neXp4aT3Vt21H8MuzIc-L-x_e1bKdpdF0R-TkMlgqRG9=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjT2w1h1z4uxOiE_0xf9JiOe5OD3kdRsYM9nhtXXkbU00Gj2nqWAJQpu_-YiQZM5GizTcnAZ27PgHbX01AA6vmL7NHiJ-vQysKJhytG5YfKEq7yHLQm5aFoPfSZmMT7mCsdiGPmaPSUc54neXp4aT3Vt21H8MuzIc-L-x_e1bKdpdF0R-TkMlgqRG9=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The gin distillery tour was actually a Christmas gift for my Mum, Phil's Mum and his sister for Christmas, but obviously I got myself a ticket too! Stockport Gin is fairly new, and was started by husband and wife Paul and Cheryl, who were both passionate about gin but realised Stockport didn't have its own distillery. The tour was so interesting and so personal to Paul who led the tour, and the gin itself is absolutely fantastic. I really recommend booking on if you live in the area - plus it's a great gift!</span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In February I hit a new Peloton milestone - my <b>100th ride</b>! <a href="https://misspond.com/">Emma from Miss Pond</a> joined me on my ride and I got lots of high fives plus a shout of from Bradley, one of my favourite instructors! (I did find out from my shout out though that my Peloton name, which was ccantillon, is quite hard to pronounce, so now I'm iloveparkrun - very me!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ6Q1d9mv0ZXqZzNfFH8r-6G7SjrRaOUZtF0ExAPOXb8I8_mpNAevPTWx68Jaj-RX437ZDUem0dyPJ4nCgm5VW3wUWeYvx8gZ6VaPq_5B5VOhTST4lhGQ9f5y9ABslcyspwgNwvNkroEui_8YeqL2DgnKRICPnqDmUCP9uFgDwAABcZ8MdMtn2R5Uh=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ6Q1d9mv0ZXqZzNfFH8r-6G7SjrRaOUZtF0ExAPOXb8I8_mpNAevPTWx68Jaj-RX437ZDUem0dyPJ4nCgm5VW3wUWeYvx8gZ6VaPq_5B5VOhTST4lhGQ9f5y9ABslcyspwgNwvNkroEui_8YeqL2DgnKRICPnqDmUCP9uFgDwAABcZ8MdMtn2R5Uh=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A not-widely-known Peloton benefit is that if you're an all-access member (eg. you have a Peloton Bike or Tread), you get a free <b><a href="https://pelotoncenturyclub.com/">Century Club tshirt</a></b> when you hit 100 activities in any one category! So with 100 rides, I was eligible! I did have to contact customer services to get my code but it arrived within a few days and it's super soft and nice! It's cotton so not for exercising in, but I love it for around the house.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've also just discovered Peloton's new game, <b><a href="https://support.onepeloton.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4417822245652-Peloton-Lanebreak">Lanebreak</a>. </b>It's a really fun challenge as a bit of a change from regular rides. I'm excited to see what other new innovations they have this year!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not a massive reading month in February thanks to so much going on, with only 6 books read:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sundial by Catriona Ward</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Candy House by Jennifer Egan</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">How to Kill your Family by Bella Mackie</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the Seeing Hands of Others by Nat Ogle</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had another mixed-bag month! Usually if I have a low reading month it's because I've not been super into what I've been reading so I've been choosing to spend my time in other ways (when I love what I'm reading I will read at every single second I get!). However, towards the end of the month I had a really good period, by favourites being <b>How to Kill Your Family </b>which I found great fun, and my favourite book of the month, <b>Notes on an Execution.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also a really low film month with only 3 films watched! A rewatch of </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Freaky Friday</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (the Lindsay Lohan version), which hits differently when you're 31 and identify much more with the Jamie Lee Curtis character, </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Dog Day Afternoon</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> which I'd never seen before and loved, and despite how much I love Jesse Plemons, I found </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">The Power of the Dog</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> utterly mind-numbing (sorry!!!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I always think it's so clever when podcasts I love feature other podcasts I'd never heard of, so thanks to my favourite <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring">Decoder Ring</a> I am now obsessed with </span><b style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.wbur.org/podcasts/endlessthread">Endless Thread</a></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.wbur.org/podcasts/endlessthread"> </a>and am listening to years of episodes from the start!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My fave, Anne Helen Petersen<a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-horror-the-horror-of-the-peloton-a75"> on the Peloton "plateau" panic</a> and how everyone just needs to chill out about it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">She's also got me obsessed with these twin college influencers and<a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-baylor-influencer-twin-sex-positive?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJfIjoiUkl1VU4iLCJpYXQiOjE2NDQxNjI0MjMsImV4cCI6MTY0NDE2NjAyMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI0NTAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.BdoNPTQId-KyNnU4t5COg__yvvdVqhmP23VdK-VfH2Y&s=r"> I loved her update on their glow up into sex positivity</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This brilliant newsletter by another fave who I always feature, Haley Nahman, on the <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/88-your-lowest-potential?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0ODYyOTYxMSwiXyI6IjkwRFVxIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ0NzYxMTYzLCJleHAiOjE2NDQ3NjQ3NjMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.07ghHkyTUpWNxegw2GcwgdNx__z3u06XVa_Snh2BikM&s=r">importance of your lowest potential</a> and <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/87-stupid-hobbies?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0ODA2OTMyMywiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ0MTU2NzA2LCJleHAiOjE2NDQxNjAzMDYsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.PHkJ-wyZLEX-B6Ek1Ph065ebPckQQUTKgvFeQKEKdcY&s=r">this one on "stupid hobbies"</a> which as a person with a lot of hobbies (this blog included!) I love.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My monthly reads on the anti-diet culture movement come from Virginia Sole-Smith (as always!) on <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/that-time-i-bought-56-pairs-of-jeans?s=r">buying 56 pairs of jeans (for science!)</a> and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/drew-barrymore-instyle-size-of-a-bus-fat_n_5f05fe39c5b67a80bc01ca00?d_id=3125247&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000046&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_women&fbclid=IwAR1mwQqNrlwFZbVEoxzgTuWAgCEpiceGEbQV6MMUD3w8hzd4BqqPFyMcrXo">this piece from the Huffington Post</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Slate had some great posts in Feb on both the light (<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2022/02/perfect-wordle-guessing-strategy.html?">the perfect Wordle strategy</a>) and the dark (<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2022/02/instagram-tiktok-influencer-social-media-dangers.html">an influencer weighs in on how toxic influencer culture is</a>). I personally absolutely hate influencer culture (which I've mentioned many many times before!) but I found this piece quite hard to reconcile as the author... is still an influencer? Definitely an interesting read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n03/joe-dunthorne/diary">this fun long read</a> on an author discovering something was pretending to be him online.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A great collection of <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/best-tips-ina-garten-23273589?utm_medium=k_weekly&user_email=fb80c5a0578a291c5c2ac83a607f4c1ce4463858316875be59f025181448462a&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=K%20Weekly%20Send%202022-02-05&utm_term=K%20Weekly">cooking tips from Ina Garten</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, I mentioned this in the intro but my friend and former colleague, Karen, runs her own marketing business with a regular marketing newsletter. But her edition this week didn't focus on marketing, but instead on how we can help Ukraine, and also help ourselves deal with what is happening in Ukraine. <a href="https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=c57652c13c9dc67f231eb9ee1&id=32657a8626">If you read one thing this week, make it this.</a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm planning on finally writing my review of Ruby Tandoh's Cook as You Are this month so hopefully I'll be back soon with a review of that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-14554953512166689442022-02-06T08:08:00.000+00:002022-02-06T08:08:09.371+00:00January Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like a lot of people, I have a really tough time with January. It's easy to think of reasons why - dark nights and mornings, Christmas being over, cold and wet weather. But every year it creeps up on me and I find myself having a no good very bad week at some point in mid Jan. Everything feels foggy and dark and grim and it feels like it will never end. And then, eventually, the clouds part and the sunshine creeps through.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This January was no different - one very no good very bad week yes, but also a lot of sunshine. We finally did the trip to London we'd had planned for 2 years, I did a cheese crawl of Manchester with my best friends, I ran my first 10K of the year, plus I finally ran my 250th parkrun!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZaA6BSlTIo/">One Second Every Day</a> for the month, and below is what I got up to in January.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where I went</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I said in the intro, we finally had our <b>trip to London</b> last month. As I mentioned in my <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/01/december-life-lately.html">December review</a>, we pushed this trip back again after getting a false positive Covid test just after Christmas, but in the end I'm so glad we did. The first week back at work after Christmas was so manic, and it was nice to have something to look forward to mid-month.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW6xvFJXkinuw8NYRSanU0LtfDLg4KXD_DuADjwaTZHGLqS3QcDjN99zFj2q9zu0MEgAG2xM9baBhfbGo9m-aORmWga1uiCZHVQLAfVMGLk4BoA2L7TO4rmUvC49VctjTffvbRjvuCIibhkyScLCs3jDF35zUSxt3xmJ5mA3pVjYE81Gu-1JH05_Bn=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW6xvFJXkinuw8NYRSanU0LtfDLg4KXD_DuADjwaTZHGLqS3QcDjN99zFj2q9zu0MEgAG2xM9baBhfbGo9m-aORmWga1uiCZHVQLAfVMGLk4BoA2L7TO4rmUvC49VctjTffvbRjvuCIibhkyScLCs3jDF35zUSxt3xmJ5mA3pVjYE81Gu-1JH05_Bn=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We got the train down on Friday lunchtime and after dropping our bags at the hotel we headed to Carnaby Street for a wander around the shops, and then had a quick cocktail before a pre-theatre dinner at Rosa's Thai. Then it was <b>Hamilton! </b>You might remember we saw Hamilton originally back in 2018 (back then it was its first run in London and we waited 14 months from getting our tickets to finally see the show) and Phil got me tickets to go see it again for Christmas in 2019, but thanks to Covid it's taken us two years to finally be able to go (we were originally going in April 2020). While nothing will ever compare to the first time I saw it, it was still absolutely unbelievable and there is just nothing like it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZB1vpFMEeF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>On Saturday we had an early start to get to <b>Bushy parkrun! </b>Our Bushy Pilgrimage (it's known as the pilgrimage as it's the site of the original parkrun) coincidentally coincided with my 250th parkrun! We made friends with another tourist when we arrived and ended up spending the time before and after the run with her which was so nice! I got a shoutout at the start and it was just so cool to be at the original parkrun! I'm also buzzing to finally get to 250! It's felt a long time coming especially as I was only 15 away when the pandemic hit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We had quick brunch and shower and then headed to the <b>British Library</b> as I really wanted to see the <a href="https://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library">Treasures Room</a>. I really wanted to do the tour but unfortunately it's not on at the moment due to Covid, but the room itself was still fascinating - Jane Austen's writing desk, lyrics to Beatles songs written originally written on the back of Birthday cards and even the Magna Carta! I highly recommend a visit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVmm6JuZgrhCT9l00Ar1ARWU3GOfDVrALVQutbfU8xz7_fXsq1Md9dP5C-pd-Ie6_0n02OYwubO_6UR01IAXyoV7Z3fJ7_4Raj7ZLTIOCzVqejwbfw-_TXy_Nu2cF1ilw9K0KbIWnr_EYomh_vQqm_L6Bda7nzVxV1zoy_H-l8pwLfTk_0dhQo7UAI=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVmm6JuZgrhCT9l00Ar1ARWU3GOfDVrALVQutbfU8xz7_fXsq1Md9dP5C-pd-Ie6_0n02OYwubO_6UR01IAXyoV7Z3fJ7_4Raj7ZLTIOCzVqejwbfw-_TXy_Nu2cF1ilw9K0KbIWnr_EYomh_vQqm_L6Bda7nzVxV1zoy_H-l8pwLfTk_0dhQo7UAI=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">With some time til our second theatre trip of the weekend we headed to the <b>BFI</b> for a coffee and mooch in the gift shop, and then we wandered down to Covent Garden to wander around the shops. I'd done some research and wanted to find Covent Garden Social Club, a very well-hidden <b><a href="https://coventgardensocialclub.co.uk/">cocktail bar</a></b> which happened to have the most amazing happy hour - two cocktails for £12 - even on the cocktails which were £13 each! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've gotten really into cocktails over the last couple of years, and the menu here was really unusual. For every drink, for example, an espresso martini, there was the original, an adaptation and a third version based on their rarest liquors. We had two of the "third" espresso martini which was rich and strong and chocolatey, and then we had another based on a mojito.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We needed to grab some food before the theatre, but I really didn't want to wander around the West End for hours, so we decided to have a look at the <a href="https://www.salvadorandamanda.com/"><b>Tapas bar</b></a> next to the cocktail place. It was perfect! It was buzzing at 5pm on a Saturday with great food, great music and happy hour jugs of Sangria!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2WHkTXAoSyzXwkn5D8K8JRTuMwah1-9X7_-kzKVj2Tu_1CoDB_jS-qXPA3OI8HuVedc6sfyc9xqqf4x833CYjqoAVyZGpeiYCsHVfG9oIZmOwCfS0xSGifkgmRyU799-fkGxlhS7ZzkmIXalBWAGS_qt7_bI5Okxyp9dRLsWKHchUkn-JHNmUEWGg=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2WHkTXAoSyzXwkn5D8K8JRTuMwah1-9X7_-kzKVj2Tu_1CoDB_jS-qXPA3OI8HuVedc6sfyc9xqqf4x833CYjqoAVyZGpeiYCsHVfG9oIZmOwCfS0xSGifkgmRyU799-fkGxlhS7ZzkmIXalBWAGS_qt7_bI5Okxyp9dRLsWKHchUkn-JHNmUEWGg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then we headed to our second theatre trip of the weekend, to see <b>The Shark is Broken</b>. Phil's favourite film is Jaws so he was super excited to see this play based on the making of the film. It was a really intimate theatre which I loved, and the play was really fun.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Sunday we had some time before our brunch plans so we took the Tube to <b>Regent's Park</b> and spent a few hours wandering around there. Then after picking up our bags we met some friends for a wonderful brunch in <b>Dishoom!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was such a perfect weekend and I'm just so so so grateful we were finally able to go! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZT8r7GMAOz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZT8r7GMAOz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZT8r7GMAOz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>A few days after running my 250th parkrun my <b>250 tshirt came</b>! I was so happy to finally wear it to parkrun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had plans with the girls last weekend and we were just going to go for dinner like we usually do (I had a 10K the next day so I didn't want a late one), when one of my friends sent a link round to a <b><a href="https://feverup.com/m/90667">Manchester Cheese Crawl</a></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">. And we said, why not? How often do you do something like that in your own city?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN3vuA-hsoNRR7pktTGYg0ed3j63mv9MkIEMP2JKHdCQ8xidkIBPOLSWH2uQmdq_fdz35mqWboEuy8QeIuwcDz2kI2UNTkmgIyvnv7nfL0bCCDniXn3mm7qpOFb6oItlYBolk09aWfyirHeIFePVZVz0SBz1FgKKb8ZreO5QNkBOogECEV3pA22gsi=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN3vuA-hsoNRR7pktTGYg0ed3j63mv9MkIEMP2JKHdCQ8xidkIBPOLSWH2uQmdq_fdz35mqWboEuy8QeIuwcDz2kI2UNTkmgIyvnv7nfL0bCCDniXn3mm7qpOFb6oItlYBolk09aWfyirHeIFePVZVz0SBz1FgKKb8ZreO5QNkBOogECEV3pA22gsi=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">So we bought our tickets and joined the group in St Ann's Square at 3pm. Straight away we were asked for a cheesy team name. As a huge fan of terrible puns I knew I was in the right place! I christened us the Gouda Time Girls which was very well received! The tour began with some cheese history and cheese facts, and then some excellent cheesy jokes. We found out our teams were so we could win points throughout the day to win a prize. You got points for answering questions, telling cheesy jokes or, our favourite, making up cheese versions of songs. I really want to tell you more but I don't want to spoil it if you fancy giving it a try, but we had the absolute best time! We learned so much about cheese, tried 8 different cheeses (and ended with a cheese toastie from Northern Soul!), plus got a glass of wine and some other treats through the day. We also won the points tally and won a truckle of cheese (we're planning a cheese and wine night to share the spoils!). For £25 it was the best way to spend 2 hours and we didn't stop laughing. I cannot recommend it more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWjNXiMzkf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWjNXiMzkf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWjNXiMzkf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>We ran our first race of the year last weekend at the inaugural <b>Stockport Daffodil 10K</b>. We'd heard about this on Facebook as it literally starts in Hazel Grove where we live, so we could walk to the start - a first for us! The race was great fun and fantastically well-organised plus one of the best goodie bags we've ever had!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I loved</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I said above (and have mentioned quite a few times!) Phil and I are really into making cocktails at home, and before Christmas we dipped our toe in with Negronis. We really wanted to like them, but we find Campari just too bitter. What we do love though is an <b>Aperol Negroni</b> ! We've got super into them lately and they are definitely our new favourite drink!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz-Ta48Cs-x298frI2BT6GJgNtk2g_-mhx0mihbO_M8T6-w-I_rlcfmYR4H0sCKfQ-rYzKEYrvH8mzmImf1bhgT738nBhxy0qlyJk8xZdYqBWB04C0FHT2S9biVr8L27JRtIWu2V3FLguejus50w0nEjKPBXD9TMg-JBLyxaSQ_CPxPtwL91jxGmy9=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz-Ta48Cs-x298frI2BT6GJgNtk2g_-mhx0mihbO_M8T6-w-I_rlcfmYR4H0sCKfQ-rYzKEYrvH8mzmImf1bhgT738nBhxy0qlyJk8xZdYqBWB04C0FHT2S9biVr8L27JRtIWu2V3FLguejus50w0nEjKPBXD9TMg-JBLyxaSQ_CPxPtwL91jxGmy9=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I won't go into the drama around this coat (let's just say, I waited 5 weeks in total for it to arrive, with 1 return and 3 cancelled orders) but I now finally have my <b>yellow coat of dreams</b>. It's beautiful and I love it.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I mentioned in my <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2022/01/we-got-peloton-bike-and-heres-what-we.html">Peloton post</a> we were buying the <b><a href="https://www.topformdesign.co.uk/products/the-pivot">Top Design Pivot</a></b> so we could rotate our bike screen and oh </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">my god it's brilliant. It's so good for when I want to do a ride and then some strength after.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And yes I resisted for a while but I regret waiting so long, I LOVE <b><a href="https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/">WORDLE</a>.</b> I genuinely get sad when I remember I've already done it for the day, and I love sharing my results with my friends.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Strong start to the year with 11 books read:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">At Certain Points we Touch by Lauren Joseph John</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In The End it was All About Love by Musa Okwonga</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ghosted by Jenn Ashworth</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Country will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sound Mirror by Heidi James</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Piranesi by Susanna Clarke</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Friday Gospels by Jenn Ashworth</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was very fortunate to get <b>To Paradise </b>on NetGalley so I actually started it before Christmas but man that book is long! I enjoyed it a lot, but seeing as A Little Life is probably my favourite book of the last 10 years, for me it doesn't compare.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have my friend Dipika to thank for some of my favourites recently. Her post of her <a href="https://dipikawrites.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/favourite-reads-of-2021/">favourite books she read in 2021</a> included <b>In the End it was All About Love</b> , <b>The Country Will Bring us No Peace</b>, and <b>Sound Mirror, </b>all of which I loved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also finally read <b>Piransei</b> despite not fancying it at all. I read the whole thing in a day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also loved <b>The Friday Gospels </b>but my absolute favourite book of the month was without a doubt <b>Mrs Caliban.</b> I was bereft which it was over.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two cinema trips in January to see two absolutely fantastic films. I just adored <b>Licorice Pizza, </b>and as a huge fan of <b>Scream</b> we went to see the new one on opening night - I absolutely bloody loved it,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">At home we watched quite a few new-to-us films. I really enjoyed <b>The Lost Daughter</b>, and we had a great chat about it with some friends who we did a weekly film club with during lockdown. We also watched <b>Point Break</b> and <b>Fracture</b>, both old films which were new to me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am obsessed with the <b>Encanto</b> soundtrack now but will say Surface Pressure is better than We Don't Talk about Bruno, and on the other end of the spectrum, last weekend we watched <b>Boiling Point</b> which is an incredible piece of film making but made me shake with anxiety.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've had a really good podcast time recently (which could we why I haven't listened to a full audiobook in a year and my Audible credits are mounting).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month I loved <b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7pmAWEkvhzuQ11uCmIJmxT">Harsh Reality - The Story of Miriam Rivera</a> </b>about the star of There's Something About Miriam in the early 00s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've also got really into <b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sentimental-garbage/id1444729607">Sentimental Garbage</a> </b>especially the episodes on The High Street with Lauren Bravo (who I love), The Music of Amanda Palmer and America's Next Top Model.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And my current podcast obsession, <b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-time-at-bennington-college/id1521731236">Once Upon a Time at Bennington College</a></b> about Bret Easton Ellis and Donna Tart at college together in the 80s. I am obsessed and I don't want it to ever be over.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm planning on writing a post on my favourite newsletters because I am so obsessed with newsletter and this section is mostly made up of essays from my favourite newsletters so they definitely deserve their own post!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>From Hayley Nahman's Maybe Baby</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/82-what-im-telling-myself?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0NjQyMTYwNiwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQxMTM0NTM3LCJleHAiOjE2NDExMzgxMzcsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.TFkfQMb8JjGUf4Y45XNghSUBrnuGkHaYYWEjSu_FwGc">What I'm Telling Myself</a>, <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/85-art-tears?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0NzUxNDkxNCwiXyI6IlJLS09iIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQyOTQ4NTQwLCJleHAiOjE2NDI5NTIxNDAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.-bUFPiRzCAuR6OY32KMEkqPDEVVbiufzlGmm6vEoMqI">Art Tears</a> and <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/84-on-good-behavior?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0NzE0MzgzNSwiXyI6IkNlYkg3IiwiaWF0IjoxNjQyMzQyNzAzLCJleHAiOjE2NDIzNDYzMDMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMzYyOCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.usEaCz-DprpKgsCefobgX5aTtQnTx0ltzlC_cpbL9kQ">On Good Behaviour</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>From Anne Helen Petersen's Culture Study</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-rot-of-candy-crush-and-the-rest">The Rot of Candy Crush and the Rest of Wordle</a> and this fantastic interview,<a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/i-had-been-hating-my-body-like-ithttps://annehelen.substack.com/p/i-had-been-hating-my-body-like-it"> "I had been hating my body like it was a job for years and I wasn’t happier, healthier, or thinner. I was just…tired."</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>From Virgina Sole-Smith's Burnt Toast</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/diets-are-all-the-same">All Diets Are the Same</a> and <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/covid-better-way">We Need a Better Way to Talk to Kids about Covid</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Related: <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/superfit-hero-kohls-launch_n_61f2761ee4b04f9a12b93fa1?d_id=3101147&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000046&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_women&fbclid=IwAR0iPG_u06cfGpoZQpg91eHPalkbBMG-C1dGYcAJ54rlvbJPMVk15LOBF1Y">Why This Recent Kohl’s Launch Is A Glimmer Of Hope For A ‘Superfat’ Like Me</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meg Conley's Home Culture</span></b></div><div><a href="https://www.megconley.com/mommies-of-instagram/"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mommies of Instagram</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">From The Desk of Alice Kennedy</span></b></div><div><a href="https://www.aliciakennedy.news/p/on-routine?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0NjcwMTM4NCwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQxODE2NzkwLCJleHAiOjE2NDE4MjAzOTAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi04NDM1Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.XFjwb9agkavediy4agx4GOejUHhD2JUafHLWIUTiy0c"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Routine</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other pieces I loved last month:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nisha Chittal on <a href="https://nishachittal.substack.com/p/things-im-doing-instead-of-making"><b>Things She's Doing Instead of Making Resolutions</b></a> and this related piece, <a href="https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/marginal-gains-100-ways-to-improve-your-life-without-really-trying"><b>100 Ways to Make your Life Better Without Really Trying</b></a> and <b><a href="https://novaramedia.com/2021/12/31/nobody-cares-what-your-new-year-resolutions-are-so-you-might-as-well-do-something-you-enjoy/">Nobody Cares about Your Resolutions so You Might as Well Do What You Want</a>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Related: <a href="https://morethancurry.substack.com/p/issue-4-how-to-eat-in-jan-and-for?r=7jx3h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web"><b>How to eat in January and forever more</b></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've written lots about shopping second hand and trying to shop less, so I loved this piece on<b><a href="https://www.instyle.com/fashion/no-shopping-resolution-how-to"> giving up shopping for a year</a>.</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots about January malaise - <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/other-care-self-care/620441/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0B2_tE1F_ccwF7xtpKDz8ABHfs3h2lKS_L_N5wLPvJceyZ9_Lg-XwYOe0"><b>Self Care isn't the fix to January malaise</b></a> and <b><a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2022/01/10828382/existential-crisis-in-2022?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=everywhere&utm_campaign=220119-existential-crisis-in-2022&utm_term=control_active">Are we all having an existentialist crisis right now?</a></b> from Refinery 29</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I can't stop thinking about this piece, especially now I own a Peloton - <b><a href="https://gizmodo.com/in-2030-you-wont-own-any-gadgets-1847176540?utm_source=pocket_mylist">In 2030 you won't own any gadgets</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved this post on <a href="https://cupofjo.com/2022/01/life-lessons/"><b>Pro Tips</b></a> and read nearly all the comments - I've starting compiling a list of my own for a future post.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Refinery 29 on <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/molly-mae-backlash-influencer-culture"><b>Molly Mae and the problem of influencer culture</b></a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not only am I obsessed with talking about my Peloton, I also can't stop reading about Peloton. I found <b><a href="https://www.theringer.com/features/2022/1/6/22866163/fitness-celebrity-instructor-influencer-workout-trends-future">this article about the "celebrity instructor"</a></b> fascinating</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really loved this fun piece on <b><a href="https://jezebel.com/why-are-some-zoomers-so-wistful-for-the-80s">Zoomers who are obsessed with the 80s</a></b>, and this piece on <b><a href="https://slate.com/technology/2014/08/musical-nostalgia-the-psychology-and-neuroscience-for-song-preference-and-the-reminiscence-bump.html">why we always love the music we listened to as teenagers</a></b> (3 of my 6 Spotify Daily Mixes are emo #emoforever)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved this piece from the BBC on <b><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-59950823">why we should take play more seriously</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jack Monroe is doing some absolutely incredible work right now on activism around the rising cost of living and the real cost of inflation - this piece in the Guardian is a harrowing but essential read - <b>"<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/22/were-pricing-the-poor-out-of-food-in-the-uk-thats-why-im-launching-my-own-price-index?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">We're pricing the poor out of food in the UK"</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've got loads of posts planned over the next few weeks - cookbooks I'm desperate to tell you about, lists of my favourite newsletters and lots of other things so hopefully I'll be back soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Have a great February!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-41720477133959392282022-01-09T17:42:00.002+00:002022-01-09T17:42:30.967+00:00We got a Peloton Bike (and here's what we learned!)<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl2nmS3hDy1qw9CjuPHDaJsJI9BMk42olxC_h3FX02dM2LZxxK2sAofPNhlopJQdhdU70DTo0ij36lgYxjSJ0xSKXYMWIYrXQYYJpz10bxFstsK2bZlQahd8kwBF8ID-dEZGu4KqGc3KKAa5Sz-IzCzEqIKRXuGHJ0x-VE-Mgs_HOmfqGrdJJGSyUI=s600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl2nmS3hDy1qw9CjuPHDaJsJI9BMk42olxC_h3FX02dM2LZxxK2sAofPNhlopJQdhdU70DTo0ij36lgYxjSJ0xSKXYMWIYrXQYYJpz10bxFstsK2bZlQahd8kwBF8ID-dEZGu4KqGc3KKAa5Sz-IzCzEqIKRXuGHJ0x-VE-Mgs_HOmfqGrdJJGSyUI=w640-h320" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I might have mentioned it, but in November we bought a Peloton Bike.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Honestly, if you'd told me a year ago I'd own a Peloton Bike I would have laughed in your face.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This time last year I'd just starting a free trial of the Peloton Digital membership and was absolutely loving it (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/why-im-obsessed-with-peloton-digital.html">I wrote a review of Peloton Digital here</a>) but I had absolutely no interest in the bike. I never even taken a spin class - why would I want a bike?!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But fell in love with Peloton Digital last year - I wrote that post back in January 2021 after only using the app for a few weeks. I ended up using the app to train for my 9th half marathon back in September, stacking 60 minute marathon runs with other classes every week to hit my long run mileage and using the 30 minute classes in the week. With the exception of my weekly parkrun runs, I use the Peloton classes for every single run I go on. I've been running for over 8 years now and honestly, sometimes it does get a bit boring, but using the Peloton outdoor or Tread runs to guide my runs has given me a whole lease of life with running.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also love the other classes too - every Wednesday night I do an evening workout with a mix of strength classes from the app, and I've also regularly done yoga and cardio classes too.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So the decision to take the next the step and buy a Peloton bike wasn't completely impulsive - I'd spent the previous 10 months completely absorbed in Peloton - meeting the instructors, enjoying the music, appreciating the range of classes and falling in love with the idea of connected fitness.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'd spent at least a few months joking about buying a bike, but in October 2021 we started to talk about it seriously.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pre-purchase</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Let's address the elephant in the room first - yes, it is expensive. It's definitely an investment. At the time we bought the bike it had been reduced by £400, costing £1350 instead of the previous £1750. I think that additional price cut was what made us start to look into it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There's also the fact that on top of the bike purchase you need to pay £39 a month for membership. For me, I was already paying £13 a month for the Digital membership so splitting it with Phil it was only an extra £7 a month for me. We'd also made the decision in January 2021 to take a break from British Military Fitness (for which we were both paying circa £35 a month), so between us the Peloton membership still worked out cheaper, but it is an additional cost to consider. You can also choose to pay monthly for the bike over a period of up to 3 years rather than pay for it outright.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think I first started talking seriously about getting a bike when I was looking ahead to winter exercise. I hate running in the winter. I hate how cold and dark it is when I go out at 6am for my morning runs in the week. I hate worrying I'll get to the end of the road and it will be too icy to run. But I love getting up early and getting in a workout before work. Winter is off-season for me too - I usually start training for my May half marathon in February, and my October half marathon in July, but most of November to February is a chance to take a break from running, so it made sense to start thinking about something new.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I started out by asking around - I knew my boss at work had a Peloton, and I asked <a href="https://misspond.com/">Emma of Miss Pond</a> hundreds of questions before purchase. I wanted to know I would use it and I would enjoy it and it would be worth it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I read loads of blogs, watched YouTube videos and got really into the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/pelotoncycle/">Peloton reddit forum</a>, trawling questions and comments and reviews.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The next step was to book a showroom visit. We're fortunate that our local John Lewis has a Peloton show room, so I booked an appointment to try the bike out in real life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you're thinking of getting a Peloton Bike (or a Tread), I cannot recommend going to a showroom more. It was so great to see it in real life (we were like, oh god is it too big?!) and actually try it. Sarah at <a href="https://www.onepeloton.co.uk/showrooms/uk_johnlewischeadle">John Lewis Cheadle</a> was fantastic. She spent over an hour with us, showing us around the bike, helping us to clip in and out (it's hard!) as well as giving us a chance to try the bike. Because we'd used the digital membership we knew quite a lot about the classes, but there was loads more to the bike that we didn't know. We were given the option to try both toe cages (which go over your trainers) and clip-in shoes (which we preferred and are recommended) to use the pedals, but there was no hard sell at all, and we finished the session booking in for a phone call and being given plenty of time to make our decision.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Purchase and Delivery</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiMr6nPgFo60798kjVWjnaGVjCdlpTE8snXAwOEsNcKFZ61u0znJHGmejVkPxOVYuefe5wEm9ql0lP3bC4Jd-qv8tCUvZFRUr8zLHxIc2WHzufMDS9t5ynX_K4KK7c0XaW7tHInC50B6d2wFR0ldlP2XMhyER9cp6K_MDYVaIt4WoWdmpswilhj6ir=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiMr6nPgFo60798kjVWjnaGVjCdlpTE8snXAwOEsNcKFZ61u0znJHGmejVkPxOVYuefe5wEm9ql0lP3bC4Jd-qv8tCUvZFRUr8zLHxIc2WHzufMDS9t5ynX_K4KK7c0XaW7tHInC50B6d2wFR0ldlP2XMhyER9cp6K_MDYVaIt4WoWdmpswilhj6ir=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Spot the towels soaking up the water from the leaking radiator!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I spent the few days following the session in John Lewis doing research into what accessories to buy through Peloton and what to get elsewhere. We decided to get a package which included the original bike, the bike mat and a pair of shoes each. We liked the shoes we'd tried in the showroom, wanted the mat for the floor and didn't want to risk getting a cheap one, but we decided to get an alternative Heart Rate Monitor and cheap weights rather than adding those to our package. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also had a referral code to get £100 off thanks to <a href="https://misspond.com/">Emma</a>, which paid for a pair of shoes (I've recently discovered I'm not allowed to share my code publicly, but please drop me a message or a <a href="https://twitter.com/gnd_fashion">DM on twitter</a> if you want to use it!).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">(I'll also note here that </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">we bought the bike right before Black Friday and we were worried there would be an offer, and a few days before it arrived there was an offer on accessories. I contacted customer services and also John Lewis, and within a few days we were refunded the difference we paid!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After hearing horror stories from people who had ordered during lockdown and waited months for their bike, we were thrilled to get a delivery slot only 2 weeks after our order was placed. Sarah also assured us she was on-hand if we needed anything, and we had 30 days to try the bike and if we didn't love it, they'd collect it and refund us.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was sooooo excited in those two weeks waiting! I read everything, I got a Scosche Rhythm + Heart Rate Monitor from ebay and looked into padded shorts. We measured and remeasured the space we'd chosen for the bike to make sure if would fit, and cleared the space for the bike's arrival.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our delivery slot was 8-10am on the day (I really recommend taking the day off work if you can), and an hour before arrival they called to say they were on the way. We actually ended up with a leaking radiator in the room the bike was going in (not what we needed!) so we had to place it in the middle of the room for the first few days but we were able to move it into its proper place between us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the guys arrived they were so so so helpful. They got everything set up and plugged in and gave us plenty of time to test the bike and check everything was working, and they helped me to set the height and handlebars and set up our wifi and accounts. They showed me around everything on the bike again and made sure we were happy before they left. It's one of the best delivery experiences I've ever had.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Using the bike - First few weeks</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD9DttBx7s-7Aku2kzPr55bmZsoHeG-caT3h7xXTW-8p5eR8y174kWbTXrpnXkSC41LIPPhwUEjoSfLxgHM_uSDL5GjS4y4IbTsAOc--0kmjmQdekLAu91kiHbXZr69PE8Ae1M5yYUHyyN1oUU9eF5VVvJF8AmUcMDDk4TmmaqPlI1XoNI6betB_w0=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD9DttBx7s-7Aku2kzPr55bmZsoHeG-caT3h7xXTW-8p5eR8y174kWbTXrpnXkSC41LIPPhwUEjoSfLxgHM_uSDL5GjS4y4IbTsAOc--0kmjmQdekLAu91kiHbXZr69PE8Ae1M5yYUHyyN1oUU9eF5VVvJF8AmUcMDDk4TmmaqPlI1XoNI6betB_w0=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the bike actually arrived, I was just starting out with the absolute monster cold I got at the end of November so I didn't use it as much as I would have liked to in those first few days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the first day I did a beginners class with Matt Wilpers who is one of my favourite running coaches on Peloton. It was great to have a familiar face and the beginner class was excellent for learning about the bike.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Getting used clipping in and out of the bike is tricky at first and definitely takes some getting used to. You also have to remember you can't just jump off the bike if you need to when you're clipped in!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I will be honest, the classes themselves are really hard! If I'm running parkrun or a race I tend to be in the top quarter of women but I've had to get used to this being a completely new sport for me (I'd never even taken a spin class before we got the bike) and I'm usually right near the bottom of the leaderboard. The instructors in the classes will call out the ranges for the cadence (how fast you pedal) and resistance (how hard it is to pedal) at different points during the class and I am pretty much always at the very bottom end of the call outs (sometimes even lower than that). But I've definitely gotten better over the last few weeks. One thing I have found useful is using a Heart Rate Monitor which displays my heart rate live on screen- that way I know even if it feels like I'm way below the callouts I can see I'm still working hard!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When it comes to choosing classes, to start with I mostly went off the playlist for the class - there's a really cool feature where you can search by artist or song to find classes which include them, so I've saved all the pop punk and rock rides obviously! I also stuck with a lot of instructors I already knew, and tried mostly beginner or advanced beginner classes to start with.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was intimidated by live classes at first and didn't do my first one for weeks, but I</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">actually loved my first live class (especially because </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love high-fiving people on the ride and as soon as I join any class I high five as many people as I can who are there live). For me, the timings of the live classes aren't great cause I mostly work out early in the morning around 6am and the earliest live classes are at 7.30am most days. I do hope they add more but the on-demand classes are just as fantastic (and with on-demand classes the metrics the instructors call out are shown live on screen).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lots of people said they had a lot of erm... bum pain in the first few weeks, and I read loads of recommendations for padded bike shorts to use while you got used to the saddle. This is only my personal experience, but I didn't struggle with that at all, and even during a 45 minute ride now I don't find any pain. Also to prevent pain and injury it's really important to figure out how to set the bike up for you but thankfully it's really easy to adjust - Phil and I both share the bike and it's so easy for me to adjust if he's been on it last. Lots of people <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=774167669384148">recommend this video</a> for getting your bike set up right.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Phil and I also use the bike in different ways - he's super competitive so he loves using the leaderboard, where you can compare yourself against everyone else who has ever done the ride, and also compare against yourself in similar rides. I personally hate this and I hide the leaderboard once I've given out my high fives!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">To give myself some direction and get used to the bike, after a few days of trying different classes, I signed up to the Mastering the Basics program to get me started.</span></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Using the bike - Mastering the Basics program</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy3QQcFMWXiQgEW6VzWbfwCV485P7oGNDHc2ntoeagnnvtWlobv1qpPmCrkfbG2whUxFMq6BhWqE7zPfIRC8CqTizjxDDU8VYzZ0QKrY7m3W0sTjAJbKhkWAKMoYa0boBx-3MfJuqU26CPR6RQL9vgX00S0SDd4nQYOsubA4rNWeLnMo-tFYPVUfhS=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy3QQcFMWXiQgEW6VzWbfwCV485P7oGNDHc2ntoeagnnvtWlobv1qpPmCrkfbG2whUxFMq6BhWqE7zPfIRC8CqTizjxDDU8VYzZ0QKrY7m3W0sTjAJbKhkWAKMoYa0boBx-3MfJuqU26CPR6RQL9vgX00S0SDd4nQYOsubA4rNWeLnMo-tFYPVUfhS=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a couple of days of getting used to the bike we both decided to start the Mastering the Basics program, after reading quite a few recommendations on the Peloton Reddit group.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mastering the Basics is a 6 week program with about 4 classes a week, which is meant to get you used to using the bike.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There's a range of class types and instructors, and after the first few weeks it integrates some additional classes outside of cycling, such as yoga and strength, to encourage you to utilise all the classes the membership offers, as well as complementing your cycling.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Using a program is great because you don't have to decide what ride to do every time you get on the bike, and it's a great way of trying different kinds of classes and instructors, but it can be quite restrictive. You can't move on to the next class until you've either completed or skipped your current class, and once you've skipped a class you can't go back, so you have to complete all the classes in order.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really liked having something to work to over the first few weeks. I loved trying out different instructors and classes, and I found the instruction helpful in the more beginner-focused classes. It was also fun because Phil was doing the program too so we could compare notes after each class.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">However, the way the classes are organised is far from great. Instead of it being a program of classes specifically made for the program, it's a bit of a bizarre mishmash of existing classes. Some of the classes are way too difficult to be in a beginner program (with some classes rated 8 or more out of 10) and you are asked to ride out of the saddle within the first few weeks with no explanation on how to do this safely. A few times I found it quite demoralising to not be able to hit calls outs in a class which was meant to be for beginners!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I got towards 4 weeks in (especially as this was getting to be near Christmas for me) I started to find the program a bit restrictive and specific. I wanted to enjoy doing more live rides while I was off work and had more flexibility in my schedule, and it was around this time I started to skip some classes in the program.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also found after 4 weeks I was getting into a bit more of a rhythm with the bike and I wanted a bit more freedom - I like to use the scheduling and stacking functions which aren't an option with programs, and I like to add a warm up, cool down and stretch to each class which I couldn't do either.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">For me, it was a great intro to the bike for the first few weeks, but overall a bit too chaotic to feel like a real beginner program. Just this week Peloton has introduced a new beginner program called <a href="https://www.pelobuddy.com/peloton-you-can-ride-beginner-cycling-program/">You Can Ride</a>, which lasts only 3 weeks and seems to introduce different class types and techniques - I haven't tried but this sounds much more beneficial to a beginner rider than MTB so definitely try that it you want a short beginner course.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This weekend I finished the program, completing 25 of the 28 classes (1 class short of receiving the "gold" badge for the program, which is kind of annoying) so now I'm ready to explore more of what's available!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Using the bike - Beyond the basics</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">So what's next for me? For the next few weeks I'm planning on taking lots of classes I saved purely for the music - I have loads of pop punk, country and pop rides lined up to do.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm currently cycling Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, but I'm planning to reintroduce Sunday longer runs as I've got a 10K coming up in a few weeks, then from mid-February I'll start training for my May half marathon. I plan to still add in a few cycles a week on top of 4 days a week of running, and I also want to add in more strength training (something that's dropped off a cliff for me while I've been enjoying the bike). We recently purchased <a href="https://www.topformdesign.co.uk/products/the-pivot">The Pivot from Top Form Design</a> which allows you to swivel your monitor (similar to the functionality available on the Bike +) so being able to adjust the screen will be great for strength training.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wednesdays are always my "evening workout" nights so I've been really enjoying booking onto whatever the 6.30pm class is every week. More recently they've all been with Bradley Rose who is one of my favourite instructors which has been perfect. Next week I'm doing an 80s ride with him, then the following week he's doing Broadway which I can't wait for!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm also hoping to carry on seeing improvements in my riding and keep working on my technique. I'm still always hitting the lower end of the call outs, and I really struggle to hit higher cadences out of the saddle (I always just crank up the resistance loads instead so I still push myself!) but I'm hoping to learn that as I go. I also want to keep trying to hit more PBs when I'm riding in the evenings and weekends (PBs are an absolute no-go when I've just rolled out of bed at 6am!). I'm also just in general hoping to keep having fun with the bike!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Final thoughts</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think it's fair to say, I love the Peloton bike. I honestly wish we'd bought it sooner, and it's perfect for this time of year when I don't always fancy a cold, dark, rainy run (and especially great when we had a COVID scare after Christmas and couldn't go out). It is a big investment and time will tell how often we use it, but we've both been on it nearly every day since we got it so far, and it just makes working out fun.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've learned a lot already since we first got the bike - there are loads of instructors I thought I would hate (Bradley Rose and Ben Alldis specifically) who are now my favourites, and there are always so many new classes to try you just can't get bored. My other favourite instructors are Cody Rigsby for the vibes and chat and Kendall Toole for the music.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm currently on 65 rides and I can't wait for my century ride in a few weeks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are so many things here I haven't gone into detail about - how the leaderboard works, badges, live shout outs, streaks, scenic rides, stacking, scheduling... so much more! But there are loads of other places online where you can find out more about that and if you've got this far into this 3000 word essay, congrats!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please <a href="https://twitter.com/gnd_fashion">drop me a DM</a> if you want to ask me any questions (or if you're thinking of buying, make sure you let me know and I'll send you my refer a friend code for £100/$100 off your purchase!) and if you're already on Peloton, my username is ccantillon. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hope to see you on the leaderboard!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-59410292217753929192022-01-03T14:51:00.000+00:002022-01-03T14:51:04.511+00:00December Life Lately<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">December was such a strange month. It started out so full of promise with lots of plans and ended with so much uncertainty and anxiety!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Phil and I ended up with one very clear positive lateral flow test (mine) and one potentially positive lateral flow test (Phil's) on Thursday last week so spent all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday isolating - cancelling all our plans, missing New Year's Day parkrun, getting our parents to do our shopping, and only left the house for a PCR on Friday. Then on Sunday we got the results - both negative! We're obviously relieved to be negative (neither of us had any symptoms but my positive result especially was very clear on the lateral flow) but disappointed we cancelled all our plans, including (perhaps prematurely, in hindsight) a trip to London we were meant to be doing next weekend (thankfully we've rescheduled so hopefully we'll be okay to go in a few weeks!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So it's been a bit of a strange few days for us - getting our heads around the initial positive test, worrying how long we'd need to isolate for, cancelling plans, and then now having to get used to the idea of not being positive again. It's been a real rollercoaster.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">December was a month of uncertainty in general, with both of us just managing to squeeze in one work social event (I was meant to have 3 in the lead up to Christmas) before we didn't really feel safe going out-out so close to Christmas. But we did manage to see most of our friends in early December, with people round for dinner 3 times at the start of the month, as well as me having a lovely trip into town with one of my best friends which was timed perfectly for when it still felt safe to do so.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So December felt a little bit subdued to be honest! Lots of cancelled plans, lots of "I don't feel Christmassy!", but I'm still grateful to have seen my friends and family over Christmas, especially as I know a lot of people whose Christmas plans were completely ruined. We did still manage to watch a lot of Christmas films, drink an entire bottle of Advocaat's-worth of snowballs, and I gave and received some lovely gifts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKHpJFFwMy/">One Second Every Day for the month is here</a>, and here's everything else I got up to.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I said in the intro, in the end, not a lot! Though we did have a really lovely time on <b>Christmas Day.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJVtKxVe87VuN72KlSEH7bK2AnSkiJC7Ldwu4M3iUa-sbQGHyq0htv9gsDPu8tzHCmSvkygSB3nDRaaiYbxmL9HJQXvDSC15ru4nGe-NCkbTsC6nCIKVr75p3zxC5wfI5sGXUy7HC_a8AQYMJTuDSfGJn5dOr1f4n9M5FGQmrrXt1MyiOiS2sHmnK5=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJVtKxVe87VuN72KlSEH7bK2AnSkiJC7Ldwu4M3iUa-sbQGHyq0htv9gsDPu8tzHCmSvkygSB3nDRaaiYbxmL9HJQXvDSC15ru4nGe-NCkbTsC6nCIKVr75p3zxC5wfI5sGXUy7HC_a8AQYMJTuDSfGJn5dOr1f4n9M5FGQmrrXt1MyiOiS2sHmnK5=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The cross stitch I made for Phil for Christmas (personalised pattern from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OverflowCreative?ref=shop_sugg">Overflow Creative</a>)</i></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p>Phil and I got up early and did presents from each other. I'd secretly spent weeks making him a <b>cross stitch</b> of the three of us which I framed and gave him for Christmas. He was so surprised! He was even more surprised when I told him there had been loads of times when I'd been working on it when he was literally in the room and had to cover it up whenever he walked past! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisM_G6hUS3-ZC0F9zqjHG9PzkvIiS3UGZ1qDT5LrmoMwmGqPDVF6zf-_aY16ZnbZ2jnNjqTTPhGf2EW4mPmINXpV2YmAqfpRlrn2zh3nhqpNAUSgE_5X34j4ajWMy_5PZSI4KmuHqEreC5gefes81PSReqOxObAog1KjqI2ZtNk6M70Hb_QJXOE0-Y=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisM_G6hUS3-ZC0F9zqjHG9PzkvIiS3UGZ1qDT5LrmoMwmGqPDVF6zf-_aY16ZnbZ2jnNjqTTPhGf2EW4mPmINXpV2YmAqfpRlrn2zh3nhqpNAUSgE_5X34j4ajWMy_5PZSI4KmuHqEreC5gefes81PSReqOxObAog1KjqI2ZtNk6M70Hb_QJXOE0-Y=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p>On a family theme, one of my presents from Phil was this gorgeous <b>locket</b> which has a picture of him and Bobby in. It's so gorgeous and I love carrying them both around with me!</p></span>
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line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CX5rZBvMjMc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After presents we got ready and headed to <b>Christmas Day parkrun!</b> I absolutely love doing parkrun on Christmas Day. The atmosphere is amazing and you really feel part of the crazy community of weirdos who want to go for a run on Christmas Day. Phil even got a course PB!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Before parkrun we'd dropped Bobby off at Phil's parents, so we headed there for the morning after and did presents. One of the things we were most excited about was a board game called <b><a href="https://superclubgame.com/">Superclub</a></b> which we got from Phil's parents. More on that later! I also got some other lovely gifts from Phil's family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a few hours there we went home and got showered and dressed to go to my parents' for the rest of the day. Mum made a fantastic Christmas dinner as always and we did presents there. I absolutely love to give presents (I wrote my<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2016/12/how-to-be-great-present-buyer.html"> top tips on being a great present-buyer</a> a few years ago!) so doing presents is honestly one of my favourite things about Christmas. I was so excited to give my Mum and Nan a Bobby mug and calendar, gift my Mum a vegetarian cooking class experience and try to pretend I didn't know my Dad didn't like the jumper I got him (which has become Phil's new jumper). I got all my favourite things too - pyjamas and jumpers and perfume!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the evening Phil and I went into the other room and spent three hours trying to learn to play Superclub (don't worry we cracked it on Boxing Day) and went to bed in my new pyjamas! We had such a lovely day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some of you who have been here for a while might remember that <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2017/12/2017-best-bits.html">Phil and I got engaged on Boxing Day in 2017</a> at <b>Lyme Park</b>, and while we've been to Lyme Park loads since (it's one of our favourite places) we've never been back there on Boxing Day, so we took Bobby there first thing, and then in the evening had our annual engagement-anniversary curry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We've had a pretty chill few days after Christmas, which is particularly annoying as all our plans were going to be after the day we were forced to isolate, so we've had to cancel quite a few plans (yes I cried when I realised I wouldn't be able go to New Year's Day parkrun), but I did hit my <b>50th Peloton ride</b> last week.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What I read</h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seven books read in December taking me to 111 for the year (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/12/2021-favourites.html">I wrote about my favourites here</a>). Here's what I read:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the Cut by Susanna Moore</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Out of Office by Charlie Warzel</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">They by Kay Dick</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">What a Shame by Abigail Bergstrom</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp</span></li></ul></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another mixed back to be honest and only one read stand-out book in December which was Brown Girls which I thought was brilliant and modern and inventive. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A lot of rewatches of my favourite Christmas films - <b>Die Hard, Muppets Christmas Carol, Gremlins </b>and <b>Planes Trains and Automobiles </b>(technically it's a Thanksgiving film but it's a family fave). We also watched <b>Lethal Weapon</b> (kind of a Christmas film) and rewatched <b>Little Women </b>(also kind of a Christmas film?).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We did three trips to the cinema to see <b>West Side Story </b>(which I loved), <b>Spider-Man: No Way Home</b> (which I also loved) and <b>Matrix Resurrections </b>(which I did not love).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One positive of isolating is we got really really into <b>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</b> and we brought 2022 in with a rewatch of one of my favourite films, <b>Game Night.</b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A few new podcasts in December - <b><a href="https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/sweet-bobby/">Sweet Bobby</a></b> which is such a juicy story!! I'm trying to get everyone I know to listen to it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also my beloved Virginia Sole-Smith has a podcast version of her fantastic newsletter, <b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/burnt-toast/id969524107">Burnt Toast</a></b>, and I've also been listening to <b><a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/welcome-to-your-fantasy">Welcome to Your Fantasy</a>, </b>a podcast about the Chippendales.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I wrote</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wrote a couple of roundups at the end of the year. A post <b><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/12/2021-in-review.html">looking back on 2021</a></b> and a post on my <b><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/12/2021-favourites.html">2021 favourite things</a>.</b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This post from Refinery 29 on <b><a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2021/12/10813478/dealing-with-emotional-detachment">feeling detached from 2021</a></b> is absolutely spot on. I didn't realise how I felt looking back on the year was so prevelant.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A few good posts on COVID anxiety and uncertainty - <a href="https://www.vox.com/22828161/how-to-deal-with-omicron-covid-uncertainty-holiday-planning"><b>one from Vox</b></a> and this most personal piece from my fave, <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/a-feelings-post"><b>Anne Helen Petersen</b></a>. (Not related but another AHP article I loved in December was this one on <b><a href="https://www.instyle.com/fashion/cozy-sweaters-luxury-shopping">the aesthetics of cosy, luxury knitwear</a></b>).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of anxiety, if you, like me have an anxiety disorder or hey, just any kind of anxiety right now (and seriously who doesn't), I found these two posts useful - <b><a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/47-things-for-anxiet">47 different things I tried for my anxiety</a></b> from Refinery 29 and this Buzzfeed piece of people <b><a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/victoriavouloumanos/anxiety-hacks-life-changing">sharing advice from their therapists</a>.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two wonderful pieces from Food 52 on food and grief and memory - <a href="https://food52.com/blog/26849-baked-pasta-feels-right-personal-essay"><b>this piece on the magical properties of baked pasta</b></a> and this one where the author learns to make <b><a href="https://food52.com/blog/24436-my-family-recipe-macaroni-and-griefballs">her late mother's Sunday sauce.</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, it's not a life lately without an appearance from Virgina Sole-Smith. I love her most recent newsletter <b><a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/jeans-science-part-1">on buying 50 pairs of jeans for science</a></b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hope you're keeping safe and warm this January.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-66937877440449992602021-12-31T10:17:00.001+00:002021-12-31T10:17:41.510+00:002021 Favourites<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A few days ago I <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/12/2021-in-review.html">wrote my year in review for 2021</a>, so I'm following up with a post on my favourite things I've consumed this year - books, films, TV shows, podcasts and recipe books. This is something I've done every year since 2017 (here's <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2018/01/2017-favourite-books-films-podcasts-etc.html">2017</a>, <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2019/01/2018-favourites-books.html">2018</a>, <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/01/2019-favourites.html">2019</a> and <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/2020-favourites.html">2020</a>)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2021 was, unsuprisingly, a big read for books and podcasts and I love looking back on my favourite things of the year. I can't wait to see what I'll read/watch/listen to in 2022!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite Books</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhV0TEH_J9fB5bsINdKA2LQ8nz9YcvEsnRDVvha1O5TdY86VU3TDBX4sMgjnbk2cYKyrpNqd-_qteylJCj4ZozKRFpDnnI5U_jaY0N-b9THuir3w4OAI3LaKn3yfh6O1XpAvQsi9jgF-La8Ac6uGB5oaCVVmNPPBNE7QkbeDRX-ArYVIiWLjl9W05p8=s329" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="329" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhV0TEH_J9fB5bsINdKA2LQ8nz9YcvEsnRDVvha1O5TdY86VU3TDBX4sMgjnbk2cYKyrpNqd-_qteylJCj4ZozKRFpDnnI5U_jaY0N-b9THuir3w4OAI3LaKn3yfh6O1XpAvQsi9jgF-La8Ac6uGB5oaCVVmNPPBNE7QkbeDRX-ArYVIiWLjl9W05p8=w400-h239" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've read 111 books this year - quite a few behind last year's 142 but still the second highest number of books I've ever read in year. I was definitely helped by reading 23 books in January and February alone!</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's been a really good year for books in general! The library started operating again a few hours a week in January which was brilliant - I'd go every week or two, dropping off stacks of books and picking up the half a dozen books I'd reserved. I've also been really fortunate to be approved for dozens of books on <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a> again this year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Below I've written up my top 32 books of the year, plus my absolute favourites I read in 2021. If you want to see the full list of books I read in 2021, you can <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/11650-2021-reading-challenge">see it on my Goodreads</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Favourite books I read in 2021</b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donaghue</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some Body to Love by Alexandra Heminsley</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still Life with Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">People Like Them by Samira Sedira</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Saltwater by Jessica Andrews</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Careless by Kirsty Capes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Detransition Baby by Torey Peters*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Absorbed by Kylie Whitehead*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Come Closer by Sarah Gran*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Florida by Lauren Groff</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wahala by Nikki May</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Assembly by Natasha Brown</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Service by Frankie Mirren*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mrs March by Virginia Feito*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">True Crime Story by Joseph Knox*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dead Relatives by Lucie McKnight Hardy</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our Wives under the Sea by Julia Armfield*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Of these, I've starred my absolute favourites, and these are my <strike>top 10</strike> top 12 of the year:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">1. Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">2. Detransition Baby by Torey Peters</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">3. Absorbed by Kylie Whitehead</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">4. Come Closer by Sarah Gran</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">5. Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">6. We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">7. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">8. The Service by Frankie Mirren</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">9. Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">10. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">11. True Crime Story by Joseph Knox</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">12. Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfit</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I honestly think those 12 above were absolutely incredible. I have terrible book amnesia and as soon as I finish a book I completely forget what happened in it most of the time, but these are the ones that have really stuck with me this year. I can't wait to see what I read in 2022!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite Films</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've split this into 3 categories - 1) Films that came out in 2021 I watched at home 2) Films that came out in 2021 I watched at the cinema (a short list!) 3) Films that I watched in 2021 that were new-to-me which didn't come out in 2021. These are <i>kind of</i> in order...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>2021 films at home</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Palm Springs (my undisputed film of the year)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bo Burnham's Inside</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Promising Young Woman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">tick...tick...BOOM!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nomadland</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Mitchells vs. The Machines</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>2021 films at the cinema</b></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">In The Heights</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Spider-Man: No Way Home</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Candyman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">West Side Story</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>New-to-me-but-not-new films watched in 2021</b></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Billy Elliot</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Big Night</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Paranormal Activity</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Trial of the Chicago 7</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Saint Maud</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fatal Attraction</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My Cousin Vinny</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Before Midnight</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Freaky</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Les Diabolique</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Conjuring</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Sound of Metal</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Act of Killing</span></li></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite TV Shows</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">You know me by now, I am terrible at watching TV. We always hear about these big TV shows everyone is watching, watch 2 episodes and then forget about them. So this list is pretty short! But there are some new-to-me TV shows I watched in 2021 which I absolutely love and I'm so glad I finally watched!</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ted Lasso (my favourite TV show of 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Midnight Mass</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">I May Destroy You</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Schitt's Creek</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lula Rich</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Queen's Gambit</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brooklyn Nine-Nine</span></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite Podcasts</span></h3></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oooh I've had such a good podcast year this year! So much so that I think I've actually only listened to 2 or 3 audiobooks this year (yes I have a lot of Audible credits).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love a "podast series" and I got into so many of those this year, but I also loved my old favourites of <b>Maintenance Phase, Decoder Ring</b> and of course, <b>What Page Are You On?</b>. These are my favourite new-to-me podcasts I listened to in 2021:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-last-days-of-august/id1258779354">The Last Days of August</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://homecooking.show/">Home Cooking</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-lolita-73899842/">Lolita podcast</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://play.acast.com/s/sentimentalgarbage/introducing-sentimentalinthecity-withdollyalderton">Sentimental in the City</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/you-are-good/id1527948382">You Are Good</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/rabbit-hole">Rabbit Hole</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/introducing-sweet-bobby/id1487320403?i=1000539949250">Sweet Bobby</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://wondery.com/shows/death-of-a-starlet/">Death of a Starlet</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://30for30podcasts.com/heavy-medals/">30 for 30: Heavy Medals</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.campsidemedia.com/shows/chameleon">Chameleon</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://cocaineandrhinestones.com/">Cocaine and Rhinestones</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/spectacle-an-unscripted-history-of-reality-tv/id1551181322">Spectale: An Unscripted History of Reality TV</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/burnt-toast/id969524107">Burnt Toast</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.glamour.com/brokenharts">Broken Harts</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-opportunist/id1551162705">The Opportunist</a></span></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite Cookbooks</span></h3></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Has this been one of the best years ever for cookbooks? I genuinely think so.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think <b>Anna Jones' One</b> is probably the best cookbook I've bought in years, a true return to the form of A Modern Way to Eat and A Modern Way to Cook - two of my desert-island books. I've done <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/03/cookbook-review-one-by-anna-jones-part.html">part 1 of a review here</a>, but I still need to write a follow up because it's that good!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rukmini Iyer blessed us with not one but two fantastic new books this year. Keep your eye out for my reviews of <b>The Green Barbecue </b>(which I've mostly written but doesn't feel seasonally-appropriate right now!) and <b>The Sweet Roasting Tin </b>(which I just need to make a few more things from and stop just making the halloumi muffins over and over again).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, <b>Ruby Tandoh's Cook As You Are </b>is the book I want to buy for everyone I know. It's so inclusive, accessible, helpful and oh my god delicious. I've made the gnocchi with capers and chili oil three times in the last few weeks. I've got a review coming on this and I can't wait to tell you all about it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Favourite things I wrote</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I haven't blogged </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">loads</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> this year, but I have written a bit more than just my Life Lately posts with 22 entries this year. Here are my favourite posts I wrote this year:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/essential-tools-for-my-daily-routine.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Essential tools for my daily routine - The Pomodoro Technique</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/why-im-obsessed-with-peloton-digital.html">Why I'm obsessed with Peloton digital </a>(<i>ignore the bit where I say I'd never buy a bike...)</i></span></li><li><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/06/why-is-getting-dressed-so-hard.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why is getting dressed so hard?</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/08/reflections-on-summer.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Reflections on Summer</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/its-secondhandseptember-how-i-buy-my.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How I buy nearly all my clothes second hand</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/lockdown-habits-i-want-to-keep.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lockdown habits I want to keep</span></a></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other favourites of 2021</span></h3></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This section is like the Oprah's favourites list and it's just miscellaneous things I've loved or done this year, from games to clothes to food. I did <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/12/2021-in-review.html">my year in review post</a> a few days ago where I talked about the year more generally and what I did, but these are more little things I loved in 2021:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peloton (both digital membership and getting the bike)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally getting a pair of glasses I love</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finding the perfect pair of dungarees and living in them all summer</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Making a lot of cocktails</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still enjoying cross stitching</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Developing a skincare routine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://twitter.com/gnd_fashion/status/1455103726809665542">#KnitwearNovember</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Euros</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Getting really into the Olympics</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Having long, strong nails for the first time in my life (thanks to Builder Base and my amazing nail salon)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Herd Mentality game</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">It Takes Two Game on the Playstation</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Uniqlo fleeces</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Uniqlo thermals</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">VACCINES</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Homemade pizza</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ruby Tandoh's gnocchi with chilli crisp and capers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rukmini Iyer's halloumi muffins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Takeaways</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our monthly local date night (I talked about it <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/lockdown-habits-i-want-to-keep.html">here</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buying pretty much every item of clothing I've purchased this year second hand, or from small independent sellers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My fave indie brands - <a href="https://joanieclothing.com/">Joanie Clothing</a> and <a href="https://www.sugarhillbrighton.com/">Sugarhill Boutique</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Giving up scrolling through Twitter and instead just checking the accounts of a select few people I like once or twice a day</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not scrolling through Instagram at all for the whole yea</span>r</li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Logging my mood with <a href="https://daylio.net/">Daylio</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still doing <a href="https://1se.co/">One Second Every Day</a> after 3 years (and still not missing a day!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another year of <a href="https://www.happyfeed.co/">Happy Feed</a> and a 3 year streak</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still reading every day for 4+ years</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://virginiasolesmith.com/">Virginia Sole-Smith</a> and <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/">Anne Helen Petersen</a>'s newsletters</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our bobby doggy, always</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still writing this blog after 12 years!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2021/12/10813478/dealing-with-emotional-detachment?utm_source=twitter">this article which perfectly sums up how I feel about 2021</a></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hope you have a lovely New Year's Eve and see you in 2022!</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-39423922288982691592021-12-29T16:28:00.001+00:002021-12-29T16:28:25.008+00:002021 in review<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2021 has been such a strange year. Stranger, in some ways, than 2020, where I at least felt I got a few months at the start of the year to do things with freedom. A few weeks ago I found myself looking back on 2021 with a sense of disappointment - of having not done much, of having lost another year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But here we are in December, a few days post-Christmas, and I'm naturally reflecting back on the year. Of course, there weren't any big life changes for us, no <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2017/12/2017-best-bits.html">new house and engagement like in 2017</a>, or<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2019/12/2019-best-bits.html"> wedding like in 2019</a>, or <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/12/2020-in-review.html">new family member (of the canine kind) as in 2020</a>. We didn't decorate every room in the house like we did last year, I didn't read double my reading goal, and I didn't get obsessed with new hobbies of cross stitch and bread making.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But for a year when most of it was spent in some kind of lockdown, or under some restrictions, there was a lot we did do. I wrote a few months ago about the <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/lockdown-habits-i-want-to-keep.html">lockdown habits I want to keep</a> and I'm still doing most of them, we've had a full year of Bobby and celebrated his 5th Birthday in March and his Gotcha Day in June. We took him on holiday this year too! We've been able to visit friends, go out for drinks and food, and explore new places in ways we weren't able to in 2020. I was even able to celebrate my Birthday and wedding anniversary a bit more this year!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So looking back, despite it not being the year we hoped it would be, there were a lot of wonderful moments too. Here are some of my favourite bits...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">New job!</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNH1KQchcyv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNH1KQchcyv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNH1KQchcyv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>It's strange looking back on this time last year when I was working in the incredibly volatile aviation industry during a pandemic. I was furloughed for 3 months, then furloughed one day a week, and then by the beginning of 2021 I was down to working 3 days a week. But even so, I was happy in my job, enjoying the work I was doing and the team I was in.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">So when I received a text from my recruiter asking me if I was interested in another opportunity back in February, I initially turned him down. Until he said it was for Pets at Home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I absolutely love my job (which is predominantly email marketing campaigns for puppy and kitten customers) and I've never worked for a company I am so proud to work for. Pets at Home is such a fantastic company, and I've joined at such an exciting time. And I just love that my job is helping pets and their owners! I work in two amazing teams with colleagues I love to work with, and I love it so much I've even encouraged my best friend to come work here too!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Taking a sideways move was pretty scary, especially in a time of such uncertainty, but I'm so glad I did it. I'm so proud to work for Pets!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buying a Peloton bike</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhczdRqUrzdcY3MQlBMsJ3tfBI9-veoKHE4Dh2mtR98gL10qyxDpRVSV8pG_jjOWz2pvpG4G4m0X4bq5ZVcdW7xECkT71UtiM3r8by-Rm8QA6N81lxlz9pcIVBT8b6FszjI2hdSPbIRLrfVEe6YL4BWOdAjj5fywg25K1Fx-3dluNbGN4sbJndzEcTo=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhczdRqUrzdcY3MQlBMsJ3tfBI9-veoKHE4Dh2mtR98gL10qyxDpRVSV8pG_jjOWz2pvpG4G4m0X4bq5ZVcdW7xECkT71UtiM3r8by-Rm8QA6N81lxlz9pcIVBT8b6FszjI2hdSPbIRLrfVEe6YL4BWOdAjj5fywg25K1Fx-3dluNbGN4sbJndzEcTo=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I know it's a bit silly, but buying a Peloton is honestly one of the reasons I look back on the year so positively. It was a big purchase and we umm-ed and ahh-ed over it for weeks, but now I am utterly obsessed with it and I wish we'd done it sooner! We've had it for 5 weeks so far and I've just hit 50 rides. I'm planning a post in the new year all about it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Racing again</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>God there is just nothing like being able to race again! This year I was so fortunate to run two 10Ks and a half marathon after nearly 3 years off from racing. I cannot wait to be back to doing two half marathons a year next year. I'll be starting my training for the Great Manchester Run again in a few weeks' time which will be my 10th half marathon, and I've got a 10K coming up at the end of January.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">parkrun is back!</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtD8H1MtbQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtD8H1MtbQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtD8H1MtbQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>After being pushed back multiple times in the summer, we finally got parkrun back in July! Yes, I cried! I can't explain what it means to have it back and I can't wait to finally run my 250th parkrun in 3 weeks!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bobby's first (and second!) holiday</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjFSFJhmqF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjFSFJhmqF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjFSFJhmqF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>In June we took Bobby on holiday with us for the first time for a few days in Wales, then in September we took him for a few days in the Lake District. Taking him with us has completely changed the kinds of holidays we have but it's so lovely to be able to take him to new places. I can't wait to take him away again next year!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">100+ books read</span></h3></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>In November I hit my 2021 Goodreads reading goal of 100 books and hit 90+ books read for the 4th year in a row. I'm finishing the year on 111 books read - I'll be sharing my favourites of the year (along with my favourite films, cookbooks and podcasts) in a post in the new week or so.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">More work on the house</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD3pq8dqbCZqQKX5nbKhgxLefoHHe7nY1NM7dyTxWqMvpPw1BETimmgMFCLD0qlZWzzsWIsLkvtTb8izQv3B_X1zO2C2OVXcbtNMudesYk6RRj1gZnlNHJ_tW8AWr9xIOBlWt39EUfIMY8oYW4CgrpmaRpZj0XUHb_kvg36iit0EgXCn8D57RpBeuF=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD3pq8dqbCZqQKX5nbKhgxLefoHHe7nY1NM7dyTxWqMvpPw1BETimmgMFCLD0qlZWzzsWIsLkvtTb8izQv3B_X1zO2C2OVXcbtNMudesYk6RRj1gZnlNHJ_tW8AWr9xIOBlWt39EUfIMY8oYW4CgrpmaRpZj0XUHb_kvg36iit0EgXCn8D57RpBeuF=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">2020 was the year of major changes to our house, but this year we've also done some little jobs we needed to do. We redecorated our bathroom with a fresh coat of paint, new prints and new storage, finally got our kitchen tiled after nearly 4 years and spruced up our two office rooms. After four and a half years living here I think we're nearly done?!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Turning 31</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNDS3JWMeHZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNDS3JWMeHZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNDS3JWMeHZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>While I'm still waiting to have the big celebration I had planned for my 30th last year, I did have a lovely 31st Birthday back in March, thanks to restrictions on meeting in gardens being lifted the day before my Birthday. Last year we couldn't do anything except see my parents' at their door step, so being able to do a National Trust walk and have cake in my parents' garden was just amazing. Fingers' crossed I can finally celebrate my 32nd next year properly!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Honorable mentions</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buckle and Boots 2021, visiting friends in Milton Keynes, lots of seeing friends and family and celebrating our second wedding anniversary.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As always, I'll be writing a post on my favourite books, TV shows, films, podcasts and cookbooks in the next few days so keep your eyes out for that!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-896479704380101202021-12-05T12:16:00.000+00:002021-12-05T12:16:34.012+00:00November Life Lately<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy December! It's the most wonderful time of the year! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've already worn all 3 of my Christmas jumpers, had a Baileys and done pretty much all my shopping so I'm well on my way to getting in the Christmas spirit.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">November was super busy! I was out every single weekend so it's not really a surprise that I finished the month battling a monster of a cold! I felt absolutely awful for over a week and to make things worse I had a few days off work which I mostly spent sleeping! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I did have lots of fun in November. Below is what I got up to and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6Z6BIlLUn/">here is my One Second Every Day for the month</a>!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p></p><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitwearnovember?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#knitwearnovember</a> ! A thing that didn’t exist but now does an as excuse to show off my ridiculous knitwear collection! (Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahDobbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SarahDobbs</a> for the inspo!). Today I am wearing this <a href="https://twitter.com/SugarhillBTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SugarhillBTN</a> deer jumper I got from eBay last year for £10! <a href="https://t.co/5ovanhD6SC">pic.twitter.com/5ovanhD6SC</a></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">— Charlotte Cantillon (@gnd_fashion) <a href="https://twitter.com/gnd_fashion/status/1455103726809665542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2021</a></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></span></center><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I'm sure you know that I am obsessed with knitwear, and I'd posted on Twitter a few times about my ridiculous jumper collection, and one of my Twitter pals Sarah suggested I share my collection and <b>#KnitwearNovembe</b>r was born! While I didn't manage to share a different jumper every day of the month, I did share 20 jumpers throughout the month! You can see them all by going onto the Twitter thread linked above.<p></p></span><p></p>
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWASFWTMgc5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWASFWTMgc5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWASFWTMgc5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">November marked our <b>8 year anniversary</b> (where has the time gone? There's definitely a post somewhere on this blog where I say "I've got a date tomorrow!) so we took Bobby to my parents' for a sleepover and went into town. We had drinks at <a href="https://cocktailbarmanchester.com/">Arcane</a> before heading to <a href="https://www.elgatonegrotapas.com/">El Gato Negro</a> for tapas, then ending the night at <a href="https://www.schofieldsbar.com/">Schofield's Bar</a> which was absolutely amazing! We snagged a seat at the bar and spent the night chatting to the bartender while she made incredible cocktails - definitely our new favourite place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWQ5Qy-MuDM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></center><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month I also hit my 2021 Goodreads goal of <b>100 books read</b>, making it the fourth year in a row of 90+ books read. More on what I read in November below.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some of my days out of the month included a trip to <b>Turf Moor</b> with our friends who are massive Burnley fans. We were very lucky to get a thrilling game with 6 goals against Crystal Palace (although it was such a shame Burnley missed their last minute chance!). It was such a great day out - I definitely want to go again next year! Other great days out in November were a trip to into town with my sister in law and a great night out in Stockport with my best friends.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAYlky0KyoPnNPv8URl-M-QR8jhTmwOtue54hhlNUmq8DtVMCluZCsed-zQrbbAT2L3UHbG9HJAB5wLkaY-7iRGspkHJnrFsr5fwCd0NHBeHTs8RtO4CZ-C3CqmQWWrqIl91SZC5TtqY/s1080/Peloton.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAYlky0KyoPnNPv8URl-M-QR8jhTmwOtue54hhlNUmq8DtVMCluZCsed-zQrbbAT2L3UHbG9HJAB5wLkaY-7iRGspkHJnrFsr5fwCd0NHBeHTs8RtO4CZ-C3CqmQWWrqIl91SZC5TtqY/w400-h400/Peloton.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the most exciting thing we did in November? We bought a <b>Peloton!</b> Honestly if you'd have told me this last year we'd own a Peloton bike I would have thought you were crazy, but I've absolutely loved using Peloton's digital membership over the last 11 months (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/01/why-im-obsessed-with-peloton-digital.html">I wrote about it here in January</a>) and now it's getting cold and dark in the mornings, I've been enjoying my pre-6am runs a little bit less (plus I'm always scared of falling when it's icy!). We started to talk about it a few weeks ago and went into John Lewis to try it out and we just fell in love! We've only had it for a week and a half (plus I was ill for the first few days we had it!) but we both love it so much already. I'll definitely write a blog post about it soon!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">8 books read in November taking me to 104 for the year so far. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's what I read in November:</span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Quickening by Rhiannon Ward</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">New Animal by Ella Baxter</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Welcome to Your Life by Bethany Rutter</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Final Cuts by Ellen Datlow</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Demon by Matt Wesolowski</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favourites were <b>Our Wives Under the Sea</b> and <b>Welcome to Your Life, </b>which I read 85% of in one night with a glass of wine - absolute heaven!</span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two fantastic new-to-us films in November, 1996's <b>Big Night</b> which we absolutely adored, and Netflix's <b>Tick...Tick...BOOM!</b> which as two musical-lovers was right up our street!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">No cinema trips in November (we had to cancel one of our planned trips due to my cold!) but a couple of rewatches of some of our favourite films - Bo Burnham's <b>Inside</b>, <b>The Social Network</b> and <b>Paddington 2.</b></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two new podcasts in November , <b>Who the Hell is Hamish?</b> and anthology podcast <b>The Opportunist</b>, as well as my usual faves, especially You're Wrong About, Maintenance Phase and Decoder Ring.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A LOT from my favourite writer, Anne-Helen Petersen, this month:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-to-become-your-own-influencer"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How to be your own influencer</span></a></li><li><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/you-do-not-need-to-sell-this-life"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You do not need to sell this life today</span></a></li><li><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/what-it-means-to-ride-at-any-ability?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0MzUxNDk2MSwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjM2NjM3NDEyLCJleHAiOjE2MzY2NDEwMTIsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNDUwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.N6twa0sWPNrxs7wU1dUWOu2o5JJUkA_tR2S6OYWbuj8"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What it means to ride (Peloton) at any ability</span></a></li><li><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-subtle-look-and-overwhelming?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0MzYzNTAwNCwiXyI6Ik1JTXdmIiwiaWF0IjoxNjM2MzAzOTg1LCJleHAiOjE2MzYzMDc1ODUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNDUwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.rkPH9pagFn1r9Iatl3Q6t4sJ6W88Ban50LKMenmb2wU"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The subtle look and overwhelming feel of today's misogyny </span></a></li><li><a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/there-is-no-earning-a-holiday-meal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is no earning a holiday meal</span></a></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also my other favourite Virginia Sole-Smith on <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/family-says-the-silent-part-out-loud">navigating diet talk during the holidays</a>.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also loved this piece on <a href="https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/features/big-interview-eating-drinking-inequality-diversity/conversation-ruby-tandoh">Ruby Tandoh</a> and this <a href="https://medium.com/@sbearbergman/please-come-and-be-fat-cc04ed4d8772">amazing essay on the fat trans experience on Medium</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I can't believe I'm saying this already, but if I don't blog before, have a fantastic Christmas! I'm looking forward to writing all my end-of-year review posts over the next few weeks!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-79310461155442235372021-11-06T13:01:00.003+00:002021-11-06T13:08:26.163+00:00October Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If I had £1 for every time this week I've gone OH GOD IT'S SO DARK! WHY IS IT SO DARK?? I'd be a millionaire. Guys, it is SO DARK.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But you know what, October aka, Spooky Season was great fun. I watched a lot of horror films, did some running, saw my friends lots and ate a lot of cosy food.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's everything I got up to in October, and is my One Second Every Day for the month is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVsnYoSlEdg/">here</a>...</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Phil likes to claim he's not obsesse</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">d with parkrun, but seeing as October brought his </span><span>200th parkrun </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I don't think that's really true... Saying that, I am so grateful to have someone who totally gets it (even if they're not quite as obsessed with me!) and is happy to get up super early to try a new event, or plan entire holidays around a really nice looking-parkrun...</span></span></p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7fcAvFQ1xXmz5DA2OsRUhYX3EZc9oB61Fp2YsAcmDLt_y4v798D9wkdehQrwdlkZHjehQlW4TleXqMHT5FFCCiWPBkqWCnSG_wRVDJS9AcatPFU_9n134gQOPBQmIAf1OX3UIkGdBKQ/s1080/date+night.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7fcAvFQ1xXmz5DA2OsRUhYX3EZc9oB61Fp2YsAcmDLt_y4v798D9wkdehQrwdlkZHjehQlW4TleXqMHT5FFCCiWPBkqWCnSG_wRVDJS9AcatPFU_9n134gQOPBQmIAf1OX3UIkGdBKQ/w400-h400/date+night.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">October brought lots of seeing friends and going out for dinner and drinks (I was home for one Friday night in the whole month which was awesome but tiring!) but we made sure to do our monthly <b>date night</b> in our local area, with a cocktails at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OHares-barrestaurant-807709759607670/">O Hare's</a> and a lovely meal at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GnammyItaly/">Gnammy Italy</a>, and Phil wore this excellent cardigan.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MRnPpJt6JRwDWvb6MyRIo-xL39HcFfAVdXFCdfxym6TQeNa2khw3MxjEVcIb3o8RoaHQAo1UUyYK-ojT7edWJ0hj5vTzSLtAHinPUdrA0nkTqvgTufOIEbsG1D5muLFgA-eQYJmmCIQ/s1080/picnic+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MRnPpJt6JRwDWvb6MyRIo-xL39HcFfAVdXFCdfxym6TQeNa2khw3MxjEVcIb3o8RoaHQAo1UUyYK-ojT7edWJ0hj5vTzSLtAHinPUdrA0nkTqvgTufOIEbsG1D5muLFgA-eQYJmmCIQ/w400-h400/picnic+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've talked below about our love of horror films in October, but one Saturday night we decided to have a spooky double bill with "party tea" aka, lots of cheese and bread and dips. I thought it would be fun to take it one step further and have a </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">spooky picnic</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> in the front room with lots of candles and it was so fun (though we did have to kick Bob out of the room for a bit, sorry Bob).</span><p></p>
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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVsIskHMjiQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's been so so so nice to be able to run proper races again, and one we'd had in the calendar for ages was <b>Chester Zoo 10K!</b> We had to be up at 6 to drop off Bobby at my parents' and get on the road for 7 for the hour-long drive to Chester, and the whole drive up the weather was absolutely abysmal and we were thinking, seriously why are we doing this?? The rain was still pouring as we got out of the car to walk to the race village and we were completely soaked before the race even started. BUT the rain stopped as we were doing the warm up and it stayed dry for the entire race! It was SUCH a fun race with the first and last kilometre in the zoo, and the medal is definitely a fave! We also got entry to the zoo after which was fantastic as I hadn't been since I was a kid! We had the best day, and the rain thankfully held off for most of our zoo trip too. My faves were the giraffes, elephants, penguins, lions and orangutans.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">8 books read in October. Bit of a mixed bag last month! I read a couple of books which will definitely make my top 20 books of the year, and a couple of real not-for-me books which were a bit of a struggle. So all in all, a mixed bag!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's what I read:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Voyeur by Francesca Reece</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Whistling by Rebecca Netley</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">True Crime Story by Joseph Knox</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Triflers Need not Apply by Camilla Bruce</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dead Relatives by Lucie McKnight Hardy</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I didn't exclusively read horror in October, but I did read a lot of horror and spooky stuff. I get a bit bored reading horror back-to-back, but I bought a few spooky books for October and I've got a few still to read into November and beyond so I'm definitely feeling an extended spooky season!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Shout out to the three books which will definitely make my favourites of the year - <b>True Crime Story</b>, which is the most modern meta interpretation of the true crime narrative I've ever read. Plus it's set in Manchester which I loved. <b>Dead Relatives</b> is an absolutely fantastic collection of horrible and scary and creepy short stories - one of them knocked me completely sick which is the sign of a good short story collection if you ask me!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally, one of the scariest and most original books I've ever read, Alison Rumfitt's <b>Tell Me I'm Worthless</b>. I'm already mentally buying it for so many people. If a terrifying haunted house story which also addresses trans issues and modern Britain sounds up your street, Alison is a guest on a recent episode of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/alison-rumfitt-tells-you-youre-worthless/id1285563723?i=1000540071292">What Page are You On?</a> talking about the book.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that with the exception of any new cinema releases, Phil and I exclusively watch horror films in October, and this year was no exception. We also managed 5 trips to the cinema, something I don't think we've done for at least a few years. To be fair, Cineworld knocked it out of the park with some of their screenings last month (if you're interested in becoming an Unlimited Card member at Cineworld you can <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2017/01/is-having-cineworld-unlimited-card.html">read my post about it here</a>, and it also has a code for a free month if you sign up!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">At the cinema, we saw <b>No Time to Die</b>, the 25th Anniversary rerelease of <b>Scream </b>(which I LOVED because Scream is one of my all-time favourite films, and in my <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/10/6-scary-films-and-one-scary-tv-show-for.html">top 5 favourite horror films</a>), <b>Halloween Kills </b>(which was laughably bad), an early Unlimited Screening of <b>Dune,</b> and <b>Last Night in Soho.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">At home, we watched <b>Paranormal Activity, </b>which I'd never seen before and loved, favourites <b>The Thing</b> and <b>It Follows</b>, and new-to-me <b>La Diaboliques </b>and <b>Freaky </b>(for our spooky picnic double bill) - both of which I loved, and <b>Oculus.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think having a theme makes us watch loads more films than our usual maybe 4 or 5 a month!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">TV-wise, we sadly finished season 2 of <b>Ted Lasso </b>which we miss very much, and we absolutely loved Mike Flannagan's <b>Midnight Mass</b>. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm still on a bit of a podcast bender! Last month I listened to <b>The Missionary, Broken Harts, The Baron of Botox </b>(though I did give up on it because I was a bit bored!) and <b>My Year in Mensa. </b>All of these had been sat in my podcast app for years so I'm glad I finally listened to them!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I ate</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love doing my cookbook review posts but sometimes I want to talk about things I've cooked or eaten that aren't in a book I'm reviewing (or are in a book I'm planning to review but I'm too excited to wait to tell you about them!), so I thought I'd add a little food section in to my monthly review!<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">October was all about cosy food - Jack Monroe's <a href="https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11/12/mushroom-lentil-ale-pie-recipe/"><b>lentil and mushroom pie</b></a>, lots of<b> soup</b> (I used <a href="https://cookieandkate.com/creamy-roasted-cauliflower-soup-recipe/">this recipe</a> to use up some leftover cauliflower and it was fantastic!), <b>shepherd's pie</b> (made from extra pie filling), Anna Jones' <b>butternut squash lasagne</b> (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/03/cookbook-review-one-by-anna-jones-part.html">which I raved about here</a>), and my <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/03/cookbook-review-one-by-anna-jones-part.html"><b>favourite pumpkin curry</b></a> (which I only eat when Aldi have the mixed squashes in stock between September and October, but make at least 3 times in that period every year).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I can't wait to tell you about the amazing recipes I've made from <b>Ruby Tandoh's Cook as You Are</b> which I talked about last month. This tweet might be a bit of a spoiler...</span></div>
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I hate beetroot but love <a href="https://twitter.com/rubytandoh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rubytandoh</a> so I trusted her when she said even a beetroot-hater would like this chilli and she was only bloody right <a href="https://t.co/quYFAkB0lM">pic.twitter.com/quYFAkB0lM</a></p>— Charlotte Cantillon (@gnd_fashion) <a href="https://twitter.com/gnd_fashion/status/1450529223412703232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We're also obsessed with her <b>gnocchi with capers and chilli oil-</b> watch this space for a book review!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maybe Baby - <a href="https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/76-on-feeling-like-yourself"><b>On Feeling "yourself"</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Culture Study -<a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/whats-that-feeling-oh-its-fall-regression"> <b>What's that feeling? Oh it's fall regression</b></a> (<i>essential reading if, like me, you've been feeling particularly "blah" since it started to get colder and darker!)</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gawker - <a href="https://www.gawker.com/culture/true-crime-is-rotting-our-brains"><b>True Crime is Rotting Our Brains</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Refinery 29 - <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/newstalgia-soft-grunge-tumblr"><b>Welcome to the age of "new-stalgia"</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Atlantic - <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/free-returns-online-shopping/620169/?fbclid=IwAR26T0cLTa7knCJlEvnckbhwqoe3tA4CfkOrugayuSySGekWGG5HkSmHtAU"><b>The Nasty Logistics of Returning Too-Small Pants </b></a>(<i>this is absolutely mind-blowing, but also super depressing) </i>and related from The Atlantic - <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/08/amazon-department-stores-prime-shipping/619860/?"><b>People Like Malls</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mental Hellth - <a href="https://mentalhellth.xyz/p/the-buzzfeed-ification-of-mental"><b>The Buzzfeed-ification of Mental Health</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Virgina Sole-Smith - <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/who-gets-to-blend-in-who-gets-to?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDUwNTgwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0MzA0NzYwNCwiXyI6ImRXUEtTIiwiaWF0IjoxNjM1MjY0MjAzLCJleHAiOjE2MzUyNjc4MDMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi03NTY3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.DGnD7qh6Ph58mAPyC9jD4Z1toDD_FGWdE4RAt5X3_Fs"><b>Who gets to blend in, who gets to break the rules?</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elle - <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26628467/taylor-swift-30th-birthday-lessons/"><b>Taylor Swift's 30 lessons she's learned at 30</b></a> (<i>this is actually a couple of years old now but I only discovered it this week. You might remember my own <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/03/50ish-lessons-ive-learned-at-30.html">50ish lessons from turning 30</a> I wrote last year)</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vox - <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22745054/instagram-boutique-drop-shipping-ghost-stores"><b>The Ghost Stores of Instagram</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Virginia Sole-Smith<a href="https://www.bustle.com/wellness/noom-weight-loss-app"> <b>for Bustle on Noom</b></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hey you might not know this but I am severely emetophobic and I was very interested to find that <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/emetophobia-awareness-tiktok"><b>Tik Tok-ers have been raising awareness of the phobia</b></a>. I'm not sure how I feel about its visibility and what it actually means for those of us who suffer from it, but hopefully more awareness is good, especially as it's surprisingly common (and honestly, pretty debilitating at times!)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">That's all for October - catch up soon!</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div></center>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983134633776267277.post-24516270795093611642021-10-06T06:37:00.001+01:002021-10-06T06:37:31.635+01:00September Life Lately<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy October! The knitwear is out, I'm reading spooky books, the heating is probably going on this week and going for a run at 6am feels like it's midnight outside!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">September was a quiet one. We had a lovely little break away but it definitely felt like the end of the summer which is always a bit sad particularly after this year which still feels like it's only just started!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I have lots of excellent things to share with you from September, and here's my One Second Every Day for the month.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUea0voFkM9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUea0voFkM9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUea0voFkM9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I did</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgU-bGICcgvF3CXSG_WvtvEXg55Q41HmPWWocIe9ArTolPAuy2K_mMqsGnhjpajgDyK8FUubNxAookCXmtONRTOehnCWQ5zpLq0rl8cia1zcGXYcyhB9apgc3ekUHH5AKvgFpN3bk1bQ/s1080/shelf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgU-bGICcgvF3CXSG_WvtvEXg55Q41HmPWWocIe9ArTolPAuy2K_mMqsGnhjpajgDyK8FUubNxAookCXmtONRTOehnCWQ5zpLq0rl8cia1zcGXYcyhB9apgc3ekUHH5AKvgFpN3bk1bQ/w400-h400/shelf.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now Phil and are both officially flexibly working we've finally <b>sorted out our office spaces</b>. We're very fortunate to have the space to have separate rooms, and last month we both got new desks and I got some new bookshelves which I've wanted for ages. I'm still working on sorting out all my books and Phil needs to sort out his 300+ DVDs but I really like my new set up!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjzbDRuBCh_fexhw4f52YvYlPHuZLkesOeeeHSP7NHXJnUQ-JNmVVFbgkfYkH61gmvuT_S4NuuNE_AtL0xjbYXxkG8OavpRjfDR7SgffbaVzYfI-TlL0qM0uvyccKovw4jX97xM-y0lM/s1080/lakes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjzbDRuBCh_fexhw4f52YvYlPHuZLkesOeeeHSP7NHXJnUQ-JNmVVFbgkfYkH61gmvuT_S4NuuNE_AtL0xjbYXxkG8OavpRjfDR7SgffbaVzYfI-TlL0qM0uvyccKovw4jX97xM-y0lM/w400-h400/lakes.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last month we also got a few lovely days away in the </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Lake District. </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">We stayed in Elterwater and had the most gorgeous dog-friendly Air bnb just round the corner from where Phil's parents were staying. We did loads of lovely walks and of course, some parkrun tourism at Keswick.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; 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line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUR_HtGqRhZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Cantillon (@girlnextdoorfashion)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After being pushed back from May 2020, to September 2020, to May 2021 to September 2021, I finally ran my <b>9th half marathon</b> a few weeks ago. This was my first proper half marathon since 2018, after taking 2019 off for our wedding and honeymoon. I'd had so many niggles and injuries in training (there was a period at the end of July when I couldn't run 5 miles without pain) that I was really nervous leading up to the race about whether one of my knees would go during it. The Great Manchester Run is the race that got me to start running in the first place when I watched my friend Eve run the 10K in 2013, so it's got a real special place in my heart, and I love that I can do a half marathon on that route now. I had an absolutely great time although my hopes of a PB fell by the wayside at about 10 miles where I completely hit the wall, but I was happy with my 2 hour finish!</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm definitely noticing the number of books I read every month dwindling now things are getting a bit more back to normal! At the start of the year I was easily reading 10+ books a month, but I'm definitely noticing I'm only managing 6 or 7 a month at the moment now I'm back in the office a bit more and not reading during my breakfast and lunch, and in the evenings I sometimes want to cross stitch or blog, or sometimes I even have plans!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm still going to hit my goodreads goal of 100 books for the year in the next few weeks but I hope the dark nights are going to give me some more cosy reading time over winter!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">7 books read in September:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh William by Elizabeth Strout</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Beautiful world where are you by Sally Rooney</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Reprieve by James Han Mattson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dark things I adore by Katie Lattari</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When things get dark by Ellen Datlow</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other people's clothes by Calia Henkel</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">56 days by Catherine Ryan Howard</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of the reasons I didn't get as much read in September was because I read a couple of quite long books, but also because I savoured <b>Oh William</b> so much I didn't want it to be over. Elizabeth Strout is one of my favourite ever authors and this addition to the Lucy Barton series is just utterly beautiful. Nobody writes quiet family stories like she does. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also enjoyed the new Sally Rooney, but particularly enjoyed all the fanfare around it. It really felt like "an event" in the world of Book Twitter, which I loved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">You might notice a lot of books with the word "dark" in the title in September because yes, I made a start on my spooky season books. I love to read horror in the autumn, and one of my favourite book-people, Blair, did a <a href="https://tinyletter.com/learnthisphrase/letters/learn-this-phrase-51">fantastic newsletter about upcoming horror reads</a> and I ended up buying or requesting ARCs of so many spooky books! I've got a few more to read now it's October and I love scary reads near Halloween (I wrote about some of my <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2020/10/5-spooky-books-for-october.html">favourite spooky reads last year!</a>)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I watched</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One trip to the cinema in September to see <b>Candyman</b> which I absolutely loved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Phil also couldn't believe I'd never seen <b>Billy Elliot </b>so bought us that on blu-ray to watch. He's right - why hadn't I seen Billy Elliot?! I adored it and cried,</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also got super into the Amazon documentary, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Lula Rich. </b>I am obsessed with anything about MLMs or cults, and this ticked both my boxes. I just wish it had been longer.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I loved</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wf8svMeFqZq_MMoD4VY6uz9OlV-2J2qowmhfERXT7NLUp3CcSpWJW2ivczenMvk7WHWDt3oTReBmJbUQsLtRPnamNvEI_-v4yWWpaWs4N6We_tSrqbMf8EBG3GwGnH7KLRVNW_HCIVo/s1080/sweet+roasting+tin.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wf8svMeFqZq_MMoD4VY6uz9OlV-2J2qowmhfERXT7NLUp3CcSpWJW2ivczenMvk7WHWDt3oTReBmJbUQsLtRPnamNvEI_-v4yWWpaWs4N6We_tSrqbMf8EBG3GwGnH7KLRVNW_HCIVo/w400-h400/sweet+roasting+tin.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">September brought the launch of the 5th (and last?!) roasting tin book with <b>The Sweet Roasting Tin. </b>While I love to make bread and the occasional brownie or cookie, I'm not a massive baker, but I've already made so much from this gorgeous book that I can't wait to tell you about! Review coming soon!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SM58I7Br0HxVa4bXGD_I3tpPRTc31q1_ZmH8qBuzwNGWzVEPNxFs_G0z6kZvz4PLkWoEKIavvAmfrh_4IqK0Hzyn_33Fv3sjW0px40EP2Ntm1mnFKp-g43nFNgwsm57ZaWpNAl9z85M/s1080/ruby+book.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SM58I7Br0HxVa4bXGD_I3tpPRTc31q1_ZmH8qBuzwNGWzVEPNxFs_G0z6kZvz4PLkWoEKIavvAmfrh_4IqK0Hzyn_33Fv3sjW0px40EP2Ntm1mnFKp-g43nFNgwsm57ZaWpNAl9z85M/w400-h400/ruby+book.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was also extremely lucky to get an advanced copy of Ruby Tandoh's <b>Cook As You Are</b> after a chat with Ruby on Twitter earlier in the year (<a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2017/03/cookbook-review-flavour.html">here's my review of her book, Flavour</a>). This is the most wonderful book. Super accessible with an emphasis on flexibility and making cooking simple. I can't wait to review it for you.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16J4QhhPVOvs2COpfs6BhbDuLErDXORgDbHWkgEtx1bqkGqK1Wuo3lmz-mdNMyejP5-eUsgsXuYXEhCJpJPoekyaug4-M2k2ttqEMDBCnkutktUZwvS_p0LkSJjciyWXpjerJa6HxNNI/s1080/jumper.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16J4QhhPVOvs2COpfs6BhbDuLErDXORgDbHWkgEtx1bqkGqK1Wuo3lmz-mdNMyejP5-eUsgsXuYXEhCJpJPoekyaug4-M2k2ttqEMDBCnkutktUZwvS_p0LkSJjciyWXpjerJa6HxNNI/w400-h400/jumper.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Autumn meant a change from my usual rainbow nails, so I've had the most gorgeous <b>autumn nails</b> over the last few weeks, which I matched to my new favourite <b>Joanie jumper.</b></span></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I listened to</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Picking a favourite podcast is like picking a favourite child, but it's probably <b><a href="http://maintenancephase.com/">Maintenance Phase</a></b>. So much so that last month I signed up to their Patreon and the bonus episodes have been absolutely fantastic. I particularly loved the episode on why Shallow Hal is trash and the episode on fat suits</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another podcast recommendations -<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/spectacle-an-unscripted-history-of-reality-tv/id1551181322">Spectacle: An unscripted history of reality tv</a>. </b>I found this completely engrossing but would have loved to see a few more TV shows included (not including Big Brother felt like a big loss). I particularly loved the episode on the Great British Bake Off.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I wrote</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two huge blog posts in September which have been sat on my to-write list for probably close to a year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wrote about <b><a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/its-secondhandseptember-how-i-buy-my.html">how I buy nearly all my clothes second hand</a></b> and my top tips for shopping second hand online and also about the <a href="http://www.girlnextdoorfashion.net/2021/09/lockdown-habits-i-want-to-keep.html"><b>lockdown habits I want to keep</b></a>.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What I read online</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guardian -</span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/sep/19/table-for-one-the-joy-of-eating-alone" style="font-family: georgia;">Table for one - the joy of eating alone</a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Refinery 29- <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/how-to-save-money-when-shopping">How to save money when you really really like shopping</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mel Magazine -<a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-wild-ride-of-americas-most-dangerous-theme-park"> The wild ride of America's most dangerous theme park</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Huffpost - <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lexapro-weight-gain-fatphobia_n_612e62b9e4b0df9fe26eee18">If Achieving Success Meant Gaining 50 Pounds, Would You? I Did. Here’s What I Discovered</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Euronews - <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/09/08/how-are-shein-hauls-making-our-planet-unlivable">How are Shein hauls making our planet unlivable?</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Culture Study - <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/against-kids-sports">Against kids' sports</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Related to the above - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/the-hockey-sister">The Hockey Sister</a>, from the New Yorker</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Guardian - <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/10/experience-a-stranger-secretly-lived-in-my-home">A stranger secretly lived in my home</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Novara Media -<a href="https://novaramedia.com/2021/09/06/on-losing-perspective-or-why-i-dont-give-a-f-about-geronimo-the-alpaca-and-nor-should-you/"> On losing perspective</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Burnt Toast - <a href="https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/what-we-get-wrong-about-trauma-and?">What We Get Wrong About Trauma and Fatness</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Culture Study - <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-counterintuitive-mechanics-of?">The counter-intuitive mechanics of Peloton addiction</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I hope you're having a cosy October!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charlotte x</span></div>Charlotte Cantillon (Crowley)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11920677643812511895noreply@blogger.com0