Life Lately April 2015

Saturday 25 April 2015


Hi dolls

How has your April been so far? Are you feeling more spring-like?

I feel like this month is going ridiculously quickly. We’re racing headlong towards summer, and for me, the end of summer is going to bring about some massive changes in my life.

I’m trying my best to feel prepared but I am having momentary freak-outs about all the things I need to choose/decorate/buy/get done before August! But mostly its been a really nice few weeks. Here’s
what I’ve been up to this month...




Spring Fling




So spring has finally made a proper appearance. I’m loving the lighter evenings and everything being covered in blossom and daffodils. 


It all looks so green and vibrant outside. We live very close to a nature reserve and water park, so I’ve been enjoying lots of walks down there. I’m waiting for ducklings on the canal at the end of the garden to feed as well. At the moment we just have a very cheeky swan!
 

Everything feels green and growing.



Its odd to think the weather can affect your mood so much – I’m definitely happier now. 


We even managed our first barbecue of the season last Saturday. I wasn’t sure it would be nice enough outside as its quite changeable at the moment, but my mother-in-law’s garden is a complete suntrap and we had a really nice time - you literally can’t go wrong with a barbecue, I’m hoping to have lots of them this summer.

Pink or Blue?


We finally had our 20 week scan, and although the main part is obviously that the baby is very healthy (phew), I was beside myself to know if it was going to be a boy or girl.

They leave that bit until last, so I was in suspense the whole time.
 

It was very emotional to see the baby on the screen again, the level of detail on a scan is amazing - we saw tiny ribs, kidneys, little hands…I did cry this time a bit, which I wasn’t expecting to. There’s
some crazy hormones going on at the moment!

For various reasons, I was convinced the baby was a girl. But we know now that we’re expecting a little boy!

I nearly fell off the examining table in shock…I’ve been calling my bump ‘she’ for about three weeks now (oops!) 


So excited and it makes it so much more real to find out we’re having a little son. I’ve seen some really cool stuff for his nursery already, and we’ve finally been able to get really stuck in buying some clothes for him.

If you’re interested, there’s a much more detailed account of my scan experience over on www.seriouslymummy.co.uk.

Food Glorious Food




I enjoyed a couple of really nice meals out lately. They still continue to be my main form of social entertainment now that drinking and partying is out the window!

The first was at a really lovely Indian restaurant called Calcutta Club. I absolutely loved the décor, which was all polo accessories and colonial inspired – lots of dark woods and racing green. Although I had a brilliant time in great company, the sad part was that we were out because a dear colleague was leaving work.




Ken is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, in work or out, a great laugh, impeccable taste in music and one of those people who knows the answer to any random question you have, and makes time for you. I know the office will feel like a different place without him. 
So we consoled ourselves with food!




I started with Ajwani Jehnga, which was king prawns marinated in roasted caraway seed and ginger. These were beautifully presented and absolutely to die for, taste wise. 
Then followed up with the Lamb Nihari, which involved a slow-cooked, buttery soft fillet of lamb
cooked in turmeric and nihari masala with fresh ginger and chillies.

I also had the (dis)pleasure of trying my first non-alcoholic beer. My friend Liz and I are both pregnant, and we were missing being able to have a beer with our curries, so we went for the 0% Cobras. 
Yuk, yuk, and again yuk. I don’t know what it tasted like, but it was nothing
like beer! A bit like the time I tried gluten-free bagels and swore never again…Think I’ll be sticking to the OJ for the next few months!

But a great time is always had with my colleagues, I’m very lucky to work with a bunch of people who are such thoroughly good company. What other evening would include a round of Post-It Beards, in tribute to our own departing Beardy Ken? Good times.




I also went to a great little gastro pub nearby called The Ruddington Arms. 
Our friends Phil and Vicky, who moved to Southampton a few years ago, were up for a visit, so we met them and our other friends Adam and Katie for a bit of a long, leisurely lunch. Adam is a very
talented chef and he recommended the food there, so I knew it would be worth a trip. I basically just ate what he told me to!

The Club sandwich with chargrilled chicken, dry cured bacon, avocado and mustard mayo, followed by Cinnamon doughnuts with pistachio ice cream and dark chocolate sauce. It was absolutely yummy! 
We went back to Adam and Katie’s afterwards for tea and a natter. Just great catching up as we don’t get to do it often, everyone is always so busy.

I was especially keen to ask them all about the ups and downs of chicken ownership, as we are about to get some ourselves.

Oh Baby!



Of course, there’s a whole heap of baby stuff going on as well. It feels like there are lots of choices to be made at the moment – we’ve finished stripping all the nasty woodchip out of his nursery and are
ready to decorate, we need to choose and order our pram system and we have shortlisted some names. 
I don’t think we’ll make a final decision until the baby arrives, but its useful to test out the favourites and see if their charm wears off over the next few months.

Prams are ludicrously expensive as well, and of course I’ve fallen in love with one that costs over £1000. 
But there is so much other stuff to buy before August, plus we’re saving up to balance out me being on maternity pay for a year, so we might have to compromise on some things. Realism versus motherly dreams!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun



Seb was away in Berlin over the Easter holiday, so it didn’t really feel like Easter much (I didn’t even eat any chocolate eggs – what a scandal!). 
Two of my oldest friends, Holly and Claire, came down for a visit though. We don’t often get the chance to catch up, but its one of those amazing friendships where we can just pick up where we left
off, no matter how long its been.

We had reason to celebrate as Claire recently became engaged, so there was lots of wedding talk. She used to say she didn’t want to get married, but she said that when he asked her, her answer came from the heart which was so lovely. I think it will be an amazing, quirky wedding.

Claire asked Holly and I to be bridesmaids, which was incredibly exciting. It also gives me a very good reason to lose my baby weight!
 
She is planning on getting married next summer and I’m looking forward to the whole process – a wedding isn’t just one good event, it’s a whole series of cool stuff.



We were originally planning to go out for dinner and drinks that night, but we were talking so much that it got to about 9 oclock and we hadn’t moved. 
Instead of going out, we then decided to have an old fashioned sleepover! We raided the 24 shop for foodie treats, got changed into our PJs and watched ‘Clueless’ on Netflix (much funnier than I remembered it to be!). Just like the old days – and I think we actually had a better time than going out!


NKD relaunch

I got to attend the re-launch of NKD last week, which is a waxing salon in Nottingham that also does amazing brow and lash treatments.

They've moved a much bigger premises and its great to see them going from strength to strength. I had a HD Brows treatment there a while ago, and they did a great job.

They also do special 'glam-over' packages including a wax, lashes and brow treatments. I'm considering that for after the baby comes at some point. I know I'll be needing something to make me feel like my old self after becoming a new mother, so that could be just the ticket.

I'm sure I won't be bothered for the first couple of months, but after that, I'm keen to hang onto my identity and the side of me that loves getting glammed up.


At the end we got goodie bags containing these beautiful handmade biscuits, discount vouchers and also a free taster treatment, so I'm popping in next week to get my brows sorted out before my summer holiday!


I’m Watching


Ok, reeeeallly late to the party on this one, but I recently started watching ‘Game of Thrones’ and I’m already hooked. We didn’t used to have Sky Atlantic before, so we weren’t able to begin watching it when it started. 


But my Dad got series 1-4 on DVD and insisted we borrow them (we didn’t take much persuading), so we’ve been catching up and already have series 5 queued up recording on the Sky box. 

I love the intricacy of the Westeros universe and the fact that they manage to cram so much into an episode. The baby seems to like it a lot too, because he’s taken to kicking a lot when we’re watching.

I’m Reading


Enjoying the chance to plough through some of my reading wishlist while I still can! 
I’ve just finished ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens. It never seems to get adapted as much as his other works, and I don’t know why, because it’s a brilliant story that tells the tale of the French Revolution without being too heavy-handed. I read a lot of Dickens doing my degree, but somehow had never got to this one.

I’ve just started a book that was gifted to me by a colleague called ‘Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant’ by Anne Tyler. He highly recommended her books, and so far its well-written and a page turner, but quite easy going. I have loads of books lined up for my holidays already and am going to be devouring some more Gillian Flynn, two of Alison Weir’s histories, and some Chuck Palahniuk as well.

I’m Listening



In love with a singer called Raye at the moment. Her tracks ‘Bet U Wish’ and ‘Just Like That’, plus her ‘Welcome to the Winter’ EP have hardly been off my headphones at the moment. Its quite similar in style to Indiana and Delilah, so if you like that kind of stuff, you’d probably appreciate it.


I also recently purchased Jaguar ‘What So Not’, and have actually been getting into a bit of Alt-J.


I didn’t think I liked them at first, but sometimes things grow on you!

2 comments

  1. It sounds like your life has been very busy; you are living it up to the fullest. I to love everything about spring, except for my dreadful allergies. Keep up the great post.

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  2. Allergies aren't much fun, my heart goes out to you. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, thank you for your kind comment :)

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