Top of the Telly

As much as I feel guilty about it, and as much as I should make a dent in the many books I own and haven’t read, I do love telly. This year has been a time when we’ve probably watched more TV than usual, but I’m pleased to see the standards haven’t dropped.

Here’s what I have been enjoying recently: 

1. Des, ITV

David Tennant starred in this drama based on the true story of serial killer, Dennis Nielson. Although I’m not a Doctor Who fan, I do love David Tennant, and his ability to play a multitude of different characters. The drama itself was very clever, yet quite chilling. You’re captured by Des’ psyche, and just how blunt he is about the crimes he has committed. I almost wish there were more episodes than the three.

                                                                                                    Image via The Sun EUSTON FILMS.ITV

2. Crime and Punishment, Channel 4 

      If you know me well, you’ll know that I love a police/emergency documentary, (please come back ‘24 Hours in Police Custody’!). So when Chris mentioned that this series was filmed in Southampton, we had to watch! It was a bit strange knowing all the areas that the incidents they cover took place, and that we could’ve been in the same place, at the same time, completely oblivious to what was going on. The episode around rape includes a recording from an interview with a rape victim in the 1980s, which is particular harrowing, and makes me grateful for how far we have come in terms of justice for victims.

                                                                                                Image via Inews 72 Films/Channel 4

3. Gogglebox, Channel 4

Gogglebox is my absolute favourite. I’m a long term fan! When you think about it, it is a weird concept, watching people watch TV, but it just works! I also find it a good way of seeking out what would be good to watch yourself. I’ve been watching old episodes on Amazon Prime, as well as the current series, I’m even watching one as I write this! And before the new series started I was watching all the different versions; Gogglebox Australia, Celebrity Gogglebox and Celebrity Gogglebox USA. I said I’d had a lot of time on my hands!

                                                                                                                             Image via Channel 4

4. Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Channel 4 

Unpopular opinion, but I actually prefer Extra Slice to the Bake Off. It’s much more light hearted and fun. Jo Brand is the perfect host, and Tom Allen is an excellent fit, with his sarcastic comments to the audience. And I never get tired of seeing the expectations vs. reality of the viewers’ bakes - the hedgehog cake attempts still crack me up!

                                                                                                                    Image via Channel 4.    

 5. Ambulance, BBC

      I’m really pleased the BBC didn’t keep us waiting too long for the next series of Ambulance. As I mentioned, I love emergency programmes, and this is one of the best. It certainly reminds me of my privilege, and that I am reasonably healthy with a roof over my head. I have huge respect for the emergency services staff, and the things they have to deal with day to day, not to mention the abuse they can get. The cases will certainly stay with you, and remind you what a blessing life is, as well as the blessing of the NHS.

                                                                                                                            Image via BBC 

What have you been watching? Let me know what you'd recommend!

April Favourites

Image credits Zoey IMDB, Steamer AO, Vicar of Dibley The Sun - otherwise all my own

I’m trying to look at the positives at the moment, and making the most of being stuck at home (something that rarely happens normally!) so here’s a few things I enjoyed in April.

Electric Steamer – I feel a bit boring having a kitchen appliance as a favourite, but hey I’m enjoying it! I’m a big fan of a ‘chuck it all in and forget about it’ appliance which is exactly what this Russell Hobbs Steamer is. I’d been thinking of getting an electric steamer for a while as I’ve heard it keeps the nutrients in the food and is healthier than boiling or frying. My favourite thing to do is put salmon, veg and potatoes in there as you have a whole meal in 15-20 minutes!

Make Your Bed, William H. McRaven – This book had been on my Amazon Wish List for a while, and I was lucky enough to get it from my lovely sister (thanks Zo!) for Christmas. The book is written by ex Navy SEAL, who explains the life lessons he learnt in his experience. I love the way it is written, it’s not a cringey self help book, and there’s certainly humour throughout. I also enjoyed the short chapters as it made me feel more accomplished and motivated me to read more often.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Ah I love this show so much! Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist ticks many of my boxes. People bursting into song at random moments? A strong independent female lead? Actual diversity? The show explores so many themes, and as mentioned the characters are so diverse. There’s a gender fluid character, plenty of female leaders as well as one of the characters having a debilitating disease and how this effects the family.

Madlug Bag – I was very blessed to finally get a Madlug Rucksack for my birthday. I love this Teal colour so much! I took it out for a spin (on an essentials trip of course!) this week and I'm very pleased with it, the thick straps are great for my shoulders and there’s plenty of room inside. I also love brands with a conscience, so I was pleased to hear Madlug had a similar approach to Toms, with the buy one give one initiative, by giving a bag to a child in care for every bag bought.

Vicar of Dibley – I was so pleased to see Vicar of Dibley was on Netflix. I thought it was perfect timing for the lockdown period. For me it’s one of those ‘cosy’ programmes, like ‘Call the Midwife’, you can just snuggle up and enjoy, and they’re pretty failsafe, I always know they will make me laugh or cheer me up. I can also relate to Geraldine and her love of Chocolate, and the Lord of course ;) I also live for the Alice and Geraldine jokes after the credits. It’s a no, no, no, no, yes from me!

Zoom Quizzes – As a big fan of quizzes, this is certainly one of the few positives for me. I’ve loved doing quizzes over Skype with family and friends. My family have been doing one every Saturday and it’s definitely a highlight of my week. I don’t see myself getting sick of them anytime soon!

My Freelance New Year's Resolutions

This year I got a new job which enabled me to work slightly less hours, and therefore get started on my freelance career. I’ll be honest and say that although it was my intention to channel my creativity into doing what I love – writing, it had felt for a while that maybe this was a bit of unrealistic dream. As I said in my Reflections on my First 6 Months of Freelancing post, I didn’t think I would have much work for a while! I feel very blessed to have this time and I’ve loved the opportunities I’ve had this year.

1.       Next year I’d like to expand the kind of work I do. Obviously writing is my ‘first love’ and that’s the work I enjoy doing most, but expanding what I can do will hopefully also expand my list of clients. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve always wanted to try and have many strings to my bow!

2.       Speaking of expanding my client list, next year I’m going to start doing more self-promotion. It actually makes me feel a bit nauseous thinking about this, and I always felt like it was a bit self-indulgent to share what I was working on or keep talking about what I do, but I’m going to have to get over myself if I want to do more work!

3.       I want to get myself branded up! At the moment I feel like I am plodding on as a lone wolf occasionally saying ‘I’m a part time Freelance Writer’ when people ask what I do. But I want it to be clear what I do and for my business (surreal!) to be recognisable.

4.       I’d like to meet more people. I love and really thrive from meeting people and being around people, so I want to see what I can do for them! I went to my first networking session this week and it was great. I’ve always been passionate about small businesses so I hope I can promote more of them through my work in 2020.

See you in 2020!

Reflections on my first 6 months of freelancing

It’s been six months since I first started freelancing part time. I’m really enjoying it and feel very blessed to be in this position. Here are my reflections on the last six months…

• People’s reactions – Freelancing seems to have this weird perception of being a phantom job.  ‘Have a nice long weekend! ‘You don’t work Fridays do you?’ Actually yes, sometimes I work many hours on a Friday! I’m also my own Accounts department, Marketing team and boss!

• Having said that I love the flexibility I have, particularly at the moment. I can move things around so I don’t have to fit appointments in around my Monday-Thursday job and plans on the weekend. I also love a breakfast or lunch date to remind me to actually take a break.

• I love working exactly how I like to work. Usually this is with the radio blaring or from the garden in the summer!

• Negotiating rates for your work is difficult when you have little self-worth – it can be tempting to be like ‘I’m shit! Don’t worry I’ll do it for free!'

• Quantity and Quality - I’ve actually had more work than I thought I would at this stage and I’m loving it. I love the variety too – I’ve written about everything from garages to self-care!

• Adding another string to my bow - I’m really interested in people that have many strings to their bow, and always wanted to be one of them. So I love being able to say ‘I do this Monday-Thursday and Freelance on Fridays’. Emma Gannon (a real inspiration to me!) writes about this in her book The Multi Hyphen Method – which is on my Christmas list!

• It’s all down to me, which is a pretty scary concept in some respects, but in others, if I don’t get what I need to done, the only person it will effect is me. This weirdly motivates and calms me! Having worked in really toxic environments before, it’s great to have complete control. I’ve also got the security of my Monday-Thursday job so there’s not too much pressure at the moment, although of course I’d love to do more freelance days in the future.

Do you have any advice for me on my freelance journey? Let me know!

Or maybe you even want to work with me! Contact me here.

Look out for my blog post in January to find out my Freelance New Year’s Resolutions!

5 Ways To Support a Friend Struggling With Their Mental Health

It can be easy to feel helpless or out of your depth with a friend who is experiencing a difficult time with their mental health. I’ve put together a few tips on the ways you can be a better friend to someone whatever they’re going through.

DISCLAIMER: I have drawn from my own experience for this blog post, so therefore it will predominately be centred around depression and anxiety. Although I like to think a lot of these tips are quite transferable to other mental health issues.

1. Let them know you’re there, regardless of what state they are in. Don’t forget about them or make them feel forgotten about. When a person doesn’t feel worthy or deserving of anything, feeling isolated doesn’t help either. Just a little text can make all the difference. I also don’t think we should be afraid of asking straight out, ‘How’s your mental health at the moment?’. Fighting a mental health battle can be a really lonely place, and they might feel like they are lowering the tone in a conversation if they bring it up, so give your friend an opportunity to be honest.

2. Make the effort – My friend Jem tags me and sends me inspiring pictures on Instagram, she does this most days and it’s such a great little pick me up. I know she’s thinking of me, and it helps without me having to do anything. When I was in the midst of depression and felt really low, my sister took me out to get my nails done. She would also make sure we booked things in so that I always had things to look forward to and kept busy. Personally this helps my mental health massively. Sometimes it’s the little things that aren’t necessarily to do with mental health at all that help the most. You don’t have to be a mental health professional to have an impact!

3. That being said, let them know they can be honest with you. Mental Health is the ultimate expert at disintegrating any kind of energy and self-worth. Let them know that their feelings are valid, even if you disagree with their thoughts. Be a sounding board for them and try not to talk about yourself too much. Ask them how you can help them, but be prepared that they might not have an answer, sometimes it feels overwhelming when you don’t even know how to help yourself, let alone advising someone else how to do it.

4. Keep checking in on them. Don’t assume they are ‘all better’ because they seem a bit happier or more confident. Whilst these are definitely things to celebrate, even depressed and anxious people can have good days, and sometimes we can appear ‘up’ around others, but things return to normal once we are alone with our thoughts.

5. Make sure you look after yourself too. As Ed Sheeran says (I think lyrics must be one of my love languages!) ‘Before I save someone else, I’ve got to save myself’ – and this is super important! Be mindful of your own mental health, and whilst I’ve stated the importance of making the effort, remember that you can only do so much.

I also recommend checking out Blurt for more info and resources on mental health.

'You're doing Great!' Treatbox Unboxing: February

I always look forward to the first of the month, not just because it's time for a fresh start and there are new things to look forward to, but also because it's the day my Treatbox arrives!

February's Treatbox theme was 'You're Doing Great!' and it was filled with an array of items to aid self-care and productivity, with a few astronomical themed items thrown in too.

Each box contains an illustrated calendar page, with details of the product inside, and a beautifully illustrated quote print. I've pinned this 'Think Happy' print to my mirror, to encourage me to think positively wherever possible. I also loved this 'Shine Bright' notebook. I'm certainly not short on notebooks, but I love these thin ones that you can just slip into your bag, as they're not bulky at all so don't take up much room - perfect for when inspiration strikes!

These Candy Kittens sweets didn't last anymore than 5 minutes after I took this photo! I've never had Candy Kittens sweets before, but I can report that these Sour Watermelon ones were delicious! I also appreciated the size of the package, there were just enough sweets for a sugary treat without giving me a headache!

Hand cream is also another item I'm not short of, but perhaps you can never have too many?! This Dove Intensive Hand Treatment Cream is also the perfect size to put in your bag or bedside table. The current freezing British weather has certainly taken its toll on my skin, so my hands could certainly do with this product. I think items like this are the perfect reminder to take a moment out for a simple mindful activity, that doubles as self-care too.

Anyone who knows me well will know I love all things dotty, so I love these cute paper ribbons! 

I'm still deciding where to put these, but I have a gold dotty feature wall in my room, which I'm sure they'll complement perfectly. Personally, I find that decorating and giving my space that personal touch enables me to feel comfortable and more inspired in my surroundings.

This is my favourite item from this month's Treatbox. I have a lot of jewellery, so I'm always happy to receive another ring dish. As you can see, the dish is a navy blue colour with 'Shine Like the Stars' on it. It's a great size to store and display a few of your favourite pieces.

The last item was a navy blue starry lanyard. I'm not sure what there is to say about lanyards, but I do find them handy for attaching keys or an ID badge, and the pattern makes it easy to find in your bag.

That was February's Treatbox! Thanks for reading :)

Treatbox is a lifestyle subscription box delivered to your door on the first of every month. As you can see, it contains a variety of lifestyle products from various businesses, for just £12 a month.

Visit treatboxuk.com for more details. 

July Treatbox

If you didn't know, I absolutely love a good subscription box! There's just something about getting a few treats among all the bills and reminders that makes getting post exciting again.

Treatbox is sent out at the beginning of the month, and has a different theme every month. I love finding out what the theme is and seeing a range of goodies from brands I haven't heard of yet.

The first thing I noticed when July's Treatbox arrived, was the amazing smell! On opening the box I found this smell was coming from the Pina colada wax melts by Simple Candle Co. I can't wait to start burning these and get my flat smelling lovely and summery. One particular thing I love about Treatbox is how they include products from small businesses, something I'm very passionate about!

The July box also featured a selection of patterned straws with summer toppers. I love these (particularly the Dotty ones of course!) and they make me want to organise a summer party, although as I write this it's raining, how ironic...

This box made me feel very excited for summer! I can't wait to add the special Treatbox addition Pineapple pin badge to my collection for when I finally find a nice denim jacket to add them to. I'm loving adding little additions to my clothing and it makes me feel a little bit more creative and crafty! With this in mind I'm looking forward to using the appliqué iron on patches to jazz up a bit of a boring t-shirt! My friend (and designer) Melissa absolutely loves flamingos - so I'm going to give her the flamingo one

I think I might use the 'My Favourite Things' case to store a few essentials in my bag. As it's transparent it'll make finding things a lot easier!

I only managed to get one picture of the Water Melon sours sweets, as I'd couldn't save them for too long with my sweet tooth! I can report they were lush though! 👌

Of course the cute prints; July calendar page, utterly fabulous flamingo print and cactus print are great. I've started a small gallery wall in my room, so I'm looking forward to adding these unique prints to the collection. I like to use the calendar page for my notice board at work too.

 Do you like subscription boxes? Are there any you'd recommend I check out? Comment below!