Sunday 31 July 2016

July Life


HOW I'VE BEEN FEELING


Generally pretty hot and bothered! Haha! It has been a warm month though hasn't it? I don't cope too well in really hot weather and I definitely feel as though the heatwave has impacted on both my motivation and productivity levels this month. I think July has been the first month in a while where I have found myself feeling a bit down in the dumps and a tad grumpy. I've noticed myself saying "I feel fed up" more this month and i've generally felt quite restless with life. I'm not sure if it's just the weather or something else is going on but I am hoping it passes soon! 

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING


Despite my lack of enthusiasm for hot weather in the UK, I have been trying to make the most of the Summer and I do feel as though we have spent a lot of time outside this month!


At the start of the month we decided to visit Frinton on Sea for the day with the dogs. Suki's vaccinations were finally all done and dusted so this was also an opportunity to take her out for her first proper walkies and we thought there was no better place to take her. We were so lucky that the weather was glorious and the beach was also quiet so we had a whole section to ourselves. The dogs loved it and I think this was the first day where we really felt like Summer had arrived.   




Another thing we decided to do this month was to go glamping in Suffolk. It was quite a last minute decision and it's something we generally like to do once a year during the Summer months. It was so nice to be able to explore more of the Suffolk coast area and both Southwold and Aldeburgh are really lovely places to visit. 





Aside from all the seaside adventures, I also booked myself onto an iPhoneograpy workshop in Cambridge which was so good. It was part of the Shutter Hub 2016 Open event and it was led by Sara Tasker from the Me & Orla blog.  I ended up learning so much more than I thought I would and it really inspired me to take and edit better photographs on my phone. It really was so much fun and i'm so glad I pushed myself to go along alone. It was also a pretty good excuse to spend a day in Cambridge exploring the shops and eating lots of yummy vegan food!    



One of my favourite activities from July was berry picking with Andy at McLauchlans of Boxted in Essex. It was such a fun and relaxing way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon and the strawberries and raspberries we picked were so delicious. They also had a beautiful sunflower field there which was a pretty amazing sight and so instagramable! We definitely want to go back again at some point. 



Another favourite memory from July was spending a day at Maldon with my best friend and her baby girl. Again it was a really hot and sunny day and so we decided to make the most of it by enjoying a picnic in the park. We also visited the outside water park for kids which was the perfect way to cool down in the heat.



WHAT I'VE BEEN EATING



One of my favourite things to enjoy on a hot Summer's day is one of these tropical fruit coolers from Costa's. It just tastes like Summer in a cup! It'a also like an iced slush puppie so it's the perfect drink to cool yourself down with. 


Andy and I enjoyed an amazing slap up lunch at Yo Sushi in Chelmsford this month. The new Chelmsford branch is by far our new favourite as it's just so modern and funky! The vegan options at Yo Sushi are so incredibly delicious and there's so much choice. 


My favourite meal this month was the yummy vegan hot dog meal I enjoyed whilst away in Aldeburgh. We stumbled across Delphine's Diner which had a really great veggie and vegan menu. We're already planning a return visit to here!


Someone on Twitter recommended these pineapple, coconut & lime ice lollies from M&S to me and i've been hooked ever since. Pineapple and coconut is my all time favourite flavour combination so these really hit the spot for me! Have you tried them yet? 


We also managed to squeeze in a visit to The Den at 23 in Colchester this month with some vegan friends and it was well worth it. I enjoyed this really yummy cheese burger and we couldn't resist going in for a chocolate brownie sundae for dessert too! The Den is definitely our favourite local cafe for vegan treats. 


Another favourite from this month were these incredible vegan macarons from the Floral Frosting Bakery who I discovered on Instagram. I paid £15 including delivery for this box of chocolate macarons and, although it was a little on the expensive side, they were a real enjoyable treat. They've actually inspired me to try my hand at making some of my own vegan meringue as this is something I am yet to try for myself. 


I've also taken to Instragramming more of my every day meals this month following a few requests and I think it makes a pretty picture :-) 



WHAT I'VE BEEN BUYING



I spotted this cute pet tipi on a friends Instagram page and she kindly informed me that it was from Home Bargains. I bought it thinking the dogs might like it but the only pet to show it any interest so far is Winnie my lovely cat! 


My friend Priya on Twitter recently became an ambassador for the cruelty free and vegan friendly cosmetics brand Tropic. This month I decided that I wanted to find a new day time moisturiser and she kindly pointed me in the direction of this Skin Revive product. So far I have been really loving using this every morning so I am sure it will feature in one of my favourites videos soon! If there are any products you're interested in trying get in touch with Priya for special deals and offers.  


Whilst I was in M&S the other day I spotted this amazing little avocado bag for life and I just had to pick one up. It's surely this Summer's must have avocado accessory for any fellow avo addicts like me! You will also see that I bought myself another one of their loafs of olive bread which is seriously delicious. I love to dunk it in olive oil and balsamic. 


I think my favourite purchase from July would have to be my new 'Meat Sucks' t-shirt from Raw Apparel. It took a while to get delivered to me from America but it was worth the wait. I was impressed to find that the slogan has been printed on an American Apparel t-shirt too. It's a really good quality tee and one that i've been loving wearing lately. 


WHAT I'VE BEEN VLOGGING


JULY INSTA HIGHLIGHTS 




WHAT I'M EXCITED FOR NEXT MONTH


As it stands right now we don't have a huge amount planned for August but that could change as we have been planning things quite spur of the moment lately! The main and only plan we have at the moment is to visit my Mum in Eastbourne for a few days and whilst we're down that way we will also be spending a night in Brighton which i'm really excited for. It was around this time last year we went so I am looking forward to a return visit and trying some new vegan friendly eateries. Aside from that, the Colchester Vegan Fair will be taking place on 20th August which should be fun. One of my oldest friends will also be back in the UK for a short time towards the end of August so no doubt we'll make some fun plans together. And we'll also be a step closer to Autumn yay!  

How was July for you!?
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7 comments

  1. Thank you so much for mentioning me! I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I absolutely love the photos in this post! That glamping looks amazing, I've always wanted to go! I hope you have a brilliant August xx

    Thrifty vintage fashion

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    1. You're welcome lovely! Thanks for reading & taking the time to comment. Glad you like the post! ;-) And you should defo go glamping soon, its so much fun! x

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  2. I came across Tropic before but never bought anything from them. Need to see whether they have any good products for my skin type.

    Petra from behealthynow.co.uk

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    1. Yes definitely take a look Petra! Their products seem to be very nice and I love that they have the cruelty free & vegan stamps of approval. Thanks for reading & commenting! x

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  3. It sounds like you've had a really eventful month! x

    www.itsbethansblog.com

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  4. July was busy! haha! I often feel like I don't have much to report but once I write it all down and have a little re-cap over my diary I realise all the fun things i've enjoyed! It's quite a therapeutic process :-) Thanks for reading x

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  5. I really love these posts! It looks like a really yummy month food wise! That chocolate brownie sundae looks amazing! I really need to try out Yo Sushi as I haven't been since turning vegan.

    Megan | anaturalwonderland

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