November Life

HOW I'VE BEEN FEELING

I've actually been feeling pretty busy and positive this month and although the last few weeks seem to have flown by, it has also felt like quite a long month. We started our new gym routine which I think has really helped to boost my mood and I have found myself feeling more less guilty regarding food and more energetic which is great. Working out has definitely had a positive impact on both my mental and physical health and i've been feeling good that i've managed to go at least 3 times a week every week since we started.  

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING

We kicked off November with a little mini break to Edinburgh which already feels like it was months ago now! I'm so happy we finally got to visit the city that has been on my travel hit list for quite some time now. It was also my first ever visit to Scotland so i'm happy I can now say that I have been to every country in the UK! 

We had such an amazing time away in Edinburgh and it ticked so many boxes for me. I loved that it was such a short flight and all the vegan food was really incredible. We didn't have one bad meal out the whole time we were there which is quite something!

You can read more about our trip to Edinburgh here. 

Fireworks night also came and went this month and i'm sad to say that probably for the first time ever in my life I didn't go to a display. It was the day after we got home from our trip and we were just so tired I really couldn't be bothered to go out. Instead we enjoyed some sparklers in our garden and played around with the slow shutter speed on my DSLR and managed to capture some great shots! 

I mentioned it already above but this month has mainly been focused around getting myself into a new routine and going to the gym. Having not exercised properly for over a year I felt really nervous about throwing myself back into working out and on my induction I was so short of breath I felt like I was going to pass out! 

I'm pleased to say that since then I have noticed an improvement every week in what I am able to achieve and I can already see improvements in my fitness level. Aside from the gym i've also been swimming and taking part in a few different exercise classes. The club also has a spa and it has been so nice to take some time out to relax and enjoy the benefits of regular spa-ing (is that even a term!?). One result which I wasn't really expecting is that my ongoing lower back pain seems to have really eased up and seems so much better. 

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I scheduled in a 'date day' together and we booked up to go to see Louis Theroux's 'My Scientology Film' at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill. I have wanted to go to this cinema for so long so it felt great to finally be there! It's set up like an old fashioned style cinema but they have arm chairs and lounge beds instead of traditional seats. We booked a front row bed and it was so comfy. It felt strange laying down and drinking prosecco in the cinema but also so good!

Prior to this month I hadn't had my hair cut for so long. I think the last time was May! It was well in need of a trim up so this month I booked myself in for the chop. I didn't have any drastic changes but my hair feels in so much better condition now and a lot healthier.       

WHAT I'VE BEEN EATING

The vegan food that we ate in Edinburgh was a real highlight this month. It was so damn good! I don't think we have actually ever travelled anywhere before and had consistently great meals out every day. There wasn't anything we didn't like and the choices for vegans were really amazing. I would even go as far to say that Edinburgh is as good as Brighton, which is really saying something! 

This month we also saw the release of Pret's festive menu which not only included a veggie Christmas lunch sandwich, but also a vegan one too! I was really excited to get down to my local Pret to try out the vegan sandwich but I have to say I was a little underwhelmed when I did try it. It just didn't really taste very Christmassy to me and I wish they had kept it simpler like my own creation below...  

My own perfect vegan Christmas lunch sandwich includes some good old fashioned paxo stuffing, green leaves, cranberry sauce and vegan mayo. It is a million times better than Pret's creation and everyone who has tried it agrees with me. And it actually tastes like Christmas! If you haven't tried making this yet then now is the time!

I feel like I have eaten a lot of jacket potatoes and beans this month because my gym happens to also have a restaurant and it has been so handy to be able to grab some dinner there instead of coming home to cook when we are starving hungry. Their menu is full of healthy food and there's a couple of decent vegan options too. It's definitely made life a bit easier! 

One of our favourite meals this month was some good old bangers and mash! We hadn't had it for ages and I suddenly had a real big craving for mash so it had to be done. The Lind McCartney vegan sausages are just so yummy and work really well with this dinner. 

You may have already read in my review that I also had a less than appetising brunch at Farmacy this month too. I guess you have to take the bad with the good! 

I have been dying to try some Pana Chocolate for ages so when I came across it in a health food shop in Notting Hill I was quick to pick myself up a few bars of it. This dark chocolate is so rich and intense! The more I continue along my vegan journey I am starting to like dark chocolate a bit more than I did originally but I really think it's an acquired taste. All the flavours I chose were great but my favourite was the sour cherry and vanilla as it really reminded me of black forest gateau. 

A great find this month was this shimmery gold hot chocolate from the Waitrose festive range. It's really delicious and I was amazed by how gold and sparkly it actually is! It's perfect for these cold evenings and it really does give you that festive feeling. It's even better with a few vegan marshmallows thrown in on top too! 

November was also when things got really festive within the world of coffee shops as all the big names like Starbucks and Costa's released their Christmas cups. I think Costa have stole the show with their cups this year as the designs are just so cute! I have however been loving the soya milk hot chocolates from Starbucks.  

WHAT I'VE BEEN BUYING

I think my favourite purchase from this month would have to be my new Happiness Planner! I'll have a more detailed post going live on this in December but I had to include it in this post. I also did a little unboxing of it on Snapchat which you may have seen. It's such a great planner and I can't wait to start setting my goals for 2017 and using it in January. 

I have been quite interested in healing stones and crystals recently and especially since I have seen some other bloggers talking about them. This month I went to a spiritual fair in Essex where I was able to pick up my first collection of crystals. I also picked up a few whilst I was in Edinburgh too. I actually haven't had time to really read into them yet or put them to use but i'm really excited about learning more about it all and how to use them. 

Another favourite purchase of this month was my Jeffree Star Skin Frost highlighter in peach goddess. I am absolutely in love with this makeup product and it looks so amazing on my skin. All of this makeup range is vegan friendly and cruelty free too so I am sure I will be making some more purchases soon! 

The majority of this month has been dedicated to buying presents for other people and I don't know about you but whenever I am Christmas shopping I always manage to find things that I want for me! Just like this gorgeous mug from Cath Kidston. How could I say no to it!? 

I had a money off voucher for Bloom & Wild this month so I decided to order myself this beautiful little Christmas tree from them called The Drew. When it turned up through my letter box I was so amazed that it fit in this box! It's such a cute idea to send someone one of these instead of flowers. You can also customise them and add decorations to them! 

I've been so intrigued by all the talk about 'Hygge' and I decided to order myself The Little Book Of Hygge by Meik Wiking. I have loved snuggling up with this book in November and i've really enjoyed finding out more about this Danish lifestyle trend. I'll have a full review of this book going live on my blog soon so keep an eye out! 

WHAT I'VE BEEN BLOGGING

Advent Calendar Picks 2016

Edinburgh

My Luxury Wish List

My Thoughts On Parent Companies

His & Hers Christmas Gift Guide

DIY PomPom Christmas Wreath

Farmacy
Winter Dates For Your Diary
My Perfect Vegan Christmas Dinner

WHAT I'VE BEEN VLOGGING

Edinburgh Day 1 Vlog

Edinburgh Day 2 Vlog

Edinburgh Day 3 Vlog

Edinburgh Day 4 Vlog

My Cruelty Free Faves #4

What I Eat In A Day Vegan No.2

OTHER BLOG POSTS I'VE LOVED THIS MONTH

Lovely Witches - Vegan Beauty Stocking Fillers
Vegan In Brighton - Vegan Holiday Gift Guide
The Friendly Fig - Soft & Chewy Vegan Ginger Snap Cookies
Vix Meldrew - What I've Learned About Grief
Tilly Jayne - Cruelty Free Gift Guide For Her
Not So Quiet Girl - Vegan Lifestyle | A Festive Gift Guide
Dorkface - The Ultimate Guide To Blogging
What Lauren Did Today - Gifts For Cat Lovers

INSTA HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT I'M EXCITED FOR NEXT MONTH

December always is such a crazy, fun and intense month and I know that this year will be no different. If anything it's probably going to be that little bit more stressful as I have decided to take part in Vlogmas! Which means that i'll be filming and uploading daily vlogs every day up until Christmas - eeeek! Wish me luck! It's also my birthday on the 8th so i'm really looking forward to everything that's in store for those celebrations. And then before we know it Christmas will be here and we'll be packing up our things to go away to a forest log cabin. I really can't wait! Thankfully the majority of my Christmas shopping is already completed so there'll be no stressing on that front. And somewhere in between all of the other plans I would love to spend a day in London and see the Christmas lights. Bring it on!    

How was November for you?

I hope you all had a great month and are all ready for Christmas the last month of 2017!