My Trip to Edinburgh – where I ate and what I did

Hello beautiful people,

Last week I went on a trip to Edinburgh with 3 of my friends. This was my first time ever travelling without my parents/teachers/someone who actually knows how to be an adult. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on and I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit such a lovely place.

We flew with EasyJet from Gatwick to Edinburgh airport and we stayed in a hostel called CoDE in Rose Street. The location of this hostel was great because it was very central, was surrounded by great restaurants and shops and made it super easy to get to the places we needed to be. We met some really lovely people here whilst watching the football of an evening and the staff were super helpful.

On the first day, we got a bus from the airport straight to Edinburgh Zoo. We got to see all sorts of animals such as penguins, giant pandas, koalas and giraffes. The zoo keepers taught us a lot about the animals and it was definitely a worthwhile trip. p.s. they offer student discount ;). Make sure to wear comfy shoes though, as it is a very hilly layout.

After getting to the hostel and walking around for a while, we went to Rose Street Gardens for dinner. This was an accidental find and became one of my favourite places we ate. The atmosphere was amazing and it was super photogenic. The food portions were huge and super tasty. They has super funky cocktails include ones with smoke, bubbles and syringes filled with chambord. I would highly recommend visiting here.

The following day we got tickets for a bus tour of Edinburgh to help us get between the new and old towns. This cost us £9 with student discount for 24hrs and the whole journey was 75mins, but you could hop on and off whenever you liked. We headed to the old town for ice cream at Mary’s Milk bar before heading to Camera Obscura. This is an optical illusion place and had so many opportunities for pictures. They had an AutoWed machine, so me and my friend got “married” as friends.

In terms of food for day 2, we got lunch at a cute cafe we found whilst walking in the old town, called The Edinburgh Coffee Lounge. The food was lovely, the staff were friendly and they have a dog called Elvis living there. For dinner we went to The Boozy Cow. Again, this was located on Rose Street and they had some of the nicest cocktails of the whole trip. I got the Field burger and would highly recommend as a vegetarian/vegan option.

And finally, onto day 3. We spent most of this day shopping and eating. Once again we used the bus tour to get around. We got bubble tea to start our day before heading back to the old town. After a bit of shopping, we went to The Elephant house for cake and coffee. This is supposed to be where J.K. Rowling came up with Harry Potter (we don’t support her but I know the books are very popular). I got the chocolate orange cake and it was so so good. Then we went to Laila’s for late brunch after even more shopping. They did have a reduced menu so I couldn’t get what I wanted but it was good regardless. Then we headed to the trams to go back to the airport.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to travel this summer and to spend it with some of the loveliest people. I can’t wait to travel more this summer and see what else the UK has to offer.

Abbie x

So…What Will 2021 Hold?

So, that’s it. 2020 is finally over and 2021 is upon us. It would be false hope to think that this year will be perfect and without challenges. The pandemic is still very much at large and we still have a lot of work to do. However, I wanted to spend some time today reflecting on 2020 and it’s challenges and my plans for myself in 2021.

2020 was a big struggle for me, especially in the later months. I won’t go into much detail, but I had a break-up that I didn’t expect, things got cancelled and I generally lost motivation and had to work to pick myself up again. That is why 2021 is a year for focusing on myself mentally.

• I want to get rid of this idea of being perfect. Things are not easy at the moment and the last thing I need to do to myself is put this idea of perfectionism on myself. Sometimes just existing and taking small steps is the best thing to do. I’ve set myself some goals this year, but I am human and I will slip up. So as much as I want these intentions to last, it will not be perfect, and that is okay.
• I love reading. Last year I set a goal of 20 books to read, but I ended up having a lot of free time in isolation and read 39 books. I’ve set my reading goal for 2021 at a start point of 30 books. I want to make a habit of reading for 10 minutes minimum daily and also to read more educational, growth books. I you want to follow my journey, then click here to access my GoodReads.

p.s. I made this key bookmark and you can buy one for yourself at Metal Stamped Pieces tbased in Kent by StampedByAbbie on Etsy. My Instagram is @stampedbyabbie.

• A goal which I wish I had set myself earlier is to remove myself from situations that are toxic, or I am not happy with. I want to surround myself with things that make me happy, talk to people who make me happy and make sure that I don’t feel alone. Also, I want to be able to say “no” to things that will overwhelm me and that shouldn’t be my priority. My happiness is priority this year.

• I want to spend more time outdoors. Isolation, virtual school and working caused me to spend so much of my time indoors and I ended up craving being outside. I want to make more of a habit of stepping outside for a walk or to just sit outside in my everyday. In addition to this, I want to move my body in a way that feels good. Whether it is Yoga, the gym/swimming (damn you tier 4), walking or whatever else feels good. I want to view exercise as therapeutic and not as something I do for looks.
• Something I have only added to my life recently is manifestation and meditation. Focusing some time in my day to writing down my goals, showing gratitude and then just observing my thoughts and breathing. This has already helped my so much in the last few days and I can’t wait to carry on taking this small chunk of my day to focus on my state of mind and emotions.

Along with these continuous intentions for 2021, I also have some things I want to tick off. Think of it as my little 2021 bucket list. Let me know in the comments what you want to do this year:

1. get good A-Level grades (everyone’s idea of good is different)
2. Buy a car for myself
3. Pass my practical driving test
4. Take a solo trip, or with some friends to somewhere in the UK or Europe if covid allows
5. Get into my nursing degree at university

Thank you for reading. Let me know any goals you have this year, hopefully we can motivate each other. Just remember to stay safe and be kind to yourself and others this year. Happy new year!

Abbie x

A Rainy Half-Term day in the Life of an A-Level Student

Today is a rainy day in October half-term, so I decided that I would show you what a random day in my life looks like. My days always vary depending on if I have appointments, any exams to prioritise etc. So really, this is just a small snippet of what I typically get up to.

I decided the precious night that I was going to make a conscious effort to not look at my phone when I first woke up. It is a bad habit that I have developed and I am making a change to this, starting from today. I woke up around 6am and just lay there for a while before reading some of my book. I’m currently reading “All This Time” by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott. At around 6.40, I quickly checked my phone for any messages and scrolled on Instagram for only about 10 minutes before heading downstairs to eat breakfast with my family before my Mum went to work.

My first aim of the day was to create a nice working environment. I made my bed, swept, moped my floor, wiped my surfaces, organised some paperwork, took out a bag of rubbish, watered my plants and put on my oil diffuser. I also separated my washing and started to get it all clean. Creating a nice environment to focus and get things done, is productive and can change your whole mood.

I did a small meditation for positive energy by Meg Josephson on YouTube to clear my mind, before getting dressed, doing my skincare and all of that jazz. After this, I spent my morning completing my biology homework on respiration and creating a poster on anaerobic respiration using SnapRevise on YouTube. I have an exam on this next week, so I’m using the time I have this week to get as much work done for it as possible. I took breaks in between tasks, by reading more of my book or having a small social media break.

After lunch time, I set back up to my desk to start writing this post. It’s nice to be able to sit and type about whatever you like and have a bit of a break from my normal work to be creative and write about my life. I then started to get a little bit fed up of being indoors, so I went on a rainy walk to ASDA with my sister to get some snacks and blutak, so that I could put my posters up on my wall. I ended up getting chocolate donuts and a chocolate apple. I also ate a donut on the way home for my hard efforts walking there for them.

After this I spent a bit of time reading, playing among us, sitting in bed, etc. Sometimes taking time to do nothing is a productive use of your time. After this I made some blurt/memory retrieval notes on Eye-Witness Testimony for Psychology and corrected it with purple pen. Then I had dinner and watched Mamma Mia in bed with some snacks to end my day.

Like I said, my days vary so much. Some days are more productive than others and that’s okay. I really hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you are having a great half-term whatever you are doing.

Abbie x

My Blood Donation Experience (during a pandemic)

On Tuesday 13th October 2020, I donated blood for the first time. It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, as I know how much it can help people. I though I would talk a little bit about my experience and how you can register to be a blood donor too. If you feel uncomfortable with discussions of needles or blood then please don’t read on. It’s nothing gruesome, but some people may be triggered.

When registering, I had some issues due to a large amount of people wanting to register at once. I’m sure this would’ve cleared by now, but if you do face any issues, their Facebook team are super helpful and got it all sorted for me.

On the day of your donation you are encouraged to drink a lot of water, as it helps the blood flow faster and means your donation will be over quicker. You will also have to drink a pint before and after your donation at the centre. Since we are in a pandemic, they ask you if you have any symptoms and check your temperature before you enter. You also have to wear a mask throughout the whole thing to protect yourself and others. You then have to fill out a long form to check that you are eligible to donate.

When the nurse takes you into a little room, they will go over the questions and get any additional details they may need. They then take a finger prick of blood and put it in water. This is to check your iron levels are suitable. This step didn’t hurt at all. Once you are all sorted and eligible, they take you to the chair.

I started to get nervous at this stage, as the whole thing felt a lot more real. The nurses were super nice and reassuring. They will tilt you back in the chair, tell you how to keep the blood flowing the best it can. This is by raising your legs, or clenching your fists. They will search for a vein (usually in your non-dominant hand), use a blood pressure cuff and clean the area thoroughly. The needle insertion was a sharp scratch that lasted a few seconds and it was taped down to my arm. They then take a few sample vials of blood, before allowing your donation to go ahead. I was then left to bleed, as dramatic as it sounds. It took me less than 6 minutes, so apparently I’m a fast bleeder. Again, the needle removal was a sharp scratch and then a little pain that lasted about 30 seconds. I was asked to apply pressure to the site using a cotton swab whilst they sorted everything out. They checked to see if I felt faint (which I didn’t) and made sure I was okay. They slowly raised the chair before sending me to refreshments.

Like I said earlier, I was encouraged to drink a pint of squash after my donation. The plus side to giving blood if that you get a sugary snack afterwards to make sure that you don’t feel faint. Of course, I chose Biscoff. Take as much time as you need here. I was also given a donor helpline number, this is in case I had any questions or if I fell sick within the next 14 days (as this could affect my donation).

Overall the donation process was super easy. The staff were lovely and supportive and made sure you felt safe throughout the whole process. I could not fault them one bit. I’m looking forward to donating again in 16 weeks. Although there was a small amount of pain, it was nothing that I couldn’t deal with and clearly I’m happy to go through it again. I strongly encourage you to donate blood if you feel comfortable with the process and are eligible. If you have any questions, feel free to ask down below. Stay safe!

Abbie xx

Books I read this Summer

In true Abbie fashion, I am back with a reading blog post. This is going to be all the books I read in July/August, mostly throughout my summer break. Some I read on my kindle, some were physical and others I listened to as audiobooks. I’ll also leave amazon links for all of these books down below. ‘

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given. This book was incredible. It made me realise so many toxic traits in both myself and those around me. It talks about boundaries, consent, internalised misogyny and so much more. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Also, bonus point for the gorgeous illustrations and cover art.

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink…and other lies. This book is an collection of essays written by feminists. I did enjoy this book, however there were some essays that I resonated with more than others. Some just connected with me more and some didn’t make me feel anything at all. It is a good way to listen to lots of people’s views, however not all of them will work for you.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This is such a beautiful coming of age book about 2 Mexican boys living in El Paso in the 80s. It’s their journey through friendship, discovering what life is about and discovering who they really are. This book was made so much more amazing to me due to me listening to it as an audiobook, it really brought the words to life.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years and decided to finally try and read it the full way through. Like the first time I tried to read it, it took me a while to get into, but then it started to get really interesting. There were lots of twists and things that I didn’t expect to happen but I came to really love the story. I really wish the ending took a different direction for my own preference, but the ending she chose really made the story what it was so I can’t complain. This was a really good and different kind of read for me.

The Uni-Verse by Jack Edwards. Jack is a studytuber who has documented his time at Durham University studying English Literature. I’ve been following him for ages and was so excited for his ultimate university survival guide. It really included everything you could possibly need to know and even touched on the idea of studying abroad and issues with diversity in the education system. It was a great book that has made me even more excited to start university in 2021.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I’m not a huge classics person, but I wanted to give this a read after the recent movie adaptation of it. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. I loved that the girls had such a strong bond and worked together in times of need. I have also found a re-telling of this book which I am excited to read soon.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett. This book was a lot better than I expected. It dealt with a lot of topics in a very interesting way. The protagonist has HIV from birth and it is all about her life dealing with stigma, relationships, sexuality, etc. I learned a lot from this book and I also found it to be a super quick read. I would highly recommend this book.

Finally I read Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. This book was very different for me, as it is written in verse. I purchased the audiobook as well as the kindle edition so I could hear how it was meant to be read whilst reading along. It was interesting to see how two people were dealing with the same situation in different ways. I feel like this author had some really interesting/profound things to say. My only criticism is that I wish we got to hear more about the girls new life together, as they met quite late in the book.

This might be my longest book post yet. I’ve been in such a reading mood lately and I’m lucky to have found some really lovely books. I’ll see you in my next post. All the best,

Abbie xx

A Review of Year 12 – Grades, Covid and Friendships

In a few weeks time, I will be heading back to Sixth Form for my final year of A-Levels. Before all that starts, I wanted to reflect on the year I’ve had and look at how my life has changed and look at what I’m proud of (and what I’m not).

One of the few pictures I have in sixth form clothes, as school was closed half the year

Something that changed massively for me this year was my friendships. When I look back to September 2019 and think about who my friends were, it really has come a long way in a year. I learned who deserved my time and effort and who didn’t. I met some amazing people who, not to sound too dramatic, changed my life for the best. We’ve had some really good times together and I’m excited to see what happens next year. Will I find even more amazing people? Will I learn that some people don’t deserve to be in my life? I guess I won’t know until it happens.

One of the defining moments of any students 2020 year was the introduction of home learning. This is something that not many of us have had to do before. Initially I loved being able to manage my own workload and being able to do it whenever I felt like it, however this luxury soon wore off. It didn’t leave much room for extra revision or for me to reconsolidate old topics. This is something that I’ve been using my few weeks of summer to do. Online learning was more challenging than I expected it to be, but it has definitely made me appreciate my school and teachers a hell of a lot more.

In terms of my individual courses, Psychology was probably my favourite. It was the one I felt I had the best knowledge in and that I enjoyed learning about the most. Biology and Criminology were slightly more tough for me. Criminology is just so different to any course I’ve ever done before (with an 8hr assessment) and A-Level sciences are not for people who are lazy to do. I received my predicted AS grades the other day and I thought I’d share them with you quickly. My Biology is the only one that I was disappointed in, but at the same time it was expected. All my friends got the same, so we can all work together to get it a bit better in A-Levels.

• Biology – E
• Psychology – B
• Criminology (year 1 result e.g. half my overall grade) – A

I’m hoping to write a post soon all about my plans for Year 13, summer, uni, careers etc. so stay tuned for that. If there is anything is specific you want to know then comment down below and I will do my best to include it.

All the best, Abbie xx

Books I’ve read in May/June

I know it has been a hot minute since I posted on here. I haven’t felt the motivation to write a blog post and have been focusing more energy into my new Instagram page @abbiesdays. It’s a private account for the time being, to avoid people who I know IRL from following as a joke, but feel free to request if you would like to. Today I just wanted to do one of my classic reading posts. I read a lot more books on my kindle or as audiobooks, hence the lack of pictures of books in this post. I’ll also link all the books in this post too. So, here are all the books I read in May/June 2020.

Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. This book got me out of my reading slump. It took me a while to get through it, but I overall really enjoyed the story. It shows a journey of a girl dealing with heartbreak and financial trouble. It shows how someone you’ve never even met can become such a huge part in your life. I love the bonds created between lots of different characters within this book. It’s a really nice read and I would love to read more work by this author.

Normal People by Sally Rooney. I went into this book not knowing much, but I had high expectations due to the reviews. It was a good book with some really nice messages throughout. However, I didn’t feel as much of a connection to the characters and plot like I do with some other books listed here. What can I say? You can’t like every book you read to a 5 star rating.

The Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne. I’ve read a book by Holly before and I really enjoyed it. This book was no exception. I picked up this book, because I could see myself in the protagonist just from the blurb. Some chapters related a bit to much and I’m sure many girls will feel the same in this. If you have been in a toxic, manipulative relationship before (which way too may girls have) then please read this book.

Just Eat It by Laura Thomas Phd. I’ve never been much of a non-fiction reader, but this book has since got my adding loads more to my GoodReads list. This book is about how to ditch diet culture and learn to move towards the intuitive eating movement (listening to hunger cues and cravings). This book made me notice that i still had a lot of work to do when it comes to listening to my body and it has already made such a difference to my life. I would HIGHLY reccomend.

Wilde About the Girl by Louise Pentland. This is the second book in the Wilde Like Me series and probably my fave one of the two. It is such a lovely yet heartbreaking story to read. Louise did such an amazing job with this book and I would highly recommend. I’m already excited to read book #3.

Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People about Race by Renni Eddo-Lodge. I technically finished this on the 1st, but only because I thought June had 31 days. Oops! This book was amazing and really shocking as a white reader. As much as you think you’re not racist as a white person, this book can still teach you so much. I highly recommend that you read this and other books about racism.

So, that is all of the books I read in the last two months. I feel as though I’ve fallen back in love with reading and I have so many more that I want to read this year. please comment down below any books that you think I should read.

Hopefully July is a better month in terms of motivating myself to write for this blog. Again, any ideas are welcome. See you soon 🙂

Abbie xx

What I Eat in a Day 2 – vegetarian in isolation

Hey guys,

If you haven’t noticed by now, I love making these food diary posts. They are my favourite videos to watch/ posts to read. I love to get food inspiration from other people. Please don’t compare what you eat to what I eat. Everyone is different and needs different amounts of food depending on your body and activity level. So please don’t compare and just use this post as inspiration.

To start my day I always have a cup of tea along with my breakfast. For today I made a protein shake using my new chocolate protein from bulk powders. More often than not, I eat a solid breakfast such as toast or a variety of porridge, but I really wanted to give this shake a go. I used a frozen banana, ice, milk, water, 30g protein and a little honey. It was so good, but again shakes are not something I make often. Bulk powders have been doing a tonne of sales recently, so go get it while you can.

For lunch my sister wanted to try and make sweet potato hash brown egg cups. They sounded super good, so I joined her. We shredded a sweet potato between us and added it to the bottom of a dish. We cooked this for 15 minutes at 200 degrees c. We then added our mixed egg and added a tonne of veg including spring onion, tomato, red bell pepper and spinach. I Topped it with garlic and onion powder and some cheddar cheese. We then cooked these for another 20 minutes. They were so so good and I’ll definitely be making them again.

I decided to show you my workout of the day too. I did a HIIT 30/30 abs and core workout. I’ll show you the moves that I did below and I did this circuit 2 times and it took around 16 minutes to complete.

For my afternoon snacks, I ate a white chocolate cookie that I made the day before. I made them for my boyfriend because he wanted them and made some for my household too. This was the last cookie out of the whole batch, so they were clearly a lit. Click here for the recipe I used (not mine). I got a bit peckish later on, so I just had a banana with a spoonful of Nutella. AND it was a new jar, that first spoon hit different.

For dinner we decided to get takeaway. I got a veggie burger with all the salad and some burger sauce. I had a few chips and some cucumber on the side too. It was a super nice treat to have after a productive day of tidying, blogging, school and more. This burger was super goodddd and definitely made a nice end to my day. I always forget to take a picture of my dinner, but I think most people know what a kebab burger looks like.

Thank you guys for reading. Like I said I love making these posts, but please do not use it as comparison to your own diet. Even my own day to day food varies so much depending on my activity and general hunger levels, so please bear that in mind. I hope you enjoyed this post. Remember to keep staying safe.

Abbie xx

 

My Skincare Routine – CF and Vegan

I know it’s been a while since I posted and that is because sometimes it’s hard to think of things to write about whilst in lockdown. But recently I picked up some new skincare items that I love and have become part of my daily routine. All the products are cruelty free, vegan and super affordable. It really isn’t anything super fancy but it seems to be working for me at the moment. Enjoy!

To cleanse my face and remove any makeup, I use the naturally radiant hot cloth cleanser from Superdrug. It smells very herbally and is such a nice relaxing scent. This doesn’t leave your skin dry and makes it feel amazing. This only costs £3.48 and does such a good job for the price.

I am quite picky when it comes to face scrubs. I like it to be just right in terms of how rough it is on the skin. I also only use scrubs without any microbead exfoliants as these can be toxic to sea animals. The Superdrug Vitamin E gentle oatmeal exfoliator ticks all the boxes for me. It leaves my skin more soft than any other scrub has before and has all natural exfoliants. This costs only £3.99.

I have 2 moisturisers, one daytime with SPF and one evening cream. These are both from the Vitamin E line from Superdrug also. Something else I love about this range is how light the scent of it is, nothing too strong. Again these are both super affordable at only £3.99 each.

The final product that I use from this line is the moisture boost facial serum. This paired with the scrub is my dream combo for smooth skin at the moment. A little goes a long way. Once again this only costs £3.99 and don’t forget to take advantage of the sale on this line.

I’m always trying new lipbalms as my lips get dry very easily. At the moment, I’ve been loving the Dr PAWPAW multipurpose balm. However, I am looking to find more natural balms without petroleum so if you have any suggestions please let me know.

And that is pretty much all I do. I switch my skincare out quite often but the products I’ve shown are some of my favourites. I also sometimes like to use masks and facial mists, but I don’t have any particular go-to products for those. Thank you for reading and stay safe.

Abbie xx