My holiday in France

Bonjour!

On Sunday I came back off holidays after spending 2 weeks in France. I loved being away for 2 weeks as it gave me a chance to properly relax, something I haven’t done in ages.

Here’s what I got up to whilst I was in France:

We stayed in the Port of Dinan, Dinan itself is a lovely medieval town located in Brittany. If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know I stayed here 2 years ago (although we weren’t in the same cottage this time)(LINK TO POST HERE: http://tinyurl.com/zhytntu) 

Every morning (well, the days when it was sunny) we would eat grapefruit, melon and croissants from the local bakery for breakfast. Let me tell you now French croissants are divine, especially coming from the bakery!

Like last time, we had a restaurant which was literally on our door step and the food is always really good there! We ate there one night and we all had steak, chips and salad. French steak is super tasty (although the French laughed at me and my mum as we like our steak well done, whereas the French like their steak medium or rare!)

This time we were staying in Dinan was a special time as the second weekend we were there they were holding the Fete de Ramparts which is a medieval festival that they hold every 2 years. There was a medieval market up in the town and lots of people were dressed up, I was actually gutted about this I would have loved to have dressed up. However next time we go I’m hoping we can get dressed up. Sunday was the final day of the festival so we stayed and watched the procession in the evening which was amazing. There were lots of people taking part who were all dressed up, there were even people on stilts, jugglers and 2 guys who literally breathed fire.

FUN FACT: Whilst the procession was taking place, a person dressed up as a peasant, gave me a kiss which my parents found hilarious.

Places we visited

During our 2 week stay we went and visited various places within the Brittany region.

Concale

Unlike last time, this time we were lucky enough to be able to visit concale itself twice, both times we visited were market days. Concale is a seaside town, a half hours drive from Dinan and their speciality is oysters (much to my disappointment, I didn’t get to try any)

The market itself was your typical French market selling everything from clothes, jewellery to fresh fruit and veg and rotisserie chicken (one of our favourite’s). I was quite unfortunate the first day we visited Concale as it was a really warm day so I ended up getting sunstroke.

Fougeres

Fougeres is a French medieval town which has a chalet (castle) in the centre of the town. Whilst we didn’t go into the castle itself we walked on around the outside of the castle and it was really impressive. The town itself is beautiful and has a few timber houses which were common during medieval towns. Out of all the medieval towns we visited Fougeres was one of my favourites as it was so picturesque.

Vannes

Another medieval town we visited was Vannes and like Dinan, it also has a port (which is much bigger than Dinan’s port). Like Fougeres, Vannes had a few timber houses as well. I really enjoyed looking round Vannes as they had lots of different shops (including my favourite French clothes shop, Pimkie). All you beauty bloggers would enjoy Vannes as they have a Sephora there!

La Gacilly

We visited La Gacilly on the same day we visited Vannes. La Gacilly is quite a unique town as it’s known for its art (I remember it as the town of art). All around the town there was an art exhibition going on (I think this time it was an around the world theme). There are also lots of art shops which sell one of a kind items.

“King Arthur Land”

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the tales and legends of King Arthur and the round table. There is a section within Brittany which is known as King Arthur land and is believed that the stories originate from there. Within King Arthur land there are lots of different sites you can visit which all relate to King Arthur. This time round we visited the Giant’s tomb and the lake of secrets.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about what I got up to whilst I was in France. Are you going on holiday or have been on holiday this summer?

Things to do this summer

Hola!
    For me the summer holidays have already begun and it won't be long until the rest of you break up for summer.

6 weeks is a long time off (even longer for me as I don't start university until mid september) and this can soon lead to us all getting bored easily.

I've made a list of fun things you should do this summer to stop you from getting bored.

Things to do this summer

Visit the beach

Go swimming in the sea

Build the biggest and best sandcastle

Eat/ make your own ice cream

Go berry picking

Make your own lemonade

Discover a new place

Go abroad

Learn a new language

Learn a new recipe

Grow your own fruit/ veg/ herbs

Have a day out with your friends

Go on a roadtrip

Have a picnic in the countryside

Climb a mountain/hill 

Go on a nature walk

Walk barefoot in the grass

Go camping and have a campfire

Roast marshmallows over a fire

Make S’mores

Create a scrapbook (maybe make it summer themed)

Start your own art/ DIY project

Start your own blog/ youtube channel

Get into photography

Visit the zoo

Have a movie marathon 

Get through a whole TV series

Take up a new sport

Have a BBQ (turn it into a BBQ party)

Have a pool party

Do volunteer work

Have a water balloon fight

Visit the cinema/ theatre/ local museum

Sleep out under the stars/ go stargazing

Watch the sunrise/ sunset

Write a poem/ song/ play / magazine/ mini novel

Overcome a fear

Stay up all night

Make a blanket/ pillow fort

I hope this has given you some ideas on how to make your summer fun! Do you have any suggestions?

Harry Potter and London

Hello pumpkins!
               Last friday i went down south with my family for a few days and we arrived back yesterday. Whilst down south we went to the Harry Potter studio and London (for 2 days) and I thought I would share my experience with you.

Harry Potter Studio

Queuing in the line with my pass

It took us 3 hours to do the tour but it was SO SO worth it! The tour consisted of 2 buildings and an outdoor area. 

In the inside bit we saw all the original set,costume and props that were used within all 8 films. It was amazing seeing and recognizing the different sets that were used in the films. 

Dumbledore's Office

Halloween Feast in the Great Hall

Diagon Alley

Yule Ball Costumes

Off to catch the train on
Platform 9 3/4

During our tour they had a Dark Events going on. They had death eaters walking around (I met 2 of them!), how the wands were crafted for the films and how the wand special effects were created.

I met a death eater!

Butter Beer!

I even got to try the famous butter beer that features within the harry potter books and films. It was really nice and refreshing although I wasn't keen on the white marshmallow froth on top (it was a bit too sweet for me)

Knocking on Harry's House

With the outside bit of the tour they had the Knight bus, Privett Drive, the bridge from Hogwarts (which was very uneven to walk across!) and Potter's cottage.

Its Forkes the Phoenix

Once we went back inside we looked round the creatures section which was very fascinating. I met Forkes the phoenix (which I was very happy about as he is one of my favourite creatures in Harry Potter) and I also met Buckbeak (Buckbeak bowed to me and for those of you who have read Harry Potter you will know what it means). They are robotic but they look very realistic and are very cleverly designed. 

Hogwarts Castle!

My favourite part of the tour had to be seeing Hogwarts castle. It was all lit up and looked so magical. They even used this model for some of the scenes in the movies!

The tour was fabulous and I really enjoyed looking round all the set and designs. If any of you get the chance to go I would say go, you won't be disappointed!

London: Day 1

In the morning we walked round Camden Market. I was a tad disappointed this time as they had changed all the stalls around as they are currently renovating an area of the market. However I still enjoyed looking round the market and I bought 3 tops and a sun and moon necklace. For lunch we had "Bang Bang" chicken and noodles which was delicious.

Covent Garden Market

The Moomin Shop!

In the afternoon we went round Covent Garden which we had never done before. I enjoyed going round the market and visiting all the cute little shops there. My favourite shops were the moomin shop and Artbox. Artbox was filled with tonnes of kawaii stuff (AKA Severina heaven) and when we go back I'm going to buy a cuddly alpaca from there!

London: Day 2

Changing of the guards

In the morning we watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and I was lucky enough to get to the front of the palace. It was great seeing the guards change, some of the guards arrived on horses and the guards also played music.

In the afternoon we ate in Leicester Square at Bella Italia. It was a lovely meal!

Well that's what I've been up to these past few days. Its been lovely spending some time away from home. Have you done anything for half term?

A week in Scotland!

Hello lovelies!
               I have finished all my exams for this year which means I can start blogging regularly again (YAY).

For half term I spent the week on holiday in Scotland in a lovely caravan park called Tralee Bay near Oban.

Here is what I got up to during my week in scotland!

Saturday

Lock of Lowes (not my photo)

The Ospreys nesting there (not my photo)

Saturday was our first official day in Scotland. We started the day by visiting the nature reserve at the Lock of Lowes. Here they get a pair of Ospreys who nest here every there so we went to see them. This time there were 3 eggs and two of the chicks had already had.

We then looked round the town of Pitlochry and we picked up lunch there.

After lunch we went to Killiecrankie which is where the famous soldiers leap is. Me, my brother and my dad went down and saw the soldiers leap.

soldiers leap

Sunday

In the morning we looked around the town of Oban (about 10 miles from where we were staying). 

Afterwards we went to Easingdale to look around the Highland shop.

Easingdale

The Atlantic bridge (near Easingdale)

We ate lunch at the Ben Lora cafe (situated in the village of Benderloch, the village we stayed in). The Ben Lora cafe is also a bookshop. We had eaten here the last time we visited and the food is delicious and the staff are really friendly. For my lunch I had a ham and cheese toastie followed by a scone with cream and jam.

The Ben Lora Cafe (not my photo)

Monday

Firstly we went to Fort Augustus which is home to the Lock Ness Monster (which we didn't see). We looked around the shops. There is a nice glass shop there which sell ornaments of the Lock Ness Monster and other things.

We then drove up to the Isle of Skye. The scenery, on the drive there, was so beautiful and breath-taking!. The mountains where huge and it made me feel really small and awe-struck. 

The Mountains

The Isle of Skye was stunning in itself. We only had a short drive on the Isle of Skye as we were running out of time. However we will definitely be visiting  the Isle of Skye again!  

Tuesday

Today we went to Knapdale forest. In Knapdale beavers had been released as a project to bring beavers back into Scotland. Knapdale was the "trial site" and the trial lasted from 2009-2014. The project is still ongoing as the data is being collected and then the Scottish Government will make their decision.

Unfortunately we didn't see any beavers while we walked around Knapdale. However we could see signs of beaver activity (such as where the beavers had gnawed the trees).

Wednesday

We visited one of my favourite places in Scotland today, the Isle of Mull. It rained all day on Mull but we still had a lovely day there.

When we got to Mull the first place we visited was Tobermory, famously known as Balamory. We looked around the shops at Tobermory and me and my brother raided the chocolate shop there.

Tobermory

Afterwards we drove around Mull. I love driving around Mull as the scenery is very pretty. Also on Mull you can see Sea Eagles (White tailed Eagles, largest bird of prey in the UK) and Golden Eagles. However due to the rain we didn't see any eagles that day.

Thursday

Today we drove up to Ardnamurchan which is the very west point of Scotland. On the way there I spotted a Golden Eagle. 

We stopped off at a nature reserve. At the reserve we spotted 2 seals,an otter and 4 porpoise. It is very rare to see otters and porpoise in the wild.

After that we then drove up to the nature centre and me and my brother looked around the exhibition there. On the drive home a pine martin ran across the road and seeing a pine martin in the wild is also a very rare site!

Again the scenery around Ardnamurchan was so beautiful!

Ardnamurchan

Friday

Today was our last day in Scotland (*sobs*). In the morning we visited the Barcaldine aquarium. We watched the otters and seals get fed and we saw all the fish in the tanks.

                                   

Nemo and Dory

                        

Lewis and Isla, the 2 otters

The Seals

For lunch we ate in the Ben Lora cafe again and I had the same as what I had on Sunday. In the afternoon we had a final look around Oban.

I had an amazing week in Scotland and it was really relaxing. What did you get up to during half term?

My Half Term (NCS)

Hello!
     I hope you all had an amazing half term, did any of you do anything nice? I had an amazing half term- mainly because it was so action packed.

During half term I did the NCS course (well I'm still doing it) which stands for National Citizen Service where I did it with the local group Imagine You Can TV. NCS is where you go on a residential trip for 4 days. When you get back you do media work around your trip. You also do social action where you go out and help out within your community. At the end of it you graduate. I'm here to talk about the residential trip and the media/social action.

On Monday 27th October I went to Peat Rigg (near Pickering) for 4 days. When we arrived we did the general introduction,paperwork, getting our rooms ect. During this I made friends with 2 lovely girls.

new friends (Danni-middle and Georgia-left)

After tea we did our evening activity which was orienteering in the dark. We were split into 3 groups (mine was called Good Team Name) and given head torches. I had lots of fun running around fields (some with sheep in!!!) and climbing half way up a steep hill in the dark.

Tuesday 28th October
In the morning we did something called the crate stack challenge. This is where your in harnesses and you make 3 columns of crates. The aim is to build this columns up to the top and then ring a bell. My friend Danni was my partner and unfortunately I knocked a column over!!! However we still managed to make it to the top.

In the afternoon we did zip lining and tree climbing. I loved zip lining! We got 2 go's and on my 2nd go I zip lined upside down which was really fun and thrilling. Although I enjoyed tree climbing I found this more difficult as it was hard to know where to place your hands and feet but I still made it to the top.

Our evening activity was the night line. The night line is an assault course you do, whilst crawling on the ground and being blindfolded. It was quite scary as you had to feel your way around and you had no idea where you where. However I still enjoyed it

Wednesday 29th October
This morning we did archery which I was a bit rubbish at. When we did archery we did mini games like who could pop the balloons and there was one where you all draw a picture and the aim was to try and hit other people's pictures.

Action Shot

In the afternoon we went canoeing along the river Esk. It was great as we canoed up the river and then played water polo. At 1 point our canoe very nearly capsized!!!

Canoeing with the girls

Thursday 30th October

Today was our last day (*sobs*). In the morning we did a range of mini team activities. On of them was where we were on the low ropes obstacle course and we had to carry a bucket of water around with us. We were doing well until someone dropped the bucket.

After that we got a mini bus and went to a bridge where we absailed off it. I was so scared on my first go but once I was going down I was fine with it. On my 2nd go I absailed upside down which was so cool and surprisingly relaxing.

Absailing off a bridge

We got back did presentations and then went home.

Friday 31st October 

Today I got to go on a river trip to PD Ports along the river Tees. It was fascinating learning all about the industry on the river.

The group with the harbour master
and me not looking at the camera as usual.

Also up until Sunday we spent the past few days writing news paper articles (I wrote 2),editing and interviewing.

Also we planned are social action which we are doing over the next few weekends. We are helping EarthBeat rejuvenate a primary school which they are converting into a theater. EarthBeat is a drama group which is made up of adults with learning disabilities.

Overall it was such an amazing week and I made lots of new friends.

New friends

 

London and Norwich (Part 2)

Hello,
     When I came back from France I spent 3 days down south and here is what I got up to while down South.

London

On the first day down south we went to London for the day and it was amazing. First we looked round Camden Market because a)I had always wanted to do it and b)we had never done it before

Camden Lock Market

There are 2 parts of Camden Market, there is one in Camden itself and one by Camden Lock. My favourite was Camden Lock as there were heaps more stalls and it was much more spaced out.

The stalls

The stalls at Camden Market sold a variety of things such as clothes, jewellery, positive message plaques and much more.

While at Camden market I picked up a few bits and bobs that I liked. I loved looking round the stalls as they all had a unique touch to them.

Food stalls

One of my favourite parts of Camden Market was the food stalls as they all handed out free samples which were very yummy. In fact we got lunch from one of these stalls.

Stall where we got lunch from

After looking round the market we looked a few shops in Camden itself. I loved the shops in Camden as they were very different from normal shops, particularly the design of the shops

Funky shops in Camden Town

After having a good look round Camden we got on the Tube and went to the Natural History Museum. There was an exhibition on wolly mammoths and we had tickets so we looked at the exhibition. It was really fascinating and it told you all about wolly mammoths

Wolly Mammoth Exhibition

After looking round the Museum we got the tube to are final destination of the day, the Tower of London. At the Tower of London they are currently filling up the grass in front of it with ceramic poppies for 100 years since WW1. At the moment there is about 200,000 already placed and they hope to have over 1 million placed by November 11th.

Tower of London( you can just see

the poppies at the bottom)

Overall it was a brilliant day out in London and I hope I can go back to London again soon.

Norwich

The day after London we were supposed to go to Cambridge but it rained so we just went straight to Norwich. On the final day (day 3) we had a morning shopping in Norwich. If you have been reading my blog for a long time you will know I have visited Norwich previously. They have oodles of shops in Norwich some of which are modern every day shops and some which are funky knick knack stores. It was a great morning shopping in Norwich and I bought quite a few bits and bobs. For lunch we ate in Bella Italia and then came back home.

Haul from Norwich