LIFESTYLE

Lovely Things || November

On 5th December 2016
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Well gooooooodbye November, where did you whizz by and disappear off into?
The start of last month seems like a distant memory, yet I can’t quite believe how speedily November has slipped through our grasp. Funny how, just like the fuel in your petrol tank, the last quarter seems to disappear so much faster. I’ve actually enjoyed the colder weather too, it’s transitioned very quickly from getting away with summer dresses and tights to “Oh my god, I need a vest, top, jumper, coat, scarf AND gloves” just to make my way from thew front door to the frosty frozen car! Work has been so very busy, and the weekends filled up to the brim, the days have ticked by fast I can barely keep up! Even this post, which was due to go out on the 30 November, is now yet again another 4 days later! So onto my round up of lovely things from last month, here’s what I got up to in November…

Nicole’s Hen & Gameception

My colleague and friend Nicole’s hen was at the start of November. We were staying in the most incredible house in Woolacombe with an amazing view of the sea. I’d briefly met some of her friends when we were at college together, but in reality it was just Kirsty and I that didn’t really know anyone else. However, arriving in the evening on Friday we were fully embraced into the group (quite possibly helped with copious amounts of prosecco and cosmopolitan!). We also finally had the chance to play the epic game they’d invented “Gameception”. Too impossible to explain, I can say it involved running around the house looking for hidden t-shirts that determined our teams, jumping around on the furniture (because the floor is lava…obvs…) and playing a lot of games within games! We all literally loved it, regardless of it’s bizarre and complex rules!
The next day we had an early morning dip in the sea with a surfing lesson (Yes, really…in November!) which was far warmer than I think any of us had envisaged. Followed by an afternoon filled with chatting and vodka jelly babies and an evening of the werewolf game and a tasty meal out, we polished off the weekend with a windy clifftop walk and very-much-needed brunch! The group of ladies were absolute babes, and the whole weekend was an absolute hoot. Does that make me sound like a funny posh old lady?!

Prize Giving

One weekend in early November we attended the Hooe Point Sailing Club prize giving evening. Mostly as we’re still newbies on the sailing club scene (Reading that back, I realise how la de da that makes me sound, bloody posho!), but as it turned out, it was actually well worth attending. Adam’s stepdad Dave was presented with the Mark Evans Memorial Trophy for encouraging others and the promotion of sailing. It was so well deserved as he’s done so much for the club, and whilst we hoped to top it off with winning the pub quiz, even getting 38/40 didn’t crown us, outrage!

Ludovico Einaudi

Months and months ago, I spotted that my absolute favourite classical artist was playing in Plymouth during November. Having spent all of my university years turning to Ludovico to provide concentration through the hours and hours of late nights typing away, I contacted my friend Ben and we bought tickets straight away. It also meant we could hang out and spend part of the weekend together, which was great as we really don’t see each other enough! Having the chance to see Ludovico perform live with the whole band was incredible. I could have sat for hours and hours hanging on every note. Absolute perfection, if you every need music to energise or inspire you, he is very much the one.

Tigermilk

As a very welcome surprise, on the day of the concert, my wonderful friend Nat also decided to attend with her other half Rich. Adam came and met us afterwards and the five of us attempted to enter the secret 1920s cocktail bar in the basement underneath the Duke of Cornwall hotel. Failing at our first attempt, we had to kill some time upstairs in the hotel bar where none other than the whole band who we’d just been listening to! Once the bar below had emptied enough to allow us entry, we enjoyed expensive but delicious cocktails, including the infamous “tigermilk” and played a silly game of ibble dibble that left Adam with a very sooty face!

Experiencing Janner Life

We’ve been talking about it forever, but finally my mum visited Plymouth. As she spent 3 months here on placement during her university days, there was a lot of exploring to do. Lunch on the Barbican, a wonder about town and a really great evening meeting our new neighbour (who just happens to currently own the house we’re purchasing!) Liz gave us the chance to visit the new house again, which reminded me just how wonderful it was, and also showed mum what the fuss was about. Followed with a sleepy Chinese takeaway we settled in under blankets to watch The Crown. Have any of you been watching it on Netflix? I’ve absolutely loved it, and to my surprise so has Adam! Hooray!
On Sunday morning Adam cooked us up a breakfast treat #babe and we set off for the pampering we definitely deserved after the last few weeks! I love anyone playing with my hair, and having a haircut is the ultimate relaxation. Plus it really needed a good trim!
The afternoon continued with a mini tea party at Adam’s Mum and Dave’s house which was lovely for us as our parents haven’t ever had much time to get to know each other.

Festive Cheer in November

You may all want to sit down a second because in November I FINISHED ALL MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!
I know!
From mid November I was feeling pretty damn festive, and seeing as both our families have chosen to do secret santa I mostly had 2 people to buy for. I love buying gifts, especially finding the perfect present for someone I know well, so sticking to a limit of £50 for each of my chosen family members has been really fun, made significantly easier by the lists we’ve each provided with ideas of little things we’d like.
Charlie has been baking mince pies before their big trip to ski in the Alps and even Lark got involved when matching Christmas jumpers for her and I arrived in the post from Boohoo*! Though even the XL apparently isn’t quite big enough for deerhounds, so she’s been wearing hers more as a snood!

Cole & Joes Wedding

As I’m sure you can guess from the hen at the beginning of November, the wedding I attended at the end of the month was for my colleague and her lovely other half Joe. The whole day was one of the best weddings, with a small group of close friends and family in a beautiful mill. Nicole looked incredible with her lions mane of auburn hair, gorgeous flowers and the biggest smile.
The wedding breakfast was delicious and we were seated on a table with all the lovelies we’d met at the hen. The speeches were brilliant, the wine was flowing and before we knew it the day had flowed into the evening. Joe’s friends were just as great as Nicole’s and my fears of not really knowing anyone were long gone, especially as we turned out to have quite a few mutual family friends and before long lots of our colleagues rocked up and I slipped into very definite drunkenness.
You know the kind where you end up not remembering the last few hours other than a blur of dancing and laughing? Where you end the night asleep on the bathroom floor because it seemed so comfy at the time and you have to text your colleagues the next morning to check you were charmingly hilarious drunk rather than ridiculously embarrassing?! I’m THE worst!

London & Electric Cinema

The very next day a very hungover Alice was bundled into the car to drive up to London for Adam’s birthday weekend. Roles were reversed as Adam had slightly recovered from the man flu the few days before and instead I was the one popping paracetamol, craving Maccy’s nug nugs and napping for most of the journey.
Meeting up with Adams best friend Sam, we headed over to explore Southbank winter market, sipping on mulled wine and nibbling on fudge. London is beautiful at Christmas time and none more so than around Covent Garden. We enjoyed a pint overlooking the main square in the Punch and Judy pub, and said our goodbyes to head over to Notting Hill for dinner in the expensive but delicious Electric Diner, followed by the best cinema experience I’ve ever had! The electric cinema is one of the oldest in the country, and even has to have a mechanical screen that comes out in front of the gilt frame. I’d booked a squishy velvet and leather sofa for the two of us, complete with a huge foot stool, cashmere blankets and side tables with chintz lamps. There is table service for food, pick n mix and homemade cakes, as well as a full bar. We watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which I was SO excited for. Needless to say, I did end the film a little disappointed. As a film, the cinematography and animation was brilliant, I love Eddie Redmayne, and I did overall enjoy it. However, I really was hoping for more Harry Potter related links, and the plot itself didn’t offer as much as I’d hoped. Still, with 4 more to go, perhaps it was just the first to set the scene?