Taking Stock – June 2018

Taking stock - June 2018

June has been a mega month full of fun, food, friends, family, frolics and a lot of motherland adventures. I’ve visited four different cities, slept in six different beds, sampled seven superior scones and enjoyed quality time with friends and family. Before I jet off and head back down under, let’s take a breather and take stock, shall we?

Baking: In mum’s kitchen. She loves this Easy Peasy Carrot Cake, it’s her old favourite but I think this Banana, Date, Cherry and Walnut Loaf is her new favourite.

Drinking: Tea and wine in equal amounts.

Eating: The best of British food. It’s not always healthy but it’s always delicious.

Taking stock June 2018 - fish and chips

Thanking: My past self for having the foresight to pack stretchy pants.

Wandering: Down the aisles of British supermarkets in a fascinated fashion. My favourites are the crisps and the candy.  What’s your favourite aisle?

Making: Memories. They’re priceless!

Taking: Photos. So many photos.

Loving: How good friends can always pick up where they leave off – no matter the time or distance between them.

Taking stock June 18- friends

Visiting: Edinburgh, London, Lincoln and Newcastle.

Travelling: By trains, planes and automobiles.

Catching: Up with fantabulous friends in each destination.

Feeling: Thankful for my friends even the ones I didn’t get to see this time round.

Thinking: I’ll need another holiday when I get home to recover!

Deciding: That cream before jam totally works when the cream is of the clotted variety!

Newcastle Highlights - Betty's Harrogate

Popping: My Betty’s cherry.

Trying: My first Fat Rascal.  It won’t be my last!

Partaking: In all the afternoon teas. There’s no such thing as too many… Is there?

Marvelling: At Mr Gearing’s enormoscones at Lady Rose’s Edwardian Tearoom.

Scones - Lady Rose's Edwardian Tea Room Lincoln

Sharing: 18 of my favourite Netflix shows that you can binge watch right now.

Admiring: Kerri. She’s so inspiring!

Revamping: All the old recipes. This Coffee, Oat and Walnut Slice is my new old favourite.

coffee oat walnut slice 4

Noticing: How the birds in the UK sound so different from the birds down under.

Liking: English summer nights, they’re long and light!

Using: Google Maps. I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag. I actually got lost in the woods near my mum’s. I wish I was joking.

Celebrating: 10 years of living down under! Can you believe?

Going: To Scotland for the first time.

Calling: This amazing Edinburgh Airbnb home, if only for a few days!

Learning: How to taste whisky like a boss at the Scotch Whisky Experience.

Laughing: So hard at Camera Obscura in Edinburgh.

Taking Stock - Camera Obscura

Remembering: What jolly fun we had in the North East of England.

Wearing: Hat and boots – that’s summer in the north east for ya!

Buying: All the winter clothes on sale in UK summer. Dorothy Perkins is still my favourite. Not sponsored, just a massive fangirl.

Finding: Out how to wear a bra properly at a Marks and Spencers bra fitting. It was positively enlightening!

Spending: Quality time with the fambam on both sides.

Newcastle Highlights - Penshaw Monument

Writing: About thriving after thyroid cancer in the Bupa Blue Room.

Listening: To Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. Every episode, I love him a little bit more!

Waiting: To watch the new season of Queer Eye when I get home.

Reading:  A Man Called OveI’m so sad now it’s over.

Wanting: To watch the film of the book all over again. Once is just not enough.

Re-reading: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas It’s as good as I remember!

Walking: With The Great Calvino. He’s giving me and my fitbit a through workout.

Taking stock - Calvin the dog

Cuddling: All the UK canines.

Meeting: Dolly the miniature schnauzer for the first time. Isn’t she adorable?

Dolly the miniature schnauzer

Having: A staycation in my old home town at Flemings Mayfair. Oh, so fancy!

Playing: Crazy golf and discovering that I don’t suck at it either!

Revisiting: All our old London haunts, including here where we first met on a cold November night 14 years ago! I know right, we haven’t changed a bit!

Taking Stock - first meetings

Seeing: The changing of the guard, a Suffragette March and a naked bike rally – only in London!

Wishing: I could un-see one of those three things. Can you guess which one?!

Running: Our way around the sights of London and visiting the Queen on her birthday. Because etiquette is everything!

London Self Guided sightseeing run

Helping:  My mum in the garden. Maybe my fingers are a bit green after all.

Missing: David. I hate it when there are oceans and an outsize time difference between us!

Knowing: That when I get home, I’ll be missing my mum. I seem to be in a permanent state of missing!

Planning: Another 48 hours in Melbourne. Yay!

Dreaming: Of a business class upgrade. A girl can dream, can’t she?!

Disliking: The thought and having to make the 24 hour enormovoyage back to Australia.

Leaving: On another jet plane.

Looking forward to: Christmas and Birthdays in July.

So tell me, have you ever had a fat rascal? Do you jam and cream or  cream and then jam? Are you a fan of flying? Was your June jolly? What are you most looking forward to in July? Tell me all the things, ‘kay?

Linking up with Kylie for IBOT

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