The Timeline

Just for the sake of continuation, I thought I would do a post about what's been happening since I last checked in. So, on my last blog post before my revival, I was living in Southampton with Lawrence in our studio apartment. We stayed there until December 2015, both working and saving our money. We spent the festive season with our families and on January 10th 2016, we left on an epic adventure!

Yours truly at Hobbiton in New Zealand

We spent six months travelling the world and it was honestly the best time of my life. We started in New Zealand, then Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, back into Thailand and finally Sri Lanka. I can do a more detailed post about travelling if you like? Let me know in the comments!

On safari in Sri Lanka

We were back in the UK at the start of July 2016. After a couple of joyous weeks visiting family and friends, we knuckled down and started job hunting. I really enjoyed the cities we visited whilst travelling, so I knew I wanted to move to a city, but one that I hadn't lived in before and not London (too busy, too expensive). We chose Bristol because we read good things and it is a good distance between both of our families. Picking a city was the easy part, finding a job was not easy. I found this time in my life quite challenging, because all we seemed to be getting was rejections or nothing back at all. Still, we perservered, and tried to make ourselves useful whilst we were living with Lawrence's family!

Eventually, Lawrence got a job in marketing and I got a position working as an admin for District Nurses. It was for a year for maternity cover, which is about to end, so I'm moving on to another NHS admin role, which I'm really looking forward to. When I was job hunting, I was looking for a job that would help people, not just about making money for my employer. I definitely feel like I have that satisfaction in my current job, and probably in my next one too. 

So, we've been loving life in Bristol since October 2016. I'm very pleased to say that I'm still in a wonderful relationship with Lawrence, we'll have been together seven years this October. We've just signed up for another year in our flat and we're currently saving up to buy our own place in the future. I've recently been having a few health issues that I would like to discuss in a future post, but I think I've rabbited on enough for now! 

I hope you've enjoyed my little catch up session - now it's your turn! Tell me all about the exciting things that been happening in your lives, weddings, new births, new pets, I want to hear about anything and everything :)

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

The Good Old Days

Just flying in to share my latest progress pic of my Blackbird Designs sampler. I think I forgot to mention in my last post that I'm stitching this one over one :) It's tiny, but only one colour so I'm still enjoying myself. Here it is so far . . .

When I first started cross stitching, I would often spend most of a free day stitching. I would put on a couple of films and sit and stitch for hours on end. I don't get to do that much anymore, because there always seems to be "more important" things that require my attention. I should really carve some time out for my hobby, because it definitely puts me at ease. My workload is getting more intense as the festive season approaches. Unfortunately, I have to attend a funeral alongside Lawrence next week. He lost his grandfather recently, and the two of them were very close. I'm going to support him and the rest of the family.

With all the drama that's been happening recently, as well as the build up to Christmas, I think I just might deserve an evening of stitching in front of a film. It's my favourite way to spend me-time.

Thank you for being patient with my lack of posts. I hope to be back in the swing of things soon.

 

Bekca

xxx

The Big Day

I have been blogging for many years, and not just about craft and cross stitching. Many of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time will know about my GCSE grades, all of hard work that went into my A Levels and that wonderful day that I found out I was going to study at The University of Winchester. I am so proud to share with you all that I am officially a graduate!!!!!!!

 

The ceremony was perfect. My parents and Lawrence got great seats to watch the happenings of the day. I got to sit next to my best friend during the ceremony and the rain held off when we went outside for photos :)

 

I had a new dress for the occasion, but decided on flat shoes. I couldn't risk stumbling when I went onto the stage to collect my certificate!

 

My degree is now proudly displayed on the wall in my new flat.

I do feel sad that this area of my life is finished. I spent three wonderful years growing up in Winchester, both as a writer, and as a person. I know some of the people I met are friends for life and I will always cherish the fond memories I have from University.

 

Onto the next bit!

 

Bekca

 

PS I've been busy with my sewing machine decorating my flat. Pics and a post very soon!

House Tour

Hello friends. After a very busy weekend, I am all moved in to my new flat. Hurrah! I can't wait to get it set up properly so the stitching party can begin :) It's so nice to finally have all of my belongings in one place. And there's quite a lot of stuff . . .

 

Okay, so there's a MASSIVE amount of stuff! But on my next day off, I'm determined to find a place for everything and it will all be neat and organised (she says!)

 

This is my favourite part of the flat. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a kitchen all to myself! I know I'll be whipping up some treats in there in no time :)

 

 

I'm on the top floor and this is the tiny staircase that leads to my flat. It wasn't easy getting a double bed up these stairs, I can tell you, but Lawrence and my dad managed it - thanks guys!

 

I hope to have some actual stitching to report by the weekend. It's a busy time at the moment, what with moving, work and my graduation ceremony taking place next week. I'm planning on taking loads of pictures so I'll be sure to share a few :)

Best wishes,

Bekca

 

PS For Carol, I'm currently typing this at my local library, where I can use their internet for free. It's such a wonderful place :) Go libraries!!

Lisbon 2014

I'm back! Hello friends, I hope your needles have been busy since I've been away. I got back from holiday a couple of weeks ago, but it's been a whirlwind time since then. I've visited my parents in Glastonbury, celebrated my 22nd birthday and found the most adorable flat in all of Southampton. I move in next week and I'm so excited! Currently, all my stuff is sharing space with all of Lawrence's stuff and it's not easy, but at least it's only short term. No stitching update today, I'll be posting my SFS report tomorrow. But I thought I would share a few snaps from our wonderful holiday to Lisbon.

Lisbon is such a beautiful city. There was more graffiti than I was expecting, but I always felt safe with Lawrence by my side. We rented a studio apartment for the week which was modern, clean and ideal for us. 

We did lots of sightseeing, but also took the time for relaxing and long evening meals, talking and drinking and just enjoying being in each other's company :)

We couldn't work out how to buy tickets to ride the trams, but they did add to the atmosphere of the city.

Lawrence outside the Belem Tower.

Me!

A typical dinner in Lisbon. We ate lots of good fish and meat, accompanied by fresh vegetables and more than one glass of wine :P This was great for me as you know I don't eat bread or other gluten containing foods. We ate very well all week for reasonable prices. 

I hope you don't mind indulging me in a few holiday pictures. I'm off to work again this afternoon, so I'll post my stitching update when I've got a bit more time. Hope you're all well, best wishes.

Our Easter Holiday

Hello everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the long Easter weekend. I had a wonderful time in Devon with Lawrence and his family. I thought I would share a couple of photos of my trip, taken with my new camera :) There's no stitching on offer today I'm afraid, so feel free to skip! :P

The view from our bedroom window.

Saturday was spent walking to Lynmouth. The sun was shining and the views were spectacular.

You can just see the rest of the group in the distance. I kept falling behind :P

Me and Lawrence at the top of the first hill - excuse our wind-battered hair!

It was so lovely to see spring lambs in the fields. 

Lawrence being champion of the world at Woody Bay.

I think this was my favourite picture from the trip. I do love being out in the countryside.

I'll be back soon with my next SFS update. I've finally spent some money, I know, shocking! I'm currently working on White Magic and I'll have a pic of that up soon too :)

Best wishes to all,

 

Stitch From Stash Update: January

Here I am with my first Stitch From Stash update! It's been a very busy month for me, but I always find time to pick up my needle. I find it so relaxing after a hard day of study. 

Money spent: £0 - not a penny! I'm saving up for when I truly need some new things.

Finished WIPs:

So pleased to have finally finished the Pokemon Project completely! These three are displayed in Lawrie's room at University. He says he's very proud to own something I've made specially for him. He is a sweetie, isn't he?

I finished up this sunflower bear this month too. It was a nice and gentle stitch. I'm hoping to finish it up soon so that I can gift it to my grandmother.

I finished this little Halloween ornament too this month. I have two more of these kits in my stash. I've got this idea of Halloween themed bunting in my head, using these designs. Let's see if I can pull it off!

New starts:

This All Our Yesterday's design has progressed a lot since this picture, but I haven't had a chance to update it. I think this will definitely be a finish for February. 

I've started a couple of card designs this month too. Using scraps of fabric and leftover threads from kits, these two will be finished in no time. 

There we are, my first post for the month. I'm determined to post every month, fingers crossed I can!

Best wishes,

 

Full Team

Hello everyone. Lawrence just sent me this picture and I had to share it with you all. I've finally finished the Pokemon project for my lovely boyfriend :) Here they are all together:

Just a quick post from me today. I've just completed my first week of work experience at Ransom Publishing. It's brilliant and I'm learning so much. But this week has left me feeling rather sleepy, so I'm lining up pyjamas, stitching and good DVDs for tonight!

Best wishes to all,

Another year older

Thank you so much for the lovely birthday wishes on my last post. I had a truly wonderful day and was thoroughly spoilt! I must say a couple of thank yous to two birthday fairies who really made me smile.

First, I got this wonderful parcel from Elisa at Old Ragged Threads. Elisa was swift to the post office and the package was tempting me for days! I was very good and waited until the big day. It's a lovely ornament alongside a M Designs chart and a very suitable card :P Thank you so much Elisa!

 

Birthday day gift number two came from Cath over at The Stitchin' Chicken. Cath truly spoilt me with an array of kits and charts, and even a new hoop! It was a wonderful selection, and I didn't previously own any of the kits. I can't wait to get my needle into this little lot. A huge thank you to you too Cath!

 

I had the most wonderful birthday. I went to Uni in the morning and then Lawrence came over and I opened my cards and gifts. I felt so blessed when I opened every card and unwrapped every parcel. I am so lucky.

Lawrence took me out for dinner that evening. We went to Loch Fyne, which I had never been to before. It was such a stunning restaurant, very welcoming and warm too. The food was certainly delicious.

This was my starter of charcuterie plate, so good. Lawrence enjoyed crab cakes.

 

 

Then for main I had this delightful bowl of goodness! It's a pear, butternut squash and pumpkin seed salad, topped with a fillet of kiln smoked salmon, with a side of chips. It was heavenly!

 

We split a bottle of my favourite Pinot Grigio wine too. I felt like a true birthday girl, being spoilt rotten by my love. I felt so content when I went to sleep last night :)

I hope you've all had a great start to the week too, I'll be back soon with a stitching update.

Best wishes,

 

European Adventure: Part Three

I've had so many lovely comments and emails about my Europe posts - you are all too kind! I'm really pleased you're enjoying them. It seems almost a shame that we've made it to the final instalment :P Today's post features Frankfurt and Paris :)

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We only stayed in Frankfurt for one night. It was an ideal stop off location, as it's pretty much halfway between Munich and Paris. Going directly would have cost us more than staying over in Frankfurt, bizarre isn't it? We stayed in the best hostel of the trip, it was welcoming and very well organised. If we weren't both looking forward to Paris, I think we might have stayed on an extra night. Frankfurt is a plain city, until you reach Römer. It's the traditional area of Frankfurt and has stunning architecture. I'm not quite sure of the history of the place, we weren't there long enough to find out! Lawrence is quite keen to do a trip focusing on Germany, so maybe we will be lucky enough to return one day.

In Frankfurt we:

• Took a long walk around the town.
• Visited Römer.
• Shared a huge banana split sundae!
• Did laundry :P We wanted to be fresh for Paris!

Fantastic buildings in Römer.

Lawrence in front of the stunning church, Römer.

I'm afraid I haven't formed much of an opinion on Frankfurt, as we didn't have time to see much. I'm not quite sure it has as much to see as the other German cities we visited, but it would be worth returning to if we were ever in the area again.

Ah, Paris. Right from the start, I wanted to go to Paris. As soon as we started organising the trip and choosing places to visit, Paris was at the top of my list. I have visited before, on a school trip but I wanted to explore more of this city with Lawrence. We stayed for two nights and three days, before heading back to Blighty on the overnight coach. The hotel we stayed in was a little bit out of the way, but there were Metro stations nearby. Paris is understandably very expensive, but at this was the last stop on the journey, we did have a few treats. I loved just being in Paris, walking around and taking in all of the sights. When we first arrived, we wandered around the centre just as the sun was setting. It was very romantic and a true highlight of my trip :)

In Paris we:

• Visited the Louvre, used our elbows to see the Mona Lisa and promptly left. It was horrendously busy in there and not enjoyable. It seems most people are there to take pictures of the art and not enjoy the art itself.
• Visited the Musée d'Orsay, which is round the corner from the Louvre and a much better gallery. It was free entry, as we are both under 25 and held EU passports. You weren't allowed to take photos in this gallery, so we viewed the Van Gogh and Lautrec paintings undisturbed. It was wonderful.
• Took an evening stroll to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomph and the down the stunning Champs-Élysées with all the beautiful shops and displays.  
• Found a gluten-free patisserie shop and enjoyed a strawberry tarteflette.
• Drank wine.
• Ate well.
• Recollected our glorious holiday memories and vowed to do it again :)

Yours truly in front of the Eiffel Tower.

One of the many delicious bistro meals we enjoyed.

 

Lawrence in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

 

Paris is beautiful, there is no two ways around that. I feel like we have done most of the sights now, especially as we had both already been up the Eiffel Tower before this trip. I don't think we'll return soon, but I know I will visit Paris again.

 

Our trip was incredible. We saw so much and did so many things and took so many pictures! There were a few grumpy days where lack of sleep spoiled it, but we soon cheered up. With careful planning, it is possible to travel and enjoy your travels. We had to save for a long time and stick to a budget, but the memories are priceless. I think we would travel in this style again, spending at least a couple of weeks moving from place to place. But not for much longer than that. By the time we got on our coach, we were both looking forward to the stability of home. It sounds clichéd, but the best part of travelling is coming home :)

 

I hope you've liked travelling with me through my photos. I bought this gorgeous scrapbook from Paperchase last week and I plan on getting some photos printed and making up a few pages. I collected tickets, passes and various bits and pieces along the journey, so I'm going to display them all in here.

 

 

 

It might take me a while to complete it, but I'm sure this scrapbook will become a real treasure :) Thank you all for visiting today!

Best wishes,

 

 

European Adventure: Part Two

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post :) It's nice to hear that the pictures were enjoyed. I'll publish the next two instalments in quick succession, so that we can return to the best bit - stitching! Today's post features what we got up to in Budapest and Munich, hope you like it.

 

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We left on a night train from Prague to Budapest. We took the cheapest option, naturally, and booked two seats on the overnight service - not a cabin. This wasn't as bad as expected and we both got a decent amount of sleep. Budapest is a strange city. The sights are stunning, but there is so much poverty. And despite being the most Eastern place we visited, they strive to be Western, with fast food chains on every corner. Still, it was the cheapest place we went to. Because of the low prices, we managed to rent a gorgeous apartment for the three days we spent there. It was luxurious, with a DVD player, fully equipped kitchen and balcony. It was wonderfully relaxing.

In Budapest we:

 

• Visited St Stephen's Basilica.
• Enjoyed happy hour at a lovely cocktail bar.
• Visited Victory Square
• Trekked uphill to see Buda Castle and saw the changing of the guard.
• Took pictures of St Michael's church.
• Climbed all the way along Fisherman's Bastion.
• Enjoyed a day out at Budapest's Zoo!

St Stephen's Basilica. The amount of gold inside really takes your breath away.

Silly Stitching Lion posing with a stone Lion!

Lawrence and I. Fisherman's Bastion can be seen over L's shoulder. St Michael's church is behind mine.

Fisherman's Bastion - it's like a fairytale isn't it?

Lawrence getting up close to the lemurs at Budapest Zoo.

Me making a new friend at Budapest Zoo.

 

Budapest was Lawrence's favourite city. I enjoyed it too, but it wasn't quite as lovely as Prague :) Again, I would be interested to learn more of the history, why it's divided into Buda and Pest and how did it unite. There were several national museums on this topic, but we had become a bit weary of museums by this point :) I would definitely go back for another visit.

 

We went on another night train leaving Budapest to go to Munich. This was the complete opposite of the first. It was loud, the lights stayed on the whole time and we were crammed in. I must have got two hours sleep, at most. Our first day in Munich was a bit of waste really, because we arrived at 7am, but couldn't check in to our hotel until 3pm! It was hard to do a whole day out on such little sleep, but our time in Munich vastly improved when we had a bit of shuteye :)

 

In Munich we:

 

• Visited the German technology museum.
• Visited Marienplatz with the amazing Rathaus building.
• Had dinner and a few beers in the Hofbauhaus.
• Spent a fair amount of time in Bier Gartens! (I don't actually drink beer, but the wine was good and L had a brilliant time ;) )
• Spent a fair amount of time browsing the Viktualienmarkt, the largest food market in Munich.
• Sunbathed in the Englischergarten and had a picnic.
• Visited the Milka outlet store - delicious!

The amazing Rathaus building, incredible detail.

 

Lawrence with his mammoth 1L of beer at the Hofbauhaus.

The Englischer Bier Garten. We actually preferred the smaller one near the market, it was more friendly.

The amazing, mouthwatering, scrumptious Milka outlet shop! We both left clutching purple bags :)

 

I really enjoyed Munich, and I know Lawrence did too, thanks to all the beer and Bratwursts! It had a really calming vibe to it, very welcoming and friendly. But there wasn't quite as much to see as in some of the other cities. Still, I'm very glad we visited :)

 

Going back through and choosing photos for this post really made me smile. We truly did have such a wonderful time. I am so lucky. The next and final post will be Frankfurt and Paris, and my overall thoughts of the trip.

Hope you've liked touring with me!

Best wishes,