Enchanted ..

Posted on October 21, 2013 by lauraf8

This weekend I took a trip to Pitlochry in the North of Scotland to visit the breath-taking Enchanted Forest which attracts over 30,000 visitors to the area and looks like something straight out of a fairy-tale.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Faskally Woods, this magical event lasts from the 4th – 27th October and was named Best Cultural Event at the 2013 Scottish Event Awards! As well as being run solely by volunteers, all the profits from the event are ploughed straight back into planning and executing next year’s show… Inspiring!

This year’s show; Absorb, which is the 12th consecutive show, gets its name as it incorporates orb like shapes and lighting effects which feature heavily all around the event including in the mini shows. Also featured in this years show is a beautiful bridge completely lit up with shimmering lights which can be seen from various points along the route. As well as having on site facilities such as heated portable toilets and stalls selling hot chocolate, mulled wine and hotdogs – there are also storytelling yurts and lit up balloons available for the kids!

Not only an innovative concept but an inspiring attraction which is well worth a visit. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what next years show will bring.

You can click here to buy tickets or for more info.

L x

Zante 2013 playlist!!

Posted on October 8, 2013 by lauraf8

These were just some of the songs keeping us going well into the morning in Zante!

Enjoy 🙂

L x

A week in Zante!

Posted on October 8, 2013 by lauraf8

Learning that I had won a week-long holiday to Zante via a competition in a magazine (click here for the back story) was a complete dream come true and I could not wait to get away! Finally, September arrived and it was time for my friend Katy and I to hop on board our plane in search of glorious sunshine, picturesque views lifted straight from a postcard and of course, legendary nightlife! Thankfully, we were not disappointed!

Can you imagine owning that mansion hidden away amongst the trees!?

Although Zante is renowned for its wild nightlife; attracting plane loads of young revellers each summer, it has so much more to offer. In order to see more of the island, Katy and I took an impressive eight-hour boat trip which stopped off at many beauty spots including Turtle Island, Shipwreck Island and various different caves along the way – there was even time for a spot of swimming in the vast turquoise sea.

Can you see why it’s named Turtle Island?

Zante’s water village was well worth a visit, boasting a range of fun-packed thrill rides including the superbowl which was our favourite, the giant black hole – a blackened out tower lit only by coloured ring lighting effects inside and finally, a scary looking free-fall extreme tower with a 25m almost vertical drop! In order to recover from the thrill rides, there was of course a long lazy river, where you could float along aimlessly whilst enjoying the sun… Ah, bliss!

Zante 2013 113

On our even lazier days when we found it difficult to drag ourselves out of bed, we lounged around the pool area reading our books and listening to our iPods or headed for the beach at the end of the strip. Banana beach which is the longest beach on the island was only half an hour’s bus ride away from where we were staying in Laganas and was very popular with tourists thanks to its crystal clear water and suntrap location.

Laganas offered a variety of nice places to eat, most of which we found were located right on the beach front with beautiful views looking out over the sea. Cool Peppers and Balsamico were the two restaurants we frequented most and we were never left disappointed with the meals on offer. I have to recommend the bbq ribs from Cool Peppers – they are notorious and come on a huge platter with chips, salad and coleslaw… mm delicious!

Tasty!!

Nightfall saw Laganas really come to life. As you would expect, the strip was bursting with bars, pubs and nightclubs, even a shisha club; Medousa’s – there was so much choice! A favourite of ours was the ultimate cocktail bar called Cocktails and Dreams – not only did it play all the best dance music but it served up the most delicious cocktails and shots with rather witty names – perfect sex or a blowjob anyone?

They serve everything in Cocktails & Dreams …

The place to be!

First time shisha!

Katy loves a shisha!

Each night saw another event take place. The paint party hosted at Zero’s club was undoubtedly the highlight of our week and saw us amongst hundreds of other party-goes being covered in over 400 litres of UV – what a night! There were also frat parties, foam parties and full moon beach parties to experience too!

At the frat party!

Before the paint descended upon us …

Not even our drinks were left untouched by the UV paint!!

Zante was truly amazing; we had so much fun even though our livers are still recovering from the trauma! Along with meeting lots of lovely people, we had the chance to see the beautiful island and experience some unforgettable nightlife! Here’s to the next holiday!

L x

A Liebster!! Moi?

Posted on September 1, 2013 by lauraf8

As mentioned in a previous post, the lovely Charlotte – My crazy New York post-grad life has nominated me for The Liebster Award..

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As far as I am aware, The Liebster Award (‘Liebster’ meaning ‘favourite’ in German apparently??) helps to get the smaller blogs out there noticed – specifically blogs with 200 or less followers. In order to officially accept this award, I am required to do the following things;

Thank the person who nominated me and provide a link back to their blog
Answer the 10 questions which have been set by the nominator
Spread the love for smaller blogs by nominating my favourite 10 blogs with less than 200 followers
Notify the 10 people whose blogs I have nominated and set them 10 questions to answer

Firstly, a big thanks to Charlotte for nominating me! I love catching up with her blog and never get tired of hearing about her crazy adventures/dramas living in NYC. I think that on some weird level, her blog allows me to pretend I am living my dream life in the big apple (Well, It is a cheaper option than actually relocating).

Next, answering the questions set by Charlotte;

If you could go back in time to any time period, when would it be and why?

I would go back to 2006 which was my last year at high school. I would experience my school formal dance all over again as well as the notorious sixth year holiday to Mallorca which was a chance for everyone to let their hair down and it brought everyone together. I wouldn’t change a thing; I would just make the most of being young and carefree again.

What is your biggest fear?

I guess this would be that when you die – you just DIE! How disappointing would that be?! I prefer to think happy thoughts; that there is a ‘heaven’ where we all reunite with our loved ones, float about on fluffy clouds and live happily ever after for an eternity.

What do you think is your best personal trait?

Anyone who really knows me will know that I completely dependable. I try to value all my friendships and make an effort to be there for all my friends whether it be giving them advice or listening to their problems – even if it is 4 o’clock in the morning, they know that I’m only a phone call away.

Hot or cold weather?

Definitely hot hot hot! I always feel the cold no matter where I am; You could plank me on a desert in Dubai and I’d still complain about feeling the cold – so I would always opt for a hot climate. Also, (maybe this only applies to Scotland seeing as we hardly ever see the sun) I always find that people are much happier and mellower when the sun is out.

Favourite food?

I love a good curry! So much so, that every Friday night in my house is curry night! From a mild korma to a spicy Madras I love ’em all! ♥ I also have my local Indian takeaway on speed dial 😉 Sad but true!

Who is your current celebrity crush?

I am still a little obsessed with HBO’s True Blood – probably because there’s sooo much guy candy in every episode! At the minute I particularly love Joe Manganiello who plays Alcide; with his rugged good looks and gorgeous brown eyes he is just thee perfect man. Uh! I’m so over Bill and Eric!

Seriously.. who wouldn’t love this face?!

7. What is the main philosophy by which you live your life?

I don’t have a philosophy as such. I try to do what makes me happy and avoid things that don’t. Easier said than done I know, but in the bigger scale of things I think that if you try to do what makes you happy and surround yourself with people who make you happy then you won’t go wrong.

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Easy! I would have to be a wolf so that I could run wild with Alcide in our little wolf pack 😉

What is your favourite movie genre?

I love horror movies! Strangely enough, I love having the bejesus scared out of me! I can remember being in primary school and each weekend, all the girls in our class would go round to each others houses for a sleepover. We loved watching scary films – particularly Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream movies, we would hide in our sleeping bags at the scary parts and were still terrified for hours after the film had finished – eventually someone would have to get up and put on a Disney movie just to get us back to a happy place! Ahhhhh… Disney! 😀

What is your favourite part about blogging?

I think that there’s something so therapeutic about getting your thoughts and ideas out there so that other people can read them. I love pressing the publish button and waiting to see what people think about what I’ve written.

Finally, for my 10 favourite blogs which I think are deserving of this award;

Ten questions I would like to ask them;

What made you start your blog?
What is your greatest lifetime achievement to date and why?
Who has inspired you most and why?
What is your favourite book and why?
Do you have a party trick and if so what is it?
Who is your style icon?
What is your favourite drink?
If you were hosting a dinner party which three people would you invite (living or deceased) and why?
If you won one million pounds on the lottery what would you do with the winnings?
What is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?

I’m now off to spread the love for the little blogs! ♥

L x

Mmmm toasty!!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lauraf8

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Linking in nicely with my previous post, I have just came across a new range of wacky bread bedding sets which are inspired by baked goods and incidentally, are actually available to buy from Japanese website Felissimo although they will set you back roughly about £110 each!! The range includes a quirky toast set which comes complete with a red blanket which is supposed to represent a jam filling (haha!) as well as doughnut, omelette and croissant sleeping bags!

All images [via]

L x

Rawrrrrr!!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lauraf8

What’s the saying; If you want to be a bear – be a grizzly bear!!

Well, you have got to check out this impressively realistic scary bear sleeping bag created by Amsterdam designer; Eiko Ishizawa. Not only would it keep you extra cosy at night but you could also pull some seriously good pranks in it! Only downside of course being that you might get shot at!

I would definitely be investing in this bad boy if it were on sale!!

[Images via]

L x

Zante here I come …

Posted on August 28, 2013 by lauraf8

Long story short – about four months ago, I entered a blogging competition in More magazine! sponsored by 18-30 holidays whereby, all I had to do was submit a blog post about my best ever clubbing holiday. The winners would receive a fully paid week’s holiday for two people to either Greece, Tenerife or Falaraki and the chance for their blog posts, tweets and photographs from the holiday to be featured in the magazine as well as on 18-30’s website etc.

To my complete surprise, I was told that I was one of the winners of the competition and would receive a week’s holiday to Zante, Greece. Sadly, a few weeks later I learned that the magazine had stopped running and I was unsure whether I would still get to go or not?

Thomas Cook have been liaising with Bauer Media and have managed to reach a happy outcome … I get to go on holiday to Zante with my friend Katy – bring on the madness!!!

Zante beach

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I apologise in advance because in case you hadn’t noticed, I am a tad excited and will no doubt be boring you with all the details. I have already had a wee look online to try and catch the last of the summer clothes and I can confirm they are en route to my doorstep right now!! 😀

Zante here I come ……..

Heard a lot about colour parties in Zante 🙂

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L x

Leeds festival!

Posted on August 28, 2013 by lauraf8

This weekend saw me attending my final festival of the year; the notorious Leeds festival in England. Up until July, I had never been to a festival in my life although it had always been an ambition of mine to go to one and now I have successfully survived two!! This post is all about my adventures at the festival.

The muddy main stage

The three-day event took place in Bramham park and was home to around 75,000 festival-goers eager to see performances from artists including; Disclosure, Alt-J, Jake Bugg, System of a down, Foals and Chase and Status as well as the headlining acts; Eminem, Green Day and Biffy Clyro.

After arriving at around lunchtime on Friday to glorious sunshine, most of the campsites were already jam-packed, especially those nearest the arena! We had been pre-warned that the brown campsite was the quiet campsite and was ideal for families so we were reluctant to camp there – on top of this, it was also the furthest away which meant we would have to haul our heavy rucksacks and tent another mile- arghhh!! After much deliberation, we decided to settle in this campsite and this turned out to be a blessing for us as this was the campsite least affected by the mud. Also, if this was the quiet campsite god only knows what the other campsites must have been like – we were still being entertained by music and a guy playing guitar at 4am!

The brown campsite

The aftermath

Luckily, we missed the ‘biblical downpours’ of the Thursday night but in typical festival fashion, the heavens opened again on both the Friday and Saturday. Heavy downpours of torrential rain turned the campsite, arena and even backstage areas into a muddy lake. Even this was not enough to dampen the spirits of the excited revellers though; there were plenty of people diving in the mud and at one point, the rain was coming down so heavy that we saw a group of around 6 people all huddled underneath a large gazebo – walking to the arena under it, using it as an umbrella! Genius! 🙂

Trying to manoeuvre around in the mud .. not easy!!

Seeing all the teeny pop-up tents flooded with muddy water and floating across the fields was heart-breaking though, some were even completely flattened – I felt so sorry for their owners! Thankfully, we had the trusty mansion with us again which provided much needed shelter from the constant battering of the rain. I was so impressed with how dry the floor inside was and how clean we managed to keep it considering how muddy all of our clothes got. I guess it’s worth paying the extra money for a bigger, better tent if you want any kind of guarantee that it’s going to survive the various weather conditions you might experience – we got soaked on the Saturday and sunburnt on the Sunday!!

Our lovely welsh neighbours, our tent and our makeshift washing line 🙂

Home for the weekend

There were plenty of places to get food and drink and the arena and campsite areas were well equipped with everything you could possibly need; from logs to make campfires to phone charging stations, stalls selling jewellery and sweets to a mini disco inside a shed. The only downside was the ‘toilet facilities’ within the campsite areas – they made portaloo’s look like 5 star luxury … Eughhh and the organisation of the car parks/drop off and pick up points! It took 4 hours to get into the drop off/pick up area and I heard many stories about cars getting stuck in the mud and having to be towed out by tractors! Not good!!

DISCO DISCO DISCO!!

Yep, these are the toilets!!!

All in all, Leeds was great! Green Day who I had had never seen live before were a major highlight! Billie-Joe even picked two guys out of the audience to come up on stage and sing while he rocked the guitar … amaazing! Eminem of course, was a highlight as I have waited to see him in the flesh for years and he did not disappoint! The Lumineers as always were fantastic and electronic music-duo Disclosure were on fire as they played the Radio 1 tent .. it was packed with sweaty people going crazy to their hits one after another. Although I already saw them at T – Chase and Status were still a favourite, giving an 100% energetic performance.

I’m actually quite sad that I have to wait ’til next year for another festival 😦 Might be tempted to bring out the mansion and have a mini-festival in my back garden .. camping but with all the home comforts nearby if the rain should strike 🙂

L x

Lil’ blogs?!

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lauraf8

Hi all,

I am on the hunt for interesting little blogs with less than 200 followers deserving of the Liebster award. I have had a look on freshly pressed etc. but can’t find many? Surely they can’t be this hard to find??

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If you have a small blog or if you know of any small blogs which are a great read can you please let me know and I will check them out 🙂

Thanks!

L x

Holy Moly …. Excited much!!

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lauraf8

I am utterly shocked and flattered to learn that one of my favourite bloggers; the lovely ♥Charlotte – My crazy New York post-grad life♥ has nominated me for The Liebster Award.. My first ever award!! Woooo! Being relatively new to the blogosphere, I honestly didn’t think anyone actually looked at my wee blog except me! 😉

I have been so busy preparing for Leeds festival which I went to at the weekend that I haven’t been on here as much, so I will be writing up my post with the formalities required in order to accept this award shortly!

Ahhhhhhh!!