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Hiking the Korea Friendship Walk – The Cotswolds, England

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One of the things I love most about living in the UK is the closeness to so many different places and experiences.

You can drive for less an hour from Bristol and be in Wales, for example, or just over two hours to London.

There are so many possibilities for day trips, and Dan and I have made it our mission to take advantage of this fact whilst we can.

One activity we’ve decided to do more regularly is to go on day trips to walk different hiking trails nearby Bristol, and – on longer trips – further afield across the United Kingdom.

We both enjoy hiking, and although Dan is more experienced at it than I am, I’m keen to step up to his level.

Hiking is great for many reasons, but two of my favourite are:

  • The exercise factor –  It’s great for both your physical and mental wellbeing
  • The nature factor – I love getting out into nature, and I know it’s probably related to the fact that being outdoors has been proven to enhance mental wellbeing as well.

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A wicked weekend at Alton Towers theme park

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The sun wasn’t out, but our guns were!

As a foreigner living in the United Kingdom, it’s almost a rite of passage for me to visit Alton Towers, one of the major theme parks in England.

Practically everyone who has grown up in the UK, or lived there for some time, has visited the park before.

But, after almost a year living in Bristol, I (an adrenaline junkie and rollercoaster lover) had somehow not gotten around to it yet!

So, to combat this problem, recently Dan, our friends Will and Elyse, and I headed to to the Towers for a weekend of fun.

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Celebrating Ethical Living and Pride in Bristol

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Last weekend Bristol was inundated with rainbow flags, banners, decorations and fashion as the annual Pride March was held in the city.

Following a week of LGBTQ+ events across Bristol, the March and harbourside festival, held on the Saturday, was the headline event of 2018 Pride, as it is each year.

As if that wasn’t enough for me, another amazing event was happening in the city on the same day: The first-ever Viva!City Ethical Life Festival.

From the same creators of the Viva!Vegan Festivals (Such as the one I went to in Cardiff earlier this year), the Ethical Life Festival celebrated sustainability and green living alongside veganism.

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Learning how to make gin with Brennen and Brown’s Lab Experience

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I must start this blog post by stating that I don’t really like gin.

Yes, I’m actually beginning a post entirely about gin by remarking that I don’t even enjoy the stuff. Good job, Marnie, good job.

But this point is very important to this story.

Gin, to me, is hugely associated with the English – and with a history surrounding English and Dutch soldiers, then it’s major rise in popularity over the last five years in the UK, plus it being my British fiance’s drink of choice, it’s no wonder I associate the liquor with England.

Being from Australia, where gin is not often a drink of choice (in fact, I only have one friend that I’ve EVER seen drinking it) I’d hardly been exposed to gin before meeting my now-fiance, Dan.

Since then, it’s been Dan’s mission to get me to enjoy the spirit, of which he has served to me with various mixers, a large array of garnishes and a number of different botanicals, but to no avail.

However, Dan and I were lucky enough to recently take part in a Lab Experience at Brennen and Brown Distillery in Cheltenham, England.

Despite my lack of fondness for gin, I know how much Dan loves it, so I organised it as a present for his 30th birthday (What an awesome fiance I am, I know! 😆)

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Mental Health Awareness Week: Five things to do if you’re struggling

 

It’s time for another chat about a very important topic which is extremely close to my heart: Mental health.

I’ve spoken about my own mental health situation on my blog and YouTube channel before (If you haven’t seen that post you can catch up on it here). But today is more about you guys.

This coming week, the 14th to the 20th of May, is Mental Health Awareness Week here in the United Kingdom, where I live.

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Low Impact shopping at Bristol’s first Zero Waste store

Like many other South-West UK zero-wasters, I was delighted to hear about the opening of Zero Green in Bristol recently.

The gorgeous and green shop was opened by two passionate women, Lidia and Stacey, who said:

“Zero Green came about for two reasons; firstly, we were both becoming frustrated about how much packaging there is on everyday items and our understanding of how much damage plastic, and specifically single use plastic, was doing to our planet. Secondly, we realised that if we wanted to see something done about it we would have to do it ourselves! 

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Surprising my family in Australia

I’ve been living in the UK for eight months now, and it’s safe to say that I’ve been missing my family, friends, and home quite a bit during that time.

So Dan and I decided to have a little bit of fun and arrive in Australia for my Gran’s 80th Birthday a week earlier than we’d told my family we’d be arriving – getting there just in time to celebrate my Mum’s birthday too!

Watch the video above to see how it all went down ❤︎

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A very vegan weekend in Bristol

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Enjoying an incredible vegan freakshake at VX Bristol

Last weekend was VegFest in London, and I was so excited to go.

Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them too, and so I was unable to attend – which meant I missed out on hearing some of my favourite inspirational vegans speak, meet more like-minded individuals, and (of course) eat all the amazing vegan food on offer.

Safe to say, I was pretty disappointed to not be able to go.

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A castle, a surprise vegan lunch, and more hot tubbing – Lake District, UK

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Rolling green hills and pastures, cobbled streets and dry stone walls transported me back a few centuries in my mind to imagine what life would have been like to live in this gorgeous country town in those old days.

Kendal, in the Lake District of England, has such a charm about it. I’m not sure whether that’s due to the abundance of tea rooms, the streets lined with heritage-conserved buildings, or the ruins of the old 13th century Kendal Castle I can spot on the hill overlooking us.

I could have happily walked the streets, stopping here and there for a cup of tea at one of the many teahouses manned by lovely and bubbly middle aged women, or for a pint at one of the many historic pubs with welcoming signs and charmingly dingy decor.

But there is much more to Kendal than just it’s beverage options and architecture appreciation.

It’s also the home of the Kendal Mint Cake, a delicious, tongue tingling sweet treat.

But I digress, it is also much more than that too.

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