Wrapping it all up

After a brief two month hiatus for which I can only apologise for I am back for the New Year.

I found that towards the end of last year I really wasn't in the mood for blogging and I was suffering from writers block. I didn't just want to blog for the sake of blogging, so decided to give myself a little bit of a rest.

What better way to start the New Year than by wrapping 2015 up, and what a year I had!

At the start of the year I was good to my resolutions and managed to lose 17lbs in six months, although I may have just put it all back on with the amount of cheese that I have been consuming over the last two weeks. As always I make resolutions and fail to keep most of them so this year I'm not making any at all! 



After a few months of uncertainty I was made permanent in a job which I absolutely adore. Most recently I have just become a Manager as well which is something that I had hoped to achieve before I became thirty and a goal which I am thrilled to have reached. To be able to not mind going into work on a Monday morning, to have a brilliant working and personal relationship with my boss and to have friends who support me and are a joy to see five days a week is something that people dream of.



With the summer came Glastonbury and the engagement! Exactly five years after we had met Leigh proposed to me at the top of Glastonbury and of course I screamed 'Yes!' Swift wedding planning began and we fixed a date for October 2016.



I also completed my final Open Uni course in the summer which meant that finally after five years of study I walked across the stage at the Barbican Centre and picked up my 2.1 English Literature degree and I felt so proud of myself.
 


Things have been going so well that I almost fear that they won't continue into 2016! But with going to LA for my best friend's wedding in March (and finally getting to go to Disney!) to my own wedding in October with a honeymoon in Bali I think that 2016 is going to be a cracker as well.



I wish you all a very pleasant year and I hope it brings you everything you desire. Here's to 2016!

C x

A Small Hiatus

Without really meaning to I appear to have taken a little break from blogging. My brain is struggling to work as of late and I am finding that it is dried up and pulls zero inspiration from anything productive or even fun.

Even now I am not really writing this with any idea in mind other than the fact that I feel I have been neglectful which just won't do. I am also currently toying with the idea of just producing a baking/cooking blog as most of my posts now-a-day's seem to be about food. However I am loathe to drop the hauls, favourites and other chatty bits as I enjoy writing them.

So in Cara's life recently, the following has happened:

• I've lost over a stone after some serious calorie counting and a different attitude to the whole thing. I've still got some to go but...progress. This also means I have dropped a dress size which means more shopping
• I have been asked to stay on at my job for another few months, which is very good news because I don't actually mind going in every day even if it is a bitch of a commute
• We have re-signed to our house for another year which means no moving/packing and this will be our third year in the house which is a record for me as before I seemed to move every 2 seconds
• I am only TWO, yes two, essays away from completing my English Literature degree after a six year hard slog
• My brother and girlfriend got engaged which is the loveliest news in the world and means I will soon have a sister-in-law 
• I am getting more excited than ever about Glastonbury in less than 100 days, and will be praying for sunshine as we get closer

I'd say that in the grand scheme of things, it's all looking pretty great right now, especially with spring just around the corner bringing my birthday along with it. I'm coming to terms with the fact I will be 27 slowly, but with a good feeling.

I will try harder to bring more blog posts to the table. I think I had a small slump as I wondered in fact if anyone at all was reading but I was cheered by a chance meeting with someone I had only meet once before on a night out. She greeted me by shouting 'Pourable Sunshine!' which made me feel very sunshiney indeed.

If you haven't already do go and have a look at Pourable Sunshine's Cookery channel. We put some time into the video's and would love to know if there is anything you would like to see being baked.

And that's all really - I now have a guilt-free conscience and you have a little something to read on a Wednesday afternoon. It's a Win-Win really.

C x

The Final Day

With a frowny face I awoke on our final day, desperate to try and top up my tan as much as possible before I left.

Our flight wasn't until 9.35 that evening so we had a little bit of time to sit in the sun and take pictures in the grass.

We stopped posing to have some lunch, which was yummy Chicken Lasagne served by my very lovely Grandad.

After saying our goodbyes we headed to the airport to fly home, which was very sad indeed. The mood was not improved when we got to the airport and were told that our plane was delayed for 40 minutes so we wouldn't be flying until 10.15pm. In the end we got back to my parents house at 1.45am so it was a very long day indeed.

It's been such a lovely holiday and I hope you have enjoyed reading about it, I've enjoyed doing these so much - although daily blogging is quite hard! I hope it has been entertaining :)

C xxx

A Trip Down Memory Lane

On our second to last day we decided to take a trip down to Monchique, the village at the bottom of the mountain and my old home.

First we drove down to Caldas de Monchique, it's a tiny little village with a spa and is famous for the water - apparently it has healing properties...

...what it definitely has is lovely picturesque areas.

We had a walk round and bought a few bits and pieces before getting back in the very hot car and heading to Monchique where we stopped off at some of my favourite places and had an ice-lolly. Monchique really is a beautiful place and I was so lucky to be able to spend time there.

Once we got back to the Villa we had a splash in the pool before getting changed for mine and Leigh's anniversary meal, which the whole family was invited to as it was also our last night!

We headed to a restaurant called Solar Do Farelo, with as much wine as you can drink with your meal on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays so we took advantage of that!

We chose our starter and mains from the blackboard, there is only one blackboard and no menus so the owner comes to your table with it and talks you through the options and reads the specials before noting down your order.

I went for the Prawn Cocktail to start and Leigh went for the Wild Boar Salad, both of which were delicious. Sometimes I find you don't get enough prawns in your Prawn Cocktail but I had 10 massive ones so I would highly recommend it if you decide to go.

After a very tasty starter we moved on to the main course. I had duck with orange sauce, which was cooked perfectly and so lush with the sauce. Leigh had Oxtail Stew which was one of the specials.

 

We had such a lovely meal and I would highly recommend going there if you are in the Algarve. Remember to book though because it gets very busy!

 After we went back to the villa we spent a little bit of time looking up at the stars which were out in their millions. It is so lovely to be in a place where there is no light pollution and you can even see the Milky Way spread across the sky which is beautiful and a lovely end to our four year anniversary.

C xxx

A Very Full Day

After an earlier start and a slightly hurried breakfast the family set off en masse to Lagos. For as long as I can remember we make our pilgrimage to Don Sebastios, one of our favourite restaurants in the Algarve.

We are well known there and have our own table, being greeted like old friends when we get there. Before we sit down for lunch we always go to the same bar which is perfectly positioned with it's sitting area to  people watch, which my mother and grandmother do with relish.

They also do pretty big beers there too, which matches perfectly with my pretty big hat....

After we finished our drinks Leigh and I had a walk down the back streets until we came across one of my favourite artists shop. I have been buying this ladies paintings for nearly 10 years and every time I return I buy a new one. I have quite a collection at home! This time I picked a slightly different one, as I normally go for street scenes, but it will go beautifully in our pale yellow kitchen.

We had a quick walk around some of the other shops before heading over to the restaurant to meet the others. We walked in and started naming all fish instantly, I like fish but I have real issues with picking my own!

We sat down and tucked into fresh bread, cheese, olives and chorizo which cooks on your table. I tried not to eat too much as I didn't want to ruin my main course!

I had what I always have, seafood rice. It comes in a big pottery pot and includes crab, mussels, prawns,  langoustines and clams all mixed in with tomato flavoured rice. It is by far one of my favourite ever meals and made even better by the big bib and tools you get to eat it with.

We always have figs and walnuts to finish, served with a glass of 'on the house' port or amaretto. We all took turns trying to crack as many nuts as possible.

After finishing our glorious meal we headed down to the seafront for ice-cream. I got Rum and Raisin as it's my favourite, but not one you find very often.

Feeling very, very full we headed back to the Villa where we spent a nice evening watching films, whilst I did a food shop. All very glamorous.  

C xxx

The Last Few Days

So I've been a little bit naughty and not typed up the last couple of days but screw it I'm on holiday!

I'm just going to do a combined post for days 5, 6 and 7 as nothing huge happened, Lets see -

DAY 5

We woke up and spent a lazy morning by the pool before finalising our plans to go to the beach in Pria de Rocha with a few friends of mine. We met them in Monchique, the village at the bottom of the mountain for a quick drink before we headed over to Portimao. It was really lovely to be spending a few hours with them as it's been a few years since I've seen them.

The beach was more crowded than the west coast but that is only to be expected as it renowned for being a touristy beach. The weather wasn't fantastic, I mean it was still really hot but there was a bit of a wind and a few clouds - which compared to the last few days seems cold.

We spent a few hours sunbathing, chatting and swimming before returning to the car - only to realise that we had been blocked in with no way out. The local bar called the police for us whilst we ate a slushie. I wish I was making this up. I tried the door and kicked the tyre to see if the alarm would go off but no luck. 30 minutes later the guy returns and I shout "Where the hell have you been?!" at him. He apologised profusely but I mean come on! What a jerk.

Anyway we finally drove off and headed up the mountain for some more homecooked food before calling it a night.

DAY 6

I woke everyone bright and early and changed all the organised fun by suggesting that we moved our Slide & Splash day to today as the weather was horrible up in the mountains. The clouds were swirling around us and you could feel the rain in them. Normally the weather improves once you head down the mountain and today was no exception.

Myself, Leigh, my Brother, his girlfriend and my Dad all squished into the car to head toward the water park that I havent been to since I was a child. My Dad came along because he is a big kid just like us and we knew he would love it.

As you can imagine I wasn't able to get too many photographs whilst we were there. Leigh and I are looking at maybe getting a go pro but they are a bit pricey and I'm not sure we would use it enough to warrant spending that money, although I digress. We managed to get one of us racing down the slide! I'm the second from the left.

We had a fantastic day, it started raining on us at one point but it didnt matter because we were wet anyway so what is a little bit of rain water going to hurt. It was fun to watch everyone else scurry under treas and umbrellas and the queue for the jacuzzi got quite a bit bigger.

We chased and raced each other down the slides, we doubled up for The Black Hole  (a slide in the pitch black) and Tornado (which has a massive bowl which you shoot out into). I forgot how much climbing there was to be done in the day, and how much you get thrown around! We had such lovely day - I would recommend going whatever age you are!

We sped back to the villa as we had to go back to Monchique that evening for a party. I was so happy that I got to see all of my friends. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face, it has been far too long. After a few drinks in the bars we headed back to my friends house where we continued to party away until 5.30 when we decided that we needed some sleep! We got given a cute little cabin with a pretty good view.

DAY 7

So we literally did nothing. After the night before we were in no state to even move. We got a taxi back to the Villa and saw some goats....

....before falling asleep for a few hours and then moving outside in the sun to spend a few hours working on my tan.

We had a delicious roast for dinner, and meringue with soaked cherries for pudding - one of my favourites. After the meal we took ourselves off to bed still worn out from the night before!

C xxx

A Cultural Affair

Day four and once again the sun rose bright in the sky. I took breakfast by the pool watching the sunlight catch the water and wishing not for the first time that the pool was heated so I could jump straight in.

We had decided (when I say we - I mean me) that we were going to try and get out and do something cultural with our trip and try to not just sit by the pool.

We ate a very tasty lunch of rolls, ham, cheese and salad and sat around chatting about the day ahead...

...before setting out down to Silves, a town about 45mins away from Monchique. It is the former capital of the Algarve and has a great big castle sat atop the hill.

It was sweltering when we got down there compared to the slightly cooler mountain top. I piled all my hair on top of my head and soldiered up the hill until we reached our destination.

It wasn't expensive to get in at €2.80 each and we quickly set to work trying to get to the highest part of the castle to see what we could see. Here comes the Wikipedia description:

The Castle of Silves is a castle in the civil parish of Silves in the municipality of Silves in the Portuguese Algarve. Built between the 8th and 13th century, the castle is one of the best preserved of the Moorish fortifications in Portugal,^[1] the most important Moorish fortification resulting in its classification as a National Monument in 1910.

We had a walk around the battlements ducking in to any shade we could find, before heading down the stairs to grab an icecream which melted quicker than I could eat it. 

Unfortunately our sojourn into the past had to be cut short as one of our group didn't put suncream on their feet and they were burnt to a crisp making it very painful to walk. We walked very slowly back to the car where we baked until the air con kicked in.

My parents needed picking up from the airport so my grandparents set off to get them whilst the 'children' went out for dinner.

We went to a restaurant called Luar De Foia, which is an old favourite of mine as I used to come here at least once a week when I lived in Portugal. I was greeted at the door with 'Hello's' and 'How are you?' by the owner and his wife who I haven't seen in 3 years.

We sat down and picked our food. I had fish soup for a starter because it is one of the best things I have ever tasted and I have been waiting a long time to have it again!

Next up was Piri Piri Chicken of course, would it be anything else?

Although I wanted a pudding, I couldn't be greedy and have a starter, main and pud so instead I just stole some of Leigh's....

It was really lovely to go out for a meal. Not going to lie - I wish I was rich enough to eat out every night! It's quite nice to take a break from cooking sometimes.

We came back to the Villa after our meal and played a few card games over a couple five sangria's before my parents arrived and we wished a goodnight to all before falling into bed to rest our weary eyes.

C xxx