This trip was supported by Stansted Airport, the Moxy and the Pod hotels. Whilst I was required to write a blog post of my experience, all views are my own. Affiliate links have been…
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Tips for travelling to Jamaica I’m the kind of girl who will jump at the chance to visit a new country if her friend has family, friends or other connections in said country and…
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Visit Liverpool with me It’s famously the birthplace of Beatles, the home of UK no. 1s, the European Capital of Culture 2018 and the site of the ‘Three Graces’ buildings that line the World Heritage…
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The City of Geneva Welcome back to Switzerland’s city of Geneva! After showing you what’s in store for lake and pool-lovers and those after a dose of fresh, country air, it’s time to refuel…
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The Geneva Countryside My last trip to Geneva showed me that it is the place to visit whether you love the water, prefer a city break, are a nature affectionado or, in my…
![Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Bonfire, tractors and pork. (Well, that’s my version anyway). 🔥🧔🏻🧨🥁🍻🕯👩🏻🌾🚜🍂🌿🐖 Bonfire night is a big deal where I’m from, so each year I get on the train back to my village to join the villagers in their 160-year old celebrations. Here’s the deal:
1 - They prep months ahead. Doreen here goes around picking up everyone’s garden waste which the ‘bonfire boys’ then craft into the famous Christmas pudding-shaped heap. 🚜🍂🌿
2 - There’s the ‘guy’, a huge chicken wire and papier maché sculpture which gets paraded around the whole village flanked by a band and followed by hundreds of people carrying flaming torches. (See it in my story!) At the end he gets hoisted up to the top to see his fate and those who still have flames burning get to light the fire with their torches. 🔥🔥🧔🏻🔥🔥 3 - The fireworks are always fantastic and use the same technology as the London NYE ones.🧨
4 - My favourite new tradition is the hog roast. The village butchers spit roast a local pig all day then auction it off at night. It’s all about strategy and trying to get a cut for under £35. 🐖💪🏼 See it all in my story. Do you go to bonfire night? Do you have any crazy local traditions? [#bonfirenight#fireworksnight#fifthnovember#guyfalkes#weekendscollected]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/6be582cc4bf08e4b5dedc9f612a5ca76/5E66178B/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.180.1440.1440a/s640x640/73301845_523961781791234_3926435289017903775_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=102 "Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Bonfire, tractors and pork. (Well, that’s my version anyway). 🔥🧔🏻🧨🥁🍻🕯👩🏻🌾🚜🍂🌿🐖 Bonfire night is a big deal where I’m from, so each year I get on the train back to my village to join the villagers in their 160-year old celebrations. Here’s the deal:
1 - They prep months ahead. Doreen here goes around picking up everyone’s garden waste which the ‘bonfire boys’ then craft into the famous Christmas pudding-shaped heap. 🚜🍂🌿
2 - There’s the ‘guy’, a huge chicken wire and papier maché sculpture which gets paraded around the whole village flanked by a band and followed by hundreds of people carrying flaming torches. (See it in my story!) At the end he gets hoisted up to the top to see his fate and those who still have flames burning get to light the fire with their torches. 🔥🔥🧔🏻🔥🔥 3 - The fireworks are always fantastic and use the same technology as the London NYE ones.🧨
4 - My favourite new tradition is the hog roast. The village butchers spit roast a local pig all day then auction it off at night. It’s all about strategy and trying to get a cut for under £35. 🐖💪🏼 See it all in my story. Do you go to bonfire night? Do you have any crazy local traditions? [#bonfirenight#fireworksnight#fifthnovember#guyfalkes#weekendscollected]")
![In the same camp as going to the gym at 7am 🏋🏻♀️ and doing a 10-step skin care routine before breakfast, I am not a ‘pre-work’ person. 🙅🏻♀️ Never understood it. More energy? How about sleeping? 😴 I am the girl who does her make up on the tube and wakes up 15 mins before she leaves the house. 💁🏻♀️ It’s safe to say I have never shot an Instagram post before pulling out my Boden pass. But this morning, @sarahlouisebrand got me up, out, snapping and posing before my first cuppa. Somehow I’m still awake at 8pm and I do feel a sense of achievement 💪🏼. I might not be doing this every Wednesday (soz Sarah), but maybe I’ll set my alarm 15 mins early tomorrow... ⏰ [#Bodenbyme#stschecks#stsspots#powersuit#discoverunder20k#gramminginlondon#upandautumn#lifelivedbeautifully#currentlywearing#womenwithstyle]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/78cabc381a81d7638643451f3e419920/5E66978C/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.179.1440.1440a/s640x640/73201510_3035153126513928_7449786390245986761_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=100 "In the same camp as going to the gym at 7am 🏋🏻♀️ and doing a 10-step skin care routine before breakfast, I am not a ‘pre-work’ person. 🙅🏻♀️ Never understood it. More energy? How about sleeping? 😴 I am the girl who does her make up on the tube and wakes up 15 mins before she leaves the house. 💁🏻♀️ It’s safe to say I have never shot an Instagram post before pulling out my Boden pass. But this morning, @sarahlouisebrand got me up, out, snapping and posing before my first cuppa. Somehow I’m still awake at 8pm and I do feel a sense of achievement 💪🏼. I might not be doing this every Wednesday (soz Sarah), but maybe I’ll set my alarm 15 mins early tomorrow... ⏰ [#Bodenbyme#stschecks#stsspots#powersuit#discoverunder20k#gramminginlondon#upandautumn#lifelivedbeautifully#currentlywearing#womenwithstyle]")
![Up until this Sunday I was close to unfollowing anyone on my feed who pronounced that October was their favourite month or that they ‘couldn’t wait for this time of year’. 🤯🤬 Quite frankly, it was crap. When I took this photo, I was literally living in a cloud. ☁️☁️☁️ If I wasn’t in a colourful office all day I literally don’t think I’d be able to so much as make myself a cup of tea in this depressing climate. But then that crisp sunny Sunday came around and I thought that I might at least be able to tolerate it. 😒 If I make a special effort to keep the colourful styling up, I might just make it through! If you’re an Autumn lover, please can you help me enjoy this time of year? 🍂🍁 [Look shot for @britstitchuk but I liked it so I posted it 💁🏻♀️ #upandautumn#stscolourblocking#stsspots]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/0e17c81ca2c905ce4cb7fd04c5c0735b/5E8C9C15/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.179.1440.1440a/s640x640/71555196_176422713481079_5927395549415788229_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=111 "Up until this Sunday I was close to unfollowing anyone on my feed who pronounced that October was their favourite month or that they ‘couldn’t wait for this time of year’. 🤯🤬 Quite frankly, it was crap. When I took this photo, I was literally living in a cloud. ☁️☁️☁️ If I wasn’t in a colourful office all day I literally don’t think I’d be able to so much as make myself a cup of tea in this depressing climate. But then that crisp sunny Sunday came around and I thought that I might at least be able to tolerate it. 😒 If I make a special effort to keep the colourful styling up, I might just make it through! If you’re an Autumn lover, please can you help me enjoy this time of year? 🍂🍁 [Look shot for @britstitchuk but I liked it so I posted it 💁🏻♀️ #upandautumn#stscolourblocking#stsspots]")
![🎞 Shawn the sheep, here I come! 🐑 (it was blaaaaa-ddy brilliant FYI 🚀) Anyone else a massive sucker for ‘kids films’? Give me a Friday night in and I will classically answer my boyfriends question of what I want to watch with ‘an animated comedy?’ I.e something easy on my brain with bright colours... 😅 Next on my list? Frozen 2 and Onward🦄 OH, and I discovered last night that I’ve still never seen Milan 🤦🏻♀️ Any other recommendations for my simple mind? [#everyman#muswellhill#howihue#stsflorals#weekendscollected]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/0fec4f9a103db0b64c32dc44daea3d77/5E4C7ADA/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.179.1440.1440a/s640x640/75491393_162093114857122_3630823834362028649_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=110 "🎞 Shawn the sheep, here I come! 🐑 (it was blaaaaa-ddy brilliant FYI 🚀) Anyone else a massive sucker for ‘kids films’? Give me a Friday night in and I will classically answer my boyfriends question of what I want to watch with ‘an animated comedy?’ I.e something easy on my brain with bright colours... 😅 Next on my list? Frozen 2 and Onward🦄 OH, and I discovered last night that I’ve still never seen Milan 🤦🏻♀️ Any other recommendations for my simple mind? [#everyman#muswellhill#howihue#stsflorals#weekendscollected]")
![Yes, that’s an Yves Saint Laurent poster in my bag 😏 You can’t go to the museum without picking up one of Yves’ prints, it’s the rules. I remember going 6 years ago and fell completely in love with his colourful collages (which he made annually to wish his friends a happy New Year). I never managed to get my hands on my own one though. This time, 1984 is coming home with me! 🖼 [#visitmarrakech#colorlikecovey#marrakech#exploremore#stsbrights]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/2343eaff520a6bc404b66c30e0a86f5d/5E5A59BD/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.180.1440.1440a/s640x640/71530416_175099910336530_4704810264684763804_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=110 "Yes, that’s an Yves Saint Laurent poster in my bag 😏 You can’t go to the museum without picking up one of Yves’ prints, it’s the rules. I remember going 6 years ago and fell completely in love with his colourful collages (which he made annually to wish his friends a happy New Year). I never managed to get my hands on my own one though. This time, 1984 is coming home with me! 🖼 [#visitmarrakech#colorlikecovey#marrakech#exploremore#stsbrights]")
![[gifted items] I suck at holidays. 📒 I spent more time snapping content than reading the content in this damn book. I didn’t do too badly on this trip though. Miraculously I managed to spend a whole half day by the pool! 💦 (Granted there was some Pilates and a massage happened) but otherwise, nada! Anyone find it real tricky to actually do that relaxing thing? 🙅🏻♀️
In other news, this cossie is part of @boden_clothing (the brand I work for) new sustainable swimwear capsule. 👙 I’m really chuffed to see this range grow next year as their swimwear is really high quality and even better when made with recycled plastic. [#liveconsciously#sustainablefashion#consciousfashion#stscolourblocking]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/16b8df7370ce5324a3ec06202482e558/5E55E87F/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.180.1440.1440a/s640x640/73387355_404286310244100_3152829131669429200_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=100 "[gifted items] I suck at holidays. 📒 I spent more time snapping content than reading the content in this damn book. I didn’t do too badly on this trip though. Miraculously I managed to spend a whole half day by the pool! 💦 (Granted there was some Pilates and a massage happened) but otherwise, nada! Anyone find it real tricky to actually do that relaxing thing? 🙅🏻♀️
In other news, this cossie is part of @boden_clothing (the brand I work for) new sustainable swimwear capsule. 👙 I’m really chuffed to see this range grow next year as their swimwear is really high quality and even better when made with recycled plastic. [#liveconsciously#sustainablefashion#consciousfashion#stscolourblocking]")