Wandering Curiosities • Page 2 of 4 • A Yorkshire Based Lifestyle Blog

June 8, 2017

A New Travel Obsession Featuring Icelolly.com

Last month I realised that my passport had expired. This instantly gives me itchy feet, knowing that I can’t travel outside of the United Kingdom makes me want to travel even more. I cant be the only one?

So yesterday I finally got round to popping to the post office to collect a form.

Top Tip: Don’t go on a Monday before lunch if you don’t want to queue behind 20+ people collecting their pension.

Hunted down a Photo Booth to get my photo taken and sat down to fill out my form in black biro. This morning I pottered back to the post office and sent my old passport, newly taken photos that will haunt for the next 10 years and £72.50 of my hard earned cash.

I am now counting down the 3 weeks until my shiny new passport arrives back.

So at the weekend I went to a little event called Blog at the Beach hosted by the lovely folks at icelolly.com

This not only inspired me to renew my passport but as the theme this time was Ibiza I had to go and have a little nosey at what the notorious party island had to offer … Other than the 18-30 scene.

It is well known that I much prefer to be tucked up in bed by mid-night rather than partying the night away stood a bit too close to someone else who is a bit sweaty. Ok I know that there is obviously more going to Ibiza than this. I had until this week stereotyped this Balearic isle.

A little search later an I am now desperate to take a trip around the island. I wasn’t expecting to find beautiful images of hidden coves, mountain villages with fresh water springs, hot air balloon rides and yoga retreats.

Maybe next time some cheap flights to Ibiza pop up. Or an icelolly.com email pops in my inbox with some amazing deal for a week in Ibiza. I’ll be booking an adventure to the white isle (as long as my passport arrives back soon)

Do you have a new travel obsession?

May 12, 2017

Getting My First Ever Energy Blow Dry at HOB Salons | Leeds

Sometimes a girl just needs a blow dry. There isn’t much more too it then that. A quick pamper session and visit to a fancy salon in-between hair cuts is what the doctor ordered. I was lucky enough to be invited to HOB Salons in Leeds to try out their new Energy Blow Dry. Even better I could bring a friend, so of course we made it into a real ladies who get pampered session.

Ok I’m starting with the end result to entice you in. Hello fancy products, a glass of something fizzy and two bouncy blow drys. Coming straight from work I can promise you our hair did not look this good when we arrived an hour earlier.

It is a long time since we’ve both been to a salon, maybe 5 years. See one of our best friends is a hair dresser and we have our hair done at home. So this experience was a real mid week treat. I see going to the salon a real luxury and I’m not going to lie; I was excited to have my head massaged while having my hair washed.

The Energy Blow Dry is a little different from your bog standard normal blow dry. It includes a personalised consultation to find out which products will suit your hair the best.

You go through a quick questionnaire about what you like about your hair and what you don’t. It also includes questions to do with hair length and if it is damaged etc. From this there is some wizardy and your unique Energycode is identified. From your Energycode you get a personalised selection of products that are used throughout your blow dry. This means that your new shiny Energy blow dry should last longer then a few hours and feel rather fabulous.

Ok so did I enjoy the blow dry experience? Yes I did. My hair is always a challenge, it is very fine but there is a lot of it. It is also oily and as I have a full fringe it can look greasy in a matter of hours. Kathryn’s hair on the other hand is thick, has a bit of a curl and there is lots of it. Two totally different hair types and one blow dry doesn’t normally mix. However as the Energy Blow Dry is personalised we both ended up with the same treatment but totally different results.

I got bouncy waves that I can report lasted pretty well. I had to give the ones at the back a quick tweak with my tongs the next morning as they had dropped a little. But hello super fine hair, it was always going to happen. Kathryn reported back that her straight bouncy blow dry lasted perfectly and still felt really soft the next day.

Honestly I never thought I’d be a blow dry kinda gal. Normally I end up just quickly straightening my hair before going on a night out. But if I was going somewhere special I think that i’ll be taking a trip back to HOB Salons for a little extra pampering.

Location and Treatment

HOB Salons
12 Duncan Street,
Leeds,
West Yorkshire
LS1 6DL

Energy Blow Dry £25 with selected stylists

There is another little secret that I will let you into – HOB Salons in Leeds offers NHS employees a 20% discount! Now if that doesn’t tempt you into a post work Energy blow dry I don’t know what will.

*I was lucky enough to get to tryout the Energy Blow Dry for free but all opinions are my own, honest and belong to my sassy blow dry

May 6, 2017

Travel Is Good For The Soul But So Is A Staycation

Travel is good for the soul. It doesn’t have to be far-flung, it can be 100 miles or so down the road. Sometimes though we miss the things that are under our feet for more exotic destinations. I’m not sure how close you have to stay for a ‘staycation’ (yeah I don’t really like that word. It’s not a real word is it?) I am however classing it as travel within a couple of hundred miles oh home. No crazy flights, same currency but just a different derelict.

So pack your bags, go on a mini adventure and explore somewhere close to home, yup I’m throwing staycation out there again.

It is kind of refreshing to be a tourist in your own country. There will be places you’ve never visited but always wanted too. For me this was Stonehenge. 230 miles ish away from home and I got to visit this magical site that has so many unanswered questions surrounding it. Like how the chuff did they get the stones there? Even though there were so many tourists including me, there was a calm serenity close to the stones. (If you go on the summer solstice you can actually get up close to them which I think would be amazing). Stonehenge has been on a list of places to visit for a while now and I am so glad we went instead of spending a small fortune jetting off else where and missing visiting the site.

There really is something about adventures that make me feel a little more content than a weekend in the house. I always feel energised and excited for the week ahead after a change of scenery for a few hours. Maybe it’s the inner traveller in me and the need to satisfy my wanderlust but I just can’t help myself. Be it far away or a little closer to home for a erm … a staycation, I find travel good for my soul.

Is there anywhere that you’d like to visit a little closer to home?

April 28, 2017

5 Things That Happen When You Quit Drinking

Hello, my name is Michelle and I haven’t had a drink in 21 days.

This isn’t an admission for alcoholics anonymous but a long winded look at 5 things that happen when you quit drinking.

Here are 5 things I’ve learnt so far.

1. A virgin cocktail just doesn’t sound alluring. “Mocktails” will be my go to. Whats even more annoying when you find the alcohol free cocktails in the kids section of the menu? HELLO! I’m not 12 wanting a ‘grown up’ drink. I am 27 awaiting surgery and have to be the healthiest I can be.

2. Please don’t be annoyed if I don’t stay out late. There is nothing more irritating when you are stone cold sober then drunk people.

3. Alcohol free beer and cider is kinda gross. Syrupy sugary nastiness. (If you have any nice recommendations let me know)

4. Been the designated driver is a bit shit when everyone else is off their face giving you directions.

5. People are quick to judge. No I’m not pregnant *massive massive eye roll.

Please appreciate this fancy GIF*

And do you know what? I didn’t think I would find not drinking hard but its been a little more difficult then I imagined it would be. Maybe it’s because there was a week off work, a bank holiday weekend and oh so many pictures of delicious looking cocktails on Instagram thrown into the mix.

I enjoy a glass of wine on the odd evening during the week. A couple of cocktails after work on a Friday. Maybe a Gin with brunch on a weekend. But I can also go a week without having an alcoholic drink. I am often the designated driver and honestly do not need a drink to enjoy my evening out. I’ll happily just have a singular gin and lemonade and that’ll do me.

Out of my group of friends, I’m the one that doesn’t like clubs and will happily be home and in bed by midnight. I hate shots with a passion, they give me instant indigestion and often they almost come out of my nose. Yes I am old.

Now potentially it’s being told that I cant drink that makes me want one even more. Forever the rebel I know. And I have around 11 more weeks of not drinking so lets see how this goes.

Just putting it out there that once I get the go ahead from my medical team i’ll be having the biggest Gin and lemonade you ever did see.

April 22, 2017

9 Reusable Cups Under £20

Happy Earth Day!

Here are 9 fun reusable cups that you can find online or in store. They are all under £20 and start at a snip at only £2.50 so there is no excuse. You could even make your cup free after 10 takeout Starbucks using your new shiny environmentally friendly travel cup (totally justifiable with a 25p per drink discount).

1. Kate Spade £16.00
2. Urban Outfitters £5.00 (its in the sale)
3. ASDA £2.50
4. Thermos £10.95
5. John Lewis £15.00
6. Paperchase £10.00
7. Amazon £10.49
8. Keep Cup £13.00
9. Starbucks £16.95

Did you read yesterdays post? If not you can read it here. (Did you find the point I made about using reusable cups?)

Now I’m a firm believer in a reusable cup. In fact I have 3 or 4 and am currently banned from buying anymore. I have a Starbucks stainless steel one that I use at work and it’s awesome because it keeps my tea warm when I’ve forgotten about it. A keep cup for in the car and for car boots on a Sunday morning because its lightweight. And a Kate Spade one for when I want something a little more on the larger size.

Do you have a favourite reusable cup?

April 21, 2017

Earth Day 2017

Ok I’ve already written this blog post once today and it didn’t save so here is round 2 of Earth Day.

Did you now Earth Day existed? I didn’t, I was organising my week and I saw it as a ‘holiday’ in the calendar app. So I went and did a little research. Earth Day started in 1970 and on the 22nd April every year over 1 billion people in over 190 countries participate. (And some how I was totally unaware of it) Earth Day works via education, public policy and consumer campaigns and its done some pretty impressive stuff so far.

Something I feel pretty passionately about is the amount of plastic we use which is scary. Once you start looking you see it everywhere. I mean why are mushrooms the only veg you can buy in the supermarket that you put in a paper bag? Everything gets thrown in them little plastic one. From onions to oranges which don’t actually need a bag – they have skin you peel off!?

Now there are lots more ways you can save the Earth and these are just a few easy steps that could even save you money.

3 things that you can do to help.

1. Plastic Carrier Bags. Reuse them or even better don’t use them at all. Unless you’ve been living under a rock we all know that you are charged between 5p and 10p for a carrier these days. Ideally you want to forgo the carrier but we have been that person trying to carry our weekly shop in are arms not cool. So instead you could try using a cotton tote bag? Or in some supermarkets you can find empty cardboard boxes. Theses are great and you can recycle them one you’re home.

2. Reusable Cups. I am not going to tell you not to have give up your fancy take out coffee. However a little secret if you use a reusable mug you can get a discount on your coffee. Starbucks and Costa both offer a 25p discount if you use your own reusable cup. Paul offers 10p and Nero give you 2 loyalty stamps instead of 1 and they recycle the cups as well as coffee grounds. Either way its a great incentive to take your own cup and help the environment.

3. Public Transport. I know that this one isn’t always practical but making trips by public transport helps the environment. I can say I’m guilty of often driving when I could get the bus or the train or maybe even walk. We can all be held accountable and if you have to drive maybe look at getting a more fuel efficient car. Now this is something I am going to try to do more. Over the last 9 years I think I’ve got a bus maybe a handful of times. The train I am slightly better at but I will try harder.

April 15, 2017

Spring Gin Cocktail

How are we 2 weeks into April? I don’t know about you but this year feels like it is flying past at a hundred miles an hour. The clocks have gone back and now we’ve got an extra hour of daylight it certainly feels much more spring like. Meaning it’s now perfect for this spring gin cocktail.

So when an email popped into my inbox featuring a Gin and Tonic cocktail that I could make at home I had to give it a try.

Now I am not a massive fan of Tonic. So much so that 99.9% of the time I’ll go for a gin and lemonade. So I tried this cocktail 2 ways one with fancy tonic the other 17p Aldi lemonade.

Ingredients

50ml Gin – Hendricks is what I had to hand but any gin I imagine would work well
70ml Blood Orange Juice – Waitrose do a fresh juice in a 1lt bottle
120ml Tonic – Or lemonade as I don’t really like tonic
2 dashes of Orange Bitters – This was the only item I specially bought and not sure if it was worth it but the bottle is huge and I think it’ll last forever
x1 Blood Orange – I couldn’t find one so I bought a normal orange
Ice

Directions

– Add ice to glass

– Measure out gin or just eyeball it like I did

– Add the blood orange juice, tonic and a couple of dashes of bitters

– Garnish with a slice of orange to make it look pretty

– Enjoy

Now if you have read any of my previous recipes like vegan banana bread you’ll know that I often wing and it hasn’t failed me yet. Lemonade won it for me and I’m not sure how much the bitters added. Yet it was rather tasty and I’ll more than likely make them again. Gin cocktail for the win!

April 7, 2017

Bulgogi Grill Korean BBQ – Leeds

Bulgogi Grill is a Korean Table BBQ place in Leeds and I think it may have changed my life a little bit. It’s almost hidden next to Smoke in the Merrion Centre. Formally known as ‘The Arena Quarter’.

This was my first experience of Korean BBQ and I am not sure what I was expecting but I’ll be going back. I’m gonna say that it is not vegan friendly but there is plenty of fish options for vegetarians.

You’re seated at a table with a hot plate in the middle and a huge over head extractor fan. This is because you cook the meat right in front at you at your own table. We went at lunch on a Saturday and the menu is limited but it was only £11.95 each. What a bloody bargain. The portions are huge and really we could have shared but we decided to indulge. I didn’t finish all my beef though.

We were given some plastic tongs as our chopstick skills weren’t quiet up to scratch, the waitress even gave us a quick tutorial haha! You basically cook your meat then wrap it in a lettuce leaf with rice and some veg. Voila.

Would I go again?

Yes but I think I’d stick to a lunch time for the time being. For less than £15 I had an amazing lunch and a glass of pop. (Lunch runs from 12 to 2.30 Tuesday to Sunday). The evening menu is £24.95 pp I’ve yet to try it, maybe one day I will do but I’m not sure I could even eat that much.

Have you tried Korean BBQ?

March 31, 2017

Friendship in your late 20’s

There is something mysterious and magical about an adult friendship in your late 20’s and beyond. And they seem to fall into two very separate categories. Basically I’ve just come back from a weekend in London with two of my best friends and we’ve been friends for over 15 years and well it has inspired this post. (*waves hi ladies)

There are two kinds of friendships in your late 20’s.

1. The ‘oh god when did we reach our late 20’s’ group of long-time friends. (Read friends for somewhere between 10-15 years probably since high school or maybe before that are you are around the same age).

2. Then there are the newer adult friends. We’ll go with less than 5 years of friendship. (Maybe they started as your work colleagues and have become friends and there maybe an age gap)

Now I certainly have both sets of adult friends and I love them all equally for different reasons but have a read and see if you can relate to any of these points.

Gossip

1. There is no conversation barred. You are brutally honest with each other and you’ll openly talk about sex and other bodily functions freely. Often at a bar drinking cocktails while forgetting that the people on the next table are more than likely listening in. Or you are in an Uber home and driver wonders what careers you’ve chosen as the conversation is very questionable.

2. Much more likely that the general conversation is going to be a little more reserved. Maybe less talk about your sex life and more about what you’re having for tea that night or if you’ve booked any annual leave.

Money

1. Panic that you’re now grownups and everyone and their dog has massive healthy savings while you’re still in your overdraft on semi regular basis. Realise that no one really has their shit together and panic that you’ll be 30 soon and said shit needs to be together by then.

2. You don’t really talk about money; it feels like a taboo subject. Just presume that everyone is saving more than you and they’ve got it all down to a fine art. Pretend you have too.

Careers

1. By luck or good judgement you’re all kinda on the right path and not hating your job. If you are you can moan about it and work out the plan of action and talk said friends into helping you achieve your goal.

2. Adult friends will still moan about their jobs but maybe do nothing about it. Potentially just accept their fate and not have the motivation or determination to make a change.

March 24, 2017

Should I buy a Classic Car?

Ok so you’ve seen them very photogenic rather lovely looking vintage vehicles on Instagram and Pintrest and you’ve decided you need one in your life. Stat. You spend the next 2 weeks hunting every advert on eBay and Gumtree, hoping and praying you find a perfect little vintage car. Here the question Should I buy a Classic Car? is born.

Ok ok ok pause here a second. Lets have a honest talk about this, I have now owned a 1973 Vintage Beetle for almost 4 years. She’s called Winnie. I’m not proclaiming to be a master of all things classic car but hear me out. I promise I’m not trying to talk you out of buying a classic car but have a read.

1.Do you have the space to store your newly acquired beauty?
Ideally a garage to keep your new lovely car out of the British elements, if not a private drive? Oh and all the space for tools and things to fix it when it breaks down? And it will at some point or many points.

2.Do you have the skills to fix it when it breaks down?
In my case I have a lovely handy boyfriend and neighbour that like to tinker and fix things when it gets poorly. But if you don’t, do you have the cash to be taking it to a garage? And it may have to go to a specialist garage, not everyone has the knowledge to fix something 30+ years old that doesn’t plug into a computer.

3. Are you prepared for an English winter in the car?
This is no joke. Its more then likely not going to have reliable heating, heated windscreens for that early morning defrosting action yup inside and outside and that lovely flat battery just when you don’t need it.

4.Same goes for summer?
No air conditioning and an overheating engine, just to name a couple of things. Not that it gets that hot here in good old blighty that often but just say I did warn you. I’ve sat in a supermarket carpark for over an hour waiting for the engine to cool.

5. Cold hard cash? Do you have enough of it?
Ok, so your dream classic car maybe in reach but for a fully restored model you’re more than likely looking at £15k upwards. So if you’ve bought something that needs a little love and sweet whispers of encouragement be prepared to spend some pennies on it one way or another, this includes petrol. None of that 50mpg malarkey think 15-20mpg = getting to know the clerk at the petrol station really well. So well in fact he nicknamed Winnie ‘the tractor’.

6. Have you checked insurance?
Even though insurance may appear cheap, there are often a couple of clauses that may catch you out if you’re not careful. Agreed valuations are important and often cost £10-£25 extra – hello point 5. Limited mileage, don’t go thinking about driving your precious 1000s of miles to that surfers beach in the south of France if your limited to 5000 miles a year.

7. MOT time, will it bring you to tears?
More than likely yes at some point it will do, again refer to point 1 when it fails and you have to store it. 2 and 5. When you may have to sell your soul to get it welded. That is unless you buy a pre 1960 vehicle currently exempt from the dreaded MOT. But always check with the DVLA on this one. Oh same goes for Tax exemption which is exciting but changes yearly when the budget comes out but is currently at 1974 or older.

8. Everyday car or going for the weekend car thing?
Ok not gonna brush over it but it does feel pretentious to have a weekend/nice weather car, yet for 3 of the 4 years Winnie was my every day. I won’t lie, I’ve cried in a car park after finishing work at 11pm when the inside of every window was iced over. Now I have a modern car for driving to work and back, it does make me weep inside a little but my sanity and purse is much more healthy.

So after reading what appears to be the points of doom, you’ve decided to bite that bullet. Buy the car of your dreams. Congratulations. It’ll be the best and worst thing you’ve ever decided to do on probably an hourly basis on a bad day. But on a good day, by you’ll love it, it’ll be amazing, small children will wave, adults will smile and you’ll wonder why you ever thought of sending your slightly rusty baby to the scrap heap in the sky.

Do you own a classic car? Have any tips?

Welcome to the club.