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  • Knowing your worth: anyone else have a bad habit of underselling themselves? I’m a people pleaser and that tends to involve doing work for half the price I should. When you’re as clumsy and forgetful as I am it tends to mean a whole load of other costs along the way (ie. losing £100 worth of liquids at airport security). Well, I have decided that from this day forward, I’m going to stop giving the price I think everyone wants, and start giving the price of what I’m worth (thank you @cookiesncandies for giving me the nudge I need). . In the industry I work in, I freelance. Because of this it means I tend to jump at work when it comes in, and give a too low price to guarantee I get it, rather than giving the price I should charge and seeing if that company is a good fit for me. I actually came home and cried over £110 yesterday 🤯. I love travel, I love photography, and many people think my job is fabulous. Whilst I enjoy it 90% of the time, I do have a wobble every now and again, tears and all, feeling a little lost and questioning whether I’m good enough, and why some people are so hard to deal with. . Anyway. I now feel bad for all the times I’ve gone on holiday and bargained someone down in the middle of a market place. Someone who probably needs the money a lot more than anyone that goes on holiday there! . Maybe this wobble is what I needed, I suffer from a huge lack of confidence in almost every aspect and area of my life and for once I would like to tell myself I’m actually good at something and worth more than I realise 🙃 . PS I always write these captions at night so I’ve woken up this morning feeling sorta better and now I think I sound like a bit of a drama queen 🤣 Off to Brighton today with one of my besties so I am going to chill, find somewhere yummy to eat and go look at the sea 🌊
  • Another somewhat festive shot of Steep Hill in Lincoln but a gals gotta post what she wants to post, and if that’s Christmas in February, it’s Christmas in February. . Spent the afternoon with my nephews yesterday, nothing like being told by a four year old that if you sit on his bike you’ll squash it 🤣🚲 Then pulled my bum muscle pushing him up the hill on his bike because his little legs couldn’t quite get him to the top. Kids, you gotta love them ♥️ . The last few days have been pure exhaustion. Who knew you could get jet lagged from a 1 hr 20 flight from Scotland that doesn’t even cross a different time zone? If you think getting that really early flight will give you an extra day, don’t do it!! You will just be tired thereafter 🤪 . Back to the photo. This hills Steep Hill, is in fact one of the steepest and most picturesque in England. You can get a good cup of tea in that stripy building on the right too ☕️ The street was built by the Romans to connect the different growing parts of Lincoln. Handrails have since been put in to help you up and down, wheelchairs are not recommended unless you have super strong arms! . I hope you have a great Tuesday. I am going to the hairdressers... which I’ve avoided for about a year. Not looking forward to it as I hate my hair and they will probably tell me it’s all dead and needs to be chopped off 💇🏻‍♀️
  • For a long time I have dreamt of living by the sea. I have always lived inland and as much as I love the countryside, there is something about the ocean that put things into perspective for me. As soon as I see waves on the horizon my anxieties start to drop and I feel calm. More so than land, the sea reminds me how big the earth is, how big space is, and how small I am. It reminds me that humankind in the grand scheme of things is very new, my worries are needless, and I am entirely lucky to have somehow found myself living on this ginormous rock. . I have an overactive imagination and I think too much. Sometimes when I think about the universe and how we got here I get stressed. I don’t understand what is beyond the universe or how it got here and I hate not having the answers. If someone called me up and offered me a trip on a rocket to the moon I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. . I wonder what it’s like to be an astronaut and to have seen the world as a tiny ball in the distance. How it must feel to have visited places only a handful of humans have been. I wonder what it was like to have been the first person to have walked on the moon. Perhaps they were disappointed that it really wasn’t made of cheese. . This village is my idea of heaven, even if I do have to drive 15 minutes just to get a chocolate bar. The contrast between winter and summer must be extreme. I would put a bay window into my cottage and set my desk up so every day I could look out and see the waves of the North Sea roll past 🌊 . . . #visitABDN #beautifulABDN #ScotlandIsNow
  • Why go to Disney World when you have the real Disney Castle in Scotland? For real though, Craigievar Castle is supposedly the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle. In June 1879 even Queen Victoria couldn’t resist coming for a visit, she described the castle as a strange and curious place. She was spot on. I turned up to the castle to be met with a sign saying ‘closed’, I saw a man and his family turn around, but I thought I would drive up there anyway. My car was the only car in the car park, there wasn’t a person to be seen, even the toilets were closed. The result? I got the entire castle to myself. . The downside I guess was that I could go inside, it was all locked up. I also got the creeps a bit as the castle is surrounded by a mountainous landscape and I convinced myself I was going to be eaten by a bear 🐻 (I know there are no bears in Scotland but when the fear takes you, it takes you!). . According to Queen Victoria’s diary, she too turned up when no one was home. She was a bit more daring than me, she went into the castle regardless and took a look around on her own accord. What she found was a truly unspoilt castle. Dating back to the 1500s, Craigievar began its life as a traditional L plan tower house. This was purchased by William Forbes in 1610, he was very rich due to his trading between Aberdeen and the Baltic States. It was he who developed into the castle we see today 🏰 . The castle is now looked after by the Scottish National Trust, however there remain a few residents, ghostly ones that is 👻 One of these ghosts is said to haunt the Blue Room, supposedly being the spirit of a man from the rival clan Gordon who was pushed from the window by John Forbes. Some visitors have also reported getting a tingle down their spine in the kitchen, where a musician drowned in the well 😱 . If you are interested in castles, Aberdeenshire is home to the Castle Trail, a driving route that will take you through some of the most beautiful castles in the country 🥰 There are more castles per acre here than anywhere else in the U.K., boasting over 300 of them! . . . #visitABDN #ScotlandIsNow #BeautifulABDN
  • [ad] As you all know, I have a slight obsession with stalking other people's houses. Don't ask me why, I just do! This past year I have been working alongside @cheffinsproperty, the market leaders of property sales in Cambridgeshire. Cheffins was established in the early 1800s as a family business, and this week underwent a huge rebranding. Sophie, the lovely lady who runs their social media and PR (and is my sister's pal) has even let me have a snoop around some of their gorgeous properties! . How lucky for these people to live in a city as beautiful as Cambridge, it is high up on my list of the most dreamiest places to live and I often envy those who move there. Yes, the city is pricy and full of bicycles, but it is the most beautiful city in the world, and I also think one of the most romantic! To all you lucky men and women who already live here, do you have space for one more!? . I think part of me was born to become an estate agent, but I'm not sure it's all sunshine and roses having a poke around other people's houses. I think I have mentioned more than once that I would love to become a property developer, building cottages in the countryside, similar to how they were built 200 years ago. I just want to inject a bit of personality into our countryside again! I am fortunate to live very close to East Anglia, whilst the area has so many modern amenities and opportunities, it has very much retained that old school charm, so please have a swipe through these photos to have a look at some of the old and quirky homes @cheffinsproperty has the pleasure of looking after! Their website has been completely relaunched so if you want a nosy at the houses or are considering moving to East Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Essex) then the houses don’t get much better than these ones 😍 . PS. I hate having my photo taken but one of my resolutions for this year was to stand in front of the camera a little more often. And it has taken me till 15th February to do so... . Have a lovely evening all! I am back home and snug as a bug with Alex ♥️🐛
  • [ad] Most people when they grow up want to be a ballerina, a princess, an astronaut or a firefighter. Me, at 28 years of age, just dream of being prompt, organised, and less of a scatterbrain, oh and someone how can figure out numbers. It was only when I was brushing my teeth at 5:05am it dawned on me my flight was leaving in 1 hour... and I was in my hotel... brushing my teeth. Never have I ever packed my bags so quick and ran as if my life depended on it. Well I made it, somehow, I missed bag drop, ran through the airport, had about £60 worth of liquids confiscated (brand new fake tan, wahh!), smuggled my suitcase on as hand luggage and boarded the flight. Woohoo! So whilst I highly recommend a trip to Aberdeenshire, I also recommend calculating your alarm clock time appropriately. . I have got so much more to share with you but couldn’t resist telling you about this gem, @thefifearms. You have may seen in my story, one of my lovely followers recommended this place to me the other day so I emailed that day and asked if I could come and take some photos. The staff were so lovely to let me in for an hour and have a look around (and gave me tea ☕️). This hotel is one of the best celebrations of Scottishness I have ever seen, they even had their own tartan designed for them! . It seems pretty fitting having this hotel here in Braemar as Braemar is also home to the world famous Highland Games! The roots of these games stretches back to over 1000 years ago, originally they start as a war game, to pluck out who was the fittest and the strongest of all the men, this would a#help armies choose the soldiers they wanted to fight in battle. In modern day, the Highland Games continue to celebrate pipes, drums, dancing and brute. . The first historical reference to Highland Games-type events in Scotland was made during the reign of King Malcolm III (1057-1093) when he summoned men to race up Craig Choinnich near Braemar in order to find a royal messenger. . So! If you ever fancy visiting the place that birthed one of the most famous Scottish traditions, head to Braemar in the Cairngorms 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . . . #visitABDN #BeautifulABDN #ScotlandIsNow
  • [ad] It’s incredible what you can squeeze into a day when you put your mind to it. I left the beautiful coastline yesterday and headed inland, into the Cairngorms, a rugged mountain range 🥰 Hidden within these mountains is Balmoral Castle, owned by the royal family. . It seems rather fitting I’m writing this on Valentines Day as I learnt yesterday that @balmoral_castle was bought as a gift from Prince Albert to his wife, Queen Victoria. All I got Alex was a card with a dog on it wearing sparkly sunglasses... so I need to up my game? . However, the house we see today was not the original. Nope. Queen Victoria decided the original building was too small for her ever growing family so the royals commissioned a new house, opposite to where the old tower stood. Once the current building was completed, the old one was taken down. The foundation stone, laid by Queen Victoria herself, still remains at the property and visitors can see it. Underneath lies a time capsule containing a piece of parchment dated and signed by the (then) queen’s, as well as one of each of the realms coins (that was a lot back then!). . Big thanks to Kathleen and James who allowed me to see the beautiful castle when usually it is closed over winter. You all know I’m a history geek so I was in my element 🥰 . . @visitabdn #scotlandisnow #visitabdn #beautifulabdn
  • [ad] As I mentioned yesterday, I am in Scotland for the next few days exploring Aberdeenshire which is around 550 miles from where I live near London. I was invited by @visitabdn so look forward to showing you what the area has to offer, although most of you already know Scotland is one of the prettiest countries ever 😍😍 . Other than forgetting my debit card, getting up here was pretty simple. It was actually my first ever internal flight within the UK! I usually drive or get the train everywhere but flying was much easier in this instance and you’re not even in the air for that long. The Gods were obviously looking out for me and felt bad that I couldn’t finish my breakfast sandwich so gave me a window seat, flying over mountains is always fun 🏔 . If you visit Scotland and want to do more than a city break, your best bet is to hire a car and drive. The scenery is beyond what I can put into words and it means you can stop for photos (or snacks) whenever you feel like it. I took the Coastal Trail which is a winding route in which you can make your way around cliff tops, coves, hills, nature reserves, past beaches, through fishing villages, you name it. . As it’s February the roads are very quiet, I’ve not even had any near misses with cars or decorative rocks, more than what I can say for my every day driving round southern England 😇 I even thought I saw a whale yesterday 🐳 turns out it was a rock but hey, if you’re lucky you can spot seals and dolphins up here! . Can’t believe it’s hump day already. I’m off for breakfast and then onto the Cairngorms (I’m also going to a place where shortbread is made and I’m not gonna lie, it’ll be the highlight of my month 🤤) . . #visitABDN #beautifulABDN #ScotlandIsNow
  • Current situation: alarm went off at 5am, taxi arrived at 5:30am, now sat in Heathrow Airport wondering what the heck I could have forgotten. Then it comes to me. My debit card. Yes my debit card is 30 miles away at home whilst I await my flight to Scotland, of which I have to pick up a car hire at the other end, and we all know car hire companies are notorious for refusing you a hire car unless you have a card on you. So I have my breakfast in front of me but I can’t eat it because I feel so anxious I’m not going to get the car 🥶 That and the fact the government website can’t seem to verify my details to hire the car either. Apparently I don’t exist as a human, maybe I’m a robot 🤪 . So please wish me luck because I don’t want to fly all the way to Scotland (lol it’s a 1 hour flight) to have to figure out their buses instead of getting this car! . Anyone else really bad at travelling alone? Perks of an organised husband: I always have everything I need when we go on holiday. Downsides of an organised husband: I clearly haven’t learnt to be organised myself. . I wonder what the man in the photo is wondering. He kinda looks like he has lost something too, I hope he found whatever he was looking for 🙃🙃

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