48 hours in: Brisbane

Last weekend we went to Brisbane for some girlie time together before I set off on my road trip. I wasn't really sure what to expect. But it turns out I kinda love Brisbane. A shiny, sunshine-fuelled city set on either side of a river with a wealth of markets on offer. You got me. 

We stayed with friends in New Farm, one of the top areas on my recommendations list so I was pretty stoked. I'm going to stay it was a pretty food-orientated weekend. Here's a quick run down...

Day #1

Sister of Soul, St Kilda

Sam and I went to Melbourne for five days, excited to see what the city had to offer (more on that later). Usually on trips I am all for trying as many different restaurants and bars as possible, picking up tips from locals and fellow travellers. However, on this trip we fell in love with a place just round the corner from our air bnb apartment (which was perfect by the way) and ended up eating there two days in a row.

Australia

So, I made it. Four years after promising my best friend I'd make it over to her country and here I am. And let's be honest, how happy am I right now? Sometimes you just have to go ahead and go with your gut, no matter how sad you might be at leaving all your other favourite people, places, and activities behind at home. I've been settling into Northern Beach life, but have plenty of travel plans being mapped out at the moment for the coming months.

This is just a quick post of some sparkly scenes I've encountered in my first two weeks here. You can be sure there'll be plenty more posts, likely starting off with our four day trip to Melbourne and some of the delicious food I've been dining out on. I've been enjoying my sunshine-fuelled active lifestyle so much with plenty of beach runs, ocean and ocean pool swims, hiking, and general outdoor adventures. I'm jumping out of bed in the morning. And loving a good activity or adventure, including new ones like skateboarding, paddle boarding, and bikram yoga. Vitamin D guys, it's good for the soul. So here's some of that shiny stuff to start you off with…

Sunny Saturday ♥

With just a week to go before I head out of London (Christmas, moving to Australia...you know) it was high time to make the most of the few days off I had left. A frosty morning filled with sunshine greeted me as I headed off to meet Ally in London Bridge. I've worked in the area the last three months which has been lovely, but the area is even better when there's no limit to your lunch break...



First up was a wander through Borough market, but with stomach's not yet rumbling we grabbed coffee from a spot I'd been eyeing up, before taking a walk along the river. The coffee house in question was that of the Gentlemen Baristas and we loved the interior, branding, and of course - our drinks! If you're in the area, check them out - and find them on Twitter here.

winterSUITCASE x Modern Society

Now there's a pop-up. I just love party season, here's one of many I have to update you on...



Kindly invited down by Suitcase magazine I swung by the winterSuitcase x Modern Society pop-up for their Christmas drinks on Monday, with the lovely Ally in tow. An amalgamation of Suitcase magazine style, Taylor Morris eyewear and their big ideas, and Modern Society's influential and exciting pop-up expertise I knew it would likely be love at first sight (apologies bank balance...)

#BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG

So you know that piece I wrote about Thanksgiving Pop Ups for About Time magazine? No? Well here you are then, give it a read... http://www.abouttimemagazine.co.uk/discover/top-5-thanksgiving-pop-ups-london/

So, that one - the one that includes the delectable BRGR.CO Thanksgiving burger..well, I was invited down to BRGR.CO in Soho on Tuesday night to try out the Thanksgiving burger, actually served TWO ways along with a whole host of other naughty bites to tickle my tastebuds, with some lovely blogger friends.

I give you the #BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG blogger dinner...!
(Ps. See the end of this post for a super exciting spoiler!)

Photo c/o BRGR.CO

Back to the Countryside (The Linton Kitchen)

A whirlwind summer of Glastonbury, America, Latitude, graduation, working for a festival website, and catching up repeatedly with friends in London...has dropped me back at home for about four weeks. Initially a bit daunted - it's easy to feel isolated when you're surrounded by nothing but fields - I've actually begun to thoroughly enjoy rediscovering my local area. See, during my four years of University I spent very little of the holiday period at home. Instead I would be rushing around London, visiting friends and family, travelling abroad, or making the most of my University home and city to hang out with friends, feel independent, and work my ass off at those typical part-time jobs. So it was pretty evident to me that what my home town - and villages - had to offer was hardly on my radar any more. I had little idea what had closed up, opened up, and felt more than a little disenchanted with the whole thing. Luckily a few days out quickly destroyed those feelings and I'm more than happy to be at home before I head back up to London and then Australia... Australia? More on that later!