I don’t quite know where to begin with my usual monthly reflections. February felt like a weird month. I spent so much of it feeling tired and energyless. I felt stuck in first gear. The tiredness dissipated towards the end of the month, but as I pulled together my monthly ‘Look Back’, you’d never know…
Category: adventure
My Top 10 Wellbeing Tips
Every month in my newsletter, I let my readers into some of my favourite self-care and wellbeing tips. Through various features, I’ve also gathered advice from others, some of whom are real-life experts in the health and wellbeing sector. This week, I’ve been looking back on the wealth of tips I’ve gathered through my newsletter, and…
Setting Goals For The Year Ahead
If you’ve followed my musings for a while, you’ll know I love setting New Year goals. For me, it’s not a case of HAVING to set them. It’s more a case of WANTING to. They keep me focused on things I would like to achieve, and the geek in me loves to keep track of…
A Look Back At October
Wow! What an epic month of adventuring October turned out to be! It’s funny how I can go months without seeing people, and then out of nowhere, I have a crazy month of socialising and going places. Being an introvert at heart, I find socialising tiring. So as much as it’s been fun, I’m ready…
A Look Back At September
In a month where we said our final goodbyes to my Auntie and the Queen, it’s been hard to get on with life as ‘normal’. Although it’s been a difficult month, it has gone by so quickly. It doesn’t seem like five minutes since the August Bank Holiday weekend, yet here we are in October….
A Look Back At August
I’m a bit later than usual with my ‘Look Back’ due to recent events, but I’m back with a round-up of August, which seems like a lifetime ago already! August was a bit of a strange one this year. We sadly lost one of my Aunties last month, which has left my family mourning the…
My Italian Adventure – Part 2
After a lovely long weekend in Ferrara with my friend Magdalena, it was time to head south, back to Bologna, where I would spend the next four nights. Magdalena accompanied me to Bologna as she didn’t have to work until that evening, and as a newbie to travelling solo in a city, it was nice…
A Look Back At July
I started July in Italy, albeit on the last day of my trip. I had a late flight home, so I had a full day to explore Bologna before I headed back to the airport. I took the opportunity to climb to the top of the Towers of Bologna, eat some more pizza, and indulge…
My Italian Adventure – Part 1
I’d been dreading June since the beginning of the year. The tenth anniversary of my best friend’s passing loomed like a big dark cloud on the horizon. When my boyfriend’s parents booked him on a flight to join them on holiday at the same time as the anniversary, I found myself in a quandary. I…
We’re Going To Ibiza
Does anyone else always get a particular earworm stuck in their head whenever they hear Ibiza mentioned? For me, it’s the Vengaboys ‘We’re Going to Ibiza’. I don’t even like the bloody song! But ever since we booked our trip to go ‘back to the Island’, it’s been stuck in my head…on repeat! Last month…
A Look Back At June
So here we are, already in the second half of 2022. I’ve been appalling at maintaining my blog this year. It always seems to be the first thing to go on the backburner when life gets busy. The irony is, that’s probably one of the reasons I ended up seeking therapy earlier this year. My…
A Look Back At March
March has been a complete whirlwind. I’m not sure where the time has gone. But yet, here we are in April. Spring’s being its typically British self here in the UK with everyone out in shorts and t-shirts the week before last, and this week we’ve been back in coats and jumpers with a sprinkling…
A Visit To The Sculpture Park in Surrey
I’ve decided to try something new this year with my working week. I’m attempting a four-day working week instead of the ‘normal’ five day week. I have no idea how practical this will be, but one of the beauties of being a freelancer is having the flexibility to set my own hours. I’d say that…
A Look Back At October
As I sit here on Hallows Eve, it’s time to have a look back at October. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on my blog as well as my business. I’ll be making some changes to The Mindful Gingernut over the coming months, but I’m pleased to say that my monthly reviews will be one…
Everything You Need To Know About Brean Down
There were two places I wanted to visit during our family trip to Somerset back in September – Cheddar Gorge (tick) and Brean Down. Whilst I ticked off Cheddar Gorge on my way to Somerset, Brean Down waited patiently until the last day of our trip. To give you a little bit of information about…
Boris Bikes, Hail and New Adventures
It feels like a lifetime since we were able to go on new adventures. Although there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the lockdown measures here in the UK, it’s been a real struggle since Christmas. It’s been almost a year since we entered into the first lockdown, but the…
Ham House
As Autumn began to arrive in suburbia, I decided it was time to get my walking boots back on and get out and explore my new surroundings. I started looking into some local walks and stumbled across a route on The Guardian website which started at Kingston railway station, taking the Thames Path to Ham House &…
Mini Break to the Sussex Coast
Two weekends ago, I loaded up the car with my weekend bags, and headed off down the A3 to the Sussex Coast. I was all set to meet my family around lunchtime in Bognor Regis, before checking into Church Farm Caravan Holiday Park for the weekend. We’d been due to have a family weekend away…
Goa, Mumbai, London – Days 14 to 16
This blog post is a particularly special one for me. Not only does it bring me to the end of my diary reflecting back on my first trip to Asia, and more specifically to India, it’s also time to celebrate, as this is my 100th blog post since the journey of The Mindful Musings of…
Goa – Day 13
Another night, another overnight train adventure Before arriving in Goa, it was time to embark on another overnight train journey. We were slightly better prepared for this one, and travelled in much more comfortable clothes. Our taxis also managed to pull up right next to the station, so there would be no walking across the…
Delhi – Day 2
After a restless nights sleep (thanks to a freezing cold bedroom, dogs barking outside, and spending half the night wondering if we had locked the bedroom door, but being too cold and tired to get out to check!), it was time to get up, and get to grips with Delhi. Our first stop was breakfast….
Delhi – Day 1
Arrival Day I arrived in Delhi on the morning of Christmas Eve after an 8.5 hour flight from London Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic. Whilst I had booked the trip through Intrepid Travel, flights were not included, so I took the opportunity to experience Virgin Atlantic for the first time, as my last little piece of…
Bucket List
This post was originally published on 23rd September 2018 and updated on 19th October 2019. A few months ago I had a complete panic over the things I had achieved since I moved to London. More to the point, what I hadn’t achieved since my London adventure began. I had packed a lot into my…
Countdown to India – 15 weeks to go
With less than 15 weeks to go until my trip to India, it’s time to start getting organised. I still have a fair amount to sort out before I can board my flight from Heathrow to Delhi on 23rd December. I still need to: Apply for my visa Pay for the rest of my trip…
My Top Tips for First Time Solo Travellers
Firstly, it’s probably important to explain that I am by no means a seasoned traveller or solo holidaymaker. My travelling experiences to date have largely been in Europe, and most have been with family and friends. However, the last few years, have seen me pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, becoming more adventurous, and…
The Mindful Gingernut 