Wednesday 22 January 2014

A Meander Around the Marina

After spending most of the week stuck in bed feeling sorry for myself with a sickness bug, I was in need of some fresh air and sea views when my stomach finally settled this weekend.

In typical North East style, the weather was cold, grey and drizzly. Luckily, I know the perfect place to go whatever the weather. Pulling on my warmest coat and wellies, I rallied the troops for a good old blow-the-cobwebs-away walk to the marina - although Daisy didn't look too happy about venturing out from under her blanket.


The Royal Quays Marina is about a ten-fifteen minute walk from where I live, but it's one of those amazing places that makes you feel like you've suddenly entered a completely different town. I swear on a sunny day it's almost St Tropez!


My little brother (although I guess at over six foot tall he can't really be classed as little any more...) is my trusty dog walking companion and we've made it our business to explore as many places as we can near where we live.

The marina is definitely one of our favourite places to walk the dogs, it's so peaceful wandering along the waters edge choosing which boat we'd have and imagining where we'd sail to. It's also one of those places where you might not see someone for an hour, but when you do, they're always friendly and say hello as they pass by.



After our usual meander around the marina, we crossed the road and ventured into Chirton Dene. If you've ever been to Jesmond Dene, I think the best way to describe Chirton Dene is as its smaller cousin and a smaller lake. In spring there are clusters of bright yellow daffodils everwhere and I might sneak a few to bring home and put in a vase for mam; come autumn and the whole dene is carpeted in rusty orange and red leaves and I spend my visit peeking amongst leaves looking for hedgehogs who might have crafted themselves a nest for a snooze. Today though, the grass shone a vibrant green in the winter sun and the resident ducks quacked as they made their way across the lake that still sparkled from the early January frost. 

It wasn't long before Daisy cheered her grumpy face up too: 






Daisy found some ducks she'd quite like to make friends with...


It might not be the incredible beaches and mountains I've been exploring in LA lately (and it certainly wasn't the kind of weather I've become accustomed to), but I guess the marina is my little hidden gem at home and if you're ever in need of somewhere new to explore, you should come too.

If you're looking for inspiration on places to explore near the coast then I'd be more than happy to help - or if you know somewhere for Jed and me to check out then that'd be good too!

Thursday 16 January 2014

My American Dream


There's nothing like a holiday somewhere sunny and gorgeous to blow the cobwebs away is there!?


You might have seen from my twitter that I was lucky enough to spend the festive season in Los Angeles. Not only was I going to be in LA for New Year's Eve (and escaping the wintry North East weather), we were also there to celebrate an amazing achievement in our friends' lives... 

Jamie, or Sermstyle as he's better known in the music industry, has recently been snapped up by Atlantic/Warner records as a music producer, and while we were in LA his first big single Timber featuring Pitbull and Ke$ha became the first number 1 of 2014 in America and the UK!! We had an amazing time over there so I thought I'd share a few pictures with you!


We stayed in a beautiful house in the Hollywood Hills which was just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of LA. After managing to stay awake for over 24 hours, we soon set out to explore Hollywood and infamous Walk of Fame. 





After rubbing shoulders with the stars we headed to the beautiful Venice Beach and wandered along the Boardwalk towards Santa Monica taking in the sights.






After all that exercise it was definitely time for a quick pit stop before getting dolled up for the end of the year!!

A little birdie told us we HAD to try In-N-Out burgers, and well, need I say more...


After a few glasses of champagne on our twinkly roof terrace we headed to the Hollywood Improv, a local comedy club where the other half was super excited to see his hero Joe Rogan perform. I have to admit I had a really good time, although the jet lag was definitely starting to kick in and I flopped straight into bed when we got home (some party animal I am eh?) 




The next day we made the most of the gorgeous weather and drove to Malibu where we decided to spy on celebrity's houses, lounge on the beach, make the most of the sun and sleep off our hangovers - best New Year's Day ever!






 And I got to see pelicans!!


I could get used to spending January in the sea...


Not a day went by without us hitting the road and discovering something new. Some of my favourite highlights were definitely Huntington Beach where I saw dolphins (!), the super cool Venice Beach, Griffith Park Observatory, Universal Studios and of course Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills where I might have dipped into my overdraft bought myself a little present and found my spiritual home!

Watching the sun go down at Huntington Beach









Our trip to LA was amazing and I can't believe Jamie and Ashleigh still get to be there! I don't know what 2014 holds, but what a way to kick it off!

Happy New Year!


Pssst, in case you haven't heard the UK's biggest song right now, check it out and support some local talent!