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Posted in Reviews, Travel

First AirBnb Experience: A Weekend In Bath

Posted on by WattTheBlog

Nothing beats a road trip with friends. We were at our local McDonald’s around 10am for the mandatory road trip breakfast stop. From there, we had roughly 3 or 4 hours to get to Bath, so a fairly long drive but nothing major. I was thankful that it wasn’t too long, as I’m not a great passenger unfortunately, but also a nervous driver – not much of a winning situation, I can assure you! Luckily, we only hit one patch of traffic, on the M25 of course, and one other pit stop, so it wasn’t that late when we arrived at our destination.

Nimlet is in Chippenham, so not technically in Bath, but not far. The AirBnb, Nimlet Cottage, is along a busy main road, which was a little unnerving at first but not a big issue for us. We had already decided we loved the cottage, just from the outside.

Inside was even better. After parking up, we entered through a side door and straight in to the kitchen. The smell of fresh bread greeted us, which pleased my carb-loving soul immensely! Not only had we been left some lovely fresh bread, but also a jar of some strawberry jam, eggs, milk and a bottle of processco! The little touches were endless as we explored our home for the weekend. The decor was extremely homely, with fresh flowers in every room. I felt like I would never want to leave, I could picture staying there forever… or at least decorating the new house in the same styles. We may not have the keys yet, but the wannabe interior designer in me is already at work.

After getting a food shop done and having a realxed dinner, we got ready for a night on the town. This is when the rain came. We tried not to let it deter us, but when we arrived at the first bar, Opium, we were definitely a little soggy and there were no seats. We held out for a while though and our luck changed, we had a table and were able to soak up the atmosphere. The walls were deep red, with eclectic decor and painted ceilings. Incense was burning and groups of people of all ages, buzzed at the tables, with old rock tunes playing in the background. It was all very cosy, which was great, but after a long drive we needed a bit of waking up. So after a couple of drinks at Opium, we made our way in to the fresh air to find somewhere new. The rain had passed momentarily so we wandered for a short while to The Canary Gin Bar. We all tried a different gin drink and they were all lovely – mine even had rose petals in as a cute finishing touch. The intention was to have one drink there and continue on, while the night was young. I’ll be honest though, I was not feeling so young by this point, three drinks in and I was ready for bed!

The rain came again, much harder this time. We had no idea where to go, and when we did try to get in somewhere, we were turned away as one of the group was wearing trainers. Note: The Slug and Lettuce have a dress code after 6pm, no matter the weather! We ended up ducking in doorways, which certainly had not been the plan – it was time to call it a night. Getting a taxi from the city centre in the pouring rain was not exactly straight forward and for a short while, I felt like we’d never make it back to our cosy cottage…

After an eternity though, and a mildly terrifying taxi ride, we made it back. Midnight snacks and then bed. It hadn’t been the big night out we intended, but it had been lovely nonetheless.

The next day, we took it easy. I can never sleep in a different bed, away from home, so was grateful to have a late start, followed by a hearty English breakfast. It was aroud 1pm by the time we eventually went out, the only time to start your day on a Sunday if you ask me.

We played crazy golf, which took up most of the afternoon. I had a strong start but didn’t even come close to winning. I highly recommend the course at Victoria Falls for a chilled bit of fun. By the time we finished, breakfast had well and truly settled and we were now ready for something more. A local pub close to the cottage came highly recommended and so we headed there with high hopes. The food and customer service did not disappoint at The Bull At Hinton. We shared some appetisers – pork crackling and halloumi sticks – drank more gin, and ate to our hearts content. Sunday roast, fish and chips, even the chicken salad there was hearty.

We had a lovely relaxing evening back at Nimlet Cottage, watching Mrs Doubtfire and eating pudding. The evenings are getting chillier now and so we attempted to make use of the log burner, to no avail. Apparently, I would not make a competent guest of Bear Grylls, so blankets had to make do instead.

The next morning, we started earlier in order to get packed and out of the cottage on time for the 11am checkout. We were very sad to leave the cottage behind and would most definitely love to return if ever in the area again. We weren’t ready to actually go home yet though so headed in to the city to Thermae Bath Spa, a must do while in Bath.

Rather then pay full price for a spa day, we opted for an hour and a half option as it was much cheaper. We didn’t know what to expect at all, so when were escorted to The Cross Bath, away from the main spa, we were extremely and pleasantly surprised. I definitely recommend if you’re a little short on time or want something a bit different. It was daunting at first, as tourists peered through the windows of the bath so we feared we may be watched, but the windows close and so we enjoyed a totally private session in the open-air thermal bath. I shold note, I think it was luck that we ended up with a private session – prices online advertise paying extra for exclusive use, so I assume it was a case of no one else had booked the same time slot as us, result!

After all the relaxing, we were starving! Pizza Express was calling us, don’t tell me those dough balls aren’t the best. Once we had full bellies, we then headed to our last activity before we really did have to head home. The one thing that can’t be skipped when visiting Bath, The Roman Baths of course. There’s a reason the tourists flock here, everything has been so well preserved that you can just picture so clearly the Romans roaming around, as if it was yesterday. I also discovered that they do weddings and am now working on convincing my boyfriend that we simply must get married in Bath… we’ll see how well that goes. The Baths really are beautiful though and I would say you really have to see it to experience it, especially if you’re a lover of history.

When we left, we were caught in the rain yet again. The drive home was going to be long, but at least we had our memories to keep us going…

Posted in Life

Life As A Musical

Posted on by WattTheBlog

Ok, hear me out… real life should be more like a musical. I’m sure there are some people wh aren’t keen on musicals who will disagree, but honestly, wouldn’t it be amazing waking up to a big musical number to start your day?! Think, ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ from Hairspray. I’d love nothing more than to start my mornings feeling the way Nikki Blonsky does, full enthusiam and ready to take on anything.

It genuinely upsets and offends me that I can’t sing… or dance for that matter. Although perhaps it’s for the best, as I can tell you for sure I would probably drive everyone mad, incessantly singing and twirling and leaping. There are some unlucky souls that have seen me at my most comfortable, singing or dancing away and I’m sorry if you’re one of them!

I really do feel that every day life would do no harm from having huge musical numbers and flashmob style dance routines.

My day to day is generally quite mundane and routine, but on my morning drive to work, I listen to musical soundtracks and can almost picture the pedestrians I’m passing by, dancing and twirling away. I’d sing something about slaving away day to day, pouring myself a cup of ambition à la Dolly Parton, ‘9 to 5’. (Now that’s a musical I’m dying to see!)

The hours at work pass by painfully slow. I can imagine singing and lamenting, wishing the days away so I can make it to the weekend. Perhaps I might have to deal with someone difficult and there would be a tense, punchy number or I could bellow out a tune like Barbara Streisand’s ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’.

On my way home, I like to listen to motivating tracks like ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ and I’m lifted up again, my brain once again filled with show-stopping dance routines. As the week progresses , I’m more and more excited about the drive home. I can almost picture a complitation-style scene of each drive home, my face more and more beaming until Friday rolls around and I get out of the car at home, my boyfriend would greet me and we’d perform a fabulous finale dance rountine. Something memorable and catchy like ‘We Go Together’ at the end of Grease. The end, a lovely happy ending.

It’s impossible to choose a favourite musical, it completely depends on the kind of mood I’m in. I have to say though, in case you hadn’t picked up on it, I’m currently really enjoying the Hairspray soundtrack again, having not seen the film or theatre show in years. The songs completely lift me up, as cheesy as that sounds, because I know it does, but it’s so true. I always feel inspired and if I’m ever in a bad mood or upset in anyway, that soundtrack is one that can totally cheer me up. In fact, it’s great to drive to as I tend to suffer with road rage and a super upbeat cheery show song sorts me right out!

On the flip side, another favourite soundtrack of mine is Les Misérables. Quite frankly though, it makes me sob, no matter what. If real life were a musical, you likely wouldn’t want it to be this one, as beautifal as it is.

Music for me really has that ability to completely transform my mood. It’s like I can really feel the music, all of it. I’m sure it all sounds daft but I think I reason I prefer musical soundtracks is the rawness, you can hear the feeling behind the music of the band as well as the emotion behind the singing.

The reality is though, musicals aren’t at all like real life, which is perhaps why they’re so great. It’s far too impractical for everyone to sing to each other day to day, for reahearsed but somehow spontaneous dance routines, for ballads to help you make that life changing decision. Reality is mundane daily routines, sprinkled with every day magic, such as listening to soundtracks that we love and that epic Friday feeling.

I can still daydream though…

Posted in Films, Reviews

Film Review – IT: Chapter Two

Posted on by WattTheBlog

I will start by saying that I am in no way, shape or form, a film critic, and I also generally like most films. Horror is definitely my favourite genre though and I’m certainly more critical or horror films, because let’s face it – modern horrors are not always that great. That being said, I could not have been more excited for ‘IT’ in 2017 and I was not disappointed.

I loved ‘IT’ so much, that I saw it three times at the cinema. To me, the whole thing was perfection.

The last time that I went to see it at the cinema, the experience was tainted by a couple sat next to me. They were on their phones the entire time and talking loudly the whole way through about how crap they thought the film was. They were both incredibly arrogant and were just “those types” of people, who had nothing good to say and were die hard fans of the original ‘IT’ and Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise. I will say, I have not seen this version. I just never got round to it, and that’s all there is to say about that.

The couple complained that the 2017 version wasn’t at all scary and that any of the “scare” scenes were just stupid. I was getting more and more annoyed throughout the film as I felt they missed the point. You know when you really love something and someone else complains about it, it’s like a personal insult right?!

The final straw was when the film ended and the words came up: “Chapter One”. So, you know there’s going to be a sequel. The couple groaned loudly as if a sequel was unnecessary. Now, bare in mind that I haven’t read much more than the first few chapters of the book so far, but even still I knew that a sequel made sense! I brushed off their stupidity and eagerly awaited Chapter Two.

Oh and I was NOT disappointed.

If you love a Stephen King adaptation, you will not be disappointed either. Every member of the cast is brilliant, the adult versions of the characters were spot on to the kids. As for the actors playing the kids… where do they get their talent?! Don’t be fooled in to thinking that the film is JUST about the adults. There is a lot of flashbacks, as the “Losers” try to remember what really happened in Derry 27 years ago, so it does all make for a very long film. However, it is all seamlessly tied together.

The star cast member to me, of course, is Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. I am not afraid of clowns and while I also wouldn’t say the film “scared” me, his perfomance is haunting. There is in one particular scene in Chapter Two, at the fairground, that literally made me wince and I really felt the fear of a child being preyed on by ‘IT’.

That’s the thing, I can understand that the scares are a bit goofy, especially in the first film, but isn’t it the point that ‘IT’ is trying to scare children? So it’s not going to be scary to an adult! However, now that we are back in Derry 27 years later, this film is much darker and bloodier, and definitely a bit weirder as we learn more about the origins of ‘IT’.

The film certainly takes a bit of an odd twist towards the end, and I’m sure this is where they could have cut some time. I hadn’t actually checked the run-time beforehand so the length was a little surprising, and I would say this is probably the downside of the film – I found myself wondering when and how it would all finish. Make sure you grab a snack before you go and see it!

The film does eventually end though and after all the trauma that the characters have been through, it finishes with a heartwarming farewell. No spoilers though, you need to go and see it for yourself!

I’m going to rate the film a 4/5 for now, but I may change my mind after a second watch! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and finish the book – I’m ready to get even more disturbed!

Posted in Life

An Introduction: Figuring Out Life

Posted on by WattTheBlog

Hello, my name is Katie. I am now 27 years old and I have never really known what to do with  my life.

Well, what do you enjoy? People will ask. I always answer with, travelling. Right, but what else? Well, I guess… watching movies, shopping, but these are just general hobbies. How can I do something I enjoy with my life, you know, like a CAREER?

I see other people enjoying their jobs, albeit I’m sure with their own stresses along the way too, but how did they get there?

I’ve always been a daydreamer and had lots of different ideas about what I’d like to do when I grow up but nothing ever really sticks and I always put off the work in to actually doing it.

I think part of my problem now is that I’ve been in the same job since I was 16 and so now I can’t imagine anything different. It was a complete accident and of course stemmed from the fact I didn’t know what else to do, so… here I am many years later, still stuck.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a muscian or a writer. I had guitar and piano lessons, but hated  having to practice and didn’t understand why I wasn’t just able to play like Elton John instantly. Writing stuck with me a long time though. I’d write anything and all of the time. Reading too, I loved books. I would use my five minutes between lessons walking to the next class with my nose in a book. I would write my own short stories and ask my friends to critique me. My proudest moment at school was making a friend cry with an emotional story I’d written The fact I had made someone really feel something with my writing was immense! I published stories online, wrote poems and my own song lyrics, I loved just writing and creating a separate universe to my own boring life.

When it then came to picking A Levels, I had already decided I didn’t want to go to university… but I also didn’t know what else to do, so I thought I’d just study subjects I thought I’d enjoy until I figured it all out.

I accidentally chose English Language, instead of Language and Literature, so there was no creative writing element. Instead, we had to constantly pull apart and find flaws in books that I just wanted to read and enjoy for what they were. Suddenly, reading felt like a chore and writing just felt pointless. Still, I enjoyed creating and dived in to my art A Level instead. The problem was that again, I just wanted to paint and enjoy it, which isn’t what doing the A Level subject is all about. I couldn’t be bothered with any of it anymore after school finished, education had really ruined the enjoyment of anything creative.

I finished my A Levels with less than great grades and still no idea what to do with my life. I actually ended up deciding to join the Army but yet again, I struggled to really commit to working towards the goal. I already had a Saturday job where my mum worked and she refused to let me wallow, so I ended up full time. Ok, I thought, it’s just temporary.

I hated the job and 18 months later, I quit with nothing else to go to. I did get another job part time, but out of fear I also agreed to stay with the original job at the same time. A few months later, I hated the second job and went back to full time with my original job. It’s still only temporary, I told myself. I’ll quit and just go travelling soon.

Fast forward a few years, life changed and evolved but I still stayed with the same company. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it, but it’s not the creative or carefree life I always daydreamed off. In fact, I couldn’t tell you the last time I picked up a paint brush or pencil, and I write nothing more now than to do lists that never really get accomplished.

Until today.

I have spent years thinking about starting a blog. Researching how to start. Procrastinating, daydreaming of becoming a relevant writer and maybe even one day writing a novel. Just imagine! Well, that’s all I WAS doing… stuck in a fantasy world and feeling like I would never know what to do with my life. Really, it’s been staring me in the face for a long time and I’ve either been too afraid, or busy, or tired, or whatever. Why was I putting it off? I honestly don’t fully know, but after all these years, it’s time for me to take control, so here we are. A new weekly blog of random rambling, reviews and other rather interesting things.

My name is Katie, I enjoy writing and so I should just bloody write!