#9 Wins and more

I haven’t really written anything here in a while. I guess life got in the way. I have had a busy start to 2018 and I had no clue which direction to take my career in so applied for nearly every single job opportunity I had. Multiple interviews, mountain loads of stress and a whole lot of indecision later, I have an exciting new job lined up in Northern Ireland this August! I am quite excited and (of course, nervous) about yet ANOTHER big move. But hey, life is an adventure ain’t it?

Fast forward to another 2 months into the big move, and I still have not been able to get back into the swing of things completely yet!

For those who don’t know, I am what is known as a “comper”. I enter competitions as a hobby, and what I mean are those social media ones where you like and share, or submit a photo, or prize draws! There is a huge community online for it and it sure is a fabulously rewarding hobby.

It is difficult to feel motivated sometimes as entering competitions is really SUCH an effort, and one really needs to invest the time in it. To make myself feel a bit more motivated to comp, I have decided to revisit my Excel sheet of wins and list down some of the wins I have had this 2018!

• A year’s worth of pizza with Chicago Town – Who doesn’t love pizza?! 24 vouchers of the various different Chicago Town varieties
• A £250 Office Outlet voucher – I haven’t used it yet but so excited to explore the website and pick out a few things I need
• An incredible bimonthly subscription of Gin with Craft Club Gin and Arden snacks – I just simply love my gin, and love adding a new special gin every two months to my ever-expanding collection! Truth be told, I also won another three separate competitions for gin this year, including one where I had a writing entry, so PLENTY of gin in our home.
• A High Peak Outback gas BBQ with Quotadis – Been on my wish list for ages now, so superbly ecstatic for this wonderful summer win! To be honest, I only received it recently due to a delivery issue and I haven’t opened it yet… The weather is just not right for it!
• My very first big instant win of a £100 eVoucher for Tesco with Regina Blitz – Could not believe this as I am usually really unlucky with instant wins (never won a thing with the soft and gentle, soft and cheesy, pepsi/doritos, lucozade, ribena promotion)
• £150 Love2Shop Vouchers with UK Bike and Go for a fashionable photo of myself on my bicycle
• £250 amazon voucher for a creative memory box photo I entered which I have already spent on some beauty and tech products
• £50 Beanies voucher with their monthly competition to show them #beaniesontour and where you drink their coffee
•  £50 voucher with Compers News (magazine I subscribe to just for competitioning) for a prize draw where my photo was picked for their Bucket List Challenge! Now I only entered one photo and it was picked at random and I know they had plenty of entries, so feeling pretty lucky there!
• A really fancy Meaco fan worth £99.99

To be fair, I have had quite a few big wins this year, and also I have managed to cash in multiple weekends in London but I’ll leave the photos and stories for next time.

Andddddd, here’s my wish list of competitions to focus on:

• I really would love to win a holiday! South Africa, South America, Iceland, Finland/Lapland, South Korea, Florida… I am not that fussed where to be honest. It just needs to be all expenses paid and not in the UK. My best win ever was a discounted holiday and was truly one of the best experiences and most epic time I have ever had. (I’ll leave this for another blog post.) Kevin and myself are currently planning a holiday for November and it is so painful on the wallet!
• Anything that includes a reed diffuser / aromatic diffuser as I am currently so obsessed with them, and I don’t really want to buy anymore… I mean, how nice smelling are they?!
• A new big TV! There has been quite a few recently with Pepsi/Doritoes but no luck on any yet.
• I saw someone on instagram win a years supply of body soap and thought, that would be awesome. I still have beauty and hair products to last me another few years but body soap is a different story!
• Anything gym related (clothing, protein, snacks, drinks) as I am currently trying to get fit and healthy
• Concert / event tickets
• More Amazon vouchers to buy more books!
• A new hairdryer if I am not tempted to buy one before then…
• OH AND A NEW PHONE, before the parents have to get me one this christmas!

That’s all for now – be happy and lucky!

Vee

 

#8 An American in Paris

The reveal: We got to watch the wonderfully acclaimed An American in Paris at the Dominicon Theatre tonight! What an utterly beautiful show. It’s no wonder Mr Carl WoodWard @theatremusing had described this as the best musical in London!  Thank you so much for easily the best seats in theatre.

Now I wouldn’t categorised it as a musical, but a wonderfully choreographed theatre piece with singing. It is perfect for a fan of ballet and dance, and one who can appreciate jazz and the wonderful 20th century composer Gershwin. The costumes, sets and use of modern tech were really very creative and so elegant and beautiful.

(Also if you are learning drama or theatre in school or university, this was a really good show to watch – the director / choreographer really used a lot of various drama techniques to draw parallels and contrast the storylines between different characters and you can truly appreciate this on this set!)

Outside the theatre

Interval 🙂

Definitely a must-go if you love dance and theatre – An American in Paris is a stunning piece. (I only wish that we didn’t have to feel the rumbling of the tube under our feet every 2 minutes…)

Also… Here’s a random observation we noted. WHY IS HÄAGEN DAZS the only ice cream brand ever to be served at the theatre? Did they make a deal? They aren’t the only one that does mini pots, are they? Is it because it’s classy looking or has a spoon for easy eating in it? Feel free to enlighten us…

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#5 I am so in love..

…WITH MY NEW BIKE!!!

Literally on top of the world with my new ride.

Introducing my gorgeous new customised Marin bicycle – jazzed up with fabulous dynamo lights, Pitlock security and a Brooks Saddle! I simply love everything about it – it’s stylish, gorgeous and rides SO damn nicely.

Me all smiles after collecting my wonderful bike outside the shop

So the background story is that I was extremely lucky to win a custom bike by the Cloud 9 Cycles shop up to the value of £1700 with Upbeat drinks (yes, the protein smoothie drinks!). Upbeat drinks asked for you to submit a photo where you are doing any sport with your thumbs up, and I submitted this photo below into the prize draw. There were thousands of absolutely impressive entries including ones of people scuba diving and doing crazy things like sky diving with their thumbs up, so I couldn’t believe my luck when I got a winning message from their team!

 

My winning photo that I submitted (I think minus the emoticons, couldn’t find the original photo lol)

It took a while for everything else to happen. I had the privilege of going for a bike fitting with world expert Tony Corke who had a fancy stationary bicycle of which he can adjust the saddle height, and the position of the handle bar etc. for measurements for a perfectly measured bicycle! Now as someone who ain’t very tall (although apparently I’m well proportional thankfully), this was a great idea as I’ve always struggled to find a well fitting bicycle. (I’d like to suitably blame my poor riding skills due to this very fact.)

At the bike fitting trying to look all chill (I was actually very out of breath and struggled to hide the fact I wasn’t as fit as I remembered)

It was going to be too pricey for a total customised bicycle, so the knowledgeable folk (thank you Adam and Billy for all your help and expertise) at Cloud 9 Cycles said it might be best picking a frame and then customising it to what I would like. They helped me choose a frame that would be well fitting and would suit my needs best, and suggested adding on things like a dynamo light – I mean, the wheels of the bicycle power the back and front lights – how freaking cool is that?! Also managed to get a wonderful basket added on the the back pannier which is really useful and extremely practical for my commute to work. I’d like to think that I am the envy of all other bike riders out there :’)

Of course, with such a prized possession and a sad history of previously having my bicycle stolen, (screw you bloody bike thieves) there comes a great fear of this bicycle being stolen too so I have been super duper, ridiculous vigilant about it (think GPS trackers, gold insured bike locks, frequent checks on the bike on lunch breaks at the work place). (Kevin may say a little paranoid…)

Our prized possessions

Funnily enough, Kevin (my other half) also recently won a Boardman bicycle from Halfords! It was a direct card entry into the prize draw at the local retail park at one of the local events, and he was absolutely over the moon with his. We BOTH get new rides! Safe to say though my bike is much nicer 😛

Exploring the riverside town on our bicycles!

Till next time!

#2 The Thames and Staybridge Suites

Dreamgirls. Thames Rockets. Staybridge Suites. Duck and Waffle. I can’t believe the weekend is over. And yes, I literally say that very same sentence every single week. I’m really glad me and Kevin took the plunge and decided to move down from Scotland to nearish London. We’re literally able to visit whenever we like, get in with the London lifestyle, and still get the novelty of being able to feel like tourists every single time. We’re far enough to be away from the chaos of it all, yet close enough to easily return to where all the fun happens.

Anyway, last weekend we tried to use a few of my prizes together again on another visit to London. If you haven’t gathered yet, I enter competitions as a hobby. Effort, photo, prize draws, you name it. It’s almost been a year anniversary since I’ve started and I’ve absolutely loved every bit of it. People tell me I’m so lucky all the time, and sometimes I want to rebuke and explain that it’s not all about luck and you do have to enter a lot to win anything, but you know what?! I’d like to think I’m pretty lucky. You could potentially enter thousands of competitions and STILL not win anything! Yeah, let’s just end it there. I am lucky! As the saying goes, you gotta be in it, to win it. I’m definitely in it.

So Saturday we train-ed down to London, and every now and then I enter on this fabulous app called Today Tix to see if we can watch a play / musical show that very day. We’ve tried before, and have won excellent seats to see The Entertainer (where actually the real highlight was meeting Rose Leslie from GoT in the theatre toilet, PS: still gutted I didn’t get a selfie but I wanted to be a classy and chill fan at that time) but since then, nothing. (Actually that’s not true, we were lucky in New York too, but that’s another story!) I got lucky, and we managed to bag ourselves £20 front row tickets to Dreamgirls!

Savoy Theatre

Now I’m absolutely obsessed with musicals and have had this on my wish list for a while, so I was really pleased. Marisha Wallace has some incredibly vocals and gave an absolute stunning performance of Effie White. Hers and Liisi Lafontaine’s rendition of Listen really had me with a tear in my eye. The costumes were oh-so-fabulous, the vocal powerhouses were incredible, and the dancing was brilliant. I did think some of the singing was a little shouty for my ears though. (My Final Rating: 4/5) There was also an exciting interval where the second half of the musical was delayed because three pensioners somehow sneaked in and required security to escort them out!! (Well, it was what we heard through the grape vine anyway.)

Front Row, baby!

Standing ovations all over!

We had lunch at Shoryu as Kevin and I were craving ramen close by (Note: I have a life-long affair with tonkotsu and could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.) It reminded us that we can sometimes be pretty boring and we like to stick to what we like. Kanada-Ya, you still hold number one in our hearts.

 

Putting in this photo we look good here 😛

Tokotsu Ramen Shoryu

We then embarked on an awesome Thames adventure with the Thames Rockets. This really was a unique experience and was such fun! It was basically a speedboat tour of the great city of London from the Thames river with all the fun facts and hilarious quips, and none of the boring stuff! The tour guides are hilarious and sure know how to make sure you have a good time. Once past the big London Bridge, that was where the fun really started and we whizzed and rocketed in awesomely fast s-bends with fabulous music pumping in the background. It was pretty much a a water rollercoaster in the middle of London! Kudos to whoever picked the music too that included 007 theme songs,  boat/pirate/river related songs and some of the more modern summer hits. We also had some rum cocktails in classic red cups on the way back too!

I found it really romantic pointing out the gorgeous sights from the Thames River and being on a super cool speed boat at the golden hour and peak of dawn, it sure was lovely cuddling up with the other half as we enjoyed the view. We got to see the gorgeous glow of the city of London transit into night and experience the capital in all it’s evening glory.

Now it has been so long that I honestly don’t remember who exactly I won this with. I think it might be Thames Rockets?! I just remember it took AGES for me to be contacted about this and then an email finally popped up saying that they’ve finally sorted out the voucher for the experience. Anyway, thank you Thames Rockets for the wonderful experience! Here are some of the photos from the evening.

With the Tower Bridge in the background

Whee!

Under the Waterloo Bridge

Cheers to this Thames Rockets

Tower Bridge at Dusk

We finally cashed in our one night stay prize with Staybridge Suites at Stratford. These are apartment-styled rooms right in the heart of the Westfield Stratford City shopping and leisure complex. It literally had everything you need, an entire kitchen, and also a phone called Handy you can borrow during your stay! The service was excellent and staff were so friendly and helpful. Also you get an amazing breakfast where it even has a pancake making machine, a bread station and all that enchilada.

Our Deluxe Suite

Salle de bain

Breakfast Hub

 

Special mention to the pancake making machine!

And literally all the juices and breakfast milks you could want

 

Hello Staybridge Suites!

Westfield Stratford at our feet

Free phone to use!

Weather was crappy, but the view was lovely!

Thumbs up to the awesome place!

We had a good nights rest, were contented with breakfast, and we were absolutely refreshed and ready for …. SHOPPING the next day! Thanks for our wonderful stay, Staybridge Suites – we shall be back.

Fast forward and following some £££ spent – we had our dinner at London’s highest 24/7 restaurant, Duck and Waffle. This place gets completely booked months in advance, but you can always call up at short notice to ask if there are any cancellations – which is how we managed to get a place for dinner! This is my third time there but Kevin’s first. To start, we had the ‘Nduja Seared Octopus and Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut. Both were very unique and to be honest, the ox cheek doughnut was too confusing and our taste buds couldn’t wrap it’s little head around it.

To start

We both had the duck and waffle for our mains – exactly as it’s stated – über crispy duck leg, yummy mustard honey, fluffy waffles and a sunny side up duck egg!

The infamous duck and waffle

Mandatory wefie

Decent food and drinks, but definitely overpriced – a given when you get this kind of wonderful view.

Sunset

The Gherkin

Till next time London, you’ve been good to us.

 

 

 

 

#1 Saturday of the Bank Holiday Weekend

You know what I love? A 3 day weekend! Hope you had a great August bank holiday weekend because I had a brilliant one. One should never waste a day off!

Spent Saturday afternoon up the Shard, thanks to the lovely people at Red Letter Days for our #RedLetterDate. We won this a while back and have been waiting for a good day to use it! It sure is a gorgeous view overlooking the beautiful city of London, and it was simply brilliant pointing out the many attractions that London has to offer. Side note: How they keep the glass quite so clean, I have no idea.

Definitely make sure to check out the loo too, I’ve now ticked mooning from a high place up off the bucket list!

This sure is a loo with a view!

Of course the place is right next to Borough Market, so we had to have some food here. Tried the minced lamb wrap with spiced rice and vegetables and it was pretty delish. Photos were not insta-worthy but its yummy taste was definitely worth a mention!

We were also rather greedy and decided to takeaway two crabs from the market for eating in the evening when we headed back home. Having tried awesome Cromer Crabs before, we thought this would be a good idea! I can safely warn you that having two initially fresh crabs in a rucksack for the entire duration of a warmish British day is inadvisable. It results in two rather mucky inedible seafood items, two disappointed souls and leaves a trusty backpack smelling of fish.

We also visited Shoreditch, and everyone felt way too cool and hipster for us.

Dinner was in Boisdale Restaurant in Canary Wharf, overlooking the fountains of Cabot Square. What did we think about the food?  The Hot & Spicy Oysters “three ways” to start were delicious. Wished they had a few more than 3 though… Like 6, for the same price. Kevin had the Terrine of Tamworth pork with seared peaches to start and the plating was pretty nice. Our lobster meal was delicious – oh so fresh, succulent, and very tasty indeed! And of course, dessert. Kevin had the apple strudel which was absolutely melt in your mouth and I had the lemon meringue cheesecake which we both agree was better, hands down. Everything was on the pricier side, but you do pay for excellent service (12.5% worth to be exact), really great atmosphere and top notch food!

Terraine of Tamworth pork with scorched peaches

Of course, the main reason why one should dine at a Boisdale restaurant? The fabulous live music. Tribute to the Beuna Vista Social Club, the live music show that we watched started at 21:45 and is exactly what you need to end the day in style. We enjoyed every moment of it and are still humming along (with some secret snazzy hip shaking, of course) to the Cuban music from that night.

Apparently Boisdale Restaurant also has the world’s most extensive whisky bar (over 1000 malt whiskies) – which is pretty cool, and would have probably changed our drink choices had we known… when we were actually there. Oh well.

Do you have any food recommendations or things to do for when you’re in London?

Till next time, lovely London, we might be seeing you sooner than expected!