Maldon: An Essex Day Out

As the summer holidays are half way through (and they'll be over before we know it!) we decided to take the girls for a day out at Promenade Park.
They were so excited to go to the Splash Park and were speaking about it all morning! But as we got settled and ready to eat our lunch, the English summer decided to take over, the grey clouds rolled in and it absolutely poured with rain! So we took shelter under a tree and had our picnic there instead while other's ran for cover too!

After a while, the sun finally came back out and we managed to go have a normal picnic again in the sun and it eventually warmed up again too, with help from a hot chocolate!

We then decided, since the sun wasn't properly out yet, to take a walk around the salt water lake. 

We all walked around the river front, towards the Byrthnoth Statue - a statue of a man who was once in the battle of Maldon. He lost his battle, but inspired many other Anglo-saxons in their future battles; a nice little lesson for everyone there!

The low tide meant that we were able to walk right on the river bed, which was squelchy and messy - perfect for the kids! But Amelia decided just walking on it wasn't fun enough and slipped over into the mud (bless her!) She was also wearing her brand new white cardigan! Oops!

And then, the sun finally came out for the kid's favourite part... 

THE SPLASH PARK!!!

Maldon's splash park was pretty good - I wish I had been young enough to go in. It was perfectly clean, well looked after and had a big selection of water objects for the kids. 

I definitely recommend it to any of you in the Essex area, or even just outside! The whole of Promenade Park is worth a visit, but the Splash Park is just an extra positive for the little'ns!

Summer Splash Parks are becoming more and more popular around the UK, so if you'd like to visit one but don't live near Essex, have a little search on Google to find one closer to home!

& finally, we went and made friends with cute puppies...

... treated ourselves to ice-creams...

... & watched the boats sail up and down, and the dogs take a dip in the lake!

Malden is actually quite pretty in the sun, you should get down there if you can, there's so much going on this summer you'd be a  fool not too!

The girls obviously enjoyed their day!

So, 

Whether you live in Essex or not, a country park is a great day out - and also very cheap!

Get yourself to your local park with a picnic and enjoy the fresh air and sun while you can!

Hope everyone's enjoying their summer,

Q&A a Day; 5 Year Journal

I found this book on Pinterest and I instantly wanted it. The book has 365 questions for 5 years, some deep, some funny, some easy - but you go through and answer each question a day and watch how things change over the years. The book itself doesn't look it but it's actually really small and beautiful quality and the gold edges to the page definitely add something amazing to it. I instantly added it to my Day Zero Project list just to get one - and it's the first thing I've checked off! {Check out the project, I'm pretty sure you'll want to join!}

For me, and I'm assuming many others, it will be nice to see the changes and how I develop over the years and possibly even learn about myself. 

I'm a very sentimental person, so this is something that I will enjoy!

I've started it at the same time as my best friend, Gemma Richards. We have both had a bit of a hard time lately, so it will be good to look back and think about how much we have developed together. 

Some of the questions are things like; 'Where do you want to travel next? List three foods you ate today. What was peaceful about today? What colours are you wearing? What is your secret passion? Where do you think your road is going? Jot down a news story from today? Who was the last person in your missed calls? Are you working hard or hardly working? What can you smell right now? What's your favourite snack food?'

So you see my point - some deep, some funny, some easy, some a bit silly - but we'll probably realise the significance more 5 years down the line.

You can get one of these books from Amazon, they're on offer at the moment too! {£8.81}

Today's Question - August 6th; Who are you?

What kind of question is this!

God we definitely started on a hard day... This is pretty deep... and I only have 4 lines maximum to write something...

I am May. I am braver than I believe, stronger than I feel and smarter than I seem. I am a sister, a daughter, a friend... and a good person. I am independent and I am okay. I will be okay.

So, I've got one question for you...

Who are you?

The Marks Humans Leave Are Too Often Scars

I caved. I gave in and read 'The Fault in our Stars'. I've seen so much about it all over the internet that I just thought - surely this book must be so amazing that I really cannot be the only one missing out...

Yes, the book is amazing and I am so glad I read it, but I wish my timeline hadn't of been spammed with it because I had much higher expectations that what should've been. However, that's not me slating it, that's just me being disappointing in you all for making me believe this book was the most amazing story of all time! The reason I'd say I was disappointed was because of the cross-reference to another book that Hazel Grace and Augustus read, 'An Imperial Affliction' ... when that was quoted it was like speaking in riddles and I hate it when people speak in riddles. 

Other than that this story is a truly emotional, indulging, fearless story - it's not just about 2 cancer kids, its about love and friendship and just proving that you can make your mark on this world. You don't have to save 1000 people, or stop global warming, or save the tigers from extinction or whatever. You can just leave a mark on one person, and that in itself is a huge achievement. I would still recommend this book to anyone that still hasn't read it and is really far behind like me...

I can actually see the film of this being better than the book, so I'm excited to see it! I did try to go to see it this evening but I got caught in traffic and missed the first 20 minutes! Guess I'll have to wait for it to come out on DVD now! 

I did however, get the see 'The Purge - Anarchy' which I thought was gonna be crap to tell the truth, but I was pleasantly surprised! (I love a scary film no matter how much I jump at them!) Think I'm going to have to watch the first one now too!

{TFIOS was my first book to read out of 50 for my Day Zero project! Get involved!}

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I also went to Stapleford Aerodrome with my family to take my Grandad and Granma out for the day. They have a lovely little cafe there where we could all eat and watch the little aeroplanes come in and out across the field through the window. I think he really enjoyed it, which was lovely. If you live in Essex, or are near visiting, I would definitely recommend the day out here - or it doesn't even have to be a day, it's just a lovely atmosphere to visit!

Hope that everyone's had a lovely day,

If anyone feels the same way about TFIOS please let me know,

I feel like I'm letting it down!

The End of a Chapter {Day Zero Project}

Today has been a strange day.

I had to go back to my uni house for what was my last ever visit. On the way to the house on the M11, we got stuck in traffic for FOUR hours! As me and my mum do best, we had a laugh and made the best of the situation - let's face it .. I'd rather be sat there in one piece than praying for my life being cut out of a car that has crashed into a tree and being airlifted to a hospital!

I decided to tweet about the (very long) four hours, and our local newspaper, The Herts and Essex Observer, picked up on me and quoted me on their article about the crash! It's very insignificant, but it made me laugh! People were getting Ice Cream from somewhere, I don't know where but I wish someone told me, crazy parents were allowing their children to play on the hard shoulder and one very kind lady who lived nearby and wasn't stuck there decided to buy loads of bottles of water, cycle to the motor way and hand them out free of charge to all us dehydrated suckers. The world needs more small acts of kindness like that!

Anyway! We finally made it out of the jam and made it to the uni house for a quick clean up and to take my last few belongings home with me. I never thought I would but I found it very emotional. I suddenly realised that I had wasted too much time there - not spending enough time with my friends that I had made at Uni but constantly worrying about seeing my boyfriend who isn't even around any more but who persuaded me to move home for my third year and not live with the boys and now I regret that. I wish I had another year to live there and make the most of it, because I can honestly say I have met some of the best people there and for that I am grateful! I know they will always be in my life from now on!

Now that I'm back living at home again and commuting for the final year of uni, as well as saving a bit of money, I thought it would be a good time to start thinking about what I want in life. Or at least for the next few years... then suddenly this evening I found the Day Zero Project. A new inspiration. 

I have written my own list, and I am ready to take on the next 1001 days! 
Some of the things I have challenged myself to are easy - others not so much but they're all things that I actually want, so I'm willing to give it a try!

I think this is something you should all consider too!
If you are thinking about joining, post your links below!

Here's to the end of this chapter, the great and not so great memories..
but even more so to the next chapter of my life, and to starting to achieve my goals.

Primark Got Me!

Primark often has so much crap in it, I actually find it unbearable to go in there sometimes, especially when it's extra busy and I get tempted to run in the opposite direction. There's clothes everywhere, screaming children, shouting parents, double buggies running over your toes and the slowest people ever walking in front of you... hat's off to the the Primark staff for sure!

But, I still brave it, just for the gems that you do find in there and for the amazing prices!

I braved it this morning and it was definitely worth it. I didn't get loads, but I do love what I did get!

{Jellies, Sunglasses, Bikini & Haribo}

I've been wanting a white bikini for a while now anyway, but everywhere I've found on online, they don't have my size in stock! This one is perfect - padded so it can't go see-through (big worry) and only £6! Bargain! 

I think I might try this DIY with this bikini too, keep your eyes peeled!

Gold heeled jellies! They're not really very gold, they're more bronzy coloured but I think that's better because otherwise sometimes it can be cheap horrible yellowy gold - if anyone actually knows what I mean! These are comfortable, supportive .. and only £6!

HARIBO MINIONS! How could anyone resist these!? £1. The sunglasses I bought are also only £1 but I seemed to forgot to photograph them! Primark have a whole range of sunglasses for £1. They're perfect if, like me, you don't wear them very often - only if it's really bright!

Hope you like my mini Primark sweep,

They've got some nice things at the moment, especially for the summer,

but be quick because it's all going fast!