Lifestyle – Page 29 – What Kate Did Next

Fossils, Travelling Bears and Long Walks|Orkney Day Four

August 23, 2015August 23, 2015Lifestyle1 Comment

Orkney is surprisingly easy to get around despite being a group of islands.

On our last full day of the holiday we set off to Burray to visit the Fossil and Heritage Centre.

Full of amazing fossils and trinkets including a gorgeous piece about the travelling teddy bear Jasper.

We then went on to Hoxa Head in hopes of spotting some puffins…

No puffins but beautiful views.

I highly recommend checking out the Hoxa Tea Rooms for tea and teacakes!

The walk back to St Margarets Hope – where the bus stop is – is long but gorgeous.

And we made some friends along the way.

We ate at the Ferry Inn again, I opted for the Local Sausages with Clapshot Mash before returning to our rooms for our last night in Orkney.

Make sure you haven’t missed Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

Rain and Damien Hirst|Orkney Day Three

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015Lifestyle1 Comment

Wednesday was a rainy day so we had to confine ourselves to indoor activities.

Stromness has an amazing art gallery named Pier Arts Centre and we were lucky enough to be there at the same time as there Damien Hirst exhibition.

It’s free to enter and has both permanent collections as well as installations.

After running from shop to shop we took some time out in our hotel room before returning to the Stromness Hotel for dinner.

I went for the Lamb Chops with Honey Mint Sauce with Chips and Salad followed by White Chocolate and Apricot Roulade both were equally amazing.

We retired back to our rooms hoping for a sunny day in the morning for more exploring.

Make sure you’ve read Day 1 and Day 2

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

History, History and More History|Orkney Day Two

August 20, 2015August 22, 2015Lifestyle2 Comments

Orkney is steeped in history, so on our second day we set off to see some of the amazing historical sights.

We started at Skara Brae. A Neolithic village which is older than both Stone Henge and The Great Pyramids.

You can also go into the bizarre house of the Laird who discovered Skara Brae; filled with trinkets from all over the world and his wives wardrobe which is to die for.

Afterwards we headed off to the Ring of Brodgar; a henge – much like Stone Henge – which is veiled in mystery but was used by the tanks in the war to practice agility.

Dungarees – Forever 21|Sweater – ASOS|Shirt – H&M(similar)|Bag – Accessorize.

The history of Orkney is still appearing as just down the road we stumbled upon an actual archeological dig – Yes I geeked out majorly.

Lastly we walked down to the Standing Stones of Stenness.

Now if that all seems like too much history in one day there is a convenient bus tour which gives you little time slot at each site so your not overwhelmed.

We finished off our educational day with dinner at the Stromness Hotel.

The food was absolutely amazing and the staff were lovely.

Make sure you didn’t miss Day One of our adventures.

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

Viewing Neverland and Skimming Stones|Orkney Day One

August 18, 2015August 20, 2015Lifestyle3 Comments

Orkney is a place loved by the rest of my family but somewhere I have never been,

So when my mum and I were thinking about where to holiday this summer it was top of our list.

@whatkatedidnext92

After flying on the smallest plane i’ve ever flown on – it seated around 30 people. I caught my first glimpse of The Orkney Islands; which through the clouds looked like Neverland.

We checked into our charming little hotel in Stromness (on the mainland) The Ferry Inn.

Linked to a proper country pub with friendly staff and an amazing menu – more on that later.

Not wanting to miss out on any of the day we set off for a ‘stroll’ around Ness Point.

Jumper – Thrifted (similar)|Coat – Jack Wills (similar)|Leggings – River Island (similar)|Sunglasses – Thrifted (similar).

The views around Stromness are just absolutely stunning.

We stopped to skim stones and collect pebbles before heading back for dinner.

We ate at the hotel where I went for a house special. Beer Battered Haddock with Homemade Tartare Sauce, Handcut Chips and Peas – the dish speaks for itself.

Followed by sharing a Rhubarb Fool with my mum.

Exhausted but excited for the next day we retired early.

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

Brighton Metropole Hilton|Review

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015LifestyleLeave a Comment

I recently took myself on a little mini break to Brighton and I stayed in the Brighton Metropole Hotel which is a Hilton Hotel and I thought I would do a mini review incase any one was interested in my experience whilst staying there.

Price

I paid a non refundable price of £108.75 for a Hilton Double with a Sea View. When I arrived I actually upgraded my room to a Deluxe Double with a Sea View for only an extra £50; not at all necessary but as I was treating myself I didn’t mind too much. You don’t have to go non-refundable but if you go for more of a flexible package the price can go up.

Room Value

My room was lovely, nothing super special in decoration but thats what I like when booking with Hilton you know you are going to get a comfortable room which is clean and tidy and i’m never going to say no to a king size bed. As I had a sea view I was very lucky to have a gorgeous view across at the West Pier which was lovely to wake up to in the morning. Also I am a sucker for a cute coffee station and the bathroom had a bath and a shower!

Customer Service and Food

All the staff were absolutely delightful, really helpful and never pushed you to purchase anything extra. I ordered room service instead of using the hotel dining room and firstly the range of food was amazing and fantastically made. I opted for a healthy but packed full of protein salad followed by a slightly less healthy cheeseboard.

(@whatkatedidnext92)

If you are looking for a get away without leaving the country then I would highly recommend a stay at the Brighton Hilton – they also have a spa, pool and gym which i didn’t get to visit but heard great things about!

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

For more information and bookings click here.

What’s in my bag?!|2015

August 8, 2015August 7, 2015Lifestyle, Style2 Comments

In my whole three years of blogging i’ve never done a What’s in my Bag blog post so I thought whilst clearing it out I would share with you all the rubbish I cart around with me in my Accessorize Charlotte Work Bag which is the perfect size for a hoarder like me.

Star items include my Filofax which organises my life from meetings, blog posts and work, over filled Illamasqua make-up bag which trust me is just filled with concealers and mascaras – I have problems and my Accesorize purse which holds a stupid amount of store cards that I never use!

What do you keep in your bag?

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

Brighton Mini Break

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015Lifestyle1 Comment

Brighton is only an hour away from me so to get away from the bustle of London I took myself off for a little overnight by the sea.

I have a few friends that are based in Brighton so decided to spend my afternoon with them catching up over burgers and cocktails at a rather yummy restaurant aptly named Burgers and Cocktails which I believe is owned by Giraffe. Really amazing milkshakes – I had a Rocky Road milkshake along side my bacon and cheese burger.

I love aquariums there is something so calming about them so I just had to visit the Sea Life Center near Brighton Pier. Its a lot smaller than the London one however it has a great layout and the coloured ceiling is an added bonus.

I stayed at the Hilton Metropole which was absolutely lovely and out of my window I could see the west pier which at sunset is gorgeous and I got a little snap happy!

Brighton is the perfect place for a mini break.

Peace out and Pixie Dust XO

Seared Tuna and Stripes

July 14, 2015Lifestyle, Style2 Comments

A bit of a random post today, but sometimes as a blogger you start an OOTD but only like one photograph or you turn up at a resturant not wanting to blog about it and then suddenly you have to tell everyone about it but didn’t bring your camera and only have Instagram as proof you went; well both of these things happened in the same day so I am popping these together to bring you and OOTD and restaurant review in one.

Chilli Salt Squid followed by Seared Seasame Tuna.

Rock and Rose is a restaurant in Richmond right next to another favourite of mine Cafe Mamma. The menu is an eclectic mix of Asian fusion and good old fashioned grill food and it tastes amazing. I broke my gluten free rule and went for the Chilli Salt Squid and I regret nothing; so many flavours in one but working perfectly together before moving onto a healthier choice the Seared Tuna on a bed of wok fried vegetables and Asian slaw. The tuna was cooked to perfection; the perfect summer dish. All washed down with a few G+T’s.

Crop – Topshop|Jeans – ASOS|Boots – H&M (similar).

Not the most exciting outfit but I love the crop top; because I just can’t stop my addiction with stripes or crop tops. I also can’t seem to stop wearing ASOS Ridley Jeans or these old H&M boots, i’m a creature of habit what can I say.

So there you go an OOTD and a restaurant review all in one!

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

Frolicking at the Flower Show

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015LifestyleLeave a Comment

Last year mum and I went to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show to celebrate her birthday (read about that here) and this year we returned in a similar fashion.

This year it was the 25th anniversary of the show so there were quite a few birthday themed arrangements.

This year I felt that there was more shopping stalls than actual gardens but the show gardens were gorgeous.

Clearly the gardening fashion is for purple, white, yellow or orange to be mixed together.

Playsuit – Stradivarius|Crop Top – H&M|Sandals – Topshop|Sunglasses – H&M.

Like last year children from local schools had made scarecrows, I particularly liked this rather plump viking.

There were also some lovely story book themed gardens which I especially liked.

And as always there were some just plain weird gardens.

I’m not the biggest fan of gardening – I don’t have the patience but I love going to the flower shows because its really quite impressive and beautiful what people can create.

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

The Shack 68|Review

July 7, 2015July 6, 2015LifestyleLeave a Comment

Cocktails, barbecue sauce and your best friend sounds like a recipe for a good night out. K and I ventured into The Shack 68 the other evening for a good old catch up.

We kicked the evening off with some cocktails, they have a great drinks list but we both loved the sound of the Carribean Shack Cooler – Bacardi Oakheart, pineapple juice and lime. Watch out these cocktails have a kick to them.

The whole idea of the restaurant is sharing platters and mini plates. We decided to share two starters before the main event. Pork Belly Bites – quite literally some of the best pork I have ever tasted and Grilled Halloumi with Sweet Potato, Broad Bean and Pea Wings.

Although we were already a little full from the starters we cracked into the main event. K went for a classic Cheese Burger with a side of Fries and Slaw whereas I went for a 1/2 rack of ribs with a side of mash. The ribs, oh my the ribs. Meat that melted off the bone smothered in the most amazing sauce paired with smooth, creamy mash.

Somehow K managed to squeeze in some pudding before we had to roll ourselves home. I would highly recommend bringing your best appetite with you because the food is very filling but so amazing and there is something for even the pickets of eaters.

Peace Out and Pixie Dust XO

For menus and bookings click here.