Favourite spots in Liverpool

Since leaving home I've lived in a few different cities, and while there's many things I hate about moving (mainly having to leave friends), one of the best things about moving to a new city is getting to explore & discover new favourite places. We (my husband & I) have been living in Liverpool for around 6 months, so here is a round-up of the gems we've found so far...

Farmers market - Lark Lane

The farmer's market is held on 4th Saturday of every month, with all stall owners coming from within a 100 mile radius. There's an impressive array of stalls selling delectable cakes; fresh fruit and veg; jams, chutneys & dipping sauces; freshly baked breads; and local eggs, poultry and meat.

This week I was sadly beaten out of the last focaccia, but we did manage to buy a haggis and neep i.e. turnip (for Burn's night), a delicious arrabiata sauce, goats cheese, and a chocolate eclair that was consumed on the walk home. Yum.

Moon & Pea - Lark Lane

My first visit to the Moon & Pea was when John & I were in Liverpool for the day viewing houses (which was actually only my second time in Liverpool, ever.) We had heard Lark Lane had good cafes, and since we were near, decided to wander down and found ourselves in the Moon & Pea. Since then, the rest is history. I have loved pretty much everything I've ordered there, but particularly recommend trying the: pea breakfast (just the right size & assortment of fried breakfast items in my opinion), belgian waffles with fresh fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice (yes, they have one of those cool machines!) and the caramel chocolate cheesecake. They also have acoustic nights on a Wednesday and Sunday, which make a lovely date night but can be very busy so you're best to book a table. 

Onion Deli - Aigburth Road

This deli is very conveniently (or dangerously) less than 5 minutes walk from our house. It has a very impressive deli counter, delicious sandwiches & wraps, homemade cakes and freshly baked bread to buy. It offers a nice sit-in area but often, since I can get my cup of tea for free at home, I'll take my food and run.

Moose Coffee - Dale Street  

This quirky american cafe does the best pancakes you will ever try! My favourite order is blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon, mmm... The decor in here is really fun too, with lots of famous portraits with the heads replaced by mooses (meese?) and a proper old-school cash register. One warning: a reliable source says some of the savoury dishes are a bit mustard heavy, so if you're not a fan, beware.

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) - Wood Street

An honourable mention must go to FACT, which is an independent cinema, art gallery and bar. This cinema has a really good student membership that's £10 for the year, which gives you 2 free tickets when you first sign up, then you £2 off every ticket after. We went to see 'Inside Llewyn Davis', I loved the music in the film, and cinema itself - it reminds me of the DCA (one of my favourite spots in Dundee). 

What are your favourite spots in your city?

Fi x

Christmas goodies

I'm at the age now where for Christmas I tend to get some money from my mum & dad as my main gift. This works well as it means my that mum doesn't get stressed trying to pick out things for me, and I get to go shopping and not just "visit" things I like, haha! 

I wanted to show a few things that I bought!

Small bowls, £4 each (TK Maxx)

I love these cute little bowls! The designs are all different and hand-painted, my favourite is the blue background with white stars. I imagine these would be good ice cream bowls...

Denby butter dish, £12 (TK Maxx) 

I have been searching for a butter dish for ages and I finally found one - woohoo! I love the size, style and colour of this, and it was a good price too. 
The picture doesn't pick up the colour properly sorry, it's a lovely bright blue. 

Forever 21 shirt, £18

I love this shirt, it actually is really similar to one of John's that I used to always steal!

Mental note: make sure we don't wear them at the same time...

Cath Kidston dress, £59

I had a bit of a dilemma buying this dress, as I usually wouldn't spend this much on a dress. Lately I've been finding it difficult to find things I like when I go clothes shopping. I really loved this when I saw it and since had Christmas money I bought it! I especially love the fabric. I might take up the hem slightly, to just above the knee, so that it is more flattering.

Soap & Glory highlighter and lipbalm/gloss, £15

Finally, I picked up a couple of makeup items I've had my eye on for a while. I have this lip product in another colour and LOVE it, so I got another one. I've seen really good reviews on this highlighter and since Soap & Glory was on buy one get one half price, I decided to buy it too.

Hope you like the things I picked! 

Fi x

New year, new goals

It's that time of year again, when I like to refocus myself & think of what I'd like to work on in the following 365 days. I know a lot of people don't believe in making resolutions, but I really enjoy taking time to come up with mine. Here are my resolutions: 

1. "Pre-baby body"

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease) in late 2012, and over the following year lost about 1 stone in muscle due to my symptoms. I've been a lot better since starting some new medication, so this year my aim is to build myself back up again. I want to increase my cardiovascular fitness - not looking to do any marathons, but managing regular 30-45 mins of fast walking would be good for me! I'd also like to incorporate a stretching programme into my daily routine, and work on some gentle strengthening (not sure what that will be yet).

The pre-baby bit of this is because of some advice a very wise friend who has recently become a mum gave to me. She talked about the importance of being as fit & healthy as possible before having a baby due to the stress that pregnancy and looking after a small child have on your body. I figured I should start with plenty of time!

2. More music

This year I would like to look at joining a choir again. I was part of a choir from the age of 7  to 18 and I loved it, I'd like to join somewhere that does classical choral singing but doesn't require members to sight-sing - hope I can find one!

I'd also like to go to more gigs, and spend more time jamming at home with my husband. We actually got together following him coming over to my halls to tune my guitar, and many of our first "dates" involved us singing & playing in my room (much to the annoyance of some of my flatmates!) I love live music, and discovering quaint wee gigs to go to - hopefully there will be more of these in 2014.

3. Date night

We would like to have a date night once a week, and we've decided we'll take turns of who plans what we are doing. Hopefully we'll be able to come up with some fun & affordable ideas!

4. Daily devotional

I'd like to get back into the habit of making time each day to read my bible and pray - when this part of my life is going well I feel much more content & happy. 

5. TV dinners max. once a week

Since we are blessed to have a house with enough room for a dining table, we are going to make an effort to eat together at the table everyday (with the occasional cheat day perhaps!).  Hopefully this will help us to make healthier choices for evening meals too. 

Have you made any resolutions?

Fi x

Highlights of 2013

Hello & happy 2014!

Over the last few days my facebook feed has been full of people giving their highlights of 2013. I decided I'd like to document mine here so I can look back on them. 

Trying lobster for the first time. It was delicious.

Attending a very special wedding in Somerset. 

Our first holiday since our honeymoon (2 years ago)!  We spent a week in a cottage in Pembrokeshire. Best bits included going surfing, watching the cliff diving world championships, beautiful walks & an amazing meal on the last night. 

A weekend getaway to north wales for John's birthday.

Buying our first house (& moving city again!)

A fun camping trip with friends (complete with blazing sunshine & torrential rain!)

Celebrating Christmas with my family in Scotland.


Other highlights include living with our best friends for 5 months while waiting for house (& getting to play with 2 little cuties everyday), becoming part of an exciting new church plant, and finally getting my rheumatoid under control.


Farewell 2013!

Fi x