Siracusa, Sicily

So...last month we spent 11 days in Sicily. We started our trip in Siracusa and stayed in a fabulous (but cold) apartment on the island of Ortigia. We spent a few days strolling the charming ancient and medieval streets, visiting the local market, the Duomo and the fort, sipping espressos outside cafe's, dipping our feet in sea, reading books and enjoying the sun on our secret hideaway roof terrace with a sea view, eating sizzling hot stone baked pizzas, out-of-this-world seafood and amazing gelato in brioche. A special mention has to go to the restaurant Apollonion Osteria da Carlo. It is an incredible seafood restaurant with no menu. They serve a set menu of 6 dishes each night which changes based on what is good at the market that day. We spent three hours there eating dish after dish and I have to say it was the best meal of my life! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. We also used Siracusa as a base to explore the beautiful Baroque town of Ragusa and the chocolate town of Modica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Wedding

Last month we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, in Sicily. I cannot quite believe it has been a year. It has flown over and I have loved spending every minute of it with my husband and my best friend. It occurred to me that I had never really shared photos of our wedding so here's a round-up of some of my favourites.

 

 

 

 
 

Turning 30

Last month I turned 30! 30! I used to think 30 sounded so old. I still do! I though a big birthday like this one might bring with it lots of deep soul searching, but it kind of came and went. The world didn't end and everything carried on as normal. When I was younger I used to think people had everything figured out long before the time they were 30, but the older I get the more I come to realise that no-one really has it all figured out. I find I have to remind myself that I have accomplished many 'grown up' things: I have a responsible job, a husband and a house we own and I have travelled to many of the places I used to dream about, but I still feel like a perpetual 13 year old! I think I always will. Oh and I still occasionally get asked for ID!

I didn't want a party or any big celebration for my 30th  so we decided to spend a relaxing weekend in one of my favourite cities, Edinburgh.

 

 

 

We stayed at the Hotel du Vin. It was a lovely hotel, but I was a little disappointed with our room considering the price we paid. The room was large and had a roll top bath in the room, but it was the disabled room and had lots of big open spaces rather than some of the cute and cosy rooms with little nooks and crannies I had seen on the website. Nevertheless, the bath was amazing and it was lovely to return to a hot bath after suffering the freezing cold weather whilst sight-seeing. The hotel itself was beautifully styled. I loved the restaurants, breakfast and bars.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

We spent out time shopping, walking around the Royal Mile and up to the castle and visiting the Camera Obscura. We originally intended to visit the castle, but it was so cold we decided to visit the Camera Obscura instead. I wasn't expecting much, but it was great fun and I would thoroughly recommend it.

 

  

 

As for food and drink the highlight were 'The Witchery' restaurant (expensive, but a beautiful setting, fantastic service and amazing food) and 'Under the Stairs' bar (amazing innovative cocktails and a granny chic interior). We also finished the weekend with a afternoon tea at our hotel before catching the train.

Lush Henna: How to Henna Your Hair

I've been trying to use more natural and organic products lately and after reading a few horror stories about hair dye I decided to finally give Henna a go. I'd looked at it a few times, but as someone who always went to a salon to get my hair dyed (I have only dyed my own hair once) it seemed beyond my capabilities. I finally took the plunge and gave it a go a few months ago and I have now used it three times. I've heard people say Henna is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or hate it! Well, I sit on both sides of that fence, I love it and I hate it in equal measure! I love that it is a totally natural product, I love the colour it gives my hair, I love that it lasts much longer on my hair than chemical hair dyes and it doesn't run out straight after I've had it done and it doesn't look like I have murdered someone in the bath (chemical dyes I am looking at you!), I love the condition it leaves my hair in and how long it lasts before fading (about 4 weeks). However I hate how messy it is. I knew it was going to be messy, but nothing prepared me for just how messy it really is! I hate how it literally looks like you are putting baby poop on your head, I hate how it has to stay on your hair for 3 hours and although I liked the smell at first it really starts to drive me mad after the first hour.

What is Lush Henna?
Henna is a plant native to the Middle East and it has been used to dye the skin and hair for centuries. The leaves of the plant are dried into a powder which is then mixed with conditioning cocoa butter to form a block.  Chemical dyes work by forcing the cuticles of your hair open and pouring colour underneath, but henna coats them in a layer of colour. Lush likens it to varnish covering each hair. Speaking from experience, this leaves my hair feeling in much better condition.

Types of Lush Henna
Lush have four different types of Henna:

Caca Rouge is the full-on red henna.
Caca Marron is a more auburn colour.
Caca Brun is a more coffee coloured red.
Caca Noir is a black gloss with a very slight reddish tinge.

The first time I used Henna I went for Caca Rouge and used four blocks, but I found it slightly too orange. Since then I have mixed two blocks of Caca Rouge with two blocks of Caca Marron and I love the colour. Lush recommend doing a strand test before use.

Application
You Will Need:

• Blocks of Lush Henna (the amount varies depending on the length and thickness of your hair, but I use four blocks.
• A large bowl to mix the Henna in (I use an old bowl that I don't mind getting stained).
• A pan of boiling water.
• A splash of water to mix with the Henna.
• Plastic gloves (Lush provide these).
• Vaseline
• Cling film.
• An old towel.
• A disposable poncho (Optional but totally worth buying. Believe me this stuff is messy!).

Method

1. Cut the amount of blocks you need for your hair. I use four blocks and my hair is shoulder length.



2. Chop or grate your Henna into small chunks and place it in a bowl. I have also read that use a pestle and mortar works well, but I have a really expensive pestle and mortar that I don't want to stain!

3. Boil a kettle and cover the Henna with boiling water. Mix well with water until it is the consistency of un-whipped double cream. Try to get rid of as many lumps as you can, but this sometimes feels like an impossible task.

 

4. Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and heat the henna until it is as hot as you can bare on your skin.

 

 

5. Place a layer of Vaseline around your hairline to avoid any staining, although I don't really find the Henna stains the skin badly.

6. If , like me, you hate getting messy like put some super old clothes on (I pinched my husband's old T-shirt) and a poncho!

7. Place the Henna on the roots of your hair in sections working from the back to the front (just like you would with a chemical dye) then place the remaining henna all over the hair smoothing it through to the tips.

 

8. Wrap your head in clingfilm for a more red look or leave it open for a browner look.

9. Leave it on for at least an hour, but ideally up to 4 hours.

10. Rinse the Henna off! This is a task and a half and takes a few applications of shampoo and lots of conditioner.

The finished results:

Have you ever tried Henna or would you consider it? Let me know what you think of it and if you found this at all helpful.

Disaster Designs Bon Voyage Travel Wallet

We love to travel and we like to book our own holidays where we travel around and stay in several different places. I love quirky little apartments, B&B's and home stays far more than flashy hotels (airbnb and cottages4you are great websites for finding unique places to stay), but this sometimes take a little bit of organising and results in me carrying quite a bit of paperwork around on my travels. When I saw this travel wallet by Disaster Designs in a shop in York I knew I needed it in my life. Not only is it super cute and right up my street with maps, stamps, tickets and cute messages, but it is also incredibly practical.





On the left hand side it has several pockets for cards ideal for credit cards, train tickets and my European health card and sections for currency, plane tickets, documents and hotels. On the right hand side it has a pocket for a pen, passports and loose change and little things. Mine is already full of things for our trip to Sicily tomorrow and it has helped me to feel super organised.



I think I paid about £27 for it, but I have found it at TemptationGfts.com for £31.18, but it also often available on Amazon. If you haven't heard of the brand Disaster Designs I thoroughly recommend checking them out. I seem to be building up quite a collection with a purse and bag that are also part of their Bon Voyage range and a wash bag and travel bag from other ranges. We also used one of their photo albums as a wedding guest book and I wrote a post here.