A Postcard From Cyprus..

A while ago I found an idea on Pinterest that inspired me.. Whilst you were on a trip, you were to send yourself a postcard from where ever you were, detailing what you did that day. Once you were home you had an instant scrapbook of memories complete with photos, stamps and a run down on each days events. 

I fell in love with this idea and a couple of years ago started my own scrapbook. I send myself one postcard from each destination I travel to and write down my favourite moments of the entire trip and post it back home. I have three postcards so far and this will be my fourth. 

I recently travelled to Paphos and during my time there I explored Cyprus, immersed myself in their culture, explored their sites and monuments and took photos throughout my trip. I wanted to document my trip on my Blog, so I have posted my favourite photos and moments from the trip.

We spent the day exploring the sites and monuments of The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, we were in complete awe of the sites and monuments that date back from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Including The Pafos Odeon, a 2nd century Odeon and The Byzantine Castle, built in the 13th century. 

Limassol was our starting point, visiting the Village of Pissouri and stopping off at a Citrus Plantation. We meandered through the plantation, picking fresh fruit and tasting their grapefruit, oranges, grapes and freshly made lemonade.

We travelled into the Troodos mountains, visiting the Village of Agros and stopping off at Niki Agathokelous, a traditional sweet industry. We watched them make their sweets and got the opportunity to taste some of them. 

Just a stone throw away was the The Rose Factory. We had missed their annual picking of the Rosa Damascena Roses in May, but we saw how they made their Rose Candles and tasted their Rose Wine, Liquor, Nectar and Jam. 

We spent an afternoon in Tsiakkas Winery, touring the vineyards, the winery and wine tasting on the veranda. We tasted their Xynisteri a white wine, Rodinos a rosé wine, Porfyos a red wine and Commonderia a desert wine. 

I really wanted to see the birth place of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Fertility, Love and Beauty. She was born from the foam in the waters of Paphos. Her birthplace is a geological formation of rocks, called The Rock of Aphrodite.

Exploring The Archaeological Site of Kourion, we came across the Theatre, which was an impressive size, it was built towards the end of the 2nd Century BC. It has been destroyed, abandoned and has had a series of restorations.

The Castle of Kolossi was an interesting visit, originally built in 1210 and rebuilt in 1454. Serving as the Grand Commandery and the surrounding land was cultivated with vineyards, from which the Commandaria wine was produced.

We whiled away our last afternoon in the Mountain Village of Omodos in the Troodos Mountains. We wandered the quaint, winding streets, shopping and trying the local delicacies. We stopped for a break in a cafe to watch the world go by before saying goodbye to the Island and starting our journey Home. 

Have you been to Cyprus? What is one of your favourite moments from your trip?

Sweater Weather..

Cropped Sweater With Faux Pearls - Zara

Faux Leather Mini Skirt - Zara

Kash Leather Sock Boots - Topshop

Before the weather took a turn for the worst, me and my Mum spent the afternoon in Laxey. Laxey is quickly becoming one of my favourite places on the Island, with its quiet, quaint winding streets and pebbled beach. The Shed recently opened on the far end of the beach with unobstructed sea views, Juice Bar and Artisan Kitchen. Selling a range of fresh, healthy juices and a range of artisan food and drink creations with a healthy twist.

Since moving to the Island, I have been surprised how many dog friendly places there are and the Shed is one of them. With it's free doggy juice, treats, toys and a place for the Dogs to rest. It really makes a difference and enables you to get out and about and make the most of what the Island has to offer with your four-legged friend in tow. We stopped for one of their paninis, a cup of tea and a slice of cake before a walk along the beach.

Halloween at Lush..

It's one of my favourite Seasons, Autumn, so that means one thing - Halloween! Lush launched their Halloween Collection at the start of the Month and there are no tricks, just treats! I always look forward to this release every year because beloved limited-edition items like the Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb return alongside exciting brand new products and this year, they did not disappoint. Here's what I added to my Basket...

Bewitched Bubble Bar - £4.25

Drop your superstitions! Crumble this feline under running water to conjure up a shroud of berry-scented bubbles and dark mysterious waters. Crammed full of bergamot and frankincense oils, this bubble bar will provide you with the perfect Halloween bath. 

Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar - £4.25

This is a cult favourite at Halloween, simply crumble under running water for bubbles and a whole lotta sparkle! With junniperberry, grapefruit and lime oil leaving your skin beautifully silky. Who doesn't like a sparkly glittered pumpkin that smells like Autumn?

Ectoplasm Jelly Bomb - £4.95

Launch this ghosty bomb into the water and let the skin softening seaweed gel ooze across the surface. With uplifting tangerine, grapefruit and restorative litsea cubeba oils. This Newbie is the one I am most looking forward to trying!

Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb - £3.95

Another cult favourite at Halloween, the green outer shell slowly froths away to reveal a mulled wine coloured centre along with crackling popping candy. I feel like Lush have managed to combine Halloween, Christmas and Bonfire Night all into one bath bomb.

Pumpkin Bath Bomb - £4.25

The Halloween staple, this festive treat with sweet and comforting notes of vanilla, orange peel and cinnamon turns your bath water orange. To me, this epitomises everything I love about Autumn and I can actually bathe in it, well done Lush!

You can also pick up these little treats from any Lush store and online:

Monsters Ball Bath Bomb£4.50

Lord of Misrule Shower Cream £9.95

Pink Pumpkin Bubble Bar £4.25

Goth Fairy Shimmer Bar £5.95

Magic Wand Soap £4.50

Black Rose Lipstick £6.50

Black Rose Naked Lip Scrub £5.75

Black Rose Naked Lip Tint £6.25

Bewitched Set £19.95

Little Pumpkin Set £12.95

These limited edition items are only available up until the big day, October 31st. If you see anything you like, make sure you pick it up before its too late. Happy Lushoween!

10 Happy Things..

Since setting my New Years Resolution of being more positive, it started me thinking and researching about positive attitudes and how we often tend to focus on the negatives of life instead of the pleasures.  One of the consistent findings in research was the value of keeping a Gratitude Diary. Researchers have found that people who write down three things they're grateful for every night (or even a few times a week) improve their well-being and lower their risk of depression. So, this is where I have decided to keep my Gratitude Diary in the form of 10 Happy Things from the past week..

1. I headed back Home to the Isle of Man for five days for the first time in a year to see my family and friends. My Mum comes over to stay with me quite often but I hadn't seen my Nana and Grandad, my Brother and my Best Friend since I'd been over last March.

2. Coming from the Isle of Man and living in Thurrock in Essex, there isn't much greenery over here and I miss it, so it was so nice to be able to get out and about in the great outdoors. I walked my Nana's and Grandad's dog Toby quite often whilst I was over.

3. Myself and my Mum headed over to Liverpool for a day trip as she had an appointment to go to and we managed to fit in a bit of shopping and a spot of lunch. We just had to go to Gourmet Burger Kitchen, as it is my favourite restaurant in the whole wide world! 

4. Back in 2014 when I started my Blog, my Mum used to take a lot of my photos, now I have to try and win around my Boyfriend to take them for me! Whilst I was back home it was nice to have her taking my photos again and there were so many locations to choose from!

5. I managed to convince my Brother to join myself, my Mum and his Girlfriend to join us for tea and we went to one of our favourite Italian restaurants for my last night at home. It was so nice for us all to be together as a Family, I miss being able to spend time with them.

6. For my last day at Home, myself, my Mum and my Nana all went out for afternoon tea at a new tea house that had opened up called the Tea Junction. It was lovely inside and the food and tea was amazing, I loved it and will definitely be going again when I'm next over.

7. I returned home for the weekend to spend some time with my Boyfriend. With working in Retail, it's always nice if we get to spend a weekend together on the rare occasion. We stayed in with a takeaway, a film and snuggled up on the couch together in my new pyjamas.

8. We spent Sunday afternoon in Brentwood, which is one of my favourite towns to visit, having a Toby Carvery lunch and a few drinks with friends of ours. There is nothing quite like a nice Strawberry and Lime Rekorderlig, especially coming into Spring!

9. I returned home to this lovely package from Aesop, where I have ordered the Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Mask and the Control Gel to try and tackle my blemish-prone skin. I'm so excited to start using them and will publish a Blog post soon..

10. I've started thinking and researching into Mindfulness and recently ordered these adult colouring books by Johanna Basford. Awareness of ourselves and the world around us, sometimes called Mindfulness, can improve our mental wellbeing. I will be publishing a blog post soon, going into Mindfulness in more detail soon, so keep an eye out for it..