{Travel Tuesday} Windsor - England

Windsor Castle

This was my 2nd trip back to London & this time I got to explore the city with my mom. It was her 1st overseas trip and I am happy to report that 6 months later, she is STILL talking about.

I planned the trip and made all the bookings myself instead of going through a travel agent. Virgin Atlantic had a great airfare special and we saved approximately R2000 per ticket to fly direct to London.

Every week I would sit down and open internet windows for Flight Centre, Travel Start, Booking.com and Trip Advisor.

Eventually everything was booked and we were on our way. In order to spend as much time in London and take a few days off to see Old Trafford in Manchester, we were on a super-tight budget.

I literally handed my mom her spending money every morning and put our food money in my purse & the balance in the safe. If we had no more money by the end of the day, we couldn't do anything else. Working with cash does allow a person to budget so much better - using a credit card is like "free money"

By being clever with food purchases, we managed to do every bit of sightseeing we wanted to do and still had about 20 Pounds left.

This is our time spent in Windsor, a short train ride from London.

I was as sick as a dog (not realising it was the pre-cursor to my bronchitis) but I pushed ahead and explored as much as I could. After all, how often does one get to sight see in such a beautiful little town?

Windsor is a quaint little town with a variety of assorted shops to browse; toy stores, department stores - all there.

Eton College is located in the town of Windsor. Windsor is also home to Windsor Castle, 1 of the official residences of the Royal Family.

The gardens surrounding the castle are simply magnificent - mom and I were speculating as to how much time the Queen actually gets to spend in her gardens...

Beautiful Gardens

I definitely recommend buying a London Pass - we used our Pass for this day trip and saved quite a bit of money on the train fare as well as the few souvenirs we bought.

My Dentist told me I needed a crown, I was like "I know right!?"

Go early in the morning as there is lots to explore around this little town, but if you are visiting London, definitely make Windsor a stop on the list - you won't regret it.

2014 Snapshot

Most people will tell you what a hard/bad/broke year 2014 was - including myself.

Up until September, I was well on my way to successfully realizing a few of my Twenty Wishes. Then a double whammy work bombshell hit and it was downhill for the rest of the year.

Exercise & getting fit took a backseat and I gained 8kgs in a few months.
Besides gaining weight - the additional side effects of not exercising is that is negatively affects your state of mind.

Clearing out my phone and looking through all the photos I took in 2014, I was surprised to discover that work has clouded my mind into thinking that it was all bad, when in fact - it was not.

I heard a wonderful idea on Stacey Norman's show today & she posted it on Facebook. Instead of resolutions, start a "Rememberlution" jar. You write down all the great stuff that happens to you throughout the year and place them in the jar. Then, on 31 December, instead of making promises you can't actually keep, you open the jar and reflect on all the awesome.

I love the sound of this. I will be doing this in 2015, but if I had done it in 2014, my jar would have looked something like this:

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7 {Gift of Kindness}

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Before we get too caught up in the frenzy of the silly season, I would like to ask you to spare a thought for those less fortunate than us.
While we are shopping for frivolous gifts and wasting money on extravagances such as chocolate - there are people (& animals) out there who are wondering where their next meal will come from.

Ever noticed the man on the street with the hopeless look in his eyes.
The children that sit on the curb net to their mom holding up a sign.
The dog who hesitantly wags his tail as you pass him by. Afraid to trust, but hopeful.
The cat that's digging or a scrap of food in the garbage bin.

Shave R20-R30 off each gift you buy this season (this could be as simple as not buying a card & handwriting or printing a notecard instead)
Before you know it, you could have R100 - R300 that could be used to buy a food hamper, or a toy or some bags of animal food for your local SPCA or animal shelter.

Finances are tight? Donate any clothing or toys - this will cost you nothing & help you clear the clutter!

To make it even easier, you can do an EFT into the bank account.
Here are some links for animal homes:

Vereeniging SPCA

Sandton SPCA

East London SPCA

Cape Town SPCA

Four Paws

Salvation Army

Don't like the options I have listed here? Visit Charity SA to find a charity of your choice


It's something small, but if 1 person made the effort, it would positively impact someone's (or animal's) life.

Knowing you made that difference, is a better feeling than any gift received will ever make you feel.

Think about it....

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6 {Table Decor}

If you are entertaining this season, you will want a table that not only looks elegant, but also did not take you hours to decorate. Let's be honest- we are not Bree from Desperate Housewives with endless hours at home making everything perfect.

The secret lies in choosing tasteful decoration that is simple & classic. Good taste is not cluttered. 

Good taste need not be expensive either. 

If entertaining indoors, try this clever upcycling idea for vases:

Source

Cover 3 aluminium tins of varying sizes in matching wallpaper and fill with bunches of flowers.

Try something different:

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Tip a wineglass upside down, fill with foil covered chocolate balls or tiny ball Christmas decorations & rest a candle on top - voila!

Our Christmas in the southern hemisphere is hot, enabling us to entertain outdoors- in the garden or next to the pool, it's all about keeping cool while having fun.

For a summertime table, lay down a gingham or bright coloured tablecloth. Collect a variety of empty glass bottles and remove all labels. (Mason Jars also work really nicely)

Keep bottles unadorned, but arrange a few together in a group and fill with a variety of flowers- think Daisies, Tulips, wildflowers or Gerberas - for a simple, but pretty effect.

Wrap your cutlery in a napkin,  keeping it together with a long trailing ribbon or twine for an informal feel. I used to add a sprig on rosemary or lavender from the garden for a wonderful scent.

For a personalised touch, add a name tag on the cutlery, around the stem of the glass or tied to the stalk of an apple, the possibilities are endless! Play around and have fun creating a table that your guests will enjoy.

Never under-estimate the power of your mind teamed with a printer. Alot of my decor on tables is printed:

Printed Monogrammed banner on bowl & printed sign to enhance the theme

What have you done for your Christmas/special event table decor? Share your ideas with us!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5 {Nails}

Don't let your nails detract from all the effort you have put into making yourself fabulous this season.

The hands are often neglected yet they are one of the first things that people (men especially) notice when talking to us.

Change it up a bit! Steer away from the nude nails or classic French manicure & add some festive sparkle.

You could dress up your French manicure simply by adding a snowflake and a gem. 

Have a look at my Pinterest board over here for a tutorial on snowflake painting.

Add a ombré glitter effect to your solid base using this simple technique:

Pinterest Link

My favourite is the candy stripes. Not as difficult as you may think.

Pinterest Link

Cut some strips of varying thicknesses out of Sellotape and stick on your nail (already painted with a base colour, for example white)

Paint over in red. Peel tape off and finish with a topcoat when dry.

Something very important to consider when choosing 2 colours: polish must be a solid colour that completely masks the colour underneath, or else you end up with a terrible effect when completed.

See my nails Christmas 2013:

The green was not dark enough to mask the red underneath. Not a nice result at all!

If you're pressed for time/not creative/hate doing your nails- then go with something simple:

Paint your nails in your favourite colour (for a dramatic evening look, opt for something bold like red or purple) & paint an accent nail using a contrasting colour or texture. Glitter gives you instant "glam".

Glitter Glam

Zoya Pixie Dust in Solange (gold glitter) is a nice polish to try this season.

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Liquid Sand by OPI gives an edgier finish if you are against the girlie sparkle as it dries to a Matte finish.

OPI Liquid Sand

No matter what effect you decide upon, just be sure to finish with a (quick dry) top coat to ensure the polish remains chip-free for the duration of the party & wave your hands with pride!