Edinburgh Fringe

Like most people these days, I have an unwritten bucket list of things I want to see or do before it's too late. High up on that list has been Edinburgh Fringe, and for years I've sighed wistfully over photos and reviews from others who have gone and enjoyed it and I would promise myself that the following year would be different, that would be the year I would go.

This year, it happened. My flatmate and I were sat discussing it one day and decided that it was settled, we were going to Fringe. It took me many a year, and a lot of broken promises, but it was official, I was going to Edinburgh Fringe, and the planning began.

With such a huge choice of shows, performers and range of costs, it can all feel a little daunting. Good reviews vs bad reviews, favourite people vs new upcoming acts, there is so much to choose from! Where do you start?! I wish I had advice, but I spent many a night totally overwhelmed and at a loss, so was more than happy to leave it in the hands of Lexi, and make the odd suggestion, well... one. But we will come back to that. AirBnb was booked, flights were secured and before we know it, we were hauling arse to London City Airport, ready for a short flight.

The all important "in flight" photo

London City Airport is dinky. I mean, seriously tiny, I've seen bigger flats! But it has character and the take off is an experience in itself.... Not one for the nervous flyer or the fainthearted, but it made me laugh, it takes off like a hiccup! Scotland often greets me with rain, and this time it was no different. I love Scotland and Edinburgh is a very special place for me. It's seeped in family history and I spent time there seeing a darling friend of mine whilst she was at uni. Anyway, I digress.

Irn Bru must be consumed in Scotland...

Over the weekend, us girls decided to see a mix of shows, in a variety of styles. I cannot recommend them enough, so please see them if you can!

Bethany Black - Talented, funny and honest comic. Bethany was in Cucumber, and was the first openly trans person, to play a trans character on UK TV. I can;t give her enough love or recommendations.

Abandoman - Improv musical comedy, which will leave you in stitches.

Mitch Benn - If you can see his Don't fear the reaper, you must. Touching little song for Victoria Wood, politics, death and more.

Dolly wants to die - I love Helen Monks, and this play was superb. Helen is teeny, but such a presence.

Rob Newman - His latest show, The Brain Show, is utter genius. It;s touching, funny and enlightening.

Colt Cabana and Brendon Burns  For me, this will now become the show I always end Fringe on. Wrestler, Colt Cabana, pairs up with Brendon Burns, a man from my part of Australia, Perth, and they are joined by a different guest each night. They commentate really bad wrestling, get involve with their crowd and their fun is infectious. This was just brilliant, my and sides and face ached for a day or so.

Muppet face with Colt Cabana <3

Edinburgh is a wonderful city, with so much to see and do even without the Fringe. If you haven't been, go.

A Gothic, beautiful city

See you next Fringe...

LFCC: Comicon

Once upon a time, there used to be a major stigma attached to anyone who liked the more geeky side of life. Admit you were a trekkie or Whovian, and you were most likely going to get some sort of ridicule. Fan over a show? Pfft, the real world is where its at. Well, not anymore!

Hi, LFCC!

Conventions are now a hot commodity, and I am a self confessed con loving geek! I've been going to them for about four years now, but there is one I am guaranteed to be seen at: London Film and Comic Convention aka LFCC. Every July, myself and 3 of my best friends meet up and have a weekend of fun, geeking out and fangirling over people we love, from authors to actors, with the odd wrestler thrown in. For another review of this years LFCC, go visit my flatmate and very good friend Lexi to see her view of it all.

Last year, LFCC moved to Kensington Olympia, and whilst it was HUGE it was also stupidly busy and hot. I spent a lot of time fighting to get outside for air and to just avoid the crowds. Showmasters listened to the complaints, and this year LFCC was a true delight. Spread out, spacious and with tighter crowd control, there were less people and the layout was brilliant. The ground floor was all about the shopping and cosplay stage, first floor was signings, shoots and talk and the second floor was all about YALC - Young Adult Literature Convention -  an added delight and a favourite of mine. Saturday is always the busiest day, and it was still really lovely and spacious. An absolute win for me!

Who ya gonna call?!

So, us girls make a weekend of it and it begins Friday. Lexi and I decided it was cosplay time, and inspired by the new Ghostbusters, we suited up an with Em in tow in her Ghostbusters tee (us girls represent!) we headed off to meet one of my dearest friends Katie. We went with plans and pretty much stuck with them. There were no photo ops planned this year, just autographs and general silliness.  The main mission for me that Friday? Mads Mikkelsen. I am a serious lover of Bryan Fuller's adaptation of Hannibal for television, and rate it as one of the most cinematographic pieces to ever grace our screen. His queues were long, and so with my ticket in hand, we went off to cause mischief and have fun. Shopping happened, as did watching my friends fawn over the legend, Jamie Kennedy and after a fun day, we headed home for day two...

 

 

 

Just with my main man... Mads <3

My flatmate and I after a long Friday

Saturday! Another day, another dress up day for me. This time I rocked a gorgeous Doctor Who dress I bought in Torrid back in April, paired it with Tardis accessories and planned to go play with wrestlers all day, and that's what I did. I also couldn't resist meeting the adorable Kristian Nairn aka Hodor and when I saw Eldon (Foggy in Daredevil) was free, I had to go see him too... We joined a wonderful group of friends in the pub that evening and set off to relax, ready for the final day. Comicon is so much fun, but requires sleeps and food, lots of both!

Doctor....?

Hodor.... Kristian is a lovely guy!

RVD!

A more casual approach for Sunday, and being all Harry Potter inspired, we went back for the last day. A lazier start with a cooked breakfast, lazy morning and slower pace, it was the day I had been waiting for. Mads Mikkelsen and his panel. I love hearing how actors start, what inspires them, what jobs they've enjoyed and such, and Mads did not disappoint. I also had to pop by Jim "Hacksaw" Duggan and thank him for being a gent and also have Colt Cabana persuade myself and Lexi as to *why* we should see him at Edinburgh Fringe... It's all good, Colt. The tickets are booked and I want that selfie! ;) I was also able to help the lovely Jim from Stackpod have his fanboy moment, as he got to meet Duggan and Cabana with me as I did my final rounds.  A touch more shopping and my wallet and I were done.

Spellbinding...

Mads Mikkelsen during his talk

Is it next July, yet?

Hanging with the squad

All the pretties!

Everyone deserves Wellness

Back at the beginning of July (I know, delayed write up but bear with me, I'm out of practice) I attended a wonderful Wellness event, held at the Lulu Guinness store in Covent Garden. I'm not one to turn down a free evening, and especially one involving gorgeous bags, goodies and interesting talks!

So, on a warm Thursday evening, I headed across town and joined the growing queue, all eager and excited to enter the shop.

 Such a pretty window display!

 For me, Wellness doesn't have any numbers attached, nor faddy diets or strict rules. Wellness is not about what size you are, or what macros are featured in your eating habits.  What is wellness? Well, it encumbers a lovely big umbrella of things that boil down to one little point for me. Wellness is mental clarity and happiness, it's confidence and contentment within your body and mind.  Anyway, back on track!

The doors opened just after 6pm, and in went the crowd! Within moments,  you were offered a selection of canapes and a drink. Take one healthy drink, add gin and I'm all yours!

Refreshing, fruity, and so good with gin..

I must confess, my previous experiences featuring Aloe Vera in a juice, have not made me demand it must feature in my life, but being a girl who is willing to give things a second chance, I happily accepted to try both flavours. The addition of gin really did help persuade me... Drink in hand, I took a moment to take in the scene. Women of all ages were gathered (some with their husband in tow) ready for a touch of shopping, a catch up and to listen to the talk.

The event, run by Lulu Guinness, and their magazine, The Culture cloud appealed to me, as when it comes to the topic of "Wellness" I am always curious to know the views of others. The special guest of the evening was a truly lovely guy, Harry Jameson who I learned is a rather renowned  and highly sought after nutrition and lifestyle coach in London.

Harry is a young professional, who believes in a holistic approach to wellness, and feels that changing your mind is key to changing your body.  Soon, it was time for the talk to begin, so we all eagerly grabbed a seat, snaffled a goody bag and waited.

   Look at all the pretties, perfectly lined up!

                            

Harry Jameson is a wellness coach, who promotes wellness as a whole package. It was important for him from day one to ensure every element was covered so started to bridge the gap that comes with seeing various coaches to make sure your at your peak.

Wellness comes from good sleep, good food, exercise and mindfulness of the whole being, not just from one element or two. To reach the ideal level of wellness, so many parts need to be considered. Eating well, and exercising sensibly need to be paired with a good sleep and a well maintained mind for you to feel the benefits, and this is something I can get on board with. Hearing someone talk about the importance of every aspect of your being, was a lovely change and he highlighted important key points:

• Scales are NOT a measure of health and wellness. It is so easy to get lost in the world of numbers, be it from your scale to calorie counting, that we often lose sight of what matters.
• Happiness plays a major role in being healthy. A healthy mind, is just as, if no more, important as a healthy body. Working on being happy and feeling well can go a long way when on the journey to feeling healthy, from head to toe.
• What works for one person, won't necessarily work for you. Sadly, there is no "one size fits all" or a quick fix for these things. Every element is different for each, and comparing yourselves to those on Instagram or Social Media will never validate you as a person. 
• Personal circumstances will mean you're journey will always be unique. I am guilty of wishing to be like others, and need reminding that I have my personal battles with health, illnesses and disabilities, so some of us just need to work differently to others
• Forget abstaining from those little pleasures in life. Allow yourself the odd glass of wine, the occasional slice of cheesecake and don't beat yourself up or ever feel guilty for having and doing what your enjoy. Life is about enjoying things, and keeping the mindset of moderation

With the pace of society these days, mindfulness has become a popular and key factor for many. When we live in a world where everything is done in the now, we forget about the little things. Take time out to reflect, enjoy quiet moments and make time for you. Turn off that phone, ignore those emails and do something that takes you far away from technology, social media and the world of "instants". Stress causes your body to rebel, so relax a little...

I came away more focused, with a little less money and a better outlook on my wellness and my journey. It's something I have begun, and will be writing about over time,  but for now, I think I've said enough...

Everyone deserves wellness, so go treat yourself to some you time.

A caring goody bag, featuring an amazing tangle teezer in a limited edition print, and a simple face flannel

I'm a sucker for a clutch bag....

Welcome to my world

I'm one of those.

You know, full of ideas and desires and plans, yet more often than not they drop off due to one reason or another, and the best laid plans fall to the wayside.

I think my previous surroundings played a role. I was in a loving place but it was forever cluttered and chaotic, and it had a knock on effect to my mental health as well as the way I views things.

My flatmate lovelifelexi and her wonderful sciencey friend sent me to this article which explains the damage that possession clutter in the home can actually have on your mental well-being, and now I have a wonderfully chilled surrounding, my stress and mental health have both improved tenfold. 

So, with a clearer mind, clearer space and a new stash of confidence in my writing, here I am. Starting another small corner of our amazing world for somewhere to put words and share them with others.

Welcome to my world.