A few shots from a lovely weekend in Tatton Park. I really do love living in Cheshire :)
I hope Monday has treated you kindly!
How were your weekends?
Sophia x
Small and 10 happy things! #15
I must admit I am rather enjoying my weekends as of late. Usually the life of a teacher, while lending to lots of holiday time, actually means that your weekend time is often nonexistent. From planning to marking to general prep/stress, I can find it hard to switch off.
However...
Recently I have been carving out time to go to my local yoga class first thing Saturday morning and this has massively helped me in keeping a state of peace and relaxation and motivation throughout the weekend. So here's what I've been loving this week!
2. Going to see Everest at the cinema. What a tense couple of hours!!
3. Being at home with my mum and sister. Lots of lovely cooking and big catch ups!
4. The new Starbucks Autumn cups, how gorgeous are these?! Filled with a nice chai tea, it was the epitome of the season.
5. The beautiful Minnie Mouse notebook my sister brought me back from Disneyland Paris. Going straight on my desk!
6. Waking up early and watching Parent Trap. My sister and I got up super early this morning and hurried downstairs with blankets and tea and delicious, coconutty porridge to cuddle up and watch our FAVOURITE sister bonding film. It brings smiles and tears to our faces and eyes everything time and it's a tradition to watch it together at least once a year.
7. Gogglebox. Just because it's back and it's awesome.
8. A lovely drive over the Pennines. Yes, the snake pass sucks big time but you can't beat the beautiful views on that Sheffield to Manchester drive.
9. A midweek visit from my Grandma. Is there anything better than a visit from one of your faves? I don't think so.
10. My first EVER experience of a Lush bath bomb! It was the Frozen one for anyone who's interested and it was magical and sparkly and everything I dreamed it would be!
You see? I even lit myself a couple of candles, totally taking this self care thing mega serious.
So what's made you smile this week? Can you believe it's almost October time? That means Halloween fun is a coming!
Okay maybe not just yet, sorry, getting too keen!
Sophia :) xxx
Small and Happy's 10 reasons I LOVE Moulin Rouge!
That's right. I can think of 10 reasons and I'm sure you could have too if you'd given it as much thought as me, but then again this is my all time favourite movie so perhaps you don't think about this musical gem as much as I do.
This list was inspired after 'Come what may' popped up on my iPod and it got me thinking 'God Ewan McGregor is amazing, in fact...this song is amazing...this whole movie is just amazing, I wonder how many reasons for just how great this movie is I could come up with...'
And voila, an deep insight into my blog writing process...so on y va!
1. It's a musical. This in my book makes any movie infinitely better than your average film. Except Mean Girls, that golden nugget is just perfect as it is.
2. It's set in Paris. Now the city of lights may not set mes pantalons on fire with excitement like it does for 99% of the female population (save the part which houses Disneyland) however even I know that a pretty cool location makes this movie have that certain je ne sais quoi.
3. The Sound of Music reference. Sure, it's tiny bit in the film and if you don't remember it then you clearly have watched this movie less than five times, that's not okay so go bump up that number please. But yes, two musicals in one? Sounds great to me!
4. It's got Kylie! I don't want to stereotype but could this movie have any more gay friendly elements?! The Parisian chic, drama and now a pop princess dressed as a fairy?! This is the film that just keeps on giving.
5. It has the ULTIMATE mash up. Like for real, the Elephant Love Medley so expertly combines so many songs that it makes every mash up Glee ever did look like child's play. And that hard for me to say because I have a special (and very secret) place in my heart for their 'It's my life' mash up with Usher's Confessions. Another example of musical genius right there.
6. Jim Broadbent. If him running around singing Like a Virgin with a white sheet flapping around on his head doesn't make you laugh then I don't really know what your deal is.
7. The fact that a lot of it takes place in an elephant. That's just exotic and cool and a whole host of other adjectives.
8. Ewan McGregor. His face, his voice, his eyes. His innocent beauty and love for Christine makes me tear up every time. Why is he not more of a thing still? Those sky, broadband adverts whatever he did recently just have not fulfilled the Ewan shaped hole in my life.
9. Come What May-a beautiful duet and one of my all time 'ill just sing along to this at the top of my lungs even though I can't carry a tune and try and sing both parts at the same time because I think I'm so talented' tracks. You know the ones I mean my friends.
10. Finally, it is an ultimate star crossed lovers story offering up such pearls of wisdom like 'the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return', the slightly more somber 'jealously will drive you mad' idea and the just plain silly myth that men will recite poetry they've written just for you when they're trying to woo you. Firstly, they just want the clothes off and secondly, this isn't bohemian Paris mes amis so any concept of wooing is exactly where the waiting theatrical eavesdroppers (another little reference!) are...right out the (elephant shaped) door.
So there you go...some slightly mad but most I legitimate reasons as to why I just love this film so much. It has everything I could want and I definitely think I'll be popping it in the DVD player once I'm back from this travelling malarkey!
What's your favourite film? Have you ever written a post about it? Is there someone out there who loves this film like I do?! Tell me please so we can be friends!
Sophia
PS- that last part sounded desperate I know. I need you to know I actually do have a lot of friends, like too many to make time to see (#popularproblems....more like #busyteacherproblems) but I don't have a fellow Moulin Rouge obsessive in my life so if you're one of them, make your extremely discerning self known to me!
Small, happy and #eatprayloving in Bali.
So I'm slowly sifting through all our wonderful pictures from our Asian adventure this summer (take me back please!!) and I thought I'd share some instagrammable snapshots from our time in Ubud.
Some of you may know Ubud as the third part of Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love trip and it certainly struck me as a lovely, tranquil place. What the movie missed out however, was that there were motorbikes everywhere! And traffic! Not zen guys.
Despite that (and my spectacular fall in a rice field, ripped trousers, muddy, soggy bottom, the works) I really enjoyed our time there. It's so calming there and every other place is a yoga studio or health/mindful centred place.
I mean look where we stayed! How relaxing is that? We actually ended up having to stay for an extra night because we couldn't get a boat to next destination but it wasn't all bad because it meant I could relax like this...
Our little room was the one on the left on the first floor and most of the time I had the pool to myself!
As you can see in the collage health food is key in Ubud because healthy body healthy mind and all that jazz and so it was a HAVEN for me. Washing down my vegan salads with a wheatgrass shot might not sound fun and games to you but to me it was bliss.
It was certainly a nice change from some of the more hectic cities we visited!
Have you ever been to Bali? Is it on your bucket list? Where would you like to go to in Asia?
Sophia x
