Exmouth Market in London

Happy Monday everyone, but where did that come from? I swear I closed my eyes on Friday night and it’s already Monday, but having a bank holiday to look forward to this weekend is really exciting. I’ve had a bit of a whirlwind week both workwise and personal-wise, but there are always things that make me smile so here is everything that I was loving last week!

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London

I was back in London this week for work, which was really exciting in itself as I got to be briefed on some amazing projects coming up. My parents were in London too, so when I finished work, I walked down to Exmouth market to meet my mum for a drink which is about 10 minutes away from my office, and from there we went for dinner with my Dad at Charlotte Street Hotel, which was delicious. I really do love London and discovering new areas every time I go.

Move GB

This week my collaboration with Move GB started, which meant that I was free to try some classes that I usually wouldn’t get the chance to. I tried out Boxfit on Friday evening and Yoga on Saturday and although both were completely out of my comfort zone, they were so fun and I’m glad I went to them.

Britney Concert

My friends from work and I booked tickets to see Britney back in January and this Saturday it was finally time. It was her Vegas ‘Piece of Me’ tour and it was incredible. I’ve loved Britney all through my life, and we were all able to reminisce about the good times to her classic songs. Pitbull supported too and reignited my love of his music.

Visiting Our Chapel

As we’re getting married in a chapel, one of the prerequisites is that we have to attend 10 services before our wedding day and this Sunday we went to our second service. It was really lovely to meet the lady who will be performing it on the day and she gave us some ideas of what we can do decor-wise that we hadn’t thought about. I can’t believe how fast the wedding is coming round, but I’m getting excited!

Bridesmaid Dresses

On the theme of weddings, this weekend I started to have a look at dresses online with my maid of honour and bridesmaid. I’m not 100% sure how it’s going to work getting them and altering them as my MOH lives in Australia at the moment, but it was exciting to see whats out there and what styles are available.

Aldi

I had a bit of time to kill on Sunday so I decided to go to Aldi to pick up a few bits for the week. The one near us is always super busy, but I decided to brave it on a Sunday as I really wanted to try some of their special buy range, and ended up coming out with a quiche, vegetarian pies, hummus and a lot of other random stuff, but our fridge has never looked so full!

Yara

Jordan and I are huge fans of Lebanese food and decided to treat ourselves to our favourite restaurant, Yara on Sunday evening as it felt like we hadn’t been out together for a while. We shared some mezze starters and the food was amazing, as always. That type of cuisine is inspiring our wedding menu too!

Exciting Brand Collaborations

This week I’ve had a couple of really exciting emails land in my inbox and I can’t wait to share the results with you in the next coming weeks. It’s been a bit of a struggle the last couple of weeks getting blog posts together and scheduled, but I’m hoping to have more time to focus on the future soon and the exciting things I have planned for Eleanor Graceful – watch this space!

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What were you loving this week?

Scandinavia is one of those places which is filled with mystery, and one of the best places I’ve ever visited – back in 2016, I went for a trip to Oslo with my friend, Africa, and I wrote all about it here.

There are so many other cities that I would like to travel to one day, but today I wanted to talk about Norway, which is one of my favourite places ever. It is a country definitely worthy of being included in your bucket list, as it offers a lot of unforgettable experiences and today I’ve rounded up a few of them, which is just sparking my wanderlust to discover more.

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The Fjords

A natural fixture in the Norwegian countryside, these bodies of water were created after the last Ice Age. The Culture Trip details the many activities you can do in a fjord such as kayaking, sailing, diving, hiking, and camping. One highly recommended destination is Lysefjord, which is among the most popular fjords in the country.

You can also do cruises around the Fjords all year round, which is something I’ve been looking into for a while and has been highly recommended by those who have done it.

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Aurora Borealis

Otherwise known as the Northern Lights, they are a breathtaking phenomenon of luminous lights dancing in the sky. Norway is considered by many travellers as the best place to see this natural wonder as the sky is always quite clear.

Time your visit between late September to late March because that’s when the Aurora Borealis is often seen.

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The Viking Ship Museum

The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo displays some of the most well preserved Viking longships or ‘drakkars’. They date back as 1100 years ago and were found in three royal tombs close to the Oslo fjord.

The ships were used to deliver their owners to the dead. The museum also showcases all the artefacts that were found in the tomb such as small boats, sledges and the only “car” from the Viking age.

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Norse mythology

In a previous post on Greece, we tackled various ruins that are associated with Greek mythology. Although this aspect of Greek culture remains popular, the Boston Globe states that Norse myths are also very much in vogue as well.

Thanks to Marvel’s versions of Thor, Loki, and Odin, Norse mythology is now drawing attention from moviegoers that want to know more about places like Asgard and Valhalla. In fact, the renewed interest has also been seen across the video industry that incorporates elements of Norse mythology as well. The latest instalment of God of War features the encounters of the main character with Asgardian deities.

You can discover more about these fascinating stories as you explore Norway. And the best way to do so is to visit places like Midgard Historical Centre and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

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I hope this blog has encouraged you to discover more of Scandinavia and in particular, Norway. Let me know if you have any other recommendations.

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Have you been to Norway? What did you think?

Meanwhile, FoxyCasino focuses on many pop culture themes for their slot games and Norse lore is very prominent in titles such as Asgardian Stones and Hall of Gods. Like in Thor: Ragnarok, they make use of the Valkyrie, who according to Norse mythology are female warriors that bring fallen heroes to Valhalla, the great resting place.

Sunset terrace at Australasia

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to this week’s Weekly Love post! I hope you had a lovely weekend doing whatever made you smile and are ready for a new week.

It seems as though the great British summer is coming to an end, but hopefully, the rain is just for a week or so and it’ll be blazing hot again before we know it!

Here is everything I was loving last week.

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Cologne

Jordan and I came back from Cologne on Monday, which was such a fun little trip. We had the morning there so went in the pool for the last time, and had breakfast on the hotel roof terrace – can every Monday be like this please?

Nails

I had my last set of gels on for far too long and my nails had started to split underneath, so I knew it was about time for a new set! I went for a pale pink (very millennial of me) and I love how pretty and girly it is – it’s been a while since I had pink, but now the weather is starting to turn, I thought I best get something summery for maybe the last time *sob*.

Shoot

On Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of shooting in Didsbury with the amazing Adel who I met on Instagram. She was so lovely and had some amazing props with her, which meant that we managed to shoot very bridal inspired photographs without even realising. I’ll be sharing some on my Instagram in the next few days so make sure you’re following me here!

Painting

This week I’ve been working in my home office, which has been a bit of a dumping ground, so on Friday evening, I decided to get everything out of it and paint it. It took about 3 hours, but it’s now a really lovely shade of pale pink (and looks slightly like a nursery) and I can’t wait to sort it out fully.

Everything I Know About Love

I’ve been reading Dolly Alderton’s ‘Everything I know about love’ and this week I’ve been unable to put it down. I’m quite near the end now, and I can see why loads of girls my age have really enjoyed reading it – I would highly recommend.

Afternoon Tea

Jordan and I were very kindly invited to afternoon tea at the new Sunset Terrace at Australasia. The terrace has recently been refurbished and is absolutely stunning. We had the sushi bento box, to begin with, and then had a sample of different cakes for afterwards. I’ve only been to Australasia once for food and it was amazing, and this afternoon tea experience didn’t disappoint either.

Cosy Night In

My Nan stayed with us on Saturday night and we had a cosy night in whilst it rained outside. We watched dinner date, blind date and a program with Gino Di Campo, and it was so fun to stay in with her and have a chilled evening with lasagne and lots of tea and biscuits.

Sunday Lunch

My mum joined us on Sunday for Sunday lunch where we had fish, potatoes and a lot of cake for dessert. It was really lovely to have a weekend filled with family time and not having to go out anywhere, and it made my heart full.

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What were you loving last week?

Lots of newcomers to the world of blogging find it incredibly easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all. It’s thrilling to set up your own website and to attract a loyal following of readers, and it can be all too easy to make a couple of mistakes – it’s easy enough and most of us have been there when we’re a newbie blogger.

It’s a good idea to build up a bank of blog posts before you start publishing so you always have something to post. Once you’ve got a few posts ready to go, you should start to schedule them (this is when you add them to your CMS and set a date and time for them to go live).

Ideally, you should schedule posts to go live at around the same time every day, so your readers know when to expect new content. Scheduling posts in this way can really help you take some of the stress away from blogging and keeping on top of new ideas for content.

Now comes the boring bit – keeping your computer up to date…

No matter how good your laptop or desktop is, there is still a chance that it might throw up a few errors now again or give you some cause for concern. Whenever there is a problem with your machine, don’t just ignore it as it may become a bigger issue further down the line Find a local IT support who you will be able to rely on if you do end up in tech trouble: They’ll be able to help you fix things in no time at all.

People are always drawn to the pictures on your blog so make sure you don’t publish a post without adding any images. You need to add pictures to all of your posts as it will brighten them up and make them look a lot more attractive to readers. Try and take your own photography and add some images of yourself in too whenever it is suitable. That helps show readers the person behind the blog, which will make them relate to your writing a lot more.

Not everyone who has a blog has an English degree or a job where they write day to day, but to the outside world, it may seem that way. There are free programs that you can install to help you with your spelling and grammar if that is something you think you may struggle with, and when you’re just starting out, it may be worth getting people to proofread your posts.

Finding your own voice in your writing to is really important so what you’re saying sounds much more genuine. If you are linking your social channels to your blog too, it makes sense to marry them all up together and ensure that the tone of voice is the same throughout. Not only does this help you have your own voice heard, but it means that your readers will have a personal connection with you.

Blogging is all about having fun too, so make sure you’re not overthinking it when you first start out and just go for it. It can seem a little scary to begin with, but once you get the hang of it then it can be really fun.

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Do you have any tips for people just starting out in the blogging world?

Travelling is fun, there’s no denying it – it’s a big part of a lot of people’s life too.

It’s a great way to kick back a bit and just relax, so, usually, the last thing on your mind is looking chic and your best abroad; there is so much to do and see after all that fashion can sometimes take a back seat.

Normally when you go away, you are travelling with friends and family and there is no need to impress anyone, in particular, so you can pretty much wear what you fancy. But, every now and again, you will want to dress up a bit for a nice dinner with your other half, your final night away or, maybe you are travelling to join a friend for a special celebration.

Today I’ve rounded up a few suggestions to help you to fit a stylish outfit or two into your suitcase.

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Opt for two-piece outfits

If you choose to pack a top to wear with a nice skirt or trousers rather than a dress you will be able to mix and match them to create several outfits. Something like the wonderful maxi skirts you can buy from places like www.jdwilliam.co.uk would be ideal. After the special event, you can wear the maxi skirt again and again which is always a plus.

Paired with a more casual top it would be ideal for wearing in the evening. If you choose one made from a lightweight material you could even pop it in your beach bag. It would is also good for putting on over the top of your swimming costume for the walk back to your accommodation.

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Pack a nice pashmina

Rather than packing a jacket, which would take up a lot of space, opt for a shawl or pashmina instead. Choose one that is made from a material that does not crease easily so you’re not frantically looking for an iron whilst you’re away. 

As you can see from this short video, you can wear this item in lots of different ways and use it to enhance all kinds of outfits, so they’re really versatile and don’t take up a lot of room in your case either. 

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Use accessories and shoes to tie together

The key to looking special enough is to use the right accessories. A nice belt, some statement jewellery, and a matching bag will all work together to lift any outfit.

Sandals are great for sight-seeing, but unless they are particularly dressy they are not likely to be quite chic enough to wear for that special occasion. A far better option is a pair of classic pumps. If you go for a peep toe pair or maybe some slingbacks they can easily be worn as an alternative to sandals.

These styles of shoes enable plenty of air to circulate around your feet. Just be careful to choose shoes that are not so high that they cannot comfortably be worn all day.

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Keep things simple

Before you go away, experiment with styling your hair and doing your makeup in as simple a way as possible. This will enable you to reduce the number of beauty products and makeup you have to pack. You can find out how to do this, by reading the travel-ready makeup section of this article.

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I hope this blog has given you some inspiration for packing a variety of outfits when you head on your holiday, but my main tip would be to not overthink it. Travel can be stressful at times, so having pieces you can throw on and dress up and down with jewellery and shoes is one of the easy options.

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How do you like to style yourself when you go away?