#11 Life as we know it

Long time no see... So what's happened since last time? I left my job. It was something that was on the cards for a very long time. I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of it all, but it was a company that treated its employees appallingly. Wanting out, I'd been going to interviews for over a year but wasn't getting anywhere. It really eats you up. Knowing you have so much to give and nowhere will take you. Meaning you have to remain in a role that is exploitative and all take take take. It's soul destroying. But then I was recommended for a role by an ex colleague and I was in. My first week felt like a dream. It all happened so quickly. After my first day, I got home, got straight into bed and pulled the duvet over my head. Not because I was stressed. Not because I was broken. But purely because I was so over-whelmed. I haven't been this happy in a very long time.

In my first week I learnt that we get decent views of the red carpet for London film premieres from our window. On my second day I got to see the Expendables 3 premiere. Stallone and co waved up at us and Wesley Snipes danced a funny little dance. So if you're ever in London and want to celebrity spot at a particular film opening, you know who to call! ;)

The second highlight of week one was bumping into Bradley Cooper one morning. He was filming a movie outside our office and I had no idea it was him to start with, even though I was literally inches away from him. Then a crazy fan jumped in front of me, screaming his name, and THEN I realised who it was. Camera crew pulled us passers-by to one side whilst they filmed a chase scene. Epic.

After a busy first week of work and some pretty heavy post-work drinks, I was absolutely knackered. I needed a lazy weekend. On Sunday I ventured out to watch The Inbetweeners 2 and avoided the downpour in the local Frankie & Benny's:

Pancakes with bacon AND maple syrup were a first for me. In all honesty, I didn't think it would work. But do you know what? They weren't bad. A bit sweet for me personally, but definitely something I'd have again. And in typical Lucy style, no breakfast is complete without hash browns ;) Frankie & Benny's doesn't have any mention of hot chocolate on their menu but if you go and are partial to chocolate, ask for one! Topped with a generous dollop of cream and maltesers, you'll be in hot drink heaven!

Back tracking a bit... my ex-colleagues gave me a lovely send-off on my last Friday. The company gave me permission to leave work at lunch time and not come back (woo!) so we went to Meat Liquor for epic burgers and wine in jam jars:

I received an enormous bag of gifts from everyone and the silver glitter got EVERYWHERE. Stu left his bag next to mine under the table and wasn't impressed with his new glittery bag when it was home time!

I was really touched by the amount of people who came to the pub that night to see me off. We stayed until closing time and knew it was high time to leave when my (ex) boss split my recently bought drink all over the place...

I miss them all so much. I spent nearly three years there so it was a massive part of my life post-university. But now it's time for a new chapter. Please bear with me whilst I'm settling in at my new place. Blogging will return to normal soon enough I promise! 

Jar Jar Binks // the Laura Ashley lamp of dreams

This year was the year that I first discovered the versatility of The Jar. It was the year I first went to Meat Liquor and loved the novelty of drinking from a jam jar. It was also the year I went to DonnoWhat2Cook's first supper club where we drank from - you guessed it - glass jars. Feeling inspired, I picked up some jars of my own from Hobby Craft. Fast forward to Christmas where I received two of these amazing Laura Ashley Marina jar lamps:

Image source: Laura Ashley website here

The jars are in fact usable so you can unclasp and voilà... another - very neat - storage option. When the lamps arrived, I was stunned to discover that the jars were a lot bigger than what I expected. I'd planned to display a few sweets or a flower or something but with pumpkin-like capacity, I am left wondering what on earth I can store. Because with jars this big, I could probably store a small dog (not that I would). Pinterest to the rescue. After browsing Pinterest for the last year or so, I decided I should probably sign up with my own account already. You can find me here. My boards are still very much a work in progress, but I have found some lovely ideas of what to fill my jars with:

There are also some wonderful ideas on the Laura Ashley blog which I have also pinned:

Any other ideas of what I could pop in my jars?