Lamplight Film Club- Halloween Special!

Last night was Lamplight Film Club’s Halloween special at Holmeside Coffee, and despite saying that I wouldn’t be attending due to my scary film-phobia, I couldn’t resist going back! After purchasing another delicious peanut butter hot chocolate and taking a few snaps of Holmeside Coffee, we headed upstairs to Independent, the new space for the screenings. 

Funky coffee machine

Such a nice idea!

The room was lovingly decked out with all things spooky; cobwebs on the chairs (most of which I took with me on the back of my coat when I left), eerie lighting from candles around the room and some skilfully carved pumpkins. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get very good snaps as it was dark, and didn't want to spoil the film with my flash! The club were kind enough to offer ‘trick or treat’ bags full of popcorn and sweets to munch on throughout the film, and vampire fangs perfect for a pre-film selfie. We couldn’t resist! A donation was asked for in return, to which we gladly obliged as it was such a thoughtful touch.

Someone has serious carving skills

Spooky selfie! 

The film was a Swedish production called ‘Let the Right one in’, and centred around a friendship between a little boy and a vampire. Luckily the film wasn’t particularly scary but the supernatural theme along with numerous blood splatters warranted it festively appropriate. I can’t say that it was my favourite film of all time, but the subsequent comments from various other viewers about the sweetness of the friendship between the two main characters did ring true. Another brilliant screening from Lamplight, and I very much look forward to the next!

Liberty Brown and the List Book

Went for a bit of lunch today with my Mam, and thought we'd give Liberty Brown a go as we'd had good meals there in the past. Today was no different. I love the interior design of this place- all dark wood, funky lampshades and checkerboard floors. I'm trying to eat healthily at the moment, so went for a superfood salad; quinoa, avocado and edamame beans (and requested a bit of chicken thrown in), and it was really light and fresh. My Mam had a jacket potato, which was only £2.95 and was absolutely huge! We had a browse of the cocktail menu during our visit, and would definitely be tempted to go back for a tipple! I've been to Dr. Feelgood in the past (the cocktail and tapas bar upstairs to Liberty Brown), and despite their impressive liquid concoctions, I've heard of and experienced disappointing service. Luckily in my experience the service downstairs has always been spot on.

After our food we did a bit of bargain-shop browsing. I'm a bit obsessed with making lists for my day-to-day plans, and love buying nice notebooks to make them in. I found this book in B&M Bargains for 99p- over the moon! Can't beat a bargain! 

The downside of this shop for me is how seriously cheap the chocolate is- I got a Kitkat chunky with peanut butter for 29p!! Not good for my healthy eating, but you've got to treat yourself every now and then, right? :)

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High..Low..Weird

A little fact about me that I never fail to tell people is that I lived in Australia for a year as part of my degree. It is so far the highlight of my life, and is a running joke with people who know me that I am forever banging on about it. While I was over there I became aware of Aussie brand Lorna Jane, firstly through her bold and playful active-wear, then through her amazing philosophy Move Nourish Believe- think energising workouts, deliciously nutritious recipes and inspirational quotes. The woman (Lorna Jane herself) who created this brand is a genius. Since returning to the UK last July and acquiring an iPhone, the obsession with this brand is fully formed as I am able to follow Lorna Jane on Bloglovin and Instagram, and can even download the app. Happy days! The point of this babbling was just to share this post from Lorna Jane about positivity. I read it and felt immediately happier. And I definitely want to start incorporating the 'High, Low, Weird' game into my life more often. Here goes one for today...

High: Receiving my new reversible scarf in the post.

Low: Nearly being blown away by the wind!

Weird: Seeing two guys in the gym doing handstands against the wall...

I also noticed when reading the post that Lorna Jane have produced a free ebook- downloading as we speak. The obsession continues...

Roker Revamp

Most people that know me would say that I can be a pretty harsh critic of Sunderland. I just feel that there is so much potential for this city to be great and that not much is being done with it. So I was excited when I found out that the sea front at Roker was getting a bit of a makeover, and decided to head down yesterday afternoon to check it out. I was trying to make the most of the sunny weather, but inevitably as soon as I set off the dark clouds descended. Nevertheless, I still got some decent shots. I turned my lens to the lighthouse first, then noticed some interestingly artistic graffiti that I'd never before seen. I also took a look at the old photographs of Roker dotted around the promenade- it's weird to see what it used to be like!

I'd been down to The Beach House and had some food a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. The nautical decor inside was really fitting to its location, and felt like something new and refreshing. And the food was good too. But I noticed when I was down this time that there is a new noodle place- definitely going to have to try that out at some point! I love me some noodles!

I think what has been done so far down at Roker is really good, and hopefully we'll see more positive changes around the city in the future.

National Chocolate Week- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Being a self-confessed chocoholic, I was surprised that I only found out that it was National Chocolate Week on Wednesday. Nevertheless, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to whip up a choccy recipe I’ve had my eye on for a while.

Naturally Sassy came to my attention through Instagram a few weeks ago, and I have been hooked on her website ever since. The simple-to-follow, delicious and natural recipes have made my transition to healthier eating so much easier. I was also pretty ecstatic when I spotted that Naturally Sassy provides a free Ebook based on, you guessed it, CHOCOLATE. This is where I found the recipe for my peanut butter cups, although I had to tweak it slightly to suit my low budget (damn you student debt). But they still taste pretty bloody good!  And unlike your everyday Reese’s cups, these ones use only healthy, raw ingredients- so they’re good for you too. What a winner! Happy National Chocolate Week! 

                                           

Coffee and The Crack

I'd seen The Crack magazine floating around in different establishments across the North East, and finally picked up my own free copy this morning. The North East magazine covers all things lifestyle and culture across the region, and does so with some serious humour. I enjoyed the magazine at lunch time with a coffee, most of which I nearly spat out while laughing along with hilarious articles, one in particular pretty much ridiculing Pharrell Williams' new perfume release. And his daft hat. It also brought me up to speed with a lot of events coming up around the North East- perfect blogging material! Can't wait to read the next issue.

Alice in Sunderland

FINALLY got the chance to head down to Roker Park last night for the illuminations. They were pretty impressive, but I think I actually prefer them in the day time! One thing that I really enjoyed was the fountains in the pond that changed colour, they were really nice to watch. The illuminations were supposed to tell the story of Alice in Wonderland, yet I felt a large portion of the characters and the story were missed out. Nevertheless, the ones that were included were amazing, and my niece enjoyed them too!

Gone Girl (and Paella)

There's been a lot of hype about the recently released film adaptation of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The book has been on my radar for a while now, and I wanted to read it before I saw the film (which I think is the best order to do it in). But, my curiosity got the better of me and I headed into town last night to catch the movie as it was Cheap Tuesdays (Empire Cinemas don't call it that, but I think it has a certain ring to it). It seemed a lot of others had the same idea, as the screen was packed! I won't spoil the plot or anything, but I will say that the story line is extremely gripping. A lot of twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, and Ben Affleck puts in a great performance. One down-side to the film: when the final scene ended and the credits started to roll, I turned to my Mam and she looked just as baffled as me. We're still not quite sure how the ending went or what we were meant to be feeling after the film. Hopefully the book is a bit more clear- I might give it a read one day.

Luckily, there was one certain thing last night, and that was how good my paella was! I loosely followed a Weight Watchers recipe, as my Mam is currently joined up online, and it was so good she went back for a second plate!

Autumn/ Winter Bargains!

I sometimes think that it's a bit dangerous for my bank balance that my gym (Pure Gym in Roker) resides inside a Tesco. And today I feel this is even more true, as I have fully discovered the clothes section. I nipped in after my workout to pick up a few bits to whip up a healthy paella for tea (blog post to follow if successful!) and was on my way to the till when I was distracted by all of the lovely Autumn/Winter pieces in F&F. I can't say I've ever really looked or bought anything from this section, but I was drawn in immediately by the chunky knits and other stylish items. After a little browse I soon discovered the sale section, and managed to find a nice top in my size for a fiver- bargain! I love the lace detail on this top, and think it'll be perfect for layering now that it's started to get a bit colder.

Another shop that has some great winter pieces at the moment is Matalan. I visited the Pallion store a week or so ago and picked up this cardigan and over-the-knee boots-both decently priced. Cannot wait to wear them!

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103.4

On my drive home from work earlier I was accompanied by some classic old school tunes thanks to Sun FM. This radio station is, in my opinion, one of the great things about Sunderland. Often when I listen to other stations (those of which I won't name!) I get really frustrated  by the song repetitions- it's as though they have a playlist on a loop. But I find Sun FM rarely repeats songs, and there's such a variety of music! One minute there's a current chart-topper playing, the next minute I'm thrown back to my childhood with something that I haven't heard in years (yet still manage to remember all of the words to). As well as the class music, I'm able to keep up with local news and events through the station, all given by great presenters. That's a massive thumbs-up from me!