The Tech Detox Diary

Our usual bedtime routine consists of me falling asleep on Joe on the settee at a ridiculously early time before dragging myself to bed, taking off my make up with my eyes half closed, taking out my contact lenses and then deciding it's a good idea to watch half an hour of YouTube, check Instagram, scroll through twitter and check emails before Joe joins me after his Match of the Day or other football related nonsense fix. Surprise, surprise, it isn't a good idea and I spend ages trying to get to sleep afterwards.

I know it's a silly thing to do and it's a habit I need to get out of but I always really need to know what handbag Lydia Elise Millen has bought this week or where in the world Victoria is, I also see it as a bit of a me time before Joe comes to bed but it does absolutely nothing for my sleep cycle.

Thankfully bed and mattress specialist Time 4 Sleep challenged me to a tech detox to see if it improved my sleep pattern at all, it seemed like the perfect time to make some changes to my relationship with technology. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with my phone but I am heavily reliant on it, working in e-commerce, running my blog, keeping social media up to date, knowing what's going on in the world and running Pomme Pomme on the side means that my phone is almost constantly in my hand. 

The Nest Series: 7 Ways to Make a Small Bathroom Look Bigger

Seeing as I have a mountain of home content piling up and, now that we're home from Canada, the house is our number one priority, I thought I'd start a new series of posts so here goes The Nest Series! 

Our house is pretty big, it's a Victorian terrace house with high ceilings, big windows and huge rooms. Apart from the bathroom. The bathroom is miniature and there's only one which for a three bedroom house isn't ideal. Until we've saved up enough to extend it or add another one, we're making do with the pocket size bathroom and we've worked our magic to create the feel of more space. I have a few friends who are struggling with the same issue so I've put together a few tips and tricks in case they're helpful to you guys too.

Silver Details & Pink Blossom

Toronto essentially had me at hello. As soon as we got off the train, we instantly felt at home among the huge skyscrapers and busy streets. We stayed on King Street West, right next to Queen Street West, both of which are packed with great bars, good restaurants and cute little shops where we felt like locals rather than tourists.

On our third day in the city, we fancied a change from the city and the ridiculousness of Niagara Falls which we had been to the day before (more on that in a later post!), so headed to High Park. I'd been reading about the cherry blossom which was supposed to be incredible at this time of year and we wanted to spot some wildlife (we love a squirrel) so it seemed like the perfect spot to grab breakfast.

Pink Gin & Green Leaves

This weekend's weather has been surprisingly delicious, with both days seeing an enviable amount of sunshine and blue sky. We woke up relatively early this morning so decided to make the most of the weather and head over to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, one of our favourite places to spend a sunny day and soak up a bit of culture. 

After easily getting to 10,000 steps (an almost impossible task during the week thanks to office lyf) we've now settled on the sofa listening to Joe's purchases from Record Store Day, basking in the sunshine that is streaming through our bay windows, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to crack out this month's Gin Explorer box to wind down before what is likely to be a mad last week at work before we head to Canada.

Tweet Eats: The Old Wellington, Manchester

The first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is that you do talk about Sunday Lunch Club. Well, it's not technically an official club but every month or so myself, Rebecca and Laura meet up and try out a different roast in Manchester. Our plan is to find the best one in the city but it's also an excuse to sped hours chatting and eating, one of our favourite hobbies.

Last weekend we put The Old Wellington to the test after they invited us in to give it a whirl. I'd been to The Old Wellington plenty of times before, but had never actually been inside thanks to their suntrap of a beer garden that they share with Oyster Bar, so I was really intrigued to see what the food would be like. We also welcomed a new member to Sunday Lunch Club as Kate joined us for the first time!