That Time I Got Pick-Pocketed in London

A couple of Sundays ago, I took my first trip out of the house all year to see Ronan Keating and a symphony orchestra live in London... only to get pick-pocketed minutes after we got off the bus in Victoria.

I swear, I either have the worst luck, or I did something terrible in a former life. Something always goes wrong when I travel to concerts.

It's been going around and around in my head since it happened- mostly what I should've done differently- so I'm hoping writing about it and getting my thoughts out will help me make sense of it, and let it go. Writing has always helped me clear my head, but feel free to roll your eyes if you think I'm overreacting.

So... just after arriving in London on Mother's Day, we went into Victoria station to grab some food before heading to the Royal Albert Hall for the concert we'd travelled to see. Seconds after we went inside, we were walking slowly up half a dozen stairs (slowed down by Arthritis), when someone pressed up close behind me. I thought they were trying to hurry us up, so I tried to ignore them instead of letting them intimidate me (or elbowing them in the face), but something about it felt off, so I thought to check my bag as soon as I was off the stairs- only to find my backpack was unzipped, and my purse had gone. They'd seen us moving slowly, and they'd marked us as easy targets. 

It was all over in a matter of seconds, and happened so fast, I didn't even get a look at them as they hurried away. My sister got a glimpse, but I was too busy checking my bag.                                             

Luckily, they only took my purse and I didn't even have any cash on me. My phone was in my hand, and they didn't take my camera or concert tickets which had my personal details on them, so it could've been worse. They could've taken my whole bag, and I could've had my NI card on me, but didn't. Thanks to my sister, I was able to cancel my bank card in minutes before they even got a chance to use it, so my only real loss was my lovely Vendula London flower shop purse. (I'm gutted- it isn't made any more).

I'm mostly just annoyed at myself for being stupid enough to take a backpack to London, because I never, ever do for this very reason. I've always taken a cross-body I can keep a hand on, but this time, I was careless as I wanted to ease the strain on my neck and shoulder, which were hurting like hell. I even contemplated the risk before I left home, so I feel like such an idiot. 

With all the stabbings in London lately, I'm just grateful I wasn't hurt- they didn't so much as touch me- and I wasn't alone so I didn't end up stranded without any money or a bus ticket home. All I could do was Paypal my sister money for things, so it left me feeling pretty vulnerable. I think it's time to set up some kind of payment on my phone (which the policeman also recommended), and go back to putting £20 in my shoe when I travel, so I'm not so helpless if I lose my wallet again. It was a wake up call.

I wasn't the only one it happened to, either; when we were talking to the police, there were two other girls who had just been targeted in another station, probably by the same men. I felt worse for them, because they were tourists, and it's a shitty thing to happen miles from home. The police and the security guard were all really kind and sympathetic, though, which made a big difference. They took it seriously, and didn't lay any blame on our actions, or make us feel like we were wasting their time. They just shared some insights about pick-pocketers and suggested some tips- like wearing a cross-body bag beneath a jacket or cardi so it's harder for thieves to cut a bag right from your body, and to set up Apple Pay on your phone to have money to fall back on.

I didn't really care about finding my purse- that was already long gone, but we got the police involved to hopefully stop it from happening to other people. I hope they were able to find them, but if not, I hope karma comes back to bite them where it hurts. I'd wish them a life time of chronic pain, but that seems a little bit mean. Maybe they were professional pick-pocketers, or maybe they were just desperate. Who knows?

I didn't let two assholes ruin my night, though, and tried not to let it phase me. I didn't panic, and only realised it affected me at all when the nerves in my legs started twitching when I sat down afterwards. (It's only now it's over that it's bothering me a little bit, and creeping in to my head at random times). We still had a great night, and miraculously, we had the same bus driver on the way home to Oxford, who remembered us, and didn't make me pay for another ticket home, so... silver linings. 

If you take anything from this story, I hope it makes you think about your safety when you travel and you learn from my mistakes. Don't take a backpack to London or any other big city; keep your bag where you can see it; don't keep all your money in one place when you travel; and if someone invades your space, don't just ignore it to be the bigger person. It might not be safe to confront them, but at least turn to acknowledge you know they're there to discourage them, and try to move away from them if you can.

It might make a difference.

Have you ever been pick-pocketed on your travels?

Currently | October 2022

I can't remember the last time I sat down and wrote a 'currently' post about what I've been doing and enjoying lately, so I think it's about time I stopped by for a catch-up. 

Grab yourself a cuppa, make yourself comfortable; and help yourself to a biscuit.

So, what's new with you?

Lately, I've been...

Reading

I've read almost every day so far this year, and while I haven't read a crazy amount of books, I've still devoured a decent number. I'm currently on my thirty-eighth book of 2022, and only need to finish three to complete my Goodreads reading goal of forty, so I'm pleased with my progress. I've read some great books over the last few months (and a couple of not-so-great ones, too). I discovered Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and ploughed through all seven of her Grishaverse novels one after the other, plus an enchanting book of fairytales and another about saints set in the same world. I'm a little obsessed, if I'm honest- especially with Nikolai, who has to be one of my favourite book characters ever. It took me a while to get in to Six of Crows as it was a slow-starter and so different to the first three books, but by the time Matthais and Nina were added, and all of their characters' stories started to unravel, I was hooked. I've also reread the Caraval series as I needed another fantasy binge and a Jacks fix; got through a few psychological thrillers like The Blackbird by Tim Weaver and Do No Harm by Jack Jordan (both excellent), and The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh (which was not); and recently finished The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum for the first time. I've also read a few Blake Crouch novels lately, and was especially engrossed in Dark Matter, which has to be one of the best books I've ever read. It's about a man who gets kidnapped and wakes up in a parallel universe where his wife isn't his wife, his son doesn't exist, and the company he works for are out to get him. Once he realises where he is, he has to figure out how to get back to his own world, and all kinds of crazy shit goes down as he tries to get back to his family. It was an incredible read, and the way the multiverse is explored was both mind-blowing and terrifying. Read it! Recursion was also brilliant, but Upgrade was so boring I had to force myself to keep reading. I then reread Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the first time in twenty-one years, which was lovely to return to. I've just finished The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber, which I loved- especially Jacks and his patented blend of gentleness, mischieve, and playful cruelty, but the ending broke me. If Garber doesn't fix that ending in book three, I don't think my heart will ever recover. A few days ago, I finished reading The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke, a creepy thriller about a woman and her three daughters living in a lighthouse in Scotland that's cursed by witches and wildlings. In 1998, the mother and her daughters disappear one by one, and only one girl is seen again- until twenty-one years later, when one of the daughters reappears, still seven years old. It was a good, creepy little read, and perfect for autumn.  On Thursday, I read my first ever graphic novel- The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo. It's a prequel to Shadow and Bone about The Darkling and how he came to be, and the artwork is gorgeous. I'm now reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and I'm already hooked. I hope it's as good as The Martian. 

If you want to keep up with what I've been reading, you can find me on Goodreads here.

Watching

Recent screen favourites have included Shadow and Bone (especially Matthais- I mean, seriously, where can I get one?!), Stranger Things, Alba, Jurassic World Dominion, The Age of Adaline, Old, Greenland, A Quiet Place 1 & 2, Scream 5, the Neighbours finale (so sad it's over), and Home and Away. I've also started watching Locke and Key on Netflix, and The Night Sky on Prime, which I've been enjoying, but I've only watched a few episodes of each so far, and I recently watched an interesting documentary series on 9/11 on Disney+. Mostly, I've just been rewatching old favourites.

Listening

I haven't listened to a lot of new music lately, except for the new Panic! at the Disco album, Viva las Vengeance, which I'm really enjoying. I've mostly been playing a lot of Linkin Park and Dead by Sunrise, but hey, what's new?

Stitching 

I've hardly cross stitched at all this year as I've been so uninspired and haven't found anything I've wanted to stitch, but I've just gone back to stitching some Satsuma Street Christmas baubles designs I began last December. They're only little, so they won't take me long to sew, so I should have no trouble completing them in time for the festive season. I've finished two so far, and think I have five left to go.

Playing

I still love Animal Crossing New Horizons and enjoy relaxing with it every day. I've recently started a new island after getting frustrated with my old one when I was sick with Covid- then regretting it and resetting again- so I'm busy playing catch up, and also trying to make it look super autumnal with lots of pumpkins and orange foliage. I've also been working on lots of holiday homes with the add-on, Happy Home Paradise, which I find oddly addictive. Aside from AC, I regularly play FarmVille 3, and recently spent a fun evening on holiday playing Ghostbusters Monopoly, and getting taught how to play Disney Uno for the first time. I'm tempted to jump on the bandwagon and try Disney Dreamlight Valley next, as everyone seems to be obsessed with it, but I want to get a little further in Animal Crossing before I get addicted to another game.

Buying

I recently bought the coolest Labyrinth print smock dress from Truffle Shuffle. It's black and has a print of characters from the movie (like Jareth, Ludo, and Hoggle), and barn owls and the lyrics 'dance, magic dance' dotted in between. It's amazing, and so comfortable, too. It caters to both straight sizes and plus sizes up to a 24-26, and it's generously-sized, so I'd recommend sizing down. I also treated myself to a gorgeous red polka dot midi dress by Live Unlimited from Very with some belated birthday money, which I wore on my recent holiday to Cornwall. It's pretty, classic, and so comfy, too. Also very generously-sized. Aside from dresses, I've bought quite a few books lately- mostly from stumbling in to bookshops on holiday; a pumpkin witch brooch from Erstwilder; the cosiest new toadstool print pyjamas from ASOS Curve; and I've even picked up a few gifts and wrapping accessories for Christmas already. 

Wanting

All the books, some new dresses, this year's Essie and Benefit Advent calendars, to curl up in a pile of blankets like a burrito, the sequel to The Ballad of Never After to be out now because that ending broke me and needs fixing along with my heart, and the next series of Shadow and Bone to be released on Netflix already, 

Needing

New glasses, a hair cut, new pairs of ankle boots and Converse, a good concert, my tachycardia to calm the f*ck down, a cure for tinnitus before I go insane, some excitement in my life, and a new camera as I dropped and broke my Canon. *Sobs.*

Wishing 

I could rewind a month and enjoy my holiday all over again. Or that I was rich enough to take another one... I miss being by the sea.

Enjoying

A week's holiday down in Cornwall last month. It was so good to get away, spend some time by the sea, relax, eat some good food, and revisit some of my favourite places. I won't say any more now, as I'll be writing a separate post about what I got up to soon.

Loving

I recently tried the OGX coconut shampoo and conditioner, after picking up travel sizes for my holiday, and not only do they smell amazing, but they left my hair so soft and shiny, too. I'll definitely be buying them again.

Liking

The crisp chill in the air, the leaves changing colours, seeing hedges full of blackberries, the sound of dry leaves skipping along the tarmac in the breeze, and curling up under a blanket with a good book as the last of the daylight fades away in the evening. I'm liking these early autumn days a lot.

Eating

As I've been away, I've enjoyed some really good treats lately; my favourite fish and chips from Rick Stein's Fish and Chips, the most amazing berry roulade from a café on Padstow harbour, delicious junk food from a burger bar called The Hub Box in St. Ives, a few Cornish pasties, some great gelato from Pavilion Ice in Perranporth... it was a good week for food. I've also been loving Cadbury Mint Crisp chocolate, and may have enjoyed a Millie's Cookie or two last week... 

Drinking

I recently tried a really delicious raspberry lemonade from The Hub Box. It was just the right balance of tart and sweet, and had fresh raspberries in it. It was sooo good. More please.

Burning

the back of my hand on the oven the first time I tried cooking (well, heating) something in many moons. (Cooking hurts my back too much, so I don't often unless I have no other option). I really shouldn't be allowed in the kitchen. Luckily, the burn isn't too deep as I reacted fast, but boy, did it hurt. Fingers crossed it doesn't scar.

And that's life lately in a nut shell.

What have you been enjoying lately?

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Holidaying in Cornwall During The Pandemic 2021

In September, I finally made it back to Cornwall for another holiday- and only a year later than planned (thanks, Covid). 

It was my first holiday in four years, and only my second in over a decade, so it was a long over-due, and much needed break. The trip already seems like so long ago, but with the cold weather creeping in again, I can't help but long for those lazy, late summer days by the sea. Luckily, I don't have too long to wait for another taste of it, as we're heading back to Cornwall again this summer, but while I impatiently count down the days, I thought I'd reminisce about last year's holiday with some blog posts about my week away. Well, I have been meaning to write about my holiday since last autumn! 

My older sister and I spent a week down in Perranporth in north Cornwall, a place we've been visiting since we were babies. Our parents actually had their honeymoon in the area in the seventies, and our family have holidayed there ever since. We've been so many times, it's more like a second home to us than a holiday spot, but we love the place, and never get bored of visiting it. So many people turn up their noses at the thought of holidaying in England and saw staycations as a consolation prize when they couldn't travel abroad during the height of the pandemic, but we purposefully choose to take holidays to Cornwall now and then, and have always enjoyed these trips as much as any holiday abroad. Those who don't see the appeal in English holidays have clearly never visited the coast in Cornwall when the sun is shining. With its golden sandy beaches and pretty harbour villages, rugged coastlines, and green countryside, it's such a beautiful part of England, and I can honestly say it's one of my favourite places in the world. 

We had a lovely week chasing the last of the summer sun; sitting on the sea front watching the waves and eating copious amounts of ice cream, revisiting some favourite places, eating delicious local foods, and relaxing to the sound of the seagulls. We visited beautiful Padstow; took a tour bus along the coast from Perranporth to St. Ives; sat on Porth and Perranporth Beach sea fronts, visited Newquay Zoo, paddled in the sea, gambled pennies in the arcades on rainy afternoons, cruised along coastal roads, and explored some of the countryside where the roads were as narrow as paths. It was blissful.

We couldn't take as many day trips or spend as much time on the beach as I would've liked, but that's okay. We had to do things a little differently with both of us challenged with chronic pain, and nobody to pick up the slack of driving and heavy-lifting when we were low on spoons, as my brother-in-law was away on a deployment in The Falklands. We were sensible and fit in more rest and relaxation time, and stayed locally instead of exploring further afield most of the time, so that we could make it home again in one piece at the end of the week. It was the right balance for us, and sometimes restful holidays are exactly what you need.

The best fried breakfast I've ever eaten from Gridl in Newquay. The little Cornish spinach omelettes were incredible. (I asked for an extra sausage instead of bacon as I hate it, so they gave me both, and Marie got to enjoy extra bacon). They have so many Full English options, and do veggie ones, too. 

I actually enjoyed lounging in our accommodation, this privately-owned, three-bedroomed caravan nestled in a quiet spot in the dunes of Perran Sands, with the doors open to let in the warm sea breeze, and the battle cry of the seagulls overhead. It was lovely to have a change of scenery to resting in my bedroom back home- even if the seats and sofas were so uncomfortable my backside felt bruised by the end of the week. We spent our down time watching movies, eating delicious treats that we picked up on our day trips, and played Animal Crossing, Monopoly, and Rummikub. I wanted to get through a couple of books during our time away, but neither of us could get comfortable enough to read on those God awful chairs. What psychopath decided to make caravan chairs so uncomfortable??

Despite going away in September, we were really fortunate with the weather, and even got several days of blistering sunshine in the low thirties! It was so hot for the first half of the week, it didn't even feel like England, and I came home with a million more freckles from being out in the sun. I'm a freckle magnet. The weather had people flocking to the area, and the beaches and seaside villages were busier than I've seen them since the nineties, when less people holidayed abroad. It was a little stressful to be around such big crowds of (mostly) unmasked people during the pandemic- though I masked up, and we took Covid tests twice to be careful- but also lovely to see so many Brits enjoying the places we've loved all our lives. (Although, I'm sure the locals didn't agree). 

All in all, we had a fantastic holiday in Cornwall, and I loved being back in my second home. I pushed myself to my limits to enjoy as much as possible, and did more that week that I had in years. I can't wait to return again this September, revisit my favourite places, and hopefully get to visit some new ones this time, too. Hurry up September!

I'm going to blog separately about some of the places we visited, including Padstow, Perranporth Beach, Newquay Zoo, and the tour bus trip we took along the coast, so look out for them, coming soon.

Have you ever visited Cornwall? Do you prefer to holiday at home or abroad?

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October Road Trip Part Two: Arundel and Arundel Castle

After a fun-filled Saturday in Bournemouth on the 1st of October, we awoke the next morning to flawless blue skies and sunshine beaming through our hotel room window, and knew it was going to be a good day.

We were both a little peckish, so we popped out to the nearest McDonalds for sausage and egg McMuffins, and brought our breakfast back to the hotel room to enjoy in our PJs, before packing up, checking out, and hitting the road once again. This time, to Brighton.

With barely a cloud in the sky, it was a beautiful day for a drive, and while Marie drove, I got to enjoy glimpses of the gorgeous New Forest scenery as we headed east. I haven't visited the forest since a school holiday when I was ten or eleven, and I'd forgotten just how vast and scenic it was. The pine trees and scrub land stretched on for miles, dipping down in to valleys, and climbing back up hills in the distance towards the horizon. It was so beautiful; something I definitely didn't appreciate when I visited it as a kid (I was only interested in the wild ponies), but now I'm really eager to return for a holiday and explore it properly. Hopefully one day I will be able to.

Somewhere along the road, we decided to take a quick detour to Portsmouth, since Marie wanted to pay a quick visit to Gunwharf Quays, and we needed to stop for petrol and supplies anyway. It was strange driving past Marie's old house and all of the familiar places I got so used to visiting or seeing in passing when I stayed with her while her husband was deployed overseas in 2013. It seems like a life time ago now.

We didn't spend long in Portsmouth, but it was lovely driving by all of the places where the sunshine glistened on the water, and getting to dawdle around busy Gunwharf, which is right on a marina, and beside Portsmouth's naval shipyards. My only purchase was some more heat patches for my back, but it was still nice to return to another familiar place. We spotted this really random figurehead on the way back to the car.

A few minutes later, we were back on the road again, sound-tracked by epic eighties tunes, which we both agree make the perfect driving tunes.

An  hour or so later, when we were about twenty miles from Brighton, we were driving off a slip road when I spotted the most incredible looking castle on a hill, just a short distance away on our left. We were both in awe because it looked like something out of a fairytale, so of course, with it being so close, we had to get a closer look.

We turned off the road and the signs informed us we were heading towards Arundel Castle and the historic town of Arundel, neither of which I'd ever heard of before. Apart from the castle, we had no idea what we were about to find, but a few seconds later, we both literally gasped when we laid eyes on the picturesque scenery ahead of us.

Just over a small bridge was a beautiful, historic high street made up of black and white, wooden and red brick Tudor buildings, with the magnificent castle raised up just behind them to the right, surrounded by dozens of lush green trees. It felt like we had driven several hundred years in to the past, but had taken the car-flooded-streets and people in modern day fashion with us. I've never seen anywhere quite like it before. I mean, I live in The Cotswolds where there are gorgeous historic places everywhere you turn but Arundel was something else. It was without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I've seen in my life. It almost looked too magical to be real.

We  didn't have long to spare, but we decided to see if we could get any closer to the castle by car for a better look. We spent a few minutes driving around part of its perimeter, moving slowly because the entire area was swarming with cars, people, and their dogs, but that worked in my favour for snapping photos from the car window, and getting to enjoy the view a while longer. Through arches in the castle walls, I caught glimpses of hoards of visitors walking around, and a river crowded with swans and other water-fowl, but most of what lies inside the castle walls remains a mystery.

The road led us under a thick tunnel of trees, where we were able to see different angles of the castle through the foliage, and noticed that the castle  has it's own real life, water-filled moat! The castle couldn't have been more stereotypical if it tried. I almost expected a knight in metal armour with a lance in hand to appear on horseback, on his way to rescue a fair maiden.

It  took us a few minutes to get through the traffic, find a place to turn around, and head back again, but it wasn't exactly a hardship idling through a copse with a view of an ancient castle! I was dying to get out of the car and explore the entire area- the town, castle, and the copse- on foot, and would have happily spent a year there, but we could only afford those five or ten minutes as we needed to get to Brighton. I'm definitely going to return one day and explore it all properly because it was so beautiful and clearly has so much history to uncover.

I was curious to know a little more about Arundel and its castle, so I did some Googling a few days later, once I was back home. I've learnt that Arundel has traces of early Roman development, but was mainly developed by the Saxons, and for centuries (at least as far back as a thousand years ago!) it was a thriving market town and international port. It's mind-blowing to imagine anywhere having International trade and ports a thousand years ago!

The castle dates back to the 11th century, when it was built by Roger de Montgomery, the Earl of Arundel, with its oldest feature being a 100ft high motte (the artificial mound, which the castle sits on) that was built in 1068. While it's had a lot of restoration over the years, incredibly, many of the castle's original features survive to this day, and it's amazing to think we were looking at a structure that has been standing there for almost an entire millennium, with so many years of history and noble ownership behind it. It made my thirty one years seem like no time at all.

You can read more about the castle and the people it belonged to here, and the town of Arundel here.

And so we reluctantly left Arundel, and headed on for the last leg of our journey to Brighton- but we'll save that story for another day.

Part three of my road trip coming soon.

Have you visited Arundel or Arundel Castle? What's the most interesting place you've stumbled upon during a road trip?

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October Road Trip Part One: Bournemouth

October Road Trip Day One: Bournemouth

A couple of weekends ago, I went on a little road trip to the south coast with my sister, Marie, and spent two nights away from home having a little fun for a change. It was my first weekend away- actually, my first holiday of any kind away- since the chronic pain began just over five years ago, so it was a long over due break, and exactly what I needed to put a smile back on my face after a few months of feeling pretty blue.

So, on the Saturday morning, we hit the road, and travelled about a hundred miles down to Bournemouth. When we left home it was grey and drizzly, but by the time we made it there the clouds were parting and the sunshine and blue skies were breaking through. We checked it to our hotel- nothing fancy, just the ever reliable Premier Inn- and after resting for a while, we decided to head on down to the sea front as we had several hours to kill before the concert we had tickets to that evening.

The sea front and the entire area surrounding Bournemouth beach was heaving with people, so it took us a while to get parked, but there was no way we were leaving without a walk by the beach. As it turned out, the Bournemouth marathons were taking place all weekend, and the sea front seemed to be the hub where everything was happening. It took a bit of effort to weave through the crowds to get to the beach, but there was a great atmosphere, and the view on the other side was more than worth it. Picture bright blue skies over a fairly-calm teal-blue sea, with small white-tipped waves breaking on to a long stretch of soft golden sand, with a few palm trees dotted along the promenade, and flocks of sea gulls flying over head. To our left was a view of the (ugly) Bournemouth pier, to our right, green-topped cliffs in the distance, and straight ahead, we could see boats sailing along the horizon. It was beautiful, and absolutely blissful.

I can't tell you how much I wanted to go dive in the sea for a swim, or at least go for a paddle in the surf, but I didn't have the strength. Instead, I settled for a short walk along the path beside the sand, enjoying the gorgeous view with an ice cream- although it was so blustery that half my ice cream ended up in my hair!

After five or ten minutes of conditioning my hair with ice cream, we decided to visit the beach-side Oceanarium aquarium, which is literally just a few metres walk from the sand. Marie and I had both visited the aquarium before, but since my last visit was more than half a decade ago, I couldn't remember much about it, so it was like visiting it for the first time again.

Unfortunately, I didn't get many decent photos from inside the aquarium, so please excuse the quality of the next few photos.

We  spent about an hour or so wandering around looking at all kinds of fish and aquatic creatures, including sharks, rays, seahorses, jellyfish, crocodiles, sea turtles, penguins, otters, and so much more. It had everything you'd expect to see in an aquarium, with the exception of sea mammals like seals and dolphins, which, thankfully, aren't commonly seen in aquariums in England. 

I particularly loved watching the beautiful green sea turtles gracefully gliding through the water, and the open-air penguin exhibit was pretty awesome, too. They have a group of humboldt penguins sharing an enclosure with the cutest little black sea birds with white tendrils of feathers on their faces called Inca terns, which we stood watching for ages because they were just that cute. I believe there's also an underwater viewing area at the bottom of the pool on the floor below, where you can watch the penguins swim under water, but I don't think we went past it- although, I did get to see my first otter swimming under water in the otter habitat.

As  a big animal lover, I can honestly say, I found all of the animals there really fascinating, and I enjoyed looking at pretty much all of them, from the menacing looking sharks to the tiny orange and white clown fish. Yep, I totally found Nemo!  All that I felt was missing was Leonardo Di Caprio circa 1996 gazing back from the other side of a tropical fish tank, but you can't have it all.

The Oceanarium is a lovely place to spend an hour or two, but you'd be hard-pressed to spend an entire day there, unless you're fond of doing laps. I mean, the place isn't tiny, but it's not exactly enormous, either. We saw everything there was to see in approximately an hour and a half, and that included stopping for a couple of rests, and lingering at several of the habitats. After that, we were ready to head for the exit, content with what we'd seen. At £12 for an adult ticket, it wasn't the cheapest way to spend ninety minutes, but we both enjoyed our visit, so we think it was money well spent. If you're an animal lover, I would recommend you pay it a visit, but buy your tickets online where they offer discounted rates.

After leaving the Oceanarium, we spent a few minutes admiring the view of the beach again, watching the surf lapping and gently crashing on to the shore, people strolling on the beach, a few braving the (presumably chilly) sea beneath the pier, cheeky sea gulls navigating the breeze, dogs paddling in the shallows, and the sea stretching out as far as the eye could see, beyond the horizon. I could've stayed there taking it in all day.

With the exception of watching my favourite bands perform live, I've always been happiest when I'm by the sea; I just feel so at peace there- probably because I grew up with so many trips to the seaside and made some of my happiest childhood memories at the beach. I've not been able to take a trip to the seaside or set foot on a beach in over five years, and it's been torture- it's just not natural for me. So, this short time spent looking out to sea was exactly what I needed.

We  headed back along to the lively sea front, planning to gamble a few pennies in the arcades, but it was so packed with people, we walked in and straight back out again. Instead, we sat and people-watched for a while close to where the marathon was being organised. There were runners of all ages, dog-walkers, families, couples, groups of friends, locals, tourists, young people, old people, even people in fancy dress. At one point, three guys dressed as Boy George, Jack Sparrow, and a blond cowboy (a character I couldn't place) came strutting past, on their way to who knows where. It was so random, but the atmosphere was really fun and upbeat, and it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We were going to find somewhere for a bite to eat, but I was in need of a rest, and we couldn't find anywhere with a drive-though, so we bought snacks from M&S, and had a picnic in our cosy little hotel room while watching The Big Bang Theory, before getting ready to go out.

Here's where I admit that the main reason for our road trip was to see Ronan Keating in concert. I'm not much of a pop music fan these days, but I've been a big fan of him and Boyzone since I was nine, and old habits die hard. My best friend and I have been going to their concerts together since 1997, and we were supposed to go see him together in Cardiff in September, but she couldn't make it at the last minute. As I'm too wobbly to go off gallivanting anywhere by myself (though I was very tempted to try), I had to sell the tickets, but eventually convinced my sister to go see him with me instead, and even coaxed her in to seeing him the night after in Brighton, as well! We thought we'd make a weekend of it along the coast. It probably sounds really sad, but it was something I needed to do to put a smile back on my face after a crap year that's included two more diagnoses, worsening symptoms, and barely leaving the house for anything but medical appointments. I needed a good concert or two to help snap me out of my funk, and thankfully, it worked like a charm.

I feel happiest and most like myself at gigs, and before I got ill, I went to a lot of them. It was a big part of who I was (and still want to be), and losing that part of my life feels like I've lost a big part of myself. I think it's the only thing I truly begrudge about my health conditions; missing out on the gigs I long to go to. It sucks. I can only manage one or two a year now, but I'll happily take a gig or two a year over none at all any day of the week. I hope I never have to shut the door on that part of my life entirely. 

We headed over to the Bournemouth International Centre and made it in to our seats in time to hear the last few songs from the support act, a Cypriot solo artist and guitarist called Nikolas Metaxas. He had a beautiful voice, which I found surprising because I rarely find myself enjoying support acts. Or pop music. Apparently he came second in the Greek version of the X-Factor.

After what felt like forever, Ronan and his band, The Shams (made up of six or seven musicians and a backing vocalist), kicked off the show just before nine pm, sending a venue mostly full of grown women in to an excited frenzy. Who could blame us? The man may be pushing forty, but he's still drop dead gorgeous, and ageing like a fine wine. I'm digging the salt and pepper stubble he's now rocking. I think he's going to be quite the silver fox in a decade or two.

The gig was absolutely amazing, and definitely one of his best tours yet. They performed most of the songs from his latest album, 'Time of My Life', along with a few classics like 'Lovin' Each Day', 'Life is a Rollercoaster', and 'When You Say Nothing At All'. In the middle they performed an acoustic set of  four songs which was just gorgeous, and I welcomed the opportunity to sit down and rest, and just listen for a while. He paid tribute to his Boyzone bandmate, Stephen Gately, who passed away in 2009, with 'One More Song', and even added in a rendition of Van Morrison's 'Brown Eyed Girl' before the show was through, which had everybody up singing, and dancing along like crazy. The atmosphere was electric.  Ronan's vocals were some of the best I've ever heard, and his band were on fire, too, beautifully playing everything from guitars, keyboards, and drums, to bodhrans, flutes, and accordions, and more, between them. 

It  turned a bit chaotic during a few songs, after a woman collapsed in the row in front of us. The people around her did a good job of looking after her, but the staff didn't seem to know what to do, holding her up like a rag doll before someone finally went and got her a wheelchair after five or ten minutes. I guess they're not used to people passing out at gigs in Bournemouth. She didn't return to her seat during the show, but I hope she was alright.

Aside from the distraction, having to move out of our seats for a few songs and the people behind us bitching and whining about us standing up (as almost everybody does at concerts; imagine that! *Rolls eyes*), I had a fantastic time, and enjoyed every second of the show. It was amazing from start to finish. I left even more excited about going back for round two the following day.

By the end of the gig, my legs were like jelly, and I was ridiculously stiff and sore, so it was back to the hotel room for me, where I crawled in to my PJs, broke out the heat patches, and crawled in to bed. We watched a movie I've forgotten the name of and shared some chocolates, and I eventually drifted off to dream land, exhausted after one of the most fun and active days I've had in years, and excited for what the following day would bring.

Part two coming soon...