The Cotswold Wildlife Park April 2024

I wanted to quickly share some of the photos I took during my visit to The Cotswold Wildlife Park this spring. I actually had this post all ready to go in April, but it somehow got lost in my drafts. Oops!

My sister and I had a lovely day out there on the first warm day of spring in April. It was my first trip out to anywhere other than medical appointments or the shops since last July, so I can't begin to tell you how good it felt to be out and about doing something fun for a change, especially with all the blossom on the trees, and pretty spring flowers blooming wherever we turned.

The Walled Gardens looked particularly gorgeous with so many unusual varieties of tulips and daffodils (as well as many others) catching our eye as much as the animals. I wish I had taken better photos, as mine really don't do their gardens justice.

We saw so many amazing animals during our visit, from otters and penguins to tapirs and wolves, but I think this trip's highlights were the wolverines, anteaters, and rhinos.

We got to see the wolverines having feeding-time zoomies around their outdoor enclosure, and it was fun to see them galloping around at full-speed, while their keeper went in, armed with just a broom for protection. I've never seen them so active before.

I was also really excited to see the giant anteaters out and about for the first time in about a decade. I managed to capture this little guy going for a stroll along the back of its paddock, and stopping for a quick snack at a tree. I've never seen an anteater feeding in real life before, especially not naturally, so that was pretty cool to see. 

Another highlight was finally getting to see their two rhino calves. I'd wanted to go see them since they were born weeks apart last autumn, so it was nice to see the overgrown puppies before they got big. I don't know what it is about rhinos, but I just find them adorable.

Oh, and we also met a couple who had brought their animal-loving French bulldog to the wildlife park as a birthday treat, and isn't that just the most wholesome thing ever? They were holding him up to see the tamarins, and he was being such a good boy, quietly wagging his tail at them. It was so cute.

I wish I could take Rosie for a visit, but I wouldn't dare, as, judging by the way she goes ballistic at squirrels and cats, I just know all hell would break lose if she saw something new, like a monkey or a meerkat. We'd probably get kicked straight out. Haha!

So, overall, we had another lovely visit to The Cotswold Wildlife Park, and even though we've been approximately 8930921 times, we can't wait to go back.

If you've never been to The Cotswold Wildlife Park, and love animals and plants, I'd highly recommend it for a day out. It's a fantastic place to visit all year round, and I can attest that as a local, who's been taking day trips there all her life. Plus, it's on the edge of the beautiful Cotswolds, so you can come check out my part of the world!

Have you been to the zoo lately?

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Birthday Wish List

It's my birthday in a few days, so just for fun, I've put together a little wish list of things I'd love to receive or would spend my birthday money on, if I'm lucky enough to be given any. 

Unsurprisingly, it's mostly made up of dresses, pretty books, quirky brooches, and stationery. Shocker.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 // 28

1. I was obsessed with Polly Pockets in the nineties, so naturally, I'm gonna need this Polly Pocket mini backpack from Loungefly when it releases this summer.

2. And obviously, that means I'm also gonna need this adorable Polly Pocket zip around wallet to go with it.

3. This toucan print trapeze dress from Popsy Clothing looks like the perfect dress to throw on over leggings on a hot day, to stay comfortable but still look stylish.

4. I've wanted to try the Bride of the Shadow King series for ages, and the Illumicrate Bride of the Shadow King special edition trilogy is to die for.

5. I'd love to add Erstwilder's otterly adorable Owen the Otter brooch to my brooch zoo.

6. Can we talk about how cute this Doodllery Cloud brooch from Little Moose is?!

7. If there was an award for prettiest bookmark, I think The Quirky Cup Collective's Iridescence Bookmark would definitely win it. I want one!

8. I recently bought my first notebooks from The Quirky Cup Collective, and now I'm obsessed. They're beautiful, and the quality is amazing. I'd love to add this stunning Otherworldly Journal to my tiny collection.

9. This romantasy colouring book looks awesome.

10. This Quirky Cup Magic Tarot Journal is also dreamy.

11. I'm dying to get my hands on this pretty pastel Loungefly My Little Pony sky scenes convertible tote backpack. If I'm lucky enough to get any birthday money, I'll probably cave.

12. I need this Meeko iPhone case from Skinny Dip! He's the best Disney sidekick ever!

13. I ran out of my YSL Touche Eclat blur primer a couple of years ago, and it's amazing, so I'd be thrilled if the beauty fairies blessed me with a new one on my birthday.

14. I love this Pool Party brooch from Erstwilder's recent Atomic Abode collection. I could wear it and pretend I'm sunning myself by the pool in some tropical paradise while I'm stuck in sunny Oxfordshire this summer.

15. This Loungefly My Little Pony colour block mini backpack is the thing my nineties kid dreams were made of.

16. The colour palette is different to what I usually go for, but I kinda love this cottage-core patchwork print dress from Joanie Clothing.

17. I'm so tempted by Owlcrate's beautiful special edition of Sword Catcher.

18. My face needs all the help it can get these days, so I'd love a new YSL Touche Eclat illuminating pen to make me look a little more alive.

19. How pretty is this Paris scenes print dress from Popsy Clothing?

20. I really want to get a book light to save my eyes as I keep getting eyestrain, and this IF Book Lover's Reading Light has made my short list. I love the botanical pattern, too.

21. The Loungefly My Little Pony castle mini backpack has been on my wishlist for over a year, but can you blame me when it's this cute?!

22. Another booklight I've been considering is the IF Really Tiny Book Light. They come in a bunch of colours, but I'd probably choose petal pink or mint.

23. I love colouring-in with watercolours, but I'm still learning how to mix the perfect skin colours, so it would be handy to have some ready-to-use shades I can use when I'm feeling lazy, like this ZenArt portrait watercolour set.

24. Monet's got nothing on Little Moose's beautiful Waterlily brooch. How cute is the little frog?!

25. I really want to try this Ecoline skintones watercolour brush pen set.

26. I've also wanted to read Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong for ages. Apparently, it's an Antony and Cleopatra retelling with Hunger Games vibes.

27. I keep hearing good things about Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows and have been meaning to read them for over a year, so I'd love to get the duology.

28. And finally, I'd love to add this gorgeous Bushbaby Duo brooch from Little Moose to my collection.

If you want to see what didn't make the cut, you can find my Birthday Wish List board on Pinterest here.

What's on the top of your wish list right now?

Erstwilder Jewellery Haul

It's been a minute since I last reviewed some Erstwilder jewellery on the blog- it's been a minute since I blogged at all- so I think it's time to rectify that with a look at the latest additions to my brooch zoo.

I haven't actually added many to my collection over the last six months or so. I've either not been wowed enough by the designs to splurge, or when I have, I've not had the pennies to be able to. The last piece I bought was from the Valentine's collection, and it's the only brooch I've bought since the Kutopia collection was released before Christmas. What is happening to me?! 

I might not have bought a lot lately, but the ones I have acquired are ridiculously cute. Especially the first brooch I have to show you, Stevie the Seahorse.

I really loved the Kutopia collection Erstwilder did with the artist Kacey Rainbow at the end of 2023, and as a big animal lover and colour junkie, I couldn't help but be drawn to the colourful animal designs. I could only afford one piece since it came out just before Christmas, so of course, Stevie the Seahorse won. Why? Well, just look at him! He's the cutest seahorse brooch ever!

I love the soft, summery colours he's made from. The glittery coral and bubblegum-pink of his body and spine, and the turquoise of his fin are so pretty, and the rainbow of colours freckling his head and neck add such a fun finishing touch. He'll be perfect for wearing with colourful summer dresses, especially for trips to the seaside or aquarium. Not that I visit either often these days, but it's good to have these things planned out just in case!

I was also lucky enough to be given Warren the Wombat brooch from the Kutopia collection for Christmas from my parents, after pointing them in the right direction when they asked for ideas. My Mum chose well. I have a soft spot for wombats, and this brooch is almost as adorable as the real thing. Almost. (Sorry, Erstwilder, but nothing quite beats a real wombat).

This handsome little guy is made from the sparkliest russet brown resin, with equally sparkly coral-pink ears, peachy cheeks, and a coronet of multi-coloured shapes crowning his head. He's gorgeous, and I love him. I've got so much wear out of him already.

The last brooch I bought was the (now sold-out) Our Deer Sweetheart brooch from the Love Everlasting Valentine's collection. This dainty little deer reminded me of the mid-century-style Bambi deer Christmas decorations I love to collect, so I couldn't resist the chance to own a Bambi deer brooch I could wear all year round. Three months on, I regret nothing. It's one of the loveliest brooches in my collection.

This sweet little deer is made from the prettiest dusky pink and white marbled resins, with a glossy scarlet ripple resin bow around her neck, and five red hearts instead of spots on her flank. She's a small brooch, barely bigger than my thumb, and though she's wonderful at this size, I think they missed something not making her into a statement piece. She'd be perfect if she was just a little bigger.

I was also given a pair of the purple Moon Mirror drop earrings for Christmas from my parents, which are, apparently, the hardest things ever to photograph properly because they're reflective. They're made from light-weight, violet-coloured mirrored-resin, and they're the perfect, affordable statement earrings. They're the biggest earrings I own, and so fun to accessorise with. They're still available from Erstwilder, and some of their stockists, and if purple's not your thing, they come in red and gold, too.

And that is my little Erstwilder jewellery haul.

Have you bought anything from Erstwilder lately?

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The Quarter Year Book Tag

I came across The Quarter Year Book Tag on another blog, and thought it would be fun to give it a go to think about what I've read so far this year. 

It was originally created by Roison's Reading on Youtube, but I found it on The Shelf of Unread Books.

On a side note- can you believe we're already nearly a third of the way through 2024? Where has the year gone? 

Anyway, let's get started.

Here's The Quarter Year Book Tag.

How many books have you read so far?

I've only finished fifteen books so far this year, and I'll be starting my sixteenth today. It's not a lot compared to a lot of readers, but at least I'm a couple of books ahead of my reading goal for the year.

Have you found a book that you think might be a 2024 favourite?

At the moment, I think it's between The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, and Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas- although, House of Flame and Shadow was also brilliant. The books were so damn good, I've become completely addicted to both series, and haven't been able to stop thinking about them since I finished them. TSATWON is kinda like The Hunger Games with vampires and a stabby, vampire-raised human FMC, and Crescent City starts as an urban romantasy, murder-mystery, with epic world-building, shocking twists and turns, emotional annihilation, lots of action, fae, angels, mer, wolf-shifters, demons, the cutest otter mail carriers, and so much more. I'll be surprised if anything tops these books this year.

Any least favourite books of the year?

Definitely In The Shadows by L. B. August. I read an ARC of this last month, and if I hadn't been obligated to write a review, I would've DNFed it early on. I hate giving bad reviews as I feel mean criticising someone's work, especially as it was a debut from a new author, but the writing was so clumsy, repetitive, and badly-written, and the MMC was insufferable. Think Chaol Westfall in Queen of Shadows without any of his redeeming qualities. It had some enjoyable moments, but it basically read like a YA fanfic, which was weird since it had a fair amount of spice. I really had to force myself to get through it, and only awarded it 2.5 stars in the end.

Most read genre?

Definitely fantasy. In fact, I think everything I've read so far this year has been some kind of fantasy. I really need to mix it up with some other genres again, but I seem to be lost down a fantasy rabbit hole right now. Sorry, not sorry.

A book that surprised me?

I was surprised by House of Sky and Breath, and how slow-paced it was. With the way everybody raves about it, I thought it was going to be another explosive, fast-paced read that would blow my mind, like House of Earth and Blood. In reality? Even though I really enjoyed it, I actually found parts of it super slow and incredibly boring- especially the whole Thunderbird storyline. And any time Ithan opened his mouth. I enjoyed Hunt and Bryce, and Ruhn and Lidia's storylines, but it wasn't until the last quarter that it really started to get exciting. The finale was amazing, though- especially the very last chapter!

A book that came out in 2024 that I haven't read yet?

Bride by Ali Hazelwood, but it only came out in February and I only got myself a copy last week, so it's not exactly shameful behaviour. I keep hearing good things about it, though, so I can't wait to read it. 

One goal you made that you're succeeding at?

I'm currently ahead on my 2024 reading goal by a couple of books, so I feel like that's off to a successful start. 

One goal that you need to focus on?

I've fallen a little behind with writing book reviews in my reading journal, mostly as I'm still playing catch-up on writing reviews for books I read last year. I had hoped to keep up with them and add them after finishing each book, so I need to work harder at it. I've almost caught-up now, so hopefully once I have, I'll stand a better chance at keeping it up to date.

And that's The Quarter Year Book Tag.

I never know who to tag in these things, so if you see this and want to take part, consider yourself tagged.

If you decide to give it a go, remember to leave a link to your post so I can have a read!

What's the best book you've read so far this year?

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A Belated Book and Christmas Present Haul

Guess who's back! 

Hint: it's not Slim Shady.

It's been ages since I last blogged. I didn't mean for so much time to pass between posts, but it's been a rough couple of months. I've had a horrendous cold the last couple of weeks, which floored me more than Covid did. I could barely lift my head off my pillow at all last week and just napped and read, but thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. Then before that, I kept suffering from blurred vision and migraines (I think from eye strain), and then my glasses broke, so I couldn't see a thing for a couple of weeks while I waited for new ones. And that's without adding in chronic pain flares and appointments on top of it all. I've just not been up to blogging lately, but I'm hoping I can get back to it now I'm feeling human again.

Anyway, I realised I never managed to show you what I got for Christmas or the books I bought in the days afterwards, and the posts had somehow got lost in my drafts. I know, I know, it's almost April, but I thought you might still like to see what I got. I have some cool things to show you, and I promise they're not overly festive!

So, first up is one of the best backpacks ever. It's no secret that Robin Hood has always been one of my favourite Disney films, and I was so excited to get the Loungefly Robin Hood Floral Folk mini backpack from my younger sister on Christmas Day. It had been on my wish list for ages, and it's even more beautiful in real life than I was expecting. I love the folksy style of the design, the soft denim-blue colour, and how it feels like leather even though it's faux. It's perfect. 

My older sister and brother-in-law got me this gorgeous Vendula London zip around wallet from The Botanist collection. I love the little foxes and embroidered wysteria, but all the little details are amazing, and the soft sage-green colour is so pretty. The vegan leather is so soft, too. This design is sadly no longer available from their website, but you might be able to find it in store or from a stockist.

I, naturally, received a couple of things from Erstwilder from my parents. I got the Warren the Wombat brooch from the Kutopia collection, which is one of the cutest brooches ever, and I also got a funky pair of large, mirrored, metallic-purple crescent-moon drop earrings. I forget which collection they launched alongside... maybe Halloween? But regardless, they're awesome.

One of the coolest presents my family gave me was Labyrinth Monopoly. I grew up on this film, and it's still one of my favourites, so when I saw this game, I knew I needed it and added it to my Christmas list. I really didn't expect anyone to get it for me, so I was thrilled to get it on Christmas morning. It looks amazing! The only problem is, I still haven't managed to get anyone to play it with me yet. I might have to coerce the family into a game over Easter.

Another of my all time favourite Disney movies is The Rescuers, and it's one I watched to death when I was little. My sister remembered, and gave me this amazing set of soft toys of Bernard and Miss Bianca with Evinrude and his little leaf boat. I've never seen soft toys of these characters before, and they're so cute, I could die! They were from the Disney Store as part of the Disney 100 collection, but they're no longer available on the UK website, only the US, which you can find here.

I was excited to get a shower gel and body yoghurt in the seasonal Pears & Share scent from The Body Shop that I'd really wanted to try. The fragrance is lovely, and both products make my skin so soft. 

Have you heard about The Body Shop teetering on the edge of administration? I'm so shocked! It's not a brand I ever expected to struggle. They've already closed half their shops, and I'll be so sad if we lose them altogether. I've been using their products since the nineties, and there are so many I'd miss if they went under. I need my Vitamin E moisture cream, and Satsuma shower gel!

I also received this cute grey owl print scarf, and a set of Faith-In-Nature body washes from my best friend. I haven't tried the shower gels yet, but the grapefruit and coconut ones smell so good.

Of course, there were a few tasty treats as well. I got a Cadbury selection box and some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from my parents, and some M&S Choc Corn (chocolate-covered popcorn) from my sister and brother-in-law. My cousin gave me some Belgian chocolate seashells, too, but I may have lost all control and eaten those before I could take photos!

I also got some books for Christmas, which are always welcome presents with me. I love new books, and enjoy collecting them... not that you would know from my Instagram posts, or anything... My parents gave me the latest Clare Mackintosh mystery, A Game of Lies, which I'd been coveting since last summer, and my Auntie gave me a YA Fantasy boxset called Beautiful Creatures. I'd never heard of the series before, and don't know if it's any good, but there's only one way to find out.

A few days after Christmas, I then went book shopping to Waterstones with my sister to spend our Christmas money, and picked up four new hardbacks- three of which have gorgeous hidden covers! I bought A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare. They were all half price in the Boxing Day sales, too- except A Study in Drowning, which was full price. Not too shabby. I haven't read them all yet, but The Serpent & The Wings of Night is incredible- kinda like The Hunger Games but with vampires, and I enjoyed A Study in Drowning, too.

And last but not least, I bought a few of the books from my wish list on Boxing Day when they were all on offer on Amazon. I think they were all half price or less, so it would've been rude not to! I got The Marriage Act by John Marrs, The Sentence by Christina Dalcher, and The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver. I still need to read them, but they're three authors whose books are auto-buys for me as they're always amazing. I'd recommend John Marrs and Tim Weaver if you love thrillers, and Christina Dalcher if you enjoy suspenseful feminist fiction that smashes the patriarchy. 

I've bought a number of new books since I got these, so I might do a seperate haul or some reviews to show you the beautiful copies I've bought so far this year soon.

Have you bought or been gifted anything interesting lately?