tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47142506767609645112024-03-26T09:27:09.569+00:00Head High Heart StrongMadeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.comBlogger432125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-64217587849776149582016-03-06T19:51:00.000+00:002016-03-06T19:51:02.887+00:00Tinker TreehouseLast weekend I got a lovely belated Christmas treat from Nick, a weekend in a tree house! The Tinker Tree House is in <a href="http://www.westlexham.org/">West Lexham</a> in Norfolk and is one of four treehouses there. They've been built on the land of a very grand house, hidden away down a path and in some woods.<br />
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Apparently the Tinker treehouse is the smallest and was really cute with bunting and fairy lights dotted around and a log burner and hot water bottles to keep warm at night. It's so secluded that the stars shone so brightly, and it was so cold that frost completely covered the floor...brrrr.<br />
<center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25561370915/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1710/25561370915_969b29a774.jpg" width="550" height="720" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/24934651113/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1513/24934651113_801c4c450b.jpg" width="550" height="550" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25468637301/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1585/25468637301_81e2f9b1da.jpg" width="550" height="550" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25442796362/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1626/25442796362_7ace05c9af.jpg" width="550" height="550" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br />
We arrived on the Friday night and found a cosy pub a few miles away called <a href="http://www.ostrichcastleacre.com/">The Ostrich</a> in Castle Acre where we had some really tasty food, then headed home to get the fire started.<br />
<center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25265763970/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1634/25265763970_68c09d3fe5.jpg" width="550" height="550" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br />
Saturday was bright and breezy so we decided to check out the site's boat house where we found two rowing boats, so we decided to go for a paddle. I discovered rowing was a lot harder than predicted, ended up going backwards when I wanted to go forwards and did at least three 360 degree turns. Nick eventually took over the helm after my failure. I also felt very wary of the swan that was keeping a watchful eye on us and coming very close to the boat.<br />
<center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25561365345/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1637/25561365345_1ffbd08d24.jpg" width="550" height="720" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25561365335/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1561/25561365335_e4c4abe1c5.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/24934664583/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1545/24934664583_839b8f0a0d.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25468627711/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1699/25468627711_53a6832a53.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>After our water adventure, we went into Castle Acre and explored the Castle and Priory there. To say it's such a small village there were lots of impressive sights to see. We spent some time browsing in a small charity bookshop where i bought an old map of the peak district, then spent the evening playing cards in The Ostrich while Nick watched the rugby.<br />
<center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25468679561/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1471/25468679561_174e07a796.jpg" width="550" height="720" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br />
That night we made the most of the campsite's garden kitchen, which is open air. It was an experience cooking under the stars, but it was so cold that i had to shove the hot water bottle under my coat.<br />
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On Sunday morning we had breakfast on our balcony looking out over the fields, and before I hit the road back to Sheffield we went for some lunch at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g503738-d4758939-r201669280-The_Station_Bar-Swaffham_Norfolk_East_Anglia_England.html">The Station Bar</a> in Swaffham. It was a carvery but the service was impeccable and their food was so good! I would definitely go back if I was in the area again.<br />
<center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25193854939/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1620/25193854939_7f04e3ffd2.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><center><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/25468644341/in/album-72157665352162562/" title="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1559/25468644341_fab4a82aa6.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Glamping in Tinker Tree House west lexham"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br />
I loved our time in the Tinker Treehouse and can't wait to go back when the weather is warmer, in the mean time I have a new appreciation for hot showers!<br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-13089203465066191382015-07-12T20:54:00.000+01:002015-07-12T20:54:27.559+01:00Quito, I Quit!The other day I dusted off my little notepad I kept while we travelled as some friends are off to Colombia shortly, I'm so very envious and the more I read back, the more that came rushing back to me. Sometimes those memories fade away so quickly when you're back to normal life doing normal jobs and paying rent!<br />
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I have to say, I can't believe where this year has gone, it felt like only yesterday that I got caught up in the whirlwind of being offered a job in Norwich, and everything fell into place, I moved into our lovely little house and shared it with our landlady for a month before Nick and Kelly joined me in August. Now, we're coming into our last month in the house, and I'm packing up all my things again!<br />
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It was always my aim to have recorded all of our adventures within the year of being back, we arrived back last June 4th and now we're into July a years later and I still have left so much of our time in South America tucked away in my crinkled pages. Here's to playing catch up and talking about the next leg of our journey...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14061736186/in/photolist-nsmepo-nsEML3-nb8SQT-nsEP31-nb8YXK-nupdJ8-nsCiPB-nupc4K-nsCmBk-nb8XYD-nb94UE-nsm5fa-nuphHR-nb92fk-nb98D1-nqA4q3-nb99KQ-nsmnDE-nsEXJ9-nqA5gm/" title="Quito"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14061736186_2ce19ef4fb.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Quito"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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We left the jungle of <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2015/01/welcome-to-jungle-misahualli.html">Misahualli</a> at completely the wrong time, and coming into Tena and then onto Quito we realised this. It was the beginning of Semana Santa, which is their Easter celebrations. The bus terminals were completely manic and we arrived into Quito about 9 in the evening after travelling all day. We took a taxi to the newer part of Quite, Mariscal, which took 40 minutes because of all the traffic.<br />
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We decided to stay at <a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Hostal-Backpackers-Inn/Quito/31920?source=adwordsdynamic&network=g&creative=74972201060&adposition=1t1&uniqueclickID=5475834299292708475&sub_keyword=_cat:ecuador%20hostels&sub_ad=b&sub_publisher=ADW&gclid=Cj0KEQjwoIitBRDTgeiZq93F2LQBEiQAMfXL0RplUoE_c2oMj_p3aaKcUnZZmNqupz-0lRspDEErmGEaAiPG8P8HAQ">Backpacker's Inn</a>, a friendly little place run by a lady called Lilly and totally made you feel like you were staying the house of someone's abuela. We dumped our bags and immediately went looking for food.The streets were so busy due to the national holidays. The main square was illuminated with lights and had hundreds of restaurants. This was far too contrasting from where we had woken up that morning, so we escaped off the main route and found a really nice little Mexican called Tarzan's where I had shrimp burritos and a mojito. I remember being slightly perplexed by the restaurants there as none of them had any front walls, just metal shutters they rolled up when the restaurant was open, meaning it was freezing inside!<br />
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The next day we washed our stinky jungle laundry and tried to get tickets to escape Quito as we had really had enough of cities by this time, but due to the holiday it was ridiculously busy, the queues were so long they led all the way into the street. Other travellers were running up and down the line, looking for foreign faces to try and get a group together to afford a taxi. Unfortunately we couldn't join in as we had left our bags back at the hostel.<br />
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We decided to explore the town and hope that the crowds died down a little later. In the town centre there were hundreds of people heading in one direction so we decided to follow. They led us to the Basilica where there was a procession for the holy week.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14104884403/in/photolist-nsmepo-nsEML3-nb8SQT-nsEP31-nb8YXK-nupdJ8-nsCiPB-nupc4K-nsCmBk-nb8XYD-nb94UE-nsm5fa-nuphHR-nb92fk-nb98D1-nqA4q3-nb99KQ-nsmnDE-nsEXJ9-nqA5gm" title="Quito"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/14104884403_dbf056becb.jpg" width="550" height="720" alt="Quito"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Everyone involved was wearing a purple tunic with a pointy purple hood with just two holes for eyes, they had chains around their wrists and ankles and some of them carried huge logs or crosses. In the midday heat they all looked uncomfortable and it all got a bit too much stood amongst the crowd, so we ducked out shortly after.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13898247438/in/photolist-nsmepo-nsEML3-nb8SQT-nsEP31-nb8YXK-nupdJ8-nsCiPB-nupc4K-nsCmBk-nb8XYD-nb94UE-nsm5fa-nuphHR-nb92fk-nb98D1-nqA4q3-nb99KQ-nsmnDE-nsEXJ9-nqA5gm" title="Quito"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/13898247438_3186bfa5ab.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Quito"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14061733326/in/photolist-nsmepo-nsEML3-nb8SQT-nsEP31-nb8YXK-nupdJ8-nsCiPB-nupc4K-nsCmBk-nb8XYD-nb94UE-nsm5fa-nuphHR-nb92fk-nb98D1-nqA4q3-nb99KQ-nsmnDE-nsEXJ9-nqA5gm" title="Quito"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/14061733326_3026912bcf.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Quito"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13898243678/in/photolist-nsmepo-nsEML3-nb8SQT-nsEP31-nb8YXK-nupdJ8-nsCiPB-nupc4K-nsCmBk-nb8XYD-nb94UE-nsm5fa-nuphHR-nb92fk-nb98D1-nqA4q3-nb99KQ-nsmnDE-nsEXJ9-nqA5gm" title="Quito"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/13898243678_739e7e1cca.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Quito"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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We got some food and this was the first time I ever tried coconut water. On every street corner there were people with little metal trollies filled with coconut water and ice, it was so delicious, we unwound in the square for a little, and escaped the madness of the city on the trolebus which took us to the botanical gardens. This was slightly eerie as there were lots of people working there, but it looked so run down and dried up and shrivelled. Nick tried out one of the worst toilets we'd witnessed so far, and we escaped back to the hostel.<br />
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When we got back, we explained to Lilly our problem with the transport, and she cut a deal with us, and made her son and her son in law drive us the 1 1/2 trip to Otavalo, a little market town in the North. The guys didn't seem to mind, in fact they seemed to enjoy the temporary new found freedom, and laughed and chatted with us all the way there, again showing us how amazingly friendly the Ecuadorian people are. They dropped us right at the door of our hostel in Otavalo, and even got out to have a nosy around and swap some business tips with the manager of our new hostel.<br />
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Quito may not have won us over, but the people definitely did!<br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-47578048639564465272015-01-19T21:02:00.001+00:002015-01-19T21:02:19.129+00:00Welcome to the Jungle: MisahualliA while ago I explained how we found ourselves in the remote Ecuadorian town of <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2014/09/misahualli-you-give-me-butterflies.html">Misahualli</a> with its hundreds of monkeys and butterflies. It was here that we arranged our jungle trip with EcoSelva. The night before we went into the jungle there was really heavy rain fall and despite his house being flooded and the loss of his butterfly collection, the owner, Pepe drove us to meet our guide.<br />
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Running out of Misahualli there is a brand new tarmac road, surrounded by heavy green banana plants. At the time we went the bananas were all covered with blue plastic bags so precious crops weren't lost. We got out of Pepe's truck at a small shelter, and he headed off towards a small collection of basic houses to get our guide. The houses were in a small clearing of the plantation, there was also a tiny church and a playing field, with lots of chickens wandering around to their hearts' content.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13890400229" title="IMG_1759 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5568/13890400229_68493eafa1.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="IMG_1759"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14053910516" title="IMG_1761 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/14053910516_3e4e0396f7.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="IMG_1761"></a><br />
We busied ourselves packing our lunch and water supplies in our bag until Gregorio turned up. Pepe told us it was time for him to leave us in Gregorio's good hands. He wasn't what I was expecting as a jungle guide. He wore wells and trousers that had been ripped off at the knees. He had a huge machete hanging from his belt and a baseball cap. He was really short and looked really young, although later we found out he was about 35. He was the son of the chief of the small settlement, and was preparing himself for his future as chief.Apparently the role of chief in these settlements is to make all the decisions concerning the people, but also acting as the doctor and teacher.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14077016045" title="IMG_1766 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14077016045_3b6659e524.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1766"></a><br />
We set off across the road, through what appeared to be someone's back garden, and entered the edge of the jungle. He explained that everything we were walking though was his father's. There were fields filled with pineapple, banana and cocoa plants.<br />
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I loved seeing how pineapples grow, I always thought they grew on trees, not from small prickly bushes from the ground, and there's only one pineapple per plant. We hunted around and around the field for a ripe one and he let us try it. It was really white, instead of the yellow that i'm used to, but was still really delicious.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14077494034" title="IMG_1764 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14077494034_c808100d22.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1764"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073821551" title="IMG_1765 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7456/14073821551_b4821b2273.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1765"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14077014055" title="IMG_1768 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/14077014055_75f27f54dc.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1768"></a><br />
Every few steps we went, Gregorio would stop and point out a plant and tell us the medical properties of the plants. There were long, finger shaped mushrooms filled with clear liquid that cured ear ache, ferns that were tied to children's legs to encourage them to walk, contraceptive plants, plants to cure diabetes and even leaves that felt like sandpaper that they used to file nails!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073850982" title="IMG_1774 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14073850982_2392613b0a.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1774"></a><br />
We came to a clearing in the jungle where there was a small swing made of vines that hung from the very top of the canopy and laughed as I had a go and was incredibly worried I was going to go crashing into a tree. We saw hundreds of insects and butterflies, and Gregorio even managed to spot a tiny little black and yellow frog which he declared was the most poisonous animal in the whole jungle.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13890416380" title="IMG_1780 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/13890416380_53f71bc59b.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1780"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073817311" title="IMG_1770 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/14073817311_409519cd3e.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1770"></a><br />
We'd been walking for a few hours when we decided it was time to stop for lunch. Gregorio was very curious about us, as much as we were about him, and would flit between English and Spanish to get his point across. Little did I know that lunch marked the end of the fun part. Gregorio warned us that rain was coming and we needed to make as much headway as possible to get to camp. He wasn't joking. Not long after the rain started to pour down and nothing really could help us, he gave each of us a huge leaf to use as an umbrella, but as we were so wet already, it wasn't worth it. The ground got incredibly muddy and slippery and I really struggled to keep up with the boys who were powering ahead. There were times when I'd lose them and not know which path they'd taken, and it was only when I came face to face with a huge spider who was sitting on their web across the path that I'd realise they had obviously gone the other way. We would be hopping over and ducking under huge fallen trees, climbing up and down muddy hills, all while carrying big bottles of water.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14077006725" title="IMG_1782 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5524/14077006725_c56317f953.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="IMG_1782"></a><br />
Late afternoon, the rain stopped and Gregorio finally announced we were only 500 metres away from the camp, the only problem being that it was all down hill, an incredibly steep downhill. We gradually got to the bottom where I spotted a small log cabin on stilts. A woman sat in one of the huts, surrounded by her army of children who all wore dirty, ripped clothes that had been donated by the local community. They watched us walk into the clearing suspiciously. Some of the men came to greet Gregorio and chat with him, while the others hung back and watched us. I don't know what I expected the people there to look like, but I was quite shocked that they looked like other Ecuadorians in terms of the clothes they were wearing and their hair, only a little more weathered. Eventually a couple of the kids got brave and started a game of creeping upto us while we looked the other way.<br />
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The next family we came across tried to bribe us by not letting us pass through their little clearing without giving them alcohol. Sadly for them, Gregorio didn't have any and they had to let us pass anyway. Another 5 minutes walk and we had arrived at our camp, which although very basic seemed a world away from the other settlements in the area. The camp had a few huts, a toilet, a volleyball court and a sheltered area to eat. A little path lead to a small secluded beach that looked out onto the huge river, and most importantly for Nick there was a hammock.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14053874076" title="IMG_1816 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/14053874076_1ab6cbc4cf.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1816"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097030613" title="IMG_1817 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14097030613_532dedcf49.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1817"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097027763" title="IMG_1820 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/14097027763_fcdc22340b.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1820"></a><br />
Nick spent the evening fishing, trying to catch our dinner, while some of the women from the community came round and tried to sell me some gifts. It was hard as I knew they really needed the money, so I bought a few things that were very expensive, and bribed them a bit more with some sugar cane sweets which they seemed to be a sucker for!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13890412370" title="IMG_1784 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2907/13890412370_10a9ab15d3.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1784"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097048883" title="IMG_1791 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5313/14097048883_818932647f.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="IMG_1791"></a><br />
After dinner we sat by candlelight around the fire, and Gregorio pointed out some of the animals that were loitering around our camp in the dark, hoping for a scrap of food. We decided to go to bed, exhausted from all the walking, and just as we got back to our hut, Nick froze and ordered me to get Gregorio, we had a snakey friend in our room. Gregorio seemed completely unfazed, scooped the snake up with a stick and flung it into the trees behind us. Drama over,w e managed to get some sleep.<br />
<br />
The next day we were up at 8 and went for a walk around the lodge, we saw toucans, big spiders and alligator prints. We had a bit of success catching some fish and learned a lot more about the families around our camp. Pepe uses some of the money he makes at EcoSelva to fund the community, he runs a school for them and hosts football games for them. It really made me feel happy about giving money to the company, and would strongly recommend anyone else to go with him if you are considering going into the jungle.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073829252" title="IMG_1805 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/14073829252_04e81f57e4.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1805"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097042433" title="IMG_1799 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14097042433_988e6c37b3.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1799"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14053886956" title="IMG_1796 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/14053886956_915bd7a096.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1796"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14053883736" title="IMG_1800 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/14053883736_bb7723d19c.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="IMG_1800"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14077466744" title="IMG_1803 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/14077466744_993ec8fbb3.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1803"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073829252" title="IMG_1805 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/14073829252_04e81f57e4.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1805"></a><br />
That afternoon we spent around our little beach. I watched some of the brothers pan for gold in the river, and we crossed to the other side to go fishing and have a dip in a rubber ring. That was a great end to the day, and what was even more exciting was the Shaman of the village was coming to visit us that evening. Again, what I pictured him to look like was 100 miles from what he actually was. I imagined him to have long hair, a long beard and be wearing beads and be carrying a big stick. Instead, he rocked up in a pair of wellies and addidas shorts. He explained to us ayahuasca, smoked a cigar and did a ritual on us to rid us of bad spirits, which involved him hitting us on the head with a broom made of leaves and sucking on the top of our head.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14073785341" title="IMG_1818 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5272/14073785341_c242d4f721.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1818"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097025033" title="IMG_1825 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/14097025033_20b62d3188.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1825"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14097023843" title="IMG_1826 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7347/14097023843_8d600c0745.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1826"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14053856846" title="IMG_1834 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7443/14053856846_6ab59a322f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1834"></a><br />
We slept well in the knowledge that we were free of bad juju and knowing we'd survived the jungle. We were up at 6:30 the next morning to prepare to go back to civilisation. A motored canoe came to pick us up and drop us off at a different point along the long, tarmac road. We waited on the edge of the road for the bus to come, and soon enough it was time to say goodbye to Gregorio.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13890368748" title="IMG_1835 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5576/13890368748_2c5bcf61ab.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1835"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14076968885" title="IMG_1836 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/14076968885_16cc40a79a.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="IMG_1836"></a><br />
We went back to our original hotel and pleaded with them to let us have a shower and get changed, I realised I looked like I had the bubonic plague with some very nasty mozzy bites, but there was no time to dwell, it was time to get on the bus and go to Ecuador's capital, Quito. <br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-76964438172200433702015-01-15T23:03:00.001+00:002015-01-15T23:03:34.944+00:00Hello 20152014 was fun and exciting, challenging and rewarding, swelteringly hot and freezing cold. I climbed mountains, saw things I can't even dream of seeing again, went back to school, got a job, petted alpacas, visited the jungle, made shapes in salt that looked like snow and settled into living the life of the 9-5 grind again. We met amazing people I hope to see again sometime in the future, and got to spend some time with family and old friends we hadn't seen for such a long time. We saw in the year with the lovely Rosario and Antonio in Buenos Aires, sat in a park and watching the sun come up, and ended it back where I was three years ago, in the Coppards' front room. <br />
<br />
This was the year I felt I got a few things out of my system, resolved that there were lots of other things I wanted to do and really got my head down to try and achieve a few things.<br />
<br />
Here are a few highlights of 2015:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15666833244" title="January by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7490/15666833244_a6d26932f9.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="January"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16101900380" title="February by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16101900380_c3ce729e2f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="February"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16101711908" title="March by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/16101711908_c24da8d543.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="March"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16101914000" title="April by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16101914000_0c7fea8396.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="April"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16101899440" title="May Tree by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8594/16101899440_25845c25f2.jpg" width="570" height="155" alt="May Tree"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103399737" title="jUNE by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/16103399737_06ee14b1ee.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="jUNE"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103110069" title="July by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/16103110069_18c3c63b53.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="July"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15669376693" title="August by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7461/15669376693_d08efa502f.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="August"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16289261795" title="September by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7472/16289261795_a15bb2bab6.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="September"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103124019" title="october by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/16103124019_ee83fd6d28.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="october"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103124589" title="november by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16103124589_18dc1e4695.jpg" width="570" height="315" alt="november"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16263330846" title="december by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7572/16263330846_dff227a3ac.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="december"></a><br />
<br />
What a wonderful year it was! Let's hope 2015 is just as memorable!<br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-90465451618971769442014-12-26T17:19:00.002+00:002014-12-26T17:19:42.089+00:00Belgium: Happy 60th Birthday Mum!I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and you got to spend it with your loved ones!<br />
<br />
I was up at the crack of dawn this morning to hit the January sales, it's the first time I've ever made an effort to go, and will probably be the last too! It was far too manic for my liking.<br />
<br />
Not only does today kind of mark the end of Christmas, but it's a whole week since my mum turned 60. This also means a whole week since we arrived in Brussels, Belgium.<br />
<br />
That was another early start for us as the plane departed at 7:50, and we arrived in Charleroi by 10:00am. We wearily made our way to the guesthouse, <a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Sleephere/Brussels/13380?source=adwordsbrusselsnamesbff&KID=431085&AID=2&sub_keyword=sleephere%20brussels&sub_ad=e&sub_publisher=ADW&gclid=Cj0KEQiAq_SkBRC3jLvJ1IPt2eIBEiQASUZy1yq06e33TpsburW2wwALnsUPli9R4bU2Kd1AE8sO_lsaArpq8P8HAQ">Sleephere</a>, which I had made reservations for, and we were pleasantly surprised when we came out of the metro and we were in the Christmas Market. Although the guesthouse is in a really good location, it took me a while to find it as I didn't have a map and the building didn't have a sign outside. We were so relieved when we did find it, as it was raining and we were absolutely soaked. It turned out we'd actually walked past it a few times. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16104193605" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7558/16104193605_9754fee0df.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15481907434" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7473/15481907434_dbacd6a186.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
When we got inside it was really nice, it is an old fashioned town house with high ceilings, it was very welcoming to walk in and be greeted by a burning fire, a huge Christmas tree and a dog. The owner, Karel was very friendly and spent a lot of time talking through recommendations. Once in our room it was time to do some all important hat drying.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103511692" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7476/16103511692_e896c61e11.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916811978" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7582/15916811978_985c2f53b7.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16104229465" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8667/16104229465_6c541a61fc.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102320781" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7544/16102320781_59476dc5cf.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16078459146" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8671/16078459146_c67a79dc24.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15481932534" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8621/15481932534_317ee446e2.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
We wandered around the Christmas markets, did a little shopping, admired the treats that were on offer and drank hot cider. Yum.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916923770" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/15916923770_fce4c9b4e5.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916954930" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/15916954930_9a1f4e4670.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16103517802" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/16103517802_4377525cc4.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918491157" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/15918491157_4cce766f01.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16078478126" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/16078478126_998dc95cfb.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
That night we ate at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g188644-d782187-Reviews-In_t_Spinnekopke-Brussels.html">In't Spinnekopke</a>, a traditional Belgian restaurant that was filled with strange puppets and served home brewed beer. Not being a big fan of beer, I tasted my mum's it wasn't too bad! The food however, was delicious. I tried Sausage and Stoemp and my mum had meatballs.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916824508" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/15916824508_befe32b751.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918495617" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7491/15918495617_997d720c8d.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102331721" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7572/16102331721_c1ebd91316.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
Walking off our dinner we decided to go to the Grand Place. It was amazing to see it at night, all lit up with the sparkly Christmas tree in the centre. There were lots of people in the square taking photos or drinking in the cafes and bars around the perimeter.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916819558" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/15916819558_07e20144be.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102324791" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7578/16102324791_bcd422ea36.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
On Saturday we decided to take in the sights properly and joined the free <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g188644-d4431670-Reviews-SANDEMANs_NEW_Brussels_Tours-Brussels.html">Sandemans</a> walking tour. I would really recommend this as it gave us a bit of insight into the history of the country, the struggle between the Flemish and French, and also the colonial history involving the Congo. Our tour guide was an English student who had lived in Brussels while he studied. We followed some of the comic murals around the city and got to see the Mannequin Pis.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918478227" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8591/15918478227_6c5ae67e28.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918155269" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8660/15918155269_c1fde9e7ec.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102310671" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7517/16102310671_da9643330f.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102308311" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8593/16102308311_2e430825ee.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15484536433" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8564/15484536433_c398c7c405.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918146999" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/15918146999_8c2d7d9b93.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15466810174" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/15466810174_0893cb7109.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102307831" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16102307831_98e7d2e094.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16078438986" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7483/16078438986_c2e402373f.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15916929140" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/15916929140_21f1fcf25c.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918143839" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7539/15918143839_3a450f2b4d.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
After the tour finished we decided to try a Belgian delicacy, Frites with mayonnaise and went to <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g188644-d1969224-Reviews-Fritland-Brussels.html">Fritland</a>, they were incredibly good chips! I decided to be brave and try and order in french, the chips were fine to order, but then I had to ask for water, not knowing the French word I decided 'Acqua' was a safe bet. The man got the water and handed it to me, then asked in English 'Are you Italian?' Feeling a little proud that he thought I was very continental I announced proudly, 'No! I'm English!' to which he responded, 'I know, it was a joke!'. Obviously French isn't as similar to Italian or Spanish as I thought, and he was far from fooled by me!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15481889674" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7470/15481889674_8a7137cb29.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
Belgium has many famous comic book and cartoon characters such as Tin Tin and the Smurfs, so we went to the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g188644-d638949-Reviews-Belgian_Centre_of_Comic_Strip_Art-Brussels.html">Comic Strip Centre</a> which is in an amazing old art deco style building.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15901851270" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/15901851270_1ed325d8fc.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16089138875" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/16089138875_c9b46dd041.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15901688538" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7487/15901688538_3419072db1.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16102300171" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/16102300171_30880ff20c.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
The second night we ate at the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g188644-d7236202-Reviews-Taverne_Greenwich-Brussels.html">Greenwich Taverne</a>, a French style bistro. The building was amazing, the food was average, but I think we made the wrong choice by going for a roquefort and pear burger and finished our night off with a few drinks.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15918455787" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8624/15918455787_d4953060f8.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15481883214" title="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/15481883214_77a10655cd.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Brussels and Bruges December 2014 for mum's 60th birthday"></a><br />
With only one full day left, we decided to go to Bruges on Sunday as so many people had told us how picturesque it was. Sadly it was a very cold, windy and wet day, so I don't think that we saw Bruges at its best. The tour guide did his best to engage people, although being the only native English speakers, I think a lot of the information was lost to others behind his strong Scouse accent! Try saying in your best Liverpudlian accent: 'If ya look down yonder, you'll see that building with a burrr on it, I think that's mad, that burrr innit?'.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16063335746" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/16063335746_97169fb0ca.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15903379057" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7545/15903379057_9659a5e037.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16088427522" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7516/16088427522_c5a00ca6a1.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16087222981" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/16087222981_b0cf500868.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15901865470" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7468/15901865470_064564840c.jpg" width="550" height="425" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16063344116" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16063344116_10f5c00237.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15469456593" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8604/15469456593_23464ff2e4.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16063347636" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8621/16063347636_e80aaec91e.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15466828104" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7546/15466828104_5807e7e3a9.jpg" width="550" height="207" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
We got back to the hostel, cold and hungry, so decided to stay in the hostel in front of the fire with some cheese and wine.<br />
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We finished our short break with a bit of shopping on Monday, lots of waffle eating and chocolate tasting before we caught the plane back to England.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15469458503" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8588/15469458503_658154b794.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16089146955" title="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7494/16089146955_53fffa02db.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Belgium- Brussels and Bruges"></a><br />
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Happy 60th mum! I hope that you had a lovely weekend!<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-79225337870845167122014-12-24T18:17:00.001+00:002014-12-24T18:18:30.959+00:00December: Reasons to be Merry and Bright<center><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/16094582551" title="sonny angel christmas by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7581/16094582551_8049025528.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="sonny angel christmas"></a></center><br />
Is anybody still out there? I know that my blogging frequency has become progressively worse this year, all for good reasons, I hope.<br />
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I can't believe it's only 2 more days until Christmas, where has this year gone?! This time last year I was in Argentina with the lovely Rosario and Antonio in their beautiful house in Buenos Aires and we had the chance to experience Christmas <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2013/12/merry-christmas-ya-filthy-animal.html">the Argentinian way</a>, but this year I only have the traditional things in mind!<br />
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Here are a few reasons why December has given me reasons to be merry:<br />
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I finally finished my post graduate course, which I did enjoy at the time, and you can read the reasons why I'd recommend anyone to do further study in <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2014/10/6-reasons-why-being-mature-student-is.html">this post</a>, but it did start to become my life for a little while. There were wobblies and late night library sessions, but everything was handed in, with time to spare may I add (purely because the deadline date was the day I was going away!), so I am now just waiting for the results.<br />
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My whole reasoning for studying this module was to better prepare myself for a course I want to do next year, I'm a strong believer in tempting fate, and don't want to say too much, but it would seem that by working so hard on this course, it has more than made up for some gaps in my education/work life that may have worked as a hurdle. Phew!<br />
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I turned 28, and I think it's the first birthday where it didn't really feel like a birthday because I had so much to do from the three months of studying that I wasn't as prepared for Christmas as I usually am at that time, and it's the first time that I'm not really bothered about getting old, I feel happy about the things I've done over the past few years and content with the direction things are going at the moment.<br />
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Finally, my mum turned 60 on Friday, so we went on a mini holiday together to Belgium where I finally soaked up some Christmas spirit. Brussels and Bruges are so beautiful, I will share more pictures with you soon.<br />
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Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a lovely day! Eat, drink and be merry! <br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-22914627577327453652014-11-19T23:03:00.000+00:002014-11-19T23:03:35.308+00:00These Grey Days: Firmoo Glasses Review<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15831476522" title="Untitled by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7462/15831476522_a01e11f4be.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Untitled"></a><br />
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Now that the nights are getting longer and the weather outside is drizzly, it's a lot easier to stay indoors and get my work done. <br />
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Saturday and Sunday were both spent with noses in books, comfy jumpers on and the radio crooning in the background. Nick had no excuses not to get on with his course, thanks to his new pair of glasses.<br />
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My friends at <a href="http://www.firmoo.com">Firmoo</a> sent him a lovely pair of new glasses. I've previously used their service, check out the <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2014/06/trash-treat-or-stash-firmoo-eyewear.html">review of it here</a>. So this time I knew what to expect in regards to the quality of the product and the speediness of the delivery, even though they have a long way to come, all the way from across the pond. Never fear, they do have a <a href="http://www.firmoo.co.uk">UK site</a> with lots of great glasses at prices so cheap that you'll want to check your eye sight again.<br />
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Having a new pair of specs has opened Nick's eyes to lots of new things, he's started taking driving classes (again) and can watch films with subtitles, we watched The Lives of Others the other day, which was really great.<br />
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The glasses themselves are very simple but stylish. Nick went for an understated brown frame with a small symbol on the side. They came in the antique map style glasses box that I love, and the additional benefit of the tiny screw driver.<br />
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Again, the service we received was really great. <a href="http://www.firmoo.com">Firmoo</a> make it really easy to browse, enter your prescription details and order.<br />
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Let's hope that he doesn't sit on, stand on, leave them behind or let some back street Korean Optician fiddle with them!<br />
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Thanks <a href="http://www.firmoo.com">Firmoo</a>!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15194218583" title="Nick firmoo glasses by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5610/15194218583_e9aba90925.jpg" width="550" height="550" alt="Nick firmoo glasses"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15628246538" title="Nick firmoo glasses by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5604/15628246538_66ec15b8ac.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Nick firmoo glasses"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15209944554" title="Untitled by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7469/15209944554_b0f15f7024.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Untitled"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15644077579" title="Nick firmoo glasses by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/15644077579_126d91b543.jpg" width="550" height="760" alt="Nick firmoo glasses"></a><br />
<i>I was asked by Firmoo to review their service and products in return for a pair of new glasses. As I was in the market for some, I jumped at the chance and put their business under the magnifying glass.</i><br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-1038842988735797122014-10-31T09:30:00.000+00:002014-10-31T09:41:07.080+00:00Something Old and Something NewMy lovely friend Harjit is getting married tomorrow, and I'm really excited. Not only is it the first time a close friend of mine has tied the knot, but also it will be my first Indian wedding. I'm looking forward to finding out how they do things!<br />
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Harjit and I first met at Aviva, where I started working when I was 21. At first I was pretty scared of her, she's pretty sassy and has lots of attitude. The whole department had just been relocated to my home town, and Harjit had moved from Birmingham to show us how it was done. She definitely knew her stuff and had to put up with us numpties who didn't know anything, while living in a hotel in the week, far away from all of her family.<br />
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Soon after I started, we got moved onto the same team, and I realised under the sassiness was a really kind hearted and funny girl. Sometimes she was funny because of the jokes she made, and the observations she had of the things us northerners did and other times it was because of the things she did. Always telling us how someone had once compared her to an Indian Cheryl Cole, which would lead her to swing her hair around trying to do a geordie impression, or being very demanding to the ladies in the canteen, "I want 5 beans, no butter, and no mayonnaise!"<br />
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At some point my housing contract didn't work and I was faced with moving out of my apartment with nowhere to go, so Harjit and I made plans to move in together. We moved into a lovely house in Norton in Sheffield. I remember the first day we were moving in, and she turned up with her dad who I'd heard often carried a sword. I was pretty impressed!<br />
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We had some good times in our little house, a chav themed house warming, a few issues with spiders and me trying to colour my hair blonde. My favourite memory in the house is when I walked in and sensed something was wrong. I walked upstairs and noticed the bathroom window was wide open, and Harjit's door was ajar. I walked into her room and was really shocked. Clothes were everywhere, her TV was face down on the floor, her drawers were out of the chest. We'd been robbed. I quickly called her and told her we'd been burgled. I described the scene in her room and she burst out laughing, reassuring me that's just how she'd left it!<br />
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A few lessons I learned from Harj:<br />
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1. Bread is really tasty, especially without anything on it, and particularly if you put something realllly dry in the middle of it. Infact, the dryer the better. Yum.<br />
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2. Tilting your head to one side while having your photo taken means guaranteed fabulousness.<br />
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3. Cats should be avoided at all costs, even if it means slamming the door and locking your housemate out of the house, even if she doesn't know what the flip is going on.<br />
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4. Pulling the gun fingers out while dancing earns guaranteed gangster points.<br />
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5. The best way to pass a boring commute to work is to point at the most bizarre looking person you can find and say to the passenger 'What's your boyfriend doing here?'.<br />
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6. Google It. Follow any big statement with those two words. People have died from the heat in India. In Birmingham, if you have a car crash, people will stab you. Just Google It.<br />
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7. Don't peek in other people's temples, especially when they wouldn't peek in yours.<br />
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I was really sad when I had to move out to start saving for my adventures the next year, but we still got to see each other at work. No matter how tedious the work was, or if we were having bad days, we always managed to have a good laugh together.<br />
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She deserves lots of happiness, she definitely is one of a kind, my favourite coconut! I couldn't let her start this new chapter of her life without sharing a little photo evidence of the times we spent together!<br />
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Have a lovely day Harj!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15666413281" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/15666413281_6ce6a8e0e1.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15666356161" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/15666356161_ef292a87f9.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15048903613" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15048903613_74ed644fcf.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15048314044" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3943/15048314044_0276b4a348.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15666372291" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/15666372291_e7f3699325.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15482892198" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3951/15482892198_ecea026840.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15482408449" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3932/15482408449_80ce4e3460.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15048298754" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3956/15048298754_41d8bb6c4d.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15645331886" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/15645331886_fdf5650da6.jpg" width="570" height="427" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15482393479" title="Harjit by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7502/15482393479_5a72570d87.jpg" width="570" height="427" alt="Harjit"></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15483232917" title="soyo2 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7530/15483232917_272bc633b7.jpg" width="570" height="378" alt="soyo2"></a><br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-11946380808082391372014-10-30T18:32:00.000+00:002014-10-30T18:32:59.996+00:006 Reasons Why being a Mature Student is Amazing<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15482763870" title="Mature student by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15482763870_bdff29b8c4.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Mature student"></a><br />
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I'm a month into my 3 month distance learning course at The University of Sheffield. I've REALLY had to change my way of life for a while, poor Nick comes home from work and cooks for me every night, the washing isn't done until there isn't a single clean sock left in the house, the cupboards are bare, date nights have been cancelled, the gym haven't seen me in over a month and I'm permanently excused from the washing up (hurrah!) while I sit looking at the computer screen, frantically scribbling notes. I think this explains why I've been missing from here. BUT, despite our lives decaying into chaos, here are 5 reasons why I'm really enjoying being a mature student.<br />
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<u>1. I'm Flexing my intellectual muscles again!</u><br />
It actually feels good to be learning things again, and things I always found interesting in the past, but due to my line of study before, never had the time to find out more. I find myself going to say 'Today I learned...' in conversations before I realise no one else is that interested!<br />
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<u>2. It Gives me an Excuse to Let my Inner Geek Out</u><br />
If you haven't already guessed, I am a big geek, I love learning, and before the course started I caught myself researching how I can get the most out of the time I spend making notes. For anyone else as studious as me, here are a couple of good links!<br />
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<u>3. I Have An excuse to Buy Stationary</u><br />
There's still that young girl inside of me who shows herself whenever I have an excuse to buy stationary. New term. New pencil case, right? I've never pedalled so fast as when I heard there was a 1/2 price stationary sale at Sainsburys. How I miss Korea in my stationary frenzies.<br />
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<u>4. I'm Getting Where I Want to Be</u><br />
After I graduated in 2008, I did fall into a job that wasn't really my cup of tea, I have a lot to be thankful for though because of that job. I've made so many great friends from it, the boredom of it inspired me to make my free time more interesting through roller derby and, eventually, it gave me the motivation to move to Korea! All clouds have a silver lining. But now it's nice to know that I am moving myself in the direction I want to go, and if i don't succeed then at least I've tried my very best to get there!<br />
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<u>5.I'm More efficient with time</u><br />
I have to say, a slight downside with the work load, and the fact I'm out of practise with studying is the fact that it takes up so much of my time. I really have to be efficient. Lunch breaks at work are no longer about idly checking Facebook, I have to run into town to carry out the errands I would normally have done in the evenings. I have to plan when I'm going to be alone in the house, so I have nothing else to do while I'm distraction free. Being like this does make me really appreciate the free time, ALOT more!<br />
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<u>6. I Have The Gift of Experience</u><br />
I think the biggest lesson I've learned since travelling, is that when you're young, you're made to make decisions about your future when you're just not ready. At 14 you decide on the GCSEs you'll take. At 16 it's the A Levels, which then stipulate the kind of course you can study at University. This can then affect the profession you can go into and even the further study you want to do. I think there are very few 16 year olds really know what they want to do the next weekend, let alone for the rest of their lives. I remember thinking I wanted to either be a journalist for a glossy magazine, or a film editor. It was only through life experience that I learned what I enjoyed and what really interested me. It's only through meeting people and talking to people and seeing amazing things that can really help you make good decisions in perspective. And as a mature student I really feel like I'm getting the chance to rectify some of the bad choices I made when I was too young to know better.<br />
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<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-9744446996158712862014-10-13T12:49:00.001+01:002014-10-13T12:49:25.208+01:00My First Hen Do and Back to SchoolI can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted on here. How time flies! It's been really hectic as the last two weekends I've had to go back to Sheffield. Last week it was because I had to attend a study weekend for the course that I'm doing and this week it was for Harjit's hen do. Not long until her wedding day now!<br />
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Last Saturday was incredibly tiring. I got to Sheffield late on Friday night and went to my mum's house. She is having a bit of a revamp of the downstairs of the house, so it was in a bit of a state of disarray as there were walls being knocked down and kitchens being put in. Our poor old cat, Leila who must nearly be 18 now seems to have gone blind from all the stress. Poor Leila.<br />
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The next morning I was up early to go to the university, then Saturday night, I met with Tasha and we had a night in front of the TV, chatting and eating lots of delicious home made food. It was really nice to catch up after so long.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15480804142" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15480804142_faae0b6349.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15480796952" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2945/15480796952_1bb8f7437b.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
Sunday it was back to university, then my mum came to meet me at 3 and we ambled around Weston Park museum before saying goodbye in Fancie. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15477997541" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5608/15477997541_bfa52c0cb5.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15477998631" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15477998631_7dde903f43.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15458059406" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15458059406_994da5c46f.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
Afterwards, I went to see Caroline and Ari and Ari made a delicious 3 course meal for us, including lamb tagine. We had enough time for me to teach them the rules of Yanif before I had to set off home on the mammoth 3 hours journey back to Norwich.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15481159885" title="Weekend in Sheffield by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3930/15481159885_a966a9bd02.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in Sheffield"></a><br />
This weekend was equally hectic, Nick and I went to watch a film called '71 at Cinema City in Norwich, which I would highly recommend. Saturday morning I took the train to Sheffield, Louise came to pick me up and we did some last minute errands ready for Harjit's hen do.<br />
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We were staying at the Hilton Hotel, so we went there to decorate the room before she arrived. She was so shocked when she arrived.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15525479785" title="Harj's hen do weekend by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5605/15525479785_2b1d0b205a.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Harj's hen do weekend"></a><br />
We started the night with some cocktails in Revolucion de Cuba, then had some Italian food at Antibo's before we went to dance the night away in Crystal.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15338757417" title="Harj's hen do weekend by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5609/15338757417_ee08cf7f9a.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Harj's hen do weekend"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15338471759" title="Harj's hen do weekend by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15338471759_1b7d37be53.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Harj's hen do weekend"></a><br />
The next morning, I left the girls to go to the spa and went to meet my Dad and Margaret. It'll be Margaret's birthday in a couple of weeks time, which I won't be able to make, so we went for a meal at a local restaurant.<br />
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Before i knew it, it was time to get back on the train and head back to Norwich. It takes just under 4 hours on the train, but luckily Anna Jones was on the same carriage so we passed the time by chatting about our weekend!<br />
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Hope you all had a great weekend and the week's got off to a good start.<br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-52969007651053899892014-09-30T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-30T09:30:01.673+01:00Misahualli, you give me butterflies!The more we travelled around Ecuador, the more I loved it. Leaving <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2014/09/travel-tuesday-bathing-in-banos.html">Baños</a> ever thankful to the owner of La Princesa Maria for helping me finally get the medical care I needed, we started the long journey to the East of Ecuador where civilisation thins out and the jungle takes over.<br />
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We took an incredibly busy bus from Baños to Napo. It was so busy Nick and I took separate seats and I ended up sat next to a boy who was sleeping. Eventually he woke up and instantly started to chat to me, asking where I was from, what I was doing, where I was going. He was also happy to answer all the questions I had wanted to ask the people we often saw but didn't get chance to speak to. His name was Pato, he was only 25 but was the main provider for his mum and his insane amount of brothers and sisters. He had been travelling since 2 in the morning to go to Otavalo market to buy provisions for his family, and was now heading back and was expecting to get back to his village at 3 in the afternoon. His older brother was studying in Quito and he desperately wanted to travel, but had to look after his family. He also told me he really wasn't religious and loved to watch South Park. It was the first time I ever felt like I'd had a really good conversation in Spanish and I was slightly dismayed when he told me it was his stop and he wandered away from the bus carrying two huge white sacks. I still had so many questions!<br />
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From Napo we took a local bus to Misahualli, it was so full that Nick had to ride in the doorway, with one leg hanging out of the bus! I was really relieved when we arrived at the main square of Misahualli.<br />
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Missahualli (Miss-a-why-ee) is a tiny town at the very mouth of the jungle, and apparently used to be incredibly popular a couple of decades ago with tourists, but with the amount of tourism traffic flowing into the jungle, many of the animals were scared away and so the tourism died off again. We decided to visit the jungle from this spot as the doctor in Baños had spoken so highly of it.<br />
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After a quick browse on Trip Advisor, I found a company that ran jungle trips called EcoSelva, and it was owned by an ecologist. EcoSelva was on the tiny square so we headed there and met Pepe. He is a really nice, friendly man who really loves what he does. We found out later on our trip that he really wants to help the communities that live in the jungle, so he helps to school the children, and runs football matches for them too. We got a really good feel for his company and what it put back into the jungle, so we booked a 2 night, 3 day trip.<br />
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The other top recommendation on Tripadvisor was the Butterfly House. I asked if Pepe would recommend it and he said definitely, so we decided to take a stroll up later that day. As Pepe had suggested the hostel next to his business, we went to check it out. It was a small house run by a mother and daughter and the rooms seemed clean and homely enough. It was also the very 'normal' names of the rooms that sold it to us.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14088924283" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/14088924283_7e7b68b483.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
Having checked in, we went for a spot of lunch at another restaurant in the square. Most of the restaurants were open at the front, so we walked in and were pretty shocked to see that the furniture was strewn all across the floor. The owner appeared from the back and apologised about the state of the restaurant apologising profusely. She explained that it was the local monkeys of the town who live in the trees in the square. When they're feeling mischievous they steal food and toss the furniture around when the owners are siesta ring. We sat and ate lunch, watching the naughty monkeys laze around the square.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14088879913" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/14088879913_a25396e064.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
Luckily, we managed to catch a glimpse of them at their most mischievous when a rather large American Tourist walked through the square. He was wearing a bright hawaiian shirt, explorer shorts, socks, sandals, sun glasses and a floppy sun hat. He decided to stop and play with the monkeys, who entertained him for a bit, before they decided it would be far more fun to take his wallet out of his pocket. They ran up into the trains then started to empty the wallet, throwing the contents, including wads of cash, onto the floor. No matter how much he shouted and flailed around, he didn't get his wallet back until a local climbed the tree to retrieve it.<br />
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After that spectacle, it was early evening and we walked to the butterfly house to see if it was still open. We were surprised to be welcomed in by Pepe, it turned out that he had built a butterfly house in his garden because of his love of butterflies. He started the collection by collecting eggs on his visits to the jungle, caring for the caterpillars and then letting them loose into the enclosure. It turned out that dusk is the perfect time for butterfly spotting as they go for one more flight to bring up the temperature of their body before sleeping for the night.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065399452" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/14065399452_b8398280bb.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068795975" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/14068795975_cd650bee68.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14045669356" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/14045669356_c2b98e4c64.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
It was really amazing to watch them floating around, and really nice to listen to Pepe talk about his butterflies. His love for all things natural really shone through and made him so interesting to talk to.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065610402" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/14065610402_1ca3f8cc89.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068687665" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/14068687665_f19fe7737e.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14045477576" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2924/14045477576_5c26291688.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065456761" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/14065456761_48422b9237.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14088711913" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14088711913_55af3c94e6.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
As it grew dark, we decided to see what else the town had to offer. There wasn't all that much, but we went to the river and watched the sunset. It was exciting to know that the next day we could be heading into the jungle and taking a canoe on that same river.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14045446136" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7347/14045446136_dcd8e09489.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068539705" title="Misahualli by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14068539705_e81295131e.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Misahualli"></a><br />
We went to bed early that night to prepare ourselves for our early start tomorrow, and just as we started to drift off we heard the rain start to fall. Weird shadows crept across our walls, and when I looked out of our window onto the square, I realised the shadows were the monkeys running to take shelter from the rain. It was really pouring down and the roads had turned to clay rivers. It was the first time I really understood why we call it the rain forest. <br />
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The rain didn't stop though, and half way through the night, Nick shot up in bed as the roof had started to leak and rain was pouring through the hole in the ceiling onto his foot. I can't explain how much it was raining, I've never seen anything like it in my life.<br />
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We got up bright and early the next day, feeling a little weary after our rude awakening. We went to meet Pepe who apologised for being a bit delayed, but the rain had been a bit of an oddity and his whole house had flooded, the butterfly enclosure had collapsed and all of his butterflies had either flown away or had been killed. It was so sad to think of him the day before, peacefully walking through the trees surrounded by butterflies telling us how it had taken him years to grow his collection.<br />
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Yet, he didn't linger too long as he said it was time for us to go and meet our guide, Gregorio.<br />
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I'm going to split our Misahualli adventures into a two part drama filled event as I've already typed more than I like to! I'll continue next week when we start our trek into the jungle!<br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-38557477626854844352014-09-29T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-29T09:30:02.105+01:00Weekend: Louise Does NorwichThis weekend I was super excited because Louise was coming to visit me from Sheffield. Unfortunately it took her 5 and a half hours to arrive, so she didn't get here until late, but it gave us a bit of extra time to prepare. Nick used his ingenuity to blow up the air bed. It also gave me a chance to try my hand at jam making, Nick had gone and picked some blackberries on his lunch break. Unfortunately I misread the recipe and there was no undoing it after that!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15381233602" title="Untitled by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/15381233602_aff3b3641a.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt="Untitled"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15381524375" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/15381524375_1f811632c2.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt=" "></a><br />
When she arrived we got some dinner and played a couple of card games into the early hours.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15378367121" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2950/15378367121_1719b45175.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
We were up bright and early for a bike ride on Saturday morning. We went down the river to the cathedral and home again. It was one of her first times riding a bike on a road, which was quite scary at times.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15358525706" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3931/15358525706_f26f314b77.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt=" "></a><br />
We spent the afternoon in the centre, first we ate at the Ten Bells, which was delicious, then we went shopping for a dress for Harjit's wedding in November. I'm finding it particularly hard to find a suitable dress, it has to be long and colourful, but I'm also trying to find something that I will wear again! After 9 dresses I gave up and we went home for a nap.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15195032427" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3891/15195032427_ac163d9e3e.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15194854540" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3899/15194854540_42ffe06252.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15194782839" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/15194782839_617d5a7746.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
Saturday night I went to collect the Coppards who were in town because they had been playing roller derby here. Nick cooked us chicken and chorizo fajitas and we chatted until 3 in the morning, meaning that we missed the chance to go to a few bars in the town. Ooops.<br />
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Sunday morning we got up and went for breakfast at a cafe called The Muddy Cup. It was the perfect end to Lou's visit and the food was really tasty. I particularly enjoyed the raspberry smoothie. Yum!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15194762207" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2944/15194762207_cb5fddb3df.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15380933722" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15380933722_6c2b638c19.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15358258226" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3846/15358258226_4993e66a26.jpg" width="560" height="760" alt=" "></a><br />
Then i was like Cinderella, cleaning the house from top to bottom seeing as I have had absolutely no time this week. Phew! <br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-38041296003988721882014-09-26T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-26T09:30:00.534+01:00Coming Round the Mountain in CompetaI arrived back on Tuesday evening feeling incredibly relaxed after our few days in Competa, Spain. <br />
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My Aunty Liz and her partner Frank live out in the mountains in an amazing log cabin that they've built from scratch. It was lovely to watch the sun come up and the shadows disappear in the morning, and lay by the pool(with a gin in hand!) as the sun went down.<br />
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We spent some time ambling down the windy streets of Competa, a sleepy village in the mountains with white washed buildings and squares lined with cafes. <br />
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We slurped at ice cream as it tried to melt in sunny Nerja by the sea and ate lots of food typically British and exotically foreign.<br />
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It was great to see Liz and Frank again after so long and see how they live in Spain.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158880620" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/15158880620_08838cc399.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158760858" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/15158760858_bc610f9958.jpg" width="570" height="113" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15161980920" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/15161980920_be6784e8b7.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15325653236" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/15325653236_98f2772cd5.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15345028642" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/15345028642_4c3d08487f.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158605780" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/15158605780_6c8656d835.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15345304315" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3865/15345304315_63dd5c471a.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158595610" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/15158595610_cbb38f0e3d.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158596440" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/15158596440_b4eced252e.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15344932112" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/15344932112_949862a2f9.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158640118" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15158640118_4448b2d3c5.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158406189" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/15158406189_75c3092330.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15345100345" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/15345100345_719d3bd7a8.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15321975586" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3856/15321975586_c5602e8fcb.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15157960009" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15157960009_066b6a3e43.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158436197" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3865/15158436197_6dd2340e26.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158519038" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/15158519038_0056924ce8.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15345159285" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15345159285_fc59a8dcf1.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15344412942" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/15344412942_9a057168df.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15158188767" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15158188767_575089271c.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15157994820" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15157994820_28cc40287f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15157942799" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15157942799_9bc8e2b76c.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15344665095" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3855/15344665095_ca182a6a01.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15321643476" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15321643476_7008f51f89.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15156566790" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/15156566790_c9ec44f1e5.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15156596068" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/15156596068_8b14eaeea5.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15321659136" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3890/15321659136_1079b3787e.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15339985461" title="Competa - Spain September 2014 by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15339985461_6c6b1a61bc.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Competa - Spain September 2014"></a><br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-28462669963082317172014-09-17T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-17T09:30:00.366+01:00Biddy's Tea Room NorwichWith Gogo here on Saturday we decided to go to Biddy's tearoom for a spot of afternoon tea. On the website it recommends to book a day or two before you go, but when we arrived they had a table free and they let us go to their tea room.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050524160" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3869/15050524160_3370117e68.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050509860" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/15050509860_e7074440a7.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
It's decorated as if it was a posh old lady's parlour, and is divided into two, there is the tea room upstairs and a lounge with old chesterfield sofas downstairs.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15213992346" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/15213992346_748581c4c3.jpg" width="570" height="125" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
There is a really nice counter in the front selling all sorts of savoury snacks and sweet treats. As soon as I walked through the door, my tummy started to rumble. We made it to our little corner of the cosy tea room and started to look over the treats in the menu<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050427017" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/15050427017_337f51a269.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050626247" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/15050626247_f44df09938.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
Now it might be that I have eyes bigger than my belly, but in other tearooms I've been to, afternoon tea includes sandwiches, scones, cake and tea. But at Biddy's you have to pick between a scone or a cake, this is made even harder by the fact they have so many delicious options. We decided to split a scone and a cake between us, then we had to pick which one we wanted, chocolate cake, irish coffee cream cake, lemon cake and the scones, fruit, plain, cheese.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15234238401" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/15234238401_85e0f2c59d.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15214193206" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/15214193206_7348c59ccf.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15214157306" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/15214157306_98774c8aeb.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
It was so difficult to pick, but we went for a rose and pistachio cake and a lavender and lemon curd scone. I had it with a ham, brie and chilli jam sandwich and a pot of chai tea. <br />
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After ordering we were left to catch up and drool over the food on the other tables! I loved the ambience of the little tea room and admire the huge cakes that were on display.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15214157546" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/15214157546_f1ac4a6f1c.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050251469" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/15050251469_b52f5bb1b2.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15214006196" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/15214006196_71738bbd62.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
All in all we had a lovely afternoon, I hope to start frequenting Biddy's a bit more often!<br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-66990740713644392102014-09-16T21:12:00.000+01:002014-09-18T14:51:46.667+01:00Vamos a España<div><br></div><div>My mum and I are off to Spain today to go and visit my Aunty in Andalucia. I'm very excited as it's the first time I will have seen her in years, and it marks the end if a hectic week at work!</div><div><br></div><div>It's our first holiday together since she came to see me in Korea! I<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> intend to relax, read, eat lots of delicious food and drinks wine before my course at Sheffield University starts next week! Phew!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hU-R7fEfNdzYeu2i6s7ce5-SdUI0_u3Kz9MR9JmJ1bGJUYtnCCTDU7PUDVGk_LILdicpvgjRk_CFkdpvmAdTHUKbYVC5sPIpO7ykoedLLh3UxTW6v3dksFkC-kxNWng79ltslbC8N-Q/s640/blogger-image-2132361414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hU-R7fEfNdzYeu2i6s7ce5-SdUI0_u3Kz9MR9JmJ1bGJUYtnCCTDU7PUDVGk_LILdicpvgjRk_CFkdpvmAdTHUKbYVC5sPIpO7ykoedLLh3UxTW6v3dksFkC-kxNWng79ltslbC8N-Q/s640/blogger-image-2132361414.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48"></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48"></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-30222755619825308872014-09-16T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-16T09:30:00.553+01:00Travel Tuesday: Bathing in BañosWhenever we asked for recommendations for Ecuador, Baños was the first place to roll off the tongue from our fellow travellers. Knowing a bit of Spanish the first time I heard it, I pictured it as a big, old toilet. I'm so happy that my preconceptions were wrong!<br />
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We arrived horribly early one morning. When we got off the bus we did our usual checks after we get off the bus, and realised that our Lonely Planet was no longer with us. We'd sadly left it on the bus. Checking the iPad for a map was the next port of call, but unfortunately there was no battery, meaning we had no way to navigate ourselves to our hostel, and it was going to be hours before there would be a sign of life to point us in the right direction. We waited in the bus station until the sun came up, and then went walking around the town.<br />
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Luckily it was incredibly small, we had a vague memory of what the hostel looked like and in what direction it was in, so it only took a few minutes before we'd found our hostel, <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g312857-d1954366-Reviews-Hostal_Princesa_Maria-Banos_Tungurahua_Province.html">Princesa Maria</a>. This turned out to be an amazing hotel with an incredibly friendly owner. He didn't really speak much English, but it was a perfect opportunity to practise and he was so eager to help. What he lacked in English he made up with his son who was a professor of English at the uni and could speak about another million languages.<br />
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It was in Baños, with the hostel owner's help that I finally went to a doctor at a hospital who was really helpful and managed to cure me of the illness that had been following me around. As I waited for my test results there was a huge rumble that sounded like thunder. Seeing my worried face the doctor told me not to worry, it was just the volcano. Not seeing how this could be at all reassuring, I asked him if it was going to erupt, and he explained that it had been erupting for the last ten years. I guess that made it a little better!<br />
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Feeling like we were on the mend, I decided to get a massage from a little shop in the centre of the town, which obviously did the trick, as when I woke up the next day, my meds had kicked in and I felt great. I felt so great that we made the decision to hire bikes and ride the road from Baños to Rio Verde. <br />
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It's a popular route for Ecuadorian and foreign tourists alike. It goes through a valley and follows the path of the river. You're surrounded by green mountains and gushing water. Every now and then there are little pit stops where you can do other activities like bungee or canopy. Feeling like I didn't want to tempt fate with only just feeling better, I sat this one out. There was a little restaurant along the path which served BBQ'd fish cooked in corn leaves, it was absolutely amazing, and if you ever find yourself down this road I'd highly recommend it. The owner is more than happy to talk to you about his fresh produce and the fact he used to run jungle tours for foreigners before all the animals started to disappear.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068931944" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/14068931944_88617711c2.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068458765" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/14068458765_e5dd03b2eb.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065179581" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/14065179581_f00188d54e.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068342675" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/14068342675_2493321cf4.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065143362" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/14065143362_fca2dcd989.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
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Before we knew it, we'd got to the small village where you can hop on a pick up truck with your bike, which takes you back to Baños. By the time we got back, the rain had set in, which meant we had to cancel our trip to 'la casa de arboles' a huge tree swing high up in the mountains. We substituted this for a nap.<br />
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In the evening, it was time to see what the town was all about and visit the public hot baths.There is a waterfall that runs behind the baths which is lit up at night and looks really pretty. It was a nice bit of scenery to look at while we soaked. It was a really nice atmosphere at night, everyone wore shower caps that made them look like jelly fish bobbing up and down in the water. There were a couple of pools, varying from really hot to freezing cold. Needless to say I wasn't brave enough to try out the cold one.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065040461" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/14065040461_8427d28185.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14088280823" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14088280823_5644cee7f7.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065079332" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14065079332_be3bcd5593.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Baños"></a><br />
We were eventually forced out of the pool because of our rumbling tummies, so we got out and headed to Comic Burgers, a Marvel themed burger restaurant.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068698064" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14068698064_2dc0946655.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14045112176" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/14045112176_76c97f5936.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14065017271" title="Baños by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2907/14065017271_ae61ac76a4.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Baños"></a><br />
The next morning we were woken right on time to get ready for our bus by the volcano! A pretty fitting end to our lovely time in Banos.<br />
<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-51368172642576016882014-09-15T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-15T09:30:00.827+01:00While the Cat's Away...Nick was away in London this weekend meeting Dan and Alex, our friends from Korea. With my other housemate, Kelly being away, I invited my old Derby friend Gogo up to keep me company.<br />
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We had a lovely weekend, which mostly involved stuffing ourselves silly with afternoon tea at Biddie's Tea Room and a Sunday lunch at Zak's American Diner. The portion sizes at the dinner were absolutely HUMONGOUS, the food was ok, and the decor was interesting, but I don't think I'll be going again. I'll talk more about Biddy's later on in the week!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15050509860" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/15050509860_e7074440a7.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15214006196" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/15214006196_71738bbd62.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15236978415" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/15236978415_35ace72bc9.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15049700127" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3900/15049700127_90b9958bce.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15049682177" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/15049682177_bd31b1d6ae.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15236186565" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/15236186565_1f175e504a.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15049628138" title="Food tour of Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/15049628138_3b1bc21a8f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Food tour of Norwich"></a><br />
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After Pauline set off on her long trip back home I tried to get the hang of the crochet pattern that I've been doing, and sorted a fee things around the house, a BIG week at work this week, so I think I'm going to be super busy!<br />
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Hope that everyone else had a great weekend!<br />
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<br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-88540600115691689442014-09-12T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-12T09:30:00.941+01:00Beer and Cheese and Happy BirthdaysI was across the other side of the world for my dad's 60th birthday, but finally got the chance to redeem myself last month by taking him to an afternoon I thought suited him particularly well.<br />
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Following a recommendation from my lovely friend Martha, maker of delicious treats and owner of <a href="http://www.forgebakehouse.co.uk">Forge Bakehouse</a> in Sheffield, I booked us onto an afternoon course at <a href="http://www.schoolofartisanfood.org">The School of Artisan Food</a>.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14774603418" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/14774603418_14e76802dd.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
They had so many courses that looked amazing, but I decided to go for the Beer and Cheese course. I know that he likes beer, and loves stinking everyone out with his smelly cheeses, so it was a perfect combination.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14774504450" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14774504450_4b36e0c8bd.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
The courses are run from the amazing Welbeck Estate, grand old building surrounded by huge, old trees. We were asked to wait in the kitchen and dining area and the smells coming from the kitchen were delicious. We wished they had a restaurant so we could try some of the food we were smelling, sadly the food was being prepared for people on another course.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14958080681" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14958080681_f80e754cbf.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
The course was run by two specialists, one who brewed the ales that we tried, and the other was an expert in cheese. They paired together the cheese and beer they felt complemented each other well. It was hard not to get excited about the tasting as their passion and curiosity in the tastes was so infectious!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14960853502" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3898/14960853502_fb03b5ac70.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14774518050" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14774518050_cb02e6b5eb.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
I'm not a big beer drinker, but the Henrietta beer was really tasty and I loved all of the cheese. The group of people who joined us were really friendly and chatty and it just made for an amazing Sunday afternoon. What was even more perfect is that Margaret doesn't like beer, so she could be our designated driver.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14774596058" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/14774596058_2d556f8486.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
So Happy Belated Birthday Dad! Hope you had a lovely day! If you ever feel like trying something different and improving your culinary skills, I would definitely recommend this! The chocolate course has my name written all over it!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14958091631" title="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5555/14958091631_4ae315d088.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Weekend in sheffield cheese and beer tasting"></a><br />
Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-19794412661255612082014-09-11T21:15:00.000+01:002014-09-11T21:15:20.525+01:00I'm Back...For A While<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/15023646019" title="Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3899/15023646019_484768420c.jpg" width="570" height="570" alt="Norwich"></a><br />
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Here are some pictures of our first few weeks together in Norwich! <br />
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Well I am back on here, which can only mean that we finally have internet. Nick set it up while I was at work today, positives to him not having a job at the moment is that he is getting all the little jobs around the house done that I would normally put off!<br />
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Things that have changed since I've been gone:<br />
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I tried to take up crochet but failed as my tea cosy started to look like a worm, will have to try harder with that...<br />
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It got cold outside and leaves started falling off trees and it started getting dark at an unreasonable time, can only mean that Winter is Coming!<br />
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I got accepted onto a course at Sheffield Uni to study a Postgraduate module in Spoken and Written Language, which means that in a couple of weeks I'll have the internet, but I won't have the time to post on here, or do anything that would be worth posting on here!<br />
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Finally, it's only a couple of days until I am off on a mini holiday to Spain to see my Aunt who lives there...lucky girl! <br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-65998426170279610022014-09-09T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-09T09:30:00.567+01:00Travel Tuesday: Ecuador's Hippie Surf Retreat, MontanitasFrom Cuenca we headed West to Montanita, a Surfer’s Paradise on the coast. To get there from Cuenca we had to get a bus to Guayaquil, then another bus to Montanita. Half way to the coast Nick realised that his beloved football team were playing that afternoon, and with Guayaquil being a major city he could probably catch it here. Not being a football fanatic, I decided to carry on to the tiny town and hopefully catch some rays and find a hostel for us as we had decided to turn up and see what happened.<br />
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The journey took a lot longer than expected, we spent a long time driving along the coast. Every so often the bus would come to a stand still at minute coastal villages with lots of half finished buildings that people had moved themselves into, I couldn’t help but hope that this wasn’t going to be my destination as I didn’t feel too comfortable wandering around places on my own yet. The bus would normally just pick up a couple more people and along we’d go.<br />
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Eventually, there were signs for cabins and night clubs, surf schools and restaurants, so I knew we’d arrived. The bus pulled up at the side of the road and left everyone to get off. There were lots of hostel owners waiting there, swooping in on bewildered looking foreigners (like myself). I decided to wait until everyone had gone before I got my sense of direction. The heat was stifling, I hadn’t experienced anything like it since Chile, and it made the bag on my back feel a lot heavier, therefore I decided to go for the first sign I saw. <br />
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Luckily this sign was for Nativa Bambu Ecolodge. A newly developed set of bamboo cabins, set on the hill side overlooking the town. Each little cabin had an ensuite bathroom, a cosy bedroom and a porch with a hammock. It was a little over our budget at almost $50 a night, but it was so nice, and I was so hot that I couldn’t resist it. I’m so happy that we didn’t as it was one of my favourite places that we stayed. The cabin and location was beautiful, the manager was falling over himself to help us, the breakfast was great and it was nice to get a little peace, away from the busy town.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13747513884" title="Ecuador, Montantita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/13747513884_189da99219.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Ecuador, Montantita"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13747146555" title="Ecuador, Montantita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3794/13747146555_63ef10fe06.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Ecuador, Montantita"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13747168503" title="Ecuador, Montantita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/13747168503_4acc4ce5ed.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Ecuador, Montantita"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14068033425" title="Montañita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/14068033425_2e699e4979.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Montañita"></a><br />
When Nick’s bus pulled in a few hours later the sun had set and the town seemed to come to life. We’d found out that our lovely friend, Vera, was also in town so we arranged to meet her for a drink or two and catch up on what we had seen and done since we last saw each other.<br />
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One of my favourite things about Montanita was the cocktail alley. A short road lined with lots of bamboo huts, all serving cocktails which the guys would mix for you as soon as you ordered. We managed to have a couple of these before feeling so drowsy that we had to start the long trek back up the hill to our cabin.<br />
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The next day we spent at the beach, and after Huanchaco, Nick felt brave enough to try out the surf too. Although he did admit that the waves were a little big for him too. I really liked it on our beach trips when people walked up and down the beach with interesting things they’d trying to sell. The best on this beach were mojitos made to order out of a little polystyrene box and brownies. Yum!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14044846286" title="Montañita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/14044846286_afdb0b35bd_z.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Montañita"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14087915673" title="Montañita by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/14087915673_cb09a6c0d3.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Montañita"></a><br />
Montanita at night is really pretty and lots of fun, with lots of shops, restaurants, street performers and clubs. It seems to be a magnet for travellers, so isn’t really an ‘authentic’ experience, but is a great place to surf, wear too much shell jewellery and walk around with no shoes for a few days.<br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-37929926462573961012014-08-30T16:28:00.002+01:002014-08-30T16:28:50.737+01:00Where have you been?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14896659837" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=" by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="570" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/14896659837_7f131e59a8.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick moving into our house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The last time I posted was over two weeks ago...very sorry about that!<br />
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The reason why I've not been checking in isn't just because I've been busy, but also that the internet has been cut off at the house. Until our new provider has the time to come and reconnect us we are an internet free house<br />
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It isn't even half as awful as I expected though! For starters, to do this catch up meant that I had to come in and sign up at the library, which is a pretty impressive place in Norwich, but also it has meant lots of time for cooking, and talking and other entertainment. <br />
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The last two weeks started with our landlady moving out, and my new housemates, Nick and his big sister, Kelly, moving in, which was kind of hectic. This was followed by mine and Nick's two year anniversary celebrations and the bank holiday weekend. We packed in a Thai meal, and a visit to the seaside.<br />
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Back to work on Tuesday, but this time my working week was a little different as I had my first shift booked to work on the ward. It was really busy and a little scary, but I got through it! There have been a few hiccups with my uniform, so I've decided not to go back on the ward until this has arrived.<br />
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I hope the last fortnight has been as exciting for everyone else! <br />
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Follow me... <br />
<center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" height="48" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" height="48" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-39263158632724715782014-08-14T09:30:00.000+01:002014-08-14T09:30:00.682+01:00I Want to Ride My Bicycle<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14909578975" title="New bike! by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3843/14909578975_491ae604a6.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="New bike!"></a><br />
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Living in one of the flattest parts of England at the moment, and being without a car, made me decide to invest in a bike to get me around my new city.<br />
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On Saturday I spent lots of time talking to local bike shops about what I wanted and what to look out for, so when the rain started pouring down on Sunday, I decided to take the time to browse the net and have a little look what was on offer.<br />
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My dream bike would have been the Pashley Princess, but it was way out of my budget, especially when I haven't really gauged how often I will use my bike yet. So the other two options I decided to look at were the Dawes Duchess and the Probike Vintage.<br />
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I had a couple of near misses on Sunday. A Pashley Princess came up on Freecycle, but unsurprisingly was snapped up within minutes of being offered, and a Dawes and Probike that I enquired about on Gumtree were both already being viewed.<br />
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It was a complete surprise, when the seller of the Probike gave me a call and said that the first buyer had dropped out, and that he would meet me after work on the Monday with it, meaning I didn't have to do the 25 mile journey by bus to go and see it. Perfect! It wasn't the model I wanted, it was the City Discovery rather than the vintage, but as soon as I saw it on Monday night, I loved it and snapped it up for a bargain.<br />
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I've only had the chance to cycle it twice since then, and that's been to the gym in the pouring rain, but looking forward to exploring Norwich a bit more on two wheels.<br />
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On another bicycle themed note, my friend Joe from Sheffield is currently pedalling hard on a bike, cycling from Sheffield to Singapore to raise money for a charity for refugees in our area. I can't even imagine the strength and stamina that must call for! He definitely wouldn't make it on my bike. So if you haven't done your good deed of the day yet, then I definitely think that you should sponsor him whatever you can spare!<br />
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To sponsor him, or find out more about his journey, visit <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/whereisjosef/ n">his page here!</a><br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-72901124091539824342014-08-12T09:30:00.000+01:002014-08-12T09:30:00.582+01:00Travel Tuesday: Ecuador!Before I start, does anyone remember this song? As soon as we got to Ecuador I couldn't stop singing it and Nick had no idea what I was going on about!<br />
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fPsMR7HvuZM" width="560"></iframe></center><br />
I was so ready for a new country when we arrived in Ecuador I was so excited about it, even though we'd been travelling all night and hardly had any sleep.<br />
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We arrived at the little bridge over the river which denotes the end of Peru and the beginning of Ecuador. The first thing I noticed was how hot it was. We were surrounded by huge, lush green banana plants and flowers. There were a few street vendors who sat on either side of the bridge, who seemed more content to sit and assess the tourists crossing, rather than sell anything to us.<br />
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Unfortunately we hadn't been given the right information, so had to make two trips over the bridge in the sweltering heat! Phew!<br />
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Once we had collected our stamps and were legally inside the country, it was onwards to Loja, a small town North of the border.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14022607991" title="Loja by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5019/14022607991_0137cfe792.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Loja"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14022605811" title="Loja by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5561/14022605811_54303e10ef.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Loja"></a><br />
We arrived late at night and when we followed the Lonely Planet's Top Choice to a Hotel Londres. When we pulled up it looked like Norman Bates was going to come to the door. It was totally run down and in darkness. It was that bad that the taxi driver asked us if we wanted him to wait while we checked in. We told him to head off, but no-one came to the door. It looked like no one had been coming to the door for a few years! So if you find yourself in the Loja area, don't try this hotel!<br />
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We finally found a welcoming hotel further down the road, and ordered in pizza and had a bath! <br />
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The next day we took a look around the town, but on a rainy Monday afternoon there wasn't much to offer us, apart from an entrance gate that wouldn't look out of place in Disney Land. We grabbed some lunch and then decided to head to our next stop, Cuenca.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14045806923" title="Loja by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5217/14045806923_3fbc4e230f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Loja"></a><br />
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We arrived at Cuenca and checked into the <a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Alternative-Hostels/Cuenca/54694">Alternative Hostel</a>. It was a bright and airy, open plan hostel with private rooms that were only a dollar more expensive than the dorm rooms. The only down side to this hostel was that because it was open plan it got pretty noisy.<br />
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In the morning we took a walk around the little town of Cuenca which was very charming, and looked around the huge museum that was opposite our hostel. The museum was called Museo Del Banco Central De Ecuador, inside the national bank of Ecuador, meaning there are some pretty scary guards standing outside 24 hours a day. Inside is a floor dedicated to Ecuadorian ethnography, and the main pull to it is the shrunken heads on display. They are pretty fascinating to look at! There are also some traditional style huts set up which you can walk through, all really interesting stuff!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14025928955" title="Cuenca by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/14025928955_9348b5169f.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Cuenca"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14002813006" title="Cuenca by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7354/14002813006_912a87c8e4.jpg" width="570" height="760" alt="Cuenca"></a><br />
The museum was really interesting and they have an outdoor archaeological site which, links onto a nice little park with ponds, nice flowers, llamas wandering around and a tropical bird aviary too (although the birds all seemed pretty distressed to me). A really good, free way to spend an afternoon.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14022725202" title="Cuenca by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/14022725202_c68c866c26.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Cuenca"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14022716002" title="Cuenca by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/14022716002_bb51bfdfc1.jpg" width="570" height="425" alt="Cuenca"></a><br />
In the evening, we decided to give ourselves a little taste of home by making a Full Enlish for dinner. Yum!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13747188053" title="Ecuador, fried breakfast in Cuenca by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/13747188053_7c12c0790b.jpg" width="570" height="413" alt="Ecuador, fried breakfast in Cuenca"></a><br />
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Another recommendation for eating is <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g294309-d2518795-Reviews-El_Maiz_Restaurante-Cuenca_Azuay_Province.html">El Maiz restaurant</a>, although it's a little pricey(er) the food is amazing! It was nice to have a break from all the chicken and rice that we had lived on in Peru!<br />
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We only spent 2 nights in Cuenca as we had decided to move quickly through Ecuador to get a full month in Colombia. So the next morning it was off the coast to Montanita!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/13747155075" title="Ecuador, caja national park by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/13747155075_251dfe0a7f.jpg" width="570" height="411" alt="Ecuador, caja national park"></a><br />
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Follow me... <br />
<center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" height="48" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" height="48" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-90858068451685708822014-08-11T17:48:00.001+01:002014-08-11T17:48:42.769+01:00Weekend: It's oh so Quiet! Shh! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/headhigheartstrong/14879853295" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Weekend in Norwich by Maddie Lamb, on Flickr"><img alt="Weekend in Norwich" height="760" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14879853295_77146f00b1.jpg" width="570" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something to do with the Napoleonic Society in Norwich, I didn't join this time!</td></tr>
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This weekend was very quiet and peaceful, apart from the storm that went on nearly ALL day yesterday. It was my first weekend in Norwich, and unfortunately everyone I already know here was out of town. I spent Saturday out in the sun exploring, and mentally making a list of all the places I want to go, so it was nice to batten down the hatches on Sunday and get on with things I needed to do around the house.<br />
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I spent my time doing a couple of classes at the gym, baking crumble, walking for miles, shopping for bikes, reading, cross stitching, resting and watching lots of Disney films and Gossip Girl.<br />
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Starting my week feeling very rested! Which is good as I have induction training for the rest of the week. Lots of early mornings and bussing around.<br />
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I hope that you all had a great weekend!<br />
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Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714250676760964511.post-34697021369586055932014-08-08T09:30:00.000+01:002014-08-08T09:30:01.274+01:00Scarthin Book Shop, DerbyshireI have a little recommendation today for anyone who might find themselves in Derbyshire and wondering what to do.<br />
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There's been a couple of posts in the past regarding <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2013/11/my-bookshelf.html">my love of books</a>. As an English Literature graduate, I'm a bit of a sucker for any kind of book shop. I love the new smell of Waterstones, and even when I see a sad cardboard box on the pavement filled with brown, battered books, I can't help but stop and take a look.<br />
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I've been to some amazing places around the world that would make some book lovers drool, like the <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2014/01/buenos-aires-bits-and-bobs.html">El Ateneo book shop</a> in Buenos Aires that is inside an old and glamorous theatre, and the <a href="http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2013/11/our-weekend.html">Bosu-Dong book alley</a> in Busan, South Korea where you could get lost for days if one of the precarious stacks of books toppled over.<br />
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I'm happy that <a href="http://www.scarthinbooks.com">Scarthin's</a> equals these two places in quirky places to find your next read. Based in Cromford, just outside of Matlock, it is well worth a browse.<br />
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It is fit to bursting with old and new books, set out in tiny rooms that create a labyrinth of literary abandon. We went on a lovely sunny, Sunday afternoon, where they had the windows open and the breeze blew through the shop and fluttered the pages of all the books, as if they were trying to tempt you to pick them up. There were lots of comfy seats dotted around, encouraging you to have a rest and a read before you made any purchases.<br />
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I loved the fact that when I asked for a particular book, the guy working behind the till checked the new book database, but then told me he had absolutely no idea which second hand books had wormed their way onto the shelves!<br />
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The best thing about getting lost in the book shop is finding the vegan cafe that is hidden behind a book shelf and sells amazing blondies and Red Velvet cake.<br />
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I found a couple of things I plan to buy next time I go and it's payday, I loved the Chapters artwork, a chapter from a book formed into an image from the story, and <a href="http://everythingozbook.blogspot.co.uk">this</a> Wizard of Oz Craft Book.<br />
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Follow me... <center><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Headhigheartstrong"><img alt="fb" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8434991542_be70b46748_o.png" width="48" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4132765"><img alt="bloglovin" height="48" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8434991548_08c1016385_o.png" width="48" /></a></center>Madeline Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002037305477294630noreply@blogger.com0