And so starts another week, another long week, another long and tiring week. Just thinking about it is making me feel tired!

But enough with the moaning because this is the start of a new week, and with the start of every new week comes new goals.

So seeing as I’ve been absent from the blog for about 4 weeks I think I need to do a little recap!

Firstly April has been. Seriously chilly, it’s felt more like late September, October at times, but to be honest I’m here for it. I make no secret of the fact that spring isn’t my thing and that I am quietly sitting here waiting for autumn to arrive. So I was more than happy to have some chilly weather, I am no way ready to start wearing dresses and skirts, and letting my legs see the actual light of day (no way!)

April was also a really busy month for me, kick starting off with of course the long Easter weekend, which the build up is always more exciting than the actual weekend which goes way too fast. Luke and I did however manage to be fit quite a bit into those precious 4 days. There was a dog walking field for Hunter, Luke and I went on a gin distillery tour, and we also took 2 trips to the seaside on the Saturday and Sunday. We didn’t spend too long there as we needed to get back for Hunter, but it was nice to get out for a few hours, enjoy an ice cream and have a game of crazy golf. I did of course save Monday for a really long lay in and day of complete chill!

April has also seen the celebration of birthdays! Luke my mum and Luke’s dad all celebrate in the month of April, making it a busy and slightly expensive month! I’m always stuck for ideas of what I can do with Luke for his birthday because as well as gifts I like to plan a day of doing something. We usually head to London seeing as it’s only a short 45 minutes away, and in the past we have seen Westend shows, dined in the dark, done escape rooms and even headed away to climb Snowdon and Scarfell Pike. This year I found an experience called Phantom Peak which is a fully immersive, open world experience – a living, breathing town where mystery lurks around every corner. It’s part escape room, part immersive theatre and part real-life videogame. I had no idea what what to expect, but it was the one idea I kept coming back too so knew I had to book tickets and check it out. Tickets cost £45 each, and the while experience took around 4 hours. The end result was a throughly enjoyable experience, 4 hours of lots of laughing, a couple of cocktails, and good old investigation. We then finished off our London day out with dinner at burger & lobster – because of you didn’t know by now, this girl just loves a lobster roll!

Continuing the birthday celebrations we headed back to London the week after to celebrate Luke’s dad birthday. Thinking outside the box once again I found a fab immersive experience called The ‘Horizon of Khufu’ which is an Immersive Expedition that has been designed to be as accurate as possible. In collaboration with Peter Der Manuelian, Professor of Egyptology, and his team from the Giza Project at Harvard University, the goal is to offer an experience based on real data, combining architecture, science, and history, for an authentic immersion. We to a journey that transported us through time to uncover the mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Giza in virtual reality and experience the funeral rites of an Egyptian King. It was a really good 45 minute activity, and I highly recommend it. We finished off the day with dinner at The big easy because – I found a lobster roll on the menu, so of course I was all over that!!

Wrapping up April’s antics, we spent the last weekend in April celebrating our nieces 8th birthday with a small family get together. Followed by a chilled out Saturday evening with a movie.

I am now in full countdown mode to the long bank holiday weekend, and I can’t wait! Haven’t got any plans as if yet, but I’m sure I’ll fill my time wisely.

The post The April Recap appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

It’s not every Saturday that I set my alarm for 5am, but the 8th of April was a huge one time exception. It was Luke’s birthday and I had plans that he didn’t know about, it was just unfortunate that those plans included getting up early. I had been busy planning a birthday day out since late January, and had somehow managed to stay quiet about it and not slip up at all. Having a hard working husband who is up at 5am weekdays, he also loves a weekend lay in, so I knew I had to start the day by preparing a delicious breakfast! Breakfast is literally my favourite meal of the day, and usually I’ll nearly always have porridge. But I made an exception for the birthday breakfast! And yes those are RAINBOW bagels that you see on the tray of pure deliciousness! Curtesy of Ocado, pair it it was some delicious pumpkin butter and you have yourself a delicious treat!

I am so lucky living only 45 minutes away from London, meaning that whether we drive or catch the train it doesn’t take too long at all. Of course the easiest way to get to London and most convenient is via the train, it’s quick, easy and no hassle. I use the Trainline app to book all my tickets before I travel, that way I can relax and know that I don’t have to rush and buy my tickets at the station. Trainline doesn’t just offer tickets for London, or even the UK! Fancy taking the adventure a little further? Edinburgh, Europe even? Then this app is for you! The Trainline app is so easy to navigate, so make sure you have it downloaded before you travel.

Our first stop was Tower Bridge where I headed straight for the first Starbucks I saw to get myself a coffee frappe with oat milk, life begins after breakfast a cup of tea & a frappe!!

So the first stop on the agenda was the Gunpowder plot which is situated just across from The Tower of London. Our tickets were booked 3 weeks in advance and cost £55 each. The Gunpowder plot for anyone wondering is a thrilling immersive adventure that lets you experience London as it was in 1605. Using a combination of live theatre and digital technology you are transported way back into the heart of a story to watch it unfold, as it did all those years ago.

This was such a great way to start off our day! It was fun, interesting and really enjoyable. The whole experience lasted about 1 hour 40 minutes (including a 20 minute break) There was a restaurant and bar area in the venue which is perfect to try out some gunpowder inspired cocktails.

Finishing up in the tower bridge area it was time to jump on the tube and have a slow walk around Covent Garden. Despite it being April it’s not been overly warm and this particular Saturday was incredibly chilly! Although to be fair I am a cold person, so it was inevitable that I was going to be cold! When in Covent Garden Luke and I (mainly Luke) like to stop and watch the street performers, although I’m always mindful not to get dragged into the performance itself (especially when it’s a chilly April afternoon!) If only I could say the for the same for Luke. So I believe my exact words to him were “I really don’t want to watch too much of the performance, it’s too cold” I then looked down to unzip my bag and put my phone away and when I glance up there is Luke now in the street performers performance! I mean really you can’t even make it up! So me not wanting to watch the performer at all went to me standing there for 20 minutes watching both the performer and Luke! And I did even mention, it was cold?

Now is any trip to London complete without a meal at Burger & Lobster? Absolutely not!! This is mine and Luke’s favourite restaurant and has been for the past 9 years. Luke took me to London for the weekend at back in 2014 and chose this restaurant for us to eat in and since then it’s become a firm firm favourite. And I’m not saying I made it popular with friends and family …… but I do see a lot of Facebook check in’s going on……..

We finished off a busy day in London with a show, another one of my favourite things to do when in London. Being a huge fans of musicals I wanted to book one to take Luke to see for his birthday, but wanted one that I knew he’d really enjoy rather than one I really wanted to see. After reading reviews and watching some trailers I settled on The Choir of Man, and honestly I cannot recommend it enough!! The multi-talented cast of nine guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs as well as dancing and playing different instruments! It was such a feel-good show that I can’t wait to go back and see!! Luke enjoyed it which of course was the main thing right …. And all in all he had a wonderful birthday in London, which only left one thing to do. Head on home pick up Hunter from my parents and give Luke some presents to open.

The post The Date Day Diaries April – London appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

To be honest all I can think about right now is how it’s just 4 days until the long blissful weekend, which FYI I am so ready for. I’m struggling with the work life balance at the moment and feel weighed down with everything that I really NEED to do. As much as I love being busy, I am looking forward to some time out. I think this is one of the only weeks where I am going to spring out of bed on Monday morning, knowing that we get an extended weekend really is the light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m really enjoying the lighter nights, and at times much milder weather, before it goes back to being really quite cold again (like this morning we had FROST!) It’s the season that can never make up its mind. Mild, cold, mild, cold, it makes dressing appropriately really difficult. But I must admit as much as I am here for the cold weather the thought of warmer weather heading our way is very appealing. April after all is the start of beautiful spring.

I cannot wait to get the weekend started and spend some quality time with Luke & Hunter. I must remember not not over indulge in chocolate eggs, but then when it’s Easter isn’t it kind of a necessity?

Wishing you all a happy Monday

Let the countdown begin

The post The April Blog appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I mean it did feel like spring the other week, this week however it’s freezing – what happened? I am a huge fan of the colder months but to be honest I am longing for a bit of sun and warmer weather. April showers it most definitely is!

March was a pretty busy month and April looks to be just as busy, and I love being busy! It really makes such a nice change to actually have things to do unlike the past 2 years where we were navigating lockdowns!

April is also an expensive month with quite a few birthdays, including my husbands, and he is so hard to buy for!

Lots of people have been asking me about my honeymoon – and the answer is YES I am going on a honeymoon!! Luke and I are deep in thought and and discussion trying to find the absolute perfect destination – it does exist I’m sure.

I’ll keep it short and sweet and leave it here for this blog post.

BUT my sister and I have been busy with our wedding vlogs so please check them out if you haven’t done so already.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCD2JnDR-cd6UOEoCy5i0VoQ

And fancy taking a look at my lifestyle vlogs, which also cover my trips to WDW & DLP then please check them out.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCzSlH0jnv0_5wlex0S7nB4Q

The post The month of April appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

And just like that it was April, I don’t know where the last 3 months have gone, they seem to have flown by at lightening speed!

The lighter nights are finally here and every now and then it feels like spring, before it goes back to feeling really quite cold and more like winter!!

It’s been a busy year so far, I’ve moved into my first house with Luke, took an impromptu trip to New York, and have fitted in a whole bunch of other things, including family get togethers and trips to London!! I am flying through my 2019 list!! ?? https://lifestylelisa.com/2019/01/16/my-2019-list/

March was a month I was pleased to see the back off because of course I got my car written off on the 5th of March, which meant the nightmare began of sourcing a new car, and even when an accident is not your fault somehow it seems to cost you money!! Also my insurance company were less than helpful and it seemed to take the longest time to tie everything up!! Not sure what I would have done without Luke who not only sorted out my insurance but got me safely back on the road again with a beautiful new car!! Sad to see the old one go but am loving the new addition to the Kendal-Taylor household.

With March behind me April is particularly busy as it’s both Luke’s and my mum’s birthday’s!! Which means LOTS to plan and LOTS to do!!

I am counting down the weeks until the sweet Easter LONG four day weekend is here, and I can overindulge in chocolate and Easter food like hot cross buns and I can lay in with NO ALARMS being set!! PLEASE hurry up and get here!!

I hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday, and enjoy’s reading my first mini blog post of April.

Lifestylelisa.com

L xxx

The post Hello April appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.