I know it's proper cringe but 'work hard, play hard' is definitely my new motto. If working throughout the week has taught me anything, it's that you have to make the most of your weekends. I mean don't get me wrong, that can be exhausting, so you have to get the balance right between work, life and rest, but last weekend I think I did a pretty decent job of that! Here's how I spent my free time.
Friday 18th January 2019
On Friday evening I headed out of work and went straight to the train station ready for a night away in Sheffield! It was freezing cold and I hadn't brought a scarf or gloves, so I sat on the bench on the platform with fingers like icicles for twenty long minutes until the train finally arrived.
Chloe met me on the train and once we got to Sheffield Station we met up Kyle. The three of us then got a taxi to our Premier Inn - by this point it wasn't just freezing cold but it was also raining pretty heavily so we definitely weren't going to attempt to walk there, even though it wasn't very far. We got into the hotel, checked in, freshened up, and then the photo shoot commenced!
My trousers are from New Look and my super sparkly top is from the Asos curve range, by the way - I felt very dressy, especially because I normally change out of my work clothes straight into my pyjamas, but it was nice to be all done up for once!
Also, how cute is the blue frame around my polaroid photo? My mum got me this coloured film and I really love it!
Anyway, a little bit of information for you on my friends. I first met Chloe and Kyle in September 2015. I lived with Chloe in my first year university accommodation and Kyle was our neighbor! We're all from Yorkshire so had something in common straight away. Kyle is still in Lincoln studying for his Masters degree so I usually see him on a Sunday evening if I go there ahead of my day at university on Monday, and Chloe is living in Doncaster, so we try to meet up frequently. We're hoping to do another little trip away at some point in February so I hope that materialises, especially because Chloe is spending the summer in Cornwall, meaning I won't get to see her much then (though I do plan to visit!)
We headed out for tea pretty late and were originally going to go to Pizza Express, however, it started SNOWING so heavily that instead we opted for the much closer Zizzi's. It was pretty busy in there but we were so glad to be out of the cold, we didn't mind the hustle and bustle. Considering how full it was, we actually got served really quickly.
Kyle ordered the wild boar meatballs, Chloe got a pizza with some yummy vegetarian toppings, and I opted for one with lots of meat - a slightly interesting move on my part considering the topic of my vegetarian alternatives blog post, I know. We all really enjoyed our food - Kyle reckons he's some big foodie now after living off McDonalds all last year (he literally went every day) so he's taken up cooking everything from fresh, and even he was impressed with his meal! That just goes to show how nice it was.
On my pizza there was basil, goats cheese, red onions, chicken, and parma ham. It was bloody lovely and I washed it down with two tasty cocktails! The one pictured below was a pornstar martini style drink, and the second, a strawberry daquiri.
The meal overall was really affordable, service was fast and efficient but also friendly, and the restaurant itself had a lively atmosphere. One thing we found hilarious though was that Kyle's pint cos £6.75 - an outrage, especially when you remember that we were in a Northern industrial city! Cocktails were £6.50 which is what you expect, and honestly, they were really nice and quite strong. So all in all, Zizzi's, you did good.
Our night didn't end there though, we braved the snow and went onto The Great Gatsby Bar, where we all had a cocktail, and then onto All Bar One, where we enjoyed another! Chloe and I aren't big drinkers since leaving uni so it felt like such a treat to be drinking good cocktails. Even just being out so late was so out of character for us now we're back at home. We then retired to the hotel bar which felt much more relaxed and had a couple of drinks in there before going to bed. It wasn't a wild night out like we would have had at university, instead it was a little bar hopping and a lot of catching up.
Saturday 19th January 2019
After a pleasant nights sleep we headed out for breakfast. I was desperate to try Bill's having seen it on various peoples' Instagrams and I knew that Sheffield had one, so of course, I got what I wanted!
Chloe and I had freshly squeezed juices (I had orange and she had apple) and they were delicious. Kyle had a flat white which he said was really nice. Service was friendly and fast, and the restaurant had such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, perfect for a brunch date.
I had never had Eggs Benedict before but I figured that if I was gonna try it anywhere, it ought to be somewhere that specialises in making breakfast dishes. I really enjoyed it. I mean I love all the components of it anyway - Wiltshire ham, an English muffin, and two poached eggs, so simple and yet so effective! I really liked the Hollandaise sauce too, which I had never had! The produce was so fresh and worked to create such a delicious meal that kept me full right through until tea time - though we did eat this closer to midday than morning, I must admit. If you like your breakfast dishes and haven't tried Bill's yet, find one and go! You won't regret it.
After breakfast we had a little wander around and got some cute tourist-style photographs. Sheffield is huge, especially compared to Lincoln where we all went to university, so it felt very different to what we're used to but in a refreshing way.
The only down-side to our wandering was that it was still ridiculously cold, and I had a suitcase and these guys had heavy bags to drag everywhere, so we soon retired to a coffee shop and had a nice warm drink each.
If we look sleepy it's because we were!
From here we caught the train through to Doncaster and then all parted ways. I had a really nice time with these guys and I'm so glad we could all meet up.
I arrived home from Sheffield just in time for tea and spent the rest of the evening with my parents, watching Catchphrase and The Chase until it was finally time for bed!
Sunday 20th January 2019
On Sunday I had a super chilled out day. I did some planning, some blogging, and a lot of lounging about. It was a nice, lazy Sunday - perfect after a busy Saturday! I did find myself feeling a bit bored by the evening time though - I often feel like that when I'm not doing much. My life is so fast paced during the week and all I do is somehow linked to teaching, that when I finally have free time, I don't know how to spend it! For that reason i recently bought myself some paints and decided I'm going to have a go at that, and of course I have my blog to write too. It's been especially nice to chill out in my bedroom lately because while I was away, my mum shifted all of the furniture around and gave it a super deep clean as a surprise for me! It's so much more spacious now, I love it. I've been spending all my free time in my room because it's so tidy now.
So, that's how I spent my weekend. I had a lot of fun and feel like it was a good combination of doing and resting. I have another little trip planned next weekend so I will definitely tell you all about that, and I have a blog post scheduled to go live on Friday, so keep your eyes peeled!