Afternoon tea and a play at Chatsworth, how very civilised. Jane Eyre, as is Pride and Prejudice, are books many of us have grown up with, whether it was Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester there isn’t a girl who didn’t grow up daydreaming of these grumpy yet charming, sullen yet handsome characters. Last weekend I was lucky enough to watch a performance of Jane Eyre by The Chatsworth Players within the magnificent Chatsworth House. A house I grew up close to and have spent many a day walking the grounds, playing in the adventure playground and picnics in the gardens.

Chatsworth House

From the moment Rochester first walked in the room and demanded the stage with his strong will and tall stature I was hooked. I’ve always been more of a ‘Team Darcy’ girl, but since last week’s performance my day dreams have been filled with thoughts of a strong, powerful and abrupt yet passionate man. ‘Oh Mr Rochester…’

Mr Rochester demanding the stage

Only in 2005, staff at Chatsworth House came across numerous sets and artefacts which had been gathering dust in the old ballroom which had been used as a theatre in the past. There were several sets which had not been used since the last performance in 1910… quite a find.

Chatsworth House Theatre

Since 2007 The Chatsworth Players have been lucky enough to put on several performances over the years, including ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘The Crucible’ in this traditional old family stage, in one of the country’s most magnificent old homes.

A incredibly believable blind Mr Rochester

I was truly inspired after the performance. As an amateur dramatics show I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the acting had me nodding in agreement, crying, laughing, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through, mesmerised by the relationship developing between Jane and Mr Rochester.

Is it love?!

I applaud all the actors who were part of this show and their wonderfully positive Director Sylvia Jackson… a character herself who can’t help but make you smile. “I expect you all back in October for our next performance ladies and gentlemen, I have a brilliant memory I will be looking for you’ Sylvia demanded as we left the theatre.

What we all love… a happy ending

I for one already have the next performance in the diary and am even considering auditioning for a part in ‘Pygmalion’ myself.

A truly inspiring evening, I thank everyone involved for making my week!

See you in October Sylvia, I promise x

I am still on a high from the jam packed tiring but incredibly fun filled weekend I have just had. It isn’t normal for me to go through my weekend meal by meal, drink by drink but I had so much fun, in so many great places I think they all deserved a mention… Here is how it went.

Friday night I was sad to be missing out on part one of the networking at Traverse, but with a tasty dinner and intriguing cocktail bar for a surprise birthday bash it was equally hard to turn down.

The ultimate meat feast was enjoyed at The Shed, where we stuffed ourselves with a five course home grown, locally sourced meal at a restaurant run by three rather tasty brothers.

WIN

This was all washed down with some ‘suspect’ cocktails at Evans & Peel Detective Agency For a different cocktail experience I recommend this secret bar in Kensington, the 1920s décor and grilling from the detective as you enter the dimly lit office before being allowed into the bar certainly beat wrestling for a space at the bar in other places.

Don’t let anyone see you enter…

WIN

I think they could have done more to keep the role play alive once you take your seat to make up for the expensive cocktails. Whatever you do, don’t order ‘Hemingway’s Breakfast’ the cocktail recipe includes butter!!

FAIL

I do, however, have expensive (and not so tasty) cocktails to thank for my lack of a hangover for the early wake up call for Brighton Saturday morning.

Brighton Beach

WIN

Arriving at Traverse I was instantly impressed with the professional welcome, organised sign ups for the 10 minute pro bar sessions with some really inspirational people and the free tea and coffee… a wake up sorely needed.

WIN

I went to three sessions over the course of the day, learning lots of new skills and tips and chatting to some equally fascinating people.

First up Frankie’s much talked about ‘Going Freelance’ workshop. Frankie shared her experiences of going freelance 18 months ago, an honest review of what has worked and what hasn’t with some great websites and some even better film quotes (see if you can spot them).

Next was Adrian Land’s talk on ‘Advanced SEO’ I certainly learnt a lot about Panda’s and Penguins and his talk on Google+ persuaded me that this would be the next social media platform I needed to master. I have since done a little more with my Google+ account so feel free to add me to your circles

The final training session of the day was by Ruth Haffenden on writing media packs and pitching to PR companies for trips. The important things learnt was that it isn’t all about your numbers but real reader engagement and more and more companies are looking for exciting campaigns and additional projects that go beyond just offering blogs in return for free flights, accommodation etc. Think creatively and show how your personal blog and style can bring business to their companies.

WIN WIN WIN 

After a few one on one chats with Matt Preston, Steve Keenan, Jodi Ettenberg and Terri from Google it was time for the best part of the conference… The panel debate, slightly blurred by the easy ordering of #Traversewhitewine #Traverseredwine or #Traversebeer from your seat. A genius idea and one I expect will spread like wild fire and I for one will never give a positive write up to a conference again if this ingenious idea isn’t included!

WIN x too many #Traversewhitewines to count

#Traversewhitewine please

The conference was inspiring, tasty (delicious Thai lunch and dinner), well organised, fun, and informative. It was made even better when I won a weekend in Copenhagen with Go Visit Denmark, along with fellow bloggers Emma from Gohemian Travellers, Macca the Gapper and Marverine from Beer Beauty … cannot wait!

WIN

#winning!!

The weekend ended with a fun (yet hungover) day in the sun in Brighton with my lovely Phil, continuing the winning weekend with an orange starfish and multicoloured kite.

Winning kite and starfish

WIN

By the time I got home Sunday I was shattered, but buzzing and I already miss all my amazing travel blogger buddies and can’t wait for the next Traverse.

Massive thanks to Michael Ball and Paul Dow and all the amazing speakers, trainers and bloggers who helped make this weekend a 100% WINNER!

‘Why? WHY?’ My friends chorused as I told them I was spending my weekend climbing a mountain in Scotland, digging a hole in the snow and then… sleeping in it.

All smiles as we set off on our adventure

My stock answer to most questions like this is always… ‘WHY NOT?!’ As I have said before, I crave adventure, I crave doing things ‘normal’ people don’t do and to top it off I love the mountains, I could stare at them for days.

Such magnificent, huge, beings, ever changing, ever evolving, beautiful, inspiring… deathly!?

And so my equally extreme brother Harry and I set off to Scotland to dig our home in the snow for the night. It was an experience never to be forgotten, in just over 24 hours there was extreme highs, extreme lows and a ‘hole’ lot of fun. For anyone with an adventurous spirit I can’t recommend it enough.

Here are our top tips for things you should and shouldn’t do to survive a night in the snow.

The DO’s of snowholing

• Bring plenty of snacks – you will use lots of energy and what better way to refuel but with tasty chocolate bars, crunchy nuts, sucky sweets and Staffordshire Chicken Tikka from a bag, Mmm. 

Surprisingly tasty camp food.

• Bring lots of layers, spares, warm things – You will get cold, you will feel freezing, you will feel hot, you will sweat, your nose will freeze. Be prepared for everything, even if it means lugging an extra fleece up the mountain, it is always better to be safe than sorry. One particular and very useful tip from our guide was to bring plenty of spare gloves… and he wasn’t wrong. Cold hands are the worst and spending the best part of the day digging a giant hole in the snow your hands will get wet and you need something warm and cosy to put on to bring the heat back to your fingertips.

layers off, layers on … battling the wind to change clothes.

• Be FIT – This isn’t a walk in the park, it is trekking up a mountain with a huge pack on your back filled with spades and axes, it is digging continuously for 6+ hours before sleeping on a bed of snow in sub zero temperatures… if you can’t make it up the stairs without being out of breath then stay at home.

Hardcore trekker … almost!?

• Go with an expert – I did my weekend with Gary from Tarmachan Mountaineering and I wouldn’t have dared gone without him. Unless you are an expert with years of mountaineering experience it isn’t worth risking the potential pitfalls… getting lost and avalanches to name a couple.

Professional skills needed for a wall/window like this.

• Take lots of photos and… enjoy the views! – This is what makes it all worth it, even on the way up when I could barely see a few feet in front of me due to the snow I loved it and then waking up to incredible blue sky’s and nothing but gorgeous, breathtaking mountains for company… you feel out of this world!

The view from my bed of ice in the morning. Breathtaking

The DON’Ts of snowholing

• Take your gloves off – once your hands are cold it is nigh on impossible to make them warm again, so keep those gloves and thick warm socks firmly on to risk frostbite 

My bed for the night… gloves stayed on.

• Do it alone – you need to look out for each other… enough said.

I recommend taking a younger brother with you… to do all the hard work for you

• Sleep through the night – ok so I did sleep through the night (as best I could) but our guide Gary was up for half the night digging out the snow that was blowing into our snowhole to stop us being quite literally buried alive… Cheers Gary, much appreciated!

All snowed in

• Leave without researching the weather – the weather can change in an instant and drastically changes as you move further up or down the mountain. It may be clear at base and a blizzard at the top. Research and make sure you understand it before you go.

We could barely see a few feet ahead on the way up the mountain

• Rush home – you will wake up tired, cold and wanting nothing more than a cosy warm bed and a cup of coco… but don’t rush down the mountain, enjoy the mountains, savour the views, lap up your achievement. You did it… you slept in the snow and survived!

Harry’s bed for the night… our snowhole even had stairs!

My weekend snowholing was tough yet enjoyable, tiring yet exhilarating, horrible and incredible. A weekend to remember and one I recommend anyone with an urge for the extreme to give it a go.

Clear blue sky

Where do you draw the line between doing something dangerous and staying safe?

How do you define danger?

Something that can kill you,
hurt you,
shame you,
fail you?

This weekend I am off to do something exciting, an ultimate adventure, something you have to be 18 to do which must mean it is serious stuff?! Something dangerous.

My brother and I have been desperate to go snowholing for the past two years, and so for Harry’s 18th birthday I’m taking him to The Cairngorms to give it a go.

We are likely to be walking past the site where three people died earlier this year from an avalanche, we will be trekking up snow filled mountains, spending the afternoon digging our home in the snow and then attempting to get some sleep in our perfectly formed snowhole. Yup, I will be sleeping in a homemade igloo!

I wish I could have taken a photo of my friend’s faces when I asked them if they would like to join me, they looked a little bit like this…

and they responded with a resounding, ‘Erm, NO! ARE YOU CRAZY?!’

Well yes, I am a little bit crazy (as is my brother), but it’s the crazy that keeps us sane. A little bit of danger never hurt anyone and to me this weekend isn’t dangerous, it’s fun, it’s exciting!

I’m sure Jeremy Bush didn’t go to bed last week thinking, ooo I better not sleep here tonight I might fall into a sinkhole … but against the odds, he fell into a sinkhole and well that was that. Danger is everywhere – walking the streets, driving my car, eating beef, travelling alone… so a life without danger is really no life at all.

I am snowholing with Tarmachan Mountaining this weekend and can’t wait. 

Who wants to find a way to do the things we love? A way to bring together our passions and our talents. To make work seem like fun, where there is no such thing as, no need for, work life balance. Just life… and the world!

There will always be people, standing in your way.

Telling you ‘NO’
‘Don’t be stupid’
‘It will never work’
‘What about money?’
‘What if you fail?’

There is never a right time.

You will never step seamlessly from one life into another alternate universe, full of smiles and happiness, it takes time.

But why wait?

Whether it is travelling the world, experiencing new cultures or finding a new career.  Do something NOW, small steps towards your perfect little life.

This week I have just finished reading ‘The Element: How finding your passion changes everything.’ I’ve really enjoyed it and for non-fiction / self help it was really easy to read with loads of real life stories – some more relatable than others. From stories of the rich and famous who were terrible at school, never passed an exam but then realised their passion and skill for playing guitar, dancing, acting, singing… to people like you and me who have their secret passions which keep them smiling. I recommend reading it, but if you don’t have time, here are few key quotes towards finding your element…

‘The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind…If you change your mind, you can change your life.’

‘Every person’s intelligence is as unique as a fingerprint

‘For most people, a primary component of being in their Element is connecting with other people who share their passion and a desire to make the most of themselves through it’
That’s why I love you blogger mates… a fabulous ‘tribe’ to be a part of.

‘In seeking your element you’re likely to face one of more of the three levels of constraint – personal, social and cultural’

And a potentially controversial quote? 

‘If you want to change the world, who do you begin with? Yourself or others? I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better’

I haven’t found my Element yet. But I’m getting closer

I am gathering my ‘tribe’, imagining beyond my wildest dreams and forgetting what ‘normal’ is.

Have you found your Element yet? I’d love to hear if you have.

The Element

I didn’t expect my holiday to Ghana to be a beach holiday… but so much of my time there was spent sunbathing, turtle hunting, day dreaming and blogging on the Beautiful Beaches of Ghana.

The sunsets blew my mind

The locals always happy and smiling

Fun, games, sunbathing and surfers

Perfect for blogging

 Perfect for cocktails

Never-ending empty beaches

Stretching for miles without a soul in sight

….

PERFECTION.

I miss you Ghana. x