This Month, I Have Been…. June

This month has been super busy and a bit all over the place really. So much has gone on that it was a bit of a rush to put this post together because I thought I still had at least another week left before the end of the month. I don’t see things getting any less hectic over the coming months either and with so many bad things happening at the moment I’m desperate for some good news and to try and have some lovely moments over the summer. I’m glad to see the back of June even though I nearly blinked and missed it and I’m hoping for a better time to come in the last 6 months of the year please.

Listening to: The wonderful new albums from Gabby Young, Thumpers, The Horrors, Foster The People and Paolo Nutini, there have been plenty of amazing albums released already this year and I’m hoping for more to come. Cut Ribbons and Prides have been main stays on my playlist after seeing them support Thumpers and Foxes respectively. LVLS, Through Colour, MO, PINS and Slow Club are just some of my new discoveries this month after checking them out for an upcoming piece which I’m stupidly proud of [mainly because I’ve spent hours on it] while old school favourites like Joy Division and Friendly Fires have also taken pride of place in my listening this month as well.

With plenty of new acts to check out this month for me I have a playlist that features all those new discoveries whether brand new acts or seasoned pros that I’ve only just discovered. Add to that some of my favourite tracks of all time and some very summery tunes, I think this is the perfect playlist to sum up June and will see you through the beautiful days of summer to come.

Watching: 24: Live Another Day, Fargo, Game of Thrones Season 4 [pretty sure it was the greatest GoT season EVER!], rewatching Prison Break from the beginning thanks to Sky OnDemand.

Reading: The White Princess by Philippa Gregory and You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher [I actually can not put this book down].

Cooking/Baking:

It’s no secret that my all time favourite flavour of cake is lemon and poppy seed but I’d never ever made one myself but that all changed this month, when I found a brilliant recipe on Good Food’s website. Instead of making a loaf style cake [as my loaf tin is still missing post moving house] I made mini cakes using my brownie tray. The smaller cakes only took 25 minutes to cook instead of 40 and with some lemon infused icing and a cute little edible daisy [from Asda] on top, they really are one of my favourite bakes of this year and are definitely something I will be making again and again.

Eating Out:

It’s been a pretty foodie eating out month by the looks of things but with so much good food on offer and food outlets to sample I am spoilt for choice in Sheffield and I have to write about it and share it with you. There is plenty on offer here for you to check out and if you are in Sheffield or visit I urge you to check these places out.

Last month, I checked out the brand new coffee shop Steam Yard which is based in Aberdeen Court on Division Street, the coffee is spectacularly good and the atmosphere is chilled and lovely. So obviously I was back again for a second visit this month and this time I took my mum so we could have a coffee change from Costa. Again the coffee was so good and we shared an almond croissant which was just perfect and word of warning unless you are super hungry share a croissant because they are huge!

After attending the Food Festival in Sheffield this month I headed for a much needed lunch at Gatsby on Division Street. I’d not been there in a while and they had changed their menu since I was last there, now it’s all burritos and the wonderful veggie quesadilla I had with cheese fries. It was so so nice and again I will be back to check out more of their menu, check out my review of them here!

I hit up The Old House again this month for an amazing lunch featuring this absolutely delicious veggie burger pictured above. The food was beautiful and homemade and the cocktail I had was so nice I think it may have converted me to gin. I know I will be back very soon to try one of the desserts and because they have one of my favourite beers on tap. Check out my review of the meal here.

I also visited the wonderful Homemade by Thelma’s again this month and made a point of visiting later to check out their lunch menu this time. I’m glad I did as the veggie burger I had [pictured above] was lovely and with so many amazing things to choose from on their menu it was difficult to decide and as usual the service was great too. I have a full review of the meal coming up next week so make sure you keep an eye out on the blog for that as well.

Buying:

Drop Dead Clothing Sale Haul: Peyote Shorts – £15, Jaggy Leggings – £15.00, 8-Bit Bow Crop Vest – £10, Ruby Doom Ring – £5.
A sale at the end of May gave me the opportunity to get my hands on some Drop Dead pieces that I’ve had my eye on for a long time for a very reduced price. These new additions will definitely be perfect for my summer wardrobe.

New Look buys: Diamond Quilted Jacket – £15 [in sale], Tropical Print Playsuit – £22.99, Orange Crochet Layered Shorts – £17.99.
New Look are killing it at the moment with their amazing stuff in all the time. I easily could have spent around £200 on the site with all the amazing things I wanted but I narrowed it down to things I need. A nice jacket/lightweight coat is always a must and monochrome means it will be an all-year round staple especially good for the transitional seasons. I love playsuits but I don’t have many as I find most uncomfortable or too short on me, this is perfect in every way and will be worn lots this summer. The shorts are amazing! Orange is one of my favourite colours and these can easily be dressed up or down, plus all the layers gives a really cool effect when you are dancing along to the radio.

As the Game of Thrones obsession continues I just had to buy myself this amazing Daenerys Targaryen necklace from Amazon. At £11.99, it’s a bit pricey but they have plenty of offers on [I got it for £6] and it is really good quality so if you are a massive Daenerys fangirl like me you should definitely get one.

When I went to see Thumpers last month I picked up these – the Damascus EP by Cut Ribbons and Thumpers debut album ‘Galore’. It’s such a long time since I went to a small gig like that and bought some music or some merch and I really think it’s something I need to start doing more again. Especially as if the band’s are as brilliant as these two are, we all need to do as much as we can to support good and small bands and buying a CD for a tenner or a EP for a fiver is not a lot of money out of your pocket, you have something amazing to listen to and it really helps the bands in the long run to keep touring and producing music.

Quite a few book purchases again this month: Top Picture – Of Mice and Men by John Steinback and The Wit and Wisdoms of Tyrian Lannister by George R.R. Martin. Bottom Picture – You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher and The Delicate Truth by John Le Carre.

Loving:

Aussie Conditioning Spray – As my hair is so much longer that it used to be it takes a lot more managing than a) I’m used to and b) I can be bothered with. Since switching to Aussie shampoo and conditioner last year, my hair has looked a lot better, a bit more full of life, it stays clean for longer and it brings the blonde in my hair out more. I decided to buy this as an accompaniment to looking after my hair and keeping it in check as well as using it as a bit of a detangler. I have so many knots in my hair it’s insane, trips to the hairdresser can be painful for that reason but spraying this in my hair after washing and before drying and it helps make my hair easier to manage when wet, easier to dry and my hair does look better and healthier for it. It might not work for everyone but it works for me and for that reason I absolutely love it and it’s a staple of my morning hair routine.
Avon Cocoa Butter Handcream – After months of using the Soap and Glory hand cream [which I love FYI!] I decided to have a bit of a change. I love cocoa butter products as they smell so yummy so I bought this from Avon as it was on offer and it really is a brilliant product. Obviously it smells amazing but also it’s really looking after my hands at the moment after months of decorating and putting together flat pack furniture that has sort of ruined my hands and nails but this is keeping my hands soft and much nicer. I’m a total hand cream fiend as I hate rough, dry hands and this is by far another great hand cream product that I can add to my collection.
Avon Nail File – This may be such a simple product but it really has changed my life in terms of how my nails look recently. For years I’d used a metal nail file and as much as it did the job, my soft, brittle nails just weren’t holding up to it. My nails peel and split quite a lot and honestly they are pretty terrible [I’m pretty sure it’s because I don’t have enough calcium] but since switching to one of these softer double sided nail files from Avon they have been a lot better on my nails. They are splitting less and looking better, obviously my nails aren’t perfect and won’t be unless I up my calcium consumption but it’s definitely helped with the appearance of my nails and that’s also created a better base when it comes to painting my nails.

Seeing/Doing:

This month, after writing about Doc/Fest for my Sheffield Showcase series I made it a point to go to at least one of the events. I went to the ‘In Conversation with Jon Snow’ and honestly it was the most worthwhile and inspiring hour of my life and I left the room feeling so inspired about journalism and building a career in it. I wrote about the ‘In Conversation’ event and its impact on me earlier on this month too.

Some Great Finds on the Internet This Month:

– Check out this brilliant #HookedOnMusic game set up by The Museum of Science and Industry. The game works by you trying to recognise the catchy hooks in music, not only is it a fun game but by playing it you will be helping scientists with research into Alziemher’s, a truly devastating illness that we all face a very real threat of in the future. Trying to figure out memory triggers and therapeutic benefits of this is what the scientists are looking at so play the game, help research and make sure you tweet about it using the hashtag #HookedOnMusic

– Proof that the women in Game of Thrones are a lot more badass than the men [source: Buzzfeed], it’s something I could have told you all before but this article sums it up perfectly.

– More Game of Thrones amazingness on Buzzfeed as they have transported characters to the 80’s and 90’s through some amazing pieces of art by artist Mike Wrobel. My personal favourites for pure amazingness quality is The Whitewalker, Karl Drogo and Cersei Lannister.

– 35 Rules All British People Live By on Buzzfeed is a wonderful insight to anyone outside the UK just exactly how our country works.

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