July Book review

I have a massive pile of books I need to read and then I see a new book series that I must have and those books are put on the back burner. So I have told myself I have to read two books from that pile each month or I am not allowed to buy any new books. I love bargaining with myself, does anyone else do that?

The first book from my pile of books to be read was, The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn. The main character is Kismet who is a shrink, one of her clients comes into her office explaining that she wants to be turned into a vampire. Kismet thinks she is delusional and has lost her way and really wants to help her and others that are feeling this way and decides to call herself, The Vampire Shrink. Little does Kismet know the huge underworld of Vampires that lives around her and the mystery of dead bodies turning up in her local area. Kismet ends up being caught in the middle of everything and it takes her a while to realise that Vampires actually exist. This is very different to any other vampire book I have read it would make Twilight readers blush. A great light read I would give it 7/10.

 The Infinite Sea the second book in the series, The 5th Wave was brilliant. It goes into a lot of details of all the characters that escaped at the end of the last book. I am really glad it did as Cassie has started to annoy me for some reason and if it just continued with Cassie, I would not have been as interested in the book. All I can say is Ringer is my all-time favourite character in the book and I think she handles herself so well. I don't want to say to much more as I don't want too give anything away. I give this book 8/10. I was supposed to finsh the 3rd book this month and then along came Harry Potter and spoilt everything as I read, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child instead.

 I had to take my Hubby to see the BFG, I had never read the book before so it had to be done. I loved every minute of it, Roald Dahl is a brilliant author. All I have ever read was James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I really just want to sit back and read all of his work. This book is about young Sophie who lives in and orphanage and sees the BFG doing strange things at night. The BFG spots Sophie and runs away with her to Giant Country. Sophie at first is very frightened of the BFG, then learns that his job is to collect dreams and give them to young girls and boys. In giant county there are really bad giants that eat humans. It is up to Sophie and the BFG to save the world. Have you seen the movie? I thought it was adorable. I totally loved the scene with the queen farting it had me in stitches. I give this book 8/10

 The second book from the pile of books to be read was Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. Delia has had a lovely life growing up with her Dad, until one day the Police come to her door and arrest her Dad for kidnapping. Delia think there has to be a mistake until she realises that the person who was kidnapped was her. This was such an interesting read with Delia trying to work out her past and deal with her beloved Dad being locked up in jail. I give this book 8/10

What have you been reading this month, any recommendations for me? Enjoy August, I can't wait for it to start warming up here. It seems to be getting colder and colder, not that where I live is that cold.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Out of all of my Birthday presents, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the one I was looking forward to the most. I lined up at the bookstore with my voucher and eagerly received my parcel. Upon opening the book I was bitterly disapointed because I didnt realise it was a script for the play. Maybe I have been living under a rock because I was expecting a book.

It didn't take me long to be sucked back into the wonderful world of Harry Potter. The book has been written 19 years after the last book. Harry is still with Ginny, he works at the Ministry of Magic and has three children, James, Albus and Lily. Albus is just about to go to Hogwarts for the first time and is very nervous about what house the sorting hat is going to give him. Albus gets sorted into Slytherin and that is where Albus gets a little bit lost. Albus and Harrys relationship starts to breakdown and his bestfriend at school is Malfoy's Son.

I dont want to spoil anymore for you. Lets just say all the old characters are in the book and are written perfectly. There are Time turners, Polyjuice Potion's, Voldemort, unlikely relationships, characters who you think are to old to still be teachers and lots of  wonderful moments. I read the book in one sitting, stopping once for a cup of tea. If your a fan of Harry Potter you will love it! Let me know if you have read it and what you thought. Enjoy your weekend.

Girls Trip Part 2

Our second day at Byron we spent in the Hinterland. Chasing waterfalls,  what can I say I love them. I'm totally in awe of their power and beauty, the first falls we went to were Minyon Falls it  has a four hour walk to the base. Which I was still to sick to do so we just took photos from the top.

The next falls were Protestor Falls it was a long  drive to get there and with the vertigo, I felt really sick. Thank goodness the falls were amazing which made up for the car sickness. It was a nice walk in the rain to get to the base of the falls which kept you on your toes.  The track is so slippery and parts of the river were overflowing.

 On our way home we stopped off at the Crystal Palace for Afternoon Tea. This place is amazing it has enchanting gardens with crystals, labyrinths and a wishing tree, just to name a few things. I have added a link for you to check it out http://www.crystalcastle.com.au/ Here are some of our pics from the day, our photos don't do it justice.

I hope you had a lovely week, what did you get upto? Enjoy your weekend XXX

Girls Trip

Recently my Besties and I went to Byron Bay for a couple of days. We were supposed to be doing a massive mountain climb but my vertigo kicked in and we all decided it was wiser for me to have both feet flat on the ground.

 You can't go to Byron Bay without seeing the lighthouse. It doesn't matter how many times I go there I have to visit it. It didn't let us down because we saw a pod of dolphins jumping and frolicking and just plain showing off for us.

 Our next stop was the pass, it is the most popular beach for surfing and there is a lot of dive boats and surfing lessons happening there. I loved watching the surf lessons some people are naturals and some people are just plain entertaining. I adore Fisherman's Lookout it is another spot I always go to, the views are amazing.

The last walk we did was at Broken Head not many people know about it so it is always quiet and the views are spectacular. There is something about Byron Bay that brings the best out in you.  The food tastes better, the air is fresher, the water is clearer and you just feel on top of the world. I hope you enjoyed my little trip and can feel the essence of Byron through my photos.

OP SHOPPING FINDS

Hi, I thought I would show you my Op/Thrift shopping from the weekend. Hubby is now working Saturdays which leaves me with free time, yikes.

 What I realise is I am craving white and lace, it seemed to be all that I was drawn to when I was looking at tops. Do you ever have that problem? I used to be the same with red. I used to have so many red dresses that it was ridiculous. This top is super comfy, hides my food baby and is not sheer where it matters which I really like.

 The next is a white bardot style top, which I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can wear it. Yet again another white top.

 I don't normally look at pyjamas when op shopping there are somethings that I just don't feel right about wearing after someone else has, if you know what I mean. This lollipop onesie was so adorable and had never been worn before, as it still had it's normal tags on it. It was so cute that I couldn't say no.

 My favourite purchase of the day was this dress. It's is perfect apart from the zip won't come all the way down,  but somehow I can still squeeze myself into it. Where there is a will there is a way. I just need to purchase a big petticoat to give the dress a bit of oomph.

Last but not least another white top, well actually it is cream in colour. I love the embroidery and crochet on the front.  I promise in my next post there will be less white tops, if you're lucky anyway.

Have any of you been op shopping lately what did you find? are there any items that you feel funny about buying from an op shop or is it just me?
Hope you had a lovely weekend X

Chasing Waterfalls

One of my absolute favorite things to do is go for a hike. I especially love hikes up mountains and hikes to waterfalls. We recently went on a road trip to Killarney about 2 hours away from Brisbane, this trip was going to be my ultimate day out as it consisted of 3 waterfalls in one day, woo hoo!!!

The first falls were Browns Falls which was only a 600m walk. I thought we would knock this off in about 20 minutes. I was sadly mistaken, there is no defined path and a lot of stepping stones over flowing water. Needless to say I fell in the water, it was absolutely freezing, (it is winter in Oz) and I had a bit of a tantrum. We never made it to that  waterfall cause I couldn't feel my feet. I went back to the car dried off and changed my shoes.

We then went to Daggs Falls which is just a look out over the most breathtaking water fall.

Last but not least, Queen Mary Falls. I was so excited as you get to walk to the bottom of the falls.  The walk is about 2km and took about 30 minutes, it is a  loop track which is great cause you cant get lost. It was very busy at the viewing deck and people hung out there and didn't move for other people to see the view, (insert angry face). Other than that it was pretty magical place. I love being in nature it clears my head and reminds me to be more present. Do you love nature or are you more a city girl? 

I'm Back

So welcome back if you have been here before and welcome to my humble abode if you are a first timer. I'm going to try and make this blog about me finding my way in the world. I have been doing the same job for 9 and a 1/2 years and have been plodding along just existing. I have now decided to amp things up a bit, try new things and see what actually makes me tick.

I recently went on a course where I had to write my strengths down. I stared at that blank bit of paper and couldn't come up with any. If they had asked for my weakness's I could have given them pages of stuff. I felt so sad and that's when it hit me. Who the hell am I and what am I doing with this wonderful life.

So I have decided that I am going to try new things and do more of the things that I enjoy. Do more hikes, runs, dance, art, yoga, meditation, photography, cooking and op shopping. You name it I am going to give it a go. Till I can write pages upon pages of my strengths and the wonderful time I had finding them.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, follow along. I’m sure I may need some support along the way. You know what they say the more the merrier.

Some images of what I have been doing for the last year and half

1/  Q1 Stair Challenge

2/  Octoberfest

3/  Walking Chocolate Tour

4/  Riding a Segway

5/  Wanderlust

6/  Garden Show

7/  Pirate Party

8/  Mini Triathlon

9/  Leukaemia Lantern Walk