Week in Photos - 1st October 2017

It’s been a busy old week with most of it being spent on another week of work experience. I had a really good time but found it really hard on my health. I think I’ve been running on adrenaline to get through it, and then Friday evening came and I just kind of crashed. So, apart from getting my flu jab yesterday (which I’m pretty sure has also made me feel rubbish), I’ve been resting at home trying to re-charge my batteries a bit before next week. I turn 29 on Wednesday; so have mixed feelings about that. But I’m hoping we’ll be able to find some nice things to do to celebrate.

Last Sunday afternoon I went to West Green House and Gardens in Hartley Wintney, which is a National Trust place. Despite living here for the last 26 years, I had never been! But I’ll definitely be going back. I didn’t get to see much of it, as I went there to take pregnancy photos of Richard and Lisa, which I’m really excited to edit and give to them. I took some photos of them in this location and I love the circle in the wall.

The lilies in my autumn arrangement have opened this week and they’re such a beautiful colour. The oranges and reds are just perfect for autumn and have really brightened my room now that the weather is getting colder and wetter.

For as long as I can remember, I have bulk bought my cards for the following month. It’s the only way I can make sure I don’t forget people’s birthdays! I usually buy my cards from The Greetings Card Company and these are a couple that I bought this month. I particularly love the rainbow one!

Cuddles with this one after a hard day are the best. I’ve been feeling pretty down recently. There are a number of things going on that I’m not going to go into right now. But one thing that’s making me feel wobbly is the fact it’s my birthday on Wednesday. I get really reflective around birthdays – they make me think a lot about my illnesses and where my life is now. And they make me think about what I dreamed my life would be like at this age. I guess I just didn’t think I would still be single, living at home and needing help with simple things.

As I mentioned, I did another week’s work experience at Happiful Magazine this week and, despite feeling completely wiped out, I really enjoyed it. I’ll spend the next few weeks recovering, but it will be worth it to see my work in the actual magazine! I kept myself going with copious amounts of tea in my Happiful mug. And how cool is this planning note from a pad that the team has made – I think I need one in my life to keep me organised! Keep your eyes peeled in your local Waitrose because this month, the magazine is launching nationally in stores!

We had a Macmillan coffee morning at Happiful on Friday to raise money for the charity. One of the ladies from the magazine team made these amazing unicorn cupcakes! They looked too good to eat!

Freddie was so adorable on Saturday. This was when my sister, Rosiie, was eating a cheese roll – Freddie was trying to be extra cute in the hope of getting a nibble of the roll. He kept resting his paws on her lap and just looking at her with his big eyes.

This month’s Tea Tourist box has lots of yummy teas to try, right in time for the cooler autumn weather. I’m so excited to start drinking more tea again and using all my favourite mugs. If you fancy trying this box for yourself, use the code JAFFACAT30 and you’ll also get 30% off your first box.

You can check out my YouTube channel here, where I have recently uploaded a few new videos (and hope to continue doing!)

I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.

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What have you been up to this week? I always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!

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Tea Tourist Subscription Review*

If you have been reading my blog for a while or follow me on social media, then you will probably know that I’m a little bit obsessed with tea (OK, probably more than a little bit!) So when the lovely people at Tea Tourist tweeted me and asked if I would like to try out their tea subscription box, of course I jumped at the chance!

My box arrived at just the right time, while I was recovering from my operation. I was feeling pretty miserable to be honest, as I was dealing with some complications and just felt really tired and sore. And what better way to make me feel better than trying some new teas. I pretty much live on tea, and have a huge box full of the stuff, so it’s always nice to find new flavours and brands to try out. The Tea Tourist’s promise that every month they will work their socks off to bring us teas we’ve never tried from tea companies we’ve never heard of, and they sure did that in this March box!

Inside each box you will find six sachets of tea, each from a different brand and in an exciting flavour. Each sachet gives you enough tea to make around three to four cups, which is the perfect number for trying out something new. There was a real mix of flavours and ingredients in my box, from boozy brandy and comforting chai, to creamy chocolate and tantalising turmeric – I couldn’t wait to get stuck in! The box is thin enough to fit through a standard letterbox, which is always great because who wants to get that red card of doom from the postman?!

Each tea sachet is attached to a card. One side gives you instructions on how long you should brew the tea for, at what temperature and how many spoonful’s you need per cup. There is also a tea profile, telling you whether the tea contains caffeine, where it originates from and when you should drink it, and there’s also space for you to rate the tea so you can remember your favourites. On the other side it tells you a bit more information about the tea, the ingredients, allergy information and some details about the tea company. I found it so interesting learning about six new tea companies and understanding the heritage of the brew I was drinking.

I was really excited to try the teas in this month’s box. The Honey Lemon Morning Blend from Teagime has been perfect while I’ve been trying to fight off this throat infection/cold virus/lurgy thing! It really helped to soothe my throat and made me feel all warm and snuggly. Turmeric Root Chai from Chai Kai Tea Co. is also something I think will really benefit me, as turmeric is known to be good for reducing inflammation, so I’m hoping it will help with reducing my pain levels a bit. And the Chocolate Orange from Nelson & Norfolk Tea Co. well, where do I start? Chocolate and orange is one of my favourite combinations, so to have it in tea form is literally like heaven in a cup!

If this has tempted you into picking up a box (or three!) you can either buy a past box for £15 including delivery (UK only), sign up for a rolling monthly subscription or pre-pay for three or six months from £12 per month. With the rolling subscriptions you are also able to stop or snooze whenever you want, with no tie-ins, which I think is great because it allows you flexibility depending on your circumstances. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a subscription that you can’t get out of! Boxes are shipped around the 20^th of each month, which should give you something to look forward to as the month goes on. And to make it even better, if you join today you can get 10% off your first box by using the code FIRST10 at the checkout.

As you can probably work out, I’m really impressed with this Tea Tourist service! I love the fact that each tea you get is from a different brand, as it gives you the opportunity to discover loads of new tea companies that you can then investigate even more. And I think adding in the brewing instructions and information about each tea and company really gives it a personalised feel, as well as helping you feel more connected to the people who produced the brew you are drinking.

What do you think of the Tea Tourist subscription service? Is it something that appeals to you? Are there any other subscriptions you would recommend I try out?

*This subscription box was kindly sent to me by Tea Tourist to review. However, all opinions are my own and I only ever talk about things on my blog that I truly believe in.

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True Tea Club Review*

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, or follow me over on my social media, I’m sure you will know by now how much I love tea! I was recently contacted by the True Tea Club asking if I would like to review one of their subscription boxes on my blog. Well, of course, I said yes! Any excuse to try different teas and then tell you all about them! A few days later a little box arrived in the post, and I was so excited to see what was inside.

On opening up the box, I found four sachets of loose-leaf tea, presented beautifully on a bed of shredded paper. There was a little note inside, explaining all about the subscription box and where their teas originate. What I really loved was, on the back of the note, was a table showing a brewing guide for the different types of tea they stock. I don’t think it’s something I’ve ever really seen before, and although I drink a lot of tea, I didn’t realise there were different ways to make different teas.

In my box were four different sachets and four empty tea bags to use if you don’t have an infuser. There is also an option to let the company know if there is a particular tea you have fallen out of love with, and they will make sure they don’t include it in your future boxes.

True Tea Club are based in York, which is lovely, as I like to try and support UK businesses. They specialise in seven loose-leaf teas – white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong, chai, rooibos and herbal tea, so there really is something for everyone! You can choose from three different levels of subscription:

1.    Standard (40 teas/£10 per month)

2.    Premium (60 teas/£15 per month)

3.    Deluxe (80 teas/£20 per month)

So again, there’s a box to suit all tastes and needs, whether you drink tea now and again, or drink it every single day (like me!) Delivery is free if you live in the UK, or £3.75 for international customers. Each month you will receive four different loose-leaf teas, which will change every month, so you get to try all sorts of different flavours. Subscribers also get an exclusive 15% off the True Tea Club online shop so you can buy any teas you discover in your subscription box and really love. And if you decide you no longer want to receive your monthly tea treats, you can cancel at any time.

I was really impressed with the quality of the teas – look how beautiful the ‘Rainbow Chaser’ tea is! My particular favourite was the ‘Mighty Mango,’ which has a beautifully strong, fruity flavour, perfect for going into the spring and summer months. My Dad had a try of the teas too, and really loved the ‘Earl Grey Rebel.’ Overall, I’m really impressed with the teas I received and I love the idea of a tea subscription service.

If you’d like to give the True Tea Club subscription a try, you can get 50% off your first subscription box by using the code “LOVE” at the checkout.

You can check out the club on their social media - Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

What do you think of the True Tea Club subscription? Is it something you would try out, or can you recommend another subscription service for me to try?

*This subscription box was kindly send to me by True Tea Club to review. However, all opinions are my own and I will only ever talk about items that fit with my lifestyle/blog.

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