VW Whitenoise Festival.

Hiya! At the weekend we headed to Euston Park for VW Whitenoise Festival! We didn’t camp though, we just went for the day on Sunday. The weather was grey and overcast so the pictures aren’t marvellous!

This car show started very small, it’s stayed local but has grown and changed venues a few times. We go every year and it’s always a lovely day out! It’s growing into a little bit more or a festival though with less cars in the ‘Show & Shine’ and more music and stalls.

I was really impressed with the food stalls this year, being a vegetarian in places like this usually means lunch options are chips, more chips or cheesy chips without the cheese as they’ve usually run out. There were vegan options, curry/ noodles, pizza and all sorts! We opted for Mac & Cheese with garlic bread because carbs call me! We had a walk around the show then the camp. Dr Robotnik and I are hoping to buy a van next year to convert into a Camper so we were eyeing up all the Campers for ideas.

This Camper cracked me up.. It had pictures of Tina Turner on the outside, don’t even know why 🤷‍♀️ I blinking adore the interior for obvious reasons! 🌻

I’m not entirely sure Dr Robotnik would agree but 😍

Also found this adorable Hungry Caterpillar!

I have 3 dream cars, a Camper, Beetle and Figaro.. I’m hoping when I get rid of my Fiat 500 I can get either a Beetle, late 60s/ early 70s with the metal dash or a Figaro. Something tells me a Figaro is the more sensible option though but I love to swoon over Beetles…

My other half is a Mk1 & Mk2 Golf lover, he has had a fair few in his time and we’ve shared long winters getting into his Mk2 with no heating 😂 When we first started seeing eachother he was fixing up a lovely Mk2 and I helped with the polybushes 🙋‍♀️ (that’s it though!) I’m so grateful that he’s introduced me to his love of cars, although I’ve always liked Campers, Beetles etc He has taught me so much and we’ve had some amazing days out at shows, my favourite memories being camping at Edition 38! I’m so proud of him as he is finally doing something he has always wanted, he’s building his own Mk1 Golf from a shell. It’s all under wraps and I’m not allowed to spill any details though 🙊 Anyway… these are the ones he liked at Whitenoise..

Thank you for reading! I’ll just leave some more photos from the weekend here! -Misha x

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How to plan for a Disney holiday!

Hello! I’ve only mentioned it a few times (I’m also lying) but I’m going to Disney World Florida in October! I didn’t quite realise how much planning and organisation it takes now, anybody that knows me will tell you that they are two things I seriously lack in. I’m a last minute Larry and usually embrace that title but I figured I had to get on board and do my research for the sake of Mickey Mouse! I just wanted to share some of the things I’ve learnt to hopefully help somebody else in my position!

Planning.

If you’re on Facebook you need to join the ‘It’s Orlando Time’ group, if you have any questions at all about your Florida holiday you can either ask the group or search for your question within the group here:

You can bet somebody else has already asked the same question! That feature has helped me so many times!

Another thing which I’ve found mega helpful is YouTube, I have been sucked into a never-ending YouTube obsession. I started out watching ‘hints and tips’ videos and now I’m a full blown Disney vlogs addict! I’m currently binge watching Jade Billington, she also does other Disney related videos like ‘What to pack’, ‘What’s in my park bag’ and hauls! So handy and they put you right in the Disney spirit – Not that I really need any help in that department!

My Disney Experience App.

You need this if you’re going to Walt Disney World, one little app is the key to a well organised trip to Disney! You can link up your tickets to the app and create profiles for the members of your party. This then allows you to make dining reservations and book fast passes. The app is also so handy whilst you’re at the parks as it has maps, wait times, show times, park hours opening times and you can see where certain characters are on the map!

Dining reservations.

• You can use the app to make dining reservations 180 days before you arrive.
• They go onto the app ready for booking at 12pm in the UK and 7am Eastern time 180 days before you go.
• Some restaurants may require you to pay at the time of booking but most of them you pay when you’re there.
• You can cancel up to the day before your booking but if you don’t cancel and don’t turn up they will take $10 per person from your card that you enter when booking.

If you’re hoping to book character dining for example ‘Be Our Guest’ it’s pretty vital you book it on the 180 day mark as they do get booked up so quickly! We have booked two evening meals in Magic Kindom (not on the same day!), one of them being ‘Be Our Guest’ of course where you can meet the Beast! The other one for Cinderella’s Royal Table with the princesses! I’m going to admit something now, I’m rubbish at maths. Always have been and always will be. This made calculating the 180 days very difficult for me so I relied on my holiday countdown on my Tui app (I’m all about the apps!) However what I didn’t take into consideration was the fact it said ‘180 days and 21 hours’ now to the clever human that understands simple maths it’s obvious that the 21 hours counts as a day.. But I didn’t. I then got in a panic as the My Disney Experience app wasn’t working, Dr Robotnik called the helpline and get this.. They still let him book our two meals! So maybe that’s worth a sneaky try? Phoning at 181 days and attempting to book!? I still hadn’t realised that we had done this until it came to my next point…

Fast passes!

• You can book your fast passes 60 days prior to arriving if you’re staying on site but 30 days before if you’re not staying in Disney.
• Like the dining they go on the app for you to book at 12pm in the UK and 7am Eastern time on the 60/30 day mark.
• You can book 3 fast passes a day for each person.
• When you scan your band and enter the ride que for one of your fast passes you can then book another one on the app.
• Fast passes are set into categories (excluding Magic Kingdom) you may only book one a day from group A and the rest from group B, this is worth planning prior to booking.

I would definitely recommend writing out a list of which fast passes you’d like for which park and then online there’s guides to which ones are in which group so you can prioritise the ones you’d like. Ok so 61 days comes around and there I am thinking it’s 60 days again, completely ignoring those 21 hours! At 12pm I fired up the app and of course it didn’t work again, I kind of twigged and searched for the question in the ‘It’s Orlando Time’ Facebook group, found the answer straight away and waited patiently for 24 hours 😄 When it was actually the right day and 12pm all the fast passes showed up on the app as if by magic! I booked ‘Flight Of Passage’ straight away as during my endless researching I had discovered that one was like gold dust! I then booked another for Animal Kingdom and went for my third and it stopped working! The horror! I phoned a helpline number that I frantically googled and they were brilliant, the lovely man I spoke to said that it wasn’t working for mine but Dr Robotnik’s was working fine so he told me to carry on booking his whilst on the phone and he’s fixing the problem then he would add mine once he had sorted it! This only took 5 minutes and it was all sorted and I carried on booking them! I managed to get every fast pass that we wanted so I’m over the moon and starting to think that maybe the life of organisation and planning is the way forward!

Magic Bands!

You will be assigned a free magic band if you’re staying on site, you can choose the colour and name you would like written on the band in the My Disney Experience app (I’ve picked yellow!) If you’re in the UK it will be waiting at your hotel reception for you but the US they will ship out to you before your stay. If you’re not staying on Disney property you can still purchase one in the Disney store! These are total magic, they work as your hotel room key, park entry, fast passes, memory maker and you can even pay food bills if you have your card set up onto it! This saves carrying around lots of tickets and keys etc! You can still use paper tickets for entry and fast passes if you wish though, a magic band isn’t compulsory!

Memory Maker!

You can purchase the memory maker on the My Disney Experience app, ours came free with our 14 day ultimate ticket. It’s a photograph package that allows you access to professional pictures throughout all the Disney Parks. It’s linked to your magic band so your ride photos will go onto it automatically but also there are photograph points throughout the parks where you can have your photo taken (for example in front of the castle) by a photographer and yes, you guessed it, they go onto your magic band so you can see them through the My Disney Experience app! The photographers can also edit in special effects like tinkerbell or balloons! If you buy the memory maker it is $199.

My tips!

• You know the people walking around with the big bunches of balloons selling them? If you ask them if you could hold them they will say yes, this makes for an amazing picture!
• Make bucket lists and priorities so you can aim to get those done.
• Do your research!
• Download the My Disney Experience app, if you haven’t already figured that out it’s a life changer!
• You can order planning tools for free from the Disney website, I got ‘The Little Big Book Of Magic’ it has lots of useful information plus stickers in the back! It’s worth it just for the stickers!
• Keep a holiday countdown so you don’t forget when to book your dining and fast passes.
• You can download an app called ‘WDW Menus’ and it has all every park menu in one place, I think we will find this super useful as we’re both vegetarian so can plan ahead and check out the options first. The MDE app also has menus but I found this one a little easier.

I’ve not visited Florida since I was 9 years old so I’m hoping once I’ve been I’ll have plenty more helpful tips and of course there will probably be a good few blogs about the trip! I’m so excited to go and I’ve been crying daily with happiness. We will also be visiting Universal Studios and Island Of Adventure, we have four days set a-side for there and we’ve planned a few free days for International Drive, exploring and shopping! We are thinking of heading to Clearwater on one of the free days as I’ve found a boat trip called ‘Little Toot Dolphin Adventures’ where you can see Dolphins in the wild, playing and chasing the boat! If anybody has anymore tips or ideas please let me know! Thank you so much for reading. -Misha x

London! 🇬🇧

Hello there! Oh my goodness I have been so very slack writing blog posts! My excuse? I don’t have one 🙈

My other half turned 30 mid July, being the wonderful girlfriend that I am I took him to London, the place he hates most! 😂 There was method in the madness though as he loves School Of Rock and we had always spoken about going to see the theatre show in the West End so I figured that would make up for it! Thankfully he wasn’t too mad and was looking forward to the show, I got away with it!

We caught the train in the morning and ate a classic Asda meal deal on the way, because 30th birthday or not I wasn’t going to pay the train prices for food! Once we got there we headed to the underground to study the map for ages trying to figure out where to go, probably getting in everybody’s way in the process! London baffles me slightly, people are in such a hurry, I forgot to stand to the right on the escalator and went to stand next to Dr Robotnik and chat away like a true ignorant tractor girl but soon hopped out of the way of angry commuters. Also, 30p to use the toilet? Seriously? Anyway, we had a stroll around Covent Garden and got a Starbucks, why am I mentioning Starbucks? Well my friends, a miracle happened! I told the lovely lady my name and she wrote down ‘Misha’ perfectly, no questions, no renaming me ‘Michelle’ or ‘Cassandra’ it was a fabulous moment only to be ruined by the girl at the end who read it and shouted ‘Moira!’ 🤨

London was hot. I don’t do well in the heat and without my treasured sea breeze it was hotter than hot. Super hot. I would even guess that it was hotter than the actual sun. Which meant every street performer in Covent Garden had my full attention as it was an excuse to stop walking and try cool down a bit. We saw this guy…

Kind of wishing I wore his outfit, looked much more weather appropriate.

I stopped to take pictures of pretty flowers because I’m a total tourist and I don’t care who knows. Definitely got in the way once again.

We walked to find the theatre as I had booked the matinee performance at 2:30pm, when we found our seats we had to double check that we were in the right ones as they were a little too good! Cherry on top being no 7ft tall basketball players sat in front of me! Winner.

The show itself was absolutely fantastic, the children actually play their instruments and had me in awe. So much talent, my cheeks hurt from smiling and it took plenty of self restraint to stop myself from jumping on stage and joining in. Honestly it’s great fun and I would recommend to anyone.

I wasn’t being naughty taking this photo, towards the end they said if anybody wanted to take any at this point we could!

Once it finished we headed back out into the outdoor sauna that was London during this weird heat wave we seem to be having and went in search of food. And Gin.

We had a lovely time wandering around London, taking in the atmosphere and people watching. We found a park where there were university students participating in three legged and wheelbarrow races so we people watched them for a while 😄 I didn’t let us wander too far through fear of getting lost and made sure to check my map every 10 footsteps! We navigated the underground back to Liverpool Street like pros and caught the train back home. I just want to say thank you to my bearded babe for enduring and embracing London, he’s even since admitted he loved it. Magic! Thank you for reading and stick it to the man! -Misha x

An interview with my dad.

Hello! Today is father’s day in England, I’ve been wanting to do this blog post for a while so couldn’t think of a better time to post it!

As it’s father’s day I feel it’s totally necessary to include a soppy bit to say thank you for being the most incredible dad. I know I wasn’t the easiest to live with and I definitely got off very lightly with the answers to your questions. You’ve always been there for me. Always, and that is why you’re the person I trust most in this world. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done and continue to do for me. Let’s get into the questions!

I used to drive you up the wall with my messiness, so be honest, were you relieved when I moved out?

And without even stopping to think about his answer…

Yes!

He then continued because that wasn’t bad enough!

You did my head in, I can’t deal with messiness at all!

Cheers dad.

Are you happy with my choice in partner?

My other half was also sat with us so no pressure…

I couldn’t be happier. I’m surprised he puts up with you!

Again, cheers dad.

What is your favourite memory as a dad?

Well one particular day that sticks in my mind is when we went to fly a hawk, you came along in your little silver coat. I remember everything about that day.

And I have a picture of it too! I think maybe this is where my love of birds began!

I’m totally rocking the Minnie Mouse wellies!

Another one of my favourite memories as a dad was when you were two years old, wearing massive headphones and listening to ‘Achey Breaky Heart’ by Billy Ray Cyrus.

Thankfully I don’t have a picture of that but I can tell you that was one of my favourite songs as a child! 😂

You have had a lot of jobs, which one has been your favourite?

I’ve enjoyed a lot of them! I did like the Ambulance Service but I think my favourite one was years ago when I hadn’t long passed my driving test and started working for a freight company driving all over Europe.

What job did you think I would do?

I would have put money on you working with animals!

I can’t deal with the heartache of it all, I did my work experience in a vets, definitely not cut out for that! Dad suggested kennels but I would be too sad for the doggies missing their families.

What was the most rebellious thing you did as a teenager?

My metal work teacher Mr Green (tosser) told me to call him Sir but I didn’t like him so I said ‘My dad said the term sir is used for people you respect and I don’t respect you’ he told me to stand outside the head masters office until I called him Sir. I stood there all day.

Also I got a tattoo on my arm whilst in school, I went to the tattoo shop under Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth, it cost 15 pence. I had to keep my sleeves rolled down at home so that my dad wouldn’t find out. He never did!

Was I hard work as a teenager?

Yes.

I squeaked ‘was I?!’ super loud as I thought I was really good!

I think it’s every teenagers job to be *pause* awkward. You were reasonably good but had your moments! I do think it was because it wasn’t really a great time for either of us and you had a hard time with it all. *backtracking now…* No, you were good, it’s not like you misbehaved or anything!

Did I ever embarrass you as a child?

No I don’t think so, not as a child or as an adult!

How are we similar?

I think we’re both very laid back plus we’re always late! I’m never on time for anything unless I’m being paid.

True.

My other half also said that we’re both very structured with our routines and creatures of habit which is also very true.

How are we different?

I’m tidy and you’re not.

😐

Favourite thing about me?

Everything. You’re always ready to help your friends I’ve noticed.

Aww dad!

Worst thing about me?

This keeps coming back to your messiness! Apart from that I can’t think of anything.

What do you enjoy most about being a dad?

Days out when we’ve gone somewhere and spent time together like Alton Towers etc.

A day I remember is when we went on a motorbike charity convoy from Norwich Show ground to Lowestoft via Great Yarmouth and you were on the back of my bike.

I remember this too, dad had cut the ears off of my rabbit teddy to stick onto my helmet and promised to sew them back on for me. They flew off before we even got to Norwich leaving me with a creepy earless rabbit teddy. 😐 I also remember the convoy taking forever and needing the toilet the whole time, the back of a bike isn’t very comfortable in that situation, plus we were following a Goldwing and they looked sooooo smug and comfy. Overall probably not one of my favourite memories. 😂

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never got the chance?

I’ve always wanted to see the Great Wall of China and go to China in general, it’s a place I’d like to go but never been.

Where’s your favourite place you’ve been to in the world?

Venice.

What was your first car?

A Mini!

The thought of my very tall dad hunched over a little Mini steering wheel cracks me up.

Favourite car you’ve ever owned?

Years ago I had a Mk3 Cortina GXL in silver.

What is your dream car?

Aston Martin.

Thank you so much for answering all my questions dad! Happy Fathers Day! -Misha x

The return of the silver coat!

This picture was taken at a Rod Stewart tribute night in Majorca 8 years ago!

And let’s finish this post off with a very blurry picture of dad dressed as a wizard and me dressed as a cave girl, because obviously it makes total sense.

Southwold Beach Hut for the day…

Hello! You know I’ve told you before how much I love Southwold? Well I also have the most amazing best friend who is very much aware of how much I love Southwold and for my birthday she booked a beach hut for the day for my other half, the dogs and I. She’s a good egg isn’t she!? Not only that but she also gave me a hamper the day before so that we could have a little afternoon tea, an Adnams beer, Shloer for the driver and my fave chocolates..

So 10th June we got up bright and early to head to ‘Jabba’ the beach hut in Southwold to live our best life and pretend we’re proper posh. We chilled out, read our books and ate all of the food! The dogs thoroughly enjoyed people watching, having a little walk and catching up on sleep! Thank you again Jenny. I just wanted to share a few pictures as I got very snap happy! 😊 -Misha x

My May 2018!

Hello! This is my third monthly diary style post since starting my blog and they seem to come around so fast! I’m going to jump straight in! May has been one of my favourite months this year! February takes first prize with Amsterdam and getting Ginger though!

The first half of May was very chilled out, we visited Bluebell Woods which isn’t far from us, we go there quite often but I was especially excited as the Bluebells were out this time. It was so pretty!

We had a bit of a disastrous day on Sunday the 6th, we had planned to go and see a local band that we have loved for years play, they haven’t played in a long time so we were really looking forward to it. On the way to Norwich Dr Robotnik’s car then broke down on quite possibly the worst road in Norfolk. Wonderful. So we didn’t make it to the band but once we got the car sorted (I say ‘we’ but I just stood on the side of the road asking annoying questions whilst my other half was jacking up the car and doing manly car things) we still had a nice evening together and it gave us time to pack for our days away to Center Parcs instead. (Usually we’re both last minute Larrys packing 10 minutes after we should have left!)

I wrote briefly about Center Parcs in my May Favourites as it’s one of my favourite places to go and relax, we usually go every year. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer 5 day break with the best company and weather.

Queen P on her throne.

The dogs absolutely loved Center Parcs, we shared a lodge with their Nanny & Great Nanny who they both absolutely adore! On the way home they were very sleepy…

The worst part of going away is always coming back to normality and work isn’t it. I’m super lucky I love my job but it isn’t the same as waking up surrounded by trees and woodland animals, when the hardest thing to do is the after swim struggle to get dry and dressed!

I got my nails done once we were home and they are probably my favourite ones I’ve ever had! There’s nothing like curing the holiday blues with glittery rainbow nails!

The next exciting thing during May was my Grandma’s 80th birthday! I wrote a brief blog post about it but it really was just perfect getting the family together for a meal to celebrate!

Dr Robotnik and I both work funny shifts so getting full days off together can be an absolute chore but we managed to have a fabulous day on the 24th! We visited the Urban Jungle in Suffolk, I’d heard so many good things and it had been on my to do list for a while! The cafe is insane. Imagine a jungle, with cake and super comfortable sofas, that’s the Urban Jungle Cafe!

The garden centre part of it was lovely to walk round too, we had beautiful sunny weather and some of the plants were amazing!

On the way home we stopped off at another garden centre, it’s nearer to us and they have a little owl sanctuary there which we love to visit. There’s also a flea market where we ended up buying a table and chairs for the garden at a bargain £25!

They have other animals there too, lots of baby bunnies, ducklings, the teeniest tiniest guinea pigs, chickens, a big ol’ turkey and lots of birds. I love birds!

Fritton Owl Sanctuary & Plant Centre is such a hidden gem of a place, I highly recommend visiting if you’re out this way in Norfolk!

Now that brings us to the end of the month which means Slam Dunk Festival at Hatfield. I have not stopped talking about it and I promise this is the last time I’ll mention it. I wrote a whole blog post about it if you’re interested but I really was super impressed with the whole thing, the lay out, the stages, the line-up and the food! Such a well put together festival, we had a brilliant day. The weather stayed nice and I’d like to think that was due to my excessive preparation for the rain because you know damn well if I hadn’t of brought wellies, a rain mac and an umbrella it would have chucked it down like the weather forecast had predicted!

That’s May all wrapped up! Like I said at the beginning it’s been one of my favourite months this year and I’m so glad I started this blog so that I can document happy times like these. Thank you for reading! -Misha x

May Favourites! 🌻

Hello! It only seems like yesterday that I was writing my April Favourites! Where is the time going? I know that’s such a cliché thing to say but seriously. 🤷‍♀️

Center Parcs.

7th of May we packed our bags and loaded up my little Fiat to head to Center Parcs for 5 days! I went with Dr Robotnik and his family plus the dogs! 5 days of relaxing in a lovely lodge, occasionally jumping up to try and take a picture of a Deer failing every single time and swimming (or in my case clinging onto Dr Robotnik like an oversized koala bear, not much of a swimmer!) Nothing too athletic or adventurous on this holiday! The last time I braved a more ambitious outing at Center Parcs was with Jen, we decided to go on ‘The Segway Experience’ and what an experience that was. If you ever want to know what it’s like to fall off a Segway then run yourself over with it then I’m your gal 🙋‍♀️ I ended up with a rather large bruise on my leg shaped like the Queen!? Despite the royal bruising, Center Parcs is one of my happy places and I will always return.

More bloody earrings.

I think I have a problem. I aspire to be Pat Butcher and MUST buy all the earrings! Realm Designs sucked me in again and made me spend more money. I bought some amazing rainbow ones and the white daisy crochet ones that are like my yellow ones, but white 😄 Dr Robotnik still hates them and the rainbow earrings may have pushed him over the edge. I freaking love them.

Realm Designs

Slam Dunk Festival.

Am I really still talking about Slam Dunk? Yes, yes I am! It was definitely a favourite this month and I couldn’t not mention it! However I dedicated a whole blog post to it so I’ll fight the urge to talk about it again.

Taskmaster.

Once again very late to the party, I’m never on time for anything. We have binge watched Taskmaster for a couple of months but it’s basically the only thing we watched throughout May, Greg Davies is hilarious. I’m also going to throw this out there, I have a very strange crush on him and I apparently don’t care who knows. If you haven’t watched it (although you probably have because you’re not three years behind on what’s cool, unlike me) it’s a show on Dave where Greg Davies sets other comedians odd little tasks for them to compete against eachother to complete and impress Greg. I can’t describe it in a way that does it justice. It’s funny. Watch it.

Books!

I read three books this month..

‘The Exact Opposite Of Okay’ by Laura Steven

‘What’s A Girl Gotta Do?’ By Holly Bourne

‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue

I did enjoy reading them however none of them really gripped me how I like a book to. Don’t get me wrong I liked them but, meh. Good use of words wannabe blogger Misha well done. I must admit ‘Room’ did disappoint me a little and towards the end I found myself reading just to finish it quicker. They still all deserve a place in my favourites though because they each had something about them that I loved and lots of happy moments were spent reading throughout May!

Punky Pins.

‘Thighs as big as my dreams’🌻

I spend a lot of time scrolling through Instagram and for some reason I follow lots of people who enjoy pins. I also enjoy pins but I only have one lovely little Sunflower pin that Jen bought me. I decided I needed more pins. I want to be cool like the people I follow who pin pretty pins to their dungarees and what not! Can I say the word pins one more time? Pins! I like these pins! Yay for pins. Am I cool now? Pins.

Punky Pins

Music.

Oh I have reminisced A LOT this month, I think it was due to seeing Good Charlotte and being transported back to school. Have I told you that I went to Slam Dunk Festival? I’ve found some absolute bangers that I’d forgotten had ever existed! I’m talking the likes of Finch, Funeral For A Friend and From First To Last. New bands I have realised I enjoy are Knuckle Puck and The Hunna!

So that’s it! That’s everything I’ve been loving in May! Thank you for reading. -Misha x