What a difference a day makes...

It's leap year! An extra day to live life and do something amazing! What have I done? Urm...nothing out of the ordinary. Went to work, got sneezed on, went around and around on scooters, made boats, came home, ate a cookie, ordered Tesco shopping, fell asleep for a while and now...writing this! So today being a leap year, ALL I have read/heard today is about girlfriends proposing to their boyfriends! I personally think it's bloody amazing but for me? I don't know, I am afraid I have to go along with the majority and say...I would rather be asked than ask myself. I am a sucker for tradition I guess.

Anyway, back to my days out guides! I don't know if anyone actually reads these but I thought I do a little guide to going on cheap date nights/days. Michael and I always make sure we have "date nights" but to be honest, we are always doing something whether it's trips to the park or out to a museum. I think we have covered most London attractions over the past 5 years so we have to be inventive now! Here is a little guide of mine...

Picnics

Picnics are a great 'cheap date'-living next to a park we are very lucky but you don't need to spend loads of money on posh blankets and baskets; just grab some cheap food from Sainsbury's, maybe a board game or some music and with little money spent, you have a great date! Strawberries are a necessity though.

Museums

I love musuems and I think they make a great date-most of the time they are free although sometimes I get bored of waiting for Michael as he spends hours reading every single piece of information possible.

DVD/Duvet Days

These are my favourite and they cost next to nothing! All you need is your partner, some DVD's,
popcorn, haribo, tub of Ben and Jerry's and a big snuggly duvet. Best date ever!

Night/weekend away

We do this quite often but on a very low budget. Normally we'll just book a cheapy Travelodge room (who cares if it's not that nice, if it's £19 and you're only going to sleep in it...I don't think it matters!) and a coach or cheap train (booked in advance). In the past years we have seen some lovely places but if you want a romantic historic feel I would highly recommend Warwick, Bath and Canterbury.

 Afternoon tea


Another favourite 'date' of mine is afternoon tea. It doesn't have to be expensive, I often use the website afternoontea.co.uk as they often run promotions at various times in the year. Also, if you don't want to spend the money, you can always re-create a posh afternoon tea at home with some cake (which you can make together-eating cake mix=fun), a cute tea pot and cups. How decadent!

Part 2 will come tomorrow....I am so tired! Off for an Indian takeway and to be forced to watch the football...

xoxo

p.s: RIP Davy Jones :(





 

Cheryl's Days Out Guide! (Part 1)

I feel very lucky living in London. I was born in a small town in the South West of London called Roehampton; I have lived in the nearby towns of Wimbledon and Putney and London has always been my home. It is a place of so many opportunities, undiscovered gems and if you look beyond the surface of the typical view of London, the people can be wonderful. I love nothing more than walking down the South Bank or strolling through Hyde Park on a sunny day. Living here all my life, I have pretty much seen every attraction this city has to offer and whilst doing so I have learnt to be thrifty! I will never visit an attraction for the full price unless I absolutely HAVE to and if it's worth it. My first part of my Day's Out Guide is about London, the best places to visit and the best ways to save money. So here goes...

South West London

Obviously I am bias but the SW of this city can be wonderful and if you ever visit London and get the chance to travel a little far out (we're about 20 minutes train from Waterloo) then I recommend visiting the beautiful Richmond Park (next door to me!) especially. Also whilst not considered very exciting, Richmond and Barnes have a lovely atmosphere and good shops. Barnes/Kew Riverside is beautiful and you don't feel like you are in London while you're there.

Central London Attractions


Firstly, a few HIGHLY overrated London attractions; London Eye-unless you can get a cheap ticket online, which is possible, I would say the London Eye is not worth the full price of the ticket. Whilst the view is spectacular, it is usually almost always blocked by the large head of 6ft tourist taking snaps and I found that the 'pods' being so full up with people just took away from the enjoyment. If you are lucky with weather and can catch it when it's not too busy then it may be worth a ride.

Also, the worst London attraction I have ever visited is called 'Ripley's Believe it or Not'-the prices are extroadinarly high, the place is full of crap and a complete waste of time. Just don't visit it, end of.


Madame Tussards IS great but the price is high. You can pretty much always get a 2 for 1 entry if you travel by train (visit the official Days Out Guide, search for the attraction, download the voucher and as long as you have any valid train ticket you can get in for 2 for 1). It's almost very very busy at weekends, hence I would only ever go on a weekday.

Again the London Aquarium is great (although I have visited much better aquariums abroad)-it wasn't too busy when we went and again, you can get a 2 for 1 from Days Out Guide.


The best attraction in London we have been to has to be London Zoo. It's fantastic and whilst busy, it is quite big so we found it easy to mooch around and take our time. It is also surrounded by the beautiful Regent's Park which is nice to visit afterwards. We have never had the queue for long and again, it is very possible to get 2 for 1's (I wouldn't say the entrance price is worth it otherwise).

I'll finish this part one with a big recommendation-if you going to do any kind of boat tour...go on London Duck Tours! It's a completely different take on the traditional tourist river cruise. The commentary is funny and yes, the moment it turns into a "duck" and slides into the River Thames is very exciting, even for a 25 year old! I'd recommend getting tickets from Lastminute.com as they often run promotions for 2 for 1's or cheaper tickets-we got two tickets for about £20 when they cost more than that individually from the box office.

I shall do part 2 of my days out guide tomorrow! Today has been a good day at work, am working in nursery tomorrow and Wednesday. Tonight I am going to have some yummy spaghetti and meatballs cooked by Michael and watch some Gossip Girl.


Until tomorrow,


XOXO