Well, just like that we’re coming to the end of November and in a matter of weeks, we’ll be saying goodbye to 2021. Unfortunately, I’ve not kept on top of these monthly favourite posts like in previous years. But I’m hoping to change that going forward and bring more regular updates on what I’ve been loving. The last one was back in July, so we probably have quite a lot of catching up to do, but I’m going to keep this as brief as possible and share a few things I’ve been loving lately.
Birthday Celebrations
I’m a November baby and have just had a lovely few days celebrating my birthday. The celebrations kicked off with a pre-birthday Afternoon Tea at Cup Merchant City in Glasgow. It was a birthday treat from Allan and we had a lovely time there with my mum. We all had the vegan afternoon tea and were impressed with the great selection of filled rolls, quiches, cakes, and scones. Beautiful!
The restaurant was lovely inside and the booth where we sat had glass screens filled with foliage and flowers inside. Although the restaurant wasn’t busy, having the glass screens on each side of our table made me feel more protected and comfortable, as this was the first restaurant we’d been to in almost two years.
There was also an accessible toilet – just a shame there was a large baby changing table taking up a lot of the floor space next to the toilet. I’ve given feedback to the management about the difficulty this causes to wheelchair users, so I’m hoping they will make some changes.
On the day of my birthday, my Mum treated us to a nice lunch at a Greek and vegan restaurant in Stirling called Cafe Aina. I had the beetroot burger and fries and as you can see from the photo the food portions are huge and it’s fantastic value. We thoroughly enjoyed the food, but sadly we didn’t have room for dessert. Thankfully there was a birthday cake at home.
Favourite TV Show
If you’ve been a ‘Simply Emma’ reader for a while, in particular my previous monthly favourite posts, then you’ll know we love a good TV series. Especially the ones that instantly hook us in and have us binging episode after episode until the wee morning hours.
It had been a while since a TV series had captivated us like that, but then Maid came along and wow! Hands down one of the best TV series we’ve watched.
It’s a powerful drama inspired by Stephanie Land’s bestselling memoir Maid. Margaret Qualley stars as Alex, a recently single mother after escaping an abusive relationship who then becomes a Maid to create a better life for her and her young daughter.
I don’t think I can ever explain how incredible this miniseries is, it just has all the feels and I can’t recommend it enough. So here is the trailer to give you an idea.
Heartfelt Movie
At the beginning of each year, we would make a note on my phone of every movie we watched and give it a rating out of 10. It was just a fun thing we liked to do and it helped when recommending movies to our friends or family. So when my phone broke in the summer, we lost all our lists. It was so annoying but it was my fault for not backing it up on my computer.
Ever since then we haven’t made a note of the movies we watch so it’s difficult to remember. However, the most recent movie we watched was amazing and one we won’t forget in a long time. It was the new Tom Hanks movie called Finch. Absolutely incredible and I just love Tom Hanks as an actor. If you have Apple TV+, I highly recommend you give it a watch.
Travelling again
We have slowly eased ourselves back into travelling with a few trips. Our first mini trip was to Manchester as you may have read in my review of our stay at Hotel Brooklyn. We then travelled to London for a two day work trip where we filmed an exciting campaign with Hyatt Hotels.
Not going to lie, we were hesitant about taking a flight and I was quite nervous about it all, but we had a great time once we were there despite the not-so-great airport experience there and back. But we made sure we were extremely cautious at all times.
We loved the experience of staying at the impressive Great Scotland Yard Hotel courtesy of Hyatt Hotels for being part of their campaign. Since it was a short work trip we didn’t have time for any sightseeing this time, but it just felt good to relax in our cosy wheelchair accessible room (the bed was so comfy) and order food and watch Maid on Netflix.
Check out our new video where we take you along with us to London. From the airport to the hotel, the reason for being in London, plus some general banter.
Meeting up with a friend
While in London, we had the opportunity to meet up with my lovely friend Tanvi before heading to the airport. And it was so good. We speak most days online, but it’s been years since we last met in person.
It really was amazing to catch up. A big thank you to Tanvi for giving us a mini-tour and most importantly travelling in to meet us! It was the perfect way to end a fun trip to London. We can’t wait to see you again soon.
Trying CBD products
I’ve always been curious about CBD products and heard of the benefits from people I know, but I had never tried them myself. To be honest, I never really knew where to begin. Recently I was kindly sent a range of CBD products to try out from the lovely people at Beliebis who are a Devon based company. They provide British Quality products that have been voted Best in the UK by HandpickedCBD.
I received the Softgel Capsules, Vegan CBD Gummies, Full Spectrum CBD Oil and Premium broad-spectrum CBD Oil. We’ve been using them for over a month now and really like them. The gummies are mixed fruit flavours and are much easier to take especially if you don’t like taking capsules. I have up to two gummies and one softgel capsule each day.
I must admit, I’ve been having achy tired arms most days depending on my level of activity but I’ve definitely noticed less pain when I’ve taken the CBD. I’m excited to keep using the products and working out what works best for my health and wellness routine. I’m also interested in trialling the number of drops I need of the oils to gauge the effects.
If you are interested in trying CBD, check out Beliebis CBD product range which are vegan and cruelty-free.
Music
It’s been almost two years since Allan and I went to a music gig so you won’t be surprised to read that we’re really missing live music. I wrote a post last month explaining the reasons we chose not to attend two gigs we had rescheduled from 2020.
In that post, I’m asking whether disabled people are being shut out from live events due to poor safety measures. One of the bands we were meant to see was Lany after being a fan for years they finally had some UK tour dates. Although we never made it to the gig, I’ve been loving their latest album, Mama’s Boy. I usually have them playing in the background while I’m working.
Another favourite artist I’ve previously mentioned is the incredible Leon. She is a constant favourite in our house as both Allan and I love her music. We have her new songs ‘Dancer’ and ‘Soaked’ on repeat at the moment. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
I hope you enjoyed these snippets of things I’ve been loving lately. I’d love to know what you’ve been enjoying or doing recently. Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
Emma’s Extras | Monthly Favourites January 2021
Emma’s Extras | Things I’ve Been Loving Lately
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2 Responses
great onfo. I’m halfway through Maid, lately I’ve not been we’ll so everytime I turn TV on I fall asleep. I have a “Binge Worthy,” list on my phone. I’ve just added “Finch,” based on the recommendation
Oh please let me know what you think of Maid once you’ve finished it? I’m sorry to read you’ve not been very well lately, I hope you feel better soon. I also hope you enjoy Finch too. What other TV shows do you have on your list? I’d love to know 🙂