What One Thinks

05/08/2024

📍RHS Garden Hyde Hall
It was an exceptionally hot day as we went off to see the flower festival at 🌸🌹🌻

There was a really big crowd that day. Lots of garden showcases from all around - different blooms, beautiful ferns, bonsai plants as well as amazing garden architectural art and decorations 😱♥️

Shaun the Sheep is there in bright vibrant colours complementing with nature’s beautiful foliage. Lots of display booths and food stalls as well.

It was a truly wonderful experience for all plant lovers and nature enthusiasts 🥰☘️

05/08/2024

Nespresso 🥰☕️

A couple of months ago, our Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine broke down. Probably due to not being used for sometime as we ran out of coffee pods and did not get time to buy some.

When we decided to try and use it again it just made a weird grinding noise and shut itself down. So we rang the helpline on the website and this lovely lady helped us do some trouble shooting on our machine.

Unfortunately it was unsuccessful and eventually she gave us two options - send it back for repair or have it replaced by a preloved machine. We chose the latter.

It was delivered to our door a week later and now we have a working preloved silver coloured one that we use everyday. Our favourite flavours are Fortado and Intense.

We had no problems since and would like to commend Nespresso for such excellent service 😊🤙♥️

30/07/2024

THE ICE CREAM PROJECT
📍Anya Village, London

Have you ever looked into your kitchen cabinet and thought, the soy sauce, the vinegar, the pesto, the ketchup can be ice cream flavours? 🤔

Well, that’s exactly what they are in at the in London. Where out-of-this-world flavours abound. We had a few taste tests and then settled on some quirky flavours - kikkoman soy sauce and robinsons barley squash drink.

I must say it is as extreme in flavour as it is unusual. It is indeed a love it or hate it situation 🍦😄

18/07/2024

📍Southwark Cathedral
City of London

Along the south bank of the River Thames near the London bridge, you will come upon this very unassuming outside but stunning inside Anglican cathedral.

Formally known as the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St. Saviour and St. Mary Overie, it has been the heart of Christian worship for over a thousand years.

Inside you will find a magnificent nave and exquisite stained glass windows. The high ceilings boast of intricate gothic art from the 16th and 17th centuries

A memorial figure for famous English poet Shakespeare is on one side of the cathedral. He is one of the most famous residents of the parish during his lifetime.

This amazing architecture is free to visit and explore as well as attending worship services. You can find more information here:
https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/

16/07/2024

📍Outernet-London
Brand advertisement: Nike

Visit this massive immersive screen for the latest in brand advertisements, seasonal videos in technicolour in 360 degrees. The theme changes every few weeks. It’s just ouside Tottenham Court Road, you can’t miss it!

15/07/2024

📍BRUHA
Brighton & Hove high street

It was a perfect summer day to have a milky cold treat and we chanced upon a familiar name as we explored Brighton’s high street

Bruha means old hag in Filipino but it is also commonly used as a local slang during friendly chatter to tease your friend 😄

They had a varied selection of local cuisine but we were not hungry. So we opted for milky shakes with flavours from home

Buko Pandan shake - the sweetness of young coconut juice infused with the tangy flavour of aromatic pandan leaves. This combination is also best with cakes, salads and

Ube shake - a sweet purple yam, very popular in the Philippines for desserts and taste treats. It has a delicious and distinct nutty flavour that may be strange to some but is absolutely one of my favourites 😋💜

14/07/2024

📍Tower of London
Dating back into Tudor England when many a queen has been imprisoned and beheaded, this formidable fortress stands strong, bearing silent witness to gruesome deaths and wailing souls wandering its hallowed walls 🏰👸

Today, in the middle of central London, surrounded by pretty wildflowers, the tower remains - a testament to its indelible mark in British royal history

13/07/2024

📍Harlow Water Gardens
Rainbows remind us that life is beautiful, unpredictable and awesome 🥰🌈♥️

05/07/2024

BELHUISH FARM HOUSE
📍 Wareham, Dorset


Experiencing the country in this charming little farm house in Dorset. Where life is simple and slow paced and the social scene is kept at bay.

26/06/2024

The stunning seascape along the Jurassic Coast is well worth a visit

24/06/2024

Brunch with work friends. Catching up with our lives ♥️

16/06/2024

Words of wisdom from Mother Nature 🍃


A testament to the soul-calming beauty and serenity of this amazing place 🙏♥️

12/06/2024

New Blog Post 🥰
https://www.livingthemidlife.com/experiencing-dorset/

12/06/2024

THE FLIGHT OF ICARUS
📍Structures by the Lakes, Dorset


In Greek mythology, when the inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus was punished by the gods, he fashioned wings made of feather and wax so they can escape.

It was a great success until Icarus, exhilirated in his ability to fly went too close to the sun. The wax in his wings melted and he plummeted to his death 🥲

This spectacular sculpture can be found in the gardens at the

29/05/2024

A short clip of our adventure at the

A day trip to see the amazing chalk cliffs that stabd guard over the English channel

21/05/2024

Everything is sorted with a cup of tea 🥰
🫖☕️

I have heard these words numerous times at work ….
- I’ve had my tea, feel better now
- I need my tea fix
- that’s a lovely cup of tea
- gotta have tea and all will be well

It’s amazing how a steaming cup of tea can change someone’s mood and brighten one’s day 😊 Be it after a lengthy meeting, a busy day where you are short staffed, trying to finish what you are doing before clocking off or simply chilling in the break room - a cup of tea makes it all better!

I must confess, I am primarily a coffee person but I do love a cup of tea as well. I take mine black with a small splash of honey. My fave flavours are lemon, ginger and chamomile, I find them very soothing 🥰 It is indeed - a hug in a mug 🤗

07/05/2024

📍Regent Park London

Strolling leisurely through the park, listening to the many bird calls, feeling the cool afternoon breeze, hearing the incessant chatter of families enjoying their picnic, young boys playing ball and breathing in the sweet earthy smell of the lush greenery all around us 🍃🌳♥️

The park is famous for its beautiful blooms in the springtime particularly the cherry blossoms. Its kinda late for that by now but there are still plenty of beautiful flowers everywhere - in the English Garden and Queen Mary’s Garden. We sat and enjoyed espresso and indulgent hot chocolate at Benugo Cafe and that perfectly capped our day 🥰

05/05/2024

📍The Wenns Chop & Ale House
King’s Lynn, Norfolk

Hungry after visiting the tulip fields we went exploring the nearby town of Kings Lynn to look for somewhere to eat.

After sometime we found this corner pub with a homey ambiance - from it’s bare brick walls and exposed floor boards, very aesthetic 🥰

The menu lists most of the usual pub grub - steak, scampi and fish and chips. The food was hot, tasty and plentiful! My favourite is the Char Siu Pork Ribs, actually a starter but was enough to fill you up nicely. The ribs were amazingly tender and delicious!

King’s Lynn is a small port and market town in Norfolk made popular by King John - youngest son of King Henry II and younger brother of King Richard the Lionheart. He was one of the most controversial monarchs during medieval times 👑

It was too late in the day to explore the town like we often do. Will have to make another visit one day 😊

04/05/2024

TIME FLIES 😱🪽⏳

As I was labelling medicine bottles at work yesterday, I realised that three months onwards it will be August and that means it is a month before September which is a prelude to December and the starting point of the Christmas holidays!

So technically Christmas is just around the corner. Amazing how time flies so fast its hard to keep up sometimes 🤔

Realization: Make the most of today because soon we will be too old and tired to do anything. Travel, eat, enjoy and experience life to the fullest.

Make every day count! 🥰

01/05/2024

📍Norfolk Tulips Field
Kings Lynn, Norfolk



This is a much awaited annual event, when the tulip fields open to the public for only a couple of weeks. Tickets are so hard to come by you literally have to try and retry patiently as the page crash or kick you out again and again! We were lucky to get some slots

The magic is that, unlike Keukenhof in Amsterdam where we only got to see the field on board a small boat, here we were actually able to walk through and it was a glorious experience 🌷♥️

How to describe a tulip? They are sturdy stemmed blooms with colours more vibrant than the rainbow. They sway and dip in the harsh winds but they hardly break. They are beautiful from afar yet amazingly become more radiant as you come near

Elegant, classic and almost regal 🥰 Tulips are undoubtedly royalty amongst the flowers of the world ♥️

28/04/2024

📍Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream
Camden Town

The is one of our best loved Filipino dessert especially popular in the summer time when the heat index in the country reaches an all time high 🔥 Currently in the Philippines, the hot temperature is recorded as high as 45 degrees in some parts of the country.
Pure summertime! 🌞🕶️

This delectable sweet mix of all the amazing tropical fruits like jackfruit and young coconut strips on shaved ice and topped with delicious ube ice cream and another favourite - the leche flan!
Oh boy! I can go on and on 🥰

Here in the UK, the weather is unpredictably erratic - a bit of sun, lots of rain, mostly cloudy. But it doesn’t matter, the halo halo will always be a perfect choice ♥️

20/04/2024

BE MENTAL HEALTH AWARE


Please share if you agree ♥️

Reflecting back on how life was a good two to three decades ago, mental health back then was only relegated to people who are cognitively impaired in the most obvious way - agitated, aggressive, running around amok stark naked. They were then taken to mental asylums for treatment and some may never regain their sanity again

These days, mental health has evolved in a way that it has become invisible and unrecognizable. You can be with someone who seem totally normal, going about their work and daily life as any one of us then one day you hear this person has taken their own lives

And you question why? How can someone, seemingly normal and stable do something as drastic? What kind of darkness fills a person’s consciousness that makes them not care about the people they will leave behind? At what point is the decision made to end everything?

Is it escapism? Is it the powerlessness and loss of control that drives one to make such a final decision? Or is it because there was no one to turn to in that crucial period of mind-altering confusion and indecisiveness that makes a person finally cut the cord of life?

Some will argue - it is quite a selfish decision as such a permanent act deprives parents of their children, children of their parents. But delving deeper, is it really selfishness but rather it may be utter helplessness and the inability to reach out for help and support because maybe, no one was there to see the signs and the cries for help?

I guess we will never truly understand mental health. Every person is different, some cope better than others. Some reach out where others don’t. Those who chose to quietly bear the burden fall between the cracks and eventually decide their fate

At this point in time all we can really do is to be aware and to be there. Like some disabilities, mental health problems may not be visible. Sometimes just checking on people - friends, families, workmates can go a long way. A simple “how are you?” can save a precious life

In our busy lives we tend to just carry on, expecting everyone who showed up to do the same. We forget to notice the subtle signs - the sad eyes, the small smile, the quiet nod, the tired look, the isolation.

Let us all make a conscious effort to be aware, to be there and to check on our buddies and families. It may be the only thing they really need and everything will be alright ♥️ who knows!

18/04/2024

YELLOW ROSES


A bunch of beautiful yellow roses recued from No problems with them at all - each and every one is as sunshiny bright as can be. All for £1.68

16/04/2024

☕️Bronte Cafe
📍Saffron Walden

As we wandered around the bustling streets of feeling the need for our afternoon caffeine fix, we chanced upon this tiny cafe at the far end of the town centre - Bronte Cafe by Truckhiato

It was around 2pm so most of the coffee shops are full to the brim with people. The weather is gloomy with a threat of rain and everyone took to the cafes to wait out the drizzle 🌦️☕️

We had cheese and sausage rolls paired with espresso and hot chocolate with the perfect art topping 👌🥰 It was visually enticing and surprisingly tasty 😋 Happy tummies all around 😊

I would like to commend the young lady at the counter. She was the epitome of social grace. Despite working on her own - preparing and serving her customers, she took time to engage with us and every other patron, even the little doggies, smiling all the time

We always check out foodie corners of small towns to experience more of the local vibe. It is a great way to immerse and blend. We had a lovely coffee afternoon 🥰

02/04/2024

♥️⛪️ CELEBRATING EASTER 🐰♥️


How do we celebrate Easter?

Different religions, traditions and practices

For the religious, it is the celebration of the overwhelming faithfulness to the resurrection of Christ who came into the world to redeem us of our sins, cleansing our souls and making us worthy of eternal life 🙏 It may differ in other religions - Passover for the Jews, Pascha in some European countries. Some cultures do not celebrate it at all

For the children its about finding the easter eggs that the bunnies have hidden away - both ancient symbols of fertility. As easter usually happens around spring it is also heralded as a rebirth and life anew 🐇🐣

But however way you celebrate Easter, it is always centred on families gathering together in harmony and love, forgiveness and becoming whole again ♥️

It is always a promise of new beginnings 🥰

30/03/2024

MATER DOLOROSA
Our Lady’s Sorrow


One of the most poignant memories I have of the is the Sabado de Gloria. Those dark hours between crucifixion and resurrection - where the mourns the death of her Son, when the entire Christian world joins her grief.

This is the beautiful religious santo of the dolorosa in our local parish of in . She has been with our church for probably almost a century now and she has the most sorrowful, almost pleading look in her face you cannot help but feel her pain

Whoever sculpted her all those decades ago was a master. I don’t think I have ever seen any other sculpture as beautiful and life like. Whenever she is out on procession I always stare in awe at how elegant and melancholic she is 🥲♥️

29/03/2024

THE FACE OF JESUS 🙏



Have you ever wondered what Jesus looked like?

I grew up with the face of who played Jesus in the 1977 film - Jesus of Nazareth. In my young mind and even up to now I have always imagined Jesus would look like him - pale and thin, a gaunt face with piercing blue eyes and a gentle smile. I used to think He looked that frail because He is always fasting and travelling on foot as he preached to the people

Then played the part in that harrowing film - The Passion. Here He appears more stocky and structurally built but with the same soft features and gentle smile. With the more realistic depiction of how crucifixion was done during those times, He would have to be physically sturdy and strong to actually withstand all that pain and torture all the way to Golgotha.

One thinks that of all the numerous films made about Jesus, these two are the most realistic and believable. Thay are true reflections of our faith ♥️