Hi friends, I realise I have been MIA for the past week, so sorry about that! Dance studios were allowed to reopen (yay) on the 31st August, so I'm now back to teaching almost every day. It is SO GOOD to be back, but there is also so much to do! Anyway, I had nothing to write for Food and Fitness last week because Renee cooked me literally every meal (she's good) and the only fitness I did was running around being a fairy with my wee dance classes. I thought I'd do a wee post this week about our recent hillwalking adventures! Throughout August, Renee and I decided we'd like to start tackling the Marylins of Scotland! We've climbed 5 so far, and we're trying to bag another one each time we have a day off. If you're unsure, Marylins are hills that are at least 150m, but not classed as Monroes. (So basically the smaller hills). Arthur's Seat (251m) ~A classic touristy first hill walk, but PACKED with people~ The first hill we climbed was Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. We just did this during a day out and with a picnic. I had done it before, but Renee was really keen as it's obviously a tourist point of Scotland! Overall, it took us just over an hour for the whole walk. It was a hot and sunny day, which made it harder than it was. The sun was right above our heads and there were also a LOT of people along the path. I liked the start of the ascent because there was lots to see and lots of little side paths to explore. Once we got further up though, I didn't enjoy that you could see how steep the hill was. I much prefer when you just keep walking and have no idea of how difficult your next section is. This bit felt like it went on forever and the people really started to annoy me (classic). When we got to the top, the views were amazing, but again it's just always so busy you never spend too much time up there. We started to walk down the other side, then had our picnic in a little nook of the hill. During the descent, I discovered I am not very good at walking down hills... I can't count how many times I slid on the stones and fell on my bum! Once we got further down, there was a really nice little valley section, which brought us back to the path we started on. We then sat in Holyrood gardens for a couple of hours before returning home. It was a nice day out, but I'd recommend not climbing this one on a hot day.
Lendrick Hill (456m) ~This was a really funny day and a story we now tell all the time!~ We parked the car in a little parking area at the bottom of the hill, and set off up a forest road. There wasn't a verified route for this one, so we were just following a map. After going the wrong way and almost getting stuck in a forest, we carried on. We started playing the alphabet game to give us something to focus on while we were walking up. We realised at this point that the map told us to veer to the right, going directly up a muddy track through the middle of the trees. This was the steepest track we have climbed so far, and it was really slippery from the mud. We continued to play the alphabet game to stop us from panicking about the sharp drop and mud below us. We stopped a couple of times to catch our breath on the way up, and the view through the trees was beautiful! Once we reached flat ground again, the walk to the top was easy! There was a little section of hilly ground and heather, and then a quick and steep climb to the summit! The views from the top were 360, and we hadn't seen any other people at all along the way! This was a really great moment, and we spent some time at the top taking pictures and admiring the view. We decided that we could not go down the same way as we had come up, because we'd definitely just slide down the mud track... So we found a route that some other walkers had done previously. It suggested following the tiny track alongside the fence until you reached the bottom, easy!! (Not...) It was alright at the start, we were walking and eating our lunch at the same time, so that distracted us from the uneven, boggy ground below us. We were in great spirits and we chatted and laughed for the next little section. As we were descending, I noticed that there was a massive patch of ferns ahead of us. I knew there would be no way around the ferns, but kept quiet for the moment. Once we reached the patch, we discovered the ferns were round 6 ft tall, and we had no option but to go through them! We pushed through all the bushes and did our best not to get hit in the face by branches. Renee stopped suddenly in front of me, as she noticed there was a large section of 6ft nettles ahead... She then said the words 'Sophy, we're going to have to climb the fence...' Now, this fence was higher than the ferns so must've been at least 7ft, it was made of thin wire, and did not look very stable. I thought about what Renee had said and responded with 'No, we can't because there's ferns and nettles on the other side too!.' But then she said 'No, I mean we will have to climb along the fence sideways... Like crabs...' So thats what we did! Climbed to the top section of the fence, and sidestepped along. It was unstable, and we almost fell backwards lots of times. If anyone could've seen this ordeal, it definitely would've been comical. I was singing the alphabet under my breath to keep myself calm, and Renee was hysterically giggling. At some point, we realised the fence wasn't strong enough to hold us anymore and we'd have to jump down. I jumped/fell down first, scraping the back of my knee on a big nettle, then Renee jumped down and got her foot stuck in the fence. Once we had dealt with that, we started laughing and realised this would be a funny story. We survived the rest of the dodgy descent, and emerged from the forest soggy and scratched but still smiling! This walk took us an hour and 25 minutes, and I would recommend doing this on a dry day, and finding a different route for descent... We are loving exploring random areas of Scotland, and climbing the Marylins along the way! So far we have learned: Higher hills don't necessary mean more difficult. Sometimes the lowest hills have the hardest routes!; I have to be really up for the walk, otherwise it will end in tears...; and games along the way definitely help!
Get in touch if you have any funny hill stories, or if you'd like anymore info about the walks we've done! Hope you're all having a great September so far! Love Sophy x
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Wilde Like Me, Wilde About the Girl, and Wilde Women are a trilogy of contemporary fiction novels written by Louise Pentland. They follow protagonist Robin Wilde along her adventures through motherhood, work-life, and love. The books touch on a lot of issues, while still following a lovely, easy to read storyline.
About the Author Louise Pentland is a blogger, Youtuber, and author who creates content about beauty, lifestyle and motherhood. She is well known in both the blogging and Youtube communities, and is now quickly becoming a best-selling author! She released the first book in her fiction series in 2017 and her books have all been Sunday Times Number One Bestseller! I've loved watching Louise's videos for years! I play them on my laptop while I'm cleaning, or doing my make up. They're very chatty, happy, and easy to watch. I also love listening to her podcast - 'Mother's Meeting' while I'm driving. The podcast is somehow relatable, even if you're not a mum, and it is an easy listen while you're in the car. Wilde Like Me I was quite late to the party audiobook-wise, as 'Wilde Like Me' was the first book I've ever listened to! (Behind the times, I know.) I absolutely loved listening to this book, as I could follow the story easily while I was running in the mornings, making dinner in the evenings, and any possible opportunity in-between! It was read by actress/storyteller, Fiona Hardingham, and I think this brought the story and characters to life even more! The first book introduces Robin Wilde, a single mum facing what she calls 'The Emptiness'. Robin is a great mum to 6 year old Lyla, but is really craving having someone in her life who is 'always on her team'. Robin works as a make up artist's assistant at a small UK company. A job in which her mum believes isn't good enough. She is divorced from Lyla's father, and just trying to get through life. The story follows her little family through a tough year, and we get to be part of their best and worst moments. Plot The plot was relaxed and easy to follow which I really loved, however, at the same time, there were unexpected twists that kept me on my toes. I loved watching Robin build in confidence throughout the journey, and I enjoyed learning about all the people she met along the way. I felt connected to the characters, and I think they really carried the story. By the end, I felt I knew Robin and her family, and listening to this book became a really happy part of my day. I love how real and relevant this book is, and it really made me laugh out loud at points with the choice of language and comedy. There are some dark themes throughout, but overall, I'd say I was left feeling positive and smiley after listening to each chapter. Characters I loved getting to know all the characters in this book! From 8 year old Lyla with her brutally honest comments, to artsy Auntie Kath always willing to lend a hand. My favourite character - although cliche - has to be Robin. She is so relatable and I really enjoyed that we got to see what she was really thinking (as the book is written from her perspective). She is so down to earth and a really kind-hearted soul. I loved listening to 'Wilde Like Me'. I felt like I became attached to the characters, and I couldn't wait for the next book in the series to arrive! I would give this book 4*! Wilde About the Girl I decided to order the paperback of 'Wilde About the Girl' as I wanted something to physically read while I was sitting in the sun. As soon as I started this book, I felt like I was catching up with Robin, and every time I picked it up, it was just like having coffee with an old friend. Plot The second book in the series follows Robin as she settles into single motherhood and starts to enjoy her life more. Robin has come back in 'Wilde About the Girl' more confident and self-assured, and this helps her to succeed in work situations, and with her personal happiness. We watch her go through some traumatic times which make her stronger, and we also get to follow her through some great moments in her life! The faster pace of this book really kept me hooked, and I read it so quickly! Characters We continue to follow the characters from the first book, and as they grow and develop, we learn more about each of their stories and how they link. Robin goes through an awful loss in this book, and we see how her relationship changes with each character during this time. Lyla has made some new friends throughout her time at school, and we watch Robin deal with the influence of these new friends on her little girl. Robin is much more fiery in this story, and I felt proud of her every time she stood up to someone who was trying to knock her down. I enjoyed physically reading this paperback during the summer, and found myself reading big chunks at a time. The faster pace really had me hooked, and I felt like I really related to Robin in this story. I would rate this book 3.5* Wilde Women I chose to listen to the audiobook of 'Wilde Women' as I'm running more now, and love listening to books while I run! This audiobook was read by actress, Anna Acton, and although I did prefer Fiona Hardingham, I did really enjoy the way this audiobook was read. The third and final book in the 'Wilde' series follows Robin as she struggles to juggle work responsibilities, a new relationship, a struggling friend, as well as normal family life! Plot In 'Wilde Women', Robin has climbed up the ladder at work, and is dealing with the pressure of having more responsibility. She is loving her job, and being able to inspire others through her make-up artistry as well as her attitude, but the juggle struggle is real! Her relationship with Edward - who she met in the previous book - has it's ups and downs, there are big decisions to be made, and fitting him in is harder than expected. Lyla continues to grow and is becoming more and more observant, so Robin has to answer a lot of tricky questions in this story! We watch as Robin's friend Lacey struggles with a new baby, and learn that Auntie Kath has been keeping a family secret for decades. Out of the three books, this storyline definitely has the most unexpected twists! Characters We learn a lot about the characters in this book, and I felt really empathetic towards each character as they all go through their own hard times. Robin has gone from being needy to needed, and by the third book, she is supporting both Kath and Lacey with their struggles. Robin has really grown in confidence, and she is now self-assured enough to give people advice, instead of constantly needing advice as before. Robin has always been a good mum, but now we see that she really feels good about her parenting decisions. As always, the book is written really honestly, the characters are relatable, and as a reader, I felt connected to each of them in some way. I really enjoyed the unexpected twists in this story, and I loved learning more about each character's history and personality. Louise Pentland's writing style has definitely developed more by the third novel, and it ended the series beautifully. I would rate this book 4.5*! Summary As a reader, I love following a happy, easy storyline across a couple of books. So this series was absolutely perfect for me. My favourite thing about the trilogy, was the way it was written. I loved that it was so informal and chatty, and felt like I was reading about friends' lives. I enjoy feeling like I know the author and the characters, and that's exactly how I felt with the 'Wilde' series. There are some dark themes throughout the three books, but they have been written about really sensitively, whilst still being very real. I finished the series feeling like Robin was my friend, and I felt proud of how far she'd come, and how much she'd grown throughout the series. I would really recommend the 'Wilde' series if you enjoy informal writing, easy-to-read storylines, and lovely relatable characters. Overall I'd give the series 4*! Let me know if you've read any of the books in the series, or if you have any questions or comments! As always, you can contact me via any of the channels on the contact page :) Love Sophy x |
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