Last night I was kindly invited to Glyndebourne's Christmas Concert at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. I'd never seen an orchestra performance before and took my Mum along with me for a festive evening and we had a fantastic time so just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you all!

Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra and Chorus performed a fantastic mix of opera highlights, Christmas carols & yuletide classics last night with the opportunity to sing along at the end to a Christmas medley which was bloomin' epic although I won't be auditioning for the Chorus anytime soon...

To be completely honest, watching an opera/orchestra/chorus wasn't something I thought I'd ever do or really enjoy but I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed the entire show. You'd probably be taken aback how many famous opera songs you'd recognise from TV and adverts just like I was and some of them are so emotive and atmospheric you really get sucked in. It was actually the perfect remedy after a long day's work and it really put me in the Christmas spirit. 

If you're a fan of opera then Glyndebourne are at the theatre tonight (29 Nov) for a performance of Handel's Rinaldo and and tomorrow (30 Nov) for Verdi's Rigoletto. Tickets can be purchased here. 

New Victoria Theatre in Woking is one of my favourite theatre's and I've seen so many shows there over the years from pantomime's to Derren Brown, Blood Brothers to Michael McIntyre! They have such an awesome selection of performances to check out throughout the year with some of the biggest shows stopping off at Woking on their tours.

  Check out their full programme of Dec 2019 and 2020 here!

*Tickets to this show were kindly gifted by the theatre. 

I Tried Aromatherapy To Help Me Chill The F Out

As someone that's suffered with anxiety for many years, chilling out isn't really something I've ever been good at. It hasn't really mattered what I've done whether it be yoga or meditation, my brain just won't shut the hell up for much longer than 20 seconds and I really struggle to completely relax or switch off.

I didn't quite realise just how bad I was at relaxing until I made an appointment for a lymphatic drainage massage and after half an hour of a fantastic massage my therapist Joanna at TruthPie told me that she could tell that I struggled to completely unwind. I almost felt caught out but she reassured me that she thought another therapy would suit me better; aromatherapy. I'm not going to lie, I didn't really have a clue what aromatherapy entailed but agreed to give a session ago.

So we started by picking oils that would a) be good for stress and anxiety and b) that I actually liked because Joanna said that it can differ from session to session and your body will react differently to different oils depending on what it needs at the time.

The three oils which appealed to me the most were Ylang Ylang (good for relaxation), Myrtle (great for fatigue) and Eucalyptus Staigeriana (which is really useful for easing any aches and pains). Joanna then used a mixture of these for the massage itself.

She spent an hour working these essential oils into my skin in a medium-pressure massage, she worked out some knots and tension in my upper back and shoulders before moving onto my legs individually, feet, arms, hands and then my neck. It was a really relaxing experience although I found my mind still buzzing every now and again but I tried really hard to clear my head and just relax to get the most of the massage.

Joanna gave me a mix of the oils to take home to add to my bath, so I'm really excited to give that a go and see if I feel as mellowed as I do right now as I write this blog post!

If you're thinking of trying aromatherapy then I would 100% recommend it as it's a therapy that's tailored to you, your mind and your body and what it needs. Don't forget that self-care needs to be your top priority and we need to nurture our minds and bodies alike.

Visting Mottisfont, Hampshire

So like the 90-year-old granny that I actually am on the inside, my mum and I became National Trust members a few weeks ago as we just bloody love to mooch round old stately homes, castles and gardens to soak up the history. We've already worked our way through 3 properties on their extensive list of properties to visit and I thought I'd share some snaps with you from Mottisfont, the location we visited today.

I've not shared any photos of inside the house as I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone who's thinking of visiting anytime soon but there are some beautiful walled gardens and walkways to enjoy all over the property so I would really recommend making a trip there if you're down South.