March was a balancing act of two extremes for me, with lots of family birthdays and celebrations, and two weeks in a row of work travel that was plagued with so many delays and stress it felt like a lifetime. By last week I was absolutely knackered and felt so run down, but I’m finally starting to feel a bit more human. 

When I’m away for most of the week by the end of it i just feel so drained I want to lie in bed all weekend, but I was determined not to let it spoil my plans. It was my sisters 30th and my mums birthday within two days of each other, and we celebrated for most of the month.

We spent a day shopping, followed by lunch at Fuego in fenwicks, and cocktails at Pleased to Meet You. When the girls joined us it quickly escalated into a full night out, and despite our old age and zero tolerance for the general public I think we did pretty well. God how boring have I become?!

The following weekend we went to York for the day which was a lot of fun. Again some more shopping, stocked up on Betty’s tea bags, and had lunch at the Ivy, somewhere I’ve wanted to try for a long time. It was so nice, and I’d really recommend their signature cocktail.

We took Viv to Evil Eye for some gins after, which on a Saturday afternoon was eye opening for her. We also went to the Principal bar for some drinks too, which was really nice. It’s now on my list of places to stay at, which I want to do this year as I’ve not stayed over in York for ages, and I really like their hotels despite being a chain. 

It’s so easy to visit for the day from Newcastle, but it’s also easy to fall into the trap of doing the same things and going to the same places when you’re on a time limit. Think I’ll spend a bit longer there this summer to try venture further than just the centre and the Shambles. 

The final celebrations for Caroline’s 30th was a family meal at Ora in Tynemouth. They do pretty amazing tapas, on par with Allards, and it was a nice way to finish her birthday off. We went to Renes of Tynemouth for a drink first, which I’d seen bits of on Instagram and heard people talking about locally. It’s a late cafe/wine bar that’s pretty casual, one of a kind really among all the proper bars and pubs in Tynemouth, so it’s a good alternative if you want somewhere a bit quieter.

One of my favourite weekends of the whole month was towards the end, and I actually felt ill the whole time from travel sickness which was a massive inconvenience, but I wouldn’t have missed any of the things I did for the world. My cousin Lucy had her first appointment to try on wedding dresses, so I spent the morning with her as she tried on some absolutely amazing dresses, followed by a visit to her venue. I can’t wait to be bridesmaid for her next year, it’s going to be incredible. 

That same afternoon we went along to the lovely Rachael’s baby shower, which was afternoon tea at Spanish City. There wasn’t so much food I couldn’t eat it all, but they basically offer a gentleman’s option or a traditional option, and you can get Prosecco with it too. Can’t wait to meet the newest addition to the family, fingers crossed this month. 

On the Sunday of the same weekend Kieran and I went to Branches for Sunday dinner after having it recommended to us by a lot of people. I wrote about it just this week so you can read more of what I thought here, but in a nutshell it was so good. 

I feel like I’ve had hardly any time to myself all month, but when I look back I’m so glad I didn’t end up missing anything with my family. It’s definitely made me realise what’s important, and there has to be a balance between work and home life. I miss my friends, I don’t see them anywhere near enough and I don’t want to feel like I’m not myself when I do see them. If I’ve cancelled plans, not replied, said no to something, or you haven’t heard from me this month I hope you’ll forgive me! Sometimes I just need to do nothing on purpose.

Both of my work trips were to Copenhagen, and I had some time spare in the evenings on one of them. With the lighter nights and spring round the corner I made myself go for a walk for some fresh air after work, and found a whole area of the city centre that I’d not been to before. I only had an hour, but I took full advantage of Sephora! 

Blog content was pretty scarce in March, but I am proud of the main post that I did manage to finally finish. My 5 day itinerary for New York City was about five years in the making, over about 6 different trips. It covers advice, tips on planning your time, restaurant suggestions, tourist sights and some less touristy areas too. It pulls together hotel reviews and the neighbourhood guides I’ve shared earlier this year into more of an itinerary too.

I wrote this post last week on the 5 European destinations that are top of my bucket list. It was written not long after we booked a holiday to Sorrento, Italy for later this year, so I’ve not included there on this list but I’m so excited to go. I NEED a proper summer holiday. All recommendations for the amalfi coast will be gratefully received.

For the moment though I’m just trying to make it through to Easter weekend, four days off and I’m spending it in the Lake District. I’m ready for a break, so it can’t come quick enough, I’m too old for all this burning the candle at both ends! 

I can’t wait to see my friends, finish all the Netflix series I’ve started but never finished (how guilty are the McCanns by the way?!) and to make an attempt at being slightly healthier again. My face has ballooned and it really needs deflating/not to be filled with chips.

Have a great April and Easter!