Author: booksandmusings

Phraseologic – My New Business Venture

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In my last post I mentioned that I had made a career change. I left the fun and creative world of Marketing (particularly Email Marketing and Customer Relationship Management) that I had been part of for over 6 years to pursue another passion of mine, working with children.

My “problem” is I have 2 very different passions. I use air quotes because this isn’t actually a problem. I think it’s wonderful and shows different sides of my personality.

After my 1st week at school I remember telling my husband that I missed being creative, problem solving and having to think on my feet. Trust me, these are things I need to do whilst working with these weird and wonderful children…but in a very, very different way 😋

After helping friends out on a couple of projects I realised I really did miss the buzz of strategising and planning communication projects and events. 

That’s when I decided to have my cake and eat it and do both the things I love….and thus Phraseologic.com was born:

My very own Email Marketing and CRM Consultancy business!

I’m here to work with businesses small, large, big or small to help them push forward their customer/client communications and promotion plans.

I’m really excited about this (and a little scared) and can’t wait to get started on some projects.

If you want to find out more or think i could help you out feel free to take a look at my website- www.phraseologic.com

Here’s to a new venture!

I’m Back!

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obscura

…Ok, so technically I didn’t actually go anywhere but it’s safe to say I’ve been absent from the blogosphere and Twitter for a very long time. It’s been over 2 years since my last post!!

I have no exact reason for my absence other than I’m a creature of habit and routine and once I miss a day to a week of doing something, it takes a while to jump back on the wagon so to speak (this is particularly true when it comes to exercise!). That, coupled with some small….and not so small changes in my life have meant ‘Books and Musings’ got seriously neglected.

I’ve really started to miss writing posts; so, here I am. I still have plenty of book reviews to catch up on and much more to muse about as, during my time away, I’ve gotten engaged, had a traditional engagement/wedding, changed career, bought my first property and most gloriously, become a mother to a beautiful little boy.

As you can see there’s lots to catch up on and I promise I won’t leave it so long between posts again 😉

Travel Update: Amsterdam!

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Amsterdam

It’s almost two weeks ago that I took an amazing trip to Amsterdam with 3 of my girls including Bids in Graceland and Modern Travel Savant.

When I was younger, going to Amsterdam seemed to be some sort of ‘rite of passage’ that everyone took…but for whatever reason I missed that boat! I’d heard nothing but good things about Amsterdam and have been keen to visit and see the city myself so refused to give up another chance to go!

I LOVED it!!! So much so that I’m already making plans to go with my brother in October for the Amsterdam half marathon (I’ll be spectating, not running 😉 ). It truly is a beautiful, picturesque city. Thanks to the free Sandemans walking tour that we did, we got to learn a lot about the history and politics of Amsterdam, it’s architecture and population.

I highly recommend this tour, our guide was really knowledgable and had a great sense of humour! They leave from Amsterdam square every day at 11.15 and 2.15 but get there early to ensure you get a spot.

Here are some snaps from the tour:

–Amsterdam’s smallest house (the red one, in case you’ve missed it).

Amsterdam smallest house

–One of the two remaining wooden houses in Amsterdam, known simply as ‘The Wooden House’, located the Begijnhof courtyard.

The Wooden House

-The American Book Center

American Book Center

-And of course, Amsterdam’s beautiful bridges and canals

Canal 3

I’d love to say we explored lots of different food places, especially as I like to try authentic local dishes when I’m on holiday however…. We fell absolutely and completely in love with ‘Crepes & Waffles’. It’s a crepe and waffle place (surprise, surprise) next to our hotel (Hotel Luxer about 5 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal Station) and we pretty much had breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks there! You have to visit if you get the chance, maybe not as much as we did though 😉

-Final morning breakfast. We tried to wait for our friend’s crepe to arrive but as you can see we couldn’t resist!

Breakfast

We did also have a wonderful meal at a Vietnamese restaurant called ‘Welcome Vietnam’ on our final night. The food was delicious and the service was amazing. If you want a nice quiet meal at a good price then this is the place to go. I’d even recommend it for a date.

And to finish off some final snaps of us having fun in ‘Dam:

Amsterdam 2 Amsterdam 3

AbiiAmsterdam 4

Book Review: A Woman in Berlin

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A Woman in Berlin

On a recent trip to Berlin, I decided to mix my love of books with my desire to travel and set myself the following rule:

Every time I go on holiday, I will buy a book that is related to the town, city or country I am visiting.

So, with that in mind, ‘A Woman in Berlin’ was purchased from the gift shop at the Jewish Museum. The author of this book is unknown as it was her expressed wish to remain anonymous. Taking us through her diary entries between 20th April 1945 and 22nd June 1945, we learn of the experiences of German citizens, particularly women, and how they coped during this time.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading as I’d  never really considered how the war, and the fall of Berlin to the Allies (particularly Russia), affected those living there. Reading this diary was an eye opener.

‘A Woman in Berlin’ received a lot of criticism from Germans when it was first published and I can understand why. It unashamedly details the numerous rapes of German women by Russian soldiers and the stoicism of they displayed. There are many occurrences where the author and other women openly discuss their encounters and many of them use this situation to their advantage; receiving much needed food and other necessities from their tormentors.

Through this book, we also learn of the relationships that are formed between residents and how old relationships changed. How people who once considered themselves to be ‘civilised’ were looting and fighting over supplies for their own survival. It’s a snapshot of the life of one woman and the people around her and reveals another side of the war.

Whilst I was reading this, I was conscious of the fact that some critics have questioned whether or not this was an authentic diary so I guess I was subconsciously looking for ‘clues’ that would prove it was/wasn’t. I have to say I’m very much on the “this is a real diary and not fiction” fence.

Now, you may read what I’m about to say and be like “well d’uuuuh” but what did it for me was an excerpt where the author details a conversation she had with a Russian soldier in French. She writes the conversation in French as they would have spoken and, whilst I read this, I felt myself getting slightly annoyed that there was no translation for the conversation… But why would there be? She’s simply writing in her diary, right.

What I really found interesting was my overall reaction to this book. I found myself wanting to take it out of my bag and continue reading when I was at home; in spite of it’s heavy content. For me, the author of these diaries was a strong and practical woman who got up and got on with life, even when she wasn’t sure how and I think it’s this that made me want to keep on reading to see how things ended for her. I didn’t feel I was being pulled into a depressing monologue.

I did think this was a good read and I appreciate the knowledge and insight it provides but I don’t think it’s one I would go shouting to my friends about as a must read (unless they were interested in the historical context). With that in mind, I’m going to give this one 6.5 out of 10 stars.

Happy reading xx

P.S. I’ve posted some pics below of my time in Berlin for you to enjoy 🙂

Berlin

Berlin wall

Berlin street

Berlin wall 2

 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea

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It’s fair to say it’s been a while since I last posted a blog -sorry guys- but… the good news is  I had a really fun week last week so have some (hopefully) cool posts coming up!

The week started off with a trip to the One Aldwych in London for an afternoon tea treat with my friend who’s just returned home after spending 6 months in Paris. We normally have an afternoon tea ‘date’ every Christmas but as we hadn’t seen each other in ages we thought we’d have a mid year treat.

Never one for convention, I love to try different things so, having already tried the Fashionista and Mad Hatter Afternoon Teas, it was only right that I hit Google and found us another unusual tea to enjoy. I was delighted to see the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea’ and was instantly sold on the pictures on the One Aldwych site (without knowing what the sweet treats were!!) and we were not disappointed at all.

The service we received was amazing, our waiter was very attentive and all of my friend’s dietary requirements were met. Most importantly…the food was de-li-cious!!!! We stuffed ourselves on the sandwiches, tarts and quiches; taking advantage of the ‘refills’ and almost forgetting the sweets that were yet to arrive, whilst sipping a rather strong, but tasty, cocktail (and champagne for my friend).

Afternoon tea savoury

The sweet treats were just as yummy. However, the only complaint I had was the candy-floss didn’t taste like the candy-floss we all know and love from childhood. I guess it had a twist to it, making it taste quite lemony, and I appreciate this was in line with the theme of the tea. All the same, it wasn’t what I was expecting to taste when I closed my eyes and sunk my teeth into it lol. This didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the experience and I will definitely be visiting the One Aldwych again…just thinking back at the chocolate caramel milk and cocoa bean financier is making my mouth water.

Afternoon tea sweet

If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely one for you. I highly recommend it; great for a special occasion or just because you want to give yourself a well deserved treat.

Enjoy! xx

Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson

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Tiny Sunbirds Far Away

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have recommended it lots of people…and even made my mum take it on holiday to read during ‘quiet time’.

Tiny Sunbirds Far Away was the winner of the Costa First Novel Award 2011 and my was it deserved. Set in Nigeria, this is the tale of the young Blessing and her experiences after leaving not only her (cheating) father but also a life of luxury in bustling Lagos to live on her grandfather’s compound in the countryside with her mother and brother.

Written in the first person narrative, Watson’s use of language takes you into Blessings world. You get a real sense of living in the Nigerian countryside as Watson addresses themes of polygamy, religion, political unrest, domestic violence, alcoholism and fighting against adversity.

It’s a great read. There are laugh out loud moments, mostly thanks to the vibrant personality of Celestine (I won’t say anymore about her character 🙂 ), and also points which may bring you to tears. You could say it’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster…but an enjoyable one!

I can’t ignore the fact that I was pleasantly surprised (ok, shocked) when I realised that, not only was this Watson’s first book, she was a nurse and was not Nigerian…or even African. The way she has captured Nigerian culture; from practices and traditions to the spoken language and colloquialisms of the characters is amazing and I applaud her work.

Before I’d even finished this, I googled Watson to see if she’s written any other books and was happy to see she had- Where Women are Kings. I swiftly ordered and am happy to say have read it. I’ll complete a review on this in the coming weeks. But in the meantime guys, I urge you to get yourself a copy of Tiny Sunbirds Far Away!

Happy reading xx