Chicken Or Steak

Ever since I got back from Skiing in Switzerland, I have been constantly training for the upcoming track season.

Constant training brings constant eating with it, and the urge to eat everything that is around me! Plus, it is easy to fall into the mindset of 'I can eat anything because I burn so much' when you head out to dinner, when really your erasing the good work you did earlier on!

I am always wishing that every food is good for you.

Though this menu at Tramshed looks pretty good, doesn't it?

My 24th Birthday. Day 3.

Falling asleep on the sofa with the fire raging is always a nice feeling, especially after a weekend that we have just had!

Waking up on a Monday morning to Poppy licking my face, however, was not as nice!

Poppy is a dog by the way!

With a weekend of alcohol, celebrating, eating and travelling, the final day was set aside for the most perfect cure for our now-worn-out bodies. A spa day. A whole day set aside to relax, unwind, and rinse out the last remaining bits of alcohol from our pores. There was only one place for this to happen...

The Aqua Sana at Longleat Forest.







Set right in the heart of Longleat forest, where phone signal doesnt exist and lakes and trees surround you, you immeadiately feel relaxed and ready for a day of pampering.

Once we were in and changed into our robes, we made our way through to the spa and straight to the water beds. With no cameras allowed, I had to sneak the Blackberry through.... Don't tell anyone!





Waterbeds are heavenly. So much so that we nodded off for an hour.

Or two!

By which time a dip in the outdoor jucuzzi was needed, followed by some lounging around in all the different rooms.







With each one having different aromas and temperatures, it was a great way to erase the weekend. Some of the rooms are 90% humidity, and some of the temperatures hitting as high as 80 degrees, but somehow we managed to stay in each room for quite some time. One of the rooms, which was a little different, was the meditation room. Equipped with heated sofas and a water feature designed to relax your body, it turned out to be a hideaway where we could lounge and relax for a while.




The Blackberry did not want to work well in the dark...

After a few more rooms, we headed out to lunch, which is by italian chef Aldo Zilli. The food was healthy, although the pastries not so!





Fortunately, we went on a day where the spa was quiet, and the only visitors was ourselves and a few others. Best days are a Monday or Friday, as this is changeover day for anyone staying in the forest, which means that they will not have booked into the spa.

No excuse to pull some poses for the camera then before our treatments!





Later in the afternoon, we had a couple of treatments booked to pamper ourselves a little bit more!  I went for the Elemis Urban Cleanse Facial, and a full body massage, whilst Lian and the ladies opted for the Decléor Madagascan Red Island Exfoliating Ritual, before hoping over for a Manicure.

If you are going to go with a partner, then they offer duel treatments too. We were tempted to have the mud bath, but decided against it!

With the end of our spa day drawing to a close, and us all feeling like we have travelled through a rebirth, we ventured out into the forest and made our way back to normality.





As one last final stop on the birthday weekend before travelling back to London, we snuck into the safari park. When you're home is right next to Longleat, you know the little roads that lead to the Giraffes!



With that, it was over.

Another year older.

My three day birthday celebrations came to a close, and we packed our bags and headed back to the big smoke with all the balloons and cake to hold another birthday weekend! Ready to go back to work another year old, but none the wiser! From having the big hoo-ha, to relaxing in a country pub, the weekend was exactly how I wanted it to be.

Next year its the big 2-5. I am already planning away!

My 24th Birthday. Day 2.

You can always judge how good a night out was by the way you feel the next morning.

Your body is tired and achy, your head is thumping and your mouth is drier than a nuns lady garden. Then you start to piece together the night before, in my case whilst laid in bed with Lian, before wandering into the kitchen to grab a much needed glass of water.

Last night was a great celebration, and from about 6am onwards everyone made their way back to the now messy apartments. However, being on a workers body clock and excited that it was my birthday, I was wide awake at 8:30am and had to have everyone awake with me whilst I watched my favourite Disney film...



Whilst everyone surfaced and made their way to the sofas, we discovered a few 'items' that had made their way back south of the river with us. A chinese resturant menu and chopsticks, a cocktail mixer, and a girl named Jackie to name just a few. (Okay, we know Jackie, but she can count as one!) Then we found this...


Apparently no night would be complete without heading to a massage parlour in SoHo, and taking the sign with you when you leave!

With the big hoo-ha last night, and the fragile state I was in, it was time to pack up and run back to the countryside for some family time. Escaping from the smog and bright lights of the big city to relax in the countryside with a nice glass of cider is the perfect hangover cure. Hare of the dog and all that.

Travelling in style was mandatory for us all...







After a couple of hours of driving and singing along to a bit of Whitney and Britney, we were back in the land of fresh air with a cuppa in hand and the family, once again singing happy birthday with even more (homemade) cupcakes.

I swear I am going to turn into a cupcake!

My mum thought the balloons should reflect that we live in a farmhouse...

Lounging around in the living room in front of the fire, we devoured the cakes and told everyone about the night befores antics. Opening cards and presents, the afternoon was perfect for the two party animals with horrific hangovers.

Having a birthday meal is a must, and the best part of being back in the West Country was the fact that we could go to a village pub for dinner, and fill ourselves to the point of bursting. With the addition of Amy, we headed to The Fox and Hounds in Monkton Farleigh. This old, traditional pub was the perfect setting for a quiet birthday meal with family and friends, and the food was absolutely amazing!

I was tempted to go for the home made steak pie, but opted for the duck leg.

Definately the best choice.

Desert was the homemade apple crumble, which was a fat persons dream, a calorie counters nightmare. The food was amazing, and the pub is situated en route to Bath, so if you happen to be in the area then stop by for lunch or dinner! They are open till late, and the staff were really accomodating.

With a few glasses of wine and a couple of vodkas, the food disappeared amongst the conversations, and we made our tipsy way back down the country lanes to the house to carry on with more cake.

By this time, I was too full of alcohol and food to eat anymore, so we all relaxed in front of the fire once again.

Only for me to fall asleep until the next day...

My 24th Birthday. Day 1.

The best thing about birthdays is that you can make those 24 hours as big as you want, or as little as can be. Some people like to have a small, family affair with minimal fuss, whilst others like the have the big, glittery party with 100's of people around them.

For me this year, I sat somewhere in the middle. I wanted a bit of a hoo-ha with everyone around me, and then be able to run away and have the small family affair when I was feeling very fragile the next day. Luckily, living in London and having my family in the west country was the perfect excuse to make this a 3 day celebration.

I might aswell make the most of it whilst I can, this only happens once a year!

Of course, no birthday should be celebrated without the best friend coming down to celebrate it with you. Lian, who I mentioned earlier in the year, was found in a bar in SoHo on Friday evening, having a few cocktails in preparation for the first day of celebrations on Saturday.

Waking up with a slight hangover on the Saturday was probably not a great idea, but with a trip to our Portugese friend and a few red bulls, we were ready to get the party started with a few pre drinks at mine, alongside a group of friends...

Joe, Ryan, Myself and Gareth

A couple of friends, Dan and Charlie, came up from Southampton

Me and Sham.

Lee and Ian







I decided on a white shirt from River Island, and black skinny jeans from Topman. The blazer you see later is from Zara. Lian opted for a FCUK dress.

No birthday is complete without a birthday cake. The guys from Southampton brought a fresh chocolate cake, which in a room full of gay guys and a tiny girl, was placed back in the fridge until tomorrow.

Only kidding, I don't do waiting when it comes to cake.

Anddddd a bottle of bubbley too!

Once the pre drinking was over, we headed to Soho and straight to one of my favourite clubes, The Shadow Lounge. As a club, it is always a great night out, the staff are friendly, and you can usually spot a couple of celebrities in there.

I had a booth organised which for a birthday night out, on pay weekend, is a god send! If you are having a bicelebration, get in contact with the club as they will organise something special for you. They have all different types of packages, and the dress code is to dress to impress.

Some of the guys who came out definately impressed.

With buckets of champagne and wine, cupcakes and a waiter to save the queuing, the night was one of the best nights I have had in London...

Again, any sort of cake should be kept away from me. These disappeared within seconds, only for more to appear on the table!

As the clock hit 12, everyone broke out in a good old Happy birthday sing song for the birthday boy.

From Brian Downling dancing on the multi coloured floor, to singing the You Been Framed theme tune to Lisa Riley in the smoking area, the night was amazingly messy. As the lights came up, we made our way out into the cold, wondering what to do next to keep the night going.

Some of the us ended up in a massage parlour, others jumped on rickshaws around London, and a few others headed for a chinese and more alcohol. I was past the point of remembering to take any pictures, so you just have to imagine 14 drunk people let loose on Soho after a alcohol fuelled night out.

It was like letting a group of small children lose in a sweet shop and saying to them, 'do what you want!'

Slowly and drunkenly we all made our way back south of the River Thames, retreating from the messy night we just created whilst the sun came up.

Oh how I was going to feel fragile the next morning....