What if the only people influencers are influencing is each other?

I have a blog, but I no longer consider myself a blogger - or rather, I don't like to admit to being a blogger.

'Blogging', it seems, has become a bit of a byword for 'blagging', and that's not OK. It's shocking how many people start a blog purely for the 'freebies' they think they'll be reeling in. I digress a bit - this isn't the main point of this post, so don't leave just yet - but working as a journalist in my day job, I've lost count of the number of PRs who tell me they dread working with bloggers due to the demanding and diva-ish reputation they've earned.

In 9 years of blogging, I've only ever had one 'freebie', back in the days when I didn't really understand how the PR/journo business worked - the blogger business wasn't even a thing back then. And I'm OK with that. It's not why I got into blogging. My blog isn't 'commercial' enough for PRs and that's OK too - I'd be worried if it was, although that's only something I've come to realise recently.

There are a few bloggers who I admire - particularly Emily Clarkson and Hannah Gale for their honest, witty and humorous writing, and for keeping it real. If we're talking vloggers, Louise Pentland has to be top of the list. I still miss updates from Gem Fatale, and I'm sure there were a few other old-school blogs that have fallen by the wayside. But bloggers like these are few and far between these days.

Scrolling through Instagram - because heaven forbid you call yourself a blogger in 2018 if you don't have plates spinning on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube as well as, y'know, your actual blog - you can spot an 'influencer' a mile off. Many (not all) have the same identikit photos; seated in a beautiful coffee shop, staring wistfully into the middle distance as they cup their skinny latte, or dressed up to the nines, against a psychedelic street art background, that same unnaturally wistful look on their faces.

I've shared my thoughts on Instagram before. Occasionally, someone stands out -- Hello Miss Jordan, for example. She has a unique style, and whether it's something you like or not, it's something she does very well. But again, influencers as talented as her are few and far between.

The irony is, the only people these 'influencers' seem to be influencing are each other. Because really, have you ever seen someone who didn't consider themselves an 'influencer' getting dressed up in a wholly impractical outfit to pose for hundreds of different photos in front of a pretty wall? No. A normal person might stumble across the wall, take a photo, and go about their day. Yet all it takes is one influencer with a decent-sized following to discover a new gram-worthy *eyeroll* cafe, and you can guarantee hundreds of bloggers and Instagrammers will have visited before the week is out. And that's before you stumble across all the comments reading "Where did you get that dress/table/mug? Need to get me one for my photos too". There's a fine line between being inspired by someone else's photos, and completely ripping them off.

Following the Instagram flock isn't something I'm completely innocent of myself - minus the hundreds of poses because that's just not me. I've visited those flowery cafes (for my day job, and out of curiosity), and I've taken those flatlay photos. Actually, I won't lie, I still have a weakness for a flatlay done well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jun 24, 2018 at 12:08am PDT

Why? Because I felt I *should* be doing it as a blogger. I've just unfollowed loads of the bloggers and blogging accounts on social media, because I realised I was being influenced by them, not to buy the latest skincare range or pumpkin spice latter drink, but about how my blog - my little space on the internet - should be.

For every blogger dredging in the likes on Instagram for taking a photo at the exact same spot where ten bloggers took a photo yesterday (there's a certain west London cafe that I'll keep nameless that has bloggers literally queuing up on a daily basis), there's another blogger working away quietly behind the scenes, writing decent, meaningful, good quality blog posts, and taking unique photos.

In writing this post, I've gone and done one of the things I hate most about the blogging 'industry' - blogging about blogging, but I just had to get it off my chest. Because that's what this blog is about - the things that thrill, bug, annoy and please me. You're welcome to stay for the ride.

The whole picture: July 2018

Catch up with my June round-up.

I know I say this almost every month, but July's been a busy one - so much so that I'm writing this post at 5pm on 31 July on a train hurtling between Edinburgh and London in a desperate bid to publish it on time. In reality, I'm going to get home and crawl into bed, leaving all thoughts of blogging (and unpacking) behind. Whenever you're reading this, here's what I got up to in July 2018.

What I've done in July

Like most of Instagram, I found myself knee-deep in lavender in July. I first visited Castle Farm last summer, when I'd just moved back to Kent, but this time I was filming a short film for work. They've added a 'lavender bench' this year, no doubt to please the Instagram hoards. and I was filming the day after This Morning had been there - although our video went out first (#scoop).

As I'm writing this, I can't believe it's only a couple of weeks since Emma and I went on a huge shopping trip at Lakeside, followed by lunch at TGI Fridays. It still surprises me when people say they've never been there - not in a judgemental way, because there are plenty of restaurants I have no interest in but, like, what did you do with you childhood? The shakes aren't quite as good as they used to be (remember when they were thick enough to render straws ineffective?), but it's still my go-to for a decent serving of comfort food.

The trip was a combination of (late) birthday day out and oh-my-goodness-we-have-nothing-to-wear-let's-go-nuts, and turned out to be an expensive one, not because of what I bought, but because my car broke down in spectacular fashion on the way home. Still working on getting that fixed...

I had myself a little adventure closer to home in July in the form of a bat trip. Tonbridge River Trips run occasional bat-watching tours, taking a boat out on the River Medway at dusk with a wildlife expert on board. Spending my Monday night with a boatload of strangers in the pitch black was slightly surreal, but if you're looking for something unusual to do in Tonbridge, it's worth doing.

Where I've been in July

I'm so glad I wrote my 2018 to-do list at the start of this year, as it's gone a long way to keeping me motivated. For about four years, I've been planning a solo trip to Edinburgh but keep finding excuses to put it off. This month, I finally made it to the Scottish capital, ticking a bucketload of things off the to-do list in just three days, including climbing Arthur's Seat (may I take a moment to tootle my own trumpet about the fact that I scaled a flippin' volcano... solo?!?), visiting the castle and, the reason for my trip, seeing the pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. More blog posts about the trip to follow, but I will say three things:

1) Pandas are cute
2) Edinburgh is HILLY
3) If you go to Edinburgh in late July, but leave before the Festival actually starts, people think you're really weird.

My trip to Edinburgh followed very closely behind a long weekend in Cambridge with family, which contributed to my aim to visit a new place each month. Cambridge is a beautiful city, but we found there wasn't as much to do in the city centre as we'd hoped. Worth visiting, but perhaps for a day trip rather than a whole weekend.

Back in London, the pagoda at Kew reopened to the public this month, and I was sent along to cover it. The stairs are a challenge, but it's worth the climb to the top for those views in all directions of London. Further skyline views came in the form of a launch party for the new bar and restaurant at the top of the Gherkin - that's another London skyscraper ticked off the list.

What I've eaten in July

Just the two afternoon teas this month (sorry lads, haven't had time to review them on this blog yet, but follow the links for my reviews elsewhere). The Franklin Hotel very kindly invited me to try its Frida Kahlo themed afternoon tea, tying in with the current exhibition at the V&A. The octopus sandwiches are an acquired taste, but beyond that, the chef has done an excellent job of marrying a traditional English afternoon tea with Mexican flavours.

A bit further east, the Swan at the Globe is playing on its Shakespeare connections with a Midsummer Night's Dream pop-up. By day, you can eat afternoon tea in Titania's Tea Garden overlooking the Thames, and by night it transforms into some sort of gin-ladled debauchery. The room is beautifully

Behind the scenes on this morning's filming adventures @drunch 🌸🌼☕

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jul 2, 2018 at 1:25am PDT

This being 2018 London, that wasn't even the most floral part of my month. I ate the most delicious pancakes among fake flowers and a giant purple teddy bear at Drunch, a cafe-restaurant just off Oxford Street. I walked past it a few months ago, coincidentally just after it had been refurbished, and knew the floral frontage would make it popular. I finally got in there to film this month, and haven't been able to stop thinking about those pancakes since.

It's starting to sound like I spent the whole month eating (and I haven't even mentioned the restaurants I ate up in Edinburgh and Cambridge), but there's more. Dinner in the Sky was a thrilling experience, dining up above London on a table suspended from a crane. The food was delicious, but the organisation of the event was appalling, rendering it unworthy of the steep ticket price in my opinion. On a happier note, Claw in Carnaby is dishing up delicious comfort food in Carnaby, and I had a bit of a fangirl moment when I dined with famous party chef Dominique Ansel at his eponymous Belgravia bakery.

What's next?

Again, I know I say this every month, but I'm really hoping August is a quiet one. After the travel and the expense of July, I could do with a bit of downtime. My diary is currently looking beautifully empty for the month... see you this time next month to find out if it stays that way.

See also - what I got up to in:

• June 2018 (Flower picking, zoo lates and more buffalo chicken)
• May 2018 (Doughnut-making, Chester, and seaside trips)
• April 2018 (Abbeys, doughnuts and pizza)
• March 2018 (Skyscrapers, scuba diving and Winnie the Pooh)
• January 2018 (Fondue, freakshakes and light festivals)
• December 2017 (Lions, lanterns and buffalo chicken)
• November 2017 (Christmas at Kew and the BT Tower)
• October 2017 (Lake District, Harry Potter cocktails and Alice in Wonderland)
• September 2017 (Doughnuts, dolphins and Bulgaria)
• August 2017 (Canal boats, zipwires and tiger shoes)

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter. 

The whole picture: June 2018

Catch up with my May round-up.

Making friends at London Zoo

I am LOVING the weather at the moment. I always thought I was more of an autumn kinda gal, but I'm dreading the days getting shorter and the nights getting darker this year. Turns out summer is the one. The long evenings, combined with working from home a lot more, are really working for me - I've had the most relaxed, productive, healthy few weeks that I've had for a long time. Here's hoping summer sticks around for a while...

What I've done in June

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jun 2, 2018 at 7:30am PDT

June opened with a trip to BlogCon, a blogging conference held on the London/Essex border. It's the first time I've been to something like that, so I was a bit nervous - no need though, everyone was lovely. I managed to pick up some tips on using Pinterest, and have been trying to get to grips with it for my blog. You'll find me here, so please give me a follow and forgive me any Pinterest faux pas I may make - this old woman's struggling to get her head round the new-fangled social networks the blogging kidz are using these days. Another highlight of BlogCon was basking in the Instagram wisdom of @hellomissjordan - I *may* be working on a not-entirely-serious blog post off the back of that, so watch this space.

I finally managed to get a copy of Emma Gannon's new book, The Multi-Hyphen Method. I've only just started reading it, but having seen her speak at two recent Waterstones events, I have high hopes. I'm seriously in need of new book recommendations from similar cool women - think Dolly Alderton and Daisy Buchanan. Any tips, send them my way.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together? For two or three years, I've wanted to go to a flower picking day at Blooming Green, a PYO flower farm in Kent, but they always fall on a Friday which just isn't doable for a #BloggerWhoWorks. This year at work, we've started dabbling our toes in the waters outside London, so I seized the opportunity, and headed down there to film. You can see the video here, but while I was there, I took a few snaps for my own Instagram account. Whatdya think of my attempt at floristry?

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jun 8, 2018 at 11:41pm PDT

Where I've been in June

June was broken up nicely with a trip to Clacton on Father's Day weekend. We headed out to Tiptree on the Saturday to visit the Jam Factory, and I converted my dad into an afternoon tea fan.

Back in London, I found myself exploring a secret Morocccan garden, hidden away behind a chocolate shop in the rather pretty streets of Belgravia. It reminded me of why I started this blog, and why I got into journalism; to share the secret places I find on my travels.

It's June, which means it's that time of year again - Zoo Nights at London Zoo. The zoo has always been a favourite place of mine, and I especially love seeing it at dusk, when some of the animals are more lively. Plus, the street food stalls serve up some pretty tasty nosh.

What I've eaten in June

Just two afternoon teas this month, which is pretty restrained by my standards. The first was the misleadingly named Tea Total afternoon tea at the W London (wouldn't recommend - full review here). The second was that more traditional affair at the Tiptree Tearooms in Essex.

My hunt for London's best buffalo chicken continued at Boondocks, a deep American south restaurant in Old Street. It's the first time a buffalo chicken burger has *almost* got the better of me, the buffalo sauce so vinegary I was almost crying. Not saying I didn't like it though. Might have to go back for another taste.

What's coming up in July

SUCH a busy month coming up, with weekend trips to Winchester, Cambridge and Edinburgh planned, as well as few other bits and pieces. If you've got any recommendations for things to see, do and eat in Cambridge or Edinburgh, let me know. As always, you can keep up with my adventures on Instagram and Twitter - it doesn't look like I'll have much time for blogging in July.

See also - what I got up to in:

• May 2018 (Doughnut-making, Chester, and seaside trips)
• April 2018 (Abbeys, doughnuts and pizza)
• March 2018 (Skyscrapers, scuba diving and Winnie the Pooh)
• January 2018 (Fondue, freakshakes and light festivals)
• December 2017 (Lions, lanterns and buffalo chicken)
• November 2017 (Christmas at Kew and the BT Tower)
• October 2017 (Lake District, Harry Potter cocktails and Alice in Wonderland)
• September 2017 (Doughnuts, dolphins and Bulgaria)
• August 2017 (Canal boats, zipwires and tiger shoes)

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Here's why physical maps and guidebooks are still important in this internet age

When you come back from a trip, do you get rid of your maps and guidebooks, or do you keep them as mementos and souvenirs?

I recently threw this question out on social media, and wasn't at all surprised at the result. Like me, most of you are absolute hoarders when it comes to travel paraphernalia (there is one monster among you, but I won't name names).

But why do we keep them? A map of the souks of Marrakech is not going to be any use in the Kent countryside, and a plan of the Barcelona Metro offers no solution to the trials and tribulations of the London Underground. They sit there, gathering dust on our already overstuffed bookshelves in space-deprived flats, surviving the many clear outs, while their lesser bedfellows are reduced to the charity shop pile.

In my opinion, a map book is the best storyteller a traveller can have, equal in importance to the photos when looking back on the trip. Here's something I wrote about the map I took to Venice.

A ode to my map of Venice

I bought you from WHSmith in Victoria station, about a week before we were due to fly. I barely looked at you at all to be honest, until we got on the plane, but I checked my bag time and time again to make sure you were there, the knowledge you held almost as important to the success of the trip as my passport.

At this time, you were a perfect stranger to me. The city you laid out before me was the great unknown, backstreets of nerves, canals of excitement, bridges of possibilities. You were sights yet to be seen, meals yet to be eaten, bars yet to be discovered. Streets that we would wander and strangers who would become friends.

We unfolded you across both our laps as soon as we got on the plane. Living far apart, my friend and I hadn't had time to do any proper itinerary planning until we took off. Luckily, the elderly, well-spoken gentleman next to us didn't mind us unfurling your streets before him. In fact, your very existence struck up a conversation - he noticed us plotting the tourist hotspots, and gave us some other pointers he'd gleaned from his time living in Venice.

If you're into travel books and maps, check out Stanfords in Covent Garden

For our whole four days, you were with us, squeezed into my handbag between my camera and my water bottle. You quickly became stained with the debris of pitstops in cafes and bars, yet you remained resilient. A coffee cup ring now circles the entirety of Murano, like a bizarre, waterlocked crop circle. A pizza grease stain became another island in the Venetian lagoon. Your corners are dogeared, your face scarred with hastily scribbled circles where we earmarked a shop or restaurant to return to later. That cute courtyard where we ate pizza on the last night was a particular gem.

You're in the photos of our trips too - sticking out of bags and pockets, sometimes held in our hands as we snapped away, thirdwheeling your way through the weekend. I say thirdwheeling, but you were actually more like our steering wheel, guiding us across those bridges and round the canals.

In some places, your starched creases have ripped completely, their structural integrity weakened by a sudden rain shower on a cobbled back street. It came so unexpectedly, we had nowhere to shelter except underneath you.

That was more than two years ago, and you now sit on my bookshelf, nestled between Paris and Prague. It's not geographically accurate, but together, your rips, doodles and stains tell the stories of my travels. How could I get rid of that? 

---

That's the story of just one of my maps. Each of the others tells a story too. Our Marrakech map turned out to be mostly useless, the winding, overwhelming souks too complex for even the most skilled of cartographers to render on paper. The Paris map was hurriedly bought at Gare du Nord as we arrived on the Eurostar; the friend we were staying with - who knew the city intricately - was feeling unwell and left us to explore the unfamiliar city on our own instead. My map of Barcelona is the only one I've had cause to use more than once - I've been there three times to date. Perhaps it'll get another airing one day.

"Years ago, when I was backpacking across Western Europe, I was just outside of Barcelona, hiking in the foothills of Mount Tibidabo (if you know, you know...)

To me, the idea of lending the map to someone else is unthinkable. It'd be like lending them a notebook that's already full of my thoughts and scribblings. I'm more than happy to pass on recommendations of restaurants to visit, back streets to wander down and markets to haggle in. I'll even tell you the exact route we took through those back streets, as best as my memory will allow. It's not the experiences I'm precious over, it's the physical map itself. It's too personal.

Throughout your time away, whether that's a two-day city break, or a two month trek through the Himalayas, your map or guidebook is with you. For me, that's far more powerful and emotive than any magnet or shot glass you can buy in a gift shop. And when you look back at that map, it won't just be meaningless lines and colours and squiggles. You'll remember the things the map doesn't show you; how steep that hill was, the way scooters weave among pedestrians, that time you were overtaken by a camel.

You don't get that from Google Maps.

The whole picture: May 2018

Catch up with my April round-up.

What I've done in May

May has absolutely rinsed me, financially speaking. Pay day cannot come soon enough.

My birthday came early in the month. I'm SUCH a birthday person, I absolutely cannot get enough of birthdays. Combine that with the fact that my troublesome living situation made last year's birthday a bit of a let down, I was doubly determined to have a good time this year. I took the day off work and ventured down to Brighton with a friend. We played games on the pier, wandered the back streets, and had lunch - and, more importantly, milkshakes - at JB's Diner on the seafront. It was one of my favourite birthdays yet.

Later in the month, I appeased my inner adrenaline junkie with a go on London's new zip wire. I make a brief cameo about halfway through this video, kicking my legs furiously in a bid to go faster.

After April's Krispy Kreme behind-the-scenes tour, I managed to go behind the scenes at Doughnut Time on Shaftesbury Avenue this month. The Aussie doughnut brand has opened a few London stores in the past year, and is now launching its Doughnut Academy, where you can learn to decorate them. I got a preview of an academy workshop, and I'm pleased to say that I decorated all of the doughnuts pictured above myself.

Where I've been in May

Other than that day trip to Brighton, my main excursion was a weekend in Chester with a friend. It was very much a whistle-stop tour of the city; we arrived late on Friday night after heading there straight from work, and Saturday was spent mainly at Chester Zoo (cute baby elephant alert). We headed out into the town for dinner on Saturday night, but were shattered from walking 7km (!) around the zoo, so grabbed a quick pizza and headed back to the hotel. We managed to pack all our exploring in on Sunday, walking the entirety of the city walls (major York flashback) and seeing most of the sights before hopping on a train back down south.

Closer to home, we got up early one Sunday morning to visit Columbia Road Flower Market. It's one of my favourite things to do in London - an east London street closed to traffic comes alive with the colours and smells of flowers and plants, and the shouts of old-school market traders trying to flog them.

What I've eaten in May

My favourite new foodie discovery this month was the Mad Hatter's Tea Rooms in Chester. Situated inside one of the beautiful Tudor buildings that the city's famous for, the cafe is Alice in Wonderland themed. We found ourselves there for breakfast on the Sunday morning, and indulged in the full English, plus a couple of cakes to take away. Good food, an excellent theme, and dog-friendly - what more could you want in a cafe? (I'll write a full blog post on it soon, just as soon as I find the time).

It's not a new discovery - it's actually a bit of an obsession of mine - but my other favourite meal this month was at JB's Diner in Brighton. The American-diner style food is pretty good (the portions are huge, leaving us rolling down the road) but for anyone in the know, the real draw is the milkshakes.

I wouldn't be me if I'd gone a whole month without afternoon tea. This month's extremely photogenic offering came in the form of Dominique Ansel Bakery's new plant afternoon tea. It's very cleverly pt together, each piece of food designed to look like a stage in the life cycle of a flower, from seed to blossom - and it's served up in a stunningly flowery conservatory. Not only did we try the afternoon tea, but we went behind the scenes in the kitchens where the famous Cronut is made.

Other meals this month have included a trip to the new Miller & Carter steakhouse in Sevenoaks, a highly confusing burger at Coin Laundry, and a salad - a rather left field choice for me - at Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch.

What's coming up in June

I managed to get myself a ticket for #BlogConLDN2018, a blogging convention in east London where I hope to learn some tips and tricks from the workshops and panel talks. I'm a bit nervous about going by myself as it sometimes feels like everyone else in the blogging world knows each other - so if you're going too, drop me a line on Twitter and say hi.

It's Father's Day in the middle of the month, so I'll be heading over to Essex for the weekend - perhaps there'll be a repeat of last year's beach hut extravaganza? Watch this space. 

See also - what I got up to in:

• April 2018 (Abbeys, doughnuts and pizza)
• March 2018 (Skyscrapers, scuba diving and Winnie the Pooh)
• January 2018 (Fondue, freakshakes and light festivals)
• December 2017 (Lions, lanterns and buffalo chicken)
• November 2017 (Christmas at Kew and the BT Tower)
• October 2017 (Lake District, Harry Potter cocktails and Alice in Wonderland)
• September 2017 (Doughnuts, dolphins and Bulgaria)
• August 2017 (Canal boats, zipwires and tiger shoes)

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter 

The whole picture: April 2018

Catch up with my March round-up.

Being tourists at Fountain Abbey

What I've done in April

April simultaneously feels like it's been very long and like it's gone very quickly. I spent the best part of a week incapacitated by a stomach bug early in the month, which was not conducive to getting much done. But I more than made up for it later in the month...

I was lucky enough to be invited on the first ever behind the scenes tour of a Krispy Kreme doughnut factory, and saw how the doughnuts are mixed, shaped, fried and decorated - there's a waterfall of chocolate for goodness sake, more people need to know about this!

Inside a Krispy Kreme factory

Two of my favourite people-to-follow-on-Twitter (who are also very successful journalists, writers, businesswomen and all round kickass ladies) came together for a live recording of a podcast. Dolly Alderton and Emma Gannon took over the basement of Tottenham Court Road Waterstones (which is *not* the same as Gower Street Waterstones, as I found to my detriment, arriving hot and sweaty at the wrong branch, 20 minutes before the event was due to start...)

Two very witty women took to the stage, and all I got was this lousy picture

Where I've been in April

My main excursion was a weekend in Leeds with an old uni friend who lives there now. As well as having a good catch-up, we ate and drank our way round the city, and managed to swing by Harrogate and other parts of Yorkshire as well. Read about the first part of the weekend, including tea rooms and monkey fingers - the second part is on its way. 

Leeeeeeeeeds

Chartwell, a National Trust property not too far from where I live, is one of my favourite places in Kent, so I was pretty chuffed when I convinced my boss to let me cover it for work. I spent a lovely morning wandering around the gardens in the early part of that heatwave, and even managed to hold my own pretty well when I spotted a snake (my arch nemesis, FYI) slithering through a bush just a couple of feet away.

Getting comfy at Chartwell

What I've eaten in April

Three afternoon teas, two restaurant reviews for work and an American diner trip made for a pretty filling April.

Absolute highlight was the press preview of the Potions Room afternoon tea at Cutter & Squidge. Those wizards have managed to pull off the best afternoon tea I've ever had - read my full review.

Skylon's space-themed afternoon tea

The other two teas were a bit hit and miss - Skylon's space-themed Gravitea was fantastic, sticking to the theme brilliantly, and serving up some fantastic food with views over the Thames. At the other end of the scale was the Theatre Not Afternoon Tea at Oxo Tower. It also had views over the Thames, but the similarities end there. I intended to review it for this blog but the stomach bug rendered me incapable of even thinking about food for a few days, let alone writing about it, so you'll have to make do with my Londonist review to find out what was wrong with it.

Back in the savoury lane, I discovered what I believe is the best pizza I've had in London. Buongiorno e Buonasera is an Italian deli-style restaurant that's just opened on Baker Street and, oh my god, I still dream about the generous dollops of bufala mozzarella that topped my pizza.

London's best pizza? Possibly

My hunt for London's best buffalo chicken continued when American chain Slim Chickens opened near Bond Street. The buffalo burger's not quite up to Brewdog standards, the restaurant as a whole is an ideal spot if you're after greasy, dirty chicken at somewhere a bit classier than your local Morleys.

Finally, I should point out that I do sometimes eat for fun, rather than just reviewing for work, which is how I found myself tucking into generous portions of burger, fries and onion loaf at 7 Hotel Diner near Sevenoaks. The Americana theme is strong, and the food's pretty good, although I regret not leaving room to try out the dessert bar. I'll be back.

What's coming up in May

It's my birthday early in May, and I'm planning to spend it with a friend in Brighton. I haven't had a good old day trip to Brighton for at least four years, so we're planning to go all out, ice cream on the pier, ice hockey in the arcades, plus the obligatory Lucky Charms milkshake at JB's Diner, and a pilgrimage to one of my favourite clothes stores, Sugarhill Brighton (known as Sugarhill Boutique until recently).

While everyone else is tuned into the Royal Wedding/FA Cup final, I plan to be sightseeing my way around Chester Zoo. The timing wasn't intentional, but we booked our weekend in Chester before we realised it was the Royal Wedding day... hopefully, everyone else will stay at home watching it, and we'll have all those lovely lions to ourselves. On that note, if you have any tips for things to see/do/eat/drink on a very whistlestop weekend in Chester, let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

See also - what I got up to in:

• March 2018 (Skyscrapers, scuba diving and Winnie the Pooh)
• January 2018 (Fondue, freakshakes and light festivals)
• December 2017 (Lions, lanterns and buffalo chicken)
• November 2017 (Christmas at Kew and the BT Tower)
• October 2017 (Lake District, Harry Potter cocktails and Alice in Wonderland)
• September 2017 (Doughnuts, dolphins and Bulgaria)
• August 2017 (Canal boats, zipwires and tiger shoes)

The whole picture: March 2018

Catch up with my January round-up. There was no February round-up as I was busy sunning myself in Cuba. #Sorrynotsorry.

What I've done in March

My first March adventure came in the form of snorkelling in the Atlantic, just off the coast of Varadero. We took a catamaran out to a reef where many fish gather, and spent a jolly hour splashing about in top of the waves. Suffice to say I've now added 'fish-botherer' to the hobbies and skills section of my CV. Next stop: scuba diving.

The end of the holiday was doubly painful because not only was I saying goodbye to sunshine for the foreseeable future, I was coming back to face the challenge of racing up a skyscraper. Six days after I packed my bikini away, I took part in Vertical Rush in Tower 42. I've never understood the phrase "my lungs are burning" until that day, and altough I only ran up eight or so floors, I got to the top in 14 minutes and 10 seconds. There's still time to donate to my fundraising page, if you're so inclined - oh, and here's a video of me doing it.

The view over Lewes from... a hill, somewhere

After speeding up a skyscraper, a light walk up a Sussex hill seemed like a doddle, so I took on the hills that I've been eyeing up outside my nan's house for years, walking from Ringmer to Lewes via cows, wind turbines and golf courses - ending in a pub, naturally.

Where I've been in March

Cuba, obviously. I've been banging on about it for weeks. But I've been back for three weeks now, and have managed to squeeze a few other bits and pieces in.

I was desperate to see the V&A's Winnie the Pooh exhibition (which ties in with this afternoon tea), and it didn't disappoint. Seeing the process of both the writing and the illustrations explained really brings home how clever AA Milne and EH Shepard's books are - and of course, there are plenty of cute touches, including a chance to have your photo taken on a replica of the Poohsticks Bridge. Side note: if you're into Winnie the Pooh, watch the film Goodbye Christopher Robin. I watched it on the plane, and while it's cute, it also gives a lot of the backstory to the characters, some of which is darker than you might expect.

I was back in South Kensington a couple of weeks later for the press launch of the Natural History Museum's annual Sensational Butterflies exhibition. Press calls with professional photographers are always fraught to the point of violence as everyone grapples for that perfect shot, and as a twenty-something woman in an industry saturated with middle-aged men, their disdain and patronising attitude towards me is always obvious. At first it intimidated me, but now I just get my shot and get out, leaving them to their macho mind games.

Last but not least of my activities this month was a trip to the press launch of Swingers, a crazy golf course that's opened in the old BHS on Oxford Street (top tip: don't Google 'Swingers' - you won't find what you're looking for - or perhaps you will... - and it'll ruin your Google ads for life). I've racked up a few fair London crazy golf courses through my job, this one being the most sophisticated by far. You've still got your street food and your bars in there, but it feels like the more grown-up sibling of the like of Junkyard Golf. Oh, and the holes here are a lot harder...

What I've eaten in March

You didn't think I'd let a month go by without an afternoon tea, did you? Celebrating the birthday of a very good friend, we combined our two favourite things and headed for afternoon tea in a bookshop. Full review here.

I've had to go cold turkey - pun intended - on my buffalo chicken addiction for a few months since it got out of hand, but I returned for one of Meat Mission's bundles of deliciousness after completing that skyscraper challenge. It's dangerous to know that it's so close to me office, I can head over there, order a burger to take away, and be back sitting at my desk within 34 minutes. The temptation is strong every single day.

What's coming up

My plans for April so far consist of a weekend in Leeds with a uni friend, and possibly a trip to Columbia Road Flower Market. Foodwise, there's an American diner I plan to try out, and I'm reviewing a couple of restaurants and an afternoon tea or two for work - perk of the job.

You may also notice a couple of minor changes on this blog. There's now a whole section dedicated to afternoon tea, another about UK travel, and one specifically about South East England. If you've got any suggestions for what I should cover in these areas, get in touch.

Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with next month's antics as they happen.

See also - what I got up to in:

• January 2018 (Fondue, freakshakes and light festivals)
• December 2017 (Lions, lanterns and buffalo chicken)
• November 2017 (Christmas at Kew and the BT Tower)
• October 2017 (Lake District, Harry Potter cocktails and Alice in Wonderland)
• September 2017 (Doughnuts, dolphins and Bulgaria)
• August 2017 (Canal boats, zipwires and tiger shoes)

Please, just one more day...

Wishing this were my office for just one more day...

What I'm about to write is going to come across as very much a first-world problem, a middle-class indulgence if you will, but that's just how I feel right now. I'm sitting here in my room on a chilly Sunday in Match, a blanket wrapped around me to stave off the omnipresent chill, contemplating my impending return to civilian life.

OK, 'civilian' may be a bit strong - I've been in Cuba for two weeks, not on army manoeuvres, but that's the word that fits the feeling of getting back to normal life after a holiday.

For me, a holiday begins about a week before I actually take off, not just with packing and planning, but at work too; whenever anyone approaches you with a task, you look up with a face of joy thinly veiled with regret, that you won't be able to take on the task as you'll be on annual leave. A couple of days before you go, you just want to stick a note on your forehead: "Don't ask me - going on holiday". From that moment on, you're well and truly in the Holiday Bubble, an invisible force which, unfortunately, only you can feel. Life goes on for everyone else as normal, and yet, you feel like you should have a neon sign above your head, reminded everyone of your impending travels.

Wishing this was my everyday commute...

Your first day back in the office, everyone greets you, comments on your tan, asks the pre-requisite questions about your holiday. And then it's heads down and back to work as usual, as you crawl through your backlog of emails, wondering why no-one paid any attention to your Out Of Office, your tan fading before your eyes under the harsh strip-lighting. Halfway through the morning, someone asks you a question. 'Yes!', you think. 'This is my chance!'

"I don't know", you reply sweetly, "I was on holiday."

"Oh yeah, right", your colleague mumbles, and you wait. You wait for your chance to tell them again how blue the sea was, how luxurious the hotel, how strong the cocktails. You're wondering which anecdote to start with, but they've already bumbled off to ask Sue from accounts the same question they've just asked you, because Sue knows everything.

Just like that, your holiday is over. The bubble is burst. It's as if it never happened at all.

*Insert your own pithy caption about watching the sun set on your holiday*

That's where I am right about now. Thankfully I'm still ensconced cosily in the Holiday Bubble, but I know that soon, I've got to reunite myself with the paraphernalia that oils the cogs of day-to-day life. I've got to get my Oyster Card and diary out of the drawer I eagerly cast them into a couple of weeks ago. Was it really only two weeks ago? I'll have to set my alarm for 6.30am and be back on the 8.14am train. I'll jostle my way through the City, naively hoping the suits and umbrellas of its streets will go just a little gentle on me as it's my first day back, while really knowing that it's just another day for everyone else.

But for now, my notebook, my camera and my mind are full of Cuba, so please let me wallow in my bubble a little longer.