The whole picture: January 2018

Catch up with my December round-up, and take a look back at my 2017.

Not my new abode, unfortunately.

What I've done in January

Well that's 1/12 of 2018 over, and in the true January spirit of being broke and going into hibernation, it doesn't feel like much has happened. I've made headway on approximately half of my 2018 to-do list. I've tackled the running by running a couple of miles on a few different nights, and although I'm not at the 10k stage yet, I'm getting there.

In an additional flurry of fitness optimism, I've signed up to Vertical Rush. If you're not familiar with what that is, you can find out more (and have a laugh at my expense).

Where I've been in January

My big trip this month was to Rochester. When I say 'big', I'm talking big by January standards - it's only an hour away on the train, far enough to feel like a proper day trip, but close enough to spend four hours on a Sunday wandering around and still be home in time for a Sunday roast. My motivation for going was to tick off the 'visit a new place each month' part of my 2018 plan, and I'm already glad I wrote that plan out and shared it with the world, otherwise I may well have been tempted to stay in bed instead.

Other than that, I've been lugging my trust camera around London for run-ins with Lumiere and Winter Lights, two excellent free light festivals that went some way into lifting the gloom out of January. I also saw my first proper improv comedy show at The Comedy Store in Leicester Square. I went in feeling dubious and came out converted, my ribs aching.

What I've eaten in January

As I write this, my most recent food adventure was a return trip to Maxwell's in Covent Garden, where I finally had one of their salted caramel freakshakes. It's an improvement on the vile Unicorn freakshake they were serving up last year, but (top tip!) there are better freakshakes to be had at BRGR.CO in Soho.

Sticking with the sweet tooth theme, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych was something of a disappointment, failing to deliver on the quality, quantity and substance fronts, which is impressive in itself.

The chocolate fondue @jazandjuls in Islington is completely delish - and #vegetarian too 🍫

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jan 23, 2018 at 11:33pm PST

A perk of the job presented itself in the form of the chocolate fondue at Jaz and Jul's Chocolate House in Islington, which I was tasked with filming for a short video. Heaps of strawberries and marshmallows, and one chocolate-dipped scarf later, I waddled back to the office on something of a sugar high.

I've also revisited a couple of local places, including the excellent Basil in Tonbridge (go for the chocolate flapjack, you won't regret it) and an extremely satisfying sausage sandwich brunch at Teal in Hildenborough, a highly-underrated former roadside diner which has been transformed into an inviting upmarket cafe.

What's coming up

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Dec 8, 2017 at 8:58am PST

You'll (hopefully) notice me upping my game significantly on this blog in the next few months. I'm really keen to grow it in terms of number of posts, and hopefully, followers. If you like what I'm doing, please share it with someone else. If you have comments or suggestions, please let me know in the comment, chat to me on social media (details below), or contact me.

Other than that, the next big plan is a two-week trip to Cuba, split between Havana and Varadero. If you've got any tips for either of these locations, hit me up with them.

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:

• 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)

I've done something rather silly

When will I learn? When I overhear my name in the office, when will I learn to keep quiet and keep my head below the parapet? When will I learn that when I hear the phrase "That sounds like something for Laura", I should find out what "that" is before agreeing that yes, it does indeed sound like something for Laura?*

What I've done, is I've signed up to take part in Shelter's Vertical Rush in March. That's a run up the 932 stairs of Tower 42, a skyscraper in the City of London. Here it is:

That one in the middle - that's the blighter.

Looks nice and shiny and high, doesn't it? Lovely. What's more, I've signed up to do that hefty fight against gravity less than a week after I come back from a lovely (hopefully) relaxing all-inclusive holiday. To say that I won't be in the peak of my physical fitness would be an understatement.

The plot thickens. Not only have I agreed to do this, but I've agreed to do this while being filmed for a video for Londonist. That video will be shared on the Facebook and Twitter pages, which have a combined following of more than 2 million people. 2 MILLION people could see my suffering.

That's gotta be worth a couple of quid, right? If you reckon so, please consider donating to my fundraising page. All of the money raised will go straight to homelessness charity Shelter. Thanks in advance for anything you're able to donate.

*I should add that my colleagues in no way bullied me into this, although I maintain that anything requiring physical exertion, height or adrenaline finds its way onto my desk a lot quicker than it finds its way onto anyone else's.

Fed up with being told to stop going to Pret? Yeah, me too

(Four money-saving tips that I've found actually work... because can you even call yourself a blogger if you've never written a post with money-saving tips?)

My friends and I are at that stage of our lives (yep, I feel old just writing that) where we're all desperately trying to save money and make it go further for house deposits, weddings or once-in-a-lifetime trips. I fall in the middle of these; I'm trying to find my own flat, and also trying to see more of the world (next stop: Cuba). Plenty of us are in the same situation, which is why there are so many articles and blog posts out there with money-saving tips. Y'know, things like:

• Give up buying a coffee on the way to work each morning.
• Make your own lunch instead of going to Pret every day.

But what if you're already doing these things? My coffee equivalent is a Costa hot chocolate, something I buy maybe twice a year on my way to work, on days when it's so cold I need the heat of that ridged maroon cup just to defrost my fingers. I buy my lunch on average once a month - the rest of the time it's sarnies and cup-a-soups all the way.

I know plenty of you are in the same boat, so I've shared four tips for saving money that have actually worked for me. I'm not claiming that they're original or groundbreaking, but they're all things that I've managed to fit easily into my day-to-day (or month-to-month) life.

Pay yourself

You'll need more than one bank account and a regular income for this one - the one you get paid into, and the one you're saving money into. Set up a standing order so that a certain amount of your salary is automatically transferred into your savings the day you get paid. It's gone before you even knew it was there, so you won't miss it (too much...). 

Tidy up your account

This is something I've been doing for a couple of months now, and is the idea that's saved me the most money so far. Last thing each evening, I log into my bank account and see how much money is in there, then round it off to the nearest £5 by transferring the money into a savings account. So if I have £453.36 at the end of the day, that £3.36 goes into my savings. If you're feeling particularly flush, round to the nearest £10 instead. If towards the end of the month funds are getting a little low and you think you might need the cash, hold off transferring for a few days.

Pay for things in cash

Not always easy these days when it feels like everything is bought online. Once you've worked out how much you need each month for rent, bills, travel, food and all the other basics, plus how much you'd ideally like to be putting in your savings, give yourself a weekly budget for other things. That's meals out, trips to the pub, buying things in shops... all that has to come out of the weekly budget.

Yeah, my piggy bank is a campervan, what of it?

Once you've set your weekly budget, go to a cash machine (remember those?) and take it out in cash. I do this on a Sunday night or a Monday morning so I can see in my purse exactly how much I've got left for the week. Plus, handing over cash to pay for things makes you think twice about spending it - waving a plastic card at a card reader never has the same effect, somehow.

If you've got money left, choose whether to roll it over so you've got more to spend next week (a good way to entice yourself into saving up for medium-sized purchases such as clothes) or put it into your savings.

Write everything down

Find yourself a notebook or journal (the prettier the better - Paperchase has some corkers at the moment) and start writing down everything you spend - every single penny. The big things, like rent, bills and the food shop, and the smaller things like that cheeky chocolate bar or Pepsi you pick up on the way home some nights. Make yourself write everything down as soon as you buy it, even if that's outside the shop on the pavement in the rain.

Usually when people recommend this, it's so that you can see exactly what you're spending where and make cutbacks accordingly (I refer you back to the whole buying-a-coffee-a-day thing). But when I tried this a couple of years ago, I found it such a faff to carry the notebook and pen everywhere, and to be whipping it out to record every little thing, that I soon stopped the impulse buys because I just couldn't be bothered with writing them all down.

So there you have it, my top 4 tips for saving money, in a blog post that I hope comes across as helpful rather than patronising. If you've got any other tips that work for you, let us know in the comments below.

An ode to...

You've been in my life for over four years now. You still seem new to me, a bit of a novelty, but at the same time, I can't imagine my life without you.

We had our first fight two months after we met. It was late on Christmas Eve, lashing down with rain, somewhere near Thornton Heath. You seemed to give up, making undecipherable noises - I didn't know what you wanted, or how I could help. We didn't get home until 4am on Christmas morning - a man had to help us back, there's no way you would have made it otherwise.

We've had other ups and downs since. I thought our trip to the New Forest in July 2015 would be the end of us. I was so gentle with you that holiday, treading carefully so as not to push you too far, and it worked - just.

Sometimes I get cross with you, but only because I'm stressed. I don't mean to take it out on you.  Guildford's one-way system has got to be the ultimate relationship test - how many times did we go round in the end?!? If we survived that, I reckon we can survive pretty much anything.

There've been good times too; that time we went to Basingstoke for a wedding. The monkey that took a liking to you at Longleat. Belting out tunes as we whizz round the M25. You take me places I couldn't go otherwise.

I try to look after you, but it's not always easy, especially at this time of year. Some people - one in particular - reckon I should trade you in for a shinier, younger model. But you're my first car, and I'm sentimentally attached to you. I gave you a name - Pepper - on the first day I got you, and although I forget the reasons behind it now, the name itself has stuck.

That Christmas Eve breakdown was stressful at the time, but it makes an excellent story now. I really thought you'd break down again on the way back from the New Forest - I had the radio up so loud just so that I didn't have to hear the awful clunking noise you made. And as for the monkey chewing your aerial... well, that one I was laughing at even at the time.

My 2018 to-do list

I've done my look back at the year but in reality, I'm already looking forward to 2018, plotting and making plans. I'm not one for new year's resolutions - the way I see it, if you want to change something about yourself, why wait until 1 January? Why have your last cigarette, or piece of cake, or pint of beer on 31 December, if it's something you've wanted to give up since September? (Important note: I don't indulge in two out of these three things, and I'm certainly not planning to give up the third).

Instead, I prefer to have goals - a solid list of goals that can be ticked off one by one, because really, is there anything more motivating than a to-do list waiting to be ticked off? Here's my list as it looks at the start of 2018:

Find a new flat

I'm almost 27 years old and I currently live with my mum.  My mum is lovely and I enjoy living there, but I refer you back to my first point: I'm almost 27 years old. I shouldn't be living with family any more. It's a temporary situation, born out of having to get out of an unhappy living situation in London, but it's in danger of becoming permanent.

So, I'm hoping to find my own flat to rent in the area in the early part of this year. I'm past the stage of living with flatmates, and am really looking forward to having my own space. What's more, now that I feel a lot more settled, I'd like it to be a long-term home, not just another temporary space. I've viewed a couple of flats already, but they weren't quite suitable - come on 2018, do your thing.

Start running again

Ha. Cast your minds back to 2015 and you may remember that I signed up for a half marathon. I did a few solid months of training, staying more committed than I thought I would, and was building up my distance ready to take on the half marathon. And best of all, I was (whisper it)... enjoying it.

Then some personal stuff happened and I gave up running very suddenly - that half marathon never happened. Since then, I've only been running occasionally, on days when I've got excess energy I need to burn off, or I need to relieve some stress by pounding the pavements.

I'd like to be able to run a solid 10k by the end of 2018. I was almost up to that distance when I gave up last time, so I'd like to get there again. No time pressures or goals, just running that far without collapsing. If I can do that at least once this year, that's a big tick on the 2018 list.

Take a trip to Edinburgh

I've wanted to take a solo trip to Edinburgh for a few years now, an idea that came out of wanting to see the pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. I did some research, and there are plenty of other things I'd like to do in Edinburgh too, but for one reason and another (money, time, the decision between getting the train or flying) I've been putting it off.

Why solo? Because the me that flew to South Africa alone five years ago doesn't seem to exist anymore. I had an absolute ball on that trip, and was proud of myself for doing it alone, so I'm easing myself back into the idea of solo travel gently. If Edinburgh goes well, who knows what solo trips will be on my 2019 list?

Visit a new place each month

You know what baffles me? People who claim to love travelling, but have barely seen any of their own country. They've been to the Maldives, but not Manchester, Barbados, but not Bath. I don't want to be one of those people, so I'm making it my goal this year to visit a new town or city every month. Some will be daytrips, others may be weekend breaks. Hopefully Edinburgh will be one of them. They may not be the most glamorous or far-flung of places (budget and free time will be a huge factor), but they'll be towns I haven't visited before. I'll be documenting it all on here, and on Twitter and Instagram - and I'm open to suggestions too.

A trip to Hertford in 2016. More of the same in 2018 please.

Visit the Harry Potter Studios

This is another one that's been on my list for years. The plan is to read all of the Harry Potter books, then watch all the films, then go to the Studios. Hands up: this was also my plan last year, but I read about a quarter of the first book, then got distracted by other books, and never came back to it. #MustTryHarder.

So there you have it - my 2018 checklist:

* Find a flat
* Visit Edinburgh
* Run 10k
* Visit 12 new places (including Edinburgh)
* Visit the Harry Potter studios

 Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to see how I'm getting on, and fire over any suggestions for places to visit in the UK.

The whole picture: a look back at my 2017

As I come to write that old blogger cliche end of year post, I had a look at what I'd posted as my goals for the start of the year - and it turns out I didn't write any. For someone as list-loving and goal-oriented as me, this seems surprising, but hey ho.

So much has changed this year, it's hard to think back to what I was thinking and how I was feeling on 1 January, and guess what my goals might have been. I certainly wouldn't have visualised that I would have moved twice, and be back living in Tonbridge now. By this time last year, I hadn't even thought about moving out of where I was living then, in Peckham. The first move was to Nunhead, to a flat that I thought might be a bit more permanent, but for several reasons, it wasn't to be. That triggered my decision to move back to Kent. And six months later, here I am still.

There were two main lows of 2017 for me. The first was having my phone snatched right out of my hand by thieves on bikes on a busy street in Peckham. It's now nine months since that happened and I've been though a whole spectrum of emotions about it; shock, sadness at losing photos, gratitude that they didn't pull a knife on me. I've mainly let it go now and written it off as one of those things, but on the odd occasion that it does cross my mind, I mainly feel anger; anger at the fact that they felt they had the right to help themselves to something I'd worked hard too pay for - but when that happens, I visualise myself kicking them right off their bikes and into the road. Petty, but it helps.

The second low was a long, drawn-out battle with a dodgy landlord to get a deposit back. It's a long story involving sleepless nights, hundreds of pounds that was rightfully mine, and the threat of a legal battle, but I won in the end - not before it had cast an omipresent shadow over almost three months of my year though.

Reading back what I've written here so far, I realise it sounds like I've had a pretty rubbish 2017, but that's not the case. So often, what we see on blogs and social media is the polished, unblemished half of the story. I just think it's important to be honest and tell the whole truth, warts, muggings and all.

So moving around has been a big part of my year, but what else has happened? There's not been one big thing - no new job, or buying a flat, or Lottery win, or taking six months off to go travelling. My Prince Charming has yet to make his appearance (if you're reading this, I'd be grateful if you could make yourself known sooner rather than later), but that's all OK.

The joy in this year has been about the little things: posing for photos with an inflatable flamingo called Merlin on a bridge in Amsterdam; going off-grid in the Lake District for three days with friends I've known for more than half my life; spotting dolphins in the wild.  But if you're looking for one big achievement of the year, it's this: I've got a far better idea of what I want out of life than I did this time last year. I know where I want to live, what sort of job makes me happy (pretty much what I'm doing now, which is handy), who my real friends are, and what I'm doing with this blog. I know that the London life isn't for me, but I'd miss London too much if I didn't work there. I know that I'm not one for big nights out, but meals with close friends in a favourite restaurant is one of the best ways to spend an evening.

So 2017 may not have been a year in which I ticked many boxes - at least not the conventional ones - but I end the year in a better place than I started it, which has given me a good, solid base to begin one heck of a 2018.

See also: My 2017 in 13 Instagram posts

The whole picture: December 2017

Miss my November round-up? Catch up here.

Enjoying the work Christmas party. Photo by Matt Brown.

What I've done in December

December was a month of two halves: the first half was busy busy with Christmas drinks, parties, work events and the like. Then, the week before Christmas I turned the page of my diary to a very welcome fortnight of near nothingness.

The busy-ness involved going to two different lantern festivals; Glow Wild at Wakehurst Place was a late birthday present for my mum, a gentle wander through the botanical gardens, complete with floating laterns and a fire river. A little further afield, a weekend away at Longleat combined two of my favourite things: lions and lanterns:

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Dec 13, 2017 at 12:09am PST

Elsewhere it was Christmas parties and drinks with friends and former colleagues, a quiet weekend away with family and a bit of Christmas shopping.

I have a bit of a tradition for that weird period between Christmas and New Year, where I have a good old clean out, tidy up, polish and clear out of my room .We're talking two our three solid days of scrubbing skirting boards and dusting shelves trying clothes on and donating old ones to charity, and generally getting rid of all the old junk accumulated throughout the year. I like to see in the new year with a clean, uncluttered room and a clean, uncluttered mind.

What I've eaten in December

What haven't I eaten (she wrote, stuffing her face with the Christmas cheese)?  The month kicked off with a trip to Bodeans, a smokehouse restaurant that I've wanted to try for ages, predominantly in my continued quest for London's best buffalo chicken. Don't get too excited lads, this definitely wasn't it - the dried, unbattered bit of meat that was served up barely deserves to be called buffalo chicken. As you were.

The most exciting thing I've eaten this month is the ostrich I had at my work Christmas meal at Shaka Zulu in Camden. The restaurant itself is... bizarre. Think African tribal meets Las Vegas tat, and you're about there. The ostrich was beautifully cooked in a peppercorn crust, but I was so distracted by what was going on around me (Dancers! Fire eaters!) that I didn't even think about taking a photo (#terribleblogger).

What's coming up?

Sunset over Tonbridge on one of the last days of 2017. Insert your own cliche about watching the sun set on another year.

New year, new start. I'm not one for new year's resolutions - the way I see it, if you want to make a change, why wait until 1 January to get on with it? I do, however, have a few things I'd like to do in 2018, and I'll be sharing them on a blog post over the next few days, so watch this space.

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

My 2017 in 13 Instagram posts

Well that's a wrap on another year. Another year of pizzas and cakes, sunsets and city breaks - or so my Instagram feed would have you believe. You can follow me here for the full picture, but here are the edited highlights of my 2017 on Instagram.

January

The year began with a trip to Chiswick House on a freezing cold night to see the much talked-about Lantern Festival. The event was a bit of a mixed bag, but the lanterns themselves were beautiful:

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jan 23, 2017 at 11:53pm PST

February

February's highlight was a fortnight in Agadir, on the coast of Morocco. Apart from a minor earthquake, it was a relaxing holiday in a gorgeous hotel, the highlight of which was the nightly sunset. The beach which our hotel was on faced due west, meaning fantastic sunsets every evening. I'm seriously considering booking all future holidays based on which way the hotel faces.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Mar 1, 2017 at 12:08am PST

March

Until 2017, autumn was always my favourite season, but this year the bright colours of spring won me over. This one was taken on my first proper lunch break of spring, when I wandered up to Shoreditch Park and snapped away among the daffodils. It's always a good day when I wear my Batman shoes.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Mar 17, 2017 at 12:44am PDT

On a less bright note, March was also the month I got mugged, and this here is the last photo I posted from the phone I had stolen.

April

Amsterdam was the highlight of April. It's somewhere I'd wanted to go for a while, and we chose April when the flowers were at their best. This was probably my favourite snap from the holiday though - I can never resist a camper van.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Apr 11, 2017 at 11:45pm PDT

May

By May, I'd realised that my love-hate relationship with London was extremely complicated and had decided to move out of the city. Then, on the way back from an evening out, this stunning sunset presented itself to me, and I remembered all over again why I love London.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on May 22, 2017 at 2:15pm PDT

June

Knowing I was moving out of London really piled the pressure on to do all the things I'd wanted to do while living there. One of them was a trip to God's Own Junkyard, a neon art warehouse right out on the end of the Victoria line in Walthamstow.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jun 16, 2017 at 12:36am PDT

July

The first weekend of July saw me combining two of my passions - big cats and photography - for a photography day at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent. I'd been shooting on my camera all day, but my favourite photo was this one, taken on my phone just minutes before I left, after I'd packed my camera away.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jul 1, 2017 at 10:59am PDT

I'm gonna cheat and throw two pictures in for July. It was a big month for me, the month I finally moved out of London and back to Tonbridge, where I now know I want to be. This photo here is one of my favourites I took this year, partly because it was completely unplanned - I was just shooting pictures of the lavender fields when this kid ran down one of the aisles and opened the umbrella.

But I've also put this picture in here because it reminds me of how I was feeling back then - free, after living in a rather repressive situation for three months, full of hope and excitement about what was next - and how I wish I could've bottled a bit of that feeling for times when I could do with reminding of it.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jul 15, 2017 at 9:33am PDT

August

On a boat, with a dog. What could possibly go wrong? (Thankfully, the worst that happened was the sudden, torrential downpour that roared into sight as we were settling down for a picnic lunch on the river bank. Cue a mad dash for the safety of the boat).

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Aug 5, 2017 at 1:24am PDT

September

September's big adventure was a trip to Bulgaria. A few problems with the hotel put a minor dampener on the holiday, but the highlight was a trip to Nessebar (including seeing dolphins swimming wild in the Black Sea).

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Sep 26, 2017 at 11:24pm PDT

October

Just when I thought my travels for the year were done, I was invited to spend a weekend in the Lake District with some friends. I cannot believe I've never been to this part of my own country before - it really is as stunning as everyone says. Mental note to go back for longer, with a car to see more, in the very near future. In the mean time, here's the extremely impressive hot chocolate I had in Granny Dowbekin's cafe in Pooley Bridge on the last morning. Yes, those are Maltesers, and yes, that is a spoon made of chocolate.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Oct 24, 2017 at 11:22pm PDT

November

One of my favourite things about Christmas in London is Christmas at Kew. Every year, those wizards at Kew Gardens put on a spectacular light festival, and this year was the best yet. Each installation is synchronised and choreographed perfectly to music - see more photos here.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Nov 21, 2017 at 2:27pm PST

December

Ah, December, you've been a mad one, what with weekends away, Christmas parties, lantern festivals, drinks with friends, and then the big day itself. But I've spent a lot of time looking forward to 2018, including a trip to Cuba. Now things have calmed down a bit, I must sit down and do some proper planning. Any tips for things to see and do in Havana or Varadero? Let me know in the comments or tweet me.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Dec 8, 2017 at 8:58am PST

The whole picture: November 2017

Miss my October round-up? Catch up here.

What I've done in November

The fact that I've not published my end of November round-up until 2 December tells you all you need to know about the last month; busy, busy, busy. This is mainly due to the fact that it's beginning  to look a lot like Christmas in London and I've been scattered here, there and everywhere across London to cover it for work.

My favourite event of the month was Christmas at Kew, the annual light festival which takes places at the Botanical Gardens. I make a point of going to the press night every year, and can honestly say tht this year is the best so far. Make time to go!

Another highlight was a trip up the rarely-open BT Tower and a chance to watch the sun set over London, prosecco in one hand, camera in the other.

My colleagues have been hard at work this month putting the finishing touches to our book, Londonist Mapped. Some of my features made it into the finished product, which I'm pretty chuffed about, and I'll be referring to myself as a published author for the foreseeable future.

What I've eaten in November

Some friends and I finally made a long-planned pilgrimage to Archie's in Deptford, a bar hidden away in the railway arches, serving up cheese. It's a tiny place, just four tables inside, and feels like stumbling on a little secret. Here's another secret; the mozzarella sticks are one of the best dishes being served at any restaurant in London. Oozy, stretchy, melty cheese covered in crunchy crumbs - it's carb heaven. The melted cheese sandwich had less of a wow factor, being burnt and not all that cheesy. Stick to the mozzarella sticks, my friend. They'll see you right.

In sweet tooth news, I wound up at BRGR.CO in Soho, with five of their delicious freakshakes in front of me at 11 in the morning. I made a how-they're-made video about the freakshakes for work, and then of course, someone had to drink them. I didn't finish them all, but that was one heck of a sugar high to come down from.

What's coming up?

CHRISTMAS! Obviously, but before that, there are two trips away, work Christmas party, ex-colleague's Christmas drinks, Christmas cocktail club and a whole lot more to get through. Watch this space...

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

I wrote a book

That's a blatant lie. I didn't write a book at all. But I did write some articles which made their way into a book, which has now been published. It's a proper book, with pages and page numbers and a cover and everything, so I'm basically classing myself as a published author now thank you very much *mic drop*

Oh, the book? It's good. It's called Londonist Mapped, and was put together by my lovely colleagues at Londonist in collaboration with the AA, because they like maps almost as much as we do. It's got all sorts of London geekery in it, and colourful, beautiful maps to go with each article. Where else could you learn about state banquets, atomic bombs, Sherlock Holmes, penicillin, tube pedantry, and the man who invented sunglasses, all in one book. Eh? Eh?

It's available now on Amazon, which is nice, but also in Real-Life Book Shops, like Waterstones:

A post shared by Londonist (@londonist_com) on Oct 27, 2017 at 1:55am PDT

And Foyles:

A post shared by Londonist (@londonist_com) on Nov 3, 2017 at 2:35am PDT

And Stanfords:

A post shared by Londonist (@londonist_com) on Nov 13, 2017 at 8:48am PST

So that's a bit exciting (especially Stanfords, because the cafe there does the best hot chocolate in London).

My colleague Will made a video to tell you all about it.

Pretty, isn't it? BUY IT. BUY IT HERE. Buy it for everyone you know this Christmas. And when you've got it in your hands (wash them first please, it's very pretty), open it (carefully!) and head straight to the back, where you'll see my name in black and white (among my colleagues, of course). Then pour yourself a cuppa and read the rest of it. It's a right treat.

Londonist Mapped, available now on Amazon, and in all good bookshops.

In praise of adventures

Five years ago today, I did something really brave, if I may say so myself. I got on a plane and flew to South Africa, where I spent two weeks on my own.

I say that like it was a spontaneous thing. It really wasn't. It took months of planning. Months of saving. Months of dithering. Months of anxious phone calls to the guys at Real Gap who dealt patiently with each and every one of my amateur, ridiculous questions.

 But, at the end of it all, it was the first time I'd flown on my own. It was the first time I'd been anywhere as culturally different as South Africa. Heck, it was the first time I'd even been to Africa - or to anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere for that matter. And I survived. Not only that, I thrived.

I made new friends, both human and not-so-human. I learnt how to haggle. I got an insight into modern African culture. I learnt more about how other people live.

I was 21 years old when I did that. I'd graduated from uni four months previously. I'd been hopping around various short-term jobs and internships, looking for a break into journalism (little did I know that I had another 14 months of that ahead of me before landing a permanent job). Now, at the age of 26, I can't imagine doing something like that. I'd love to, but I've always got an excuse ready; I can't get the time off work. That's too much money to spend on two weeks. That 21 year old seems like a different person

But if 21 year old me can do it, 26 year old me definitely can. 26 year old me definitely should. Why am I writing this here? I'm making a public promise to myself - that way I can't renege on it - to be more spontaneous. To do more things. To not let the what-ifs hold me back.

Here's to more adventures.

The whole picture: October 2017

Miss my September round-up? Catch up here.

What I've done in October

Freshest in my mind as I write this is my three-day trip to the Lake District with a couple of friends for a hen do. It wasn't your usual hen do, consisting instead of cottages and lakes, long muddy walks and autumn leaves, home cooked meals and whisky by a roaring fire. I returned to London feeling so relaxed, I can only imagine what a full week would have done to me. Suffice to say the Lake District is firmly on my list for a longer visit in future.

I also took the opportunity to visit Knole Park, a National Trust property not far from where I live. It's something I want to do more of - so many people focus on exotic holidays abroad, despite having seen very little of their own country, or even their own county. The house itself is beautiful, and the deer roaming free in the grounds are an added bonus - and autumn is by far the best time to visit this Kentish jewel.

But I think the most bizarre event of my October was my evening at the London Dungeon. It was the press launch of both the London Dungeon's Halloween special Necropolis railway, and of Krispy Kreme's Halloween doughnut range.

To cut a long story short, I found myself on a tour of the Dungeon with Tom Daley, clinging onto a friend for dear life in the scary bits (that Ripper bit, though!) and carrying home a (thankfully not-life sized) coffin full of doughnuts on the train.

What I've eaten in October

At this point it would be easier to list what I haven't eaten this month. A shocking total of three afternoon teas is top of the list, including an afternoon tea for fussy eaters like me, a somewhat disappointing Alice in Wonderland themed tea, and a board game themed afternoon tea to celebrate the launch of Tunbridge Wells Monopoly (full blog post about this one to follow).

Onto the savoury, and my love affair with buffalo chicken really intensified this month. Shortly after declaring the buffalo chicken burger at Meat Mission to be the best in London, my decision was thrown into disarray by this offering at Brewdog. I'm still suffering split loyalties to be honest. Guess I'll have to go back and try them both again...

For work, I tried the new vegan and veggie menu (I'm neither) at American chain The Diner. The overall opinion was decidedly average, but the extent of The Diner's veggie and vegan options is impressive.

My favourite slurp of the month was the enchanting Harry Potter cocktail menu at the Booking Office bar in St Pancras. It ties in with the British Library's new Harry Potter exhibition, but if you want to just sit at the bar and get tipsy in a magical kind of way, that's OK too. Top tip: grab yourself a bar seat, watch them whip up your drinks, and order yourself some bar snacks to soak up that absinthe.

Perhaps I'm finally growing up, but I can finally see the appeal of paying a bit extra for a drink to sit in a serene and impressive setting like this, rather than doing battle with the masses in happy hour at Be At One. For an extra dose of ooooh, order the Camouflage Coupette and watch the candy floss disappear as your pour in the potion.

Talking of playing with food, brunch at Beyond The Grounds in Tonbridge consisted of a delectable stack of pancakes, and this DIY hot chocolate.

The Lake District mainly consisted of delicious and warming home cooked food, but on the the last day we ventured out for breakfast at Granny Dowbekin's, a tearooms/cafe in Pooley Bridge. At this point, the luxury hot chocolate (whipped cream, marshmallows, Maltesers, solid chocolate spoon) had been talked up to me for two days at this point, so it would have been rude not to. I followed it up with a Full English and was good for nothing expect lazing in front of the fire for the rest of the day.

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Oct 24, 2017 at 11:22pm PDT

Oh, and then there was the Fireball, but that's another story for another day.

What's coming up

I've not currently got much planned for November, which makes a pleasant change. The main event is a trip up to the top of London's rarely-opened BT Tower - watch this space for pictures. I should definitely get some exercise in at some point if the above food intake is anything to go by too.


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

On using special occasions to confuse children

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, which is never safe. This particular thinking session was triggered by the assault of Halloween and Christmas products in the shops at the moment, and the firework displays which began a month in advance of fireworks night. It seems that on these special occasions, we ditch all our beliefs and inhibitions - fine for adults, but somewhat confusing for children. Think about it:

Halloween

What we tell them the rest of the year:

• Always be yourself
• Be a good person
• Don't take sweets from strangers
• Don't go knocking on strangers' doors
• Don't do anything that might get you arrested
• Don't waste food

What we tell them on Halloween:

• Pretend to be someone else, preferably someone really bad
• Knock on strangers' doors after dark, asking for sweets
• If they don't give you sweets, egg their house or cover their car with toilet roll
• Waste a whole pumpkin that could feed a family for a week by chopping it up to make a lantern

Christmas

What we tell them the rest of the year:

• Don't take presents from strangers
• Don't talk to strangers
• We're not going to bribe you to do as you're told
• Sweets and chocolate are occasional treats, not everyday food
• Drinking alcohol is bad

Sure, invite this guy into your house while you're sleeping.

What we tell them at Christmas:

• Go and sit on that strange, bearded man's lap while we take a photo
• Write him a letter inviting him into our house while we're asleep. Perhaps feed him with a mince pie or two while he's here
• Do as you're told or Santa won't come
• Have some chocolate everyday for a month, in the build up to a day when you'll eat more chocolate than you do in the rest of the year combined
• Sit and watch while Grandma gets tiddly on sherry

Fireworks Night

We're going to celebrate a massive terrorism plot which would have wiped out the constitutional epicentre of our country.

(Pedant's note: I know we're not celebrating the actual terrorism plot, rather the fact that it was stopped, but surely No Terrorism is the very baseline at which a country should exist - a sensitive topic at present, I know - rather than something to celebrate?).

The Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy probably doesn't look like this, but why risk it?

Where do I start? You're basically encouraging kids to sell off parts of their bodies from a young age. From a tooth, it's a slippery slope to a kidney, a limb, and finally, a soul. To the devil.

New Year and birthdays

Another year closer to death, son.