50 Thoughts you have as a morning train commuter

One day last week I got to re-live the delight that is: early morning train commuting to London. Doing it for one day was quite enough for me and it's kind of hard to believe that for years I spent the entirety of my summer's doing this every single day. How did I not lose my sanity? Well, I think I probably did, I've just chosen to black out that part of my life in fear of never being able to walk out of my front door again.

But alas, as I love a good complain and generally making fun of my life, here's what went through my head during the experience:

1. Ok! Here we go. Gonna get the train and I'm not going to have a single ounce of road rage what a strange new concept this is.
2. God why is this platform so long. If I have to walk any further I might as well walk all the way to London.
3. Oooh oooh sun shiny day!
4. Everyone's looking sufficiently miserable. Must mean I'm in the right place.
5. Ooop here comes eager beaver dressed in his finest bicycle shorts.
6. Christ why isn't lycra illegal.
7. Lining up on the platform ready to get myself on the train wooohooo. Keen bean queuing up with time to spare.
8. It's delayed.
9. The train is sodding delayed.
10. Signalling failures. How. Why. This is 2016.
11. Oh lovely, bicycle shorts is now chowing down on a hot cross bun. Is he aware that a) it's literally 7:34 in the morning and b) hot cross buns are disgusting?
12. Wait, why are you pushing in front of me?
13. Excuse me, Sir, I know you're wearing a suit and tie but have you heard of queuing etiquette?
14. Erm hello I was here first!
15. Oh no you did not.
16. I can do this. I am a strong independent woman with functioning elbows who's not afraid to use 'em.
17. Do you people have any concept of PERSONAL SPACE SEND HELP.
18. Just breathe. I'm not in my car now, there are no walls to protect me if profanities begin bursting from my mouth.
19. God it's cold. Stupid March.
20. Think warm thoughts.
21. It's not working.
22. FINALLY the train is here.
23. Oh good, I'm glad we all queued FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON SIR WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO SQUEEZE PAST ME CAN YOU NOT???
24. K, on the train. In one piece. With my belongings.
25. SEAT! THERE'S A SEAT.
26. Wonder how many enemies I just made by accidentally knocking them with my handbag. Stupid thin aisles.
27. Alright, I'm sitting comfortably, got my iPod playing some tunes, now to sit back, relax and enjoy a smooth ride to London.
28. Are we there yet?
29. How has it only been three minutes?
30. Imma just sit and people watch for a while.
31. Yo, bright coloured tie wearer, is there coffee in that tumbler or gin?
32. Could be gin.
33. Oh crap, he's spotted me. Act cool.
34. La la le laaaa
35. Good God there are actually people working at this time of the morning before they've even reached the office?!?!?! 
36. Didn't even known ThinkPads were still a thing.
37. Wow I wish I'd thought to pick up a Metro. This is so boring.
38. Crap. Where's my ticket? I have my ticket right, it's here, and it's valid? It is, isn't it? Oh my gosh what if I got it wrong. Am I going to go to prison????
39. Lol, no big deal, it's in my purse where I left it.
40. Glad I didn't overact because that would've been embarrassing.
41. One hundred per cent that woman is now hastily applying concealer under her eyes because she just saw my face. #Life.
42. How loud is my music? Wait, do you think people can hear the Hannah Montana soundtrack I'm listening to?
43. Oh no, we're cool.
44. Better tweet that I'm on my way to London so everyone knows where I'm at.
45. Almost there almost there.
46. I like how judgey everyone is on this train. These are my people.
47. Unless they're judging me. Like under-eye concealer woman over there. You definitely are not my people.
48. What's the announcement saying? Oh yay, we're here!
49. Let me just stay seated for a sec while everyone makes a mad dash for the exits.
50. Smooth and casual. I got this.

Now, back to the reality of driving to work and attempting to get a grip on my uncontrollable road rage. Basically, I can't win.

~ Eleanor xo

Photo Diary: February Round Up

Yellow tulips are my spirit animal. I know that's not possible. But you know what I mean.

I mean, does this even need a caption?

Wondering why these cups aren't available all year round @ Starbucks, Windsor

When prospective clients swing by the office and the place basically becomes a florist @ Windsor, Berkshire

All New York everything

My sister sent me a picture of a sign she'd seen. I've no idea what she's insinuating...

Let the countdown begin!

Ooops more tulips can I get a "yolooooo"

The thing I find with February is that every year I get pulled into the same trap of thinking it's a super short month so it'll fly by. But of course, that isn't actually true (and it definitely isn't this year considering it has twenty-nine days).

So it basically feels like it's been winter for about twelve years and I'd very much like that to turn around sometime soon. And that's not just because my new favourite find, car windscreen de-icer, is about to run out and I'm loathed to buy more when spring is theoretically so close around the corner. Oh what life would be like if I lived in a country where my day's were not so ruled by the weather. Sigh.

But here's some other stuff that went down in February:

• I tried out windscreen de-icer for the first time and holy moly I have lived a very sheltered life up until this point.
• Reading Gone Girl caused me physical pain after I managed to drop it spine first onto my foot and I bruised like a peach.
• I finished reading Gone Girl and while I thought the plotline was super cool, I am still pretty miffed at the ending. Does the author wanna like, write a sequel maybe? Please?!
• I promptly stopped drinking sparkling water daily after I read an article about how it strips the enamel from your teeth.
• I bought a hilariously cute Valentine's Day card from Etsy but the card that arrived was not only incorrect, but Tinder themed.
• I had a lot of bad luck with deliveries in general.
• I stopped kidding myself and decided to take off my FitBit at weekends.
• I then realised that by doing that, it would appear as though I only did sixteen steps at the weekend so decided to start wearing it again.
• As much as I love Megan Fox, New Girl just isn't the same without Zooey Deschannel.
• I'm trying to perfect my Australian accent so sometimes while I'm driving I talk to myself in an accent. It's weird. I know.
• After about six months of telling myself it was something I needed to do ASAP, I finally created a spreadsheet containing all of my finances. I should probably consider getting a life sometime soon.
• My 'channel my inner #GirlBoss' New Years resolution is coming along fabulously.
• I got to see the skyline of New York (while my feet were firmly on the ground in Windsor) as my sister FaceTimed me while she was in the new One World Trade Center. It was awesome.
• I celebrated six whole months of continued full-time employment.
• A holiday to my favourite place in España was booked for June.
• Apparently February 23rd is National Toast Day and I'm totally down for celebrating that.
• I discovered that both the town I work in and the town I live in are in the running to get their own Monopoly boards so that's exciting.
• I watched Big Hero 6 for the first time and I swear it totally destroyed me.
• It looks like reading thrillers before going to sleep gives me very colourful dreams...
• My favourite app, Mailbox, shut down and I am honestly bereft.
• I had a couple of holiday days to use up before the end of the month so I enjoyed some long weekends and felt like a total truant.
• Leonardo finally won that Oscar. 

I'm also drowning in chocolate so the thought of Easter coming up makes me feel slightly nauseous.

~ Eleanor xo

February Favourites

February has been a month consisting of a lot of chocolate (see exhibit A: New York haul and exhibit B: my food diary), I mean, a lot a lot. As in, 'how have I not developed diabetes' a lot. I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering how long I've got until my arteries decide they can no longer deal with how I'm treating them. But alas, let's not dwell.

Embarrassingly, my most favourite thing that's happened this month is getting to witness the evenings get progressively lighter. After a long day, it definitely boosts my mood to see even a tiny slither of light still coming through the clouds. Now all that's left is the warmer temperatures to match! Please? Anyone? Hello?!

1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
   I really loved this show when the first season aired on E4 like a million years ago, but when the second season came out, my social life was obviously far too hectic for me to be able to find time to sit down and watch each episode every week so I found myself flagging way behind and ultimately, giving up entirely. Until a few weeks ago when I somehow managed to catch the first episode of the new season and was reminded why I digged this show so much in the beginning. And thanks to my trusty pal Netflix and his bro 'automatic next episode play', I whizzed my way through all unseen episodes and I now I'm totally hooked once again and wishing Jake Peralta was my real life best bud.


2. Korres Sensitive Cleansing Gel
   Don't get me wrong, I loved the Ren cleansing gel I was using before this, but I like to play the field when it comes to skincare, so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it out. (Also it was on special offer so it was basically fate). This gel is way more foaming than I'd probably like it to be; I mean, I suppose the whole lathering thing means it's actually doing something to my skin, but when it's 6:45am and I'm trying to wash my face, it more often than not ends up in my eyes and up my nose. Still, it smells absolutely amazing and that, as we all know, is the most important thing to me.


3. Tossed: The Healthier Eating Place
   If you're a lover of exceedingly expensive, yet massively healthy (and tasty) lunches, then this place is about to become your Mecca. Whenever we have client meetings up north, we always swing by Tossed at a service station on the M4; the breadth of food choices is astonishing and it all looks so so tasty. What's great is that it's all made fresh (and you can totally tell), but if you can't quite find what you're looking for, they'll make it for you right there and then. As it's usually a quick pit-stop for me, I opt for either the tomato, mozzarella and pesto wrap, or chicken and avocado baguette.


4. Anthropolgie Zodiac Sign Trinket Dish
   I spotted this dish in Anthropologie months ago and just knew I had to have it. I'm super into this whole zodiac/constellation trend that's going on at the moment and this is just lovely. The dish is the perfect size to sit on my nightstand and house the jewelry I wear each day, my watch, FitBit, hand cream, Peanut Butter Cup wrappers, lip balm and any other crap I decide to bestow upon it. The blue and gold combo is gorge and if you look underneath the dish, it has the shape of the star sign and its corresponding trait (which for Leo is 'Fearless').


5. Blackberry Monin Coffee Syrup
   A couple of months ago I'd have thought putting fruity flavoured syrup in my coffee was pure insanity. And then the winter coffee shop menus came about and everything changed. I found myself drawn to the Winter Berry latte from Caffe Nero and once I learnt their secret ingredient (that's actually not very secret...) I couldn't not find me some blackberry syrup. So now weekend afternoons are reserved for a warm cup of coffee with a drop of blackberry flavouring and a side order of Cantuccini because as we all know, I'm super fancy.

Catch you on the Spring-side.
~ Eleanor xo