So. My best friend from Canada just left after staying with us for 6 days and I'm back to being sick lol what a month it's been! I can't film just yet because I can't talk, but I wanted to share our trip together in blog-format!
When I was a kid I wanted to be "a blogger" so now I'm living my dream! Woooo!
Tyler and I met when I was 7 years old - she's a year older so we were never in the same class at school, but we lived in the same neighbourhood and have been best friends ever since.
Which is saying something because I was a pretty bossy kid.
(there's a very low-quality photos of us at the end lol we were probably 7/8 there)
Some highlights of our time together:
We had a beautiful day so we went for a hike! Thank god. I was worried we might get rained out every day. The weather wasn't perfect but it's also April so I'm pretty grateful. After our big hike we stopped at a pub, read our books, played some cards and had this charcuterie board! Tasty.
Each day around 4pm we'd visit a different pub. I strongly believe not all pubs are created equal so I wanted to visit as many as possible so she could get a good picture of what pub-culture is like. We even had a few sunny spots for pub garden visits. Hurray!
I also took her out for afternoon tea! A few months ago I met up with YouTuber Sharla (she's probably the nicest person I've ever met) and we went to this tea house together. I liked it so much that I took Tyler there! I got a chai tea (delicious) and we got the high tea selection - finger sandwiches, 4 scones and each a slice of cake (I went for lemon drizzle). It was so nice! It's kind of wild that such a iconic British culture activity is part of my regular life now...
Next - escape room! We didn't do any "touristy" things because I wanted to show her what my real life is like, but I love a good escape room. Canterbury has a few set inside the original walls of the city! This one is set in the original jail from the 1800s. Very cool. Our game-master said the average time to escape is about 57 minutes - we did it in 37 minutes! It was super fun and I'd definitely recommend it if you're in town.
We have to talk about food! Tyler is a head chef back home, so food is very important to her. And thank god, cause food is important to me, too! One thing she really wanted to do was try the oysters in Whitstable. I'll be honest.. I tried one but I couldn't swallow it lol had to spit it out. But I tried!! Just not for me.
Our "big fancy meal" of this trip was at the Michelin-star pub The Sportsman! I'd never eaten at a Michelin place before but it was very cool. At this particular place, you get 5 courses of their tasting menu, plus a whole bunch of snacks/starter bits like these "cracker" things pictured. So good! The stand-out for me was the sea bass with a chorizo sauce-thing. I also loved this pork terrine with homemade bread and mustard. It was so nice having so many small plates so you can try loads of stuff. If you're really into food and want to try something different, I'd definitely recommend it! We had to book about 2 months in advance.
Overall I had such a nice time! We played lots of boardgames and cards (like we did when we were kids) had lots of great food and pints and loads of time to catch-up. Usually when I go home I try to see Tyler a few times but it doesn't always happen - last time I was in Canada, I got so ill I couldn't see her at all.
At the end of her stay, I took her to the train station and she went up to Wales to stay with another friend! I hope they have good weather. It's always a bit depressing after someone visiting leaves and you have to get back to "real life" but I'm so grateful she could visit. I'll see her next when I visit Canada this July - hopefully without getting sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry I don't have a video today. I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to film for Youtube this week either, so frustrating. But we'll see how I am in a few days.
Hope you're staying safe and healthy and had a good April!!
2023-04-22 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday, everyone!! This week has been slllooooww while I try to recoup from the flu last week. And now my friend is here for a visit, yay!!
Hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend!
2023-04-15 09:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon! Happy Saturday!
Today's video is a look at what happened on my recent trip to Florence, Italy!
About 2 hours after filming this, I went down hard with the flu 🤒 and I've been on the couch ever since! Thankfully I've been getting better, though. I've watched just about everything on Netflix at this point...
I haven't finished my upcoming Youtube video yet but hopefully I'll feel well enough to finish that edit this weekend.
Hope you guys are doing OK!!
2023-04-08 09:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday, everyone!! Thank you so much to everyone who sent cool surprises this month - and thanks to EVERYONE for being a Patreon!!
Your support is supremely important. I was meant to post a Youtube video this past Tuesday but wasn't able to last minute (it was copyright claimed and I'm in Italy and unable to fix it in time) so your support here means that it's not the end of the world if I miss an upload 💛
If you'd ever like to send something to the PO Box, the address is below! Just needs to be sent via Royal Mail as the PO Box is registered with them 🙏
PO Box Address:
Alanna Naps
PO Box 302
FAVERSHAM
ME13 3DR
GB
2023-04-01 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys! For April, I'll be reading Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney! I saw on Goodreads (where I keep track of all my book ratings) that this book won Best Fiction 2021 so I'm gonna give it a try!
I haven't read anything about the plot (my favourite thing to do) but feel free to check out this book if you're interested in joining me this month.
What is Book Club?
My goal is to read more - so I started Book Club! Each month, I’ll post what I’m reading and you are welcome to join in! At the end of the month, we’ll share our thoughts on the book (no spoilers in case you're still reading).
You can try and read each book, or pick and choose, or not! It’s totally up to you.
Happy Reading!
2023-03-31 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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This month I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and thought it was great! I can see why so many people have recommended it over the years.
I loved the idea, the writing was great and it went by so fast! I bet you could read this in an afternoon on a beach holiday somewhere... I also didn't guess "the twist" which is always nice.
Overall I really enjoyed it! It's a nice change when the protagonist is not really a good person.. but much more human.
If you read it (or listened to the audio book) let me know your thoughts!!
2023-03-30 18:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon! Join me for this early-morning chaotic packing session for Florance 😅 Our flight is this coming week and I can't wait to share how it all goes! ahhh!!
Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!
2023-03-25 10:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Morning, everyone!! Who doesn't love a few random quizzes, eh?? I tried out 3 different British-accent-type quizzes and they actually all worked! So surprised.
If you'd like to play along, make sure to post your results down below (for Quiz 1, 2, 3, or all!)
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3
2023-03-18 10:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon! Hope you're having a great weekend! This week's video ended up being a bit of a mess lol but I hope you enjoy this little vlog/behind the scenes of my week!
And I hope you have a great rest of your weekend, too!
2023-03-11 10:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Oops, totally forgot to post about our March book - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid! I started it already and it's gone by reeaaalllly quickly. Great so far, but no spoilers!
My friend back home who recommends books suggested it ages ago, and community member Hannah suggested it recently so I'm finally giving it a go!
Happy Reading!
What is Book Club?
My goal is to read more - so I started Book Club! Each month, I’ll post what I’m reading and you are welcome to join in! At the end of the month, we’ll share our thoughts on the book (no spoilers in case you're still reading).
You can try and read each book, or pick and choose, or not! It’s totally up to you.
Happy Reading!
2023-03-09 08:38:07 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday, everyone! This week is Birthday Week!! 🥳 Thank you so much for everyone who's sent goodies and kind messages, I really appreciate it!
Also big love for the Courtyard Dairy (totally not sponsored but I really loved it!) as part of my birthday gift!
Hope you guys have a great weekend ☺️
2023-03-04 10:01:00 +0000 UTC
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This month I read The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett - it was OK! It was pretty cute, and very British - but it's probably going to be one of those books that I can't remember what the story was about in a few months.
A quick and interesting read, though! Realistically though, I probably won't read the other ones in the series.. maybe.. we'll see. It's definitely no Thursday Murder Club.
If you read it, let me know your thoughts!
2023-02-26 11:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday, everyone!!
We start off with a PO Box surprise that was ~extremely~ related to this week's new craft!! I'm very happy to report that I've gotten better since editing this video 🥳 not great yet, but at least better!!
Hope you have a great weekend!!
2023-02-25 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon!
Our upcoming Tuesday Youtube video video is all about British school packed lunches - and I wanted to share some bonus sandies here!
Huge shoutout to the Butler who organised these two videos. It was so much fun being surprised!
Let me know your favourite school sandwich or if you have any ideas of more stuff I should taste-test!
2023-02-18 10:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon, Happy Saturday!
Hope you like this week's craft - it's a new one for me! Also as mentioned, here's my Throne list where I put useful (and funny) stuff for streams/videos.
Hope you have a great rest of your weekend! ☺️
2023-02-11 10:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Okay so hear me out... the Queen solves a murder...
My partner bought me The Windsor Knot for Christmas and it's what I'm reading this month! It's been linked to books like the Thursday Murder Club (which I absolutely loved) so I'm hopeful!
Apparently there's also a few books in the series!
So sorry for the latest - I thought I already posted about this but I must have dreamt it instead 😅
What is Book Club?
My goal is to read more - so I started Book Club! Each month, I’ll post what I’m reading and you are welcome to join in! At the end of the month, we’ll share our thoughts on the book (no spoilers in case you're still reading).
You can try and read each book, or pick and choose, or not! It’s totally up to you.
Happy Reading!
2023-02-05 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone!!
Good morning and happy Saturday! Join me for a couch chat.. I wanted to show you guys what I've been getting up to in my spare time! Hint - it involves a lot of Youtube! lol
Also huge thanks to Andrew for the giant PO Box surprise!!
Hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend ☺️
2023-02-04 10:00:59 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys! This month I read Wish you Were Here by Jodi Picoult. I recognised the name - she's written like 30 books by now - but couldn't say I've ever read one... until now...
There's quite a big spoiler in this book so I'll tiptoe around it but essentially my reading experience went like this:
*First half of the book* Okay this is fine, I get it. I think I know how it's going to finish and what our protagonist woman is going to do
*Something happens* Uhhhhhh excuse me is this a joke lol
I'll say this: I read this book pretty fast. It felt like it moved quickly, it was easy to read and I didn't have to force myself to complete it. But Lordy, I did not think it was a good book lol sometimes it's just like that! And it's a good reminder that when you DO read a good book, they stand out more...
Read this one at your own risk, I was pretty annoyed lol Let me know your thoughts below in non-spoiler terms!!
2023-01-29 11:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Who's up for some ✨cozy wintertime vibes✨
Big thank you to Andrew and Stuart for the gifts in this video and I hope everyone has a great rest of your day!!
(another long one but chapters included in case that helps!)
2023-01-28 10:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon!
This week I wanted to make my own little craft but it turned into a chaotic video lol so many tangents.. so many days.. lol hope you like the video!
2023-01-21 10:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Okay so here's the thing... I love looking at properties online lol
This week I thought it would be fun to compare some properties in London vs Toronto! Plus two somewhat similar towns in Kent vs Ontario.
Let me know your thoughts on house hunting, especially if you've ever lived in Toronto or London!!
Hope you have a great weekend 🙏🏻
2023-01-14 10:00:02 +0000 UTC
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I know what you're thinking: "Alanna, this video is over 30 minutes long..!!"
Ahhh let me explain!!!
This week's video is a big review of A+N in 2022, plus a recap of Book Club 2022 and finally, 2 PO Box surprises!
I've added in chapters in case you want to skip around or watch a bit here and there.
Hope you guys had a great New Years and thank you so much for your support in 2022!
2023-01-07 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon - anyone else been sick this week? I've been on the couch all week with a wild illness.. what horrible timing!
I'm so sorry but I have to reschedule tonight's Best Bud's livestream and I haven't been able to film this week so no video tomorrow either 😭 I don't even have a video for Tuesday filmed lol oh no
I'm so grateful my partner was able to get me a doctors appointment so I've been making my way through some antibiotics. Hopefully we have better luck next week 🙏🏻
Hope you guys have had a good Christmas and New Year! ✨
2022-12-30 13:06:25 +0000 UTC
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Hey, everyone!
For January, I'll be reading I Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (you can buy it here if you want to read along).
This was highly rated on GoodReads and from the little I read about it, it seems to include some element of the quarantines/lockdowns of Covid - interesting!
What is Book Club?
My goal is to read more - so I started Book Club! Each month, I’ll post what I’m reading and you are welcome to join in! At the end of the month, we’ll share our thoughts on the book (no spoilers in case you're still reading).
You can try and read each book, or pick and choose, or not! It’s totally up to you.
Happy Reading!
2022-12-27 15:06:37 +0000 UTC
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Read anything good this month??
For December, I read The Reading List (you can grab a copy here). Shoutout to Tushar who sent this to the PO Box, I had never heard of it before but really enjoyed it!
I love going into books knowing absolutely nothing about them - and that was definitely the case for this one. I didn't expect it to be so sad.. but it was really good (although this was a bit hard to read right before going to sleep lol). Loved the story, the characters and the plot! It's a decent-sized book but it reads really fast.
Proper 5/5 star book - if you're looking for something different, I would definitely recommend this one! Did anyone else read it this month? Make sure to leave your thoughts down below (#nospoilers for those still reading!)
2022-12-26 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!! How about 24 mins for the 24th of December..?! Definitely didn't plan that lol
Hope you guys are having a great time and huge thanks again for all the PO Box goodies!
If you'd ever like to send stuff:
Alanna Naps
PO Box 302
FAVERSHAM
ME13 3DR
GB
Merry-nearly-Christmas everyone!!! 🎄 Don't forget I'll be on Twitch tomorrow (Sunday) 5:30pm GMT in case you're looking for something to do! www.twitch.tv/adventuresandnaps
2022-12-24 10:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon, hope you're having a good Monday so far!
Just wanted to let you know that there's no YouTube video tomorrow. Originally I was going to turn our visit to Leeds Castle with my mom into a video, but decided to just enjoy the trip instead. (She's been here for a trip, by the way!!)
My next upload will be on Saturday as normal for Patreon! I'll also be live on Twitch this Wednesday 5:30pm GMT as normal, too.
Hope you guys are having a great day and can't wait to fill you in on my Mom's visit on Saturday's video!
2022-12-19 12:22:12 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
Things are going well here with Mama Naps - the weather hasn't been the greatest but that's OK :)
This week I reacted to the community's Christmas trees! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who submitted photos, I loved seeing how people decorate their trees! 🎄
Also big thank you to David P and David P (yes, you guys literally have the same initials lol!) for sending in photos after I filmed the video 🙏🏻 If you feel like it, I'd still love to see your trees: adventuresandnaps@gmail.com
Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!
2022-12-17 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys! Hope you're having a great Saturday!
Today's video are some Christmas PO Box surprises - thanks so much to everyone who sent stuff! We've also got a mini Canterbury vlog from my few hours out of the house lol
I'm just doing a ~major~ house clean and then my Mom arrives!! Fingers crossed her flights goes OK and I hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend!
2022-12-10 10:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hey Patreon, happy Saturday!
Today we're doing a tier list for Christmas dinner - who's hungry??
2022-12-03 10:00:03 +0000 UTC
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