A year ago today - Dog sledding & northern lights

A year ago today I was living in Vancouver and we had decided to spend a weekend away in the Yukon, one of the provinces in Northern Canada. I wish I could repeat my year away every day and I really do miss Canada therefore I do end up living vicariously through my photos and memories. I thought i'd share some of the photos from that weekend, as i'd like to revisit the places we visited on this blog.

The Yukon is totally what people picture when they think of Canada - snow everywhere and a balmy -20 degrees. It was so cold that any condensation on your face turned into tiny icicles! Everyone there seemed to think it was rather warm as it was -40 degrees the previous week! Whitehorse is a tiny little town yet houses most of the population of the Yukon. It has as little as four hours of daylight during the winter and midnight sun during the summer. Despite this very difficult climate, the people we met there genuinely loved living in Whitehorse. It puts us Brits complaining about the weather into perspective!

During the weekend we went dog sledding, witnessed the northern lights, went to a wildlife park and bathed in some hot springs. It was a truly amazing weekend and we were very lucky to see the northern lights.  Dog sledding was so much fun and so very surreal. During the moments when you can't see the person in front or behind you and you are just alone, in a snowy wonderland being pulled on a sled by four dogs. Amazing. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.

Excuse the blurriness of the photos of the northern lights - they were rather difficult to photograph with an average camera!

 Have you ever visited the Yukon?

January details

January has gone past so quickly and much to everyone's delight the evenings are getting slightly lighter and the weather slightly warmer. I definitely feel ready for spring and summer now. Feel like my skin has not felt the sun's warmth for years.

Just thought i'd share a few photos and instagram captures from the past month. The sketches below are by my very talented little sister. I cannot draw like this at all and am constantly in awe of her! She hasn't picked up her pencils and sketchbook for while and recently got inspired whilst watching Africa. I think you'll all agree she needs to keep at it!

Afternoon tea break in Dulwich Village - beautiful area of South London (feels like the countryside, not London!)
Aled & I have this exact photo (see below!) & it made me really miss Canada, travelling & exploring new places

Snowy view outside our flat window - I LOVE the snow and it was amazing to see central London so white
Loved this sign outside a pub in Shoreditch the other day

Had a pedicure & massage at Cowshed last week (Christmas present from Aled!) & it was pure bliss
Trafalgar Square yesterday - finally some sun! Albeit cloudy too.

Instagram  - beznee // Vine - beznee

I really love the new app Vine at the moment (basically like a moving Instagram!)

Anybody else on Vine?

January playlist

My other half Aled is very passionate about music, namely folk, americana and indie rock. He writes live gig & album reviews, contributes to music sites and also writes his own music blog, The Evening's Empire.

I thought it would be a great idea to do a once a month playlist curated by both of us! I wanted to go for mostly new songs with a few older ones thrown in, and also a mixture of well known and lesser known artists. My music taste is fairly varied and most of my new discoveries come inevitably from him. I realise it's the very end of January, but better late than never! You can listen to the songs below on the Grooveshark player.

I hope you like it!

Bloggers, pizza & cocktails

Yesterday I ventured completely out of my comfort zone and attended a London blogger meet up organised by Rose from The Londoner. I was in two minds about whether or not to go, mostly because my blog is fairly new, but mostly because walking into a room full of people I don't know slightly scared me! Luckily I braved my fears and I am very glad I did as everyone was so lovely and it was great to meet some other like minded ladies and swap details (namely the wonderful girls I spent most of the afternoon with Holly, Sophie, Thalia & Charlotte).

The meet up was at B Soho, a cocktail bar and pizzeria, which definitely delivered! The pizzas and cocktails were delicious and it was a much needed cosy respite from the freezing weather.

I didn't actually take that many photos as I spent most of my time chatting but did manage to get a few snaps. I have to say most of them are slightly hazy due to a few too many daytime cocktails! Holly & I visited Pret afterwards for a much needed coffee.

Charlotte, Sophie & Holly

Sophie & Thalia

Looking forward to the next one!

Christmas at home

I can't quite believe it's already January. I feel like this year's Christmas break definitely went way too fast. I had a lovely week at home, mainly hanging out with friends and family, and eating and drinking too much as per usual. (Bring on the January detox!). I rang in the New Year rather quietly at home with Aled due to being rather ill. We wanted to watch the fireworks but standing in the cold and rain for a few hours didn't really seem like the best idea! Instead we watched a few films, had some drinks (beer for Aled, lemsip for me!) and had a very tame bedtime of 12:05am.  

I am a bit of a perfectionist with my photos, and I was actually really disappointed with the ones I took over Christmas. I love photography and taking photos but I definitely class myself as a very amateur photographer and would like to improve my skills. One of my resolutions for 2013 will be to practice with camera and tripod more. I know there are so many functions I have yet to learn how to properly use! 

Even though I wasn't the happiest with my photos here are a few I did like....

(absolutely starving now after looking back at my Christmas dinner!)

The most wonderful time of the year

I bloody love Christmas. I'm off back home tonight and cannot wait to spend two weeks with my beloved family and friends. I'm slightly like a giddy child when it comes to this time of year. As we were away in Vancouver for Christmas last year, this Christmas seems a little more special.

London looks so festive at the moment and sadly I have only taken my camera out a handful of times. Nevertheless here a few festive photos from the past month or so.

 I'm looking forward to my Dad's roast dinner and seeing people open the presents I have got for them. I was actually quite organised this year and finished most of my Christmas shopping in the first few weeks of December. I'm definitely not a last minute sort of person!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!