About a year ago, I wrote a post with my recommendations for 6 awesome shows to watch on Netflix; things I’d been watching and enjoying at the time. Some of that list hasn’t changed (some has) but there are always loads of new shows and movies every month on Netflix so I’m going to share what I’ve been watching and my thoughts (good and bad) on these.
Love Sick
I haven’t seen a show that makes me laugh out loud as much as this did in a very long time. Continue reading…
The world is getting smaller with more opportunities every day to travel, live and work in a different country. The biggest barrier though for many people is language. Especially if you’re not a “languages person” (or think that you’re not), the concept of learning a totally new language can be pretty terrifying.
Six months ago, I moved to the Netherlands and knew approximately 10 words of Dutch. This week I finished my Dutch lessons (the first set at least). I have now completed 22 hours of study over the past 12 weeks with a private tutor and I now know a lot more than 10 words. 
As part of my formal education, I have taken more than 13 years of French lessons, 11 years of German lessons, 2 years of Italian lessons and have 3 GCSEs, 2 A-levels and a Diploma in these languages. I have also lived in Germany and Québec (the French-speaking part of Canada for anyone who didn’t know).
From my experiences in the classroom and through lots of other learning methods, I’ve compiled these tips on the best ways to learn a new language. Continue reading…
Following this visit to the water exhibition of the Amsterdam Light Festival, I went back a few weeks later to see the land exhibition. Usually spread through the city, this year the land exhibition was concentrated around the Marineterrein area – about a 20 minute walk east of Centraal Station.
The land displays were only available from 14 December til 7 January (the water artworks can be seen from 30 November – 21 January) so I had to get in a visit before I went back to the UK for my Christmas holiday. 
I’ve added photos of a few of the different artworks below but I want to share my thoughts on a couple which really hit me hard and that Continue reading…
About eight months ago, I had the right conversation with the right person at the right time. It has now been nearly six months since I packed up my life in Birmingham and moved to the Netherlands.
Whilst I knew that I would definitely have a new job by the end of the year, I didn’t know that I would also have a new home in a new home country.
It really has been quite a year so in this video I let you know what changed for me in 2017, what I miss and what my highlights were. Continue reading…
I do not cope well with the swift move into autumn. I should be used to it living in Europe where the dark evenings creep in quickly and the weather turns rainy and cold in the blink of an eye. But, I’m not used to it; even after 31 (nearly 32) years.
Despite struggling with the seasonal change, there are actually lots of things I love about autumn. Not least, that it brings my birthday and therefore a fun holiday or trip to celebrate – I’m firmly on the countdown to Marbella next week for some sun and golf with my parents.
To focus on the positives of autumn and to get me out of my writing slump, I decided to give this Autumn Tag a go. I read one of these last week over at Queen Sapphire and thought I’d try it.
Here are my responses to Continue reading…
Last week I posted this photo on my Instagram…
I walk past this building on my way to the train station in Zwolle where I’m now living and it’s not as if you can miss it!
On the weekend, I decided to go and check it out and found it to be Continue reading…
It’s a known fact that the only shopping I like to do is online and is either for my house or for gifts for my family/friends. I can spend hours and hours browsing for cute things for my home and I love finding unique, quirky gifts that are a bit different from the usual high street purchases. So, when the team at UncommonGoods.com got in touch and asked me to write about some of my fave items from their lovely website, I absolutely said yes!
A US-based site but happy to ship internationally, UncommonGoods is such a perfect go-to for me right now Continue reading…
Just 7 weeks ago on 12 June, I received the signed contract for my new job in the Netherlands. Yesterday I moved here from the UK and tomorrow I start my new job.
Whilst 7 weeks seems like a long time to pack up your life and move to a new country, it really isn’t (I also lost out on 2 weeks to a holiday that was already booked, so it was really only 5 weeks). There is so much to think about.
Moving house is never stress-free, whether you’re moving out of your parents’ and into your own home for the first time, whether you’re moving to a new town or country, or whether you’re just moving to a different house or flat nearby. 
I’m an Army kid so we always moved a lot when I was younger and, even as an adult, I haven’t stayed too long in any one place. Although it’s something I’m more used to doing than most, it still comes with its stresses and worries. Here are my top tips for how to manage a house move and how you can make a house move less stressful: Continue reading…
With two bank holidays this month, Easter a not-too-distant event and a bunch of family birthdays, I’m struggling to add my usual amount to my holiday fund. I’m sure there are plenty others feeling the pinch too so I thought I’d share a few tips on where to magic up a few extra quid from. 
Here are 4 ways to make easy savings: Continue reading…
I’ve struggled with feeling motivated or inspired in recent months and, naturally, my motivation to sit and write blog posts has also really dwindled. Apologies to my readers for that. I am going to try and write more again now that we’re into a new month.
I always try and find things in my day to draw positivity from even if I’m not feeling great and so often, like many others I’m sure, I love listening to music. I have go-to albums and artists for every mood and I have pretty eclectic tastes in music, from classical to country, hip-hop to house, pop to punk, and so much more in between.
This is my April playlist… Continue reading…
AMII @ THIRTY 