Revenge Friday: Florence tips and haul

 Hello darlings x

I have just come back from a short trip away to Florence with my mum and sis. It was really gorgeous and I had a really great time. 

Florence Advice and Notes

What I got up to:

We went to the main attractions. We went to the Galleria dell'Accademia, we went to the Uffizi Galleries which was really great and we also walked up the Duomo.

We also went to the Palazzo Pitti which has some interesting things; it has a fashion gallery which had some really gorgeous clothes (I was getting some sewing inspiration), it also housed a collection of Russian Icons, there was also a gallery of the Medici Family art collection and some other galleries. It also had a garden attached which had some nice views but otherwise honestly looking a bit worse for wear. 

We also had an afternoon which we went to the Ferragamo Museum and a Gucci gallery. The Gucci gallery was quite pleasant... tbh we weren't wowed by it but it was nice anyway. We really liked the Ferragamo museum and I found it really interesting because I love like the old Hollywood aesthetic; Salvatore Ferragamo had opened a boutique in Hollywood and had designed shoes for the cinema and many film stars.

I can imagine myself going back to Florence if I was in the Tuscany region. I think there is enough to do there to warrant a second visit- it is quite a romantic place so I could imagine going back with my partner. It has also sort of given me an appetite for going to Venice. 

Tips for Florence:

- The galleries and museums are really fabulous but I was definitely feeling myself getting a little faint (fucking anaemia) so make sure you are fed, caffeinated and your thirst is quenched before going into the galleries. Do your research beforehand about whether you can bring in water and if you can definitely do. Be really careful in the summer. 

- I would recommend staying in the Santo Spirito area because its quite a trendy neighbourhood. That's where I stayed and I thought it had a really good vibe- some nice restaurants and boutiques. It is nice not to be in the really touristy bit but its still only a short walk to the attractions.

- Expect to book in advance for the attractions. For the Uffizi, Accademia and Duomo I think they do sell out.

- Basically make sure you are budgeting in for the attractions because you will pay like in total €120+ per person on going to the galleries and museums. A lot of them are quite expensive because they are joint tickets (i.e. you can get into multiple attractions) or if you are booking in advance you pay extra booking fees. Obviously they are really great, so they are worth it. Florence is on par with London prices I would say.

-I would say it might be worth doing some research on the history of Florence before going. I would say particularly the Medici family... admittedly I didn't know who these people were and it might have been good to know about them lol.

-Definitely get yourself to a good supermarket (Eataly is good) to get some souvenirs.

-Not really a tip but something you might be interested in is going to the Vasari Corridor which is like a passage that goes from the Uffizi gallery across the river to the Petti Palace but it has only just reopened after renovation so it is a bit of a lesser known attraction. I think it would be really cool to visit. I didn't go because you needed an additional ticket and we didn't know how to buy the tickets lol. 

Florence Haul

I did buy a few things while I was in Florence also we did not get too much time for shopping. I went to Tezenis and brought a black lacy long sleeve top because the long sleeve top I had taken to Florence had like the worst deodorant marks on lol. 

There were some really gorgeous stationary shops in Florence which sold like handmade marbled paper stationary- really fancy. I didn't really know what to buy and they were quite expensive so I didn't get anything. However, I did pop into a bookshop (it was really quaint because it was in an old cinema) which sold stationary which had that Italian aesthetic and I brought some notelets.

You can’t see in the photo but the notelets have the prettiest gold foil. I also got my dad this whimsical birthday card which is a puzzle.

Then for my friend I brought her a chocolate bar and for my partner I got him these Fiat branded hazelnut sweets and a packet of Mon Cheri. The Mon Cheris are like a cherry liquor chocolate and they have that really 1950s kitsch aesthetic- I have never tried them but my partner likes them.

Terrible lighting.

There were some gorgeous shoe shops (lots of revenge shoes) in Florence and I didn't really get a chance to look around them. I did go in a boutique called Ballarette which sold loads of ballet flats and I purchased these Chanel style ballet flats. I am really pleased with these- they are adorable.

Revenge Friday

I just did some computer admin which was pretty chill. Coming back from hols I do have a bit of steam for improving my life and yeah I am definitely on the grindset.

In the evening I went out with my partner to a restaurant in london. We went to the French restaurant Mon Plasir in Seven Dials. I got French onion soup, tartiflette and I got a cafe gourmand.

My sister is the Cafe Gourmand connoiseur and so I sent her a pic and she said it looked really good. It tasted really good.

Love

Happy hippo xx

Revenge Friday: Tottenham Court Road, Kensington and Growth vs Fixed Minset

 Hello darlings 

Hope you had a good week! I have had a really busy week and I am also coming down with a cold.- I feel rubbish ugh. 

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

I was talking about this with someone a few weeks ago about fixed and growth mindset which is quite an interesting theory. It is basically the idea that there are two mindsets. So a person with a fixed mindset would be threatened by other peoples success, they see talent as being quite fixed and maybe they don't like to be challenged. So then a person with a Growth Mindset would embrace challenges and see it as an opportunity to grow, they believe you can cultivate intelligence and that feedback is useful. 

I definitely used to have a very fixed mindset but I have shifted towards the growth mindset. Anyway, it is quite interesting.

Revenge Day Out in Tottenham Court Road

I went out with my partner to Tottenham Court Road to have a look at the furniture shops there. We had a look in Heals which used to be such a good shop but is just lacking; the basement showroom just looks like a homebase. They were a bit unfriendly in the shop too. I have this thing where if I go to a restaurant or a shop and I have like a shop assistant or waiter be rude to me, that evening I will have to check Google reviews just to be reassured that it wasn't my fault.

We also went to the Wellcome collection which had an exhibition on called Hard Graft: Work, Rights and Health which was really interesting. The Wellcome collection is one of my favourite places to visit in London and the exhibitions I think are always free (don't quote me on that). However the museum no longer houses Henry Wellcome's collection which I find sort of strange.

We also went to Chutneys which is a an all-you-can-eat Vegetarian Indian Buffet on Drummond Street which I have been going to for many years but I haven't been for a few years (covid right) so I did actually have to ring up to enquire about the buffet timings. 

I think the price is good like it came to £35 for two of us which for London is good value. I recommend it and it is close to the UCL and also on the parralel street to the Wellcome collection.

We also walked to Soho and we went to a cafe for a natter and a Matcha Latte.

I had a nice day out and I like going to that part of London because it is slightly dead and Tottenham Court Road doesn't get the crowds of nearby Oxford Street.

Revenge Day Out in Kensington

My sister is back from France, so we decided to have a day out and since it was raining we decided to go to the V&A. My sister wanted to go to the Naomi Campbell exhibition, so we had a look around. That was my third time visiting- no idea how I ended up going three times because I wasn't even that keen on it the first time. We went for cream tea in the members room which was cute. Then we walked to Sloane Square to have a look around the shops (my sister was after a dress for a wedding) which was fun.

Anyway, have a good weekend! I was thinking about posting maybe a rant about London or sort of a Deinfluencing of London because… London is not how it used to be since covid.

Love

Happy Hippo x

Revenge Friday- Organisation and life

Hello darlings

I have not had the chance to blog in a while but I am back. Anyway this is sort of a boring blog but I thought I would just discuss what I have been up to and also some little organisation things.

What I have been up to

 I visited my sis in France for a week. It was raining nearly everyday so we didn't really trek too far but we did do some fun things. My sister and I went on a few fun day trips on her scooter. We visited a Greek Style Villa in Beaulieu Sur Mere which was interesting. We did some shopping and went to a few restaurants. Yeah it was lovely trip.

My boudoir is currently undergoing a transformation; it is being redecorated and I have purchased some new furniture. Unfortunately, the furniture is not arriving until April (it is being made and shipped from Poland) but when everything is assembled ect I will do a reveal. This is also why I have not been in the headspace for blogging because all my stuff is stored away.

Organisation

I have always loved organising my life with notebooks but even I am acquiring notebooks at a faster rate than I am using them up. I thought I would share what I use my notebooks for... tbh I had intended this segment to have slightly more substance but I have literally no idea what to say lol.

I briefly wrote about how I create a language revision notebook in this blogpost. I also wrote a blogpost with tips on creating a holiday scrapbook. Enjoy :)

I also keep a notebook next to me when completing job applications just because I like to jot down notes- it gets my brain in action. I have a dedicated inexpensive notebook just for this purpose and I find it really helps.

I keep a notebook which I use for planning sewing projects which I might delve into in a later blogpost. I write down project ideas, goals and other little notes.

Other organisation:

I created this revision timetable on Excel for a car theory test. I think Excel is really good for creating revision timetables because it just takes away the stress of doing it by hand and it is really quick to do.

Revenge Friday

Last Friday I went to a career fair in Westfields... and it was rubbish. Such a waste of my time. It was tiny and none of the exhibitors actually piqued my interest- I just wish I had looked it up before going. Anyway I had a Wagamamas which was nice (I went for the vegetarian katsu) and I had a browse of a few shops.

I nearly brought some bed linen from H&M but I just got overwhelmed lol. I am sort of looking for something in cotton but with like an interesting texture like double gauze or seersucker but nothing too expensive. If you have any recommendations let me know.

Anyway I hope you have a great week. I feel like I have forgotten how to write blogposts, I have been away for so long.

Love

Happy Hippo x

Revenge Friday- New Year, I am fucking reflecting

 Hello darlings

I am back darlings. I hope you had a fabulous Christmas. It was okay but... I couldn't have felt any less Christmassy. I find Christmas Day actually quite boring; I nearly started doing work at one point (one of my family members was so bored they actually did end up doing work for three hours). I do feel like sign of a good day is having a low screen time and I spent hours on my phone on Christmas... how long did you spend on your phone? It wasn't even like I was on my phone responding to people's Christmas messages (not many messages lol) I was simply scrolling Instagram.

I cant work out if I look cute or a bit mental... or both.

The new year is going well and it sounds so weird but I really feel like I have found myself in my job. I was at work a few days ago and my work colleague was saying 'aw ruby its so nice how you have come out of your shell'... omg I wanted to die from cringe and in my head I was like okay like I am going back in my shell now. I feel like this might be my comeback year.

What is one new years resolution you know you should have... but you aren't ready?

Obviously this time of year you are reflecting and maybe you have come up with some resolutions or some things you want to do next. Maybe its something positive like lose weight, learn to drive (this one is me) and save money. I have all that but I have something playing on my mind that I want to change but... I can't face it. 

Maybe you are the same, like you have something on your mind and you know deep down you want to change (or you know you really should change) but you really don't want to or you just don't feel ready. It could even be something taboo or maybe not cool or maybe even something dramatic like breaking off an engagement idk. Maybe it is something that won't look too cute on an aesthetic manifestation board. For me, I want to change my crippling fear of cooking but I am not ready to change. 

What I got for Christmas

I asked for money towards driving lessons for Christmas so I only got a few gifts. I am actually really good at staying hydrated and I always like to have water next to me, so my parents brought me a new glass. I was also gifted a bento box Christmas tree decoration. I was also gifted an umbrella and some Anya Hindmarch Uniqlo socks (these match my purse).

My partner brought me a bottle of YSL Libre which I have been loving wearing to work- it is my classy work perfume for my very unsophisticated job but it is such a pretty scent. He also gifted me some skis. I went skiing a very long time ago... and I was not good.

I haven't got my Christmas presents from my sister yet (I assume she has brought me something lol) but she did her Christmas shopping in Cuba so I think I can guess what I might be gifted. 

New Year Notes

I am stressed because we are already quite a few days into the new year and this whole New Year New Me hasn't really materialised. I do have a few ideas for this year.

• This year in my Lana Del Rey year because I really got into listening to her music in 2024 and I am discovering and listening her songs. So, LDR is all I have been listening to atm and I am going to see her either with my dad or with my sis in July sometime I think.
• I am going to France soon (surprise) which is really exciting because I haven't been since August I believe. I am reading Tender is the Night (it has taken me a while with a bad phone addiction) and it is set on the French Rivera- I think Cap d'Antibes. However, it sort of gave me the inspiration to maybe visit that area and retrace F.Scott Fitzgerald's footsteps.
• I made a list of 10 or so goals for this year which I think are do-able so, they aren't too heavy and more fun so I think I will achieve them.
• I am just scared about waking up at 40 with not a huge amount to show for my life lol.

Chat next week.

Love

Happy Hippo x

Revenge Christmas- Shopping in London, Christmas preperation

Hello darlings

This is going to be a really chatty post.

I have been watching a few things recently. I have been watching Wolf Hall; I watched the second series first but I am now on the first series. I watched Black Doves, which… I didn’t actually like that much. I also watched Withnail and I one night last week which is one of my favourite films.

Revenge Day Trips

I have had a few revenge Christmas trips out. I popped to Dulwich one day for a browse  and we went and got lunch in a Swedish café called Soderberg which was really good; they had some singers performing for Saint Lucia day which was really sweet. When I was in Dulwich I also purchased a rug for my 2025 boudoir transformation. 

I went to Oxford one day, Shoreditch for a bit of shopping and I also went to Crystal Palace- so yeah I have been keeping myself busy.

Sad news: I am really obsessed with a bush which is in the shape of a bunny which I pass on my way to Crystal Palace; I went passed it a few days ago on the bus... it's died. 

Late Night Gift Wrapping

Late night gift wrapping is one my fave things to do at Christmas. I put on a Christmas film in the background and did some wrapping (took forever).

I did go out to London last Friday and I did some shopping for last minute presents. My partner wanted a 'scent for 2025', so I brought him one from Sunspel. I brought my mum a few gifts as well; I brought her a little gift set and I brought her a Larry King hair product.

I am finally done.

Revenge Friday

Today, I met up with my friend in Peckham and we went for lunch at Persepolis, which is a really good vegetarian restaurant. We shared some meze plates; the food is really delicious and prices are reasonable.

We had originally planned to go to winter wonderland but our other friend had a last minute commitment and the plan just fell through... but honestly that might have been a blessing. I have actually never gone; it has a reputation for being really expensive so maybe its good we saved ourselves some money (I wonder what the average spend is).

I had a really nice time out and I am glad I squeezed in a catch up with my friend before Christmas.

Christmas Plans

I am working up until the last minute but I have some time off after Christmas. We have selected what we wan to eat on Christmas Day (nut roast and butter bean gratin) and I fancy going on a Christmas Day walk somewhere (maybe Hampstead). Inspired by watching Wolf Hall, I want to visit Tower of London sometime maybe before the New Year. I haven't been since I went on a school trip there in Year 6 and this school trip was sort of a disaster... my class was out of control (I think we got told to leave). It will probably all come back to me.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas and I will definitely chat sometime before the New Year for a Christmas debrief.

Love

Happy hippo x

Revenge Christmas- Wrapping presents and shopping trip

Hello darlings

I hope you have had a great week. I have sort of just been adjusting to my new job.

I was absolutely gripped this week when I watched the BBC documentary Lucan which is about the suspected killer Lord Lucan who disappeared. The documentary follows the son (Neil Berriman) of the murder Victim (Sandra Rivett), as he tries to find Lucan, who he believes is still alive. The first episode is really gripping however, the second and third are just wild as Neil fabricates an identity called Bezza Dougal to investigate a lead in Australia. This documentary is really fascinating and thought provoking (it feels slightly unethical at times) but I would say give it a watch.

I brought these grey pinstripe trousers last week and I got a new haircut.

Come wrap with me

I haven't brought everyone's presents yet but I have purchased a few. I'll show you what I have purchased so far.

For my friend I brought her a second hand floristry book because she is really interested in flower arranging at the moment and I have had a flip through and it is quite inspiring. I will also buy her some chocolate; a second hand book is a bit sad on its own. Then for my sister I brought her this Sol De Janeiro gift set in the Black Friday sale (at Space NK) which I think she will love. My sister loves Sol De Janeiro and I picked this set because it has products she doesn't own, so she can try them out. Then she is being given her pyjama shorts which I made. My sister is one of the easiest people to buy for, so I will be probably be buying her a couple more gifties. Then for my father I brought him this DIY model set from Japan because he kept on looking at them in the shops and I could tell he really tempted to buy one, so when his back was turned I got one for him. The model is of a matcha tea and ice cream shop.

I am going to use white tissue paper and twine to wrap up my gifts this year. I want to get the old Christmas cards from last year and make little gift tags from them. What is your gift wrap aesthetic this year?

A few years ago I brought a Eucalyptus plant and I wanted to wrap peoples gifts with a sprig of eucalyptus but I recently looked back on a photo of my wrapping from that year (I was very proud)... the sprig was literally mouldy.

Revenge Friday

Today I went into town because I wanted to buy a few things. I got some boring black Supergas for work; I needed some trainers for work that I didn't mid getting dirty. I had a browse of Liberty's, Covent Garden and Carnaby Street. I got some sushi for lunch from ITSU (actually I am feeling slightly nauseous while writing this and I can't help but think it might be the sushi). Inspiration didn't really strike for Christmas presents because it was just hard to browse when it was so busy. Anyway, it was really relaxing being out and yeah I needed to get out and about.

Next Revenge Friday I fancy maybe doing a Christmassy activity- I am going to have a think.

Okay lovelies. I hope you having a good Revenge Christmas so far and I will chat next week.

Love

Happy hippo x

Revenge Christmas: Craft sesh and Revenge Christmas announcement

 Hello Darlings

This is the first Revenge Christmas blogpost. I have a few ideas but definitely let me know if you have any ideas on anything you want me to do a blogpost section on. I apologise it is being posted late; I have recently started a new job and it has been a bit busy. Then I recently passed my driving theory (one step closer to getting my Porsche). So yeah I am working on my 2025 revenge life. 

I have been watching some good things on TV at the moment. I have been watching Wolf Hall and also Slow Horses. I recommend both. 

Craft Sesh

I made these really cute pyjama shorts last weekend. I made them for my sister in gingham with cute little heart buttons; my sister loves gingham so I think she will appreciate them. The PDF pattern The Darcy Boxers, is a pay what you can pattern (link for it here). It has variations for male and female. Instructions were really clear; I had never sewn a fly before but it turned out really neat. I am really pleased with these.

This was one of the fabrics I wanted to use up, so I am really pleased I have managed to make something from it. 

Revenge Thursday

I had to go shopping because I have a new job and I needed to buy some trousers and work shoes. I had never done much online shopping but I decided that I would buy some trousers off Asos; I purchased four and they were all.... abysmal. I returned them all. I just thought it would be easier to order them online rather than crying in a changing room but obviously not. 

I was at Victoria Station 5 minutes and some weird man had come up to me and started threatening me- completely unprovoked. It was really unpleasant and I just wasn't in the mood for shopping after that but I needed trousers. I brought a grey pinstripe pair from Mango which I am really pleased with. Then a really boring pair of black trousers from Zara. After shopping I met my friend for dinner in Peckham which was really good.

As you can see from my face I’m fucking thrilled with these.

Okay I will chat again on Friday (probably) and yeah I have a few ideas for Revenge Christmas blogposts. 

Love

Happy hippo x