Living in a tiny house with unplugged.rest

A tiny house with a log burner? 

Dog friendly?

Countryside views?

Yes please.

Jasmine, Harley and I booked ourselves a few days of respite with Unplugged.rest. The idea behind the cabins is to switch off everything except for what comes naturally. You can switch off your phone, pop it in a box and give an emergency number to your family. A basic Nokia phone (with Snake game) is provided, and so is a Polaroid camera for you to take some non-digital snaps. We all become creatures of habit and some of the things we are used to become difficult to put down.

We decided to do some reading, (some writing for me), spend precious time with little Harley, and sit looking out of the picture window into nature. 

The cabin had everything you could need to survive. There was even a compostable toilet and eco shower which was hot, powerful and large. The steam awoke my scent senses as I used their shower gel and fresh shampoo. Two gas rings were provided for the morning cuppa, some cooking and a lovely evening chamomile tea. Sleep was plentiful as the natural circadian rhythms instantly switched on to encourage a relaxing slumber. Harley slept at the end of the bed, in his bed, on a wooden platform which looked like it was made especially for him. He has always loved looking out of windows and he sat there watching the local pheasant strolling by with its two crow friends. 

Nighttime saw a bright moonlight up the field in front of the cabin, and we decided to sleep with the blinds open. I wasn't sure if I would be nervous. My mind races a lot of the time and my imagination goes wild, but I was surprisingly calm and relaxed. I'm glad we left the blinds open as we were able to be woken by the rising sun before it met the horizon. My chilly nose led me to the wood burner to light the fire. As the wood caught, the crackling sounds gave a soundtrack to make me smile. I was happy. The kettle was beginning to steam on the gas stove. 

A few minutes later, I was back in bed, with my morning coffee, sitting slowly and watching the clouds roll past and the sunrise into the sky. These were precious moments of pause. So often, we race around with tight shoulders and the time finally came to just be. Listening to the body is more important than we have time for.

Two days into our trip, and we took Harley in his dog pushchair, to see some deer in the forest. I had never been to the New Forest before, but it was not like England. The flat terrain saw herds of cows strolling by at their own pace, and wandering ponies snacking on the side of the road. 

As always, the sun shone brightly for us as we drove through the countryside. We found a stunning cafe which was dog friendly and gluten-free. A rare find. We didn't stay out for too long as the beauty in the tiny house was calling us home. 

Cooking in the cabin was easy, and I loved prepping healthy meals for us to eat outside on the table beside the field. 

I would definitely suggest looking at Unplugged. We loved their ethic and the quality of everything they provided for us. 

I'm glad I filmed these videos to remember our time there. It was wonderful to just be together, letting life be the joy it was designed to be. 

Vlog of our time in the stunning cabin

Tiny House Tour

Pack with me: what did I take?

I fell in love with Iceland

 We went to Iceland…

 

A few years ago, Jasmine mentioned a desire to travel to Iceland. I bought her a keyring with a picture of the Blue Lagoon on it. The idea was, she would get to see the keyring and manifest her trip.

 

Manifesto later, and we found ourselves looking at hotels to stay at in Reykjavik. It felt like a pipe dream until we made a few tweaks. We found that by flying from Luton Airport, we could save ourselves over £300 each, and found the total bill at £582 each. 

After a little time to ponder, some more research, and a fair dose of dreaming, we decided to go ahead and book our trip to Iceland.

 

Jasmine oversaw finding out everything we needed to know, as we have become so accustomed to travelling on a package holiday where you don’t really move much from the hotel and grounds. She did an incredible job, and her findings were so golden, I decided to share them here with you. 

 

We were told by so many people that Iceland was very expensive. We worried about this a little and decided to take extra precautions. Being celiac, I was concerned about the availability of non-gluten-containing food, and so we took things we could eat in the room, such as crackers, tins of ready-made tuna and sweetcorn and Jasmine took a couple of pot noodles. The hotel we stayed in was called the Storm Hotel, and we checked online to see if there was a kettle in the room. Heading to Youtube, I searched for a room tour of the hotel and it showed the kettle, so we knew we could brew up some noodles for Jasmine. My snacks were not the ideal nutrition I could have chosen, but it was legal, and it sounded like it might sustain me while we were using huge energy to adventure around this island. 

 

Tui had a selection of hotels you could book. Some of them didn’t invite you for breakfast, and some didn’t include any trips. We opted for the version which gave us a trip around the Golden Circle, an evening hunting for the Northern Lights, and breakfast each day. So, our budget was set, we wouldn’t waste away, and we would be able to look around the most famous parts of Iceland.

 

The blue lagoon was calling us. A morning of bobbing around in the high silica hot springs of the famous lagoon sounded like the perfect way to end the trip. Jasmine set to using the internet to research the costs involved. It was famed for being expensive. It wasn’t cheap. But it was worth it. How can you go to Iceland and not get out the swimming costume? I had heard it was relaxing but I had difficulty imagining that. It was relaxing. We loved it! 

Tickets to the Blue Lagoon were:  £110 each, including transport, a face mask and a drink. We opted for a slushie as it seemed very appropriate. While our face masks were on, we sat listening to a local man tell a story about how the lagoon came to be, who the hidden people were, and many other gems about the tectonic plates, earthquakes and silica. 

The Icelandic people were great storytellers; for me (also a storyteller) this was one of the main attractions. This country was full of wonder and delights and far exceeded my own expectations. I hoped to see some amazing sights but as I detailed in this Instagram post, I didn’t expect to fall in love with Iceland. 

 

The feeling I had was one of wonder. Nature phenomena were not in short supply in Iceland, and I couldn’t help but feel like a very small human being in the grand scheme of the planet. Sprouting Geysers had a force behind not to be reckoned with, and the heat from the spray soon turned to ice as it drifted across the air. Clinging to the nearby grass, the tiny droplets wove pretty ice patterns, begging us to pull out our cameras. 

My bucket list ticked.

I had always wanted to see a sprouting Geyser. I hadn’t expected it to feel so magical. Perhaps the low-level sun contributed to the magic as it was golden hour all day.

 

After a short drive between the moon and the sun (one to the west, one to the east) we went to Gullfoss waterfall for the most trying time of the trip. There were stairs to walk down which were covered in ice, so I looked at the handrail. It was also covered in ice. But I knew I needed to hold on to the rail to be able to descend the stairs. It was -13, but the ice did not melt in my hand. My glove stayed dry. My breathing was tricky as I breathed below my scarf. Just my eyes were showing. 

The bottom of the staircase gave me a chance to stop and look up. And there was the inspiring sight of the waterfall. Ice faded into the water as the sides of the fall laughed in their trickery. I didn’t know what I was looking at. But I was inspired enough to remove my hand from my glove long enough to take a photo. 

I was the coldest I had ever been. My legs were tired, my lungs were on fire. This was before I had to climb the stairs back to the coach. I had silently looked for other ways back up, but knowing I had drawn a blank, I faced head down, and began to go up, one step at a time. Breathing heavily into my scarf, the droplets from my breath formed small tear-shaped ice cubes inside my faux fur scarf. At the top, I was proud. I was in awe. 

 

Our final stop on the Golden Circle was the national park of 

Thingvellir where I was to embrace 

a fear I had of all things ‘vast’ and visiting the tectonic plates. 

They showed us that we were in

Europe to our left, and North America to our right. Several feet 

of ground was separating the

two, and as time goes on, it will split more and more to reveal

 two parts of Iceland. The rate 

is around 2cm per year, so it will take quite some time.

There was another hill to walk down and back up again, but the

views were worth it. 

We were exhausted. 

 

Our guide for the day was known as Berger, and he was 

‘delighted to announce that Tui have 

Just informed me that the northern lights trip is going ahead 

tonight,’ and we all clapped. This

was such good news, as they always waited for the predictions 

of the aurora borealis to show 

on the KP scores on an app called ‘Aurora’. That meant there 

was a good chance to view the 

Lights – but it was never guaranteed. If you didn’t see them, 

you got to go again and try the 

Next night for free. Jasmine looked and smiled at me, “it’s 4 

Mum.” That was a good 

prediction. 

 

After snacks back in the room, we headed out to see the best 

lights we could have hoped for.

 

 

I never expected to fall in love with Iceland. 

So you want travel?

 We all want to travel, but you want travel?

I sit in the top floor of the house, listening to either raindrops randomly popping down onto the roof, or Christmas presents unwrapping themselves, or some huge creepy crawlies in the eaves, not sure. My hearing is very limited right now. This is not a new or unusual thing for me particularly, as I am the proud owner of two very incredible hearing aids. When I'm infected, like now, I can't wear them, which makes for an interesting time.

My declining hearing was one of the reasons I began my writing career. I will use that term loosely today, as a tiny bit of anger creeps in to my system. A year of doors slamming in my face has hit a peak today, and it all felt a little bit 'too much'. I'm sure you know what I mean, we all have those times.

The idea to begin publishing my words was born from a childhood love of writing, coupled with health. Then mother and her health popped in to the mix too, and for a while, I put my life and dreams on hold to sort her needs. Now, it seems, I can carry on doing that, they say. Do I want to? Am I able to? What else would I prefer to do?

As you know, I am a fan of all things law of attraction. That's how this website was born. I wanted everyone to know about it. The minute I decided my writing was going to be coupled with movement (for my health), doors began to open for ME. The opportunity to travel fell out of the sky, like magic, to go and review all-inclusive resorts and their food offerings for those with dietary requirements. As a celiac myself, I love this opportunity. Yes, we are always asked, "on holiday again?" and I aim to reply with zero frustration in my voice. Of course I am thankful to travel for work. Of course it's hard work and 24/7. A week back home sees washing and exhaustion, recovery, rinse, repeat.  So, I do my best to enjoy living life, working and earning a living and cracking on with my mobility as best I can.

Then 'they' step in.

I got to look after Mum.

I will find an answer, I know I will. 

I just looked at my analytics and they tell me about you.

They tell me, you want travel stuff.

I want to give you travel stuff. 

I want to write, research, film, shoot, move, breathe, travel.... 

And I believe in 'build it and they will come'. So I shall plan the travel, share the content and write the books. The rest will fall into place.

Shall we begin with Iceland?

Yes, this is the Northen Lights. Let me know you want to hear about it?

Greenwich means more time: to pause, look and feel.

Greenwich Market

 AD: This trip was kindly sponsored by Visit Greenwich  

The sky showed us how close we are to Christmas as it hid the sun. 

Surrounded by history and wonder, we walked through the core of Greenwich towards the Thames. 

Our boat was on its way and we climbed onto the 

@uberboatbythamesclipper for a warm up and a lovely cuppa on board. Cruising up the Thames was giving us iconic sights on London to enjoy. 

Later, we headed back to Greenwich pier and enjoyed a browse around the Greenwich market. It was alive with art and colour in the creative stalls and the artists called “good morning” to us as we watched them choosing how to set up their stalls for the day ahead. 

Walking over the iconic cobbled streets towards the old royal naval college, we headed to the painted hall. Tall pillars hid behind the large entrance doors and the smell of freshly ground coffee drifted from the cafe. Checking in with the friendly staff was easy and we headed to the splendour of the painted hall. Both jasmine and I were gasping as we looked up, and around us, at the art which covered the room. I was struck by the black and white tiles, harlequined on the floor. Inside, we began taking photographs. The helpful guide asked,

“If you want a really, and I mean really, cool photo, wait here.”

He positioned a table with a mirror on it, and showed us where to put the camera lens. It elongated the painted hall into a miracle of colour. 

We enjoyed taking these photos before walking into a room which was alive with history about Nelson. 

We couldn’t have possibly seen every detail in this room, as it was a true work of art. 

Heading up the hill towards Greenwich park, we saw the Royal Museums Greenwich - Royal Observatory. The views there were amazing. We looked down onto the ORNC, the river Thames, the o2 and Canary Wharf lined the horizon. 

Inside the observatory was the lessons of time. What was time, how was it created, and how was it developed. Jasmine got to hear the speaking clock for the first time, and to hold a telephone with a wire. 

After walking the meridian line, we headed to see the telescopes which gave a window into the night sky (we could see on a TV screen). 

Even though I know Greenwich well, stopping time to bathe in its moments of history and current day living, gave us more to think about than we expected. 

We had missed so much by not stopping and pausing for a moment. 

*students can get discounted tickets with an Oyster card 

** students get a discounted price of £8.50

Living the lifestyle life

“It’s not so much the thing,” Jasmine said, with her hands cupped together, creating an empty space to show me ‘the thing’. 

“It’s the lifestyle, and what it brings.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant. I got it, but not clearly. 

“So, what do you mean?” I asked and stopped to look at her. 

“Like I don’t necessarily mind so much what the thing is, so long as the lifestyle is full of freedom, happiness and health.”

In other words, if you are seeking freedom, there could be several paths to get there and the most important thing is freedom, rather than how you get there. 

She’s right. 

Since my journey into the law of attraction began in 2009, it has turned my head towards living the life of my dreams. Sometimes, getting there isn’t easy but if you keep the North Star in sight, you’re heading the right way. 

Have you ever found you are meandering back and forth along the path towards the North Star?

That has been me. 

I joined the university in 2013, as a distraction from a difficult period in my life, thinking I could work towards becoming a dietitian and write my IVF book during the commute. 

This is a familiar story for many people, I’ve heard it. 

Then, I would get on the train, pull out my phone, begin to answer messages, maybe watch some chemistry YouTube video in preparation for the class ahead, or edit a vlogmas video on my phone. No writing was done. 

The desperation to keep paying the mortgage was a loud fear in my head. The voices chattering away, reminding me to worry. 

Nine years later and I am almost stepping into the writer life. I say almost, as I'm not sure any writers fully step into the life with confidence. There is always a little imposter syndrome, yet, we seem to have no choice but to be a writer. 

What do I mean?

We are thrown curveball after curveball until we finally throw our hands into the air and realise we have no option but to write and be a writer. I will tell you more about my curveballs, but I will keep them brief as they are negative.

My health is the biggest pathway to take me here. I have autoimmune disease and two of those are significant. 

Crohn's disease.

Ankylosing Spondylitis.

I have been trying to ignore them and carry on. But they won't let me. 

A day before I flew to Tunisia, there was another guiding light. It shone as bright as can be as I wept in the drivers seat. I couldn't drive home to pack for over half an hour. And when I did begin the journey, I realised I had some thinking to do.

"Divine timing," I nodded to myself. Having the option to write, vlog, go to Yoga, eat real food and walk in nature, I realised I would have a complete contrasting lifestyle for a few days. 

Could that be the thing?