Rosie Corriette

Notes from a retired blogger

Category: Uncategorized

  • Escaping The Heathrow Hustle with Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4

    Escaping The Heathrow Hustle with Plaza Premium Lounge Terminal 4

    We all know that airport lounges are an oasis of calm in the noisy concrete jungle of airports – and I like to think that I’m slowly but surely working my way through the independent offerings. I was invited to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 Departures before my flight to Tunisia with Tunisair. The lounge pass gave me just over three hours which is a generous amount and means once you allow time to head to the gate, you’ve still got a sizeable amount of time to sit back and relax.

    After passing through security you’ll find the lounge by following signs on your left. As soon as you enter you’re greeted with a calm and relaxed reception with staff who make the booking in process seamless and really seem to care about you. To your left is a fully stocked bar (hello Campari and tonic) and to your left is the buffet, soft and hot drink station within the main lounge with a mixture of table and chairs and lounge seating.

    Plaza-Premium-Lounge-Heathrow

    I indulged in a few Campari and tonics and was mindful that I was due to eat dinner on the plane so unfortunately couldn’t take full advantage of the buffet but I did sample a small bowl of the chicken curry which was delicious, worthy of a Brick Lane curry house. I found the staff throughout the my time in the lounge friendly and polite. Another big plus for me was that the tables were constantly being cleared avoiding that awful plate build up that is common in other lounges.

    The lounge outlook is that of the three boarding gates so whilst it doesn’t offer views of the runway it’s a quiet backwater of the airport that meant I could catch up with some work in peace plus not feel too many gazing eyes upon me as I squeezed in a quick FaceTime date with Boo.

    Showers are available and I managed to catch a glimpse of one, it had all the amenities needed plus luxe looking towels.

    Alas my time was up and as I headed to the gate, I grabbed a complimentary Vogue and The Times on Saturday and as I buckled up I felt ever so slightly smug for my deliciously tranquil start to my Tunisian adventures thanks to some me time in the Plaza Premium Lounge.

    Access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 Departures starts at £35.

    Disclosure: I received complimentary access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 Departures.

  • Making The Art of Decluttering Pay with eBay | AD

    Making The Art of Decluttering Pay with eBay | AD

    I like to play the minimalist game twice a year – not only does it feel good, it also helps to rid your house of all the outgrown, unwanted stuff that somehow manages to find it’s way into every nook and cranny of the house, meaning I have to scour the rooms for an instagrammable corner – admit it, you’ve done the same!

    eBay set me the challenge to list two items via the app on my phone to discover how quick and easy it is to sell unwanted items through the app hassle free. I took the challenge to heart and as I write this, I’ve listed over fifteen items for sale, with all but one selling, which are the Chanel sunglasses which are on a buy it now and have just under two weeks left. I had planned to share a snap of all the items I listed, but this is all I have left: the Chanel sunglasses from above and two other items that are waiting to be shipped. Never has a lacking photo been such a source of satisfaction…

    selling-unwanted-baby-clothes-with-eBay

    I’ll admit that this was more of a rediscovery than a completely new territory for me – I was an avid eBay-er when Boo was a baby, but somehow it dropped off my delcuttering radar. The app makes is so much easier than I remembered; I found that the average time from snapping a few shots to the listing going live was three minutes and once an item is sold, it couldn’t be easier with notifications for payment, shipping details all handily popping up on your phone.

    One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt with my rekindled love affair with eBay is that there really is a buyer for absolutely everything you have in the sell on pile. And after listing fifteen items, I’m coming away with the mantra that designer buys are no longer a splurge because they have great resale value of eBay… Mummy and Boo fashionista winner!

    Disclaimer: I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. [I have received a voucher as a token of thanks for this post].

  • Alternative Style Tips for Your Home

    Alternative Style Tips for Your Home

    If you’re looking for a regular décor style then you’ll find yourself quickly inundated with suggestions, tips and ideas – but what if you want something individual and alternative? You might find that it’s harder to get ideas, and without seeing the results people find it hard to visualise your ideas. Reading this article will give you an idea of the extent to which your plans fit into the below alternative styles; industrial, gothic and bohemian.

    Photo-by-Breather-on-Unsplash

    Industrial
    An industrial design means as much bare wood and metal as your home has to offer. Any exposed pipes and ugly radiators should be polished up and possibly taken back down to bare metal to become features in your home. Get cooking equipment with stainless steel faces, and take that carpet up. This is a great style if you’re trying to have a minimalist approach to your home as well, since any pictures will look out of place and too much non-functional equipment and ornaments will sink this look. If you have any brick walls then these can become feature walls, and any bright colours should be repainted in plainer tones.

    Gothic
    It’s quite rare to see a genuinely gothic home these days, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. You just have to remember that gothic refers to a sociocultural phase of history – and it has nothing to do with vampires! So, if you’re going gothic, you should know that this means grandeur and drama. Loose the sculls and the vials of false blood. Black, steel, brick and copper colours and patterns will help to bring this out, and with this look you can go all out with ornaments and paintings – think feathers and crests and sculptures and animal shapes. Book cases bring in a nice element of drama, and if you’re lucky enough to have a stone floor you should release it from whatever covering it has, because even if your feet do get a little cold at times this will bring out the beautiful and antiquated ideas of luxury that you’re chasing.

    Bohemian
    Embrace whatever you find relaxing and interesting. This is the style for those with the wide, odd and sometimes eccentric tastes. Plants and interesting ornaments can hang down from the ceiling, or even just loose ropes, or curtains to divide spaces. You might want to take advantage of this outside the home too – this could mean exotic plants, wind powered models, and you can even search Water Garden for a way to make your pond an interesting and attention-grabbing feature of your home. To get the best out of a bohemian look, you need colour and fulness in every corner of your home that you can see. Each centimetre should be visually exciting. There are no rules; so, think rugs, of all kind of thickness and pattern, think jewels and beads, think oranges and blues, or any contrasting colours. When it comes to fabrics, you should favour natural materials, but don’t worry about the occasional frayed edge. The trick to an artistic bohemian approach is to have as much busyness in your décor as you can, without making the room look too messy or disorientating, so look at a few attempts online before you do it yourself.

    Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

  • Where’s Wookiee? | Win With Egmont and Star Wars

    Where’s Wookiee? | Win With Egmont and Star Wars

    First things first, let’s get the big revelation out the way: I didn’t really watch Star Wars a child, it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I discovered Star Wars and whilst I wouldn’t describe myself as a fanatic, I love watching all the movies again and again and again!

    Fast forward to Boo and she’s a fully fledged Star Wards Fan, we watch one of the movies at least once a month and she can often be found humming the imperial march! 😉 When Egmont got in touch to see if we’d like to get our hands on the two Where’s Wookiee books I just knew that Boo would love them. Having discovered my old Where’s Wally books from my childhood she was already familiar with the search and find model. Throw in a plethora of Wookiees and you’ve got yourself Stars Wars Heaven for a Wookiee loving Boo.

    Where's-Wookiee-Star-Wars-Competition

    The books arrived along with the snuggliest of Wookiee onesies for us to recreate our own Where’s Wookiee – however as you can see the old adage of never working with children or animals couldn’t have been truer… The only time Boo made great efforts to hide where when she was showing me where Wookiee was!

    Where's-Wookiee

    Where's-Wookiee

    Where's-Wookiee

    The only time Boo made great efforts to hide where when she was showing me where Wookiee was!

    Where's-Wookiee-Star-Wars-Competition

    Call me bias but I still think that that hunting a Wookiee on a weekend morning is one of the best things to… especially when they’re as cute as Boo.

    Where's-Wookiee-Star-Wars-Competition

    If you’d like to get your hands on both the first and second Where’s Wookiee books then enter the competition below… good luck!

    Disclosure: This blogpost and competition is sponsored by Egmont UK Ltd.

    Competition Terms and Conditions

    1. Entrants must be aged 18 years or older.

    2. The winners will be chosen by a random draw.

    3. The winner will be notified by email and will have a week to claim their prize. Should they fail to respond within this time, an alternative winner will be selected.

    4. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.

    7. Competition closes on 26th September 2017 00:00.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • My Top Three Holiday Destinations for 2018

    My Top Three Holiday Destinations for 2018

    It’s hard to believe (well not too hard with the blustery weather outside) but we’re on the downhill of 2017 and with talk of Christmas already it won’t be long until 2018 is here and that for me and Boo means one thing: time to talk about our upcoming travel plans.

    We’re really fortunate to have the opportunity to travel as much as we do, but the more we travel the more we want to discover new parts of the world.

    Here are our top three holiday destinations for 2018:

    Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka isn’t the secret paradise it was five years ago but it doesn’t stop it being one of my top travel wishes, the beaitufl landscape is till very much unspoilt by tourism and the views are absolutely breathtaking. There’s a misconception that Sri Lanka isn’t family friendly but form everyone who I’ve spoken to that’s visited they can’t praise enough the facilities for families. For me it’s a mixture of the Indian Ocean, the unparalleled nature and the opportunity to disconnect from the world and discover a totally brand new culture to us.

    Photo-by-Rowan-Heuvel-on-Unsplash

    Cyprus
    Ok so tis may be a slight cheat – most of you know that I’ve previously visited Cyprus (travelling there when I was pregnant with Boo) however it’s a destination that I so desperately want to return to with Boo. The uniqueness of Cyprus with both the Greek and Turkish history and influence allows the best of both worlds. The beauty of the Island aside Cyprus is a great family destination. I remember being pleasantly surprised that Nissi beach in Aiya Napa was so child orientated in the day. This means that you could easily combine the convenience of all inclusive and still hire and car to get off the beaten track and make the most of what Cyprus has to offer. I love comparing holidays online (please tell me I’m not the only one who does this at least a couple of times a week!), there’s so much choice and I’ve found that Holiday Gems offers cheap holidays – definitely one to check out.

    Portugal
    This may not seem like an obvious choice, but believe it or not we’ve never been to Portugal. When we were deciding where to go for our city break on a budget it was a toss up between Lisbon and Athens and I decided that we just had to see the Acropolis! Fast forward to 2018 and I’d like us to visit Portugal because it’s one of those destinations that I know little about and that excites me; expeically as it’s a speedy two hour flight time.

    Photo-by-Robert-Kalinagil-on-Unsplash

    So there you have out top three holiday destinations for 2018, the joys of what we do means that I have no idea whether we’ll get the chance to visit the above destinations next year, but one thing is for sure: no matter where our adventures take us in the world, I’m looking forward to continue exploring with Boo in 2018.

    Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.