Easy Peasy Ice Cream!

I have always wanted to make my own ice cream, but I always thought you needed a fancy ice cream maker, and therefore have always been put off. I actually stumbled upon this blog post, from 'A Life of Geekery', and knew that I had to try it out straight away!

It's so simple to make, all you need is:

500ml Double Cream
400ml Condensed Milk

Also your choice of ingredients to put in it. I chose to put caramel and pieces of my favourite chocolate bars, Snickers!

Now to make the ice cream, just combine the cream and condensed milk in a bowl, and whisk until the mixture thickens. Then carefully fold in your chosen ingredients/sweeties. Finally place the mixture into a container and place in the freezer for about twelve hours.

As you can see from the picture above, instead of putting my caramel in the mixture, I marbled it throughout, mainly because I thought it looked pretty. My ice cream was set in 8 hours, and here's what it looks like:

I put a healthy dollop of the left over caramel on top, and it was good to go! A couple of things I would like to mention. Firstly, it is very sweet. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that it's sweet, but it may be too sweet for others. This can be remedied by using less condensed milk. Secondly, it's very hard to dish up straight from the freezer. I recommend that you remove it 10/15 minutes before you want to serve it. Other than that I was seriously blown away at how amazing this recipe is!

If you give it a go, feel free to tweet me pictures of your creations. I'd love to see them!

Treasure Trails

If you follow me on Twitter then you may have wondered what the hell this tweet was all about. Don't worry, I'm not imagining things, or going insane. I was actually doing a walking treasure trail in my home town! 'What is that?' I hear you cry, well, it's basically a little booklet, that leads you on a walk around your chosen area, to search for clues, to solve a mystery!

A friend of mine introduced me to these, during my Graduation week, when we all went on a treasure trail around Aberystwyth. It was so much fun, it took a couple of hours, and we all got to spot things that we wouldn't have necessarily seen otherwise!

You can go onto the Treasure Trails website, and pick a location in the UK, and get a booklet for it. You have three choices when buying the trail. The cheapest option is paying for the PDF file which you print out yourself, or you can pay to have it delivered to you by post. The final option which is more expensive, it to personalise the story with your own/your friends names. The best thing is, that they each have different stories, and reference locations within the area!

This was the story for the Newbury one: 'Tired of hearing the exuberant cries of people enjoying themselves on Newbury's waterways, local resident, Ivor Grudge, has decided to take drastic action. He has developed a device that will release a foul-smelling substance into the canals to contaminate the water and jam the locks - effectively bringing all canal activity to an end. What a tragedy this would be for pretty Newbury! Can you foil Ivor's wicked plot by locating the de-activation code?'

Here is what the little booklets look like when they are put together correctly! (I kind of cheated because my dad works at a printing company and put these together professionally)

This is what the inside looks like. It gives you precise directions to follow, and the green boxes are the clues that you need to solve. It also throws in some interesting facts about the town! Also to help you out, you get three free texts to give you answers to clues, so using them wisely is imperative!

This was where we had to fill in our answers, but not every treasure trail follows this format, for example the last one I played had a list of suspects and weapons that we eliminated with each clue we solved.

I think the best thing about this was learning some things that I didn't always know about the town. I've lived near Newbury my whole life, and I've been to town countless times, and yet I've never once noticed some of the things that the treasure trail pointed out to me! My home town certainly is beautiful!

The clue for the above photo was pretty funny, we were supposed to look for a memorial and the nickname was our clue. We all found it hilarious that the nickname was 'Hippo Granny'!

The picture above didn't come out as well as I had hoped. It's actually a painting of a Stag or 'White Hart' and it was one of the clues. I had literally NEVER seen this before, and I don't know how I missed it because it's so obvious. Although I'm glad that I've now opened my eyes!

After we found all the answers we settled down for lunch, and attempted to work out the deactivation code. Unfortunately we couldn't work it out, and we gave up. I wouldn't say that it spoiled it though, because we still had an amazing time searching for all the clues!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries, and anyone who wants to learn more about where they live. It may seem kind of nerdy, but I really loved it, and I will certainly be doing another one very soon!

If you fancy it be sure to check out the website here!

My Instaweek #8

It's that time again everyone, time to have a nosey at what I have been getting up to!

1. My new favourite snack, greek yogurt and granola. It's yummy and healthier than chocolate.
2. New boots! I picked up these babies for £5 in the Matalan sale, what a bargain.
3. I found this on a coke bottle, can't say I know many people going by this name...
4. The autograph of the legendary Tomska, the man behind the immortal ASDF movies!
5. I ran into the the legendary vlogger Whataboutadam at Summer in the City and grabbed a cheeky photo!
6. Me and the FABULOUS Tyler Oakley. He is a queen, and one of my all time favourite Youtubers.
7. My ticket into Summer in the City.
8. Owl socks, the first time I had worn that particular pair.
9. Sharing a coke with my best mate.
10. I finally got my hands on some Sopio cards.
11. Also bought a second deck and a booster pack (whoops)
12. A t-shirt from my favourite brand (H by Henry Holland) that I finally got around to wearing.
13. How my hand looked after helping the dog groomer clip my dog's claws...
14. Pre-lazerquest slush puppy. It had to be done...

So there you have it, there is a little insight into what I have been getting up to in the last few weeks! Enjoy.

Summer in the City!

Last weekend I travelled all the way to London to attend the Summer in the City Youtube gathering! Something that not a lot of people know about me, is that I am addicted to watching Youtube videos. I follow most of the big ones, and regularly watch their videos. Also if you read this blog regularly then you will know that I have recently started making gaming videos over on my gaming channel.  However I have also been making Youtube vlogs/sketches on and off since 2008. Making videos is certainly a passion of mine, and I keep restarting my channel, only to not be 100% happy with it and take it down again.

However being in London last weekend, surrounded by some of my biggest inspirations, I've realised that life is too short. and with that in mind over the next week I am going to be taking the leap into finally making Youtube videos regularly!

Anyway onto my actual time in London! We arrived on Friday night, and had a nice wander around the shopping center near our hotel, before attempting to catch an early night before the first day of the convention!

For some reason we both awoke at 7am on Saturday, and we were at the venue before 9:30, when the doors didn't even open until 11am!

Once the doors finally opened I made a beeline for a talk about gaming channels, and I actually ran into one of the Youtubers I really wanted to meet! I tweeted that I was too nervous to say hi and she replied:

After the panel I found the courage to go up to her and grab a quick photo, before wandering around the exhibition area!

 She's such a legend!

There were a tonne of interesting stands at the convention, including Guiness World Records, Save the Children, Disney Infinity (and other games), and this F1 stand: 

However it was Youtube themselves that had the most interesting exhibition. There was a free smoothie bar that looked like a London bus:

A beach, complete with deck chairs and sand castles:

And a crazy photo booth with a tonne of props:

We had a ball of a time on Saturday, and at the end I even managed to run into Tomska! (The legend behind the ASDF movies)

Literally so starstruck!

I also ran into a pretty 'old skool' Vlogger that I used to watch ALL the time, in fact he was my main inspiration for starting to vlog when I was younger. And even weirder, he actually went to uni with someone I went to school with! It was certainly funny running into him, as a lot of the younger 'fangirls' didn't recognise who he was! Anyway my sister snapped us together:

whataboutadam, A beautiful irish gem!

Sunday was even more crazy that Saturday, and we spent the most of the day with our two friends Hannah and Aimee, and we managed to meet a fair few people!

 I can't believe I met Charlieissocoollike! 

 Liam Dryden is such a gent!

 Lukeisnotsexy. Or as I like to think, Lukeismostcertainlysexy!

 Tish and Hannah having a bit of a moment!

I was seriously fangirling over meeting the guy in the photo below, he is such a fabulous guy, and he makes me laugh so much!

 Me and the FABULOUS Tyler Oakley!

 Tish ran into makeup guru Emma Pickles!

 I managed to track down Cherry Wallis! She is such a beaut!

And FINALLY I ran into TimH, who is my new fav film-maker!

Overall it was an amazing weekend and it was totally surreal to be rubbing shoulder with all my favourite Youtubers! I know they are real people, but having watched these people for a long time, it was surreal to say the least! Especially when we were eating in Nando's on Sunday night and Meekakitty, and Nanalew walked into the Nando's we were in... TOTALLY WEIRD! But also super cool!

So as I said above, I am going to start being more serious about Youtube, and I'll be posting more about all that very soon! Hope you enjoyed this photo heavy post!

UPDATE: 22 Before 22 List!

So seeing as it's about 6 months until I hit 22, I thought it was about time to review my '22 Before 22' list! So here is my list:

1. Go on holiday without my family (Outside of the UK): This is something that I don't really see realistically happening this year. However, this weekend I am going to London for Summer in the City, which I have ALWAYS wanted to go to. Also I might be going to Abertoir again this year with my friends, so I'm still doing pretty well, EVEN if I'm not going to get out of the UK this year!
2. Make an item of clothing: This is something that I have changed my mind about for now. Its still something that I definitely want to get into, but realistically speaking, I just don't have the time at the moment.
3. Write a script: This is one I started. For one of my final year university modules I had to write Act one of a script. So I have part of one down, I'm not sure if I'll finish this one. We'll see.
4. Do the Race For Life: I didn't do the race for life, I forgot about it to be honest, and by the time I remembered, it was too late for me to really raise any kind of money for it. This is still something I want to do next year!
5. Make a Scrapbook: I did start this, I even wrote a post about it here. Since I've been home I haven't contributed to my scrapbook. Mainly because I know as soon as I go through my Uni photos I will cry!
6. Get a tattoo: I have changed my mind about this one for now. Maybe in the future I'll get a tattoo, but for now I'm pretty happy without!
7. Watch every film on my 'To Watch' list: I have started this one, but I have a LONG way to go, I need to get a shake on to be honest, you can check out my progress here.
8. Learn a new craft: This is one I still want to do, but I'm not sure what exactly this 'craft' is going to be...
9. Lose weight: Since being home I have lost 6Ibs, I plan to lose more! (we can hope)
10. Start making Youtube Videos: This is one that I am proud to say that I have started!!!! I am thoroughly enjoying it, and it is every bit as fun as I thought it would be! You can find out about my Youtube channel here.
11. Take more photos: This is something I have been trying to do, I'm not completely there yet, but I'm happy with my progress!
12. Walk my Dog more: Since being home I have been walking my dog more, but still not as much as I would like to be! So I'm going to be fixing that!
13. Work my way through my favourite baking book and see how far I can get: This is something that has not happened. To be honest I haven't unpacked my baking stuff since I moved home. There simply isn't anywhere for me to put it! So I've decided to take this one of the list, and then hopefully I'll be able to complete some of the other things on my list instead!
14. Read 5 Classic Novels: I have read one on my list of five so far! I still want to complete this, I haven't been reading classics, but I have still been reading a lot. Just more modern things. I hope to read at least three of my five before I hit 22.
15. Stay in Touch with my friends: This one is going ok! I speak to my two best friends a lot, I need to contact the others more to be honest. So something to work on here.
16. Play a sport: This is one I haven't yet started, however I'm hoping that I'll find something I can do. We'll see!
17. Move out of my mum's house?: I honestly don't know whether this is going to happen. There have been talks about some options... but nothing is set in stone yet. 
18. Have a radio show: This one actually became a bit of a possibility for me, but I don't know where this is going to go, so that's all I will say!
19. Listen to more music: This has actually been happening! I listen to the radio more, and my sister plays a lot of music, so I am actually managing to keep up with the charts! 
20. See more of the UK: Well I have been to Wakefield, and I saw another part of Wales! As I mentioned earlier I am going to London this weekend. Then in September I am going to Bristol for a week. So safe to say I've saw a little more of the UK than I would normally.
21. Write a letter to someone who inspires me: I still haven't done this one, but I am definitely going to do it. I just have to decide who to write it to!
22. Maintain my blogs!: I'm happy to say that apart from a few months after I moved back, I am managing to maintain my blog. When I originally wrote my list I had two blogs, since then I shut down one, to focus more on the other. So I'm doing ok I think!

So there you have it! That is how I am getting on with my list! Overall I'm pretty pleased with my progress, especially seeing as I forgot about this list for a few months!!

Let me know in the comments if you are doing anything like this on your blog! I love reading these kinds of posts!

My Instaweek #7

Hello all!

It seems like forever since I wrote my last Instaweek post, but here we are, so let's get going with it!

1. My nan's poodle Pippa had her fur clipped for the first time, and she looked seriously cute!
2. Cocktails at my mum's birthday! This is 'A Quick Nosh @ Viccie Park' 
3. I uploaded my first gaming video to Youtube! I'm seriously happy with how my Youtube journey is going so far!
4. Custom polish made for my by my best blogging buddie, Kerrie! Check out her blog here.
5. Pretty side bun, probably the first time I've worn my hair in a bun!
6. My new necklace, skulls and crosses, it's super cute!
7. Yes, I went and bought a One Direction lipstick, but only because I've been looking for a colour like this for so long!

So there you have it, my week on Instagram! Next weekend I'll be heading off to Summer in the City, the Youtube gathering in London, so expect a good few instagrams from me!!!!!!

Going Pescatarian (Again)

Yes, you have read that title correctly, I am going Pescatarian! Can I get a WHOOP?

As you may or may not know back in January of this year I went Veggie/Pescatarian for one whole month. I managed to get on just fine, and I didn't eat ANY meat at all. Which was very surprising to me, seeing as I seem to find it really hard to control what I eat!

During my time as a veggie in January I actually got into a lot of arguments with non-vegetarians. A lot of them didn't understand, and would argue with me about my choice. It was actually quite upsetting, at the end of the day it was MY choice to try it, and at the end of the day I wasn't hurting anyone! In fact during that month I cooked healthy meals 100% more than the rest of my time at university. Also not eating meat is going to mean that I can't have all my favourite takeaways. I am aware that more takeaway places do vegetarian/pescatarian options however I've tried some, and never enjoyed them!

So basically, I am on a health crusade. I want to be healthier, and hopefully lose a few pounds in the process. So for the foreseeable future, I am going to be pescatarian! The reason I am going to be eating fish as well, is because it's not normally something I would eat, but with meat taken out of the equation, I'm more likely to try some fish.

I'm hoping that I will remain strong, and stick this out. I've made it one month before, let's see how long I can go this time. Wish me luck!

I've finally done it!!

I have finally started making, and posting gameplay videos! I've been talking about doing this pretty much since my first year at university. In fact during my first year I mildly electrocuted myself whilst trying to set up a capture card on my old TV. Needless to say I gave it up as a bad job and vowed that I would not make gameplay videos until I had the right equipment.

When I first came home from Uni, I had a few extra pounds sitting in my account from my final loan, so I took the plunge and bought an HDPVR 2, and some Turtle Beach X12's, oh and a cheap microphone! After making my investments, and testing them for about a month, I have finally started posting videos.

Currently I am playing through Dead Space 2, I have also recorded 5 episodes of Dead Island and I will be posting them on alternate days, about every other day. If you want to check out my Dead Space playlist then please click here. Or click through here to go straight to my channel.

I would love if some of you would subscribe/comment/like my Youtube stuff. It really means a lot to me. I may not be pulling a lot of views, but I'm having fun, and it's certainly taking my mind off of everything that I'm currently go through!

Hope that some of you will enjoy this post :-)

Let me know in the comments who your favourite Youtube Let's Player is, mine is Pewdiepie :-)