Hannah Elizabeth

As you will know, at the start of the year, I applied for my Masters  and got accepted shortly afterwards. I had originally anticipated that I would be supported by the trust in which I work for as they have previously paid for either study leave and/or tuition fees. During my job interview, I had expressed my plan to apply for my Masters after receiving my Band 6 promotion. I advised that I would likely commence studies in the following September, and was told I would be supported in doing so and that funding would be available. Unfortunately, after applying, it became clear that this unfortunately was not going to be the case and as such, I have looked into funding for my own Masters. I made sure I had funds available for the tuition fees, should it be required but was hopeful I could also apply for Student Finance.  Student Finance England states if "you're starting a master's degree, you could get a Postgraduate Master's Loan to help with course fees and living cos...

After a very eventful morning, I made it to Rotterdam and then explored a little!  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  I slept so poorly before my flight that the morning was a bit of a disaster. I ended up finally falling asleep at gone 1am, with an alarm set for 3am. I somehow slept through it, which meant I woke up 40 minutes late, when I was already meant to be nearly at the airport. I got ready super fast, loaded the car and headed off, only to get stuck at the gate. I tried to open in for over 10 minutes before finally calling mum and waking her up. It finally gave way just as she answered, but almost snapped off in the lock. I locked back up and then got stuck at almost every single red light. I got to the airport with 2 hours to go, but couldn't find a parking space and then the bus was also late. It was just a disaster. In the end, I stood in the security line for almost 1.5 hours, before being pulled out to the front of the priority queue and running to the g...

I have been to the Algarve in Portugal, at least 8 times in my life and of course, always get to enjoy the food on an evening especially. A couple of my favourite restaurants we sadly realised on this trip, no longer existed, but we did find a new favourite! 1. The Green Valley . This is a small restaurant that is family run, located in the beautiful Quinta do Lago. I had melon, chicken breasts and brownie. It was delicious! It is one of the posher restaurants so bare that in mind. Also, pre-booking is essential.  2. Well: a champagne and sushi bar . This was a brand new restaurant bar that we found walking along the beach and fell in love with. It's in Vale do Lobo and is truly gorgeous. They have such fancy drinks, a beautiful location on the beach front and a classic range of food, as well as fancy sushi. To top it off, they have a plunge pool in the middle!  3. Xenia . Xenia is our local restaurant in Dunas Douradas. It has both a pool bar and a restaurant. I love the...

I think this may be my final post following my Portugal holiday, but stay tuned for some more travel posts shortly, following my trip to Amsterdam! I love relaxing and ready outside, but when I'm in the UK, reading just takes a back burner which is always such a shame. I wish I allocated more time to ready but it's become more of a holiday passion. I thought today I would briefly share a short summary review of the books I read on holiday in Portugal! Before She Was Mine by Kate Long . I was so utterly blown away by this book. It isn't something that I would normally read but it was such a nice novel. It shares the story of a girl trapped between her birth mother and her adoptive mother. When both mother's go through quite drastic life events, she must choose which to prioritise, often putting herself down in the process.  The Wedding by Nichloas Sparks. I've never found a Nicholas Sparks book I haven't loved, nor a film adaptation I don't envy. The story sh...

I had thought I had shared this when I first joined but upon looking for a link to write a little update, I couldn't find a post, so I thought I best share now. A few months into my preceptorship, the opportunity became available to join the Nursing and Midwifery Board as a Staff Representative. The board has monthly discussions with leaders and managers across all surgical and medical wards, hearing the latest updates and providing feedback to future proposals, before approving or dismissing the case.  Having been such an involved midwifery student, I felt this was something that would be beneficial for both myself and the profession which I would represent. I was excited to help impact changes and future development, especially with my experience as a newly qualified midwife.  A few months after my expression of interest, we were informed that there were a high number of those interested and so to confirm we still wanted to be considered in our applications, despite the...

I headed to my mum's to meet the new puppy and celebrate my cousin's engagement party!  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  After working a few shifts in a row, I waited for Luke to finish work and spent the day packing and organising, ready to head to Wakefield. We got a McDonald's for lunch and I am so excited now that fish fingers are back on the menu! They were removed unnecessarily for Covid-19's reduced menu and they have always been my favourite.  My mum recently got a second puppy. There are 3 months between the two and they are half siblings, with the same father. It was so lovely to meet the new addition to the family and the size difference is crazy. I always thought Floki was little, but next to Freya, he's huge! They are so different with their personalities too. Freya loves to sit and cuddle, plus sneak a few kisses. Floki likes to be stroked but not picked up. They play fight all the time and the teeth on show is hilarious! On Saturday night, ...

For the last of the holiday "fashion" posts, I am going from day to night outfits. When my family and I go to villa holidays, we tend to have snacks throughout the day, with fruit for breakfast, then in the evenings, dress up a little fancier and go out for a nice meal...usually three courses! Today, I am sharing my evening outfits. Instead of going out for 7 meals, we went to friends for a couple of nights so I just wore 4 different outfits.  This first dress was a recent purchase from Next for my sister's birthday. I ended up wearing it for the big birthday party and loved it. I love the sleeves and the neckline detail, plus there is a tie synch under the bust.  The next dress is a dress from Stacey Solomon's In the Style collection. This is her white tiered eucalyptus dress. I also paired it with the matching hairband.  For a slightly less fancy evening, I dressed down with this pom pom spotty dress from Simply Be by Louise Pentland aka Sprinkle of Glitter. It'...