A life update.

I live in Cornwall! YAY! The journey wasn't an easy one but we are finally snuggled in our own living room, cup of tea in hand and contemplating what to have for dinner. In true Jenny and Ryan fashion we are watching 'A Place in the Sun: Home or Away' and checking out other properties already!

I've already been in Cornwall for a week now as I started work at The Eden Project on Tuesday. There was a week long wait in a B&B on my own until my parents and Ryan, complete with a van full of our stuff, finally joined me here on Friday ready to move in on Saturday. In a way it was nice to have a week to focus on work before I had to stress about the big move - I learned so much!

I work in The Core which is a purpose built education centre both for the public and school trips. I spent the week trying to learn a few workshops and I team-taught a Chocology session on Friday.

The rainforest biome is where most of the fun happens! I've loved showing children how to survive like the Kombai tribe and where chocolate comes from. There are loads of cool plants to point out along the way but I've only learnt about a handful of the 4,000 different species at the moment. I won't be doing guided tours any time soon.

The Mediterranean biome is a little more temperate - it gets a little humid and sweaty in the rainforest! I haven't done any workshops in here yet but I've been sent off to complete plant trails and learn as much as I possibly can. My favourite parts are the citrus grove and the chilli plants!

After an exciting week I needed to rest and put my feet up but I had an equally exciting, whirlwind of a weekend! FINALLY it was our move in day after many frustrating weeks of the date being pushed back. We looked at loads of flats, bungalows and houses all over the place but finally settled on a winter let in a furnished holiday cottage. It was cute, simple and has friendly neighborhood cows on the farm. Once we saw the gorgeous views from the bedroom and realised it was a 15 minute walk to Eden we just couldn't refuse! For those readers that love a little nosy into home interiors, just like me, here are a few pictures...

Living Room:

Bedroom:

 It's early days still and we are currently battling with dodgy wi-fi and a lack of phone signal but I think we will be very happy here. I'm back at work tomorrow for week number two so fingers crossed for no rain on my walk there! I haven't been issued my Eden waterproof yet BUT I do have an official email address :P

 

Sweater Weather

Another one of my sketches that I photoshopped, eek! 

It's October, that means it is Autumn and I LOVE Autumn! It is my absolute favourite season for sure. You still get beautiful sunny days with the Summer sweat-factor but you can also lie in bed listening to the rain pattering on the window on a Sunday morning. I wrote a blog about my favourite Autumn things last year but I've made some adjustments!

Crunchy leaves have got to be the number one reason why Autumn is awesome. They are loads of fun and they make everywhere look so pretty and colourful. I'm always one for outdoorsy fun but I can also whinge if it's too hot or cold so Autumn is absolutely perfect - the sun on my face but with a refreshing chill in the air. I'm looking forward to Autumn strolls on the beach and watching the seasons change at Eden while I' m working!

I'm a sucker for a good cup of tea all year round but the Autumn chill marks the beginning of all the delicious seasonal drinks. Salted caramel hot chocolate and Pumpkin spice lattes at the ready before we quickly move onto the Gingerbread varieties. After being outside there is nothing better than hot drink to warm me up, especially if there is cake involved....

... or warm puddings! Or any Autumnal foods to be quite honest. It's that time for year when Ryan goes foraging and there are a crazy amount of apples that need baking into something delicious. One of my favourite desserts is apple pie so I'm not complaining! There is an apple pie recipe here if you fancy giving it a whirl. Last year Ryan made a pumpkin pie and a LOT of jam. It's been a very foody week that has involved picking parsnips, admiring pumpkins and eating Squash soup. Yesterday we went in search of sloes and even more apples along Pocklington canal.

 

As well as warming food and drinks it's also time to swap the flip-flops and shorts for cosy boots and woolly jumpers... maybe. It's been a very warm September and October so far, it was 20 degrees yesterday afternoon! However, I am still full of anticipation to snuggle up in my favourite jumpers and fetch the fluffy socks out of their hiding place. Yesterday I bought myself a beautiful new Autumn scarf from The Vintage Corner in Pocklington. It has a great pumpkin print and it's light enough for the warmer days so I will definitely be wearing it ALL the time. I've also got my eye on this Penguin Jumper from Topshop - who doesn't enjoy animal inspired knitwear!?

Bonfire night and Halloween are two of my favourite celebrations and they both happen to be in Autumn. I love getting dressed up in spooky outfits and playing with fake blood and scary make-up. Eden have an awesome Halloween Line-up so I'm probably going to be a massive geek as usual and spend lots of time a work. If I'm not too tired afterwards then I'll definitely be looking for somewhere to go on Bonfire night, fireworks and mulled drinks are a must!

Image from Pinterest

After packing all the blankets away on the top of the wardrobe for the Summer months it's nearly time to bring them out again! I love blankets and I have quite a few, including a hand-made patchwork quilt that I got from Sam for my 21st birthday. Little did I know that Ryan also loves blankets and has a collection of his own. We now have a selection to choose from on those chilly evenings to snuggle up in. Ryan's favourite is his green National Trust throw (you can still buy it here.)

Image from Pinterest

Festival of Thrift

Guys this is probably my last ever weekend in York! It's all steam ahead for the move to Cornwall and we are just awaiting a move-in date. More details about our unconventional choice of abode in a later blog as I'm still in York at the moment.

Today I went to Darlington with Ryan to visit their Festival of Thrift and take part in some workshops. I heard about the festival last year in Simple Things Magazine and went with Sam for her birthday weekend (I wrote about it all here). Ryan was busy and couldn't make it last year so he was excited to get stuck in today. We signed up for workshops in tapestry and cheese making just to have a go at something new, plus they were reasonably priced!

After a frustrating start (for Ryan) we managed to make a mini-tapestry in the hour that we had and learned a few bits of terminology and skills. We're not sure what to do with them now as they aren't exactly a work of art or an effective wall covering! Cheese making was less hands-on and I drifted off into a daydream a couple of times, however I was surprised how easy it is to make your own ricotta cheese.

 

 The festival was full of quirky individuals selling all sorts of stuff! There were some familiar faces from last year but still loads of new things to see and do. Ryan enjoyed stalking the goats in the petting farm... he has a goat obsession lately. I liked all the hand-made homey things like cute bunting and cross-stitched animal cushions. As usual the food looked and smelled delicious - we tucked into a hand-made, freshly cooked pizza for our lunch. If you live in the North I definitely recommend that you go next year!

In with the new

After what seems like months of sorting my life out and getting my butt into gear, I feel like things are finally happening! We're off to Cornwall again tomorrow to finalise all sorts of things, ready for our big move, which is really exciting. The winds of change are a-blowing. 

Image from Pinterest

New house
As we don't actually have anywhere to live yet, other than a tent, this is definitely a big focus. There are plenty of places to choose from in the area we are looking at and the rent is reasonable. On Tuesday we have a gazillion property viewings so fingers crossed there is one that we both like.

This will be home number seven for me! Since I left home I just can't seem to stay put. Ryan's address list is longer still, I'm sure he is in double figures. Finding a place to live can be so fun because I'm a massive geek and love choosing somewhere cute and then arranging furniture and organising for hours and hours. At the same time it is so inconvenient because of packing.

Urgh. Packing. Boxes. Packing. Blah. I dropped a wardrobe door on my foot today. Ouch. Packing

As I'm on the topic of houses, I had a quick look through my old blog posts and found a couple where I wrote about moving home; just incase you wanted to read about my house in Third year of Uni or my Harrogate Home. Feeling rather nostalgic, I also made a little room timeline for you all. I know, I know, I'm a home-stuff geek.

 Wolverhampton - First Year of Uni

Second Year of Uni - Third Year of Uni

Harrogate - York

 

New job
While we are in Cornwall I am also going for my first day at the Eden Project, which is WHERE I WORK!! Still so so so excited about it by the way. I've been invited to watch a school workshop before signing off all of the important paperwork and stuff. It will be great to see what I will actually have to be doing in a few weeks time! Teaching is something I do love to do so I'm eager to get stuck in and teach some fun workshops about the environment. I'm also dreaming about the fact there will be no marking at the end of the day - gone are the days of my ninety book 4 o'clock appointments... for now!

image source

New skills
There's no point hiding that fact I've had a lot of free time lately as September has been jobless. It kind of feels like those early Uni days where it hasn't quite hit you how many assignments you should be studying for and it's perfectly fine to still be asleep at midday. When I was teaching I had to fight for free time so it's nice to be able to things I want to.

I do like to try and learn new things and I want to dedicate more time to doing things I like. At school I really loved art lessons but when it came to GCSE choosing time I had to drop it in favour of other things. Now and again I like to engage my creative side and sometimes I can impress myself! My blog has been looking a little tired lately and I wanted to give it a new look, especially with the whole 'new' vibe I've got going on. I did a little research into blog headers, html and photoshop and managed to design myself a new blog header! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it and any tips for future designs.

Next weekend I'm back in York again for what should be the LAST time before moving South. I'm visiting the Thrift Fest in Darlington with Ryan where we've signed up for some of the workshops. Ryan decided on a cheese and yoghurt making session for us to do and I opted for the more girly tapestry making one. Maybe we will learn something useful or maybe we will just have fun trying! I went to Thrift Fest last year with Sam and had an awesome time. I blogged about it here if you'd like to find out more.

Choosing happy

Back in July I made the difficult decision not to apply for teaching jobs for this September. After three years studying for my Primary Education degree and completing my NQT year I wasn't sure I'd chosen the right path for me. Strangely it didn't feel like a waste of time as I learned a LOT in the past four years but I had no idea what I wanted to do next. All I knew is that I wanted to do what makes me happy :) I decided to stop applying for jobs I wasn't interested in and instead search for something I'd love...

Images found on Pinterest.

Me and Ryan had intended to move to France together so I'd spent the Summer looking at potential properties and studying for a TEFL qualification so I could teach over there. However, September rolls around, I don't want to move to France, I am still living in a friend's spare room and I am jobless. Honestly I did feel like a bit of a failure, especially when friends were going back to their schools and getting excited about their new classes, but I was determined not to give up!

Despite having no job and no concrete plans, we spent the first week of September in Cornwall because we were still on the hunt for somewhere new to live. Our trip also had a secret agenda which was really hard to keep quiet! I'd been invited to an interview at the Eden Project for an Education Assistant job which was SO COOL AND EXCITING! It felt like fate that I'd found an education job in Cornwall, let alone somewhere as awesome as Eden. People who know me well will know how perfect this opportunity was for me.

After months of feeling like my teaching skills aren't good enough, worrying that I'd chosen the wrong path and crying on Ryan's shoulder far too many times, my week in Cornwall really renewed my confidence. I got the news that I passed my TEFL course with an amazing score whilst wandering around Newquay and the team at Eden were incredibly complimentary of my experiences and skills during my interview. My voluntary work at Oxfam and York Castle Museum didn't go amiss!

 

Images found on Pinterest.

Fast forward to me sat in my room in York, eagerly watching my phone for hours on end; I finally get the call to say I didn't get the Education Assistant job. Instead they want to offer me a flexible Education Officer role because they really liked me and want my teaching skills on their team. You can find out more about the awesome role here - Education Officer Career Profile. I'm so excited to teach about stuff I am actually passionate about in the beautiful biomes amongst the plants. I'm also hoping that David Attenborough or Bear Grylls pop along again sometime soon ;)

The Core (Where I will work!) Image Source

So now I have an amazing job, my confidence is sky high and I'm moving to Cornwall with Ryan.

Choosing happy = A success!!