As IF it’s September! I’ve just got in from lunch in Tynemouth and it was so hot walking along it felt like the heat wave was returning again. I’m seeing people already posting about their pumpkin spiced latte’s and I’ve got to say I’m just not ready for it. If I can get to my birthday mid September with some more good weather then I’ll be happy and all for the knitwear and all things pumpkin. Might even switch my Anthropologie candle over – wild. Anyway here’s my round up of August.

I’m going to start with what I’ve been sharing blog wise as I really picked up the posting throughout the month, with so much going on I’ve finally had a bit more time to write about it. That and the introduction of flexible working at work has given me so much more time to have a life and also to write about it.

So one of my first posts in August was a follow up from a July post on my surprise trip to Cologne with Wow Travel. I shared this post on all the pretty and colourful spots in Cologne and Bonn, because those are the types of blog post I love to read. Yes there’s always the itineraries and the reviews, but sometimes I just love looking at pretty pictures and that’s what this one aimed to be.

I’m still planning on writing up my day trip to Bonn which I did as part of that trip, so that will be coming soon. As we head towards winter I know many people are beginning to think about Christmas and winter breaks, and if you’re thinking of doing a Christmas market then Cologne is obviously one of the more popular ones in Europe. I don’t have a specific post on the market itself, but I have plenty more on Cologne as a city here – they’re some of my most read!

My post on Rabble and Copper Blossom, two of my favourite bars in Edinburgh was next up, and a few people have contacted me since that also love them, particularly Copper Blossom.

If you’re thinking of an Autumn getaway in the UK then Edinburgh has to be on your shortlist. It will be ten times colder than anywhere else but at least you can embrace the warm pubs, Scottish scran and plenty of shortbread. Head to either of these bars for some excellent food and of course lots of cocktails.

It was results day and hearing about people getting their results and seeing a lot of opinion thrown around on twitter that prompted my next post – in defence of the 9-5 office job – because obviously I sometimes like to throw my own in the mix too. It’s crazy the way working and university has changed over the years, even in the short(ish) time that it’s been since I was there. This post addresses some of the perceptions on the average office job and why actually it’s not all that bad. Something a bit different but a lot of people seemed to agree.

Right at the end of July I was at Kendal Calling festival in the Lake District for Katie’s hen do, so I wrote a little something on the weekend and shared all the photos. Have a look, especially at some of the custom made hen crowns and headresses that my cousin Lucy made. They were incredible!

I spent three days in Copenhagen with work, and it was so hot. I’ve never known heat like it and I felt like I was in the Vegas desert. After work we just had to go for ice cream at Nyhavn to cool off. It was absolutely packed, and the cutest place to enjoy a two scoop cone after work.

Eleanor and I found the most amazing cafe as well, called the Union Kitchen. They serve cappuccino’s with random sayings in chocolate on them, all in the name of coffee art. Ours were relatively tame, but aren’t they cute?

On the Wednesday evening we went into Tivoli park, which I’d been dying to experience on every visit but never managed it. It was very pretty, and you can still enjoy it without going on any of the rides. I expected it to be a bit tacky, but it really surprised me and the restaurant was amazing. Take a look at my full summer at Tivoli post here. 

So that’s most blog post covered off, so what else have I been getting up to. The first week of August was NE1 Restaurant week, so I did do an overview of some of the places that took part. I did an A-Z of restaurant week guide a few years ago, but so many places have changed or opened new that it was time for a refresh. Restaurant week might be over but this still covers a lot of Newcastle’s best places to eat.

That night I saw the Get North fountains for the first time on the river, and while they’re a nice feature they’re a bit underwhelming aren’t they. I didn’t really take part all that much in the exhibition, but I did enjoy Monument all colourful, and some of the displays around the city.

One random Sunday Kieran and I decided to get the train to York for the day, for Sunday dinner, gins at Evil Eye bar overlooking the York Minster, and of course wander around the Shambles.

It wasn’t expensive to get the train, and we had a great day going from bar to bar. There is a LOT to be said about day drinking.

Speaking of which, bank holiday weekend was a big highlight of the month for me, I went to London with my group of girls and we stayed with my cousin in Twickenham. On the Saturday we did a bottomless brunch at a place called Roka which I LOVED. It was an Asian buffet style starter, followed by a main and unlimited wine for the duration of the table.

We ate and drank a lot, and then went on to a bar called Bar Elba afterwards, where we enjoyed happy hour cocktails on the roof with a view of the Shard.

After Bar Elba we went to Tonight Josephine, which was delightfully pink, played old cheesy pop music, and served us pizza and pink champagne. Literally amazing. We had the best weekend and it was so nice to get away and spend the weekend together, we have to plan them so far ahead these days.

Last week I went to two of the pinkest, and cutest, and incredibly sweet new cafes in Newcastle. First up was Proven’s new premises at Hoult’s Yard. Myself and Laura a girl I work with went along to see it on our lunch break, and of course sample some of the best doughnuts in the world. We brought a dozen back with us to the office and they went down a treat. You can get a glimpse of the place in this post – Proven at Hoult’s Yard.

Secondly I went to the relaunch of the Great British Cupcakery down on the quayside. If you’re following them on instagram you will have seen how beautiful their new refurb is, and I went along to the reopening party on Thursday night. It’s so beautiful, and their cakes really are fabulous. I will be doing a full post with all my photos soon but here’s a sneak peak.

Other places I went to for the first time include the container community Stack, and the Enchanted Garden, and the Spanish City for fish and chips. I think I caught Stack on a quiet day, so will hopefully go back at a weekend and see what its really like. The Enchanted Garden was very pretty and the gin menu looked pretty good.

Spanish City however is very nice, they’ve done a great job doing it back up and making it the iconic place it used to be on the Whitley Bay seafront. Would highly recommend their fish and chips or scampi. I’ve not had afternoon tea yet, or been in the champagne bar but it looks lovely with a view of the coast out the windows.

I’m looking forward to September now, with my birthday coming up, although I’m not totally sure what to do for it yet. Any suggestions? I’ve got a work trip at the end of the month, and I think I’ll go watch my sister run the Great North Run next weekend. Good luck to all runners and hope everyone has a great September.