Want a lovely new cafe to visit? Eat delicious food? And somewhere to go back again and again?
Well, I found the answer to all these questions in a small yurt in Buckinghamshire.
It’s lovely, unique and just has the best food. The Wild Strawberry Cafe is very unexpected – the yurt itself looks small from the outside but from the inside it really has a wow factor.
Lunch in a Yurt
Inside the Wild Strawberry Cafe
The first visit was for lunch. Salads, breads, soups…the normal stuff, but all healthy, fresh ingredients, homemade and full of flavours that you couldn’t get enough of.
It’s lunch time
Following the deliciousness of lunch, we returned for breakfast the next day. And this was even better! The homemade granola with chia seeds, greek yoghurt and a rhubarb compote was incredible. The blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon weren’t too bad themselves. Writing this post and looking back at the photos makes me wish i lived within drivable distance of this yurt.
Inspire. That’s what this blog has been created to do.
Being a female engineer was never really something that I thought of as unusual in anyway. Maybe this is because of the way I was brought up – hands on, problem-solving solutions, trying out anything that I had an interest for. Looking back now, I suppose gender wasn’t something that drove me to do any activities, or away from anything that was apparently for boys. I was never driven towards or away from activities based on my gender. I immersed myself in things that interested me, regardless of who they were ‘supposed’ to be for. Kind of like Billy Elliot who tried out and loved ballet despite it typically being for girls.
I would play football during the day, then netball at night. Cross-stitch before school followed by quad biking when school was out. Bake cupcakes on a Saturday and lay concrete on a Sunday. To me, anybody could do any activity, regardless of your gender. I think that’s why I found it so surprising when someone would reply with “You’re an engineer!?!” with the same disbelief than that the last person. This is a response I had on numerous occasions, equally from both men and women.
Try anything, do everything!
Now that I think about it, it’s no surprise that people are shocked about what I do. In the past, it really was only men that were engineers but things are changing, slowly. More and more women enrol on Engineering courses – my course at university was surprisingly split fifty-fifty between genders. However, comparing this to straight Mechanical Engineering, the class seen about four girls in comparison to 100+ boys.
When someone says “You’re a mechanical engineer?” I feel delight that I baffle them. To me, its natural, its something that I love and its a quality that I am proud off. Being an engineer is hard work, demanding but ultimately, rewarding. Things are always changing and improving. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in the forefront of that?
TV shows also tend to suggest certain jobs that are ‘cool’ for girls. Girls grow up watching programmes such as 90210, How I meet your Mother and Pretty Little Liars. The girls in these shows want to be journalists, models, actresses and psychiatrists. What about physicists, architects, mathematicians and engineers?
“I want to be an Engineer, but nobody in TV shows want to be an Engineer!?! Maybe I actually want to be a journalist because they seem ‘cool’. Yes, thats right! … But I’m not passionate about that. I’m passionate about design for the future!”
These ideas would haunt my teenage years. Conflicting me for who I truly wanted to be. The Big Bang Theory has been great for opening other potential career options. However, this focuses on guys. Even in this show, ‘normal’, non-geeky Penny wants to be an actress. Typical.
Inspire. I want girls to read this blog and think, actually, its ‘cool’ to be an engineer. You don’t need to be a certain type of person to be one – geeky and non-geeky. You just need a passion for innovation, eye for designing the future and drive to make things a reality. Does that not sound ‘cool’ enough?
Night time on the island of Majorca is lovely. The atmosphere completely changes into a chilled but lively place. We found a great tapas restaurant with seafood and chorizo galore.
I always make an effort to walk along the beach when the sun is setting as it is always so magical. Its a completely different scene to that when the sun is up and the sunbathers are out. Its quiet, peaceful and calming. The scent and sound of the ocean become magnified and it reveals the true island – its undisturbed magic.
After a long, wet British summer, a couple of friends and I decided to fly off to a sun-soaked destination. Our requirements? Intense heat, crystal clear waters, golden sands, palm trees and amazing food!
Clear blue skies of Majorca
Of course, relaxation was in order. A week of sun, sea, sand, sangria and culture made so many memories. Some we will chat and laugh about for years to come, and some will be soaked up in the sun, only recalled by the pictures that we remembered to take.
Sun and Sangria
Whilst out wandering, we came across a ceramics shop that sold everything you could imagine. Most of which was tacky but none-the-less it made for a great explosion of colour inside and out. Majorca is a placed well known for its ceramics, pearls, olive wood and watermills.
Everything in Ceramic
One of my favourite things to do whilst visiting new places is to find the cutest little cafe in the most out-of-the-way places. We found this great little cafe that, when you walked inside, looked like someone’s house. Out the back was a lovely little haven of island culture, of which served the most delicious food.
Our getaway required a boat trip, like all breaks away to the Balearics! It was truly beautiful. People-watching couples sailing the sun-drenched sea, divers exploring the coves and rock faces and fishermen catching the freshest that the sea can offer.
Our trip included a visit to the Caves of Drach, close to Porto Cristo. The caves were fascinating and contain one of the world’s largest subterranean lakes. AND they put on classical concerts on the lake which was an amazing experience!
Our visit to Palma deserves its own post, so check it out! But I’ll leave you with a little Sangria cheers!
