Summer Saturdays Vol. 2

BAKING

These blueberry breakfast cookies are insanely good. I keep them in the fridge because I love a cold cookie in the morning.

COOKING

I’ve been baking a lot of salmon lately - nothing too special. I top it at the end with a garlic/soy sauce/maple/mustard glaze and I haven’t grown tired of it yet.

CRAVING

Two things mainly: June strawberries & lap swimming. I don’t ask for much.

View fullsize

DRINKING

When I was in Turks and Caicos earlier this year, I had the same lunch smoothie each day from a place in town and we’ve made it here at home almost 100 times since then it’s so good. Almond milk, chocolate protein powder, green apple, honey, peanut powder, cocoa powder, frozen banana & ice. Heavenly.

EATING

I’ve been slow-cooking the garlic & peppercorn pork tenderloin from Trader Joe’s and making spinach wraps (which is just spinach blended with eggs and then pan fried to resemble a tortilla) with feta for lunch this week.

EXPERIENCING

So happy to have seen the New Jersey town where the original Friday the 13th was filmed so many years ago.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

LISTENING

I went mad with organizing all of my playlists on Spotify, so this week it’s the 1970s that's on repeat at the moment.

LOVING

My dad turned 102 this week (!), which is obviously incredible.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

SHOPPING

Repurchased my favourite coffee beans (hazelnut creme) from San Francisco Bay Coffee.

WATCHING

I’m in the middle of a rewatch of Downton Abbey, which has been great because it’s been so long so I’ve forgotten most of it. Poor Edith.

WEARING

I’m still living in these Target wedge heels. Best thing I’ve bought all year, by far.

View fullsize

You can see last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 1 over here if you like.

The Real Downton Abbey Will Open As A Hotel

On Valentine's Day, Highclere Castle (the real name of  Downton Abbey) will be opening an on-site hotel called London Lodge (despite the name, the castle and its hotel are in Newbury, West Berkshire, not in London). The estate was built in 1793 and is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and has already been open to tourists for some time. There are organized Downton-themed tours that take tourists to see the building and grounds, but this will mark the first time that visitors can stay overnight.

"And while the period charm is intact, there are modern amenities in the hotel rooms, including TVs, Wi-Fi, mini-fridges, and electric kettles available.Rooms at London Lodge begin at £350 ($540) per night."

Ummm... this is really neat. I'm a fan of the show (not a wildly big fan, but a fan) and if I were ever near this castle - I'd likely want to go on one of those tours. Paying $540 a night seems a little nutty, but for any super fans this would be the best thing in the world, I'd imagine.