Lifestyle Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/category/lifestyle/ Tales from a down-shifted family - Making the most of modest means in West Wales Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:25:55 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-favicon-160x160.jpg Lifestyle Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/category/lifestyle/ 32 32 2696646 A Weekend in Bristol: Michelin Stars, Tapas and Miss Saigon https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-weekend-in-bristol-michelin-stars-tapas-and-miss-saigon/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-weekend-in-bristol-michelin-stars-tapas-and-miss-saigon/#respond Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:21:04 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=49016 We’ve just got back from a culinary tour of my old stomping grounds in Bristol. First stop was the Michelin-starred restaurant Wilson’s, in Redland. We first came across Wilson’s in a TV series following restaurants on their quest to earn Michelin stars. It followed their journey as they worked towards achieving their first star –...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-weekend-in-bristol-michelin-stars-tapas-and-miss-saigon/feed/ 0 49016 A Night at The Checkers, Montgomery https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-night-at-the-checkers-montgomery/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-night-at-the-checkers-montgomery/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:52:31 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48800 Our anniversary has become a good excuse to try somewhere a little special, and this year we’d booked a night at The Checkers in Montgomery. It was somewhere I’d had my eye on for a while and, with a ten-course tasting menu waiting for us on Friday evening, it wasn’t exactly a difficult date to...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/a-night-at-the-checkers-montgomery/feed/ 1 48800 Bluebell Breaks https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/04/bluebell-breaks/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/04/bluebell-breaks/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:41:09 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48269 I don’t always get out for a walk at lunchtime, sometimes I don’t stop at all, but when I do, it feels worth it. With so little rain lately, the woodland paths have dried out enough to wander without worrying about ruining my shoes or traipsing mud back into the office. And with the bluebells...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/04/bluebell-breaks/feed/ 1 48269 Jetlagged into 2026 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/jetlagged-into-2026/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/jetlagged-into-2026/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:31:23 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47618 Happy New Year everyone — let’s hope 2026 is a good one. Anna and I were still a little jet-lagged from our journey home from the Philippines, and our digestive systems hadn’t quite recovered either. However, before going on holiday we’d booked a table at Libanus 1877 in Borth for a New Year’s Eve meal,...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/jetlagged-into-2026/feed/ 2 47618 Bands, Fayres, and Festive Cheer https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/bands-fayres-and-festive-cheer/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/bands-fayres-and-festive-cheer/#respond Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:08:17 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47480 I think we’re beginning to slip properly into the Christmas spirit now. Anna probably has been for a while thanks to the various Christmas concerts and carolling she’s been doing with the band, but I joined her for the festive fun at the weekend too. After a gentle run around Borth on Sunday morning, we...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/bands-fayres-and-festive-cheer/feed/ 0 47480 New Car Day https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/11/new-car-day-2/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/11/new-car-day-2/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2025 19:33:36 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47304 It’s been a week of new things — hot on the heels of a new bike comes a new car! Our previous car, a Hyundai Kona, was the first brand-new car we’d ever leased, and our first electric car too. To say we loved it would be an understatement. Obviously, the fact that it was...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/11/new-car-day-2/feed/ 3 47304 Isle of Man Coast Path – Peel to Glen Mooar https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/isle-of-man-coast-path-peel-to-glen-mooar/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/isle-of-man-coast-path-peel-to-glen-mooar/#respond Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:43:39 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47240 It might not be a huge distance, but I did at least manage to run along some of the coast path while on the Isle of Man. Last time I was there, I ran the short section from Niarbyl to Peel, so this time I started in Peel — at the exact spot I’d finished....

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/isle-of-man-coast-path-peel-to-glen-mooar/feed/ 0 47240 Making the Most of a Change in Plans https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/making-the-most-of-a-change-in-plans/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/making-the-most-of-a-change-in-plans/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2025 09:03:38 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47112 We were supposed to be spending the weekend on the Isle of Man visiting Anna’s mum. A storm was brewing, and I was a little disappointed that we fly to the island these days. In the past, we used to take the boat so that we had the car with us—and I could bring my...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/10/making-the-most-of-a-change-in-plans/feed/ 2 47112 The End of Summer? https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/08/the-end-of-summer/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/08/the-end-of-summer/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:52:47 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=46702 It looks as though summer may be coming to an abrupt end tomorrow. The remnants of Hurricane Erin are forecast to reach our shores, bringing strong winds, rain, and some large surf. We can’t really complain though—it’s been a lovely, long, hot summer. There have been plenty of sunny days, dinners on the patio, sunsets...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/08/the-end-of-summer/feed/ 1 46702 A New Hyundai – Kona Electric vs Ioniq 5 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/08/a-new-hyundai-kona-electric-vs-ioniq-5/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/08/a-new-hyundai-kona-electric-vs-ioniq-5/#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2025 10:03:24 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=46389 The lease on our Hyundai Kona Electric is due to end soon, so it was time to start looking for a replacement. There isn’t a huge amount of choice in Aberystwyth, and since we’ve loved the Kona, it made sense to stick with what we knew. We did research a few other options, but nothing...

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