I’m meant to avoid dairy but every now and then I fail and it’s usually at the feet of ice cream that I fall my hardest. The Nobbly Bobbly is probably one of my favourite ice lollies. It has three sections to it; chocolate ice cream, strawberry ice cream and then a very thin layer of chocolate coated in 100s and 1000s. If you haven’t tried one then make sure you grab a box next time you’re in the supermarket.

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I’ve been eating so much fruit over the last month or so. It’s a much healthier and refreshing option for breakfast and snacks throughout the day. I usually chuck a few different bits in the blender and make a smoothie in the morning but when it comes to watermelon it’s a little different. I like to chop it up in to small chunks, leave it to get real cold in the fridge and then have it for breakfast or snack on it for lunch (just like mango).

If you prefer you could always blend up the watermelon with strawberries and lime, they make delicious smoothies. If you want to turn it into a naughty smoothie then simply add a dash of vodka or gin and you have a fresh fruity cocktail!

Do you eat much fruit over the summer months?

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I’ve been doing pretty well at having a Nespresso or two in the morning and then sticking to tea throughout the day. It’s the easiest way for me to avoid having to carry around my lacto free milk. This week I finished off a box of Orange and Lotus Flower Green Tea from Twinings. It had been sitting on my desk for quite some time, I put my earl grey to one side and went right through the remainder of the box. I usually find that whenever green tea comes with a dash of something extra it usually just tastes like good old green tea. However, I got quite strong floral notes in this tea but not so much the orange.

This tea is really refreshing, especially if you don’t leave the tea bag in for too long (it can be a little bitter if you do). If you’re not keen on floral tastes then I’d suggest you give this tea a miss and try one of the green tea and fruit varieties. I really like floral tea but I’m not sure I’d pick this same tea when I’m next in the supermarket, mainly because there are so many varieties of it that I’d like to try something new. Overall I enjoyed this tea and it did a good job of keeping me awake all day.

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I’ve never been one to buy vouchers online, I’m just not organised enough for it. However, when Groupon asked if I’d like to try their service I thought I’d give it a go. I know a few friends have had bad experiences with group buying websites and as this was my first time trying one out I felt slightly cautious. I was pleasantly surprised with the service from Groupon. The process was very simple, the system was easy to use and delivery went smoothly.

I’d been looking for a blender for quite some time and decided to try one out from the goods section on the website. So far this blender is fantastic. I’ve been having smoothies a few times a week before work and it does a real good job of blending together all the fruits I chuck in there. I’ll do full review of this blender when I’ve been using it for a bit longer.

Will I shop with Groupon again? Probably, yes. I like the idea of buying products via the website but I’m not sure I’d be buying vouchers for paint-balling, afternoon tea or spa days as I don’t like planning things in advance.

You can find this blender on the James Russell website.

What are your thoughts on group buying websites?

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Those of you with sensitive skin probably look at those Lush bath-bomb posts in your Bloglovin feed and long to be able to use such beautifully fragranced balls of exciting bubbles but know that they wont do any favours for your skin. I’ve had this problem for quite some time but I’ve finally found a way around this bath bomb envy – bubble bars! Lush sent be a bubble bar from the Easter collection to try and I was delighted to find that I didn’t have any reactions to it.

The best thing about bubble bars is that you can soak them under the tap or break off as much or as little as you want into your bath – this is good for doing a skin test and adding the best amount to suit your skin. I used a hunk of this as soon as I got back from my 47 mile charity walk. Dipping it straight into the bath seemed to work just as well has holding it under the tap. I let it break away and bubble up ’till the fruity smell filled the room and then relaxed amongst the bubbles for a while. I’m very good at having long baths, I was probably in there for about 10 minutes, if that, but didn’t have any bad reactions to the bubble bar. The bath didn’t seem to go crazy with bubbles but that could be because of the amount I put into my bath.

The Carrot wont be available till next Easter but you will find many other bubble bars on the Lush website.

What do you think of the Lush bubble bars?

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This time of year is fantastic for fruit. I’ve been making lots of smoothies to take to work and when I can’t be bothered with cleaning the blender I just eat fresh fruit. I’ve been having my Monday morning mango for a few weeks now, it’s my fave fruit of the month. I cut the mango the night before and leave it in the fridge so that by the time morning rolls round it will be ice cold and totally refreshing. I also had mango within a fruit salad the other day – try adding it with pineapple, melon and a ginger and orange base -mmm delicious!

What do you like having for breakfast over the summer months?

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I’m back with another tea review. This time it’s a pomegranate herbal tea which came as an extra within one of my orders form Chash Tea. Although I’m a big fan of pomegranates I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about having a tea based version of the fruit.

It isn’t something I’d have picked but after trying it I’ll definitely be buying some more. This herbal tea has a lovely rich taste of pomegranate and red currents – if you’re a fan of berry based tea then I think you’ll enjoy this one.  It’s a very refreshing tea and one which I think will taste just as good with a handful of ice cubes and dash of sugar to enjoy during the summer months as an iced tea.

Do you like pomegranates and have you tried it as a tea?

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Today I will be going on a 47 mile walk along the Norfolk coast. As you can probably imagine, I’m not doing this for fun. I’ll be walking in support of Sporting Light Appeal. I will be tweeting, sharing photos and maybe the odd video (Vine – Prettygreentea) as and when I can.

I’ve done various sponsored activities before, but this time I wanted to do something for a smaller and local charity. Sporting light appeal are a Norfolk based charity who work to help disadvantaged people and those with disabilities to experience the benefits of sport. Sport not only helps in keeping them active and happy but also improves their health and skills for the future.

So far I’ve raised £187 – I’m really pleased with this as there have been a lot of people doing fundraising events and it can be hard deciding which charities to sponsor.  Thank you to everyone who has donated.

If you would like to, it’s not too late to sponsor me.

It’s been a good few months since I’ve done a tea review. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been drinking lots of tea though. I’ve been trying a lot of new teas and discovering new brands. Cutting down on coffee (1 Nespresso shot a day) has really helped with this.

One of my favourite teas form the last few months has been this Orange Rooibos  tea from Chash Tea. The tea has orange, apple and safflower in which gives the rooibos a softer taste with fruity notes but not as fruity as herbal teas! If you’re not usually a fan of rooibos then try not to turn your nose up at this before trying it – it’s tasty, refreshing and quite different to normal rooibos tea. I drink this tea black and without sugar because I feel it’s the best way to get the full fruity taste. You can obviously add milk, sugar or honey depending on how you like to drink your tea. Remember, there are not rules!

I normally drink rooibos tea in the evening but because this one was much lighter I found myself drinking it in the morning at work and on and off throughout the day. I’ve often found that rooibos helps with headaches and as I’m not keen on taking tablets I like to always have some rooibos based tea in my draw at work. I’ll definitely be ordering some more of this tea with my next Chash Tea order.

What are your favourite teas at the moment?

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Fox iPad case*

This Joules* iPad case is fantastic. It’s covered in foxes and has a delightfully bright orange lining. The padding is really protective and the standard iPad cover can be left on whilst you’re using the case. The zip is really strong and secure – the case is actually much better than I’d expected. Let me know if you’d like a separate review . 

This red Clarins lipstick is from the Joli Rouge collection. I picked it up at the airport when I went to New York last summer. The Papaya shade has been in my bag for most of May, its fruity scent is really getting me in the mood for summer. This lipstick has orange tones and glides on easily, it’s a nice and easy way to start to wear red shades. I can’t remember how much I paid for this but from checking the Clarins website they seem to be £18.00.

After I reviewed the original Palmer’s lip butter I had a few messages on Twitter telling me to try the dark chocolate and mint version. The very next day I was in Boots and decided to add one to my basket. To me, this lip balm smells like mint choc chip ice cream and that’s a very good thing!

I always have hand-cream in my bag and Hemp from the Body Shop is one of my favourites. I tend to use this during the winter months but as the weather has been a bit iffy I’ve had a tube in my bag to keep hands moisturised and healthy till we start to get more sun.

This hand sanitizer is also from my NY trip last summer. I got a selection of 5 hand sanitizers from Bath and Body works because they had such lovely scents. I’m now running out but luckily my friend has a few more for me as he just got back form NY.

This handy little card holder was part of a gift form my auntie. It’s the perfect size to chuck into my bag or keep in my pocket if I want to travel light.

This is a handy little Monet mirror that my mum gave me. I don’t use it often but it’s nice to have it to hand if I decide to make an effort and apply some blusher during the day.

From taking these photos I’ve realised that I really need to upgrade my purse. I’ve had this owl purse for about 4 years and haven’t bothered replacing it. I’m in the process of looking for a new one but have realised I’m quite fussy about what I want. I don’t like those really long ones which can hold all your cards, cash and notes but take up the most of your bag. I’m looking for a plain structured purse, something which is only slightly bigger than the size of a debit card.

It’s only just got to June and my diary is already looking a little beat up. This is probably a good thing and means that I’m making a bit of an effort to be organised. This was a gift and it came from WHSmith I normally have a larger diary and think I’ll go back to a bigger one next year. For now though, this is a really handy size to keep in my pocket or bag.

Keeping a Gin Gins ginger chew in my bag is pretty standard these days. I wrote about them a few months back and if you want to know where to find them your best bet is to try Holland and Barrett.

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