Adventures with Natasha

7 Reasons Why Antigua is My Favourite Caribbean Island

6th April 2021
By Natasha Orme

From the moment we disembarked in Antigua, I had a good feeling about the island. And it 100% did not disappoint. But why is it my favourite Caribbean island? Here are 7 reasons:

1. Beautiful scenery

There’s no doubt that the Caribbean is one of the most stunning places in the world. Every island has its own gorgeous vistas and beautiful scenery – Antigua did not disappoint. It felt like we’d stepped into a postcard. We travelled along the coast from the St John’s cruise port to Dickenson Bay and not once did we get bored of the scenery.

Life

8 Things I’m Looking Forward to Most Once Lockdown is Over

20th March 2021
By Natasha Orme

This post contains sponsored links.

It’s starting to feel like the end is in sight. Dare I say lockdown might soon be over? While the roadmap to recovery is still a long one, we can start to appreciate the little wins in life and there’s so much I’m looking forward to doing.

Hanging out with friends

The easing of restrictions on the 29^th means we’ll finally be able to hang out with friends again, even if it is in the garden. Personally, I’m looking forward to take out food on a picnic bench, and seeing my friends’ little ones in person rather than via video call. And with sunnier days on the horizon, this feels like the perfect tonic to lockdown.

Seeing family

Like many people, we haven’t seen my family since September. And it’s not something that will change anytime soon, but I’m looking forward to May when we’ll be able to visit and stay over. To be able to have a drink together, play silly family boardgames, watch a movie together and simply spend time as a family. It’s been too long.

St Lucia The Caribbean

St Lucia: The Ultimate Segway Experience + Reduit Beach

9th March 2021
By Natasha Orme

St Lucia was the 4^th stop on our Caribbean cruise and I really didn’t know what to expect. What we found was a stunning, luscious landscape and super friendly locals.

We stepped off the boat in the morning, ready to be whisked away for our day’s activity. A minibus was waiting to take us to LucianStyle Experiences where we would try our hand at riding a Segway for the first time.

On the way, our Rastafarian tour guide regularly stopped the bus to tell us about the island and their famous plantain bananas. His enthusiasm was intoxicating and his knowledge was impressive. He shared his passion for the natural world and whenever we stopped, he’d collect plants and seeds to show us.

We arrived at LucianStyle Experiences where the rest of our tour guides were waiting to greet us. After a short lesson on how to ride a Segway, followed by a few test laps, we were off!

Books

Audiobook vs Paperback: The Ultimate Showdown

2nd March 2021
By Natasha Orme

No matter what anyone says, nothing – and I mean literally nothing – beats the physical presence of a book. I can only think of one exception, and that’s the 750-page, large print, ex-library CJ Sansom book I read recently. That thing was heavy.

Long before the eBook came to lighten the load, there was the audiobook.

Maldives Travel Wedding

Booking our Maldives honeymoon: My ultimate guide on how you can save hundreds

23rd February 2021
By Natasha Orme

Disclaimer: travelling during the pandemic isn’t something I recommend, especially while many countries are in full lockdown. It’s also important to buy travel insurance that has some form of COVID-19 cover and be prepared to buy for a private PCR test when the time comes .

Whether it’s a honeymoon or an epic holiday, the Maldives has become the epitome of high end luxury, which often means it’s unattainable. However, as we did more research and explored more options, it turned out that the Maldives isn’t quite as expensive as you might first think…

Books

Why my reading list was the best thing I ever wrote

16th February 2021
By Natasha Orme

When someone gifts me a book, it fills me with excitement and dread; excitement because I love books, and can’t wait to read it; dread because it’s going to be at least a year before that happens, during which time I guarantee you said gifter will ask whether I’ve read it yet…

My pile of books to read has always been huge. I just can’t help myself, and as soon as that pile starts to dwindle, I start to splurge. Back in 2014, I noticed that all those classic ‘must-reads’ that I’d bought in order to educated myself had been sat on the shelf for years. (Truth be told, most of them had been bought with the insurance money from when my boarding house had burned down, literally.)

Life

Protecting my mental health during lockdown

9th February 2021
By Natasha Orme

It’s been a strange year. Lockdown 1.0 was so foreign, and so novel, it was bearable. I mean, aside from the crippling anxiety that came from watching the numbers increase every day and thinking it would never end. But the weather was nice. So despite everything else, there was sunshine when we got up in the morning, and long evenings you could enjoy in the garden, if you were lucky enough to have one. (And a lot of positivity.)

Lockdown 2.0 came but somehow that didn’t feel all too surprising. The numbers had been rising again, and other countries had gone into national lockdowns, but Christmas was just around the corner. It didn’t matter that the days were darker and wetter, Christmas lights were going up and with any luck, we’d be able to see family really soon to exchange gifts.

And that’s kinda where it all went wrong…

Christmas

The 2020 Mince Pie Taste Test: Who Does the Best Mince Pie?

15th December 2020
By Natasha Orme

The tree is up. The decorations are out. And the gifts are wrapped. It’s a rainy December afternoon and all I want is a mince pie with a cup of tea.

I won’t lie. I start eating mince pies in October – it’s never too early, right? And every year, there’s the ‘who does the best mince pie’ debate. So this year, with the help of my friend Hannah, I decided to put high street brands to the test.

Africa South Africa

That Time I Petted a Cheetah: Getting Up Close and Personal with Cheetah Outreach

1st December 2020
By Natasha Orme

I remember once at school when the hockey team did a tour in South Africa and had the opportunity to pet a cheetah. It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since.

So when we were planning our SA trip, I was looking for a charity that supported these incredible animals and discovered Cheetah Outreach an hour outside of the city in Franschoek*.

It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had.

Books

24 (Modern) Books Everyone Should Read at Least Once

24th November 2020
By Natasha Orme

*this post contains affliate links

Books. They make the world go round. And there’s so much I love about a great read. Nothing beats curling up on a rainy weekend with a cup of tea and a good book.

I’ve seen endless lists of ‘books you need to read in this lifetime’ and while they always included the standard classics such as Austen and Dickens, I wanted to take a more modern approach.

This list is a collection from my own shelves. Of some of my favourite reads. And some of the most important. How many have you read?

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Adventures with Natasha