CURRENTLY LOVING | MAY 2019

It’s been a couple of months, so it’s time for my regular Currently Loving feature here on Splodz Blogz. Are you ready for another weird and wonderful list of bits and bobs to wear, to watch, to eat, to use, and to do?

As always, these are all things I am particularly enjoying right now. Some are brand new, while others are much more tried and tested. The idea of this very bloggy blog post is to simply give a thumbs up to the things I like, and give you some ideas for yourself, some recommendations, some thoughts, and maybe helps you get to know me a little better.

And as always, once you’ve read mine, I’d love to read yours – note them in the comments box below or send me your links over on twitter and let me know what you are currently loving…

Currently Loving | May 2019

01. Route One Motorcycle Jeans

Is there anything more stressful than finding a decent quality, perfectly fitting pair of jeans? I’ve been putting off getting a new pair for so long, but we’re heading to Spain for a road trip later this summer and my old bike jeans are just so baggy and worn out now that it was time to take a deep breath and get a new pair. These are my new motorcycle jeans – the Route One Ladies Olivia Jeans, with aramid panels and CE knee armour. I bought these from Sports Bike Shop, which is possibly the best motorcycle gear store in the UK – I popped in the last time I was in Lincolnshire and tried on no less than 14 pairs to find the right ones, and this was my final choice. I’ve been out wearing these riding a couple of times so far and I am very happy with my purchase. I hope I never need to test out the safety side of them, but am at least pleased with the way they look and feel.

02. Mountain Man by James Forrest

I love celebrating with friends when they bring out a book, and this one is a good one… James Forrest, fellow Ordnance Survey GetOutside Champion, shares all about his epic (and I don’t use that lightly) mountain adventure here in the UK. He climbed 446 mountains in six months for a record-breaking adventure – they don’t call him Mountain Man for nothing! He might be a friend, but this really is a great read – if you’re into adventure, mountains, or tales of endurance, then you should grab yourself a copy of this one.

03. Protein Balls

The Protein Ball Co were kind enough to send over a selection of their protein balls and breakfast balls to include in this year’s Outdoor Bloggers Spring Camp gift bags, and since then I’ve been repurchasing them in all kinds of flavours. Each packet contains six or seven little balls of tasty goodness, equating to under 200 calories packed full of energy perfect for first thing in the morning or for a snack before or during exercise. I think my favourite flavours are the coconut and macadamia (pictured) and the lemon and pistachio (all eaten…). Next job is to try out a few recipes at home and make my own, otherwise I’m going to break the bank buying these!

04. My New Dining Room

Okay, so I haven’t really got a new dining room, and I don’t even have any new dining room furniture, but last month I spent a weekend painting it and I am super chuffed with my efforts. Decorating our home is one of the things I promised myself I’d do in my 38 things for 38 years list, and I’m gradually getting there. We (eventually – these decisions take time) chose a lovely teal colour (this one by Dulux) which looks super bright in the sunshine and dark and cosy in the evenings. I love it. Really love it.

05. SodaStream Spirit

I was recently gifted this lovely new SodaSteam Spirit to replace the old model I’ve had for years (which has gone to a good home), and I couldn’t not put it here in my Currently Loving feature. The fact is I think it’s just brilliant – I can choose to have sparkling water, flavoured or plain, whenever I want without having to purchase it in a plastic bottle from the supermarket. And the new Spirit unit looks so nice on my kitchen worktop. There will be a full review on this particular unit coming soon, so watch out for that if you have always wondered whether a SodaStream would be worth adding to your pile of kitchen gadgets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxCHP-FAsZ2/

I had the pleasure of being interviewed for the GetOutside Podcast for May… Bel and I chatted all things One Hour Outside, trying to encourage people to spend a bit of time outside even on the busiest of work days. Listen to it here.

06. Hand Made Knife

This is not just any hand made knife. Oh no. This is a knife hand made by me! I spent the day at Oldfield Forge close to Hereford on a knife making workshop, and this is what I came away with. The whole process was so interesting and I was very impressed how I was left to design and create my knife (with careful supervision, naturally) myself, completing all the processes from start to finish with my own hands. It was dirty, hot, and very hard work – but absolutely worth it and so much fun. I might be biased, but I think my knife is fab. Read about the experience here.

07. Washing Line

It’s taken over a year, but I’ve finally got myself a washing line in the back garden. I chose the 50m Brabantia Lift-o-matic Rotary washing line (who gets to come up with names for washing lines?!), which we installed reasonably vertically (!) and means I can harness the energy of the sun and the wind rather than the radiator in my spare room to dry our clothes. It might sound like a silly thing to include in my Currently Loving feature, but a decent and large/long washing line is such a time saver – I can now get a whole week of washing done and dried in one day at the weekend (assuming we get sunshine…), rather than having to do smaller loads throughout the week due to lack of space.

08. Travel Vlogs

I might not be in a position to travel the world full time, but there are a whole host of people who actually manage this dream life. I’m really enjoying watching travel videos on YouTube at the moment, especially three specific couples who spend all their time visiting and exploring places all across the world. There is probably a hint of jealousy in there, I do wish it was me, but the main reason these are featured today is that they offer a great way to learn about other places and cultures, and it’s cool to see them through the eyes of real people rather than television documentaries. If you’re looking for some travel vlogging inspiration then check out my current favourites – Kara and Nate, Flying the Nest, and The Endless Adventure.

09. Splosh

I was introduced to Splosh by good friend Sarah (The Urban Wanderer), and I think it’s great. In short, Splosh sells household cleaning products – such as laundry detergent and dishwasher tablets – that come in refillable packaging. You start by buying the product in a tin or bottle, and from then on purchase refills in pouches. By refilling with a concentrate in a pouch, you’re cutting plastic waste by around 90%. You can even return the empty refill pouches for free and Splosh will manage the reprocessing of the material into other products. So far I’ve been using the laundry liquid, which is easily as good as the stuff I was buying before, and the dishwasher tablets, which also work very well. If you fancy giving Splosh a try, use I8S5ZTQILP at the checkout to receive £3 off when you spend £15 on a starter kit (I get £1 of my next order if you do…).

10. Klean Kanteen Steel Tumbler

Possibly the simplest and yet my favourite item in this year’s Outdoor Bloggers Spring Camp gift bag, this is the Klean Kanteen Steel Tumbler. Perfect for cold drinks when camping, at festivals, back garden barbecues, in your picnic basket, or even just the boot of the car, you can’t go wrong with the simple design of this cup. The stainless steel even goes in the dishwasher. Mine hasn’t made it into the camping box because I’ve even been using it at home – and I’ve ordered some more so I have a set!

If you happen to be interested in purchasing anything from my Currently Loving posts, I’ve set up an Amazon storefront to make things nice and easy. If you purchase something via that link (or any of the affiliate links on this page), I receive a teeny bit of commission from Amazon as a thank you. It doesn’t cost you any more than it would have otherwise, but means I can go on my next outdoor adventure a little quicker. Check out https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/splodz to see.

What are you currently loving this month? What do you think of my choices? Tell me in the comments below.

Want to see all my Currently Loving posts? This link should help.

In the interests of full disclosure, the SodaStream, the steel tumbler, the original packet of Protein Balls (not these ones), and the book were gifted to me, however none of these companies obliged me to include the products on my blog, and this is not a sponsored post. My Currently Loving is always and only things that I genuinely like. There are affiliate links on this page, the funds from which help me keep playing at this blogging game.