Working when your body is supposed to be sleeping can be tough. It throws your sleeping pattern, eating routine and can take some adjusting to!! I have just finished my first week of 'out of hours' work for uni which actually wasn't too bad, and here's how you can get through working nights too...

1) Go in with a positive mindset: if you start off feeling rubbish then you're only going to make the night drag for yourself! 

2) Stay hydrated: if you're like me, you forget to drink during the day, never mind the night...but water is super important to keep any headaches at bay!

3) Bring comfy clothes: If you're lucky enough to catch a few hours sleep in between tasks, bring some comfy clothes to change into. It'll help your body get into 'time to sleep now' mode.

4) Bring healthy snacks: If you're not lucky enough to sleep in breaks then you're going to need energy to get you through the night! Healthy snacks like bananas, yogurts and nuts give you energy without making you feel slugging and bloated.

5) Invest in some decent ear plugs: It can be hard to sleep during the day so give yourself the best chance possible by blocking out the hustle and bustle of the day. I absolutely love theses ones.

6) Wear a night mask: Daylight sends signals to your body that it's time to be up and about. Stop those signals by wearing a comfy night mask during the day when you're catching up on your zzzz....

7) Reduce the brightness on your phone: Ideally, you should try and avoid using your phone when you want to try and sleep...but if you absolutely must, reduce the brightness setting! You can also download a free app called Twilight, which gets rid of the blue light on your phone which otherwise prevents you sleeping,

8) Play white noise: Another tip for helping you get your sleep is to play white noise from your phone. I always use this link. It'll also help drown out any outside noises.

9) Stay busy!: If you don't get many breaks in your shift , then my advice would be to power through and keep yourself on the go as much as you can. As soon as you start to slow down, your mind will too and you'll struggle.

10) Find what works for you: Because I was getting sleep within my shift, I kept my eating routine the same as normal...but if you're up all night, it might be worth shifting it round to re-programme your body into a reverse routine. I found power naps before my shift made me feel groggy but some people swear by them!

If you have any other advice on how to survive a night shift, drop them in the comment box below :)

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Our African Safari Tent in Wales

An African Safari tent...in Wales? Sounds a little mad but also pretty awesome as well though right?

We honestly had one of the best weeks staying here. The weather was amazing, think 28 degrees!! (Yes even in Wales) and each day was filled with different activities; mountain biking, segwaying, quadbikes...basically a load of things that would keep us outside.

So this was our tent, come on in...

The inside did not disappoint. I thought they'd be nice inside but even my high expectations were exceeded and these photos don't do the place justice! The bed, as you can see was huuggee and covered in African animal cuddly toys and hot water bottles, which we didn't need of course. 

And as you'd expect to find in any tent (Ha!) we had a much bigger than I'd expected bathroom! A his and hers sink, fancy bath and an open shower! 

It gets better though...

Wait for it...............

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TADA :)

Each tent comes with its very own private hot tub! We spent most of the evenings in ours with a can of cider in hand, looking up at the stars. The poor TV didn't get a look in! 

Does it really get any better than this?

Staying in the UK has made me realise that you don't need to jet off somewhere to have an amazing experience. 

Every morning, I sat by the 'window' and looked out onto the ponies in paddock opposite, as I sipped on my tea. I remember feeling completely zen and rejuvenated when I took this picture. Clear mind and all that jazz...

What added to the safari feel was that the ponies lived around our tent, so we'd hear them chomping away at the grass. You could look out a window and see a cute little face staring right back!!

If you fancy staying somewhere a bit different then check out the website here 

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Falconry Experience

Kev and I wanted to go away this summer but after all the travelling to and from India, I decided a 'staycation' was what we needed..you know, to try and save some pennies!

We headed to the beautiful North Wales, which is actually right on our doorstep. A few nights of camping and glamping (more on those in a later post) and lots of outdoor activities were booked..making it not the cheaper holiday we'd hoped for!! It's always good to try something new because that's how you find new things you love.

One of my absolute favourite things we did was a falconry experience with the very knowledgeable falconer, Richard. 

We started out in the most adorable barn on site where we were staying that is usually used for events but today, it was to be used to fly the sweetest little barn owl called Renee. 

Whilst we handled her and got her to fly between us, Rich told us lots of facts about barn owls as well as answering our many questions! Renee turned out to be a right little diva, even turning her nose up at food when we tried to tempt her down from the highest beam she could have found!

We then went outside, where we were introduced to our two companions for the hawk walk; Edgar and Alan, the Harris Hawk brothers. 

As we walked through the fields, sun beaming down on us, the birds flew out through the trees and then back to our gloves! As time went on, we really got to know their personalities, making it easier to tell them apart. 

Alan flew off to hunt and came back with a little bird. When they get excited, their feet lock like a ratchet, so he got stuck to the branch when Edgar tried to steal it from him, meaning his only way of protecting his meal was to swing upside down!!

To try and distract Edgar from trying to steal Alan's food, we played a game with him, making him fly through the whole in this tree between me and Kevin, getting a little treat each time he did. He handled it like a pro!

Sometimes they were a little mischievous and didn't land where they were supposed to...

We were so lucky to have a clear sky to watch the pair soar up high above the trees and then swoop down towards us.

We then headed back to the barn for some tea and cake, whilst Richard put all the photos he'd taken of us onto a disk!

It was £90 for both of us for an hour and a half which is amazing value for money when you look everywhere else. There's very few places where you can have this as a private experience without being in a big group. The photos were a lovely little extra too :)

If you find yourself in North Wales and fancy giving this a go then here's the link to Rich's website.

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