CRISTINE FARINAS

On the 22nd of December, on my way home from work, I passed through one of the busiest streets in London. Three days prior, the government imposed Tier 4 restrictions in London. This meant that non-essential shops would close. What would normally be the busiest days in Oxford Street suddenly became relatively quiet. By relatively quiet, I mean there were still a few people out and about, however much less than what it would normally be this time of the year. The people I saw no longer carrying shopping bags, instead they held their phones just taking photos of the famous Christmas lights. The Christmas carols only heard from the trikes speeding along the street. As I walked through the blue light icy arches of South Molton Street in Mayfair, I was reminded that in 3 days, it will be Christmas day.  In the last five years, we have been spending Christmas with J's family in Newcastle. We would normally leave London on the 23rd of December, but this year, we opted to stay in London. W

So, on Wednesday, another chapter of my work book has ended. This one was relatively short, but I know that my job there is done. For the first time in my whole professional career as a nurse, I left a job in less than 2 years. A s unusual as it is, I know that there was only so much I could do to make things work in that place. I am at a point in my life now where my time and effort is so precious that I would rather spend it in a place where I can perform my role at an optimum level.  You see, I took the job knowing the history of the place because I knew at that time that I was the manager they needed. I knew I had a purpose and rightly, three months into my role, I was serving that purpose. I have always believed that the staff are as equally important as the patients. This is the reason why as a manager, I have always prioritised my staff's well-being. I believe that staff who are happy and healthy mentally and physically, have more ability to deliver a safe and high standard

My love for Afternoon Tea started with a simple cream tea (scones, clotted cream, jam and tea). It was around 2006, at one of the cafes in St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. Scones became my favourite tearoom treat  following that trip, and I was delighted when I found out that scones are actually an important part of Afternoon Tea. Ever since that discovery, I have been having an Afternoon Tea with friends at least once a year. Afternoon Tea is a quintessential British tradition. It was introduced in 1840 by Anna, Duchess of Bedford. I read somewhere that for Anna, the time between lunch and dinner was quite long and that she would normally get hungry around 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon. So, she requested tea, bread, butter, pastries and cakes to fill in the void until dinner was served around 8pm. Then she started inviting friends to join her for tea in their drawing room- and that's how the Afternoon Tea was born. Now, there is a difference between an Afternoon Tea and a

A few months ago, someone I just met asked me that question. I wasn't sure if I should take offence, or just completely ignore the question. I thought, "How dare you ask me that question. You don't know me. You don't know how my journey has been" . For me, asking someone you barely know if they are strong is quite insensitive, if not rude. But, as I listened to what the person was saying, it became clearer to me why she asked that question.  You see, I have been a nurse in the UK for almost two decades now. My journey has not been that easy. I went through an eye of a needle to get to where I am today. I have been rejected for multiple senior roles in favour of nurses less qualified than me. Less experienced than me. I was hurt, yes especially because I have shown nothing but loyalty to the workplace. But I didn't allow those failures to demotivate me. I continued to work hard with integrity until almost a decade later, when my biggest promotion came. I became

It suddenly dawned on me that we might not be able to travel at all this year. With the UK corona virus numbers rising again, a second wave is upon us. Local lockdown has been implemented in some places in the UK, and the government is highly likely to implement lockdown restrictions (again) in London imminently. So for now, all I can do is relieve our travel memories from last year. I have been going through our travel photos because honestly, I miss travelling. This is when I realised that I haven't written about our trip to  Dorset last year. For so many years, Dorset has been on my list to visit in the UK - only because I wanted to see the Durdle Door. But when I was planning our trip, I realised that I had more reasons to visit Dorset - the land of countless roundabouts (haha). It was indeed a pleasant trip and an experience that is worth sharing. During this trip, we decided to stay in a town called Evershot- a historical sleepy town, approximately 45 minutes drive to Lulwort

The Corona lockdown was definitely a good opportunity for me to upscale my skills in the kitchen. I have been learning how to cook since 2016, when I took a career break and lived in New Zealand for almost a year. I mean, I know I can now cook, however, I have only been cooking food that I am comfortable cooking. In short, I (always) play safe because I am very impatient in the kitchen (this is the only aspect of my life that I am impatient with). So, when the lockdown was imposed, I decided to level up in my cooking. I started cooking food that I would not normally cook, food that I haven't eaten in a very long time and food that I very rarely cook. I even learned how to bake bread, cakes and muffins. So yes, another good thing that came out of the lockdown is the fact that I am now inspired to take on my cooking into new heights. So, watch this space. :) Allow me to please share the food that I have cooked during the lockdown: 1. Cakes, Breads and Muffins - I say this as if I act