In town for the TBEX travel media conference, I discover the best things to do in Killarney and surrounding areas in beautiful Ireland!
Fall in love with Ireland: the best things to do in Killarney
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of visiting Ireland for two TBEX travel blog conferences now.
It’s my favourite time of year!
Each time I visit Ireland I’m reminded of the charm of the country. Intoxicating.
Killarney and surrounding areas are no exception. I’ve compiled a photo story and travel tips on things to do in Killarney, Kenmare and surrounding areas.
Discover highlights including seals, illegal brews, sublime landscapes and a lavish high tea.
Click ‘read more’ or the arrow in the top right hand corner to scroll the photo story.
We are huge fans of Malta and on our recent creative trip over the summer of 2017 Cooper produced a number of clips, and it seems Facebook loves our Malta excursions vlogs!
Very exciting for us.
The best Malta excursions
Our most most popular of the Malta excursions vlogs showcased the capital city Valletta – Europe’s first planned city.
Followed by the prettiest waterfront spots we could find.
This is my favourite – check out the kid at the beginning here (too funny).
Around 60,000 organic reach and counting for our Malta vlogs series, helped along by a very supportive and loving Facebook community of fellow fans of the island who shared our inspired content.
All this was filmed and edited on an iPhone SE, so if you’re into making your own videos, all you really need is your phone. We’ve documented other tips here also.
Are you on Facebook? If you love travel (and dogs too, we like them very much) come and say hi, facebook.com/travellivelearn.
We recently heard whispers about a place called The Piano Works that’s reported to offer some of the best fun in London.
Big talk. London is a cool place!
Curious, we investigated further, only to discover that a new Sunday brunch menu was being launched at The Piano Works just in time for autumn.
For only £20 guests can enjoy bottomless Prosecco for two hours on Saturday; £15 on Sundays; or bottomless Bloody Marys for £20 on Saturdays and Sundays. The food menu is reasonably priced and good quality.
An inexpensive weekend bottomless brunch in the middle of the city! How can it get any better?
It actually does get better than just great food and drink deals though because The Piano Works is indeed London’s only non-stop live music venue.
So, no matter what time of the day you venture inside this fabulous restaurant/bar in Farringdon, central London, you’ll have the pleasure of listening to superb singers and musicians.
When we were there, a male and female singer took the lead, both playing piano and dazzling us with an array of contemporary and classic hits. Surprisingly, they even played a sweet 90s track by Aussie pop group Savage Garden (my fave!).
The live music element totally changes the energy of the place and your mood. We absolutely loved it.
The Piano Works is bigger inside than you might imagine from looking in the front entrance, and it can get very very busy, especially later in the day.
It’s actually perfect for getting together with friends for a day or nighttime catch-up and celebration, but we’ve been advised you should book a table in advance.
There’s a number of cosy spaces on offer, including band-view tables near the bar, booths and private areas. For more, take a look at our clip at the bottom of this blog.
The bar here is lovely, as are the staff, and you can order a range of yummy cocktails and drinks.
The Piano Works has attracted its fair share of celebrity clientele too, and has even been featured in an episode of television’s Made in Chelsea (another of my guilty pleasures).
After having the chance to go once, we have already encouraged friends to book brunch and a day or night (or both) here too. When we shared some snaps on Facebook during our time there, other local friends commented saying The Piano Works is their favourite place to go out for food, a drink and a dance. Can’t believe we didn’t know about this spot before now!
The Piano Works really is fun, and for all ages (important for those of us who get a bit uncomfortable in the club scene these days, as much as we feel young at heart).
Throw in delicious food, upbeat live music and bottomless bubbles and I’m sold, obviously.
To top it off, you can even request songs on their napkins – and, the band play all requests that they can squeeze into their sets.
We feel really lucky to have found this place – it’s beyond your average bar or restaurant and definitely a cool London experience. One that won’t break the bank either. Cheers to that!
Would you like to try brunch at The Piano Works? Quote ‘Sarah’s social‘ when you finalise a booking for Sunday brunch at 12pm or 2pm and your party (no limit on number of people) will enjoy FREE bottomless prosecco for two hours. Just pay for your food! Call 0207 278 1966 or book via the website and use the promo code. Enjoy!
Have you been and did you love it like we did? What are your favourite London dining and dancing experiences? Let us know in the comments.
I’m online a lot – for work (communications), for hobby time (blogging) and social media (phone). Over the past few years I’ve needed to actively take precautions against tech injuries like aching wrist, sore neck and back.
Recently I was working diligently during the day, multitasking between updating a website, writing a blog and replying to some emails. I dragged an item into Dropbox as part of a backup that I intended to run, only for my computer to freeze for thirty seconds, then shut down.
I took a deep breath, believing if I restarted my new laptop (only a few months old) that it would all simply reset. Over 45 minutes later I admitted defeat and called my tech services experts. The news was bad – I’d need a total reinstall and wouldn’t have my laptop back for a few days. *sob*
Then I went about doing something really stupid. Instead of accepting a loan option, I chose to work mostly from my phone, and calling in the odd favour from a colleague to do work that absolutely needed to be done on a computer.
I was rather proud of my efforts and how much I could actually utilise my phone for – emails, cloud based services, even photo editing! I love being independent (ask my parents; this trait drove them nuts!).
That evening though, my arm was so sore from the tips of my fingers to the back of my neck. The next day my tech injury was exasperated further, and I couldn’t type or text. My day of efficiency turned into a week of pain. All my fault, and I should have known better.
A longer term tech injury I am mindful of is a very uncomfortable neck pain that I get that starts at the side of my head (headache) and runs all the way down my neck and into my shoulder blade near the middle of my back. It happens if I sit in the wrong position or on an unsupported surface for too long looking at a screen and sometimes it’s really tough to get rid of.
We can live in harmony with our gadgets and avoid tech injuries, and the first step is being aware that we can end up in just as much strife over inappropriate posture and repetitive movements on phones, as we can by running about playing tennis or at the gym without knowing what we’re doing.
There’s a helpful blog by a sports therapy service provider in Brighton that I’ve discovered, which looks at topics like how stress can cause pain, why it’s important to keep an eye on your posture while at work, case studies and myth busters on health and wellbeing.
After years of working in front of screens, I now live by a few rules that save me pain:
Seek advice on the right angle and height for your computer screen. This makes all the difference in avoiding unnecessary neck pain and wrist strain. It’s also a good idea to investigate whether you are using the right mouse, keyboard and sitting in an appropriate chair for your body type, height and type of work.
Take breaks if you find yourself texting, editing, Instagramming or emailing for long periods of time on a smart phone or tablet.
Remember to exercise and stretch regularly. Personally I find yoga is essential. Also the weight machines in the gym (especially those where you are working the muscles of your arms and back) are really helpful for balancing bad posture or sitting in front of a laptop for hours. I have had advice from professionals on this though, but personal trainers and yoga instructors are so accessible these days (on and offline), so no excuses for DIY in this area until you are properly advised.
We have also been offered helpful advice advice from physiotherapists in the past – it’s amazing that something that has long ailed you can be rectified thanks to professional insight.
Be mindful of your body – you know it best, so if something doesn’t feel right don’t let it go. Most tech injuries are preventable. Seek advice and don’t live with little aches – what a shame if you ignore it and it becomes a larger problem.
What’s your experience with tech injuries? Your stories, tips and experience is welcome, let us know on social media or in the comments below.
I’m having the Last Word in Get it Magazine – this month I reflect on lessons learnt about the real value of getting fit. –Sarah
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My man, Cooper, has told me − affectionately of course − that I resemble a dachshund when I run. You know, a ‘sausage dog’; a cute one, I’m assured. He knows me well, which makes this quite funny because it’s probably true.
I’ve never loved the gym, and I am not a runner (I have been known to jog into Uncle Dan’s though). My aversion to running started way back in grade one. Six years old and attending a small school in Cairns, cane fields rustling in the breeze out the back, all of us were marched onto the oval to run. All the way around in the heat. I hated it. Right there the stubborn Taurean was officially born, and unfortunately for all PE teachers to come, I was to be the one they’d never convince.
My wise mum got me involved in something she knew I’d like – ballet. It was my extra curricula thing. Sadly, at 16 it became apparent my ankles didn’t have the strength, so I took up tennis. I enjoyed it, especially when I discovered I could win by perfecting my serve to ace my opponent, eradicating the need to, you guessed it – run! Resourceful, I am.
Let’s be honest, most of us especially when we are young, care not for fitness but about how we look. I thought I was blessed with a fast metabolism and the ability to eat anything (Muffin Break treats daily and Uni dinners of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce – fail, fail). If the skirt didn’t fit right, I’d go on a walk every morning for a couple of weeks and be fine. That didn’t last.
I was lucky to have Cooper to encourage me all these years. He’s an all-round fitness nut (my opposite). I’ve dipped in and out of gym, Body Combat, Yoga, Body Balance, walking, Barre; I’ve tested fitness classes, diets and supplements, achieving varying degrees of satisfaction. Drudgery, all with the aim of gaining some kind of ‘perfection’. Until I realised that it’s not just about what I look like. Slow-learner, I am.
While I’m sharing wisdom, here’s what else I found out along the way: long term weight maintenance happens because we make better choices and exercise more often than not. Also, active life = good mood, feeling motivated and inspired. So simple!
Recently I saw Andrea Corbett share her moving story. She’s ranked in the top five international female body builders in the world. A former school teacher, she told of how she hit a majorly tough spot in her life and was living on anti-depressants. She didn’t want it to be like that, and following a serendipitous turn of events she says, “I found body-building, and it saved my life”. Her mantra hit home: fitness means looking and feeling good.
I gathered a group of girlfriends to grill them on the topic, and we concluded that without a doubt some (not all, obviously) periods of depression in our lives have coincided with a lack of exercise and unhealthy life choices.
I am a spectator at heart. A very good one too. Once, my friend Julie and I turned up to a footy game to cheer Cooper on, feeling proud for being there in the first place, only to realise we were watching the wrong game. #girlfriendfail
I am a better spectator than athlete. But, despite the foot-stomping, procrastinating and initial disinterest in the gym, this ‘spectator’ does finally get the true meaning of living a fit life. Sexy, skinny selfies might be cool, but now and in the long term, the value in getting healthy is really about the happiness payoff. That’s the advice I share with my younger friends, and the experience I discuss with contemporaries. It’s never too late to get active, to find something you enjoy doing and make it a habit. I’ve just spotted an ad for ‘swing fit’ in my neighbourhood (swing dancing, to be clear). Health. Happiness. Fabulous. It seems running may not even be required.
Welcome! We are Sarah + Cooper, Aussie expats living in the UK with our Westie dog, London. We like to inspire on how to travel for longer and to live and work from anywhere. Our most popular content here is about seeing the world with your pet, remote working & digital nomadism, and house + pet sitting. Create a global life of your dreams at any age! Subscribe to find out more :)
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