I love breathing in London during dawn’s early hours. There’s nothing quite like it, and through sleepiness emerges new, fresh life.
During the wee hours, I could be cruising through any other place in the world; quiet, its citizens (mostly) fast asleep.
London, like New York, Tokyo and the most bustling of stop-overs, is usually such a buzzing busy metropolis; though at this time of day I feel a little like a player tip-toeing softly behind the scenes of a great show’s curtains. It’s early but it’s beautiful. There’s no better opportunity for mindfully indulging.
Being almost-May, there’s a soft blue light glowing across the sky, rather than the oft-pitch black we’d be speeding through at other times of the year. Cooper and I are on our way to TBEX – Costa Brava; Richard Marx’s Hazard plays moodily on the radio and I take this, a rare moment in a car (rather than humming along on public transport) to breathe in such a serene and extraordinary sight as London in her early morning bliss.
Interestingly, The Londonistran a piece on such a state, just as I was simultaneously pondering it – their romantic monochrome image gallery by Matthew Joseph is well worth a browse.
It’s recently come to my attention that DIY Facebook page managers are unaware of a few of these super easy social media strategies for managing a Facebook page. Here’s a quick post designed to help you today.
5 Things you may not be doing on your business Facebook page
1. Scheduling
You don’t have to post right then and there, in fact, you can schedule a week or more of material ahead of time! Simply compose a post as you usually would, but instead of clicking “post”, select the little clock icon underneath your post and set a time you would like the post to appear.
2. Use great images
Social media is becoming more and more visual. If you’re using an image and it’s rubbish, you’d be better off not using an image at all. Where can you source images? Gather up your own resources, or seek royalty free options – there are plenty of free and paid image resources on the Internet, including paid sites like Dreamstime, BigStock, Shutterstock, and those with free options like Freerange, Free Digital Photos, Flickr (check the licencing information against the image you’re interested in using), FreeImages.com, EveryStockPhoto.com, MorgueFile, Dollar Photo Club and Fotolia (not free but inexpensive).
3. Include a Call to Action
This is simple – ask your readers to take what action you require, whether it be to ‘like’, ‘share’, ‘comment’; Ask and generally you shall receive.
4. Be engaged and engaging
That is, when people comment or message you, always reply. Additionally, encourage conversation by asking questions of your audience and consistently share interesting and helpful information as well as insights into your business (behind-the-scenes photos or stories are always well received).
5. Be social
Don’t forget to follow other pages from your business page and always check your news stream so you in turn can be social – by that I mean be sure to ‘like’, ‘share’ and ‘comment on’ other posts. Remember, it’s not “all about you” – to network and socialise, you need to reciprocate what you want from others.
Persistence and repetition of these actions pays off in the end.
Do you have a question, or perhaps another tip to add? Please do drop us a line in the comments below.
Don’t write this lovely little seaside area off, it’s absolutely worth your time. What to do in Hastings? History, creative experiences, shopping and yummy food await.
What to do in Hastings: history
Take a trip through time with us to Hastings, in Sussex, England.
October 14, 1066 − a most famous date that changed the course of English history. The English army, led by King Harold, was deployed on Senlac hill, where the town of Battle and its beautiful abbey presently stand. William (“The Conqueror”), positioned his army strategically, and although it’s understood to have been a close battle, at the end of a very long and bloody day in time, William won the war, bringing Norman rule to England. —click here to read the story
Creative things to do in Hastings
When we think of creative escapes within easy proximity to London, usually somewhere like Brighton or Whitstable come to mind. But, recently we decided to venture further down the coast for the first time, to historic Hastings.
If you want to know what to do in Hastings, stop and chat to the locals. They’ll give you tips on all the ways to experience living history and where to get the creative juices flowing. From castles to caves and ghost tours, this quirky, poignant and pretty seaside stop-over is ideal is brimming with options.
A photographer’s dream
Gardens, ocean and cliff-top landscapes abound, making it simple to find what to do in Hastings that is perfect for you. It’s the colourful maritime heritage that makes this place excellent for discovering unique shots, whether you’re an amateur or pro photographer. Hastings and nearby Rye and Winchelsea belonged to the Cinque Ports Confederation and this heritage is still evident in their fishing trade and medieval experiences.
Take a free walking tour of the Stade (organised by the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum) or through Hastings’ quaint Old Town (also free, organised by Old Hastings Preservation Society), get your bearings, then explore and image-capture til it’s time for bed. On a sunny day, the light here is divine at sunrise and sunset.
Unique pieces
More of what to do in Hastings? Get amongst the antiques shopping! Interestingly, there’s plenty of delightful vintage shopping here, but not so much that it’s overwhelming (like in some other larger cities).
If you’re seeking one-off trinkets and pieces to make your home stand out, wander the boutique stores of Hastings’ Old Town and be ready to snap up a delicious deal. Wander off to Courthouse Street too, and you’ll discover a treasure trove of surprises that’s been a local secret here for over 30 years − known as Courthouse Mews − ask for Dee or Beverley. The sale space is vast once you move through the front of this vintage shopper and collector’s dream!
Wine and dine
There’s a number of lovely wineries in the area, including award-winning Sedlescombe Organic and Carr Taylor that offer tasting experiences among other events throughout the year.
Or head to Hastings for a unique day, week or month cooking experience with renowned chef and restaurateur, Paul Webbe. Where better to refine your seafood culinary skills than in the town that boasts Europe’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet? Drop the team a line and ask about the Hastings fish and seafood school. bon appétit!
Man’s best friend
We very much loved how dog-friendly Hastings turned out to be, and will return for this reason. Why leave your best mate at home when you can bring them along with you for extra joy and companionship. And, if you’re craving a fix of uplifting dog energy, this place works well too, because there’s plenty on hand who are happy for an extra pat on the head (or bum scratch as the case may be).
Write it out
Wander the alleys, chat in the pubs, meditate on the beach − be inspired, and write or blog til your heart’s content. Hastings is big enough to not get bored, but small enough that you can really relax and take it all in.
Try Black Market in the Old Town, looks like a hole in the wall pub but inside is a surprisingly fun, spacious, prohibition-themed diner complete with toe-tapping house beats and cocktail specials.
We were a little worn out on Saturday night so decided to take a wander around our own Dalston neighbourhood to discover a fab deal under £40 for both of us (one of our dining and entertainment challenges of late).
I was being indecisive with regards to what I felt like eating, but knew I wanted to try something different, and maybe even sample dishes, tapas style. I’d been to Evin in Dalston previously for a daytime meeting, but never noticed the extensive menu.
The sharing plates menu outside on Kingsland High Street caught our attention, and when we saw some food being served we were sold…. it looked good!
We decided to give this nice little spot a try, and we were impressed that the staff brought over a delicious plate of bread and dips with an apology that our drinks had been delayed. Happily munching away on this delicious starter, we browsed the large Turkish-inspired menu and settled on a plate of vegetable moussaka and the hot meze selection (cheese roll, falafel, fried courgette, calamari, fried muscles, halloumi cheese, grilled sausage and small meatball, just £11.95).
Long story short, our feast was nothing short of delicious; beautifully presented, and accompanied by a good old fashioned Long Island Iced Tea each, our bill skimmed in at around £35, and we left feeling totally happy with our lot. Highly recommended.
Evin Café, Bar & Restaurant
115 Kingsland High Street
closest tube, Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Junction
Long ago, in an Aussie country town called Moree, an Irish girl working in our local pub told us to look up a cool dance remix of Eminem’s Without Me, by “Drunken Monkey.” This ended up being one of our very fave party tracks from 2001/02 onwards. We played the !!!! out of it.
It’s no wonder that when we first showed up in London and were told about a cool spot in Shoreditch called just this, we added it to the top of our must-visit list, for sentimental reasons.
Cooper got all sentimental again this weekend, and on his turn to organise “Date Night, Saturday in London for under £40”, he chose this fab little spot, Drunken Monkey(Shoreditch High Street), just down the road from where we’re based in Dalston.
Also, he discovered via their website that they have a wicked cocktail deal on from midday to 8pm, plus you can buy a bucket of 4 beers (a delic Japanese brew, Kirin, no less!) for a £10er.
We arrived at around 5pm and were lucky enough to only-just score a table – I’d advise booking here no matter what time you plan to go, it’s popular. To a beat of cool old-skool dance pop, and funky tunes from the likes of Fat Boy Slim and Scissor Sisters, we merrily perused the menu of Asian-inspired cuisine which you can either eat as a main meal (one larger dish each), or order as a set of smaller dishes – tapas or izakaya style. This time around we decided to share, and for under £20 enjoyed chicken & vegetable gyoza, “Drunken ribs”, spring rolls and Singapore noodles. This is just one of many combinations we could have ordered for under £20. As always, the food was lovely.
With £10 left in our budget and a little time to indulge in Happy Hour deals, we decided to try something from the cocktail menu – at just £4.50 each it would be rude not to. Cooper was very pleased with his choice of Shanghai Sling featuring a base of gin and sherry liqueur (bit sweet for me though); and our waitress suggested I’d like the Drunken Pear with vodka and prosecco among other ingredients. She was right, by the way – totally could have had another three, but Cooper reminded me of times gone by where several more cocktails seemed like an awesome idea at the time… not so much the next morning.
If you enjoy a vibrant atmosphere, scrumptious Asian fare and a cheeky (monkey) deal on drinks, reserve a space here.
Hi, we’re Sarah & Cooper. Welcome to Travel Live Learn! We’re Aussie expats currently living in the UK (for the third time!) with our adorable Westie, London. Our mission? To inspire you to embrace a life of adventure—whether it’s travelling longer, relocating to the UK or Europe, or exploring the freedom of remote work and digital nomadism. Enjoy your time on our site! We'd love to stay in touch: subscribe for our weekly stories, updates and remote work job opportunities direct to your inbox.
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