Tidy House Tidy Mind

So as it turns out I am very slightly obsessed with cleaning and tidying. I can only sit down and relax when I know that everything is done and there is nothing left that I need to do the next day. Before I moved up here I reminder feeling slightly worried that I would dread doing the cleaning and having to keep everything nice but I am glad to say it is the complete opposite. 

Having the flat nice and tidy and everything in its place relaxes me and not only that but it looks nice! I couldnt go out or go to sleep unless everything was right and since we have been here I have sort of found little routines that I enjoy doing. 

I am the sort of person who loves routine and so to try and cope better with moving out and living on my own so far away from my family, home and comfort zone I have had lots of little things that I do to try and make myself feel more comfortable. So most of the time I am not on my own however on the one day of the week that I am I take this opportunity to deep clean the flat. I clean as I go along each day however this is when I do absolutely everything and the things that I don't do every day.  

I have also been doing things like watching certain series on Netflix and sitting on the sofa all cuddled up or doing work on the coffee table and all these little things that I have got used to doing the past month and a bit comfort me and calm me down. It's funny what little things people do and even writing this I feel as if I am not explaining it in a way that anyone expect me will understand, but I hope at least some of it has made sense!! 

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Chester Zoo Trip

Last weekend we made a trip over to Chester Zoo for the day. I'd heard good things about it but after going to Longleat last year I wasn't sure anything could top that but this came very close! We got there just as it opened at 10am and it took us around 3-4 hours to go round and see everything. 

They had such a variety of animals and all of them had great environments with plenty of room and stimulation and we were able to observe them from a distance that would not bother them too much but allow us to see them clearly. I feel that zoos are a very grey area to a lot of people and I myself sometimes feel a little sad when I see animals that should be out in the wild, in zoos and enclosures however it was amazing to see them and see the work the zoo does for them especially the conservation of the endangered animals that are close to becoming extinct in the wild. 

The big cats they had there were incredible. The ones I have pictures of on here are breath taking however there was one thing that I will always remember. We had walked around the lion enclosure and seen one of the female lions sitting on top of the rocks sleeping and as we walked over to get some lunch, Niall was ordering and I just walked over to this hut on the edge of the lions outside enclosure. It was dark inside and so I assumed that it was empty however as I got closer to the glass I could see movement inside. It was dark but the light caught the face of this huge male lion. He was in there with another female and as I was stood in front of the glass he stood up and came closer to me and just looked at me. I couldn't believe just how big he was but also his presence and how handsome he was. He just calmly sat and then laid back down. Shortly after a few other people came over and then a crowd gathered so I moved away but I felt honoured that I had been able to have that experience with just me and that magnificent animal. 

It really was an amazing day out and I will definitely be going back in the future. All the animals were up and about and exploring their environments, the rhinos we saw even put on a display for the crowd as they playfully battled and the giraffes all posed together and in turn for photos. There was so much to see and it was a great day out for everyone! 

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