Life of Jana

Tallinn Christmas Market has been a big number one on my To-Do List and I can now finally cross it off! I lived most of my life in a small town in south of Estonia called Valga. I couldn't always be bothered to travel to Tallinn, as it took 4 hours by bus - you would basically spend half of your day on public transport. In Valga there was never much going on so I spent Christmas at home. If I did visit bigger cities or go traveling through the country, I usually did it in the summer time. Winters are extremely cold in Estonia so I was never a big fan of the outdoors in the colder months.  Ever since moving to Manchester and getting a glimpse of the fairytale atmosphere at the Christmas markets I have been dreaming of visiting Tallinn during the winter. Tristan and I booked our holidays for one week in Estonia and we decided to start our trip with Tallinn.  Tallinn Christmas market is held on the Town Hall Square and surrounded by the beautiful old town. Sadly, it didn't sn...

I love Christmas more and more each year. I remember when I was younger I didn't enjoy it very much. In Estonia the tradition on Christmas Eve is to welcome 'Santa' to our home - we have to read a poem, sing a song or dance as he is bringing our gifts. I always hated it, we had to do it at school and sometimes at home. Now I feel I can enjoy the holiday peacefully!  I opened my presents on Christmas Eve. I first thought I would follow the English tradition and open my gifts on Christmas day but I couldn't wait another night! Tristan and I spent Christmas day preparing food and had friends over for the evening. For dinner we had a leg of lamb with oven baked potatoes, gravy and some veggies - I can't believe I forgot to take pictures! For dessert we had a big selection of sweets: cupcakes, lemon meringue, Aero cookies and a lot of candy.  I took a few pictures with my Polaroid camera (and my SLR). I would love to print out and put together all of my memories in a...

This month My Little Box has teamed up with fashion and beauty blogger/vlogger Fleur De Force for their December edition. The outside of the box looks super girly and I think it is one of my favourites so far! The box includes several Christmas-related goodies and 3 beauty products. I am really happy with this cute little knitted hairband . The last time I wore a hairband was years ago when I was in primary school. It brings back lot of memories and I prefer this grey colour for a more modest look. It is very well made and has a bit of shiny thread woven in making it look a bit seasonal. I am definitely going to wear it - I never say no to accessories! The box included several gift wrapping essentials like patterned tape ,  gift tags and string . I think it is a lovely idea for those who love wrapping presents for Christmas. I am probably going to use them as I still have a few presents left to wrap! This months My Little Word magazine is filled w...

I have still a couple more posts coming up about my Australian trip. I hope they are an interesting read! After Brisbane , we flew to Tristan's hometown Rockhampton where we spent the remaining 2 weeks of our holiday. Rockhampton is a small city in Queensland with a population of around 62,000 people. Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which means it is a good place for tourism and outdoor activities. Known as the "Beef Capital of Australia" there is much more to do than just sit in the pub and eat burgers! I have made a list of 10 things you can do around Rockhampton. 1. Rockhampton Kershaw Botanical Gardens are a well visited attraction in Rockhampton. The park has many paved walking paths, rest areas, drinking fountains and beautiful scenery with many palms and tropical flowers.   2. Quay Street in Rockhampton is full of beautiful architecture and old buildings. The city centre (main street) is not very big but I think we spent at ...