I ASK YOU TO BE MY VALENTINE

Thursday was Valentines Day as everyone knows and on this day I gave Adam his presents, cooked him dinner (when I type 'cooked dinner' please read 'microwaved a ready meal') and had a lazy day in front of the laptop watching anything of Adam's choosing.

Thursday was his Valentines day, Saturday was mine.

Adam had planned to take me to London like last year, but unfortunately there was a mix up with his getting paid from his old job so he couldn't afford it. Instead we had a wonderful day in Swansea.

Adam did a kind of treasure hunt for me, giving me clues to different locations that meant something to us around Swansea and when we arrived at the place, giving me clues to guess a letter which would spell out the name of our final activity. How romantic!?

We started our day at Uplands Diner where we had a gorgeous breakfast and I guessed the letter 'A'.

was too hungry to get a picture of the food or anything, it was so tasty we just scoffed it down so this photo is via google images

Next we went onto my favourite place in Swansea, the Ornamental Gardens. I love it there. It is honestly the most peaceful place and as soon as I sit down on the bench I feel like everything else fades away and it's just me, the whistling wind, the rustling plants and the wildlife.

Here I was given a clue and worked out it was the letter 'N'. Next place on our Swansea tour? The beach :)

Here I got two letters 'J' and 'D' and we were on our way to Brangwyn Hall where I added the letter 'O' to my collection.

Just one more letter to guess now and the location for this one was Starbucks. I was given the letter 'G' and we went inside, had a nice warm drink and a cake while I spent a long time trying to work out what my final treat was.

DJANGO! Finally I was going to see Django Unchained! I'd been waiting so so long to see that film! And so we headed off to the cinema, by passing the beautiful St. Mary's Church in the town centre and watched one of the best films I've seen all year! Topped off with a takeaway from my favourite takeaway place in Swansea and a night in together, I had a wonderful day.

I honestly couldn't have asked for a more romantic or special treat. It was perfect and I'm so grateful for the amount of effort Adam put into the whole day. 

I hope all your Valentines/weekends were as good as mine :) 

THIS WAS OUR PLACE

Seeing as it is almost St. Valentine's Day I thought I'd share something I find incredibly romantic. The art of Rob Ryan.

Rob Ryan's illustrations are so beautiful and whimsical and childlike. I think they are the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever, ever seen and I could (and do!) go through his portfolio of gorgeous work everyday just soaking in everything I love about them.

Whilst I think they are outstandingly beautiful, what makes them so romantic is the text that goes along with the images. Special, wonderful little quotes and speeches that are so simple yet ring so true to anyone who has felt what he describes.

I'm not doing him justice. If you haven't heard of Rob Ryan I really think you are missing out and should take a look at his work. You can purchase them from a few different places; his Etsy shop, his shop website and Mollie & Fred to name but a few. They may not be cheap, but they are so so so worth every penny (in my opinion!)

One day my house is going to be filled with plates, mugs, cushions and screen prints of Rob's. Here is a few of my favourite of his work.

What do you guys think? Who are your favourite artists/illustrators? And what do you find romantic? I'd love to know :)