5 things I love about living in Bristol

I tend to moan about living in my hometown quite often. Everyone that I ever read about/talk to who lives here seems to love it - they came for university and they stayed, they got a job and never looked back, or they have lived here all their life and can't imagine ever moving out. And whilst I do see there are many great benefits about living in Bristol, I just don't get quite as excited about it as everyone else does - I just think it's not London, it's not London, it's not London (I have banged on about how much I love London in another blog post so I won't go on about it again). 

In an effort to be positive and all that jazz, I've decided to embrace living in Bristol - I'm not going anywhere soon so I might as well have a nice time!

1. I'm going to start with the food. The number of restaurants, cafes, street food stalls, bars is seemingly endless. I keep a list of places I want to visit which grows by the day, there's just so much choice, and so much of it is amazing. If you want to see my top picks, have a read of the 'My Bristol Food' series I contributed to! 

2. Secondly, and sure this is a personal one, but most of my family and friends live here. Having lived halfway round the world, you sure do miss your nearest and dearest being on your doorstep (or even in the same country)! Being able to pop round to see my parents whenever I want is pretty irreplaceable.

3. The Bristol blogging scene is so friendly and supportive - I love going to blogging events in the city, I've had some super fun experiences since moving back. Bristol being relatively small but pretty buzzing means getting invited to the best events, seeing lots of friendly faces but always the opportunity to meet someone new. 

4. The proximity to the countryside is something not to be taken for granted. In the summer one of my favourite things to do at the end of a work day is to pack a quick picnic and drive to a wood or field to catch the evening sunshine. It's such a lovely thing to do after being stuck in a stuffy office all day! 

5. The OOTD photo backgrounds. Totterdown's colourful houses, graffiti in Stokes Croft, majestic houses in Clifton - so many opportunities! Sure, none of them are anywhere near my flat but I like having an excuse to get up early on a Saturday morning and take some snaps when no-one else is around. 

London, I think you will always have my heart but Bristol you can have a bit of it!