MONTLY LOVE | APRIL

THINGS I'M LOVING

National Geographic History Magazine | I miss the days of living in Bristol, the public history media capital of the UK, where I had unlimited choices of history reading material. I'm not one to pick up a magazine with any sort of celebrity on the cover (unless it's Emma Watson) and history magazines are so hard to come by here in the states. So when I was grocery shopping earlier this month I was shocked to see a National Geographic History magazine. The first ever issue happened to be this month, and I have to say the content is outstanding.

Kate Spade | Since moving back to Houston I've been really loving decorating my home office. Blogging is such a big part of my life and having a beautiful space to write is key for inspiration. That's where Kate Spade comes in. From agendas to stationary, Kate Spade has been my go to brand for beautiful office materials.

Fall Out Boy | Everybody went through a punk/rock phase. Mine was when I was 13, and my obsession was Fall Out Boy. I had seen them in concert twice before, but when I heard they were coming to the rodeo last month I just HAD to go. After seeing them live again I immediately downloaded their new album. American Beauty/American Psycho brings out the teen in me and I love it. If you are looking for something new to listen to, I highly recommend it. 

Audio Books | As I have mentioned before, my only new years resolution for 2015 is to read 50 books. While I am a major fan of traditional paper books (I need to get on board with Kindle, my bookshelf is overflowing) I downloaded my first audio book this month to listen to in my car during my hour long commute to and from work. Let me just tell you, audio books are way more entertaining than listening to the radio.

LOVELY LINKS

+ This month the lovely Van from Snow in Tromso stopped by to share with you life in Scandinavia, which you can read here. I've been reading her blog for ages and I was so happy to have her on my sidebar this month!

+ My friend Bobbi, a fellow sorority sister and American living in Bristol, did publicity for a hilarious Youtube mini series called Supreme Tweeter. Each episode is only about 7 minutes long so if you have a few minutes to spare check it out here!

+ I'm so happy with the results of my 2015 reader survey! Check out everything I learned here. 

BLOGS I LOVE: EXPATS IN EUROPE
Unlocking Kiki 
Relokate
The Overseas Escape 
Snow in Tromso 

Eat, See, Do 
Gunters Abroad

Off the Beaten Track in England's Big Cities

When visiting England it is easy to get caught up in the major tourist attractions offered. From the London Eye to Stonehenge, England is full of remarkable spots that are on everybody's bucket list. I have always been a supporter of visiting a destination's main attractions (they are usually popular for a reason), but sometimes it's nice to step away from those busy sites and see something special, secret, or less well known. Here are a few of my favorite 'Off the Beaten Track' spots in some of England's most famous cities!

LONDON | THE CHURCHILL ARMS

Located in beautiful Kensington, the Church Hill Arms is a pub with an obsession with Winston Churchill as well as a Thai food restaurant with a love for indoor plants. Not only is the pub the prettiest thing you'll walk past while exploring Kensington, the inside decor is unique, interesting, and definitely worth the trip.

BRISTOL | BLAISE HAMLET

About 40 minutes outside of Bristol lies on of the most well kept secrets in the Southwest. Nine perfect picturesque styled cottages sitting around a green, Blaise Hamlet was built in 1811 and has been frozen in time ever since. Charge your camera beforehand because this is one of the most fairytale-like spots you'll ever see!

MANCHESTER | CHETHAM'S LIBRARY

This tiny library located in Manchester's city centre is the oldest public library in the English speaking world. Your whole experience feels special, from the moment you are walked individually in by a member of staff, to standing in the same room where Karl Marx studied, to having the entire library to yourself.

BATH | TOPPING AND COMPANY BOOKSELLERS

Bath is home to literature, romance, and beauty. With so many wonderful tourist attractions, it's hard to spend time doing Bath the way the locals do. A must-see on a visit to this amazing city is Topping and Company Booksellers, a favorite amongst the locals. Why not pick up a book and read outside at one of Bath's many beautiful spots?

ISLE OF WIGHT | SHANKLIN CHINE

Scattered with beautiful Victorian structures, Shanklin Chine was the Isle of Wight's first ever tourist attraction. Forgotten after years of being a must seen destination, this gorge is a perfect stop for a walk through nature and history. Right next to the beach, Shanklin Chine is a unique inlet of untouched nature that is a must see when visiting the Isle of Wight.

Happy Monday!
xoxo

2015 Reader Survey Results & What I Have Learned

 When I posted my first reader survey about a month or so ago, my main goal was to figure out what the heck to do with this blog. Ever since I moved back stateside I have been struggling with finding inspiration. I needed my readers to tell me what to post. The results of this survey taught me something I already knew but needed to be explicitly said: I don't need to change anything. This survey helped me get out of that blogging hole I had dug for myself after moving back to the US. Y'all have helped me regain confidence in this little blog of mine. So here's what I have learned from the 2015 Of Golden Roses Reader Survey.

Question 1: How long have you been reading Of Golden Roses (formerly Bristol In My Pocket)?

The majority of y'all who decided to take this survey have been reading my blog for a year or more. How crazy is that?! I'm thrilled to see that people who have stuck around this long actually interact with this little blog of mine. Having said that, I have gained quite a few new readers recently, and to you I say WELCOME! 

Question 2: How old are you?
The main goal of this question was to confirm whether or not my mom and her friends were the majority of my readership. Surprisingly, it's actually people between the ages of 18-24, with 25-34 taking a close second! It was nice to learn that my blog appeals to people my age too!

Question 3: What are your favorite types of posts on Of Golden Roses?

Travel was of course most popular choice for this question. Travel posts are what I enjoy writing the most so I am thrilled that my hard work has actually paid off in that area. Some surprising choices however were 'life updates' and 'personal' posts, which took second and third place. I'm not a huge fan of sharing my personal life (LOL says the blogger) just because I feel so awkward sitting down and writing a post about my relationship or how I'm feeling right now (which is why most of my personal posts are jumbled thoughts and emotional rants). However, I might attempt to make more of an effort on the personal side. No promises ;)

Question 4: What kind of posts would you like to see more of?

Now this one surprised me. The majority of my readers have always been US based, which is why I was shocked to see my most requested posts were "US Travel". I always assumed people read my blog for that 'American girl living abroad' vibe. But since I moved back stateside I have been struggling BIG TIME in trying to find my niche. Learning that y'all want to see more US travel and personal posts was a huge relief. It has helped me gain confidence in this little blog of mine once more. 

Question 5: What would you like to see less of?
To everyone who said "don't change a thing", bless you. Seriously, stop being so sweet! But for those who were brave enough to tell me what you didn't like reading, I want to thank you as well. While I still feel I post for "me" and not really to please anyone in particular, I'm grateful for constructive criticism so I know how to improve on things other people might not enjoy as much as I do. 

Question 6: What country are you from?
It's pretty easy for me to find out where people are from who read my blog, but I was interested to see who was actually INTERACTING with my site. The US has always been my biggest readership but some interesting ones also included Spain, Germany, Ireland, Australia, and Slovakia!

Question 7: How do you find new Of Golden Roses posts?

It came as no surprise to me that Bloglovin was the most popular way for people to find my new posts. Bloglovin is my primary tool for reading other blogs so it only makes sense!

Question 8: What social media platforms do you follow related to Sara or Of Golden Roses?

Bloglovin is by far the most popular platform for my site. However, about half of you also follow my Instagram which made me super happy! I've been putting a lot of effort into Instagram lately I'm glad to see my work paying off!

Question 9: How easy is it to navigate Of Golden Roses?

97.5% of y'all found my site easy enough to navigate. I'll take it!

Question 10: Anything else you would like me to know?
I have the most wonderful readers! From personal stories about how my blog is "inspiring" to simple comments on how I could improve on the little things like font, I loved reading every single response!

Thank you so much for participating in this year's reader survey! You guys rock!

Happy Thursday!
xoxo