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In a recent blog post called “Here Are All the Things I Haven’t Accomplished this Year in Self-Isolation”, I reflected on all the yoga I didn’t do. All the canning, the crafts, the reading and the writing I thought I’d tackle and then just… didn’t. The one thing I did do consistently… other than watch TV, eat two-bite brownies, and watch IG reels of cute dogs? Make limoncello. That’s right, I learned how to make limoncello at home.

As I’ve made pretty clear in the past couple of years, I love Winnipeg. Born and raised here, I moved away at 18 only to return at 33. For the past three years, I’ve fallen harder for this prairie city than I ever thought possible. One of the reasons I love it so much? The unbelievable wealth of local makers. This year, more than ever before, I’m trying to support local businesses. With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a guide of the best local Winnipeg gifts for Christmas and beyond.

As I slowly make my way through content from the month I spent in the Balkans, one city really stands out for me: Tirana, Albania. Though I didn’t know much about the city before arriving, I was immediately struck by what a vibrant and fascinating city it is. As clichéd as it is to say, it’s such an interesting mix of the old and the new, with communist reminders found alongside the modern and cosmopolitan. With centuries of history and an emerging art and culinary scene, here are the best things to do in Tirana.

As someone who likes to see as much as possible when I travel, I often try to fit a couple of locations in per trip. One of the things I find myself researching the most is how to get from A to B. When I travelled for a month through the Balkans last year, I researched this a lot. One of the routes I researched quite heavily was how to get to Kotor from Dubrovnik, two cities I was very excited to visit.

In the end, I travelled the other way round, from Kotor to Dubrovnik, but the ways to get there remain the same. Because the Balkan countries are so small, it makes it easy to travel between them; I found this to be the case with Montenegro and Croatia.

I met Dylan in a sandwich shop on a snowy afternoon in Toronto. With a charming accent and a mop of brown curls, I was instantly smitten. Lunch after lunch, even though it cost a fortune, I visited the sandwich shop for a chance to speak to the handsome man who worked there.

After six weeks, he finally asked me out. From then on, things happened fast: we became boyfriend and girlfriend, moved in together, and planned a future living in another country, all within the span of six months or so. It was my first truly serious relationship – I was 22 – and I was so excited to finally have someone to introduce to friends and family, to plan out holidays with, and to share my life and all its ups and downs.

And although Dylan and I stayed together for nearly three years, lived in three countries together, and even discussed marriage and children, I always had a worrying thought lingering the back of my mind: I don’t think Dylan is very nice to me. In fact… I think Dylan is really, really mean to me.

As the song goes… “Oh! I do love to be by the seaside!” And even this Canadian prairie girl can’t help but agree: the UK has some of the best seaside towns in the world. With thousands of kilometres of coastline, the United Kingdom has a seaside location for everyone, whether you’re after a relaxing respite, a lively family holiday, or just an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

After six years of living in the UK – one year in Edinburgh and five in London – I thought I’d round up the very best seaside towns in the UK. From England to Wales, Northern Ireland to Scotland, here are some of my very favourite spots, or those that are at the top of my “must visit one day” list.