Literally, what the hell.

I’ve spent the last week sick on the couch, sweating through all my clothes and forgetting what it feels like to breathe out my nose. I could very easily complain for the rest of this newsletter but just know I’m refraining (sort of).

Some summers are just better than others.

I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and get back into the swing of things. I just want to make videos, you know? Hopefully this autumn will be better (and a bit less sweaty).

To be fair, that’s all a bit dramatic. I was able to spend an afternoon solo fishing, I saw some friends, got coffee at my favourite cafe and went to the cinema so it’s not all been miserable!! But when you’re sick and in the middle of a self-hosted pity-party, those feel like distant memories…

September is going to be better, I swear!!

A+N Updates

For A+N content this month, I shared polite British phrases (that actually mean the opposite), a fishing adventure on the English coast and making a Victorian breakfast!

All of these videos did badly ~queue sad music~ but I had a great time anyway. I meant to do a beach vlog this summer but I feel like the vibe has passed - maybe next year.

I missed one upload this month since I was sick, but hopefully we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming now. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Probably just jinxed it.

When I wasn’t ill, we caught up on Twitch, played Jackbox party games together, watched a bad movie, solved a mystery and played a spot of Geoguessr! 🌎📍

As always, it’s free to join the Twitch livestreams - please feel free to drop by if you have any interest in getting involved with the online community!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I reacted to British board games, plus shared my work calendar and all the videos I’ve been working on. Unfortunately my content schedule for the month was derailed (oops) but what can you do!

I also shared a behind-the-scenes look at the type of sponsorship emails I get as a creator (spoiler alert: some of them are wild).

What I’ve been watching + reading

We finally watched Obsession which was fab! 🍿 I can see why everyone was talking about it. We also watched Fuze which has loads of big names but honestly, gun to my head, I can’t really remember what happens in it… perhaps not the most memorable movie…

Looking back on this month, I’ve actually read a lot - both because I’m trying to make more time for it and also because I was sick and couldn’t do much else! 📚

I finished the whole Crescent City series - a really creative fantasy series with minimal stakes but super fun. Don’t let the 900-pages-each-book put you off!

Then I read Nutshell which rocked my world. If you can go into a book totally blind (aka don’t read the synopsis) this was so enjoyable to discover along with the characters. Loved it!!

Next was Touching the Void 🧗🏻❄️ Crazy!!!!!!! Halfway through the book I realised I already watched the movie but it had been a few years (I actually did a Youtube video about it). The book adds a lot more insight into how Joe felt and I’d definitely recommend reading it even if you’ve seen the movie.

I watched the movie again afterwards just to compare (still super good itself). I simply can’t imagine what he went through but also I’d never be in that situation in the first place 💀🏔️ Climbing an unclimbed mountain largely unprepared? No, thank you.

Bits that made me laugh

I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m really looking forward to a healthy and chill September 🍂🧡🌻 I love when the leaves change, bringing out the fuzzy jumpers and drinking all the pumpkin spice drinks… soon!! I think I’m going to put this summer behind me and start in on the autumn content - exciting times ahead!

Whether you had a nice summer (or not) I hope you have a great September!

Alanna x

My partner and I flew to Canada to visit friends and family and - gasp - didn’t get sick! What a miracle. We swam, we ate, we chatted and had a great time. No sunburns, either! ☀️🇨🇦

Unfortunately Canada had some wicked wildfires in Northern Ontario which turned the sky orange. The air quality was so dangerous we had to stay inside for a few days, which is a shame but not the end of the world (although it did kind of look like it).

It was a whirlwind and I had a great time - even if I forgot all my toiletries when I was packing and had to re-buy everything in England 😅 Whoops.

Oh, did I say I didn’t get sick? That was a lie.

Technically I didn’t get sick in Canada, but I did start feeling weird somewhere over the Atlantic and felt properly gross once we got home in England. Yay!

To be fair it hasn’t been terrible (like, not flu-level illness) but I’ve had a sore throat and then lost my voice for a week which gets reaaallll annoying when your job is to create videos (ones in which I speak in them!!!).

As I write this, my voice is like 80% back to normal but the coughing is rough 💀 Also there’s a heatwave and it’s 32C in this flat but who am I to complain?

I am. I’m complaining.

I’ve watched so many true crime documentaries, played the original Roller Coaster Tycoon and generally rotted on the couch for a week.

I’m slowing inching back to filming and I’m genuinely excited to get back into the swing of things. Slow and steady.

A+N Updates

Due to travel and scheduling, I missed two Youtube uploads this month. I honestly can’t remember the last time I missed two, but it is what it is and I’m grateful I had a relaxing time in Canada.

Before leaving, I posted British alcohol I’d never seen before which was genuinely so fun to make. I hope you liked the video!! 🍻

Then I made two videos while in Canada: British things I’ve missed while away and comparing the cost of groceries between Canadian and UK supermarkets! My Canadian videos tend to struggle more than my usual UK content so I really appreciate the love on those ones ❤️🇨🇦 It means a lot!

Since I was in Canada, I took a holiday from livestreaming on Twitch but we’re back at it Sunday night, post no-voice-and-heatwave. Literally so many fun games to try in August!!!

As always, it’s free to join the Twitch livestreams - please feel free to drop by if you have any interest in getting involved with the online community!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I shared my planning and packing for Canada, tried strange M&S snacks, reviewed books I’ve read this year and my Canada-trip-debrief! A little bit of everything. Thanks to all the support on the exclusive platforms - it helps keep the lights on when I’ve had to miss uploads 🙏🏻

What I’ve been watching + reading

For movies this month we watched Pressure while in Canada (literally about the weather surrounding D-Day) and I thought it was really good!! ⛈️ Who knew an hour and 40 minutes about the weather would be interesting but it really was! Great acting, too.

We also went to the cinema to see The Odyssey 🐎🍿 I really enjoyed it! I love Christopher Nolan so I’ll basically watch anything he makes, but this was beautiful in its own right. And even though it’s nearly three hours, the time flies by. I just wish he casted different people.

I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but when I see Tom Holland in anything I just see Tom Holland 💀💀💀 Tom, stop!!! You’re in enough things!!

In terms of true crime (if you’re into that sort of thing) I watched the newest episodes of Murder 24/7 (they’re dripping out episodes of the new season), all of Worst Neighbor Ever (crazy TV series), and A Toxic Love Story (a wild Netflix doc that I did not expect the ending).

Bits that made me laugh

What a month, full of ups and downs! I’m thankful for a great trip back home and I’m also thankful to be back home (2.0) and ready to get to work! Let’s make some videos!!!

Alanna x

Aside from the heat, it’s been a busy month. I’m going away to Canada in July for my yearly visit and I’m trying to backlog as much content as possible. I’m basically filming a video every third day - either a regular Youtube video or an exclusive Youtube membership/Patreon one.

I was doing pretty well! I’ll still probably have to skip a Youtube upload, but I’ve gotten a lot done which I’m very happy about.

Then came slight disaster. Twice, to be fair.

First drama: I really wanted to film a fishing vlog before I left for Canada (FYI I’m trying to learn how to fish and I wanted to bring the community along with me). I packed up all my bits, filmed an intro, booked my train ticket and I was off! About halfway to the station I heard a loud POP.

I set down my rod, looked into my backpack and could have cried on the spot.

My Coke Zero quite literally exploded in my bag. There was about 4 inches deep of amber liquid filling the bottom of my backpack. Everything was submerged: my vlog camera, my external microphone, my wallet, my external charger, my EarPods case….

In relatively shocking news, my little backpack has 2 external zipped pouches on the front, and those were completely dry! Not a single drop seeped through the bag. Who knew a £10 H&M bag from 7 years ago would be internally waterproof?

Anyway - I brought everything home, dried it off and set them up in front of a fan for bit. Then I transferred the most important bits to a bag of rice to leave for 24 hours.

Anxiously I opened it the next day.

The camera actually works! I think! It turns on, records and moves the camera lens properly. I’ll need to try it out further before setting out on a solo vlog, but that was a tentative relief! I have no idea how this will impact the battery long-term, but at least it seems to be working for now. I only upgraded to this camera back in November 🥲

The external microphone is dead. I’m not surprised, considering you can see liquid still inside. But thankfully buying a replacement is much cheaper than the camera itself.

While waiting for the new mic to arrive and testing out the camera, England has been hit with our second insane heatwave of the year and I can’t film my fishing vlog 😭 it’ll just have to wait until after I get back from Canada.

ps: it’s 30C inside my flat right now so any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes are simply none of my business.

Next week: Canada!!! 🙌🏻 🇨🇦 it’s come about so fast!!

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month we talked about strange pub habits and then taste tested the most popular ciders in the UK 🍻🍎 These videos did SUPER well so I’m very happy. Then I learned about British construction and shared UK fitness quirks (plus my own gym journey).

On Twitch we played Among Us (an old favourite) which was a fun throwback! We also tried out some random games I found on Steam and watched a painfully cringe movie!

As always, it’s free to join the Twitch livestreams - please feel free to drop by if you have any interest in getting involved with the online community!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month I tried low-alcohol drinks to see how’d they compare with the real deal, plus made my own ice lollies! I also vlogged behind-the-scenes as to what I’ve been up to this month, and reacted to the Brinks-Mat robbery 💰⛓️

It’s been a varied month, that’s for sure.

What I’ve been watching + reading

A few years ago we played Escape the Backrooms on Twitch (which I loved) so I was really excited to see the new movie! It felt exactly like the game - super uneasy and anxiety-filled. I can’t believe the director was a 20 year old Youtuber! Wild.

I also watched Widow’s Bay and loved it. I thought it was super funny and yet also pretty spooky with incredible writing. I can’t wait for season two!

For books this month, I read A Court of Silver Flames - the final book (for now) in the romance-fantasy series ACOTAR. It was super fun! Really easy to read and an exciting new perspective on the series.

Then for something different, I read Jamaica Inn. 🇬🇧 I loved Rebecca by the same author and this was just as good. It’s beautifully written, incredibly moody and atmospheric and I never guessed the ending!

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you had a great June! I’m excited to visit my family, lay in the sun and relax (at least a little bit!).

Alanna x

After a pretty busy April, the biggest things I’ve done this month have both been for videos - a solo afternoon out and then my first-ever visit to the RAF museum!

(I had to look through my camera roll to remind myself of this month, and that’s pretty much the entirety of my photos).

It’s been good, though! I’ve been really proud of my videos whether they performed well or not. And I’m excited about my video plan for June! The cycle never stops.

In non-Youtube-related-news, I dog-sat my friend’s Cocker Spaniel for the first time 🐶 She’s adorable and sooo well trained that it was a total dream.

And finally, the hottest May day on record. I think it happened twice, actually?

I had sweat coming out of places I didn’t even know could sweat.

Everything turned a red hue.

I was crawling around our flat, trying to find any type of relief (feet in a bucket of cold water, wet tea towel on my shoulders).

I always loved summer in Canada, but it’s definitely not my favourite in England - especially living in flats built to retain heat (and yet somehow super drafty in the winter? How???)

33C has a different vibe when you’re on holiday on a beach somewhere versus sat at my desk trying to edit a video. Okay, I’m done complaining.

Also in that kind of heat, it was hard to think let alone be productive. And I broke out in a rash from sweating so much.

Okay, now I’m done.

Hope you survived this month!!!!!!!!!!!

A+N Updates

Youtube this month saw reacting to fascinating British inventions, a fun solo date out, visiting the Royal Airforce museum and a taste-test of weird Amazon UK food! It’s been pretty varied this month and I’ve loved making them all.

On Twitch we played our favourite Golf With Your Friends game, plus Jackbox (an A+N classic). I made the community watch a terrible movie (which was genuinely hilarious) and we hung out!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I reacted to more British 80s adverts, shared my trip to Marseille and taste-tested strange ALDI stuff!

I also shared how I organize A+N as a business and to finish off the month, I reacted to funny videos. There’s been a lot!

What I’ve been watching + reading

You know how I said I want to get to the cinema more (especially since I pay for an unlimited membership?) I didn’t go this month 💀 Oops.

To be fair, I haven’t see loads of movies this month at home, either! We’ve still been watching Homeland and the new season of Taskmaster. We also watched the new show Man On Fire which was fine but I’ll probably forget it exists in a week or two.

In terms of books, I buckled and finally started reading the viral fantasy series ACOTAR 💫📚

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1) 🌹 This started out exactly how I thought the series was, but the second half was much more dark than I imagined - a pleasant surprise!

A Court of Mist and Fury (Book 2) 🔥 This was my favourite so far. You’re introduced to a variety of interesting characters, learn more about the lore and explore new places. Super fun!

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book 3) 🪽This one was pretty boring considering there’s a giant battle but somehow didn’t feel like loads happened in this one. Still an easy, enjoyable read.

A Court of Frost and Starlight (a much shorter Book 4) ❄️ This was by far the worst one. The writing is lazy and genuinely nothing happens. It’s fine if you go into this one knowing is more like cozy filler than any real plot…

There’s still one more book released in the ACOTAR series which I’ll come back to next month.

In-between all the fantasy, I also read the heartbreaking autobiography When Breath Becomes Air by neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi who comes to terms with his terminal cancer diagnosis in this 30s. Not for the faint of heart, but a beautiful insight into the act of dying.

Talk about a genre-switch from all the lighthearted fantasy I read earlier in the month!

After all that I read True Grit 🤠 Kind of crazy that I haven’t seen the movie before, but this was a really quick, funny, enjoyable read. Mattie rules!!

And finally, I transitioned to Japanese fiction and read Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Even though it’s a pretty cute time-travelling coffee shop novel, the characters and their stories are actually pretty heavy and moving. I know there’s a few more in the series but I’m happy with just reading this one - I think more of the same will get a bit boring. This first book was really good, though! ☕🇯🇵

Bits that made me laugh

Will June be just as sweaty as May?? I can’t wait to find out!!

Stay hydrated out there, folks. I hope you had a great May and an even better June! ☀️

Alanna x

April has been a combination of short trips and quiet work. And then I blinked somewhere and now I’m writing another end-of-month newsletter.

I visited Suffolk for the first time (it was kind of last month but in-between newsletters so it counts for this one). I went with my partner’s family for a weekend visit and had a lovely time! Honestly that feels like so long ago now lol We walked along the beach, explored cute villages and saw so many dogs. 🐕🌊

And then lots of reading, filming, crocheting, editing, exercising, sleeping… only to finish off the month in Marseille! 🇫🇷 I’ve literally just got back home!

My childhood best friend and her husband are doing a big Europe trip for their honeymoon and invited us to pop over to France while they were there - and had such a fun time! We did some touristy bits but mainly ate good food, drank cocktails on patios and hung out. It was a short trip but I’m so grateful that we were able to go.

As much as being an expat abroad can be romanticised (and it IS wonderful) only seeing my best friend once a year when I visit home is hard. It ends up being like, 3 days out of 365 that we get to see each other (assuming I don’t spend the entire trip sick). So spending dedicated time with them both in France meant a lot.

A+N Updates

Well, well well. Youtube was a rollercoaster this month! I taste-tested some of Britain’s oldest beers, reacted to 90s adverts, reflected on the ways I’m still foreign and tried a million instant coffees!

And then promptly felt so horrible I wanted to throw up or run a marathon! It performed badly with subscribers but I was really surprised by the taste test and what I learned. And now that I’ve got a literal ton of instant coffee, I’m doing some experiments with it as iced coffee instead of using my usual grounds in cold brew. We’ll see how it turns out!

Twitch was filled with cozy fun this month, as usual. We watched a bad movie, played games, crafted a London bus and generally hung out. As someone who works for themselves (and at home), our twice-weekly Twitch hangouts remind me that there’s life out there 👩🏻‍🚀

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I shared my visit to Suffolk, had my weirdest taste-test ever, baked my first lemon meringue pie, shared some A+N behind-the-scenes of what I’m currently working on and reacted to more British adverts!

My rule for A+N is all Youtube videos need to be related to the UK in some way. Even if the relation is minimal. But my rule for the exclusive content is to make whatever comes to mind, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.

What I’ve been watching + reading

I finally got out to the cinema this month to see Project Hail Mary! 🚀 🛰️ I loved it just like everyone else, it seems. I read the book awhile ago and really enjoyed it so I was curious to see how the two would compare with each other.

Where I read books without reading the back-cover (or knowing anything about it) I thought it was going to be a bleak, dark, end-of-the-world sci-fi. I was very pleasantly surprised #nospoilers

Plus the movie stays true to the book, which is always a bonus for adaptations.

Okay I just looked and I actually bought the book back in April of 2024. And then watched the movie and wrote about it in this newsletter in April 2026. Strange.

This month I read both Sekret Machines books (Chasing Shadows and A Fire Within) I LOVED the first book. It’s a proper X-Files thriller that was super fun, fast-paced and incorporates so many real-world stories/conspiracies 👽🛸 I could have done without the second book. It’s still fast, but it gets really silly.

If you’d like to try an X-Files-vibe book, read the first one and skip the second.

Then I pivoted to something totally different and read Still Life. I loved this 🦜 It’s incredibly moving, has beautiful imagery and made me miss my trip to Florence. It’s one of those books where “nothing happens” but shows snapshots of a family across the decades. A+

Bits that made me laugh

Hellllooooo May! I hope I get to see the sun, create some successful videos and start work on my upcoming British citizenship application 🤯 where has the time gone?

Alanna x

I was spoiled by my friends and family PLUS we had beautiful weather so I’m very grateful.

I had mentioned to my partner that I was interested in fishing - I’ve been experimenting with hobbies (particularly offline ones) and I always enjoyed fishing as a kid with my grandpa, so why not as an adult? Wouldn’t you know it, my partner bought me my first rod, lures and line! 🎣 We headed to the coast and had a wonderful day out. There’s so much to learn but I’m excited.

I also livestreamed on Twitch for 24 hours to celebrate my Birthday Marathon party 🎂🎉 (more details below!!)

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month, I made dinner and chatted about life in the UK, shared my favourite British money habits and reacted to 80s adverts!

I have a music-related video uploaded and was planning on posting it this month but it’s been caught up in copyright disputes. I don’t want to remove all the music from it because I think it makes a big difference to the overall video and I’ve used such short segments that it should qualify for fair use, but I still have to dispute all the claims anyway.

I hope I can post the video - some day! 🤞🏻 Fingers crossed!!

We had our massive Birthday Livestream Marathon on Twitch this month! There were games, challenges, music and shots! 🎉 The audience kept the livestream timer going for over 24 hours until I finally capped it! I had so much fun and then promptly slept for 13 hours.

If you joined in, whether for 5 minutes or 24 hours, thank you so much for the support. I know Twitch isn’t the vibe for many of the A+N Youtube audience, but it’s fun and it helps support A+N from all different directions. So thank you!!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I shared behind-the-scenes set-up for our Twitch marathon, baked a Nigella recipe, unboxed so many wonderful birthday gifts to my PO Box and shared the start-to-finish process of creating a Youtube video!

I’m actually heading out for a short weekend break to Suffolk that I’m hoping to vlog for my next exclusive video - just praying it doesn’t rain all weekend!! ☔

Edenbridge

This month for Edenbridge (the fragrance company I run with my partner) we’ve been working on limited edition candles (alongside our usual product shipments).

Every year for my Twitch livestream marathon, I create special Edenbridge candles as prizes for various activities - whoever wins our Golf with Friends tournament, or our Scavenger Hunt winner, etc, etc. Last year’s theme was Birthday Party and this year we went with something a bit more British 🕯️🇬🇧 to celebrate my 10 years in the UK.

After finally deciding on what kind of vibe we want, we’ve now been stuck waiting on one remaining scent and then we can finally start making them!

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month we re-watched all of The Thick of It! Unbelievably funny and also a bit painful to know it’s inspired by real-life British politics…

I’ve been busy with a few books this month…

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore - A dark crime thriller 🧪 Really enjoyed the vibes on this one and I wasn’t excepting the end, which is always a bonus for mystery novels!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - This was OK! 🇬🇧 I’m glad I read it, and I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere and how basically every character is literally awful, but it felt a bit long. I was happy when this one was done.

Shane - A 1940s western that’s become one of my favourites!! This is simple and beautiful and one of the best representations of pure, gentle masculinity I’ve ever read 🤠💛

Bits that made me laugh

Hello, April!! I can’t wait for spring weather and being outside!!!!!!!! ☀️🌷🪻 I’ve also just booked a short trip to France to see one of my girlfriends and I can’t wait!!!

Hope you have a great month!!

Alanna x

Good Stuff

Adventures and Naps had some great views this month! Not necessarily the videos I posted in February, mind you, but it always feels great when any video does really well. Reminds me that I still got it!!

Bad Stuff

I’ve been perhaps a bit anxious lately and maybe have been clenching my teeth and perchance (never used that word before, hope it was the correct usage) broke my tooth.

You ever have that happen?

I heard/felt a crack and then spat out an alarmingly large chunk of molar.

Uhhhh… that’s not supposed to happen.

Thankfully I got an emergency appointment two hours later at my dentist, x-rays completed, tooth-hole-assessed, and I’m now the proud new owner of a giant half-re-constructed molar! It’s basically a huge silver filing and hopefully that will be enough. If it breaks, or I have problems with it, then I have to go down the expensive crown route 🥲 So knock on wood this works OK.

It’s weird, though, because it’s a triangle-shaped-tooth as I’ve completely lost one of the corners.

Also: don’t clench your teeth.

And before you say it: yes. I’ll look at getting some kind of mouth guard for sleeping. I know. I don’t want to. But I know.

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I learned about British rally racing, visited a lesser known museum, shared British small talk rules and reacted to 70s adverts! Quite a variety!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m so grateful to cover a range of topics and video formats. I’d be so bored making the same thing over and over again. I know not everyone likes all of my video formats (you can’t please everyone!) but it’s certainly helped with the longevity of the channel (and my own sanity).

On Twitch this month we played some multiplayer games, worked on my knitted blanket, watched an awful movie and tried some new games! We’re currently in the middle of an extra-spooky Blair Witch game that definitely didn’t give me nightmares lol 😅

I’ve also been gearing up for my annual 🎉 Birthday Livestream Marathon 🎉 starting on Friday 6th of March! Twitch is free to watch if you’d like to join in! You get extra perks if you subscribe but you really don’t have to.

I’ll be live starting around 5pm GMT that Friday and will stream as long as the audience decides! Last year it was until Monday night 💀 I’ve been working on photoshop competitions, community events and donation milestones! 💖 I hope you can pop by!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I vlogged a solo afternoon out, taste-tested weird Valentine’s Day snacks, shared my favourite books lately and a chaotic painting craft!

My rule with A+N is that all Youtube videos must be somehow related to the UK. It can be a light relation, but it needs to be related. With the exclusive videos, I like doing basically any other topic. Keeps things fun and always different.

Edenbridge

I realised I talk about my fragrance company Edenbridge so infrequently that most people don’t know about it.

Hi! 👋🏻 My partner and I have a fragrance company. It’s so much fun and I’m really proud of it. We’ve been going for like, five years now.

Next month, after the chaos of my livestream marathon, I’m going to be hunkering down and making so many candles. 🕯️ The house will be full of candles, just wait.

We’ve always sold candles alongside our usual fragrance line but they can be a bitch to make. We create them across 3 separate melts: melt the wax and the fragrance to the right temperature and percentage, pour, wait to set. We do that 3 times for each candle so they’re ✨ just right ✨ but that takes a lot of time.

But I miss them! So I’m setting aside a bunch of time in March to build-up our candle stock again.

We’ve also been working on a new scent, potentially. Since we blend everything at home, we don’t have loads of space for a million different products (and all their packaging) so we’re very picky about which scents get chosen for final products. Watch this space for updates!!

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month we’ve been watching the new season of The Pitt! So far it’s been just as good as Season One, which is a relief! We also watched 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ☠️ talk about a waste of time!! We literally did not need that movie.

I read three very different books this month (and as always, no spoilers):

🐦‍⬛ The Nightingale by Kirstin Hannah - A family’s story during WWII. Super sad but gripping.

🔪 Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. A murder-mystery that is also super funny and I couldn’t guess the ending, which is always a bonus!

💞 The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. A queer romance that was so enthralling I was completely blindsided by the direction that the plot went. Fab read.

Bits that made me laugh

Goodbye rainy February, and hello hopefully-slightly-more-dry March! I hope you had a good month and an even better one to come.

Alanna x

To be honest, it was nice getting right back into the swing of things after the holiday chaos. I’ve been really enjoying filming on my normal schedule again and getting back into my usual routine.

Don’t tell anyone, but I kind of love routines.

I don’t know about you, but I avoid “New Years Resolutions” each year because there’s such a negative connotation. Pick a thing you want to change this year! Never follow through!! Feel terrible!!!!!

Instead I like to brainstorm specific things I want to focus on. I only have so much energy and so much time - what do I want to use it on? I find this framing much more enjoyable (and actually successful).

I break them up into different categories (because organization = yay!) A few of my 2026 Focuses are:

💪🏻 Fitness

• I’m getting a bit bored with my weight lifting routines so I’m going to try out a new training split (Push, Pull, Legs) for something different

• Run once a week (my cardio hasn’t been great…)

🧶Creative

• Experiment with my new Commonplace book (there’s loads of great videos online if you’re interested in learning more).

💻 Content

• Get my latest Youtube channel monetized - and we did it!!! 🎉🎉🎉 I can’t believe I now have 3 monetized Youtube channels!!! If you love terrible Hallmark movies as much as I do, check out my movie recap channel Talking Hallmark.

• My next content-related goal will be to keep posting movie recaps whenever I’m ahead with A+N. It can be hard to juggle everything, but I’m trying my best.

🌻Mental

• Try one mindful activity each week - it doesn’t have to be something different each week

• So far I’ve done a hour long solo walk without my headphones, completed a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, started my commonplace book and meditated each day!

• It’s been really fun finding something new each week that takes me away from being online or generally being distracted.

Ooh, one last thing. Scams! I made a few posts on social media but I figured I’d mention it here, too.

Scams on Youtube are as common as videos. We had one person go wild in the comment section of my British military inventions video and it seemed to fool a lot of people.

The basics of the scam is to pretend to be me and get people to message them, usually on Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. The reason being? It’s next to impossible to trace the number after the scam is complete. Wonderful!

On these screenshots you can see the difference when I comment on a video versus the fake account. Always look at the channel name, too. Mine is “Adventures and Naps” and not "Alanna_OFFICIAL-Via_Tele-gram” (or no channel name at all). Please practice internet safety!!

If you ever see a scam comment, you can usually flag it yourself or report it - that really helps online creators.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk!! 🙇🏻‍♀️

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I learned about British military inventions, shared 16 British things that sound fake (but are actually true), found the best British cocktail and shared a wintery vlog! It was a busy month and I had a lot of fun.

On Twitch this month we played random Steam games, watched a terrible movie, crafted a book nook (unsuccessfully…), played games together and generally hung out! Like my Youtube videos, I like to keep our Twitch livestreams varied as well.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month, I vlogged getting my ear pierced, tried a million Irish snacks, shared my A+N analytics for 2025, baked a fancy Mary Berry recipe and shared all my mindfulness activities so far this year. Again, it’s been a busy month!! But a good one!! 🙌🏻

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I read Babel (OK) and The Briar Club (great). I never read the synopsis or the back cover of a book before reading it as I love to be surprised, so naturally I had no idea what either of these books were about! I love that. 📚 Babel was interesting as an alternate-reality Oxford with some really surprising plot twists but largely I found it a bit annoying. The Briar Club was a great murder-mystery with loads of interesting characters that all felt very genuine.

I’ve always meant to watch the first season of Homeland since everyone talks about how great it was - so I did! And it was great! Even though it’s 15 years old (yep, that’s right) it still really holds up.

For something totally different, I took my partner to the Royal Opera in London to see La traviata! 🎭 It was incredible and such a special experience. The singing?? The music?? Wow. Seeing people do what they’re great at, and do it exceptionally well, is genuinely inspiring. I hope to go back again some day!

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you’ve had a great start to your 2026! It’s been busy here but a good kind of busy. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to really look ahead yet, but maybe that’ll be my next mindful activity…

Alanna x

Exhale.

First: I was sick. 🤧 Horrible tonsillitis which eventually turned into a lovely illness that dragged on and on…

Then: my Mum came for a visit! This is our fourth annual Mini Christmas visit! 🎄🎁 We made flower wreaths, did loads of walking, completed our traditional Christmas puzzle, and had an early Christmas dinner! There were Christmas markets, sweet treats, crafting, meals out and pints at the pub.

As part of her Christmas present, I also took her to London to see the play Witness for the Prosecution. 👩🏻‍⚖️🔗 It was so much fun!! It’s performed at the London County Hall inside the courtroom which made the play so much more interesting and intimate than one at a traditional theatre.

If you ever find yourself in the area, I would totally recommend it.

And finally: actual Christmas! 🎅🏻 We visited my partner’s family, opened presents, ate too much, FaceTimed with my family and actually did some work! We’re both self-employed so it never ends, but I’m grateful to have it!!!

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I celebrated 10 years in the UK, reacted to this year’s British Christmas adverts and shared strange British Christmas traditions!

Unfortunately my Christmas adverts video was copyright blocked so I won’t earn anything from it. 📺❌ But to be fair, it performed really badly so hey ho. On the flip side, my video about Christmas traditions was crazy popular!! Swings and roundabouts, eh??

On Twitch this month we’ve been playing this choices-matter game that I’m obsessed with, watched a terrible Christmas movie (another one of my obsessions lol) crafted, chatted and hung out! I also live-streamed for a few hours on Boxing Day for those of us who are avoiding family or don’t have family to spend time with this Christmas.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month I shared the behind-the-scenes of getting the house ready for Mum’s visit and what we got up to while she was here.

I also opened ✨literally✨ a million PO Box gifts - y’all are too generous!!! For safety reasons, my PO Box is only available on Patreon/Youtube Memberships, which is a much smaller group than Youtube at large, and even still there were so many wonderful presents. Thank you!!!!!!!! 🙇🏻‍♀️

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I read Poisoner in Chief by Stephen Kinzer and I literally couldn’t put it down. It covers the early days of the CIA, one man’s obsession with mind control and the tragedy of MKULTRA. Genuinely such a fascinating read but also beautifully written. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

We watched the latest Knives Out movie Wake Up Dead Man 🔪 It was fun! I really like all of the Knives Out movies and this one was no exception. On the flip side we also watched Train Dreams which might be one of my favourites this year. It’s one of the most beautiful, haunting, and heartfelt movies I’ve seen in a long time (but it’s definitely not for everyone). 🌲🪓 It felt like I was following Arthur from Red Dead Redemption 2 again (one of my all-time favourite games). I loved it, but I can see why some people will find it boring.

Bits that made me laugh

What a year it’s been!!! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and/or December in general 🎄❄️💚 As the chaos of Christmas begins to wind down, I’ve been thinking about 2026 and what I want to work towards… there’s a lot! I’m actually prepping my next video (for filming Sunday morning), and an upcoming sponsorship! It never ends but I’m excited to see what happens next and where we go in 2026.

Alanna x

🤯

It hasn’t actually been 10 years, right?

Surely not.

Next comes the realisation that I’ve spent more of my adult life in England than in Canada, so what does that make me??

Who doesn’t love an existential crisis in the morning?

I’m just about to film a chatty 10 Year Anniversary video for Youtube so please keep your eyes out for that one! But what I’ll say now is that:

1. It doesn’t feel real

2. 10 years is such a long time

3. I am aging faster than feels possible

4. Does it ever slow down???????

Aside from the big questions this month, I had a lot of fun! I filmed another solo vlog in London, went to a comedy show with a friend, saw a movie at the cinema, put up our Christmas tree, worked a lot, bought Christmas presents and planned out my Mum’s December visit! 🍿🎁🎄 It’s been chaotic but also good. I like to do as much of my Christmas planning/gifting in November so it takes the pressure off of December and I can hopefully chill out!!

And then guess what? Tonsillitis 💀 I’ve actually been sick at home for the last week, miserable, pus-filled and snotty. So all my plans have come to a standstill and my focus is on getting better before my Mum arrives. Fingers crossed!!

A+N Updates

Youtube was a mixed bag this month!! I shared some cheeky ways to piss off the English, learned about the Battle of Britain, visited the Science Museum and chatted all things Wetherspoons!!

It can be really interesting/exciting/heartbreaking to see how videos perform after they go live. I always think I can guess their performance after doing this for so many years but even still, there’s always surprises.

Piss of the English - super popular 🎉

Battle of Britain - started off great! Then it died immediately, no pun intended 💀

Science Museum - baaaddddd, which to be fair, is pretty much guaranteed for my solo vlogs 😭 (but I keep doing them).

Wetherspoons - OK! Not a banger, but not terrible 🍻

On Twitch this month we crafted an adorable book nook, played games together and generally hung out! I also made everyone watch a terrible Christmas movie where an angel tries to help this woman sort out her life. It was incredibly awful and I loved it 👼🏻

As always, if you want to be part of the livestream community, pop over to Twitch any Wednesday or Sunday night! 🌃 It’s a great place to hang out.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

For my exclusive content this month I shared a giant behind-the-scenes vlog, baked my own Great British Bake Off dessert, put up our Christmas tree and taste-tested some weird Christmas sweets! 🎄 A bit of everything this month!

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I read Rebecca by by Daphne du Maurier and absolutely loved it. I couldn’t wait to pick it up each night and continue where I left off!! For a book written in the 1930s, Rebecca still feels so relevant, relatable and fascinating. I read everything on my Kindle now since we’ve run out of room for actual books, but I might buy a copy just for my collection - I loved it that much.

We saw Bugonia this month in the cinema and I really enjoyed it! 🍿 Weird, intriguing, dark and funny - good stuff! Plus, not going to lie, I love cinema popcorn. Even if the movie is bad, I’ve got my popcorn and I’m happy!! (sweet and salty for me, thanks!)

Bits that made me laugh

It’s nearly time for Christmas lights to cancel out the dreariness of November!! 🎄I can’t wait. Also can’t wait until I’m not sick - that would be nice, too. I hope you have a cozy Christmas!!

I usually livestream a few extra days around Christmas for those who don’t spend the holidays with family (don’t want to, or maybe can’t?) so please follow me on Twitch if you’d like to join! It’s free to follow and you’ll be notified when I go live.

Alanna x

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I was approved to stay in the UK indefinitely!!!!!!

I literally cannot stress what a big deal this is. There’s been so many times over the last decade where my situation has changed, visas have changed, and it’s looked like I wouldn’t be eligible to stay in England anymore. That would mean losing my life here with my partner, losing all my friends, losing the second home I’ve built here and losing Adventures and Naps.

When I first came to England at 22, I had no future plans. I didn’t even know if I would like living in England! But you never know until you try. After following my gut and curiosity over the last nearly 10 years, I’ve found myself in love with this place and so grateful to still be allowed to call it home (or second home 🇨🇦🇬🇧). What a ride it’s been.

But after having that uncertainty of visas over my head since 2015, I don’t even know HOW to feel relaxed. What is that like?? Is it this feeling now??

After months of planning, filling out the application, studying (and passing) the Life in the UK test, attending my Biometrics appointment and paying an ungodly amount of money, it’s all over.

Now: exhale.

………………….

So, anything else happen this month? I honestly couldn’t tell you lol What a blur!!

It’s hard to imagine I was actually in Canada for the beginning of October. I attended my childhood best friend’s wedding (amazing), went on cozy woodland hikes, sat in the sun in my bathing suit (shocking for October) and had our very own Thanksgiving meal. 🍂🦃 It was a lovely trip and I’m so thankful for family, friends and not getting sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first non-sick-trip since before Covid!! I think the curse has been broken (knock on wood)!

A+N Updates

What happened on Youtube this month? Good question! I learned about the history of witchcraft in Britain, reflected on the negatives of being a foreigner in England and shared my latest visa result!

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone’s support over the years. My visa video received SO many kind comments and it really does mean a lot to me. I started A+N because I felt a bit directionless and lonely, and here we are years later with such a beautifully kind and funny community. THANK YOU 🙏🏻

On Twitch this month we navigated spooky Geoguessr maps, watched a terrible Halloween Hallmark movie, carved a pumpkin and screamed through a terrifying clown game! 🎃🤡 As always, if you want to join in with the livestreams, pop over to Twitch on Wednesday and Sunday nights! It’s free to join and it’s a great community to be a part of.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I reacted to spooky ghost ship stories, shared a behind-the-scene vlog in Canada, tried weird Halloween sweets and laughed to some of my favourite videos lately! They were all fun to make and I really appreciate the support on those platforms.

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I was browsing my Kindle homepage and noticed the book: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It was listed as a “cozy fantasy book” and that’s all the convincing I needed. I loved it! So sweet, so heartwarming. I was genuinely smiling while I read it.

Then I read Burn by Peter Heller after my partner recommended it. Wow. 🔥 You know how there’s some books that scratch your brain in just the right way? Burn was that for me. Gorgeous, brutal, genuine. If you need a new book, please read this without reading the back cover or synopsis. Discovering the plot alongside the characters was genuinely incredible.

We’ve also been on a Robert Redford kick this month with The Sting, All the Presidents Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Lions for Lambs and Jeremiah Johnson. So, you know, just a few. Honestly he’s done so many great films - definitely check out his credits if you’re looking for something to watch!

Bits that made me laugh

What a crazy month!!! In a few minutes, we’ll have mulled wine, pretty Christmas lights and panic-shopping! I hope you had a great Spooky Month and an even better November!!

See you then!

Alanna x

I don’t know what time it is or where I am in space and time but I arrived safe and sound in Canada, albeit jet lagged.

My trip has only just started but I’m so grateful to be here (and extra-grateful it’s not that long of a flight here). It ends up being a full-day of travel but it could be so much worse.

After doing London-Toronto and back for so many years, I’d say I’m a bit of a professional. Just call me a “Professional Jeg-Lag Survivor.**” I find forcing myself into a Canadian routine as quickly as possible helps turn the jet lag around. So getting up at the right time, eating lunch at the right time, having dinner at the right time and forcing myself to stay awake until the right bedtime. It’s rough for a few days, but being really strict about it all right from the get-go usually means I’ll turn around faster.

**any typos or grammatical errors aren’t my fault

Even though we’ve only just got here, we’ve already done so much - including a Blue Jays baseball game! ⚾ 🇨🇦 I haven’t been to a game in aggeeesss so it was great AND it was $1 Hotdog night 🌭 I think the final count for hotdogs sold that night was nearly 90,000. That’s a lot of wieners.

The annual joke is that my partner and I always get sick whenever we visit Canada. Sadly it’s a joke that’s often true and actually not funny at all. After both working from home for years, we basically are never exposed to germs anymore and once we travel abroad BOOM instant sickness.

But so far so good. I probably just jinxed it but not much we can do. I’m actually hoping that maybe my year of solo trips in England has helped. Nothing like getting coughed on on the Tube to help build your immune system, right?

A+N Updates

YouTube is always a rollercoaster ride and this month was no different. I went from one of my worst-ever videos (which British biscuit is best for dunking) to a great upload (the British test I have to pass for my next visa). From one extreme to another! 🫨

It can be soooo easy to fall into a spiral.

1. Come up with video idea - super excited about it

2. Work hard on video.

3. Post video.

4. Nobody clicks on the video.

5. Youtube thinks: “Wow, this must suck” and stops showing the video

6. Video dies a horrible, pitiful death.

7. Alanna cries.

It’s like Youtube sits me down and says: “Honey, maybe you’re just not that good anymore, huh? Maybe everyone hates you” as Youtube condescendingly pats my hand.

Screw you, Youtube! You’re not my real Dad!!!!!

One of my biggest pieces of advice for other creators (whatever platform you’re on) is simply: keep going. If I stopped, disheartened, after a video did poorly (or got shitty comments) I would have stopped June 2017 (I know the exact video, too lol maybe you watched it?).

You can’t please everyone and you certainly can’t please a faceless algorithm so you just gotta keep going. I’m always proud of the original content I create and sometimes that’s all you can ask for.

Rant aside, I also posted reacting to Greg Davies (didn’t realise so many of you don’t think he’s funny 💀).

And finally this month, I tried a bit of an experiment. Originally I made a video called “Reacting to Britain’s CRAZIEST Tescos!” with a thumbnail very much in my usual style. But then I thought: let’s try something different. I changed the title and thumbnail before posting and I was so excited about it. But sometimes it’s worse when you’re excited because you don’t want to get your hopes up.

But I got my hopes up.

And the video did so well!! AHHhhhhh! I love it when that happens.

I appreciate that you won’t like every video I make and that’s absolutely to be expected. But I do appreciate the continued support, kindness and encouragement over the years to allow me to take chances and try new things. So thank you 🙇🏻‍♀️

On Twitch this month I broke out Sims 3 (a personal favourite), plus we had a Golf With Your Friends tournament and crashed out over a craft. Love it. Definitely didn’t nearly cry over a craft, certainly not.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I shared a behind-the-scenes vlog, did a posh Waitrose taste test, packed for Canada and opened SO many PO Box goodies. All very different videos, but all really fun to make!!

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I read No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy and loved it. It was another one of those movies I always meant to watch but never got around to it, so I decided to read the book first and I’m so glad I did. It’s beautiful, bleak and brutal - my favourite!!

It’s also one of the closest book-to-movie adaptation I’ve ever seen. The film perfectly incapsulates the book and follows it (nearly) exactly. That doesn’t happen often.

After a Texas/crime/thriller/western/shootout type book, I read The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is a really fun and accessible fantasy book with the added bonus of a murder-mystery. Sometimes I find fantasy books to be intimidating because the world-building and lore can be super confusing but this was pretty simple. Plus you can absolutely just read this book on its own, rather than having to commit to a 6-book series.

Bits that made me laugh

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of this trip, but either way I’m excited! Hope you’ve had a great September and a wonderful start to your autumn!

Alanna x

August also marks the halfway point of one of my secret projects… did you know I have 3 YouTube channels lol 💀 literally why do I do this to myself. Have I talked about them all before??

So obviously there’s Adventures and Naps - this is my main focus, the project that keeps the lights on and the one I fall asleep thinking about.

Then a few years ago I made Introverted Expat - this was more of a challenge to see if I could get another channel monetised and a nice side-project for something different. Introverted Expat is solely for foreigners looking to move to the UK: how to rent a flat, what’s a biometric residence appointment like, what to know when applying for various visas, etc, etc.

Originally Adventures and Naps was meant to be like Introverted Expat, but where A+N was watched primarily by British people (even from the start) I slowly stopped making how-to content because it wasn’t reaching the right audience. Lucky for them, British people don’t need to know how to apply for visas!

But I missed making that content so Introverted Expat was born. I haven’t posted much there in awhile, largely because a new project has been taking up all my spare time…

Talking Hallmark lol Let me explain. About once a month I host a Bad Movie Night with our Twitch community and for the last few years I’ve picked Hallmark movies. The plots are ridiculous, the budgets are non-existent and they’re super fun to watch with a group. Back in February my partner suggested: what about a channel recapping all the bad Hallmark movies we watch?

And I thought: absolutely. I love it. 🎬🍿

I haven’t mentioned Talking Hallmark on Youtube because I don’t want people to subscribe who won’t watch the content, just those who will actually enjoy the videos. It actually hurts a channel if you subscribe to show support but never watch the videos (so please only sub if it interests you!!!!)

Anyway - it’s been 6 months of Talking Hallmark and my goal is to get it monetised before the 1 year mark. I love making these videos as they’re totally different from A+N but they take soooo muchhh timmeeeee…. at the 1 year mark, I have to decide if I want to keep going or not. Part of me feels guilty because I should be putting all that extra creative effort into A+N, but I also think having a different project helps me creatively with A+N in the long run, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I love to make videos and I make a lot of them lol

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month, I shared British books that blew my mind! 📚 This is one of the worst videos I’ve posted in a while 💀 I guess the Youtube audience doesn’t like to read as much as me? That’s okay. Still disappointing, though. If you are looking for book recommendations, there’s loads of great novels in that video (I promise).

I also shared my experiences of 1-year-solo-vlogging and reacted to British humour. Thank you so much for all the kind comments on both videos, it really means a lot!

But just because it’s been a year of solo vlogs, doesn’t mean I’m stopping any time soon! For my next one, I had a solo beach day this month and only got a little bit sunburnt! 🏖️☀️ And it went viral! At least for me. I couldn’t believe the views and all the thoughtful comments on that video - thank you so much!!! I’ve never had a video hit 100K views in 24 hours before, it’s insane.

On Twitch this month we did some crafting, became a border security guard and watched a shockingly bad Hallmark movie. A great month!! If you ever find a game you think would be fun for streaming, let me know! We’ve played some real weird ones over the years lol (they’re my favourite).

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I did a massive taste test, shared what I’ve been up to lately, cooked a community members submitted recipe, shared my favourite TikTok videos and compared British and Canada stereotypes! It’s been a busy one.

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and loved it! I thought it might be slow, dull, dated - you know, the kind of books they make you read in school and you end up hating them. But that wasn’t the case at all. It’s a beautiful book and I kept thinking about it long after I finished it 📖

After the book, my partner and I watched the movie! 🍿 I had seen so many clips and sections from the movie over the years but never actually watched it. And I loved it. I will say, it’s not as good as the book. I wish they kept a few things closer to the novel but I understand why they changed what they did.

The movie is still fab and I think it stands up, even 50 years later (yes, 50 years!!!!!).

I’ve also started Death Stranding 2 and I’m obsessed. I loved the first game and this is basically the same thing with a few changes. It’s definitely a polarising game, but I think Hideo Kojima is a genius and I’ll play anything he makes.

Bits that made me laugh

Here comes September!!! It’s going to be super busy for me but I’m excited. I hope you have a great one! 🍂🌻🧡

Alanna x

Now the weather update is done, what actually happened this month? I think where I work every day, the days just bleed into each other. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, I genuinely love what I do, but the time does feel like it slips away. And suddenly it’s the end of the month and I’m sat here trying to think of fun updates to share. Like literally what happened.

Looking through my camera roll, July was full of a lot of hobbies outside of work: weightlifting, crocheting, gaming, knitting, reading… 🏋🏻‍♀️🧶🎮📚 I know my life won’t always allow for spare time to dedicate towards hobbies, so I’m making the most of it now!

I also had a look at my calendar and realised my upcoming trip to Canada is approaching faster than I thought. It’s going to be a busy one (with a 3-day Hen-Do and my best friend’s wedding) so I won’t have as much time to film/edit/work. I’m hoping to get a decent backlog of completed videos up and running so I can film in Canada but not have to worry about editing until I’m already back in England. We’ll see! It never goes exactly to plan but it’s good to plan anyway.

I haven’t been back home in the autumn since I first moved to the UK! 😳 My yearly trips home have always been July, so I’m really excited for some fall weather. There’s something so special about the changing colours, hikes in the woods and some local apple cider.

A+N Updates

Youtube was varied this month! We chatted about funny British words, my first time in Manchester, trying northern food on a picnic, diving into your British hobbies and reacting to Sarah Millican!

One of the things I love about content is variety: just like food, music, books, I want all the genres! Certain genres are definitely more popular than others, but having the ability to create variety creatively helps me so much. I would lose my mind if I could only do one format.

On Twitch this month we played a weird spooky game, cooked in a chaotic kitchen together, completed some crafts and played the new addictively-frustrating game Peak.

As a special stream this month, we had an A+N Slumber Party! 💤🎉 I streamed an extra Friday night from dinner until 2am! It was so much fun and I hope we can do it again sometime. Thanks again if you joined, whether you popped by or stayed for all 8ish hours!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I shared what I’ve read so far this year, making (and taste testing my own) ice lollies and a charity shop adventure!

I also posted a video reacting to British darts 🎯 Originally this was to be a Youtube video but was annihilated by copyright claims. Rather than try to cut it up and avoid the claims, I posted it in its original form (the form I wanted) as an Exclusive video instead. Hope you guys liked it!

What I’ve been watching + reading

Recently I read The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and totally loved it! It’s a proper murder-mystery that had me guessing the whole way. I loved that there were so many interesting characters and it’s told across decades out of order. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a new mystery!

I finally got to the cinema and saw the new 28 Years Later - it was pretty good! 🍿 A bizarre ending but still really enjoyable. I’ve also finally got around to watching Shogun. Even though I’m a bit late, I avoided spoilers and thought it was fun! 🏯🇯🇵

I’ve also been enjoying the new Netflix “Trainwreck” series where each episode covers a different topic. If you like true crime (but also non-murder-stuff) you should check it out!

Bits that made me laugh

Hope you have a great August! ☀️🍦🌊 I have zero plans and honestly I’m very excited. I just hope the rain will stop soon!!!!

Alanna x

I know some North Americans make jokes that the massive heat wave in the UK isn’t that hot. But honestly, 27C in England feels like hell has opened up and we’re living in it. I don’t know why it feels so much hotter than any temp I’ve experienced back home but it does!!!! And I don’t have AC to save me! 🪦

June has been exciting, though. I played around with some old videos (changing titles, thumbnails, etc) and two of them came back from the dead!! That’s literally never happened before, but it’s genuinely so exciting!

I also went to Manchester for the first time AND hosted an A+N meet-up! Our second, ever! 🏙️ If you want to get involved in the next meet-up, make sure to pop over to Twitch! It was a weekend of bowling, pints, escape rooms, darts, chats, pool, shuffleboard, pottery painting, more pints…. It’s really cool that so many people in the community have become friends and it was a great weekend!

I filmed two videos in-between the chaos. I haven’t edited them yet but I’m praying they turn out OK! 🤞🏻 Either way it was a great experience - and we got to explore Manchester in the middle of an extreme heat warning 🎉

I also took like 6 pictures 💀 in my defence, I was distracted but having a great time!

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I did two travely-vlogs! First was to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe theatre for the first time (super fun) and a solo trip to the London zoo, also a first! Lots of firsts this month. 🎭🦒

After reacting to Philomena Cunk, you guys said I needed to check out Charlie Brooker, so I did! Super funny. My final video of the month had to be pushed back a week (brand-deal stuff) but I hope you like it when I can finally post it!

On Twitch this month we watched a hilariously bad movie, play games together and chatted! And of course, had our second meet-up. Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable arranging a meet-up on Youtube as it’s simply ~too many people~ but Twitch is a small crowd that is much more manageable. Like I said above, if you’d like to get involved in the community, definitely come join us on Twitch!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I taste tested a bunch of British tea (stinging nettle tea, anyone?), shared a week-in-my-life vlog, reacted to British true crime and shared the behind-the-scenes of my trip to Manchester! 📸📍Truly a mixed bag this month!

What I’ve been watching + reading

With all the reading I’ve done so far this year, I’m actually going to turn it into a Youtube video! That should be posted in July, but it’s been fun to plan. No spoilers as to what it’s exactly about just yet! 🤐📚 Although if you have any book suggestions, please let me know! I love getting book recs - it’s the best way to choose books.

I re-watched two movies in prep for their new sequels - Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 and 28 Weeks Later! I haven’t actually seen the new MI or 28 Years Later yet, but hopefully soon. Once I catch up with work from being away. 🍿

Bits that made me laugh

Here comes summer!!! 🌞🏖️ Hope you have a great July and stay cool and hydrated!!!! As always, your support means this A+N adventure can continue, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! 💛

Alanna x

This month’s highlight was a short trip to Greece! 💙🇬🇷🌊 It was peaceful and chill and quiet and I had a wonderful time! I took the time off from filming - I think these 5 days were the longest I’ve gone without filming in years! But I did shoot a “how did my trip to Greece go” video for Patreon/YT memberships when I got home.

And we didn’t get sick!! Hurrah! It’s a miracle! 🙌🏻 My first trip abroad without getting sick afterwards in like, a million years. Truly blessed. 🙏🏻

And then it was right back to the grind, but this time wearing a jumper. Got a bit chilly this month, innit? Should be back to spring weather soon, I hope.

The content process never stops, though. My Youtube videos have all sucked this month 💀 but such is life. I’m still grateful I can create content and I’m excited about my upcoming videos.

I’ve been listening to The Creative Act in my spare time - when I’m doing chores, or having lunch or going for a walk. I’ve found it to be really helpful and inspiring to look at creativity in a new light and how to foster ideas and inspiration. I’ve been making content for a long time and it can be easy to get disheartened that my videos can’t compete with others anymore or that I’m “old news”. But the book has given me new motivation and has helped me look at idea generation different. And I’ve got a lot of ideas!!

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I tried to find the BEST British coffee chain, shared weird things British people can’t stand and reacted to UK snooker for the first time! I also got about a million emails telling me I’m a dumb cow for pronouncing snooker wrong! 🥲 Love that.

For something a bit different, I had so much fun researching protected British food (and eating it, of course). I never realised there were laws around traditional British food and drink but it makes sense, obviously! 🧀🌭

As always, it was a fun and chill month on Twitch. We played games, watched a movie, built lego and generally hung out. It’s a nice way to break up the week, especially for someone like me who works from home.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I packed for Greece and shared how my trip went 🏖️☀️ I also cooked recipes using British tea and shared some of my favourite videos lately. As always, the support on Patreon and YT memberships is extremely important, especially when I have a bad month on Youtube like this month. So thank you for keeping the lights on 🙇🏻‍♀️

What I’ve been watching + reading

I read so much lately! I’m finding I read much more with my Kindle than with a traditional book 📚 I love to read a variety of genres and authors and my favourite thing to do is to read a book blind - I won’t even read the back cover.

🐋 In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. This historical non-fiction book rocked my world and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. This true story is largely the inspiration for Moby Dick and reading about what these men went through was astonishing (but don’t watch the movie, it’s atrocious.)

🏛️ Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I loved this and how creative it was. Going into this completely blind was a real treat as I had no idea what was going on or where we were going, and I loved every minute of it! Totally unlike any story I’ve read before.

🌔 Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved how intertwined the stories are, even if it’s not clear why at first. A great sci-fi story that surprised me and kept me hooked. Also, I’m definitely not bias, but a Canadian author! 🇨🇦 Woo!

I also watched the new Guy Richie mini-series The Diamond Heist about the Millennium Dome Diamond! 💎 It’s very Guy Richie-stylised but super interesting, especially that we get interviews with some of the actual robbers. I’d definitely recommend it!

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you had a great May! I usually spend a good part of June gearing up for my annual trip to Canada, but that’s not until September now! It’ll be the first time I’ve spent all summer in England since moving here 😳 Better get my portable air con unit dusted off and ready to go!!!

Alanna x

One big personal/career standout was that I filmed 2 big solo vlogs that I’m really proud of - a massive adventure around London looking for famous blue plaques and another one that I haven’t posted yet! I honestly hate filming outside and annoying people. “Oh look, she’s one of those influencers!” Scoff. How embarrassing!! 😳

But I do want to get better at it - not for every video, but for some. I still love filming in my house lol That’s how I started Youtube and that’s how I’d primarily like to stay!

This month was the peaceful calm before the storm. Next month is a trip abroad, a London outing and final planning for a trip up north! How many bets I get sick??? I swear to god…

But the cycle of content continues! I filmed yesterday and today is more editing and then prepping the next few videos. It really never stops.

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I reacted to Philomena Cunk, cooked wartime recipes and had my big London adventure! I also filmed a more classic A+N chatty video about British culture.

It was a fun month on Twitch! We did a spot of afternoon co-working, watched a hilariously bad movie and played games! If you’re ever curious about the livestream community, I hope you’ll pop over sometime. You don’t even need a Twitch account if you don’t want to and it’s always free to watch the streams.

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I organised my bookshelves, shared a weekly vlog, made my own chocolate Easter egg and taste-tested weird cocktails! It’s truly been a mixed bag lol

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month I loved The Pitt! I heard people talking about it and thought I’d give it a go - really glad I did! 🩻🩺 If you’re looking for a fast-paced medical drama, I’d totally recommend it. Great acting!

We also watched The Monkey which was gruesome and funny - albeit a little long. 🍌🐵 Not for those with a weak stomach!

As part of our informal monthly Book Club on our Discord (available to certain tiers on Patreon/YT Members/Twitch subscribers), we read Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. It was pretty good! A murder-mystery that I was happy to pick up each night (even though I guessed the murderer within the first few chapters 💀) Still enjoyable, though! 🐝

And that’s saying a lot considering one of my most hated books ever was from Jodi Picoult…!

As side note, I’ve been loving the game Coral Island 🏝️ It’s almost identical to Stardew but ever-so-slightly different. So if you’re wishing you could play Stardew for the first time again, may I suggest trying Coral Island - you’ll lose so much time, I swear lol

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you had a chill April! And if you didn’t, I hope May is kind to you 🌷🪻🌻 I swear we had spring weather for a second but I’m not sure where it went…

Alanna x

The big event this month for me was our Twitch livestream marathon! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who popped by - whether for a minute or 24 hours, it means a lot!

Once I turned off the livestream, I slept for like 12 hours lol and then it was back to work! Catching up with emails, finalising brand deals, brainstorming video ideas and endless editing! 💻

To be fair, it feels all a bit overwhelming as I write this, but I know it’s possible.

One step at a time!

There’s also so much to look forward to this year already - an adventure up north, an exciting London event and a beach-trip abroad! Can’t wait! 🗺️ 🧳 Ahhhhh!!

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I compared British cheese, reacted to banned UK adverts, visited the Tower of London and shared secret British rules! I was pretty disappointed that the Tower of London video was so poorly received, but I had a great day out so I’m grateful I went anyway. And on the flip side, the British rules video did really well! So swings and roundabouts, eh?

Like I mentioned earlier, it was a buusssyyy month on Twitch! We did our big Twitch party plus my usual twice-weekly streams. We’ve tried new games, new crafts and generally hung out! We also had our Friday afternoon co-working streams which I find so helpful as someone who works from home. Overall I had a great time, and I hope you did, too!

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I taste-tested the weirdest stuff I could find at ALDI, answered questions for a Birthday Q&A and ranked the best British crisps! I also filmed a stream-of-consciousness video while I made dinner - essentially rambling on about life and what’s coming up at House Naps. 💛 And finally, I shared my favourite TV and films lately! It’s been a busy month.

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month we’ve had 2 extremely moving films - and I cried at both! First was Aftersun which ~destroyed~ me (but it’s absolutely beautiful) and then A Real Pain, which was surprisingly touching!

I also really enjoyed Stephen Graham’s new mini series Adolescence. I couldn’t believe it’s a genuine one-take show - the camera work is phenomenal and the show was great! Tough to watch, but great. The young actor who plays the main boy was unbelievable, too. And while I love Stephen, sometimes I need subtitles for him… lol

As part of our informal monthly Book Club on our Discord (available to certain tiers on Patreon/YT Members), we read Butter by Asako Yuzuki 🔪🧈 This one’s a huge hit from a Japanese author and I really enjoyed it! I love reading stuff from various authors and it’s always a treat to try something from a different country.

Certainly worth a read! 🇯🇵

Butter is also one of my first few books I’ve read on my Kindle - I’ve officially run out of places to store books (aside from numerous piles on the floor) so I’ve begrudgingly made the switch to Kindle. 📚 My partner has been asking me for years to join him on the dark-side (aka, the Kindle side) and I’ve refused. I love holding a REAL book. But to be honest, it’s been so nice. Convenient, comfortable, easy on my eyes, always have enough light to read… it’s really nice. But don’t tell him I said that. 🤐

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you had a great March and the weather is improving where you are! I cannot wait for spring 🌸🌺🌼 And thank you for supporting me with A+N. I still have to pinch myself that I’m able to make content my career after so many years.

Alanna x

This will be my 10th birthday in England…

I know I wrote those words but my brain is like: “that can’t be right lol”

I’ve spent more of my adult life in England than I have in Canada, so what does that make me? I certainly don’t feel British and I don’t think I ever will be, but I’m also not fully Canadian, either. Honestly, if I dwell on it too long I will spiral out so let’s lay that fact down and walk away…

Aside from existential crisis’, March also brings my annual Twitch-livestream-marathon! 🎉 During the livestream, every time someone donates it adds more time to the clock - and I stream for as long as the clock says. I’ve been doing this Twitch annual party for the last few years and it’s always wildly fun and exhausting. I can’t wait!

If you’d like to join in, you can find me on Twitch starting Friday evening on March 14th (and I’ll likely be there all weekend). You don’t need to donate, nor do you need to pay to watch Twitch livestreams, but you can “Follow” my channel for free so you’ll get notified every time I’m live. I hope you can drop in and say hi!

A+N Updates

It was a busy time on Youtube this month! I reacted to Mock the Week, tried English wine and shared weird stuff I brought to England from Canada. Plus I had a solo trip to the British Museum! I’ve been to the British Museum a handful of times before (in my opinion, one of the best museums I’ve ever been to) but this time I tried a 1-hour-challenge to see the most important stuff 🏛️ It was the most enjoyable visit I’ve ever had!

This month on Twitch we watched a terrible Hallmark movie (hilarious), tried weird games (city bus manager, anyone??), hung-out together and gossiped. I’ve also continued my Friday afternoon co-working streams which I’ve really enjoyed. It can be really isolating working from home so it’s nice to have our Friday virtual-office-hangouts 📝💻

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I shared a weekly vlog, tried weird ciders and make some of my mom’s recipes! I also reacted to women’s rugby for the first time which was a lot of fun. I’m very grateful for the exclusive community - not only for the financial support to keep A+N going for so many years, but I can also stray away from some of the typical “British” content that I post on Youtube. It’s nice for something different!

What I’ve been watching + reading

I’ve seen some great films this month 🍿 The Brutalist was fabulous, even though it was long. It’s the first movie I’ve ever seen at the cinema with a literal intermission in the middle of the film! I couldn’t believe it. The lights go up and we got a 15 minute break. So strange.

Companion was really fun and a great one to see without knowing much about it. If you like watching movies blind like I do, please just watch this one without watching any trailers or even looking at the poster.

As part of our informal monthly Book Club on our Discord (available to certain tiers on Patreon/YT Members), we read FAIL SAFE by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler 💥🛩️

I loovvveeeddd this book so much. I couldn’t believe it. I heard it’s been made into at least 2 different films, but I’ve never seen them so I went into the book blind. Wow. I’ll be thinking about that one for a long time. If you’re at all interested in some Cold War anxiety, please give it a read!

Bits that made me laugh

Thank you so much for reading my little newsletter and I hope you had a great February! This winter has felt particularly long and I’m excited to see the sun soon (I hope).

Alanna x

Saying that though, I can’t wait for spring. As I write this at my desk and look out my window, it’s so foggy I can barely see anything. The sun apparently rose at 7:45am but it certainly doesn’t look like it! ☁️

I work on Adventures and Naps every day - whether that’s a good thing or not, who knows. But I love the work and I’m grateful I get to do it, so I do a bit every day. But I’ve also been making a real effort this month to slow down and enjoy the other things I like offline:

📚 Reading before bed every night (I’ve finished 3.5 books for January!)

🏋🏻‍♀️ Weight training at the gym. My fitness goal this year is to increase the weights more frequently. I’ve gotten a bit complacent but I know I can lift heavier and I’m going to try

🍽️ I’ve been experimenting with new recipes - some have been great, others not so much... The joys of cooking!

🧶 I’m still working on my Christmas/winter blanket that I’m crocheting. But I see the end in sight and I’ll be sad when it’s over

🎢 I’ve been re-playing the original Roller Coaster Tycoon and loving it. RCT was one of the first PC games I ever played as a kid and it’s been soooo nostalgic and soothing.

As a “content creator” there is always a feeling that I should be creating more. I should be making Youtube shorts, I should be posting more, I should be increasing my output, I should be more. But I think this is the path to burnout and girl, I’m not interested. I’m so happy I get to create content, but I also have learned when I need to rest. Without the rest, the content evaporates.

saying that though…. I have started livestreaming on Twitch an extra day but that’s a separate story for the Twitch section below (and also I love it so it doesn’t count lol)

A+N Updates

On Youtube this month I shared how I survive a British winter, I reacted to Rugby’s hardest hits and posted a cozy Would You Rather UK vs Canada challenge. Unfortunately, the last 2 videos bombed 😭 but that is the nature of Youtube. We must continue!

I also posted my first solo vlog of 2025, a visit to London’s Transport museum! 🚂🏛️ A few people recommended this museum and to be honest, I didn’t know it existed. So it was really fun going to a place blind and discovering what it’s all about.

This month on Twitch I built the international space station in lego (it was massive) played games online with the community and generally had fun!

One of my goals this year was I wanted to try a co-working stream on Twitch every other Friday during the day. This would be in the “pomodoro” style where we chat for 20 minutes, then I mute my mic and work for 40 minutes. It’s a pretty popular style on Twitch that I’ve always wanted to try, so we did! And I loved it! As someone who works alone from home, it was nice to have a digital office for the day. We’ve had a few co-working streams now and I’m excited to continue 💻📹

If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.

This month for my exclusive content I shared my A+N stats from 2024, made some historical British drinks, shared my favourite TikTok’s lately and a fun taste test! I also shared a behind-the-scenes vlog of what I get up to when I’m not filming.

What I’ve been watching + reading

This month has been the month of re-watching TV! 📺 We re-watched the first season of Silo, and then moved straight into the new season.

Then we re-watched the first season of Severance and rolled right into the new season.

I lovvveeeeddd them both. I also loved the rewatches - so many things from both shows I missed the first time (or didn’t remember). Well done, Apple TV! 👏🏻

As part of our informal monthly Book Club on our Discord (available to certain tiers on Patreon/YT Members), we read The Lost City of Z by David Grann. This non-fiction tells the story of a famous British explorer as he tries to map the Amazon. Honestly, what he and his men went through was truly shocking (and in large parts, disgusting). I really enjoyed this, although not as much as the author’s other work The Wager. I’d recommend them both if you’re looking for some non-fiction adventures!

When it comes to books (and TV, movies and food, to be fair) I love to go in blind. I don’t want to have any preconceived ideas, I just want to experience it for myself. That means I never read the back cover of a book before trying it. It’s my favourite way to enjoy books, with basically no idea of what it’s about!

Bits that made me laugh

I hope you had a great start to 2025! Time is really starting to move quickly. I’ve been looking ahead to 2025 and what I want to get out of it - I’m excited to see what happens.

Alanna x