A few weeks ago now, Chris and I had our first weekend away of the year in our VW Camper van. I packed lots of jumpers and warm clothes because spring really hadn’t kicked in yet. However, once we’d gone through Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, the sun shone, and I felt I needed a new summer dress. I popped in Marks and Spencer in Truro and spotted this gorgeous yellow dress….
A visit to Basildon Park near Reading. Places to visit near the M4
Last week we actually had a taster of a social life and drove all the way to London for a friend’s birthday barbecue. I was a lovely weekend, and it was so nice to go to a party and chat to old friends and meet new people. If you know me, then you’ll know this is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I think I managed not to panic and say anything stupid! Anyway, instead of the usual A303 route back to Somerset, we decided to take a slower route beginning with the M4 and then detouring through the English countryside. We stopped for a while at the National Trust property near Reading; Basildon Park…..
Looking for a car rental company in central Somerset? Review of KNW Self Drive in Wells
I’ll be honest, I really wasn’t sure whether to write this blog post. Being negative about local companies is not really the direction I want to take this blog. However, due to its recent anniversary, I looked back at my first posts, and they were mainly reviews designed to be useful to the general public. I like the idea of being useful. If no-one writes mundane reviews of things like car hire companies because they want their blog to look pretty and be a fun positive place (which is really what I want mine to be), then no-one is going to know that it might be worth looking at other places instead of KNW Self Drive to hire a car for the weekend….
The summer evening jacket. A handmade pixie hem hippy-style coat
I have to admit, although we recently took the photos for this jacket; spring is actually a very difficult season to wear it due to its lack of waterproof-ness and the inclination in England for it to suddenly rain two minutes after the sun is blazing! So that’s why I entitled this as being ideal for summer evenings. It would also be great festival fashion as the pixie hem and unusual woven fabric gives it quite hippy vibes, whilst also being warm when the sun goes down, and perfect for sitting with friends around the bonfire after a night of dancing….
Silence is more beautiful than any song
After the entire restaurant hears a plate crash in the kitchen.
When the final and most devastating insult is slung in an argument.
When there’s an unexpected pause in traffic during rush hour.
When you remember…..
Where to stay in Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Stamford isn’t really a tourist town, but if you’re planning a trip on business or pleasure (or a mix of both, like we were), we’ve now stayed in a couple of completely different hotels and an Air BnB, so I thought I could give you some comparisons and recommendations of where to stay in Stamford….
A guide to buying jersey dresses. Styling a Joe Browns floral dress
This jersey dress from Joe Browns made its way into my clothing collection recently, so I thought (for a change) I would share it with you before it goes out of stock! If there’s one item of clothing I’ve been reaching for lately, it’s been a dress made out of lovely comfy stretchy material! Jersey, by the way is what t-shirts are made of; a woven fabric with some stretch, sometimes with added elastane or lycra for extra stretch. Through winter I’ve been wearing them with a snuggly jumper over the top and thick leggings underneath and it meets that elusive requirement of being comfortable to wear, but still looks good enough to leave the house in. However, there are good and bad points that need considering when shopping for a jersey dress…..
A review of Agatha Christie’s play, Witness for the Prosecution, at County Hall, London
It was my birthday last week. And it was a big one. The kind with a zero. The weekend afterwards I celebrated with my family (which was lovely – look out for the vlog coming soon!) and I’m in the process of organising a day my friends are free at the same time to celebrate with them (I am determined to milk this for as long as possible!), but for my actual birthday day, I wanted to do something special. All the time the kids were young, I hardly bothered celebrating my birthday, but although we have had a couple of days out in more recent years, this time I really wanted to make it count. So, I went online to see what theatre productions are on in London at the moment. I’ll be honest, I wavered and nearly didn’t bother with the whole idea because my god, it’s expensive isn’t it? And why can’t they tell you the price of tickets until after you’ve given half your personal details, chosen the date and studied the seating plan?! We were also limited by the type of thing we’d all be interested in. Something we’d all love is of course The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, but at £1160 for the four of us to see both parts that day, we decided our Harry Potter fan-ship can be shown with Primark mugs and slippers (that wear through in 3 weeks) instead! However, something else we all enjoy watching on the telly together is Agatha Christie adaptations, and when I found out that Witness for the Prosecution was being played in an actual courtroom, that tipped the balance over Mousetrap (which I’m pretty hopeful will still be on for my 50th birthday!) and I booked the tickets….
Review of the Derwent Inktense ink pencils
Drawing and painting was a hobby of mine that I spent an awful lot of hours on when I was a child. I took GCSE and A-level Art, but since then, I have rarely allowed myself the time to just enjoy it again. You may already know that I have an Etsy shop where I sell my pyrographed items, which often is a form of drawing, but when I’m making something to sell, it’s never quite as fun! I have resolved to stop thinking of time spent drawing and painting as an indulgence, and started allowing myself some free time to enjoy myself and relax. So last year, whilst away in the Lake District, I treated myself to some new art supplies from the Derwent shop in Keswick, and following my discovery of the Derwent Inktense sticks, I put the Derwent Inktense pencils on my wishlist. Chris obliged with them as a gift on our wedding anniversary, and here’s what I think of them so far…
The jumper dress – perfect spring clothing for chilly dry days
Yes I know these photos were taken in snow, but to be honest, looking out my window at the grey windy day outside with the fan heater blowing on my feet, it doesn’t actually feel far off! It occurred to me that actually the jumper dress is the perfect fashion item for spring; particularly when you’ve had enough of wearing a coat…
