Monthly Archives

October 2016

The most interesting Handmade adult Halloween Costumes

October 19, 2016

Across the pond they dress up as anything and everything for their Halloween costumes- the sexier the better; however over here we tend to stick to traditional spooky themes. So our choices are more-or-less limited to ghosts, witches, zombies and vampires, but I’ve been searching Etsy UK for outfit ideas that will leave the other guests at the Halloween party envious of how good you look!….

How to host an afternoon tea party

October 18, 2016

Yes I know it’s not exactly the weather for this in the garden any more, but it can still be done inside! My daughter didn’t want to go out on the piss for her eighteenth birthday last month – partly because she’s the first of her friends to turn legal in pubs, so it wouldn’t be much fun getting drunk on her own – and partly because that’s not really her sort of thing anyway. For now at least! So it was her idea to have afternoon tea in the garden with a nod to an Alice in Wonderland theme….

Weekly Wardrobe – layering for a walk at sunset

October 17, 2016

Chris was dealing with quickly changing light conditions when we went outside to take these photos; so you’ve got quite a mix of pictures this week from daylight to moonrise! It’s that time of year when you think you’ve got plenty of time and the next minute you know, it’s pitch black. Anyway, here I am taking a dress I wore in summer and layering it with a cosy cardigan and warm shawl for autumn…

Joe Browns favourites from the new catalogue

October 16, 2016

The latest Joe Browns catalogue popped through my letterbox yesterday and I was excited to see their latest clothing for sale. By the way, this post isn’t sponsored or paid for by Joe Browns, I’m just a big fan of their clothes – they have quirky unusual styles that are very wearable and more than any other brand, my wardrobe is filled with items from this catalogue. If you like brightly coloured prints, then this is definitely the company for you, but if you’re more like me and prefer plain or subtle designs, then there is still plenty to choose from. Here are some of my favourites…..

5 Ideas to do in October

October 15, 2016

1. Kick some leaves. Next time you’re on your way to work, walking the kids to school, or generally going about your day, and you spy a pile of leaves at the side of the pavement; kick it! Go on! Even if there are people about to see; scatter those leaves in the air! (Just make sure there are no small children nearby you might accidentally kick in the face. And make sure the foot not in the air has secure purchase on the ground – not on a wet slippery leaf. See? I struggle with letting go.)…..

The Story of the artist – Katy Jones

October 14, 2016

I’m really happy to be continuing my series of interviews with creative people, and today it’s fantasy artist, Katy Jones. Along with her paintings of mythical creatures, I also love her drawings from nature. If you’re looking for advice on learning how to paint or even taking the step into becoming a professional artist, then please read on as she has given some really useful answers…..

Adulting: A series of things I should’ve learned by now – Keeping receipts

October 13, 2016

I always have the best intentions of keeping receipts. In fact, I gasp in horror when people throw away a receipt before they’ve even tried on the item of clothing; or plugged in the toaster – let alone keeping them for a year at least! Like everything in my house, I struggle to throw anything anyway in case it comes in useful one day. Keeping the receipts isn’t the problem – it’s keeping them in an orderly manner that is. As you can see from the photo, I currently stuff all receipts in the same cupboard that I keep the ketchup and honey. Why I do this? That’s anyone’s guess….

3 Days in Oxford – Day 2. The story of the photographs

October 12, 2016

If you haven’t yet seen Day 1, then you might like to follow this link and come back here later. The morning of my second day in Oxford was mainly spent walking from the Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford-on-Thames along the Thames path into Oxford. I’ve already written a detailed blog with photos about the journey in this post, so I’ll begin here where I left off, entering the city by Christchurch College. I sort-of meandered my way through cobbled streets and past various ancient University buildings until I came out at a place I remembered….

Independent Fashion Focus – an alternative to Bristol Fashion Week

October 11, 2016

Every single thing I go to lately seems to have the advertised start time about three-quarters of an hour before it actually starts. It’s as if they know I’m coming and in anticipation of my lateness, give the wrong time. The problem is, I have been dead on time for a change! So; not having the courage to speak to strangers already chatting to each other, after spending as long as I politely could browsing the clothes rails at To The Moon, I walked up and down the road for while and moved my car to a less dodgy parking space until the first person was due to speak, according to the piece of paper sellotaped to the wall. I perched on a stool at the back of the room with my notebook at the ready, interested to hear what they had to say about ethical and sustainable fashion….

Weekly wardrobe – gothic circus look for a beach walk!

October 10, 2016

Rain chose a walk on the beach as her family activity for her birthday, so yesterday afternoon we drove over to Brean and parked up past all the tacky arcades to as near to the cliff as you can get. It’s a handy carpark with a National Trust shop, cafe, and (most importantly) loos. Sunny and hot one minute and cloudy with a chilly wind the next, it was difficult to know what to wear. I opted for layers with a steampunk circusy vibe; and why not? ….

Anti-reflective coating on your glasses – is it worth it?

October 9, 2016

Whenever I’m recording a You Tube video in my work-room, all I seem to do is spin round in circles trying not to have massive white rectangles on my glasses. They somehow even manage to appear with my back to the window! When Chris is taking photos for my Weekly Wardrobe posts, we’ve more-or-less given up with glasses, so I stumble about blind for the sake of not having glaring white blobs in the middle of my face. (Hashtag blogger problems.) I am so short-sighted, I cannot see a thing without them, and I hate that feeling so much. So finally, even though there was nothing particularly wrong with my glasses, I decided to splash out and buy a new pair with anti-reflective coating….

The Story Behind the Photographs – Morvah mine

October 8, 2016

Chris and I took two days off work before the bank holiday weekend, and drove the camper-van down to Cornwall. We had three nights and four days away altogether and in that time we saw Jeremy Loops play at Perranporth; met up with family; took several photos for Oshun and for the blog (such as the one at the top of this page); relaxed a bit, and even found time to take some photos just for the fun of it. The great thing about wild camping is that you can wake up right next to the most wonderful wild places, including this ruined tin mine. One of my favourite photos from the day I chose to have blown up and printed onto canvas for our living room. It was a beautiful morning and the pathway towards the sea was just magical….