A Breath of Fresh Air

I love a holiday as much as the next person. Nothing is better than switching on your out of office, leaving the work worries at work and just having some time to relax. This Summer I went on two holiday; Cornwall and the Lake District. So I thought I would tell you why sometime, there is nothing better than a UK holiday.

LESS STRESS
I find UK holidays so much less stressful, I think there is something about flying, having a limit on liquids and just making it to the airport on time that makes me a little anxious. For both our UK holidays this Summer we drove, giving us the flexibility to pack however we wanted to pack and leave when we were ready. Flying is exciting as it usually means getting away to somewhere hot, but a road trip with a great playlist and good car snacks can be just as fun!

NO LUGGAGE LIMIT
Travelling by train is a bit of a different story as it then comes down to how much you are able to carry. But if you are travelling by car and you have enough space, you can almost pack as much as you want. This is particularly useful for a UK holiday as unpredictable weather means you'll need a bikini one second and a coat and fleece the next.

THE WEATHER CAN BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE
I know guaranteed sun is usually the reason most people go abroad, but let me try and put a positive spin on this! In Cornwall, we had a real mixed bag of weather. We had a few boiling days on the beach where we all ended up going a little pink. And a few rainy days going on long walks and wondering around harbour towns. Both were lovely and some of the best memories. UK weather can be frustrating, in The Lakes in rained most of the time, but it didn't stop us from having a great holiday.

HIDDEN GEMS
The UK is beautiful. And if you haven't been to Cornwall or The Lakes I can't recommend it enough. There are some of the most incredible landscapes. In Cornwall I posted a picture of a beach we went to on one of the hottest days, and had all to ourselves; it looked like somewhere in Spain or a Greek Island. But where in Spain or a Greek Island are you going to find a huge beach all to yourselves.

So I hope this inspired you to maybe think about booking your next holiday somewhere in the UK. Next on my bucket list is Edinburgh. In fact, I've never actually been to Scotland! So watch this space...

Two Days In Bath

During Summer, my mum and I took a girly trip to Bath, a city I had never visited before but one on the top of my bucket list (Edinburgh is slightly further away!). We drove down early one morning, stayed one night and then returned the following late afternoon. And while I would love to return to Bath, I think I saw enough of the city to get a feel for it. Unfortunately just because of the time that we went (middle of Summer) the city was so busy with tourists, which is something I wasn't really expecting. Thankfully though, the tourists we heavily concentrated in the city centre and around the baths, and just outside the centre was just as beautiful and much quieter.

We had a quick tour of the Baths and learnt about the history which was interesting, but so incredibly busy. Next time I got I would love to visit the baths which you are allowed to go in!

Bath is just such a beautiful city in terms of the architecture and of course the Bath stone. Everywhere you look (particularly up) is so picturesque and I couldn't stop taking photos!

Even the busy shopping district was made pretty with coloured umbrellas hanging above the street and telephone boxes filled with flowers.

Can you imagine living somewhere as beautiful as this?! I'm picturing houses with huge fireplaces, floor to ceiling bookcases and chandeliers!

I had the most amazing couple of days, mostly spent wondering, shopping and eating! Loft is a beautiful clothing and homewear shop with a lovely cafe. We went somewhere else for a smoothie which was so good, and looked like a great place for students to work. We found a street near the Loft with amazing minimal clothing stores. In the evening we had such a good vegetarian meal at The Green Rocket which was pretty healthy to make up for all the cake we had eaten earlier in the day. But if I could recommend one place that you should go in Bath (recommended to me by 3 people!) it would have to be The Fudge Shop. It is located just around the corner from the actual baths, and is pretty easy to find as there is usually a queue out the shop! I can assure you though it is worth the wait as they make THE most amazing fudge! It is honestly the best that I have ever tasted. My mum and I bought loads to take back home with us and then ended up eating a fair amount of it on the car journey home!

Hope you enjoyed this little post. I'm planning on doing a few more of these city break style posts. There are so many places just in the UK that I would love to visit, and I like to think I am pretty good at finding the best places to eat and shop!

Speak soon xx

Bali Photo Diary

It's been almost three weeks since I went to Bali, and I am still dreaming of the sunshine, the exotic fruits and the elephants. So I thought I would do a quick post sharing some of the unseen photos of the most incredible holiday. Hope you enjoy!

Being a tourist exploring the Rice Fields of Bali. Also, that's my camera cover in my back pocket!

The incredible Tegenungan Waterfall.

Sunsets and sunhats.

Can you think of anything better than bumping into a elephant in the street!

My favourite (plus Jack)!

Monkey business.

Being shown around the coffee plantation of the worlds most coffee, the one that's eaten and excreted by a palm civet and then sold in Harrods for about £250!!

And honestly, it really wasn't that special! Definitely not worth the price that Harrods are charging!

Some more beautiful views...

I think my next post will be the two items of clothing that I picked up in Bali, so keep an eye out for that!

Speak soon xx

A Dream Come True

For anyone who knows anything about me they will know that my favourite animal (apart from my dog!) is elephants. I’m obsessed!

I have little elephant statues all over my bedroom, I have a whole folder of funny/cute elephant photos on my phone, I have an elephant ring which I wear everyday and I am constantly being tagged by my closest friends on elephant videos on Facebook. And the strangest thing is that I had never seen an elephant up close, not even at a zoo. It was simply a love from afar, and a dream that one day I would get to see one.

And as you can probably guess from the photos, dreams came true in Bali! I tried to source the most ethical place to visit the elephants and ended up choosing the Elephant Sanctuary in Ubud. We arrived nice and early in the morning so that we missed all the crowds, but also got to see the elephants being washed in the morning. They were everything that I hoped they would be; cute, majestic and playful. In particular the little guy in the photo below who was spraying water as if he was trying to wash himself!

Personally I don’t agree with elephant riding, but I did get to get up close to the elephants during feeding time. We fed them and incredible array of fruits and vegetables (they are definietly well looked after!) and got to stroke them.

But the most magical moment was when two of the elephants, one of them just a little baby gave me a cuddle with their trunks! It was just so incredible, you can probably tell from the pure joy on my face! Bali as a holiday has been incredible, yet I think that has been my favourite moment of the whole trip was getting a surprise cuddle from those two elephants. Which has got me thinking that I can’t bare to see such beautiful creatures be harmed or even think about them ever going extinct. I’d really love to get involved in some kind of charity or if there is something that you can buy where the proceeds go to helping save elephants. So if anyone knows anything or has any ideas please let me know in the comments below.

But for now I will leave you with one last adorable pictures, which was pretty hard to choose from the 100+ on my phone!

Speak soon
xx

Bali Bound

I have arrived in Bali, and I can confirm that it is everything that I thought it would be and more. It's beautiful, and hot, and there is so much to do here that I already think I am going to have to come back at some point! But for now, I thought that I would share some quick pictures of the incredible villa that we are staying in.

 

The villa is so open and light and just lovely. We've basically spent the last few days trying to work on a bit of a tan and switching between sunbathing with a good book and cooling off in the pool. I am honestly living the dream!

And the most incredible part is that we have an outdoor bathroom. So you can stand in the shower amongst the palms and look up at the moon and the stars in the evening. It's one of the most magical experiences ever.

The only think I would say is that while I am sitting here writing this in the evening, despite being absolutely coated in bug spray I feel a little as though I am being eaten alive! A small price to pay for an incredible holiday.

At the moment I am having way too much fun to have taken any pictures! Not great, but I will try and make more of an effort for the rest of the holiday so that I can let you know what I am up to!

Speak soon xx

Bring on Bali

Thought that I would just touch base to let you know about the incredibly exciting holiday that I am going on...tomorrow! I know! I am literally so excited that I might burst. And the reason I haven't mentioned anything until now is because it is actually a surprise for Jack (my boyfriend)'s dad 50th birthday. And up until now I have been so worried that me and my big mouth/forgetful brain would completely give the game away!

I can't wait to explore the island, swim in the ocean, feel the sun on my skin and chill with a good book. And hopefully see some elephants, my favourite animal ever (minus our dog Kiara!). I'm really against riding them as I think it's cruel, but I can't wait to be able to watch them play, especially if there are some little baby elephants!! So I'm going to spend the rest of this bank holiday evening planning some places that I would love to visit while we are out there. And maybe downloading a new series on Netflix to get me through the 18 hour flight!

 So expect to see me looking like one of the bohemian, tanned goddesses above sometime in the not so distant future! Well...a girl can dream!

Speak soon xx

What I bought in Cyprus

What I bought in Cyprus

Finally getting around to sharing some of the beautiful things that I bought when I went on holiday in Cyprus. And thought that I would start with my favourite of all!

Cyprus, like a lot of typical holiday destinations has a lot of fake handbags. It's a tricky topic, but not really something I believe in. There were shops and shops of fake Mulberry's and Celine's and just about every iconic designer handbag that you could ever imagine! I didn't want something fake but I did want a beautiful leather handbag. And this was the one that I fell in love with.

It was the colour that I initially fell in love with, that beautiful emerald green on a mottled leather. But the shape of the bag is lovely, lots of room inside with so many different pockets and compartments. It is actually a copy of a Michael Kors handbag, although I will probably wear it with this side showing just as much! I just love this. It's perfect for everyday, yet smart enough to be something a bit special.

Something that I have been so desperate to add to my wardrobe for Autumn is a printed silk scarf. Something really versatile that I can drape over my shoulders, use as a belt, tie around my neck, or even attach to my handbag like I've seen lots of people doing at the moment. Again this is a fake designer good, Versace apparently! But again I didn't buy this as a designer rip off. I bought this because I loved the colours an the print and knew that this would be a great addition to my wardrobe. Also the branding isn't obvious which I love.

I am completely obsessed with velvet at the moment, and it really is everywhere right now. And no matter what price point you are shopping at, be it £20, £200 or more, velvet is always luxurious. I wasn't really expecting to find any clothing in Cyprus (not sure why), but they had some really nice shops. My sister and I found this amazing shop at the airport, which reminded me so much of Zara. And just like Zara I wanted everything! But this skirt is just a dream. Midi, pleated, velvet and silver, can you get more Christmassy?! It's so beautiful and for the equivalent of about £40 a total bargain. Think about wearing this little number to the ASOS Christmas Party!

And to go with the silver skirt I got this little black lace cami, something I know will be a great addition to my wardrobe. I loved the lace insert on this top, a little detail that really adds something extra. I also love these two as an outfit together.

Another clothing favourite, this gorgeous leopard print blouse. This was from a little shop in the town that reminded me of New Look. For about £12 I can't believe how lovely this is. It's so flattering with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black skinny jeans and heeled boots. Also something so easy to thrown on for work in the morning!

On the morning of our very last day in Cyprus I fell in love with another handbag. This is a beautiful leather shopper style bag, and apparently a Chloe copy. What really drew me to this bag was the fact the there is no big obvious branding on the front of the bag. In fact the only branding is a little logo on the side of the bag. I love the colours and the simple design of this bag and again it is nice and roomy. It is also really leather which is lovely. Also I have worn this a few times and because of the straps it is one that I mostly wear on the nook of my arm. But already the colour of my jeans has started to rub off on the back of the bag, which is really annoying.

And finally a little pair of earrings from a really lovely, but quite expensive shop in the town. I have seen quite a lot of these tassel earring and I love them, especially as they would be great for dressing up a simple outfit for Christmas drinks. These are a simple and fairly delicate pair and I think these would look lovely with the silver skirt and black cami as a more dressy outfit. Or just with a white blouse and black jeans for something a little more casual.

So I hope that you enjoyed this post and seeing everything that I bought from Cyprus. Hope you are all well.

Speak soon xx

 

 

Cyprus Snaps

Cyprus Snaps

It been a week now since I got back from Cyprus and the weather back home couldn't be more different! It's cold and dark, sometimes even a little frosty in the morning. And we are at that stage in the year when it's dark when I wake up and dark again by the time I get home - I can actually go days without seeing any sunshine! So while I am snuggled up in a big jumper with a cup of tea and heading out to watch some fireworks in a couple of hours I thought I would share some of my favourite holiday snaps.

Dipping my toes into the freezing cold swimming pool at our villa! I ended up using this more as a pluge pool as it was too cold to do more than a length in!

Channeling some bohemian vibes. This top actually used to belong to my mum, but it has the beautiful lace up details and lovely floaty sleeves so I've sort of stolen it!

Sandy feet and salty hair.

There is something about a palm tree against a blue sky that is just so aesthetically pleasing.

On one of my favourite days we took a road trip along the coastline of Northern Cyprus. The views were amazing, rocky mountains on one side and turquoise seas the other. We spent the day stopping off at beaches and cafe and roman ruins.

Exploring the previously mentioned Roman Ruins.

I think it's amazing how well these have lasted considering people are just able to walk through and all over then.

And a cute little donkey that was standing in the middle of the road and blocking our way on the road trip!

Really missing the sunshine after looking at all of these pictures again!

Speak soon xx

Cyprus

Cyprus

Yesterday I arrived in Cyprus with my family after a tiring two part night flight. It’s only a couple of weeks since I was in the South of France (feeling like a bit of a jet-setter at the moment!). But I really feel like I need this holiday to spend some time with my family and hopefully get a bit of sun!

The villa we are staying in is beautiful. Up near the mountains of Northern Cyprus, but looking out on to the bright blue sea and a short drive from the beach. There is a large pool at the front looking on to the panoramic view and a couple of sun beds and some floats for getting that all important glow! However…there is no wifi! A blogger/social media obsessives worst nightmare!

I’m torn. In a way I’m grateful, I know it will do me the world of good to have a break from my phone an laptop. To give my eyes a rest from staring at a screen and my thumb a rest from scrolling! Yet part of me is totally dying! I can’t text, call or message anyone with out it costing me the earth! I can’t make people jealous on Instagram and Snapchat with beautiful holiday pictures. I won’t even be able to watch MiC on Monday!

But I am still trying to blog. One thing that I really wanted to use this time for on holiday was to catch up with my blog and get back into posting more frequently. It’s something I have spoken a lot about recently. About how I’m not really happy with my blog and how I am struggling to find the time to put as much work into it as I would like. A lot of the bloggers that I look up to are people that blog for a living. So it’s hard to manage the expectations of what I can do alongside a full-time job and a three hour commute each day!

Either way, I’m still working on it. It’s not that I have writers block, there is actually so much stuff that I would like to share. I probably have nearly 20 lots of post photos ready but still not found the time to write them all.

So this holiday, while I can’t promise that I will be posting a whole lot due to my little issue that is lack of internet. I can say that I am ready to get back into writing, to spilling my thoughts and feelings and inspiration out onto a page.

So I hope that you are all well and I look forward to writing for you again!

Speak soon xx

South of France

South of France

A couple of weeks ago I took a short holiday (my first time off work in 3 months), to Aix En Provence in the South of France to visit my boyfriend Jack and to celebrate his 21st. For this year while I am working at ASOS Jack is also taking a year out of university to study Economic in France, and yes, in French! So we are back to long distance again, but special holidays like these make the months between seeing each other go a little quicker.

Apart from a few Instagram posts I didn't do any blogging and wasn't particularly active on social media. It gave me a chance to just switch off from the world and the fast paced life working in London and just spend some quality time with Jack. But as the South of France was so beautiful I did take a few pictures so I thought I would pull some of the nicest together and share them with you.

I had the most wonderful week hiking, swimming in the sea, sunning on the beach, shopping and exploring beautiful little towns and markets. And of course eating, most of the holiday was based around food! We had ice creams, incredible bagels, lots of pasta and bread and cheese. Not the healthiest of weeks, but we did a lot of walking so in my head it was all justified.

On my first day we went hiking along some beautiful coastline with white cliffs and turquoise sea. And then we walked down and found a lovely little cove where everyone was swimming, it was just magical.

I'm now back at home, what feels like a million miles away from my holiday in the South of France. I'm tucked up in bed wearing fluffy socks and clutching a tea for warmth. In the week that I was away Summer most definitely came to an end and everything is feeling very Autumnal.

I am actually lucky enough to be going on another holiday next week with my family, and hopefully catching one last bit of sun!

Speak soon xx

The Summer Mini

The Summer Mini

It is really sad how long ago my holiday to Marrakech feels after 5 solid weeks of work. But I am back again with another Marrakech post which is sort of helping me to relive the amazing memories.

I really wanted to share my favourite Summer skirt which I have been wearing so much this Summer. As much as I love a great pair of jeans or shorts there is something about wearing a little skirt or dress that just makes me feel pretty. This one I picked up from Zara a few months ago is gorgeous. It's got a beautiful textured stripe print and is in a fairly weighty fabric that feels expensive and means that I don't have to worry about wearing this on days that are a little more windy! And I find the A-line shape really flattering and not to short so this could be dressed up for smarter occasions.

I wore this outfit on our last full day in Marrakech, when we decided to leave the old town and go and explore the beautiful Gardens of Majorelle. The botanical gardens are amazing with all the cacti, amazing fountains and the gorgeous mix of cobalt blue and yellow. It is such a peaceful and magical place to walk around and we caught some lovely footage for our video which you can watch here.

Hope you enjoyed this short little post. I have a final Marrakech post and my favourite outfit from the holiday coming up soon. And then a few more posts planned for you too. Speak soon xx

Travel Treasures

Travel Treasures

Today I really wanted to share some of the beautiful treasures that I picked up on my recent holiday to Marrakech. Marrakech is well known for its amazing souks and hand crafted treasures. Wherever you turned there was something new to look at, and Jack and I had the best time wondering the souks, chatting to the locals and even doing a bit of haggling!

I found the whole trip to Marrakech so inspiring, how humble and happy everyone we spoke to was and the beautiful detail that they put into everything they make. I was just in awe of the stunning interiors of so many of the places that we went, including the riad that we stayed in. For me it was a little like my decor inspiration on Pinterest coming to life! So I was so happy to pick up a few bits to bring back home with me.

One of the things I was desperate to get my hands on was a white pouf. Random? Yes. Necessary? Also yes! I had seen a few of these on Pinterest and Instagram and just love how they look. I could picture it in the corner of my bedroom with a few magazines on top! There were so many places that did beautiful leather poufs, but it was made slightly hard by the fact that I already had an image in my head of exactly what I wanted. We found a place that did a lovely white pouf, but I had to explain that it was a little bigger than what I was looking for. So he took me around the corner to his friends shop where I found exactly what I wanted!

I am so happy with how this looks in my bedroom, it brings a slightly bohemian, Moroccan touch to the bedroom which I love.

If you have been reading my blog for a while or know me personally then you will know that I have a bit of a thing for scraves, particularly Pashminas. There was a point when I probably had about 70 scarves (yes, you have read that correct!). Now, after a big clear out, I probably have a more manageable 20. But that didn't stop me from picking up this beautiful white pashmina. I can picture wearing this when in gets a little colder with some skinny jeans, a little grey knit jumper and some pretty flats.

Another accessory that I couldn't resist was this stunning leather clutch. A lot of the shops in Marrakech sold fairly similar goods, in fact almost identical pieces from shop to shop. But this particular shop sold beautiful leather bags and pouches like nothing I had seen anywhere else. If I had taken more money with me I could have bought everything in this shop, it was my style down to a tea. However when I spotted this grey suede clutch with metallic details and tassel I knew it was the one. I can't wait to wear this on special occasions, but for now it is on display on one of the shelves in my bedroom.

The Moroccan slippers where a bit of a random purchase, and honestly I am not sure how much wear that I will get out of them! But they are so beautiful and intricate and I think that they look lovely displayed on my pouf! I bought these from a lovely man that Jack and I spent a bit of time chatting to so I love the memories behind these too.

And finally I got myself a little jewellery box with mother of pearl detailing that are sold all over Marrakech. I actually already have a larger one of these in my bedroom which I got a few years ago from the stalls in Egypt. But I think these are so pretty and add a lovely bit of detail to a shelf.

This bracelet however is probably the most special piece from the trip, bought for me by my lovely boyfriend. It is just my perfect piece of jewellery, a delicate mix of elegant and slightly bohemian. I also love the back story that goes behind this.

We were looking in a really cool shop that sold vintage cameras and little nic nacks, when the shop keeper said that we must visit his friends place. I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous, particularly as the place that he took us wasn't really a shop. But when we went inside it was just amazing, more like a museum really. It was two floors holding the most beautiful collection of piece from large vases, to mirrors, to costume jewellery and everything inbetween. Every space was taken up with a beautiful treasure, so that it would have taken days just to look at everything properly. The guy told us how it wasn't really a shop but a place that was only really open to collectors.

He encouraged us to pick something out (of course!) however I was worried as I knew we were in somewhere that was way over our budget. We had come on the morning of the last day on our holiday and still need food for the rest of the day and money for the airport. In the end after what I would say was more explaining our financial situation that haggling, we were given this for a very discounted rate!

This piece is just so special to me and will forever remind me of the amazing holiday that we had.

So I hoped that you enjoyed seeing the treasures that I picked up from Marrakech. There is actually one more thing that I bought however I have not put it up yet so I am going to wait until then to share it on here. Hope that you have had a lovely weekend.

Speak soon xx