A Weekend Through The Lens #1

Friday 30 May 2014 ·

A sunny bank holiday in the UK - who would have thought?? I can't remember the last time it was sunny for a bank holiday here so when I saw the forecast for last weekend I instantly booked tickets to go back home for the weekend. I know home again! It must seem like I don't actually like living in London, but you just can't beat being at home in the countryside when the weathers this beautiful! 


All in all it was a lovely relaxing weekend of BBQs and Pimms - this might be the closest to summer we actually get so we have to make the most of it! We're off to France this weekend with my parents so obviously we had to get practicing with Scrabble and boules - I get very competitive and my dad is just far too good at Scrabble, it's very frustrating. 

And then of course we can't leave out my favourite thing about going home...getting to catch up with our various animals! Looks like Monty was pretty pleased that my bedroom door was open again so he could make himself at home on my bed - who has ever seen a cat sit like this?! And Merlin was making the most of the sunshine by rolling around all over mums catnip in the garden - she wasn't too impressed I can tell you!

By the end of the weekend the last thing I wanted to do was go back to London as I was having such a lovely time but needs must hey and I do love London really!! Now it's time to get packed and ready for France - fingers crossed we get some nice weather and I beat my dad at boules! 

Date Night in Southbank

Thursday 15 May 2014 ·

Last week Matthew surprised me by announcing that he was going to take me out for dinner at my favourite restaurant, Ping Pong, as a treat  - I'm not too sure what I did to deserve it but who am I to complain! So after work I popped home for a (very) quick outfit change and headed out for date night. 

My new camera had arrived a few days previously so we decided to go to the Southbank branch as then we could have a little mooch along Southbank after dinner and I could have a little play with my new camera. 
 Despite my speediness at popping home the restaurant was absolutely packed when we got there, it was a Friday night so I shouldn't have been so surprised, but it was a great excuse to have a couple of cocktails to start. Unfortunately Matthew hated his but I guess thats what happens when you order a cocktail involving wasabi of all things. Mine was much more of a success although it was pretty much pure alcohol so I decided to take it sloooow! When our buzzer finally went telling us our table was available I pretty much ran down the stairs as I was ravenous!  
 Now for the fun part! Typically I can be a little predictable with my food, I discover what I like and I rarely stray from it and Ping Pong is no exception so there were no surprises when I ordered some firm favourites - roast pork buns and potato cakes. 
 On this occasion I got sucked in by the specials that were on offer and we got some of the tempura asparagus and some spinach and beef dumplings - both of which were AMAZING, I highly recommend them. Ping Pong is such a fantastic restaurant, everything comes in 3's so there's no excuse not to try as many things as possible and they also do great set menu's - especially their Super 8 menu which unfortunately I never get the benefit of as it's only available Monday-Friday 12pm-5pm! 
After way too much food and probably a smidgen too much wine (it was a Friday, that's a good excuse right?) we finally left the restaurant and went for a wander along the Thames which is just stunning at night. My photo's really do not do it justice that's for sure - I'm going to have to pop back again when I've got the hang of my camera. 

Impromptu Summer Haul!

Friday 9 May 2014 ·


There's nothing I love more than travelling whether it's in the UK, Europe of further afield and so I've been counting down for my holiday to France ever since I booked it back in February. Therefore with only a month to go I finally gave myself permission to go and do a little bit of shopping - you can't go away without a few new bits and pieces right or is that just me?

First up, I popped into Primark. I tend to find it kind of hit or miss in there not only because of the varying stock but also it really depends on my mood as sometimes I really can't stand the crowds and messiness! However, this time was relatively successful and I'm pretty pleased with my finds.

Probably my favourite thing was these cute Aztec print pumps. I buy a variation of these pretty much every year - last year was floral - they are so comfy and versatile. I think they look super cute with summer dresses, shorts and jeans, well that's pretty much everything isn't it?! Also living in the UK, even in summer we can't guarantee the weather and so these are ideal for wearing when the weathers not so great but still look summery. I guarantee I'll get a lot of use out of these and I might have to pop back in and see if there's any other patterns.
This bright floral, Hawaiian-esque print top was something I fell in love with at first site. I tend to be attracted to fairly muted colours in general so this was quite out of character for me but it'll be a great addition to my wardrobe to brighten up some of my spring/summer outfits.
Next up, another pair of shoes (be warned there's a few in this haul - I went a bit shoe crazy!). I tend to struggle a lot with sandals as they always seem to rub my feet but I'm hoping that these ones won't rub as they seem to be really soft 'leather'. The pop of red is also really unique. Fingers crossed I don't get dodgy tan lines from these...!
I can't resist a good monochrome t-shirt so as soon as I saw this I knew that it had to be mine! The intricate design of the elephant is beautiful and stops it from being too casual. I think this looks great just with jeans and sandals so is great for a casual day out.
Pair of shoes number 3 - these wouldn't be my usual choice as sandals with a strap between the toes are usually incredibly uncomfortable for me but they were only £4 so I figured it was worth the risk. They were too cute to leave behind! The gold detailing makes them look a bit smarter than the first pair of sandals and therefore could be dressed up for wearing in the evening too.
I don't think I ever go into Primark and don't pick up some PJ's - they're just so comfy, I can't ever have enough pairs. This time I was specifically looking for a nice cotton pair for wearing during the warmer months as my PJ collection seems to be dominated by fluffy flannel which is perfect for winter but it's always good to have something a bit cooler. I absolutely adore the colour of these and the polka dot pattern.
Last but not least from Primark is this daisy print bikini. The pattern immediately caught my eye and then I noticed the style of the top - you can remove the halterneck strap to make it a bandeau which is perfect for me as I like to switch it up everyday to try and avoid getting too many strap marks.
I also had a quick look in Forever21. I love the clothes in there but I decided to save those for another shopping trip so instead headed straight to the jewellery department. So I picked up 2 sets of rings - 1 gold set with 3 plain rings and a heart midi ring, and then a set of silver midi rings. I'm not sure how much I like midi rings to be honest but these were super cheap so I wanted to try them out. 
Last but not least I bought a couple of more practical things for holiday - some toothbrush covers as I think these would be great for when we're travelling. Then I popped into Muji and picked up 2 of their clear airport bags for cosmetics etc as when we go to France I'm not checking any baggage so I need all my toiletries in a clear bag - fingers crossed these will be enough!

I can't wait for our holiday now - I am in serious need of a break and some relaxation by the pool and copious amounts of delicious food!!

A Weekend in the Country

Monday 5 May 2014 ·


As you may now have guessed as much as I love London I still far prefer being at home in the country and being able to go on long walks, relax in the garden  and spend time with family and of course our menagerie of animals!  Last weekend pretty much encompassed all of my favourite things and it couldn't have been better!! 

                    
The weather was absolutely glorious last weekend which was perfect as it meant mum and I could enjoy having breakfast (bacon and scrambled eggs on toast with tomatoes - my favourite) out in the garden with a nice iced coffee. Is there a better way to start the day? I personally don't think so - despite having a balcony in London I really don't sit out there enough! 

And now onto Freddie's favourite way to start the day (having said that it's probably his favourite way to spend the ENTIRE day!) - sitting by the little pond watching the fish. If in doubt as so where Freddie is this is usually where he will be found come rain or shine - he is obsessed with fish!! A refreshing change from our other cats (the white fluffy ones anyway - yes we have FAR too many cats)  as they barely go outside - lazy little so and so's! As much as I think Freddie's obsession with the fish is adorable my dad can get a little annoyed from time to time as believe it or not Freddie is a talented little fisherman and his patience sitting and watching pays off when he finally scoops a poor unsuspecting fish out of the pond with his paw! 
With a day starting out as beautifully as this there was one thing I knew I just had to do and that was pop over to Matthew's parents house so I could kidnap their little puppy Oscar for the afternoon and take him out for a walk. I recently treated myself to a new camera and this seemed like an ideal time to take this little poser out and experiment with my new toy! Isn't he just adorable? With so many cats at home it's pretty clear that my family are cat people at heart but Oscar is starting to change my opinion on dogs....slowly!

So off we went for a little stroll in the sunshine and Oscar wasted no time finding the biggest stick he could and then proceeding to run off with it whenever we tried to get it off him to play fetch - little monkey!


Spending time around Oscar has started to make me think that maybe I'd like to get a dog when I'm a little older - in addition to a cat of course!! But as much as I think Oscar's cute I've decided that if I get a dog it's probably going to be a miniature dachshund. The sole reason for this being the many incredibly adorable photo's that Becky at Milk Bubble Tea posts of her dog little dachshund Oscar who I am utterly in love with! If you don't read her blog or follow her on Twitter I highly recommend you do for regular updates on her life with little Oscar - if it doesn't make you want one just like him I don't know what will!