lazy weekend, lazy sunday

Being that I still have my part-time job (anyone fancy employing me? No? Okay then..), having free weekends is something of a rarity for me. On Saturday I was doing a late night shift, and Sunday I had somehow wrangled the day off through booking my holiday incorrectly. Yesterday I had a very hot wander around Alton and the farmers-market and ate far too much good food, then today I did well.. practically nothing. I woke up late, made an amazing cup of coffee, popped to the shops, then chilled with some magazines, books, and a new knitting project in the afternoon. 

I've been having some problems with my wrist so knitting has to be with long breaks in-between, and the thing I had been knitting (a very large entirely stockinette t-shirt) was driving me crazy. I wanted to cast on something really fun so I'm doing a vanilla toe-up sock which will have an after thought heel, but its in this super amazing Regia wool that is just so bright.

I'm also currently reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and I'm so obsessed with it - I can't believe I've never read it before, it's making me want to read other things by Woolf, which I've never really entertained the idea of before. If you have any other recommendations, let me know?

I also picked up the new copy of Elle (with the Malin & Goetz samples) and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed flicking through Elle - not something that I ever normally go for, but it was a good read. And how cute are my little cornflowers that I picked at the allotment? They perfectly match the candle I got at Ikea, that is annoyingly washed out by my bad photography..

What have you been up to this weekend? 

favourites things in june

SHORTS: I am including this in here for an important reason - basically, I have become body confident enough to wear shorts. Not little skimpy hot pants, but jean cut-offs that come to about my knee. You have no idea how weird this is for me (the girl who hasn't shown any skin above her ankle in public in about ten years). It's weirdly liberating to not give a single fuck if someone thinks my legs are too fat or too pale or too lumpy or too scarred or whatever and just wear them because it's bloody hot outside.  

BIRKENSTOCKS: So yeah, I'm one of those people that wear them. I don't even care if they're ugly, which yeah, I know they are, but I've wanted some for ages since my friend told me how comfy hers were, so I found the Birkenstock Arizona's at John Lewis, paid for them and they were waiting for my the next day when I went into work (I really love Click & Collect). 

NEON NAILS: Now it's all sunny and lovely outside I want to make my feet all ready for summer - which is sort of frustrating because I hate wearing shoes when it's nice outside - so my feet take quite a beating. I have been trying to keep my feet looking nice for the summer, but I saved you the picture of my exfoliating tools (really, I saved you) but my feet are feeling tip-top for summer. Pictured above are Illamasqua's neon yellow Rare (photos & review here) which is currently on my toes, Models' Own Toxic Apple (Instagram picture!) and China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy (photos & review here), three of my all-time favourite neons.  

GRADUAL TAN: When you start getting your legs out, wearing sandals and painting your toes highlighter-yellow - you realise your legs are hella pasty and blindingly white. So I found this St. Tropez gradual tanner at work and I stupidly bought the medium/dark one - which may be a teeensy bit too dark for my skin-tone, but it just makes me look super tanned, which I like. Just a warning though!  

ACCESSORIES: Apart from my usual day-to-day jewelery, some other things have made their way into my wardrobe - my trusty all black Swatch watch, and my still perfect Ray-Ban's. Both of which, I really love, I extolled the virtues of my sunglasses when I got them a couple of years ago but they're still a summer essential (they get use in the Winter, too, when the sun is low and bright in the morning) and they just go with everything. They're my first pair of prescription sunglasses and they're honestly the best thing, don't know how I coped before I got them? I also really love my Swatch watch, which I just think looks great when I'm a bit more tanned in the summer. 

SUMMER SCENTS: My standard, go-to, fail-safe summer scent is Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet (full review here), it's still the most heavenly perfume I've ever worn. It smells like gin-and-tonic, like elderflower cordial, like late nights spent outside, warm air, summer rainstorms and it fades to the most delicious, practically spicy, lemon and lime smell on my skin. I've also been using my Crabtree & Evelyn Tarocco Orange, Eucalyptus & Sage hand-cream on my hands, elbows, knees and heels, and it smells like bitter orange blossom, I'm in love.

FITNESS APPS & SUPER BRIGHT CROP-TOPS: I'm still on my weight-loss mission and I'm doing well - things slowed down through the month because of being away, having birthdays and meals out, and they're all excuses, but I am still dropping my weight, and I'm only 4lbs away from losing 4 stone! Which I'm still not quite sure is a real thing, but I know I'm so much fitter, I know that my clothes are so much looser (I've dropped two sizes in jeans!). I've been using the app Myfitnesspal to track my calorie intake and exercise and it makes me really think about everything I'm putting in my body, and it feels great! I'm also loving getting nice work-out gear, which makes early mornings at the gym worth it. I picked up some cute crop-tops (bras, if you're of the small-breasted variety) to wear under vests if they have slashed arm-holes from TK Maxx for under a tenner.

So I was sat at my desk on Sunday night with a slice of Victoria sponge and home-made lemon curd (oh man, that is making me hungry all over again, they'll be a recipe up soon for it!) and I suddenly realised that it was practically the end of June. I sat up straight and opened my calendar and realised, yup, there was only one day left until July. Where did June go? I thought in a panic, I remember my birthday, and being off work, and going away, and so many sunny days I can barely remember but... still, I'm really not sure where it went. Is this a sign I'm getting older? Actually, don't even answer that one, I already feel old enough when all the new kids are at work, telling me how they've just finished their first year of sixth-form (shudder).

Anyway, the point of this ramble (and a super long post) is that I thought I would show you some things that I've been loving this past month, even though it's been whisked out from underneath me and now it's suddenly the 2nd of July, which I still don't quite get (sometimes hot, sometimes not, when are the kids out from school, should I risk the beach this week or will it be rammed with kids, etc etc..).

Share with my anything you've been loving recently, I love to try out new things!

these are a few of my favourite things

I've been watching The Great Interior Design Challenge (although I am getting a little tired of Bake-off spin-offs!) with my mum this week, and it's got me really thinking about my taste in interiors - I really couldn't think of anything worse than letting someone else design my bedroom or house?! Although it isn't exactly how I would want it, it's as close as i can it, living in my parents house. I spend a lot of time in my bedroom, and I love to have it just right (even if it's not always tidy.. shh), which got me thinking about whether I could relinquish decoration control of my little haven to someone else - the short answer is no. The long answer is.. well, could anyone really know what I want? What are some of the things that I love - natural items, crystals and wood and bark, earthy greens and browns, mixed with white walls and trinkets, old photographs and decorative glassware. But god knows what those designers would come up with - some of the awful things I have seen are fake panels decorated with wallpaper, painting beautiful original fireplaces and making some very questionable MDF shelving. 

Anyway, I am very proud of my little bedroom, and these are few of my favourite spots from around my room. My windowsill, has changed a little, and now features mainly plants, but I still have my vase of pheasant tail-feathers, my jars of rocks and shells, candles, my beautiful cigar boxes and testubes of San-Francisco sand and sea-water.

I am starting to have quite a lovely collection of art, too, including two beautiful prints from friends at my old internship that need to be hung, two paintings made by a friend from university (only one is awaiting to hung) as well as lots of lovely old postcards that aren't visible in these pictures. My current favourite 'Half Full' print that I picked up at free-art-swap in London a few years ago has pride of place, alongside two photos of the Salford skyline that my dad took in the 70's, which I think is now dominated by media city, and lots of framed bird feathers that I have found over the years, including my beautiful green-woodpecker feathers that I found at the allotment, some from my sad little woodcock friend, and pheasants and such.  I am also very fond of soft furnishings, my favourite being my handmade (by me!) quilt which is oh-so-soft and fleecy and will be with my for many a year to come.