The farm is situated just under junction 8 of the M25, selling homegrown veg, original flavours of ice-cream, smoked meats and other delicious looking goods from local suppliers! It’s cluttered and higgledy-piggledy, but in the best way. Think teapots and mismatched cups and saucers, handmade bunting, real jam and a cute little shop. There are secret overgrown little areas and everywhere you look, there’s memorabilia spanning the last 30 years or so. It’s so quaint. I’ll definitely be visiting again!

We had scones with clotted cream to die for in the tea room, but you can also book The Pudding Room or The Treehouse (above!)

You can see the entire set of photos here.

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I don’t buy expensive nail polish.  My theory is that they all chip in the end, so I go completely on colour, not on what they do or don’t claim to do.  Plus, I’m indecisive and slightly erratic, so I’m forever changing them and they don’t need to last!

2True is one of those brands in Superdrug, where if you blink, you’ll miss it.  Their products live on one of those spinning stands, that are all too easy to walk past! I bought these polishes as part of a recent haul in Superdrug’s 3 for 2 offer, BUT they’re only £1.99 each anyway, or 3 for £4.99, as all their products are.

2True do loads of polishes, but I couldn’t resist these limited edition Crystal Nail Polishes. I lovelovelove glitter and these are jam-packed full of the stuff! It’s really fine, so it’s not too in your face and potentially suitable for the office, but equally great for a night out.

They’re available in six shades, but my local Superdrug only had Shade 1 and 3, so I snapped them up! Shade 1 is a lovely royal blue and shade 3, a deep turquoise that reminds me of The Little Mermaid!

Needless to say, I’ll be keeping my eye out for the other shades in the collection!

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…bye bye!

Ok, mums (and dads!), grab a cuppa, a seat and let’s talk crap. Poo. Faeces. Plop. There is no nice word to disguise that little (or often, not-so-little) present that your baby leaves you in their nappy. It stinks. Byron isn’t on solids yet, but I’m told things will get a whole lot worse when he is. Great! Luckily, being on formula means that he only has one dirty nappy a day— but let me tell you now, he makes it count.

I’ve lost count the amount of times that he’s leaked out of his nappy and on to his clothes. Kate witnessed a poo explosion once, which has probably put her off having a tot for life.

So not only does this special nappy package make you heave, it stains. Kind of like turmeric. (Sorry to put you off of your curry.) Byron has so many lovely clothes that would otherwise be ruined, had I not discovered the powers of Vanish! Seriously. I understand why it’s called “Vanish” now. I use the pre-treatment spray (although they have other stain remover too) and it’s like magic in a bottle! There have been so many vests that I would have otherwise had to throw away, but just a few squirts of this on the stain before chucking it in the washing machine and it comes out like new— no need for replacements! It’s safe to use on whites & colours too, which is good to know, as his wardrobe is all the colours of the rainbow!

It’s one of those household essentials that all parents should have, as I’m sure it’ll come in useful when he’s flinging bolognese everywhere in a few months too (not to mention when we make mess ourselves as adults!)

Do you have any must-have products for parents?

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One • New foldover tote from New Look. I bought this the other day in Westfield with a voucher my mum had given me for Easter, after walking past it three or four times. I ummed & aahed, as New Look have so many great bags in right now!

Two • Purple sunglasses from Primark.

Three • Nude & pink skull scarf, also Primark.

Four • The latest edition of Company magazine. I love their new look!

Five • Lovely notebook, housing my 101 in 1001 list and everything that goes with it!

Six • iPhone. This has been a lifesaver since having Byron, for entertainment while I feed him!

Seven • Cath Kidston cosmetics bag (with some everyday bits poking out!)

Eight • IPod. Not too sure why I carry this now, as I never have the opportunity to listen to it via headphones, and my car has a CD player.

Nine • House keys and car keys. Did I mention that I have a new car now? A Vauxhall Meriva. A proper family wagon!

Ten • Filofax— another lifesaver since having Byron. We seem to make some many more plans these days, that I can’t keep up!

Eleven • Umbrella. Because it may be May, but it’s also England.

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Layout
I’m so indecisive, that I’m forever tweaking little things on my layouts and then I realise they’re completely different! Oops. Hopefully you should be seeing something like this:

Portfolio
I’ve finally merged my portfolio with the blog, which can now be seen here! Long time readers might recognise the photos from my old portfolio, as I’m still going through some final edits of newer photos. They’ll be up soon!

Shop
Something brand new, is my shop! Currently for sale are advertising packages, but I’ll be selling secondhand jewellery and bags, as well as my photography prints. Photographing items and adding them to the catalogue is taking longer than I thought (especially difficult when there’s a baby hanging off your arm!)

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We’re both people who like simple gestures— we’re not really into lavish gifts and uber expensive getaways— so we took the opportunity to have some baby-free time together and spent Friday in Westfield, perusing the shops and eating in Byron Burger, while our little Byron was with my mum and dad. How delicious are the Oreo Cookie Milkshakes, by the way? Very, is the answer.

We got up bright & early on Saturday and made our way to Portsmouth. Neither of us had been before, but I’m sure we’ll go back and see more of it, as it was lovely— and only an hour & a half on the train! If you haven’t been, you should go. We only walked around Gunwharf Quays, but it’s full of lovely little outlets, great places to eat (we munched at Jamie’s Italian) and things to do. We love a viewpoint, so a quick trip up the Spinnaker Tower was a must! It was a sunny and clear day, so the views were amazing and it’s a decent price too, considering you can spend as long as you like up there.

I think we’ll have a look around Southsea next time and also visit The Tenth Hole, as we missed it this time around!

Where’s your fav UK destination? We’re always looking for new places to visit!

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I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted, when I talk about how amazing Moleskines are, so I won’t bother (although if you don’t know what I’m on about, check ‘em out!) They’re the notebook of choice for creative types all over the world, including my husband— he used them at college when he was studying Fine Art & he still uses them now for song-writing a& ideas, not to mention his Moleskine diary for planning! We’re big old stationery geeks and love the rule on the Moleskine (not too wide!), new pens & generally hoarding notebooks. Yup, we’re sad.

When I started looking for a traditional paper gift for him for our one year anniversary (today!), I knew it had to be a Moleskine. We’re not into massive gestures & agreed it would be more of a little something to mark the occasion. I found lots of craft-types who made covers for notebooks and etched beautiful designs on to them, but they were either hideously expensive or you had to have a big minimum order. I was ready to give up, when I stumbled across MoleskinePress.co.uk. It’s simple & straight to the point! No fuss. £14 (inc. P&P) for a large, hardback notebook with your own message debossed between the elastic & right hand edge of the front cover. Brilliant! The notebook itself retails for £12.50, so it’s a bit of a bargain if you ask me.

If you’re looking for a personalised Moleskine, I’d definitely recommend Moleskine Press. I ordered it at 3pm on Monday & it arrived Tuesday morning. Impressive! I simply went for Ashley’s name on the side (rather than an anniversary message that might look a bit rubbish & potentially embarassing!), so he can actually use it. I now want a set of my own with “Photography”, “Blogging” & similar stuff on the side… I don’t need them, but my god, I want them! Damn you for feeding my addiction Moleskine Press!

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The colours are always so vibrant and punchy! I usually go for contact details on one side with a photo on the other, but they weren’t always applicable to the person receiving it, so I’ve kept it simple this time!

If you fancy it, you can get 10% off your Moo order, by clicking here— and remember, that doesn’t just mean business cards, as they have postcards and other products too!

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How lovely is that? I have a thing for white furniture. It just looks so clean and crisp! They’ve got a great selection of sofas, beds and larger furniture, as well as some beautiful lighting and smaller pieces, that would make great gifts!

Look at the pile on that rug! I want.

The great thing about Fashion For Home, is not just the amazing products, but their concept too. Their fancy pants business model, means they manufacture to order. So, you place your order, then they’re produced and shipped directly from their factory to you, meaning no one burdens the cost of storage, letting or wholesale, plus they don’t have to wait for products to clear before making new ones, so their designs keep up with the times! You can’t say fairer than that, can you?

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Twinings kindly offered to send me a box of White Tea to try out, recently. How could I refuse? If it’s good enough for Stephen Fry, it’s good enough for me! Fruit tea, green tea, chai and earl grey are all familiar to my kitchen cupboards, but white tea is evidently something I’ve bypassed completely! I followed the suggestions on the box and let it brew for a few minutes, before drinking it without milk and it was surprisingly delish considering my idea of tea isn’t far from hot, milky water! I must admit, I added a sweetener, but each to their own.

If you’re a tea lover, headover to the Twinings Facebook page & spread the love!

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