keep the good things going

These shots were taken while England was still basking in the heat of the Indian summer and I lost whole afternoons tooling around London town with my sun hat and camera.

I don't know how, but Autumn passed me by in the rustle of a leaf. I swore I had it, but before I could say "pumpkin spice latte", it was gone ;)

Now here I find myself staring at the ass end of November and the mercury has sunk to below 8°.  

 Frozen fingers and bottle-warmed beds are now the flavour of the day.

 I've got a thirst on for thick wooly tights, Christmas get-togethers, tree decorating with Vince Guaraldi band and much anticipated dustings of snow powder. Also I'm making mental notes to stock up on mulled wine and gingerbread ingredients and surviving the winter months via self-induced food coma!

The season is almost upon us, friends, and it has a habit of keeping things sweet and light.

 I hope yours is a happy one x

surfs up!

Here are just a few iPhone shots I took during my road trip to Cornwall with Free People last weekend!

I kinda rued never getting my driver's license because the minute I saw the turquoise VW camper the girls had rented I wanted to hop behind the wheel and drive it straight into the sunset! What an awesome set of wheels!!

The trip was a total blast and I had such a great time making lots of memories, sunburnt noses and shoulders, and a few awesome new friends along the way.

Full guest post coming very soon over on the BLDG blog.

I'll keep you posted >.<

I'm so glad that you're here! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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free people road trip

Let me see....spectacles, testicles, wallet+ watch.

Ok, I think I have everything >.<

No sooner have I arrived here in London and I'm hitting the road again!

I could have done cartwheels on the moon when this exciting opportunity came up a few weeks ago.

To celebrate their UK launch, clothing brand Free People are hosting a weekend long road trip to the pretty seaside town of Newquay in Cornwall... and they invited me to come down and cover the event for their blog!

Wild stories of VW camper vans, live music and beach yoga classes have my heart skipping beats and I'll probably burst with excitement on the train down there today. To even be asked is such a huge honour and I'm stoked that this brand are launching in my homeland~ I love losing myself in their collections, they always stir the wildness in me.

If you fancy following the fun in Cornwall this weekend you can do so on instagram: #fproadtrip

Back soon!

(with sand in my jorts probably ^.^)

strawberry and deer skull

I visited the most perfect little tea room the other week with my Mom and aunt. Hidden down a little cobble-stone road in a village near my parent's house, it looked like something on the front of an old chocolate box.

We were served fresh from the oven scones and strawberries and whipped double-cream on mis-matched vintage china plates and drank a pot  several pots of tea from china teacups on big wood tables while the sun smiled and the bees hummed and I felt a little like we were in Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter books ^.^

I loved the eccentric decor (a deer skull here, a cast iron stove there) and the potted succulents, wild arugula and strawberries that were dotted around the outdoor seating. 

 It was the perfect place to kick back, soak up the lazy, dreamy summer sun and take too many spoons of whipped cream, because why not?

Now that you're here summer, how about staying awhile? Sure would appreciate it.

^.^

the record collector

Ever since I was a little girl my Dad has visited record stores, fairs, flea markets and festivals collecting records and music memorabilia.

Americana has always been the cornerstone of my memory and sense of home...even in leafy suburban South London where I grew up.

In every house we've ever owned my dad has had what we all call his 'music room'~ a room where he proudly displays his thousands of records, vinyl, tapes and concert merchandise.

That's Willie Nelson's cowboy hat above which my dad caught when he threw it into the crowd at a show in the eighties.

Some of my earliest and most cherished memories are of flipping through row upon row of dusty vinyl stacked in boxes in our local mom n' pop new and used record shop near where I grew up. I'm sure that store is probably long gone by now.

To me there's no one cooler than my old man. With his music room and hippy heart and clock in the shape of his favourite state in all of America.

God bless 'im!

x

a blueberry pancake kind of day

I woke up today with the notion that this was a blueberry pancakes for breakfast kind of a day.

When your notions speak to you in the morning I find it's best you mind them because then the day might finish and no blueberry pancake batter will be chilling in the fridge ready for round two tomorrow!

I'm a sucker for little blueberries, they're like sweet little reminders that Summer is waiting just around the corner.

This little dog of ours is both sweet and irascible depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Here she is giving my feet a good wash...

this is after she pulled both my socks off  and murdered them with her bare teeth ^.^

She's a character, our little fat bellied baby, my favourite is when she's all sleepy from play and she conks out on her back like a human toddler...my heart melts!

Tonight I'm packing my bags for a short trip North to my great grandmother's cottage in Donegal.

I love escaping to this part of Ireland, there's so much of the country's original, untouched landscapes, glens and white sandy beaches to explore.

Except if it rains. Which it probably will. If so an open fire, books and board games are all to be seen in my tea leaves!!

See you in a few days!

london trip// turning thirty

Turning Thirty was a breeze for this gal, of course it helped that she was spoiled with the company of some very special people ^.^

The rainy weather (and too long taken to gussy ourselves up) caused us to veto our planned Jack the Ripper walk. Instead we raised our umbrellas and headed east for a stroll in Brick Lane.

We wandered through cobbled streets, touched railed clothing in vintage shops and toasted my birthday over fresh mint teas.

Later in the evening we returned for a long awaited Indian curry~ oh how I've craved a good curry with coconut rice and almond pashwari naan!!

We closed the evening at a beautifully ramshackle hole- in-the-wall hookah bar surreptitiously recommended to us by the waiter in the curry house.

We blew apple and mint flavored smoke bubbles and listened to some great 90's R & B until the clock struck midnight.

Here's the birthday breakfast rustled up for me by my cousin that morning using the goose eggs and walnut bread we bought from Borough Market the previous day.

How thankful I am for beautiful family and friends to add a bit of sugar to my birthday cake!

x