tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559968623295532392024-03-21T23:01:49.117+00:00 tangerine trees and marmalade skieslover of the creative, fashion, beauty, travel, life in general...tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-51085777625280528062015-07-13T15:38:00.000+01:002015-07-13T15:39:00.263+01:00the party...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tJ3D8_mRZvvVjvCxNpL3kfl7ZfZn1KSnH75_cTOoag85-omdB3p8JU2tTYREqv_6JxY5KuMvsQZHjbr2jSV90830r08JbPAGEaCoLFHGFcF99xgSJhyphenhyphenCiWADuLRXvloY5hVW_BiMktn7/s1600/IMG_4557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tJ3D8_mRZvvVjvCxNpL3kfl7ZfZn1KSnH75_cTOoag85-omdB3p8JU2tTYREqv_6JxY5KuMvsQZHjbr2jSV90830r08JbPAGEaCoLFHGFcF99xgSJhyphenhyphenCiWADuLRXvloY5hVW_BiMktn7/s320/IMG_4557.JPG" width="227" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">after months of planning and a saturday evening set up in the rain</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">sunday saw the</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">community summer party executed in the glorious yorkshire sunshine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">after the last minute emails were exchanged earlier last week i was actually getting quite exciting about the weekend. but nervous. so nervous because actually was putting the new street- food court in a separate are of the park really good idea? will party goers find it? do people really just want burger and chips?</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but it gets to a certain point and you cant change your decisions you just have to run with them and hope for the best...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so first decision of sunday was what does one wear underneath a high- vis vest for a day? i opted for practical double denim with a splash of colour.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq1tubPSnpaUST1J-opGyBSnYvM4IP4ht0ovjsn3QbsJ7N7rn2-juN19M2p1JFmjacAt-cz5RSFgpWfWDCCXk544nTCMLVQGyiAmKByPhMuhUKuXhhVjGAxjPJ3xeZ4J9bt1MyUE-xEt9/s1600/IMG_4696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq1tubPSnpaUST1J-opGyBSnYvM4IP4ht0ovjsn3QbsJ7N7rn2-juN19M2p1JFmjacAt-cz5RSFgpWfWDCCXk544nTCMLVQGyiAmKByPhMuhUKuXhhVjGAxjPJ3xeZ4J9bt1MyUE-xEt9/s320/IMG_4696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">first job of the day. coffee. our local park has the cutest little cafe with a library</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and serves the most delicious coffee and breakfast products. so after coffee i made my first realisation of the day. decorations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i live for decorating stuff. i thrive on decorating projects of the home or any form of event. and id forgotten to make any decorations for my food area. the so- named food court was behind a hedge, away from the lake and the hustle and bustle of the main party area. so making it ideal for families to sit and relax but not so noticeable behind the flipping high hedge.</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so first note made for next year; make some form of pretty bunting/ banner for the high hedge...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i threw up the little bunting we had left round a tree and continued set up...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the party started at 1 but the crowds were building far sooner than that. the main area was buzzing with community stalls, charity stalls and all sorts of weird and wonderful</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">activities to try. there was a climbing wall and blow up rugby game and the usual bouncy castle and spinning tea cups to keep the children entertained. a particular favourite of Seb's was the miniture railway</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i held off going back into the food area for a little while, nervous that it would be quiet as there were so many people everywhere else</span>. <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but when i walked in it was fantastic. there were people milling around and queuing to try out the culinary delights. families has set up camp in the gardens on picnic rugs and were happily sampling what was on offer. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbvpzOFQ8U_uQ7t8RuiY-R13B8K0v6YdtompXAOhBcWbNq3Wq6LCOwqXRfPzZjI5ugXeHkptcNmHx9khLpXJD4YV3wGJ-EnVyxaBQ5e73NeWJX2V5h-7WFd5IOo6tSFAnyncSryiby3ew/s1600/IMG_4739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbvpzOFQ8U_uQ7t8RuiY-R13B8K0v6YdtompXAOhBcWbNq3Wq6LCOwqXRfPzZjI5ugXeHkptcNmHx9khLpXJD4YV3wGJ-EnVyxaBQ5e73NeWJX2V5h-7WFd5IOo6tSFAnyncSryiby3ew/s320/IMG_4739.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the whole afternoon flew by in a whirl of talking and directing and eating. feedback on the day was majority positive for the party overall and i was delighted that from my street- food traders it was purely positive. we left buzzing about ideas for next year.</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">for a first insight into event management it was great. i was fortunate to be able to concentrate on one area of the party so as not to get overwhelmed with admin and headaches. last week i was umming and ahring as to whether i wanted to commit to another 6 months of planning next year but i think these things are kind of addictive. if it goes well then you want to build on that success no matter what kind of work is involved.</span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-18984298919395250612015-07-06T15:05:00.002+01:002015-07-06T15:05:36.147+01:00solo shopping...<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">i've been quiet on the writing front of late. feeling under the weather coupled with the park party fast approaching and my brain has been busy just functioning and getting everything done for next weekend. but i wrote this yesterday on my way home...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">i took some time out today to head to Leeds on a little shopping trip on my lonesome. as usual there are presents galore to buy this month (why is it when we hit 30 everybody else turns 30, has babies, gets them christened, gets married and moves house?) so that was my main purpose but there's no point forgetting yourself entirely so the aim was also to pick up a bargain in H&M or somewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">so coffee in hand, new magazine in my bag (it takes me a whole month to read Elle at home) and i already felt worlds lighter. i didn't need to choo choo at every train that passed in the station, i didn't need to fight to get on the train with a stroller and i didn't need to use bribery to get through a journey without kickoff. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">i jumped from shop to shop and back again choosing just the right gift and reasoning that I did need some new underwear. i chose a seat upstairs and enjoyed lunch (eaten still warm) and daydreamed. and now i'm on my way home again, absolutely knackered (why does shopping feel like a 10k after only 3 hours?) and looking forward to a lazy, family sunday afternoon. you can't have too much of alone time or a good thing, otherwise you'd never appreciate it.</span></div>
tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-45231769577744304602015-06-23T20:43:00.000+01:002015-06-23T20:43:47.459+01:00Benetton printed trousers...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i love a printed trouser, or slacks as i like to call them because it reminds me of what Jessica Fletcher might call them in Murder She Wrote. i bought these beautifully coloured and printed pair from Benetton in Villamoura</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Portugal, a few weeks ago...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93JAqrSfOE8hSAuid-XIndzO-2pOF-DZXO_Ryuy8Kl_tibDEy9Q9yBWtT59NGfXgleswNQRHspF_cRMbpgiSoe4iWT8JYyVDjDK-fV_dQLp5bpfasqFp6O-KgJOH03cTVNeQ0We_pgAuu/s1600/floral+trousers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93JAqrSfOE8hSAuid-XIndzO-2pOF-DZXO_Ryuy8Kl_tibDEy9Q9yBWtT59NGfXgleswNQRHspF_cRMbpgiSoe4iWT8JYyVDjDK-fV_dQLp5bpfasqFp6O-KgJOH03cTVNeQ0We_pgAuu/s320/floral+trousers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">ive been wearing them with a white camisole, white or grey slouchy tshirt or white shirt. shoes are also my favourite posh sandels (from Topshop) for when trainers or flip flops just wont do.</span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-71510490399262320322015-06-22T15:39:00.002+01:002015-06-22T15:40:26.023+01:00summer workwear...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugtyR0vKlQCck8YAPxNlhGIfWzU7UQMsMdIMur0pcEWxo-Rm-47-y5QINgSAlkjJYa77PrMYINtocnFcak8Mgp7nF79wcwi-e42TBN9QczrXFzKKnWJ7PiSgM6jpAkfPit2DpS96vuPRj/s1600/i+have+nothing+to+wear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugtyR0vKlQCck8YAPxNlhGIfWzU7UQMsMdIMur0pcEWxo-Rm-47-y5QINgSAlkjJYa77PrMYINtocnFcak8Mgp7nF79wcwi-e42TBN9QczrXFzKKnWJ7PiSgM6jpAkfPit2DpS96vuPRj/s320/i+have+nothing+to+wear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">image courtesy of www.misskasia.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">im fortunate enough to work somewhere without a uniform or strict dress code (although <a href="http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/woman-wears-the-same-work-outfit-every-day-to-combat-stress-and-boost-productivity" target="_blank">Stylist magazine</a> published a fascinating article about a woman who wore the same outfit to work everyday to boost productivity...)this is also a bonus because it shakes me out of the jeans and tshirt rut its all too easy to fall into on a weekend with a toddler. but again its all too easy to wear the same skinnies and blouse week in week out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so this re- surge of energy i wrote about post holiday came into good effect and i popped on my fresh wardrobe glasses and re discovered some beauts...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">okay okay so i said this wasn't about wearing the same skinny jeans and blouse time and again but black skinny jeans are the base for a good working wardrobe (i swear by M&S 5 pocket jeggings) and this vintage blouse has been hanging in my wardrobe for about eight years and before that in some other ladies for about 20...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">im all about fuss free. i cant be bothered to spend more than 5 minutes on my hair (a big reason its short) and i love anything that can be worn with a simple, slouchy tshirt. this cream lace skirt from Gap outlet has just a touch of sporty with the elasticated waistband and its boyed up a bit more with just a t. i think the best ones are H&M with the little pocket and only £7.99...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEAIHbIp1F-7spmmwV9AIkkHkkCc6-zEwVySs2o94sHidjTFWo_XyhbwCenwiW2-quAhBSbs55tYmGnyUMx6-Ew_Ccs1ylSzzXWAiKLXbKYVdaVU0bSNFR8UP9usG-xsZKrsGGhZhyvgU/s1600/cream+skirt+and+t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEAIHbIp1F-7spmmwV9AIkkHkkCc6-zEwVySs2o94sHidjTFWo_XyhbwCenwiW2-quAhBSbs55tYmGnyUMx6-Ew_Ccs1ylSzzXWAiKLXbKYVdaVU0bSNFR8UP9usG-xsZKrsGGhZhyvgU/s320/cream+skirt+and+t.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">in the summer months its hard to know what to wear because its windy but boiling on your walk to work, you need comfy shoes but it might rain and once you get inside the aircon might be freezing. i found these tailored shorts, from Topshop, and i thought they worked perfectly with this loose white shirt (Barbour but bargain of the century from Oxfam) so there's flesh on show to keep cool but sleeves to keep the chill off. finished with good old tan loafers... </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMRr2D3laMNu4iZM2amkirkrBpW6LRhMdUqidPApRuNdobAQWbAUYH-Aoi7MXR1nUtSPTnsI43N6AexQq_RpFd_RkQpz8O5CV15VdZuU3_STP1ORGO7xqcGJat5-79DTKSBlRm1ejPz4P/s1600/Shorts+and+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMRr2D3laMNu4iZM2amkirkrBpW6LRhMdUqidPApRuNdobAQWbAUYH-Aoi7MXR1nUtSPTnsI43N6AexQq_RpFd_RkQpz8O5CV15VdZuU3_STP1ORGO7xqcGJat5-79DTKSBlRm1ejPz4P/s320/Shorts+and+shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and my working wardrobe of the last month, actually the last year, is not complete without my smart joggers, again H&M. ease, comfort, smart. done deal. again with the white shirt or slouchy tshirt...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">this fresh- eyes malarkey tends to
happen every few months, thank god, because it saves me pennies and
space. as much as i love a splurge as much as the next girl there is
something far more satisfying opening your wardrobe doors and pulling
out just what you want to wear. or fancy trying something new and
finding that actually you have just the thing already.</span> </span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-68839704481671972692015-06-20T16:02:00.003+01:002015-06-22T13:47:55.982+01:00ceilings...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">sometimes some topics and ideas just go round your head for a few weeks. you have a discussion with yourself about them and you bring them up in conversation and then finally you just decide you want to have a mull with the keyboard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i read an article about Charlize Theron a few weeks ago, in last month's Elle</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and in it she discussed the double standards of Hollywood and the pay gap between male and female actors. ive read articles on pay inequality and the 'glass ceilings' women encounter in the workplace lots of times but for some reason this one article made me think. i discussed it with my mum and reasoned that ive never really thought about the subject in any great detail before. like extreme poverty, homophobia, racism; i know it exists but its not something i have felt has ever affected me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">this isnt to paint a picture that my (former) career was blessed with</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">promotion</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">more that ive never worked anywhere where there were opportunities</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">to progress within the time frame i was there. and significant pay rises (by this i mean more that £1 an hour extra) didnt come my way not because i was a women but because i worked for a small, family run business in an agricultural area. and, whether it was pure ignorance on my part, but i never once felt that i couldnt rise up the ranks, should i wish too, simply because i was female. i knew people who worked in London and said things like ''i need to give my clients more face time.'' maybe they saw the glass ceiling but i certainly didnt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">why this particular article in Elle struck me i dont know. but i was genuinely shocked to read that Charlize had achieved what had not been done before in the film industry, to be paid the same as her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth. i discussed in disbelief with my mum that i couldn't believe this hadn't happened before, surely the actors and actresses with equal screen time got paid the same? she was pretty accepting of the fact, that's the way it had always been, right or wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">it was the Sony email leaks, disclosing the difference in pay between Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams and their male costars in American Hustle, that brought the Hollywood pay gap into the spotlight. and from that moment on i think there has been a jump- start of interest, again, in equal rights, in pay equality, in roles for women, in double standards, in sexism. basically lets call it feminism. because feminism became something of a dirty word, certainly in my teenage to adulthood years. we heard stories about Emily Pankhurst when we grew up, we listened to girl power in our tweens and then something happened. maybe we all started to view feminism and feminists negatively, in a very laddish way? we started to scorn and paint with a stereotype brush. whatever way a lot of us disregarded it i think. or we were too young for it in the wider world away from history lessons and wannabe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">maybe it was the birth of Heat magazine and the celebrity culture. maybe it was the fact that we were so keen to be as sexualised as possible because it was our right and it didnt mean we were knowing'(as my Nanna would call it) just because we dressed like it. maybe it was because women were starting to get tired of the 'have it all culture' they had grown up with and actually wanted to breastfeed and stay at home with their babies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">journalist and author Polly Vernon recently published her book Hot Feminist, touted as ''a brave new perspective on feminism'', basically an entertaining perspective on being a modern feminist and that its ok to want to be perceived as 'hot' as well as caring about women's rights. i havent read it yet but i read a fascinating article with Polly and ive also read many reviews on the book. and like it or loathe it, agree with it or not, she has a valid point in that one of the things that went wrong with 'feminism' in the last few years is that women kept judging women. we're all guilty of jumping up and down about men and the media labeling us but we actually do it to each other more. so women who felt they were true feminists would scorn at those professing to be one whilst still making sure they kept their waxing appointments. and TOWIE influenced girls would scorn at those eager to make a stand against sexulisation in the media. so Polly makes the point that why cant we just be as we are, and still be a feminist and be each others biggest supporters?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">ive also been really inspired by Hilary and Chelsea Clinton of late, im a sucker for the American presidential election term on term anyway, so with Hilary running its going to be a fascinating watch. you could see years ago, when she was the First Lady and later when she became Obama's number two, that if there were to be a first female president, it was going to be Hilary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and i didnt know too much about Chelsea, other than she was a few years older than me, had a mass of curly hair and had a baby girl about a year after i had Seb. but after sacking off a career in finance she works closely with <a href="https://www.clintonfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The Clinton Foundation</a> and, in main, their initiative No Ceilings. this project aims to 'inspire and advance the full participation of girls and women around the world.' in short it covers education, violence, poverty, health and aims to build a report of real date on how women are progressing through all walks of life, so they can access the problem areas. what suck with me was, when talking about life since becoming a mother, Chelsea said she felt she owed it to her daughter Charlotte to try and make the world better for her. and i felt the same way. i want Seb to grow up with a full understanding of equality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">its all too easy to get drawn into your own world and stay there, without opening your eyes and your mind to whats happening out in the wider world. i live in a very white, very middle class area and a lot of local people work within the city walls; for the railway, in hospitality and tourism or for Aviva. maybe it wasn't just me and glass ceilings don't occur to that many women here either. but just like the casual racism that exists here (and many other places), maybe there is casual sexism and we just don't notice because we've grown up and live in a traditional place and that's just how life is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">thats why i think its important to read. and discuss. and not be afraid to speak out, in protest or in discussion. to keep our eyes and mind open and to teach equality on all levels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-26373515896411822622015-06-09T20:31:00.002+01:002015-06-09T20:36:24.813+01:00father's day ideas...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">there are posts galore on father's day gift ideas; luxurious, home- made, on a budget, and its something i started thinking about a few weeks ago. with so many events and occasions in the calender this year i'm trying to keep our present giving creative (and on a budget...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">ideas i've had...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">craft ales. real ale, craft ale, bog standard lager; they are all popular with the men folk in our family. real ale is one of my father- in- law's 'things' and a box set of unusually named tipples is a favourite gift to give. the younger men in the family, and my dad, have always been more Carlsburg than Carbon Neutral but with familial influences and the growing trend for craft ales this could be an ideal gift for dads and grandads. <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/" target="_blank">Marks & Spencer</a> have a fantastic selection of beer and cider and for Fathers Day are bringing out some good box sets if you want the job of choosing to be done for you. personally i love picking the daftest names or names that link to the receiver. if, like me you like to shop local, its worth scouting your high street or a bit off the beaten track to see if there are any individual wine and beer shops. here in York my favourite is York Beer & Wine shop, a treasure trove of a shop just beyond the city walls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">image courtesy of www.friendsofham.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Not on the High Street. well this is just a one stop shop and basically i might as well finish my post here. this is my first point of call when im looking for ideas for any occasion (and also home and party decor.) you can find something for any budget, here are a couple of my favourites...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">mini photo acrylic block & wooden calender keyring... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">both priced around £15 they are a perfect, low cost present idea with a god dose of sentimentality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">chalk board. another totally unique idea is a pub style chalkboard,
expertly painted by artist <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/chalkboard-illustrator" target="_blank">chalkboard illustrator</a>. originally set up to
provide a higher quality of work for local businesses, last year they
started to design personal boards to be given as gifts. these can be a
brain storm about the receiver complete with little images if you fancy,
in any colour palate you choose. chalkboard illustrator has also
designed personalised boards to be used at private parties and even
table plans...so have a think about some good stuff about your dad and
send him a message. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">good old socks and tshirts. when all else fails i go for some kind of clothing item. a traditionally boring choice is socks. rather than the 5 pack with days of the week on from Next im thinking big, thick, woolly welly socks from <a href="http://www.joules.com/" target="_blank">joules</a>. perfect for the dad who loves to walk. or a farmer. tshirts; depending on their style id choose <a href="http://www.topman.com/" target="_blank">topman</a> for cheap, simple and on trend, <a href="http://www.wierdfish.co.uk/" target="_blank">wierdfish</a> for a more casual, beachy dad, <a href="http://www.wiggle.co.uk/" target="_blank">wiggle</a> for sporty dads and check out <a href="http://www.debenhams.com/" target="_blank">debenhams</a> for the different labels...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">happy shopping and fathers day! </span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-59137886695596581632015-06-06T11:50:00.000+01:002015-06-06T11:50:30.495+01:00inspiration...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">since we got back from Portugal ive been a bit quieter on the posting while ive been catching up with my mini jobs</span>; <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">chasing up traders and emails for the park party (which is fast approaching) and</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">now the season is in full swing, its write ups galore for the triathlon club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but i dont think i could jump into these tasks with such gusto were it not for a break. we all know how much better we feel after a few days away, it doesn't have to be abroad (but a bit of sun often helps)it just needs to be a change from the norm. a switch off off the mental and the email type.</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">while i was away i found relaxation, peace and from that inspiration in the sun, the wine and the copious amounts of magazines i digested.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and it was while i was thumbing the pages of Vogue (£2 in Manchester airport's WH Smiths, bargain)that i started thinking about the constant complaints with women's glossies being demoralising, out of touch with normaility and encouraging eating disorders. now we could sit here until next week discussing the whys and should theys of the use of extreme skinny, that's a whole other post. and there's a whole world of truth that the upmarket glossies want to create an elitism, but I don't read them and feel demoralised and unworthy. i feel inspired and energised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i feel encouraged to strive for more work wise, building my skills and my cv now to achieve a career i can be proud of once Seb is a bit older. i want to be able to afford some of what i see on these pages, it doesnt make me feel depressed that i cant afford it now. instead my brain sparks off ideas of where i can find similar items on the high street or second hand, it makes me think about whats already in my wardrobe. i dont see the models photoshopped stomachs and want to cheese-grater off some of my own mum wobble, instead it reminds me to keep working hard to stay fit and strong. and the beauty pages remind me to experiment more with colours and makes me feel happy i have the confidence to wear shorter hair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the result is arriving home, albeit to a mountain of dirty washing, with a new energy to keep working, keep writing, re shuffle my wardrobe and push to run 10 minutes more. when we're abroad we often feel a confidence to try out new styles, some of which wont work at home, but i love coming back and keeping a little bit of holiday running through my wardrobe. at least for a few weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so i might not have another holiday planned for the rest of this summer but i will make sure i continue to read and visit some new places on a weekend and keep that summer inspiration coming... </span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-39775069081114067662015-05-29T21:19:00.000+01:002015-05-29T21:20:48.953+01:00wedding details...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the last time i wrote i was about to attend the wedding of one of my best friends (and then jet off to a little week of sun with my family...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">anyone who knows me, or who has read old posts on here, will know im a sucker for a bit of decor. home decor and especially party and event decor. i still follow style and wedding blogs back from when i was planning my own wedding and the love and back- catalogue of ideas has just grown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">my friend's wedding was a perfect example of rustic prettiness with cute and colourful touches that really showed off the brides creative and fun personality. set in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, the service was in a little church literally down a dirt track and the reception afterwards in a stunning barn style building connected to a popular golf club just outside of York. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i wanted to share a few of the details and touches... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the groom's family are farmers and the happy couple are just about to move into their family home, complete with fields and sheds and cows. so the farming and country living influences were clear to see... </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXs7wJMO1ddHWtu9QN9WE3Fyd9ZwnhM5H0BoHhEwsnnRe0wVaZj3hP7eb6qMCvUiDKnRd8AT_xAtXbNLBx7nHfU5cWv8Gnu_dqW87v0jjyNP5yXwlJlOfaLhzFkrvt1LaL1qErHuMOQBF/s1600/IMG_3977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXs7wJMO1ddHWtu9QN9WE3Fyd9ZwnhM5H0BoHhEwsnnRe0wVaZj3hP7eb6qMCvUiDKnRd8AT_xAtXbNLBx7nHfU5cWv8Gnu_dqW87v0jjyNP5yXwlJlOfaLhzFkrvt1LaL1qErHuMOQBF/s320/IMG_3977.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">hilariously, and very much what i would expect of my friend, she had no idea who designed her dress. but it was beautiful. traditional to an extent, so so pretty, and pure bridal. she looked a million english pounds. the groomsmen were simple and modern in deep blue slim fit suits with pale blue ties. the look definitely worked for men more used to wearing overalls than a suit...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">beautiful headpiece...</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">sandburn hall is famous locally as the perfect venue if you are looking for rustic simplicity where you can put your own stamp on the room...</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the bride made all of the decor herself...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">simple, charming features on the card table...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">love a letter light to mark out the disco area from the seating area...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and the most important of these is love...</span><br />
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<br />tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-58198688018962300632015-05-14T23:44:00.001+01:002015-05-16T18:51:16.787+01:00rites of passage...this week has been manic. from the 9am Monday blood tests to the traffic jam on the way to my parents house yesterday evening, it's been one of them weeks. and this is in part because I go on holiday on Saturday morning so the work/ life gods look down and punish you by multiplying your tasks and throwing in some unexpected traumas to sort.<div><br></div><div>but now I'm packed and my little boy is settled with his grandparents and the dog is settled with the grandparents too and I'm getting really really girlishly giddy and excited because today, before any holiday, one of my best friends gets married.</div><div><br></div><div>i've been to a good number of weddings over my 20s and I've been a bridesmaid 4 times in that time too, but I've never been to a childhood/ teen hood friend's wedding. and it got me to thinking about the rites of passage you experience with your friends, as a girl, along your lifetime. the first kisses, the discos, the fights, the first try of a cigarette, the heartbreak, the first drink. that night with a waiter on holiday, that affair... they might break us but our friends re build us. and we live to love and fight and drink and make mistakes some more with our friends by our side to watch and help where needed.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZY_mq_UcdepCYvJFCm5DbpYIBQJGKBGb6kvsFPPahO2OSgN42lOPGqkJrGNrL9J1qXwXbjPXT_W1fattcNLwpnidl_rmGluYiDWguh_VuZvOMfP7SCvPMbdm154cmXaGK3vqh88GguNrY/s640/blogger-image-278750138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZY_mq_UcdepCYvJFCm5DbpYIBQJGKBGb6kvsFPPahO2OSgN42lOPGqkJrGNrL9J1qXwXbjPXT_W1fattcNLwpnidl_rmGluYiDWguh_VuZvOMfP7SCvPMbdm154cmXaGK3vqh88GguNrY/s640/blogger-image-278750138.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">i j</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">umped ahead of all my friends by getting married first and I've already had my first baby, so I'm super excited to watch them take the steps. another of my best friends, who I met in adulthood though, married at a similar time to me but since then everyone has steadied off, no life changes. it's all really new for me to be on the observation deck and I love it. i am expecting shed loads of tears on my part because a) I love weddings and b) because she's one of my girls. i know I can handle married life and babies because I'm here and I've survived 3 years of one and almost 2 of the other. but now she's going to do it all too and it's not always easy and sometimes it hurts. with babies it really hurts.</span></div><div><br></div><div>but above all I'm just so excited to start the journey again. to be there when a friend takes that leap of faith. so cheers to love, friendship and holidays.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK_zkVgz2EJuf5fSvHl0prAtN4z8asP8LlR5B2aRatLwz5rg0gSf8jWx6YH599Yc3wSlCaHJqfx-p8jWRJeHJ_lg0x37YF5rsg_T1wwFD9mHD4j0Zu5cvGXm7XlyLNefk3-ZLs3ichBo6/s640/blogger-image-1821824519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK_zkVgz2EJuf5fSvHl0prAtN4z8asP8LlR5B2aRatLwz5rg0gSf8jWx6YH599Yc3wSlCaHJqfx-p8jWRJeHJ_lg0x37YF5rsg_T1wwFD9mHD4j0Zu5cvGXm7XlyLNefk3-ZLs3ichBo6/s640/blogger-image-1821824519.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-30115538986223321052015-05-09T15:53:00.001+01:002015-05-09T15:53:14.808+01:00weird fish...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">this week a new store opened in York's premium shopping quarter and i popped out on my lunch break to see what it had to offer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">situated on the historical Stonegate</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">well positioned with White Stuff, Cath Kidston and The White Company, Weird Fish opened its whitewash doors of only its second northern store on thursday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">born in The Cotswolds, a brand that focuses on 'wearing the weekend', <a href="http://www.weirdfish.co.uk/" target="_blank">Weird Fish</a> brings relaxed, coastal style dressing to the (carefully selected) masses. think about what you imagine you would live in if you resided in cornwall; loose knits, slouchy trousers or shorts, a rain coat just in case. so it makes sense that they position their stores in generally affluent cities and towns, where this kind of dressing appeals. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i was really impressed with the clean, crisp feel to the shop and the clothes were well positioned in stories and you easily moved from one piece to the next. there was a real White Stuff look to a lot of the pieces; laid back, comfatable, colourful. i must admit that i dont usually go for the sensible, comfortable look. i always appreciate what my mum buys from White Stuff and Joules but its not really for me. however, and here's the but...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">there were some surprising pieces that i wanted to take away with me there and then. and there were some gorgeous textures, good quality fabrics and fun prints. think Joules and Boden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">my favourites were a holiday perfect white vest with a fun, seaside print on (£15.) some blue, tapered jersey trousers which were very The White Company, but without the £65+ price tag (£25.) there were a pair of printed, tapered trousers which would see you from may to september both by the seaside and in the city (£30.) and cleverly positioned on a whitewash table as you entered the store were some 'throw it on' jumpers in a choice of classic navy & ecru and coral & ecru. these are made out of a lighter weight version of Weird Fish's signature fabric, Macaroni in a slim yet relaxed fit. ideal for a walk in the dales or just the weekly shop (£40.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so i think Weird Fish is a good addition to the casual wear retailers in York at a much more affordable price than some of its neighbours. and i will definitely remember them for some summer basics with a cute twist.</span><br />
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-10974370931794025132015-05-04T21:34:00.004+01:002015-05-04T21:34:44.595+01:00the day that the bikes came past again...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">this weekend has been pretty special, not only because its a bank holiday and a princess was born</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but here in Yorkshire we got to welcome back le Tour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">last July, York was one of the cities chosen to host the start of one of the opening legs of the Tour de France. the whole 'grand depart' was a roaring success and Yorkshire really put itself on the world map and visually it shone on both tv and print. eager to continue the sporting high of last summer, we were once again a host city for this new cycling event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">not only are we fortunate to live in one of the most historical and beautiful cities in the world, we are also lucky to live within its most vibrant and charismatic neighbourhood. just a stones throw from the Knavesmire (a large, open, green space which also houses York Racecourse</span>) <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">our part of the city, to the southwest, is now synonymous with community events and street parties. and as the tour passes down our main street to make its way to the finish line at the Knavesmire</span>, <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">it makes sense that we play host to the city's biggest knees up to celebrate. this year's street party, aptly named E by Eck street party, was perhaps bigger and better than last year French themed affair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">we headed down to prepare for the bike's passing and soak up the atmosphere after lunch. we met up with friends and enjoyed a pint whilst the buzz on the street built. ive always loved how, in such a busy and complicated world that we now live in, simple pleasures like the gathering of a community and a sporting spectacle, bring a smile to people's faces. there wasnt a grumpy face in the crowd as the police on motorbikes started passing through. some flashing their lights and beeping their horns in chorus, some high fiving the crowd and fist pumping the air. and hats off to the police; they did a fantastic job of not only keeping everyone on the course safe but also getting into the spirit and, in the case of the bikers, really energising the crowd. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">as happens in the age of the smart phone camera, when the tour actually flew through at god- knows- what- per- hour, most of us were holding our phones high trying to get the best photograph we could and trying not to drop our phones in the process. a year of planning and thousands of pounds spent and Bradley Wiggins and gang were gone. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but the atmosphere was electric and the smiles were beaming. </span>after the first passing we decided to head towards the Knavesmire, where a small food and beer festival and children's carnival was cranking up, to see out the rest of our day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">its days like Saturday that really make me appreciate where we live. i know if we lived in London there would be event and community gathering every weekend if you really wanted to find one. but there's something satisfying about a lesser known place, a smaller city like this, getting its moment. its days like Saturday that bring a community together and it doesn't matter who you are, what you do or how much your house is worth (property prices are a huge thing in York) that saturday was for us. and it makes me feel lucky. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Seb and Did enjoying the mini festival</span> </div>
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<br />tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-37293898815427590472015-05-03T18:38:00.000+01:002015-05-03T18:38:55.283+01:00a hen party in your 30s is a little bit more classy...a little bit...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">last weekend myself and 14 other ladies took ourselves off to Newcastle for one of my best friends Sam's hen party. now 15 girls + newcastle + hen party does not normally equal a classy affair. think Geordie Shore but with Yorkshire women. but we're all in our 30s now and a lot of the party had children and the general consensus was that we were there for a good time, but we had to keep it fairly tame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the weekend was well put together by the bride's sister, Laura, with help from <a href="http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/" target="_blank">Chilli Sauce events</a></span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">who arranged our obligatory daytime activity and our evening meal (Zizzis, you cant go wrong when feeding the masses.)</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">once we'd arrived in Newcastle we went straight to a hotel to all take part in a life drawing class, aimed at hen parties, so alcohol welcome and the model was a good sport with all the giggling and high spirits. most importantly it was a really good ice breaker for creating conversation with girls in the group we hadn't met before.</span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">which is the whole point of hen party activities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">once back at our hotel (with a pit stop at the local garage to get some form of lunch to soak up the prosecco) we were changed and ready to hit the toon (by 4.15!!!)its been a long time since ive been out in Newcastle, the last time was about 4 years ago for a hen do too and i must admit i was afraid it would be as full of black hair extensions and fake tan as back then, but it wasn't. we went in several bars that were expensive, busy and playing music that everyone in the group, bar me, loved. no surprise there, i haven't liked the same music as my peers ever. id imagine my music taste is more like Jeremy Clarkson's. so they were good bars; the atmosphere was good, the cliente was young and fashionable and thats what we wanted. most importantly, the bride loved it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">but, as often happens now, you hit a wall. whether its because sleep is so precious and the thought of going to sleep undisturbed in a double bed unshared is so appealing. or whether its because we havent got a back log of sleep stored i just cant get past midnight if the music isnt my thing. a few of us made it to 11.30 (pathetic i know) and we got a taxi back to the hotel. where we go into the beds in one of the rooms and the nice receptionist ordered us kebabs (classy) and we ate them in bed with flat prosecco (v.classy.) but we were happy, and our shoes were happily kicked to the floor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and it got me to thinking. when did this happen? when did we find it acceptable to throw the towel in and go home at such a time? it creeps up on you, regardless of real age or situation, and before you know it you're a bit boring. i really thought i was going to have a proper burn out and stay out til 4 but no. give me some footloose and you might have got me til 2am.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the bride to be, Sam, enjoying a glass of pink fizz...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> drinks in <a href="http://thebotanist.uk.com/location/newcastle" target="_blank">The Botanist...</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">the obligatory group photo with hen party photo booth props i bought for the hen party goodie bags...</span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-53299880311881957192015-04-28T19:59:00.002+01:002015-04-28T19:59:50.460+01:00the search for the perfect tan loafer...<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">i have had a thing for tan leather for as long as i can remember. i
covet tan bag after tan bag and it doesn't matter how many i have there
is always more room for the creamy texture in my wardrobe. i say in my
wardrobe i actually mean chucked on top or lounging on the stairs.<br /><br />back
when we only had enough money to do a basic weekly shop and baked beans
were the go- to tea, I decided I really needed some tan loafers in my life. proper leather ones like a professional girl would have. from a good
label that people who didn't need to worry about going over their mobile
minutes shopped at. shoes like my friend Laura (my cleverest friend
with a great job and Kate Middleton hair) would buy.<br /><br />i kept my
eyes peeled, trying on numerous pairs in Kurt Geiger, Nine West,
Dune...but unfortunately £85+ was always out of reach for this girl and
the credit card was already maxed. the other issue was that when I did
find myself a little richer (thank you Nanna & Auntie Elsie) the
shoes I found weren't just right. too fussy, too plain, not the right
shade, too tough.<br /><br />fast forward 6 tan loafer free years and I
finally have them. perusing the size 6 sale rack in Debenhams with my
mum a couple of weeks ago I spotted these perfectly simple, perfectly
tan, perfectly soft shoes. i tried them, i loved them, i bought them.
Nine West (my younger self would be so proud) and they were only £29 from £98. even my 20 something self could have
afforded them. as long as i hadn't paid my phone bill. </span><br />
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<br />tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-16487314151450834872015-04-19T20:23:00.001+01:002015-04-19T20:31:16.768+01:00arty projects for outdoorsy little boys...<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">this weekend has been a
stereotypical family two days at home. we've run errands, endured our
swimming lesson (I swear he just has a thing about that pool cos he's
fine in all other pools), done the food shop, visited the park, walked the dog and pottered in the yard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />i
set myself a task this weekend of completing a card to mark a friend's
engagement. in theory this is easy to do in 4 days, particularly if Did
is around for 1 1/2 days of it. in reality I've not got too far yet. it
seems that whenever I sit down to write, on a laptop or my iPad, I'm the
best form of climbing frame. if I dare to sit at the kitchen table to
read, write or attempt to do anything remotely creative then after 10
minutes Seb's hanging off the baby gate screeching. so it got me to
thinking about friends and acquaintances who discuss happily indulging
in a hobby whilst their toddler plays at their feet (I once tried to put
some photographs into some new frames while Seb 'played'at my feet,
climbed up my legs, sat on half the photographs and picked up one of the
frames and threw it in the fire place.) and I've pretty much decided
that ain't going to happen for me but what about trying to get him
interested in being creative with me?<br /><br />it's been the general
school of thought that Seb has the attention span of a knat and previous
attempts to put crayons and paper in front of him are usually poo pooed
after 2 minutes. so does anyone have suggestions on what to do with a
live wire 19 month old who likes to throw and screech?</span><br />
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<br />tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-78404567094584306562015-04-15T21:18:00.001+01:002015-04-15T21:20:11.887+01:00projects...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so post holiday, which was eventful but great thank you. and by eventful i mean late night ambulance calls, bed ridden mother- to- be, us taking a local pub by storm on more than one occasion, another ambulance and finally a door- bell ringing, late night mystery visitor (thankfully we had already left by the time the creepy could- be serial killer turned up.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so post holiday, and post easter weekend, i've been mental busy with a couple of work non- work projects. so much so that i've had no time to myself or to this blog, which is frustrating when i've only just kicked it off again. but now the initial work for these two exciting projects is done i'm hoping things are calming down and its back to business. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">firstly, back at the start of the year, i decided that i wanted to get more involved in the local community. we moved here last may and, although we knew York as a city centre pretty well, we're really new to this area and it really is like a village within the city. so i enrolled Seb into a baby and toddler music group, <a href="http://www.york-songbox.co.uk/" target="_blank">Songbox</a>, which is fantastic and a great way to meet other local mums. i also volunteered to be part of the team organising this year's summer party in our local park. Rowntree Park is situated close to the Ouse, just a short walk from the city centre. It was gifted to the residents of York in 1921 by Messrs Rowntree & Co (as in the Fruit Pastels) and continues to be a family favourite. The annual birthday party is held in the summer and i thought it would be a great local event to get involved with a) because its close by and i like the park and ill meet new people, locally. and b) anyone who knows me knows how much i love an event, in particular decorating or hosting, but i've never been a part of anything huge. so i am officially the food coordinator. here goes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">secondly, as well of wanting to get all grown- up, community focused and wanting to widen my event organisation portfolio, i also wanted to write more (hence blog) and broaden my pr skills, so i volunteered to do pr and social media for Did's Triathlon club. the <a href="http://yorkshirevikings.org/" target="_blank">Yorkshire Vikings</a> started in 2014 and is rapidly growing. but the busy ladies that run the club cant do everything, so i've jumped on board to help.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so right now im fingers deep in emails back and forth with food traders and last week i posted my first write up for the YVTT. and im really enjoying it. a teacher at my old secondary school used to have a saying, and cheesy as it is, and as much as my younger self would hate me for using it, its true. you get back what you put in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">ive wanted to do more with my work life for a long time, but timing and situation has never been just right. but rather than sitting back and waiting for the right time to start a full time career again, and hoping that the skills ive built up will suffice, ive gone out and found some opportunities to better my cv, and myself...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">p.s. there wasn't time to post about easter but it was brilliant. a lot of family, food and wine. this year Seb was able to get involved with a hunt in my parent's garden which was so cute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span> tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-36117832124991225482015-03-24T16:00:00.001+00:002015-03-24T16:02:24.820+00:00bolshy babies, beautiful views and lots of wine...<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">yes its extended family holiday time. eight reasonably sane adults, two toddlers and one feisty eight month old depart Yorkshire for the equally beautiful, if not more breathtaking, Lake District.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">we do an annual jaunt away with Did's family, often the Lakes, usually in Spring, and its a few days of quality time with the family with lots of laughs and plenty of fresh air. in years gone by, before babies came along, it was daily walks and activities and late nightly drunkenness. we're still trying to walk a few miles and put away as many units as we used to but nap times and sheer tiredness are creeping in and interrupting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">what we all love about a week away, and it can be anywhere to be honest, is the pure fact its away. its away from day to day chores, work and stresses. as i write this i am sat in the large bay window of the front sitting room of our holiday home with views across farmland and fields towards Penrith. at home there would always be something else to do that would take presidence over just sitting and enjoying the art of writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">so far we have spent a few gorgeous hours walking along the banks of Ullswater, skimming stones and taking photos. the boys have climbed Blencathra via Sharp Edge (apparently Wordsworth described this as the most treacherous part of the Lake District), the girls and babies have visited Keswick for a Sunday wander and suffered the diners of Abraham Cafe the most chaotic lunch. We've played in the park and sampled the offerings of the village pub.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">ive also taken this holiday as the first opportunity to really give photography a go. my dad has passed me down one of his vintage cameras to get started with while i save up to buy myself a digital slr. ive not got the most technical brain but ive really enjoyed studying the manual, circa 1987, and getting tips and hints online. its frustrating knowing im restricted to 24 photographs but im choosing my subjects carefully and im looking forward to seeing the results.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">im still not quite used to searching for 'family activities' when we're away but its quite exciting seeing familiar places through the eyes of a child. over the next couple of days we're hoping to take a boat trip (photograph opportunity for me) and visit a wildlife sanctuary. right now i need to make another cup of coffee before the boy wakes up (that will put the kiss of death on his nap...) and continue with my holiday.</span><br />
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<br />tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-2881026983095641532015-03-15T10:51:00.000+00:002015-03-15T10:51:28.792+00:00new beginings...<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">my last post was over a year and a half ago and a lot has changed since then. back in june 2013 i was en route to Morocco with Did, on our babymoon, and we had a fabulous time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">fast forward a few months and 'little' Seb was born, all 9lb 6 of him, and we took it day by day and we made it. we survived those first few weeks, a house move, a whole new area, a job change for me, a promotion for Did and we are all the better for it. and we are happy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">its taken some time to settle in, in all aspects of our life, but over the last few months ive picked up my hobbies and my 'me time' again and it feels like the right time to start writing. to be honest the urge to write about absolutely anything and everything and use my brain a bit is pretty huge! so i will use this space to record our lives, to discuss what is important to me and to project creativity and art and fashion and life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">so to new beginings. to finding the direction you're heading in and enjoy the journey. to just writing and enjoy it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">and to mums. for nurturing us, teaching us, helping us and watching us become mums (or dads) too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-88893152964293349252013-06-13T07:49:00.003+01:002013-06-13T07:52:26.273+01:00<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">last night was one of those really good sleeps, where you close your eyes and fall excitedly asleep so tomorrow comes quicker. the sleep you have before Christmas Day (unless you're drunk), your birthday and the sleep before you go on holiday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we're setting off leisurely in a few hours to Manchester airport (don't get me started how how exciting I find airports and the shopping) on our first break since last May that's just Dave and myself. we've done weekends away all over the Uk and centre parcs with family, but some lulu and did- bob time is well needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a holiday is even more welcome when it's a baby-moon. we've spent so much time together over the last few months, planning and prepping but not really stopping to just enjoy each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so Marrakech here we come. we're doing it the middle class tourist way and staying just outside in an all inclusive hotel, but to be honest, I need that right now. we'll take some trips into the red city during the day and when the sun sets but 6 months pregnant is not the time to back- pack it and ride a camel. we're seeing this as a taster of Marrakech, then we can come back one day soon with lentil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so expect many photographs (one thing I love taking photographs of is markets and food) and holiday outfits on twitter and I'm looking forward to posting when I get home.</span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-7557260551355603392013-06-10T21:03:00.002+01:002013-06-10T21:05:58.480+01:00<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">this weekend I spent saturday up to my eyes in bathroom cleaner and washing. not v. glam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so sunday I needed to put more than scruffs on to feel a little bit Lucy again. sunday shopping in my hometown of hull and a very well worn and well loved French Connection blouse was the order of the day. with maternity leggings (well we still need comfort), tan shoes and a bit of bling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">blouse from French Connection. leggings from current maternity range at <a href="http://www.next.co.uk/" target="_blank">Next</a>, tan leather slip one also Next and necklace from Primark. many moons ago.</span><br>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-26272888074420022442013-06-06T20:33:00.000+01:002013-06-06T20:33:33.823+01:00<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">this bank holiday weekend has been great. i am properly getting into the swing of not going around and about every weekend, just enjoying time at home, busying like a bee. in my jogging bottoms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">these are the first non sport related joggers I have owned since my mum allowed me some Ellese navy nylon jogging bottoms back in 1997/ 98 kind of time when sportswear really took off, before it became the uniform of those seen on Jeremy Kyle. to be honest those Ellese bottoms were really for P.E. but I occasionally wore them outside of the sporting events. what I didn't do however was wear them with heels like some girls did. i'll never forget the time i first saw a girl, a few years older than me, wear Adidas trackies and heels. I was in awe and yet disgusted all at the same time. you have to remember, this is rural Yorkshire I grew up in. the way East 17 dressed didn't make sense to a lot of us like it would those cool kids from London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">anyway. i happily spend my weekends lounging in skinny joggers now but my natural instincts take over every couple of days and i have get out of them and dress like me again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">now podge is becoming something more than just bloating I am embracing clothes again. and not just clingy stuff to show off, also my staple over size blouses which are great for skimming, but also make me feel like me. seen as I don't look a great deal different in them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so this weekend i ventured out shopping and lunching which meant two excuses to get out of the grey marl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">sunday day called for my new topshop maternity blouse (but could actually be from the normal range) I found on eBay and my old black skinnies just extended at the waist slightly with a band. and of course flat shoes. in this case red slippers from Primarni. and my leather jacket. but it was actually too warm to wear it. finished off with easy hair, gold studs and pink lip gloss. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i had seen the white version of this blouse last Christmas and really fancied it so I was very happy when I spotted it on eBay and won it for a princely £3.50. I love the gold details to just add something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i just changed my jeans (into less faded, more evening appropriate), chucked on some orange court shoes and swapped the gloss for orange lippy. I love love love this blouse and it is going to last me ages and still look good post- baby. I also love pops of colour for jazzing an outfit up. and even if you're feeling rubbish, bright accessories or lipstick can't help but put a smile on your face.</span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-90544246306378071352013-06-05T21:38:00.000+01:002013-06-05T21:46:57.546+01:00<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">those of you who know me, or have followed me on this blog or Twitter will know that I have long been an advocate of the second hand. the charity shop. eBay. I know second hand items, for the home or for yourself are not for everyone. and the mere thought of stepping inside a charity shop with its funny smells and seemingly lack or order can make some toes curl, but I love second hand. and I have been able to sway some pretty hard to please customers with vintage and designer pieces both for myself and for my home. one of these being my Mum. granted, she still wont go into Oxfam but she will put her requests in for me when im out on a reckie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />i wanted to write a piece about why I love second hand so much and why I feel it can really influence and make your wardrobe and the space that you live in. I've split this post into three parts, the first discussing why I love second hand, the second ill share some of my favourite finds and the third ill look into vintage and second hand decor for the home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />i was very fortunate growing up that there was always some pennies left in the pot to keep my brother and I well dressed in Marks and Spencers and BHS when we were young. there was absolutely no need for my Mum to trawl through the rails in our local charity shops to grab a bargain for us or herself. so I discovered charity shops in the way that teenage girls with a spark of creativity and curiosity do. my best friends at secondary school were from pretty bohemian parents and they thought nothing of turning up on non- uniform day sporting a scarf as a top or a pair of old lady shoes with their bootleg jeans. at first it wasn’t for me. I was happy in my high street gear and I thought charity shops were for the poor kids at school that got picked on. but come college I succumbed, lured in by the promise of a quirky and fashionable wardrobe at a fraction of the price.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />around this time the celebrity culture was breaking out.mHeat magazine had just been released, the gossip pages wernt just for the hair dressers and doctors surgeries and more and more images of music and film stars and the fashion set were emerging in the daily press, and not just genre magazines. I imagine those in the fashion know have been rooting around markets and charity shops long before middle class British girls started doing it in the late 90s, but it suddenly became acceptable, and even cool. the British have always been eclectic and our High Street is world renowned, but by exploring vintage items as well it gave us an edge and mixed up our wardrobes even more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />and what is great is that as Charity Shops became more acceptable amongst those who would normally only by brand new, so it became more acceptable to buy other items from there, not just fashion and vintage. so buying a great winter coat, not because it’s a higher end label, or on trend, but purley because its £7 as appose to £70 was ok. maybe this is only the case amongst adults, maybe children at schools still get teased if their parents cant afford the generic Superdry waterproof, but I guess those things will never change. the bottom line is you don't have to hinde your head in shame when you pop into your local store. with the recession and job worries, many of us have had to tighten our belts and really stick to budget and that often means forgoing a new pair of jeans or a new dress for Saturday night. but at least if you are open to shopping second hand, then those wants aren’t always out of reach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">but aside from the fact it’s damn cheap, and that, in the case of Charity Shops, the money goes towards helping something, buying second hand can really transform your wardrobe. whether it’s a vintage item which can jazz up an otherwise ‘off the peg’ High Street ensemble or an affordable way to try out a trend that you’ve quite fancied but not dare take the plunge on. Oxfam is a fantastic example of a charity with stores all across the country that has really jumped on the band wagon and embraced the popularity of second hand and vintage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />their windows and websites feature posters of well dressed, yet eclectically attired models and slogans urging you to pop inside or explore their online store and see what you might find. they have really grabbed this trend by the horns and run with it and I hope that it does encourage more young men and women to think outside the box and widen their wardrobe horizons. Oxfam have also united with the High street giant Marks and Spencer and the fabulous Joanna Lumley and promote their ‘Swopping’, exchanging your unwanted M&S items for a voucher to re spend in- store. this has also opened up the stores to people who might not buy second hand, but will now consider donating, which is always a good thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />there are also so many local Oxfam shops that are really upping their game to bring in the fashionable and perhaps more affluent customer through their doors. My local store is run by a fantastic woman called Mel and between her and the other lovely ladies that work behind the scenes there they have created a real second hand boutique. For the 'sorters' behind the scenes there is information on current trends that Mel has taken out of fashion magazines and price guides to help them strike the right note with their customers. They only put out good quality items and try and keep the mid to high end high street on the racks, along with designer and vintage of course. They keep an eye on what's popular within the year's calender, the media and culture and theme their windows accordingly. so in january you'll find tartan galore with Burn's night, July it will be tennis and sports wear and December, Strictly inspired evening wear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />alongside my local market street charity shops I also love browsing on eBay on an evening. whether its to find a specific item (my husband loves it for Golf related stuff) or just to get inspiration and see what everyone else is chucking out that might be of interest to me. what eBay also offers is bargain hunting and vintage finding for those that aren’t keen on stepping inside the shops. It’s also perfect for those on a mission or just don’t have the time or inclination to rummage. with just a few clicks you can search for anything your fashionable heart desires. Only last night did I decide to browse trainers, with a want for a pair of something colourful and slim line but no budget to buy anything from Topshop or River Island and I happened across a pair of silver Nike Air Max’s (ok they aren’t slim line or colourful) and low and behold, something new and exciting is entering my wardrobe (hopefully, I still have to win the auction…) eBay is also a great way of making a few quid off your unwanted items, with many people actually buying low cost and selling them on. I too have sold a lot of vintage and second hand items that I have bought over the years, maybe customized, and then decided after a few wears that they weren’t for me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />another thing I wanted to touch on was volunteering. this is a fantastic way, as a fashion addict, to really get involved in this part of the industry. not only are you helping out a charity, gaining valuable experience and maybe making new friends you are also on the front line of the rummage. I used to help in my local store on Saturday mornings and at the end of my first shift I walked out with a vintage, liberty print scarf. Enough said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />so the next time you pop out to your local high street or the next time you're browsing the high street online, spend five minutes in a charity shop or check out eBay, you might be surprised by what you come away with.<br /><br /> </span></span></div>
tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-53443374452326361032013-06-02T19:59:00.001+01:002013-06-02T20:04:55.166+01:00<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">saturday's shopping trip on a relatively sunny day was a good opportunity to bring out this stripe maxi skirt from www.primark.com. I bought it with my up coming holiday in mind a few weeks ago but have worn it a couple of times already. kept it simple with a navy shirt from H&M mama, my old faithful Whistles navy blazer and tan leather slip one from Next. finished off with an old Adidas handbag, gold and orange studs from Accessorize, Marc Jacobs watch and my everyday silver a leather charm bracelets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">saturday night saw us dining and chatting away with night with friends so quick change and a spritz of perfume and I was ready. swapped skirt for acid wash skinnies from Topshop maternity, oversized vintage Planet blouse with an acid yellow necklace from Primark and orange stilettos from Next to finish.</span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-37331418053717690002013-05-31T20:29:00.001+01:002013-05-31T20:42:31.392+01:00<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">tomorrow I'm going to partake in one of my favourite activities; shopping. but this won't be just any old shopping outing, this is shopping with my mum. this is planning the week before hand, spending, pondering and discussing in depth over lunch, coffee breaks and then digesting the whole way home and the next day too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">this shopping trip is pre- holiday, a chance to coo at baby clothes and opportunity to snap up an unexpected bargain or treat. we're heading to Leeds to check out the new Trinity Shopping Centre and so I can introduce my mum to the delights of <a href="http://www.bibisrestaurant.com/" target="_blank" title="">bibis</a>, this is a gorgeous Art Deco, great gatsby glamorous restaurant and cocktail bar that has been well loved for years but I'm such a novice to the dining and drinking scene in Leeds I have only just discovered, thanks to my lovely bestie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so in two weeks i jet to marrakech with my gorgeous husband so the shopping list (route planned from the car park and back again of course) is holiday inspired. and by holiday inspried i mean that road we all go down when we feel that a week in sunnier climes calls for floaty things, more swim wear than you can shake a colourful stick at and traveller inspired jewelry. top of the list is another bikini; I'm down to only one that fits me and my slightly bigger pregnant boobs. black I think, let's go classic. I'm also on the hunt for a 'go with anything' t shirt for Dave, a simple black vest from H&M Mama and some flat, black, leather peep toes to see me through my last 11 weeks at work. spotted in topshop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we're looking forward to a good primark rummage though. now primark falls in and out of favour with me. sometimes it's crap central and the next time it is full of pieces you just have to have to jazz up a lacking wardrobe. I bought a stripy cotton maxi skirt from there last month, one that can grow with me and then shrink down again. I spotted one in there a couple of weeks ago in leopard print and that might just have my name on. same goes for a cream kaftan covered in black, gold and acid beading; again will work equally well with the aforementioned black bikini as it will with skinny jeans or leggings when I get more plump. ive got a beady eye out for a sleeveless blouse too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and once the shopping list has been made and discussed all that's left to do is plan the outfit and get my nails painted if I've not already been shallaced. so whatever you plan to do with your Saturday, enjoy. I will thoroughly enjoy my girl's day and keep you posted on the splurges...</span><br />
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-16032774409177401252013-05-29T21:32:00.000+01:002013-05-29T21:32:26.554+01:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">samuel's big day...
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">over the last few weeks i have been busy designing and, with the help of my lovely creative assistant (aka Mum, creating decorations for a little boy's christening that went ahead this bank holiday sunday just gone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">what made this event extra special is it is the first one I have done for someone not friends or family, purely though word of mouth and the samuel's lovely mum spotting my work at a friend's birthday party. so special, but scary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">after initial chats I put together two mood boards with themes chosen by the client, thomas the tank and ipswich town. as is the case with a lot of my ideas, there was an element of the vintage and/ or nature to them, with features such as hessian table runners and old school colour pallets. not only is this typical of my work but it also compliments the venue, the local village hall. the ipswich town theme was picked and I set to gathering further ideas and prices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">the general idea with this theme was to stick to the team's colours as apose to emblazoning their logo everywhere. anyone can go out and buy a football team table cloth and napkins, what makes something special and unique to your party is creating something new and bringing together a range of ideas, or getting someone else to do that hard work for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so with old school royal blue and white stripe material and red material here and there, we created bunting to hang down the two lengths of the hall (keeping costs down) and a table runner for the cake table to add a splash of colour. bunting really is a tried and tested great way of decorating a party venue, it's traditional yet fun and it adds colour to otherwise drab walls. and especially with this colour pallet of red, white and blue, it oozes good old fashion British fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">an initial idea for the table centre pieces was to attach a big perfectly spherical ballon to a little tin bucket filled with sweets. but to keep costs in line we changed the idea to little flags made out of surplus bunting material with a little ipswich town logo attached. flags are sinonimus with sport and football and again have an old school, childhood memories touch. the tin buckets were sprayed royal blue to bring colour to the tables and then filled with little chocolate footballs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">for the cake table with its stripy runner I hand painted a wooden toy tractor (for those not in the know with ipswich town their nickname is the tractor boys) in team colours for an additional feature and designed a framed sign with sport style font to direct people where to leave their cards. finally, we created additional bunting with samuel's name hand stitched on. this hung above the cake table and made a nice focal point. one great thing about going that extra mile with your decorations is that, if well planned, you can re use for further dos or use in your home. the name bunting might be something nice to hang above the cot maybe?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">as ever, you could always go further with these things, the possibilities are limitless but I was really pleased with what we achieved and I left a happy lady. later that day I received some positive feedback and today a lovely thank you email. hopefully this event will translate into some more word of mouth recommendations and I just might be able to run with this...</span></div>
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tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655996862329553239.post-65299708401344395002013-05-12T21:38:00.001+01:002013-05-12T21:40:34.912+01:00<h2><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">super sundays...</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">today has been one of those great days where you manage to do a little bit of everything a sunday should give you and you finish the day feeling like you've achieved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a good sunday should always start with breakfast in bed. this morning I was woken up by the Jack R and so it was up to me to make porridge and hot cross buns. a good sunday breakfast in bed should always be accompanied by a read. be it the papers, electronically or traditionally, or a good book. this morning I started to work my way through Shopping in Marrakech by Susan Simon. it's a pocket sized, delightful insight into the medinas and souks and shops of the red city and started the excitement bubbling for our baby- moon in 5 weeks time. </span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5tA79oRkWww/UY_F9czsrcI/AAAAAAAAAWU/bFOOmNDzsl0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5tA79oRkWww/UY_F9czsrcI/AAAAAAAAAWU/bFOOmNDzsl0/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">following your escape from the duvet, a super sunday always requires a decent outfit. not necessarily dressy as there are always one form of housework or job to be done. but certainly some effort should be made when going out into public. always. especially on a sunday. to starve away the rain I decided on my new raspberry asos maternity jeans that I am slowly growing into (and to be quite honest they are still to big.) I teamed these with a topshop boyfriend fit navy and oatmeal t shirt, navy whistles blazer and pink pumps with sparkles on. sparkles and sunday go hand in hand. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XhPJrDWgvz4/UY_FfL7nHnI/AAAAAAAAAWI/ieMI2auRIis/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XhPJrDWgvz4/UY_FfL7nHnI/AAAAAAAAAWI/ieMI2auRIis/s320/image.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NhOoAo9AaDQ/UY_Fb-lAmiI/AAAAAAAAAV8/hxX5zusPqEc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NhOoAo9AaDQ/UY_Fb-lAmiI/AAAAAAAAAV8/hxX5zusPqEc/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i accessorised with my weekend watch; gold Marc Jacobs, a variety of bracelets and charms and some multi coloured starling ear rings.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hvy0MonkOcM/UY_FeAU9hfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/Zv1MuG7PhUQ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hvy0MonkOcM/UY_FeAU9hfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/Zv1MuG7PhUQ/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">once dressed we walked the dog (good sundays should always have some form of exercise) and frequented our local spring festival. working for a local company and living in a rural area you get to enjoy dipping your toe into community life. the sun managed to stay out just long enough for the festivities and we enjoyed a bacon sandwich (a staple of a sunday diet)within the beautiful church yard.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTxjjryC8RY/UY_GR9UhraI/AAAAAAAAAWc/6_ShtNWCjHU/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTxjjryC8RY/UY_GR9UhraI/AAAAAAAAAWc/6_ShtNWCjHU/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">on our return home I relaxed with some recorded tv and a cup of chamomile tea(the rain was starting in its way) and then fitted in a couple of jobs; cleaning the bathrooms and cleaning up a second hand unit we have just purchased. dispite housework not being too fun a successful Sunday must include some jobs to make you feel like Wonder Woman/ domestic goddess. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">mid afternoon it was time to start on my real job for the day; prepping the flags for the centre pieces for a christening I am decorating in a few weeks. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReacFU8PDec/UY_Fama4_NI/AAAAAAAAAV0/6qa7i9wQBus/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReacFU8PDec/UY_Fama4_NI/AAAAAAAAAV0/6qa7i9wQBus/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">whilst I am on the subject of decor, I cannot highly recommend this book enough. it was purchased to help me with ideas for my home grown wedding and it is full of fantastic ideas for paper crafts that really don't look naff and homemade in that 'not very handy' way. it's called paper & craft by Minhee and Truman Cho of Paper & Cup. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and as all good Sundays should finish, we have seen out the final hours of today with a roast and good company. before early to bed of course, being a school night. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so a super sunday requires, in my opinion:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">breakfast in bed</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a good read (or other suitable activity)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a snazzy outfit</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a walk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a bacon buttie/ hot cross bun/ pancakes etc etc</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">relaxation</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">domestic brilliance</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">something creative/ a hobby</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">a roast</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">family and friends</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i hope you've had a good Sunday, whatever you may have done. it's worth stopping at the end of the weekend and thinking about the good stuff, before we get bogged down into the next week... and take pictures. it's nice to reflect back on...</span></div>tangerine trees and marmalade skieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08152198277080572773noreply@blogger.com0