A Cornish Adventure

Living in the South West for over 3 years it was time for us to venture down to Cornwall. We needed a little break from crazy work schedules, master degrees, netball clubs and football clubs. So our bags were packed and we headed down to the beautiful South East coast of Cornwall staying in Polperro and visiting Polruan, Fowey and Looe. 

Driving down the road into the deep valley you get a sense of what a wonderfully remote village you are making your way into. The views are breathtaking especially with a clear blue sky above you. 

Down the narrow roads you make your way into the tiny village all the time looking for that first glimpse of the sea. 

Our lodgings for the trip was the beautiful Natal House B&B. 

 We were warmly welcomed by Jackie and Simon and in the 'Teal' bedroom we were greeted by a large comfy bed, crisp white bed sheets and a snugly duvet. The hospitality we were shown was fantastic with the cherry on top that fantastic cooked breakfast by Simon.

The River Pol outside of Natal House making its' way down to the sea.

Our first venture took us to The Blue Peter right on the edge of the harbour as our stomachs were calling for lunch. We had huge sandwiches and a portion of chips with a real Cornish ale on top. 

Spring was sprung so we enjoyed an ice cream from the famous Treleavens.

We headed to The Ship for our first drink(s) of the evening and we really loved this watering hole with its raging fire, selection of ales and a double G&T. It was finally time for dinner and it had to be steak and chips with all the trimmings at The Buccaneer washed down with a bottle of Pinot Noir...glorious!

We followed this up with a late night walk around the village...

...and another stop at The Blue Peter and my first real ale!

The next morning the sun was shining so we went for a little stroll around the harbour.

We loved seeing some of the tiny details around the village including the small blue doors on the cottages, the national heritage signs and the fishing equipment. 

The great seaside details on some of the cottages gave this little village even more personality and the little narrow streets meant you couldn't help but imagine the sights and sounds of a thriving fishing village many years ago. 

 

I couldn't leave without a photo of this gorgeous cottage. All higgledy piggledy style with its leaning walls it reminded us of something from Harry Potter.

We walked along the Coastal Path to get a better view and spring was definitely in the air.

In the afternoon we travelled along the windy lanes and found ourselves at another small village called  Polruan. A steep walk down to the harbour and we boarded the passenger 'ferry' over the river to Fowey. 

We loved this little town, with its quaint streets, sea views and food galore.

We couldn't help but imagine ourselves living in one of the ice cream pastel houses...well a girl can dream!

 For lunch it had to be a Cornish cream tea. 

We finished the day with a late evening visit to The Kitchen.  A small restaurant in Polperro run by Harry in front of house and his wife Jane the chef.

Our food was quite simply delicious in fact it was so delicious we didn't take the time to get photos. Fresh sea food, locally sourced meat cooked to perfection all washed down with a drink or two.

The great food, comfy bed and fresh sea air certainly meant we were rested and relaxed. The perfect little seaside break.

Easter Baskets

I have a few little ones in my life and being the great aunt that I am I wanted to get them a few Easter treats when we visited the homeland last weekend but I have to say the Easter aisle of Tesco (other supermarkets are available) didn't really call to me. 

A sneaky visit to Aldi and after finding a few supplies I was inspired to make these extra cute Easter baskets full of Easter goodies which in my opinion are far better than a really commercial Easter egg. 

These buckets were 99p each and I thought the kids would get to use these again for their egg hunts this weekend.

Next it was for the chocolate treats. I just love all of the bright colours. 

The center piece was the chocolate rabbit a total rip off of the more expensive version but only 75p!

 Look how cute...

I have a roll of cellophane that probably cost a couple of quid from eBay which I got before Christmas a couple of years ago. I think wrapping up gifts in this always makes them look so much more professional and like you have put a lot of effort into your wrapping when really it is so easy. 

I found these cute little tags after searching for 'free Easter printables'. 

Here is the finished product. Super easy, super cheap coming in at around £3.00 each and way more personal than any prepacked chocolate egg. I can assure you the little ones loved them as well.

Happy Easter and I hope that the Easter bunny has visited you.

Lily Flame Candles

I was originally gifted a 'Blush' Lily Flame candle 5 or 6 years ago for Christmas and I have been one of their fans ever since and am rarely without a tin on the go. 

I really love the packaging of the tins, particularly the font design and the girly colours they use for all of their labelling. The range has been extended away from the original tins and they now do glass jar candles, room sprays and reed diffusers...hello wish list! 

You are able to find them in person in John Lewis and I regularly go and have a little sniff to see what is new but I keep on coming back to Blush. It is a heady scent, deep and musky but feminine at the same time.

Well on a little trip to John Lewis to purchase the Blush candle for a friends birthday box I noticed that they now do individual mini tins ... hello Lily Flame cuteness. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to choose a different scent and give something else a road test. 

This time I chose the Lavender and Lime. There is a strong scent of relaxing lavender but the twist of lime takes away that old lady edge and freshens it up slightly, making it perfect for either day or night time burning. I particularly like the idea of taking a mini with me when travelling to liven up the standard hotel scent. The mini tins also make such great little gifts I think.

These tins have very powerful scents and like some of their more expensive counterparts they can fill a room without even being lit. Unlike most of their expensive counterparts these candles come in at less than £10 each a significant saving if you were thinking of a Diptyque or Neom offering. 

Since moving to the South West it makes it even better these little tins of cuteness are made in Somerset.

These are sold on Amazon, in John Lewis and from Lily Flame themselves.

Holiday Reads

I was a very lucky girl over the New Year and headed to Sharm El Sheikh for a spot of sun, sea and snorkeling whilst we brought in 2014. We had such an amazing time.

Now I am not going to lie there was only 2 things I was interested in on this holiday:

1. Getting some much needed vitamin D 
2. Catching up on some good reads

If you are looking for something new to read or just add to your Amazon Wish List (am I the only one that has a specific 'To Read' wish list) you might be interested in what I downloaded for my holiday.

Life After Life  - By Kate Atkinson

This book follows Ursula, a girl born into a relatively wealthy family during a snow storm in February 1910. Ursula immediately dies. In the next chapter her birth is played out again but this time a few facts are changed and baby Ursula survives. 

The book follows in this vein, with Ursula as a child and adult often being in the wrong place at the wrong time but when she re-joins life and we re-join her she has the opportunity to make certain changes that will influence her path through life. Throughout Ursula doesn't realise that she is being re-born and instead views it as a series of deja vu and an instinct to travel in a certain direction. 

As a result the book is very jumpy and goes back and forward in time which can be a little taxing. I have to say that at the beginning I found this really difficult, never before have I had to pay such particular attention to dates in a  fiction book. But around a quarter of the way in it started to pick up pace and I had got my head around the large swathe of characters that come in and out of the story depending on which period in time is being written about. 

The story is interspersed with some philosophy and other literary references which I think are supposed to reflect Ursula's intelligence and wisdom from having lived a 'number of lives'. 

As Ursula grows we follow her life in the context of great historical events given that she 'lives' through 2 world wars. We see her married, single in London and in Berlin following various life paths including being a housewife, mother and civil servant. During this time she is also able to influence the fate of other key characters. This is not necessarily something that I like, but is always tied into the storyline. 

The story was spoilt slightly with a rather far fetched and honestly random sub-story featuring Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler but excluding those few chapters it is a great read. Whilst other reviews have commented on the repetitiveness I really enjoyed seeing the same scenes with the eyes of a 'different' Ursula, who is viewing them for the first time after following a different series of choices to get her to that point. 

Perfect for any reader who often wishes "If I had just..."

Jemima J - By Jane Green

Jane Green is one of the queens of chick lit, writing about glossy women leading glossy lives in glossy cities. Perfect sun lounger reading if you ask me 

The story of Jemima J starts with an unhappy overweight 27 year old working as a journalist at The Kilburn Herald with dreams of being skinny, beautiful and writing features for a  women's glossy. We learn early on that Jemima J has the talent and ambition to hit her career goals but unfortunately not the confidence after years of rejection from editors, "friends" and her mother. Her lack of self-confidence has led her into the life of an isolated recluse.

Like all women who have something they don't like about themselves, Jemima believes that everything in her life will be perfect - a great job, great friends, great parties and of course a great boyfriend preferably in the shape of Ben, Deputy News Editor, at The Kilburn Herald - if she could just loose her weight. 

First published in 2006 it was interesting to hear Jemimas thoughts as she dials up the modem upon discovering the internet and its opening up of the world to her, where no one knows what she looks like. The catalyst for change in Jemima is meeting the very hunky Brad, a Californian, on an internet chat room. 

One of the things I really like about this book is that Jemima only changes through her own hard work and dedication - a lesson to us all during the January resolutions. But unfortunately that is where my love for this tale ends. Perhaps it would have been a little twee but there is no 'beauty is on the inside' message here. A little detour through LA and Brad but of course like any good rom come Jemima gets her happy ending!

Predictable, yes and frustrating moral undertone at times but certainly a pleasant and quick read whilst soaking up the winter sun. 

Room - By Emma Donoghue

Jack is 5. Jack lives in Room. Room is 11 foot by 11 foot with a sky light and a locked door. Ma was captured 8 years before by Old Nick and held in this fortress in his garden unbeknown to everyone around them. Jack is the result of the relationship between Old Nick and Ma. 

We are given a detailed description of Room through the eyes of Jack. Each key reference point uses capital letters to depict its 'Name'. It is part of Jacks life rather than merely an object. We realise that every aspect of his life is in this room with his mother protecting his view of the 'outside'. This naive viewpoint is endearing in a strange way. 

You realise relatively soon in the book that Ma and Jack do get out of Room. This part of the book is written so well. My heart was actually pounding and ensuring their safe recovery meant that I stayed up well past my bed time. 

Jack is the hero of the story and watching him learn about the outside world and meeting his new family and surroundings is fascinating. As if a baby could articulate how they feel. 

The story then focuses on how Ma and Jack try to assimilate in the first month or so. They realise its not going to be an easy process and I love the optimism shown by both of them through a list shared with us towards the end that details all the things they want to do together in the future. 

I was genuinely upset when the book finished with unanswered questions. Does Ma recover? Does Jack integrate back into his new world? What happens to Old Nick? Do Ma and Jack get the justice they deserve? I suppose its nice to think of these things yourself because then you can create the happy ending you want for them. 


Have you read any of these books ? What did you think? Do you have an recommendations for my virtual reading list?

100 Day Spending Ban 2014

Things have become a little excessive of late, in the purchasing arena, spurred on by even more excessive blog reading and youtube watching. My love of make up and all things sparkly, along with a penchant for accessories and an almost unhealthy relationship with Paperchase means that our little house is bursting at the seams. 

A week away with no purchases and a New Year makes it the perfect time to take stock (literally) and try and rein it all in a bit. So here comes the 100 day spending ban. My oh my 100 days is a long time though taking us up until the 10th April.

I do want to use this time wisely - a big clear out and charity shop drop along with more focus on diet and fitness after the festive season and a holiday saw this all come to a grinding halt - to ensure that I see the new year started in a healthy and practical way. 

Whilst this is my idea my husband is 100% behind it - obviously!

So I think that I need to set some rules.

THE RULES

1. Simples. Do not spend money on unnecessary purchases. 

2. Unnecessary means anything new make up wise unless replacing a crucial item for which there is no viable alternative already within my stash. 

3. This does not include personal hygiene products like deodorant, shower gel and shampoo/conditioner which will only replace what I am currently using when it runs out and I'm sure is something my nearest and dearest will be pleased about. 

4. Unnecessary also extends to clothes, accessories and stationery products. 

5. I will also stop the pre-work Starbucks habit and when possible take a pre-prepared lunch. 

6. The 100 days started on the 1st January and will continue until the 10th April. 

So far it has been easygoing as I have been sat on a sun lounger in Egypt with very little to no spending temptation or desire to spend money. So far so good! I'll keep you updated ...

If you are doing a spending ban at the start of 2014 then please link your blog in the comments below and follow me on Twitter @mrsnicholls33 so that I can follow you back and keep up to date with your progress.