Cressing Temple Barns.

J.Crew jumper: £3.50, charity shop. Jack Wills blouse: £4.50, charity shop. Oasis jeans: £27. Oasis chelsea boots: £41 (similar). Savannah Miller for Debenhams fedora. M&S bag: £43.

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, said a dreamer that one time, and you're never really going to have much of a life if all you do is stick to small-town familiarity and keep on keeping on. In an effort to make the most of being near to most of my friends, I spent a lot of January working on making sure I managed to see everyone, meaning the impending Move Date creeped up on me. Among all the good stuff (read: pizza), I had the arduous task of heading to the doctor's in Braintree. Obviously no one enjoys a trip to the hospital (or if you do, enjoy getting that checked out), so I tend to bribe myself with a post-appointment trip to Freeport and buy everything in Hobbs. Unfortunately their tills weren't having any of it on this particular day, so without the adrenaline rush of bankruptcy we decided to get our thrills elsewhere and head to Cressing Temple for the first time.

In that awkward "oh god, country lanes" style of avoiding things, we'd never made the journey East of Braintree. Turns out, it's not as bad as we feared, and made it to Cressing (home to Jamie Oliver's dad, apparently #namedrop) in less than 10 minutes. And boy, weren't we glad we made it. I didn't expect much, but Cressing Temple Barns are beautiful. Two absolutely massive barns built in the 13th century seemingly plonked in the Essex countryside, and a walled garden to die for - who would've thought this was just a half hour drive from where we lived? Of course, a diversion isn't a day out without a trip to a Tiptree tea room, so we headed to The Barns for a couple of slices of toasted heaven.

It just goes without saying: take a little trip to somewhere new, 'cause you might just find a new favourite.

Read more

Bad habits.

Zara coat: £30 (similar). Oasis top: £13.20. Vintage suede skirt: £8, charity shop (similar). Debenhams loafers. Monochrome scarf: c/o Joules. Vintage bag. Essie Maximillian Strasse Her (still don't understand that name, surely it's just Strasse?).

In the wake of messers Turner and Kane dropping a new release named 'Bad Habits', I thought why not compile a list of my own?

- I am twenty four and I still bite my nails. I know, okay? I KNOW.
- There is a rather large pile of black boots by the front door which look suspiciously similar but which are definitely not exactly the same (eyeing up another pair now).
- Texts don't need to be replied to immediately, do they? I honestly do try, but when whatsapp's crashed on me for the sixth time in a row I tend to give up for the next few months.
- If I'm going to be on the 6.47 am train, I am going to use all forces necessary to ensure I get a seat.

- Eye contact: I'm all for it as I am otherwise useless at reading a person, and if you don't meet mine I'll immediately think you're hiding something.

- I tend to go out of my way to conceal how I feel (ew, emotions), until it reaches a point of no return and I either cry or shout at someone.

- Biting off the top, eating the filling and then eating the rest of a Creme Egg.

- Drinking that one drink too many...

- ... then agreeing to go to the pub the day after.

- Saying "just putting that A Level art to good use" every time I do something vaguely creative.

- Making grand plans of going to that new pop-up for lunch to support an independent high street, then going to Pret 'cause it's closer. Every. Bloody. Time.

- Thinking one blog post a week is totally manageable, and then realising preeeetty quickly it's far from it (send help and daylight hours).

Any bad habits you'd care to share? brb, kick-starting whatsapp again.

Read more

Take it back and then let it go.

eBay blanket cape: £19.99. Jack Wills blouse: £60 (now £24 in Black Friday sale). Nine by Debenhams jeans. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale.

I've never been that person with the Five Year Plan. When people were deciding their GCSE options based on their parents' decision to study medicine at university, I opted to go for what I enjoyed. When my past relationships have taken a "let's decide dates" turn my #goals have been a little more vague. And god help anyone who has to buy me a present because I'll definitely not be able to give you any guidance. I'm the sort of person that makes personal decisions based upon what I like, what I want, and what is fun. Right now. I'll be the first person to hold my hands up and say 'okay, I'm not thinking about kids and weddings', but I can guarantee to be your first port of call for anything happening, good or bad, big or small; I've got a few boarding passes to Paris and crumpled up receipts as physical proof.

It's getting to the time of year when people are asking me what I 'like'. It's my birthday next week, so have had a fair few queries as to what I want to do, what I'll be doing throughout the week, what presents I've got in mind, etc. I've always been one to have a fairly low key celebration, inviting a few people over for drinks before heading out (normally not remembering coming home), but this year I don't want anything. Call it odd, but I really don't want a marker of this coming of age. Having a birthday in December is tough as it is - people are busy, booking a large table has to be done months in advance, and it's really bloody cold - but this time round I've come to the conclusion that, really, it's not worth the hype at all. Maybe it's getting old (don't hate me, anyone over 27), or maybe it's just coming round to the conclusion that there are more important things to do than celebrate the passing of time.

But, if there is something I like doing, it's spending the afternoon in a country pub (The Hare in Roxwell, shown above, is a personal favourite), and generally avoiding outside life at all costs. It is, after all, the little things rather than the big displays of ostentation that count.

Read more

The sweetest thing.

Asos french bulldog jumper (I KNOW): £22. Debenhams jeans. Cath Kidston ric rac mug. Look of pure sugar-enthused delight: c/o Bettys Tea Rooms.

Me and Bettys, we go waaay back. I have no photographic evidence - shock! horror! - but I visited back in 2011 when visiting my friend Sam in York for the first time. Having zero money as students with poor life choices (we went to Willow in York - need I say more?), we shared an afternoon tea for one downstairs in the St Helen's Square team room (on the map, above) and decided that was quite enough cute for the weekend. Fast forward four years and my days have been sorrowfully Bettys-free, until an email arrived in my inbox which I replied to quick enough to give me indigestion: Bettys was popping up in Islington for one day only.

As someone who actively avoids heading into town/into full-blown pollution clouds on the weekend, it was a welcome change to my usual trips on the train as I could amble along to meet Charlotte to take these photos before heading over to the venue. Popping to Bettys was like stepping into your best friend's; plenty of smiles and plenty of sweet treats. We started off the day by learning how to ice our own french fancies before prepping for the ultimate afternoon tea/flat lay situation. It was definitely more hands on than my previous Bettys experience, but who'd mind mucking in when there are mousse mice to be eaten? The sugar crush was warded off when I got home by getting changed into my new favourite jumper (two words: French. Bulldog.) and having a little read through the 'Who's Betty?' selection of short stories.

Because, if anything's my cup of tea, it's a good slice of cake (heh).

Read more