Afternoon tea at Crook Hall.

Visiting Crook Hall Gardens, Durham.

After a day of getting my bearings and a night of drinking games (this girl never learns), we decided to go for a slightly more laid back approach to Sunday; you know, the whole resting thing you're meant to do. I asked if you guys had any Durham recommendations for me on Twitter, and Kelly replied saying that Crook Hall, along with a few other places, was worth a look in. As it didn't look like we were about to get pretty wet 'n' wild up in there, we meandered along the river to give it a go.

Of course, anti-histamines miiiight have been a good idea had I actually accepted that I had hayfever at this point. But, sniffles aside, Crook Hall gardens are some of the most beautiful out there. Clarity was on a bee-hunt (not all that hard, they'd definitely come out to play), and there were more peonies than a blogger could shake her Olympus Pen at. The gardens were split into different sections: from the surprisingly tricky maze that's right in front of you as you enter, to the Shakespeare garden (feat. bust of the big man himself), to the Cathedral garden with stained glass window shaped flower beds overlooking the Real Deal on the horizon, there's plenty to do here on a sunny day.

After a while, our poor little kinda hungover selves head over to Crook Hall itself where you were able to pick up a cream tea with unlimited (!!) tea for £3.60 - giving the South a great big finger, where this would cost at least twice the amount, for sure.

It wasn't long before I had to haul my bag and myself up that massive bloody hill to get the train home to Manchester, where Crook Hall seemed a lifetime away (because it was raining. Again. Of course.). Have you ever visited Durham before, or live there? I'm sure I'll end up there again before long, if not off to Newcastle, and will mentally make bookmarks of your recommendations if you've got any you'd like to share! brb, dreaming of those scones...

WHAT I WORE.

H+M striped top: £7. Fat Face denim dungarees (c/o). Adidas Superstars: £55 (I think, they're kids ones, anyway). Topshop fedora hat: £7.

WHERE WE WENT.

WHAT'S ON INSTA.

Hats off to the weekend 🕵🏻 #durham #boomerang #video #ootd #tb

A video posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jul 8, 2016 at 10:34am PDT

Promise I wasn't falling asleep, that's my plan for the train ride. 💤 #durham #crookhall #potd #picoftheday #ootd #zara #topshop #selfie #style #wiw #wiwt #fbloggers #fblogger #fbloggersuk

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 19, 2016 at 10:15am PDT

Give me five mins, and I'll find you a blogger cliché. #durham #thisjoyfulmoment #thehappynow #theeverydayproject #lovelysquares #peony #peonies

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 19, 2016 at 8:28am PDT

Always got time for a full English. Maybe not so much for the black pudding though... #durham #breakfast #brunch

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 19, 2016 at 3:38am PDT

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Don't forget who you are.

Ribbed polo neck and denim pinafore dress: c/o Fat Face. Hobbs monk shoes: £69 (similar). Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Tatty Devine bunting necklace: made by myself!

Scheduling is the poor man's time travel (bear with me, it kinda makes sense). I'm sitting with a fresh brew writing this on a Thursday lunchtime, knowing it'll be published on Sunday morning, and you'll be reading this maybe that day or in 2019 or whenever. In the interval of 72 hours, I'll have packed my bags, decamped Essex in favour of Manchester*, probably had a minor panic attack on the train as it leaves Euston and thought of pancake day approx 93 times. So, as you read this I'll be fuming at how bloody cold the North is, when in reality I'm chilling listening to a bit of Radio 1. In the past. See? Sort of like time travel.

East London, in a roundabout way, has a similar feel. I'm not an eastender by any stretch of the imagination, but I am firmly rooted there in quite a few ways. Last week I met up with Kristabel and we headed to Pitfield Street's eponymous café for a coffee. As we sat looking across the street I kept thinking of how lots of time paths crossed along this street - obviously not whilst we were talking, because that's weird and a little bit rude. If I were to turn right, I'd end up pacing the well-worn track back to my old place of work, via the local, home to plenty of breakdowns and a fair few hurrahs. Turn left, however, and you'll work your way up to the church my grandparents were married in, their first home and the bakery my cousin still works in to this day. Of course, you'll all have a vested interest in going straight ahead and ending up at the Breakfast Club because their huevos rancheros is amazing and 100% #instagrammable. And there I was sat, wearing some clothes from the brand where I had my first job. One part funny, one part kinda reading into this 100 times too much.

*With the slight upheaval, there might be a bit of change here. I've got a few posts scheduled, but can't guarantee things will be running like clockwork in the next few weeks+, so please bear with me while I sort my life stuff out. I'll inevitably be tweeting and gramming, so see you there in the meantime!

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In many ways, they'll miss the good old days.

Vintage leather jacket: £17.50. Aubin and Wills stripe top: £30. Chinos (in 'Navy' and 'Chalk'): c/o Fat Face. Vintage bag: gift from Jazmine. New Look sandals. Rotary watch. Nail varnish on both fingers and toes were both Nails Inc freebies - winner.

It's not every day you're met with a sea of bluebells. In fact, I can date the last time I visited Blakes Wood as precisely five years ago. Since, I've seen a whole lot more places, and nowhere really compares to here for the mid-May blooms.

Back then, I'd just finished a shift at my weekend job in Fat Face, so it seemed apt for this to be the location for a little blue and white themed post with the brand. I'm queen of packing little for a long time (if I want to, I can also pack a lot), often turning up at a friend's for the night with essentials tightly packed into something smaller than my gym bag. So, when they asked me to pick two things from their holiday shop to style up, I went for the least Summery chinos, on the basis that they're travel-friendly for running through airports and up escalators, yet look good with everything from stripy tees to silk blouses when things are a little more chilled. I probably wouldn't recommend shimmying into the white pair after coming out of the sea as they're a bit see-through, but we all know I feel more comfortable at a bar, swimming in a hot waiter's eyes. Now, all I need is a flight...

On another completely unrelated note, have you started to get into Periscope yet? Find me @rebeccacohen for insights into my day, to hear my not-very-Essex accent and lower the percentage of weird men telling me it's OK to be drunk.

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Take my hand and we'll make it, I swear.

Navy blouse: 50p, charity shop. Waxed jacket: £22, Primark. Shorts: Fat Face (old). Sunglasses: £2, Primark. Socks: £2, asos. Hunter boots: won in Char's giveaway. Bag: gift from Jazmine.

As I'm sure you've read on Olivia and Jazmine's blogs, last week we all headed South to catch the ferry to the Isle of Wight Festival. After a (very) last minute email from the ladies at Hunter, I found myself organising transport for the next day, and chucking as many baby wipes into a rucksack as I could find. I do like a good few days sat festering in the middle of a field (it's a lot more fun than it sounds), so it's hardly surprising that I took up the offer, and I am so glad I did. Spending the weekend with my favourite blogging pals (Lyzi included!) and my parisian friend Sabby aside, I finally got to see Blondie after several plays of Parallel Lines, as well as Rizzle Kicks, Stone Roses, Sub Focus, Modestep, Paloma Faith, and a band who I think are called Bon Jovi? For me, festivals aren't about making yourself look good, which is handy after attempting to draw catflicks in a tent. Instead, I found myself relying on a couple of disposable cameras and borrowing Jazmine's (thank you!) to get a few shots of my outfit on day three. A few of our fellow festival-goers seemed bemused at the whole concept of taking outfit photos, but I've just got my disposables developed, so I'm sure they'll find their way into a future post! I may not be heading to Glasto (sob), but I hope you lucky folks who are have the best time, and have a year's supply of toilet rolls with you.

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