I had a dream I can buy my way to heaven.

Oasis floral dress: coming soon. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale. Topshop bag: £25. Rotary watch: gift.

There may not be tinsel-covered jumpers and falling snow all over this blog, but it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. A couple of weeks back, Sabby and I headed to Newbury racecourse for the Hennessey Gold Cup, and that little Berkshire town seriously knows how to make things feel seasonal. We started the day catching up with Kim and Stew on the way over, before heading to check out the races. We quickly realised that this wasn't 100% our thing (expectations: cosy drinks and a lil bit of entertainment. Reality: actual hardcore races, and people very loudly betting), so took the short walk into town for something a little quainter - including reindeer.

First things first, we stopped by a pub called Lock, Stock and Barrel, which overlooks the river Kennet. It served as the perfect cosy respite from the bitterly cold wind with fish and chips that get an A+ rating from me, and I think I miiight just have recovered from the previous day's Black Friday nightmare. We then took a wander through the town centre, made pals with the bloke above (#onthepull), and spent a little more time and money in Temptation gift shop than I care to admit, but I'm definitely not ashamed. We then travelled back to the big smoke for more festive-themed (read: camembert) activities as we met up with a few more friends to catch-up well into the night. As far as days go, they don't come much more perfect than that.

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

I only call you when it's half past five.

eBay blanket cape: £19.99. Rust playsuit: c/o lessthantenpounds.com. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale. Mac "Ravishing" lipstick.

Could you be any more cliché? I may be minus the red cup and faux fur hat, but this girl loves a theme. If there's one theme that keeps cropping up when I think about this blog, poor segway aside, I sometimes (read: quite a lot of the time) wonder whether there's much point of keeping this blog going; I don't have the best photos, don't really 'know my angles', only just about keep blogging regularly and weep a little bit every time the mail app starts on my laptop. Yet I know there will always be that "what if?" part of me (and that "you better not bloody give up, you weakling" part of me) which pushes me forwards a little bit longer. I try new ways to take photos, and hope to have improved just a little from last year and the year before. I try new things, even if it's simply adding a bit of information about where the photos were taken or adding in more lifestyle elements. And, possibly most importantly, I try to pop something up I'd like to read myself. Whether it's four paragraphs cracking jokes about dressing like Blair Waldorf or a set of photos that are so tumblr it makes me feel a little queasy, I do hope there's a little something to make you smile. Even if I'm not able to produce a pumpkin spiced latte. Which are disgusting, imo.

PS, last chance to enter to win Newbury Racing tickets and a John Lewis voucher! >

Read more

They can't love me like you.

Topshop knit (old, although this is pretty much the same). Oasis faux leather skirt. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale. Marks and Spencer bag (old). Necklace: c/o Happiness Boutique.

Going out with students for Halloween? Feeling a bit old? The best way to cure this malady is to make sure you spend the day where you lower the average age by quite a few decades. Battlesbridge is a little village in Essex, known for its antiques centre and weird sticky outy building, and OAPs can't get enough of it. The higgledy piggledy stalls are host to an odd array of anything you can think of, and I am rather a fan of the crap taxidermy you can find nestled in the back of a fair few stands. We came home empty handed this time, but I definitely had my eye on a few of the old bookshelves and cabinets, perfect for someone who's got plans and schemes for their room... 

Read more