Cute but psycho.

Brandy Melville 'Cute but psycho' tee: £18. Vintage suede skirt: £8, via charity shop (similar). Zara velvet slippers: £9, via charity shop (similar). Karen Millen patent mini bag: £5, via sample sale. H Samuel and Pandora bracelets. Vintage and Forever 21 rings. Barry M "Road Rage" not-quick-dry-at-all nail varnish. Topshop "Really Ruby" lipstick.

As time passes, I like Maldon more and more. It's a pain to get to, provides dubious phone signal and the average age of its inhabitants is probably sixty, so I really don't see where the drawbacks lie. I did find it a little amusing when a brand took fifteen or so bloggers to an island just off its shores for a super-fancy event, as to me it has always been, and will always be, a place so far removed from "blogger life" - and the world in general, there's only one bus an hour - as it's possible to be. But there you go. This time we didn't head down to the river as is our usual way of spending the day there, and instead explored its bloody hills quaint backstreets, before heading to a café just behind M&S for a late lunch. Can't remember for the life of me what it's called, but it sits off the high street and serves a mean BLT.

There's not really much to say about this incredibly standard tee and no tights outfit, but I do have to give a special shout out to Jazmine who picked this tee up for me from Soho after I spotted it on Pinterest a while back, as Brandy Melville's online shop is appalling/does not have any stock. 'Cute but psycho' might not be the most PC turn of phrase, but after last night I will be acting with "abnormal or violent behaviour" towards my breakfast as soon as I drag myself downstairs.

I've popped links to old Maldon blog posts below (hello, second ever outfit post!), so you can have a tour of the town:

The Hythe | Promenade Park | Heybridge Basin | Beeleigh Road

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My mind would rule my heart.

Vintage check blouse: £6, via Ark. Asos petite shorts: £28. Warehouse lace up flats: £29 with staff discount. Karen Millen patent mini bag: £5, via sample sale (on sale in black and cream). Rotary watch: gift. Topshop 'Really Ruby' lipstick (discontinued :( but similar).

Looking for a lovely, relaxing weekend full of chilled café stops and calm walks along the river? I wouldn't rate Cambridge all that highly (come on tourists, do you need to be in packs of fifty???). In naïve fashion, I'd nagged my mum to go there for about six months as I hadn't been since January 2012 (second photo) thinking it'd be, in the words of that Cards Against Humanity card I couldn't get rid of yesterday, 'sunshine and rainbows'. Don't get me wrong, Cambridge is a beautiful city and I always love visiting, but a sunny Saturday in August is prime slow-walker time and tested my patience more than you'd believe. Unless, of course, you've seen me stuck behind someone who can't use a self-serve till at the supermarket... #21stcenturyrage

As you'd expect from watching all eight Harry Potter films, Cambridge is filled to the brim with beautiful architecture, independent shops (tell me more about this fudge kitchen's free samples) and a load of punts. As far as recommendations go, the shops on Rose Cres are the nicest and the everyman cinema is worth visiting, but on this trip we mainly just wandered around keeping my Moves app happy, rather than spending all the money in Jo Malone/antique book shops. Because seriously, if the above bookshop had been open, I would have spent some serious money on the first edition of Wilde's Earnest. If you know someone who's studying there and are a student too, then I'd definitely recommend staying with them as you get into the colleges free/discounted/pretend to be studying there too more convincingly, as some of the colleges are upwards of £10 to enter at the usual rate, and I'd rather spend a tenner on postcards at the Fitzwilliam Museum. If there weren't quite so many people around it'd be a much nicer place to visit, but, crowds aside, there's no better place to feel smug that you can pronounce the name 'Gonville and Caius' correctly.

Back to Essex, and I'm going to spend today indoors, sparing a thought for the poor souls at V festival in the rain down the road (haha, jk, suckers).

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It all feels like gold to me.

Zara coat (old): £30. Oasis ripped jeans: £28. Petit Bateau marinière: €42.50. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale. Tartan scarf: £3, charity shop. Bag: gift from Jazmine. Becca Cosmetics 'Hotel California' lip gloss.

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have noticed that I've spent the last few days in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. We popped over to visit my friend and drink to all things politics before getting home just gone nine last night, when I prioritised cooking pasta (I hadn't eaten for nine hours - that's pretty much a diet) rather than making sure a post was scheduled for today. So, apologies in advance if there are more mentions of the pug I saw at Cardiff Bay than chat about ripped jeans.

Leigh-on-Sea is one of my favourite places in Essex. When we were little, my brother and I knew it as the place we went to first before walking to Southend (photos of it here - my first "proper" outfit post!), claiming a cone of Rossi ice cream on the journey. It's not filled to the brim with clothes shops and bars, and it's distinctly lacking in sandy beaches, but it will always have a little place in my heart reserved for nostalgia, right next to sequinned dance costumes and the water fountains you could jump in at Victoria Park. My mum and I like to drive over there every few months for a browse of the gift shops, a walk along the seafront and some mandatory fish and chips - what could be more perfect?

Are there any places you always go back to, no matter how many years it's been? This isn't your classic "ask people a question at the end of your blog post, it'll drive engagement!!!" thing, I'm genuinely interested in which places people love, so please do comment with yours.

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Fade away and radiate.

Stella Proseyn dress: borrowed from Kelsi. Vintage leather jacket: £17.50. Karen Millen heeled boots: £15, via sample sale (they're these ones but with a square toe). Little Nell necklace.

I certainly have my moments with blogging (but I also have my moments with black tea, later deciding that any health benefits of green tea aren't worth it, so I'm sticking this one out for the meantime), but the one thing I've always been rather happy about is how I've met so many people I wouldn't otherwise have ever bumped into, as I certainly wouldn't have made the journeys to Battersea, Birmingham or Bromley without a little bit of their encouragement. A couple of Sundays ago I spent the evening in the company of Jazz and her friend Kelsi over from LA for London Fashion Week in a beautiful apartment with an even more beautiful view tucking into American treats and chatting about anything and everything that popped into our heads.

Kelsi's the lady behind the LA Fashion Council and had travelled over with a suitcase full of home-grown designers' pieces - of course I couldn't resist taking one of them out for a spin! This Stella Proseyn shift dress is like wearing a sweater from top to toe (or from shoulders to mid-thigh?) and is made from a beautiful quilted material with a slight shimmer, which earns a double thumbs up from me. I couldn't resist putting my own little spin on it with leather and silver accents, perfect for a day in the office - and maybe after-work drinks! Looks like I've got more plans to make...

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