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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Still she sits, young while the earth is old.

Ruskin wax jacket: c/o Barbour. Vintage floral blouse: 50p. Oasis Isabella jeans: £27. Bally boots: £8, charity shop. Primark fedora: £7.

"So, what are you doing with your day off?"

"I'm off to the place I wrote my dissertation about."

Average Friday, really.

When Jazmine asked if I could get some time off work for a day trip, I always knew it'd be something a little out of the ordinary. Rather than spend it together in our pyjamas (however appealing that may have been), we were up early, breakfasting/hot chocolating in Paddington in some seriously special prints: we'd been invited to the Cotswolds to learn all about Barbour's William Morris collection, and said yes in less time than I've spent deliberating over which meal deal sandwich to go for. Since that visit to the William Morris gallery in primary school, I've been rather partial to his oversized florals, so there was no way I was going to miss out on this one.

Kelmscott Manor was Morris' Summer home; a place away from London, a "heaven on earth", and where supposedly he witnessed that bird steal its strawberry. London definitely felt a lifetime away as we were given an incredibly insightful tour of the house and grounds (and lunch - priorities, obvs). I had a little moment when I noticed the facsimile of Morris and Burne-Jones' Canterbury Tales, a subject for much discussion in my dissertation. My topic of choice had been the distinction between art and literature for Rossetti and, in turn, Morris - it was about time I made the journey! TL;DR, Rossetti was all about the two together being an experience, and in their separation they lose much of the creator's meaning. The dissertation may now be printed and bound, but the love lives on, so if you're as much a Rossetti fangirl as me, you'll be pleased to see that his painting "Blue Silk Dress" takes pride of place. Jazz and I made sure to get some quick snaps in our beautiful Morris-print clothes before heading home (how beautiful does she look in her Acanthus shirt?), and I'm going to be wearing my jacket every time the grey clouds show, to brighten things up a little.

I don't often talk about the "perks" of being a blogger here, as I don't generally feel like I ought to draw attention to it (for fear of being found out as a fraud! I'm still amazed anyone thinks there's worth in me taking a few snaps of their products and posting them here, but there you go), but I really do want to say thank you to everyone at Barbour - and Jazz! - for having me along. I honestly had a wonderful day, and it meant so much to have a little more insight into a subject I've loved for such a long time. Start playing that Oscar speech music before I get too into this. Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend so far!

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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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