Hello from the other siiiiiide.

Roll-neck jumper, camel suedette skirt, heeled ankle boots: all c/o TU Sainsburys. Catarzi fedora hat: £25 (now on sale!). Oasis embellished leather clutch: £9, with staff discount.

Hello, 2016! I've been umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether to do a "round up of 2015" style post like I did last year, but seeing as the big one-five was actually a pretty crummy year maybe it's best to let that one lie. In short: it all started pretty well, but stress levels hit an all time high, resulting in some serious side-effects on my health (both mental and physical), and who really wants to read about that? I was determined to see in the new year with a drink in hand surrounded by plenty of people to make sure I didn't wallow about, and one stupid journey later we were toasting the first hour. Even if it's just one night, for me there's something about making sure your year starts as you mean to go on: happy, carefree, and surrounded by friends.

Back to the present, 2016's been alright so far. Made myself some cheese scones, bought a Mulberry handbag, drunk a litre of hangover cure in an hour - not much for me to complain about, my bank account however... Here's to a new year of treating yourself right, and just plain old treating yourself.

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A love letter Christmas.

River Island faux fur scarf: £28 (now £15, typical). Topshop jacket (old): £27. Luella dress (old): ebay. Over the knee boots: c/o Schuh.

It's happened again. Working in retail, we were finalising our Christmas campaign way back in June, and that Thing in the distance has suddenly clicked its fingers in my face, but instead of digits it was someone spilling mulled wine on my desk. Now it's somehow Christmas Eve, I've started making up for lost time on the mince pies (how gorgeous are these ones from Bettys?) after recovering from the Christmas party, and it'll all be festive cheer the moment it clocks 1 and we finish for the weekend.

Just a quick one from me today, as these wreath-filled photos might be a tad out of season if I wait until my normal Sunday to post, but all my love for the big day - hope you get out of it argument-free and have three times your GDA of roast potatoes! brb, eating five days worth of advent calendar chocolates.

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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.

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