All the girls on the block knocking at my door.

COLLECTIVE t-shirt. Oasis V&A trousers (now sold out, try the new season pair). Nails Inc x Glamour nail varnish.

When you spend about twelve hours a day in the smog and in a bother, you need a little place to relax the moment it's announced "this train is now approaching home". Rainy days often call for a duvet and youtube, but if there's a little sunshine I tend to pop into my garden (hurrah for living outside the M25!) for a while to stop fuming wind down. Of course this calls for a diva outfit change into something a little more comfortable: my favourite ever white t-shirt and these super-comfy, wear-me-all-the-time trousers from the V&A Collection by Oasis. After a few months of staring at these prints all day err' day, I couldn't help but add a few of them to my wardrobe (spot the culottes here!).

A couple of months ago, Asda got in touch and asked if I fancied adding a little somethin' somethin' to our little outside space, so I let my mum take charge of my laptop and she picked this pretty arbour seat from their rather extensive range of garden furniture. It took us a while to find a weekend where my mum, brother and I were all free to put it together, but there is something quite satisfying about saying "I did that" at the end. A few slicks of paint later (note: the paint's a little thin - it'll dry quickly but need loads of layers) and now we've got a little post-late finish sanctuary, perfect for hiding away in.

And breathe.

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It's not you, it's your eyebrows.

"It's not you, it's your eyebrows" tee: c/o Batoko. Warehouse denim skirt: £2, sample sale. Vintage leather jacket: £17. Topshop leopard print ankle boots: £27 (old). Vintage bag: gift from Jazmine.

Hey, even if I kinda look like Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler in one of these photos (guesses on a postcard/comment below), at least there's one guy who doesn't think I'm an absolute creep. 

From one place I haven't been in a while, to another: Colchester. Yes, it's got a castle. Yes, it's got a zoo. Yes, it's got a Missoula (those who know, know their jaegerbombs). What's not to like? Being just a liiiitle bit too far the "wrong" way along the A12 to permit frequent visits, it's been a fair while since I went there - for a roller disco, no less. My mum can take or leave it, but I got a pretty good vibe from the town. The beautiful rose-lined Castle park obviously called to me, and a shout out to the amazing charity shops too, but it was the labyrinthine streets of somewhere "out of town" that piqued my interest - probably more than is to be expected from someone who knows the nooks and crannies of the City like the back of her hand. And with one of my best friends heading here to study come Autumn, it looks like I'll heading back sooner rather than later: score.

On a side note: I've found THE t-shirt to ward people off when my withering glance just isn't enough. Finally.

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I want desire.

Luella blouse: ebay. Vintage suede skirt: £8, charity shop. Laura Ashley trench coat. Adidas Spezial: £29, Freeport Braintree. Rotary watch. Rimmel Kate Moss 08 lipstick.

It's always a bit weird to revisit things. I'm not talking an ex-boyfriend here (bye means bye, okay?), I'm talking places. I grew up in Woodford, which is best explained as 'on the east bit of the Central line', and, despite heading back to Loughton every six months to go to the dentist, I hadn't really been back since we upped sticks and headed way out 'so far past zone nine you can't even use an oyster card' in 2003. For the first time in over a decade, my mum and I popped back down the M11 to have a little wander along memory lane. It's a bit like heading back to a club you frequented in freshers week - things are a bit hazy, but you know where the toilet is and vaguely recognise that booth.

In case you're not aware (you probably aren't, half the people I live with now haven't heard of Redbridge, let alone know it's in the same county), if you look at London on Google maps and see the reservoirs just north of Central, I'm talking a little bit east of there. We started off the day in Highams Park, by far my favourite of all the places in that little bit of the London-Essex border. There aren't many places I can see myself settling down (this is what moving all over the place does to a girl...), but there is something about this area which gives me complete chilled out vibes, and I would definitely move in without a second thought were it not so bloody expensive to live there. London housing woes aside, we walked past my mum's first flat, through the Park, past my childhood home, and round Woodford Green back to the car. We then popped over to Loughton for dinner before heading up into Epping Forest a little to take these photos. Oh, wisteria, how I miss you already.

Are there any little pockets of London you love to re-visit? I'm always on the lookout for more places to fall in love with!

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