International Women's Day

Women are magical creatures, strong and creative. Every single female I have met has been completely unique. We all reside in the same universe, our bodies sync, our thoughts interlink and yet each of our worlds differ.

But still we connect.
And in a way no-one can really explain. That is the beauty of womanhood.

I count myself very lucky to be a woman, there is not a day goes by when I don't feel sheer elation that I am female and can celebrate that today with the most wonderful people I know.

My mum, my sisters, my family of friends, my colleagues. A smile at each girl I see in the street, a small gesture of appreciation.
An admiration, for the strength and support we share and show.

Today is about us and how far we have come. Happy International Women's Day!

Lots of love always

Embracing your late 20s

The limbo era

It's no secret that gaining another year of age gets that little bit more daunting as you get that bit older. Gone are the days when turning 18 and 21 were these mighty milestones that you couldn't wait to grow towards. When I hit 26 I suddenly realised that I was closer to 30 than I was to a teenager and that left me with an almost sinking feeling and brought up thoughts and worries of where the time had gone and what on earth I was doing with my current self.  But it also made me realise that you definitely gain wisdom as you gain years and there are so many positives to this time in my life I call the 'limbo era'. 
I'm at an age where I still get asked for ID whilst buying tobacco, but also sometimes feel like I'm being side glanced by 17 year olds whilst picking up the same items as them in Urban Outfitters. It's hard to find a balance and know which age-group to slot into- which is silly because the reality is you really don't need to make a decision at all! But there are definitely some days that I feel like I'm on a see-saw and that is okay too, I always come back down and find a nest of my own eventually.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

This May I turn 27, an age associated with many connotations, stories and opinions. When I see that written down it sounds crazy, because it also feels like I was 18 only a couple of years ago. Is it just me?
But the truth is, it is actually all good. So for those days that I feel a little fragile, I decided to write a post of all the wonderful things about your late 20s.

Firstly there is a lot less drama. There is a lyric by one of my favourite bands The Growlers, that says 'Look back about the things you used to care about and now they're so insignificant'. This rings so true with me. I feel like all of the copious conundrums and my days of making mountains out of molehills are definitely over. Everything seems calmer and if there is a hiccup, it is nice to have had the experiences to help you deal with them in a much easier way. Also everyone around you is a lot more kind and caring.

Which brings me to my next point, every single one of your friendships is wonderful. The last couple of years I have grown closer to my lovely pals, friends of old and friends of new- connecting to people is much more natural and magical at this age. This goes for family too, it is almost like you are meeting them for the first time again. I have always been close to my family, but it is a different kind of connection, a harmonious and liberated one.

You feel a lot more settled. Not just in the cases of relationships, jobs, babies etc, but you generally feel a lot more at home within yourself. I may not have the perfect job, I've moved around a lot and haven't done anything with my degree- but I gained a lot of confidence, after being so so shy for such a number of years and I feel that just general growing up and trying to give myself little challenges played a massive part in that.

Education doesn't end at school. There is always something new to learn every day, always new books to read and people with stories to meet. Also the desire to self-educate and gain knowledge of literally whatever you are interested in, just seems to blossom.

Onwards and Upwards

This wonderful gypsy caravan was built by a lovely man that Mum and I met whilst driving through the countryside a couple of weeks ago. The man had made his home completely from scratch, he talked about how he wished he had done it years earlier when his strength was better and he had realised what he wanted and to really embrace every second we have. We spoke for a while, as the winter sun dappled light over our faces and I asked him if I could take some pictures in front of the wagon. Something I definitely wouldn't have done a year or so ago. But I am really glad I did. 

So even though my fringe is smothered with little grey hairs and I do often panic about getting older, I am actually very thankful to this age, all that it entails and all who are on the same adventure with me.

Lots of love always

Paris Photo Diary & First Vlog

Paris is without a doubt my favourite city, every time I go there it manages to conjure up a magical sequence of time, where I just get lost in the thrill of it all and never want to come back home.
Last weekend was no different, after being way from Paris for eight years I decided it was definitely time for another visit.

 I'd bought a couple of tickets at Christmas for my boyfriend and I to have a long weekend mid-January to lift the early year blues and to go exploring somewhere my guy had never been before (he also fell in love with it by the way...)

So off we jetted on a little propeller plane, that got us there in an hour and so we had four proper days to spend together in Paris. 

I also tried my hand at vlogging for the first time and even got around to editing it and uploading it onto good old Youtube! It was a bit bloody scary to put out there, but now it's done I feel the vlogbug creeping up! We shall see...

Where we stayed

After searching for hours and hours at hotel websites, package deals, Airbnb and so-on we finally managed to find a quaint and perfectly located hotel: Les Dames du Pantheon .

As the name suggests it was right next to Notre Dame and Le Pantheon, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The area is bustling with life, amazing food and quirky little bars and coffee shops.

Our room was just lovely, really wildly decorated with bright colours and patterns, but lit with several yellow calming lights, that complimented each other really well. But the best part was our little balcony that had the most incredible view of the city. Sitting out there in the morning and drinking coffee, was one of my favourite parts of the weekend.  

There are a fair few snippets of the hotel in the little vlog, if you wanted to have a proper look :) 

Where we went

Shakespeare & Company bookshop~ This is my most treasured place to go in Paris, even if you aren't a massive reader it is still a wonderful place to visit. Books piled into every crevice and plants and dried flowers galore. They even have a piano and an old typewriter nestled in amongst the musty pages. It is right opposite Notre Dame and runs alongside the river, so you can read a few chapters on a collapsed velvet seat and watch the world go by whilst doing so. Complete bliss.

Musee du Louvre~ Also a great place to spend the day, wondering around miles and miles of art. My eyes were actually sore from trying to take in all of the beauty in a couple of hours. A little tip is to buy a ticket beforehand, so you can skip the big old queues and get a time slot that fits in with your schedule.

Rue Cremieux~ Hidden away on the other side of the river, is a street filled with colourful houses smothered with vintage shutters and trees. I'd seen a lot of people taking Instagram pictures there and I thought why not jump on the band wagon and take a rainbow picture too!

We also did the more touristy things, like see the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge and eat our way through many a baguette and croissant.

All in all it was a truly lovely way to start the year and I managed to keep my New Years resolution of visting a city a month.

I hope you enjoy the vlog, I would love to know what you think :)

Lots of love always

A Kilt, A Train And A Blue Sky

Beret~Topshop/ Blouse~Zara/ Kilt~Vintage/ Shoes~Asos

If I had a penny for every time I have visited this train station, my pockets would be filled with shiny coins. There's just something about old-fashioned steam engines and how they have retired to the tracks to relax and rust. January can be a very 'meh' month, so to speak. Still in the limbo of Christmas, but with everyone slowly increasing their energy levels and achieving their resolutions. For me it is definitely a month to reflect and stroll, a lot! Winter walks are my absolute favourite. It is as if with each stride comes a new thought and for me that is the magic of this 'meh' month. So each time I myself, come back to this train station, I breathe a sigh of relief that this is where my imagination can chug along.

This kilt was a gift from my mum for Christmas, we had been searching high and low in all kinds of charity shops and vintage corners for months- but alas, all we could find were pleated ones that unfortunately were never in my size. So you can imagine how gleeful my face was when I opened this tartan treasure on Christmas morning. Although, I had no idea a piece of cotton was just making itself at home on the skirt throughout these pictures- but what can you do? :)

Next weekend my boyfriend and I are off to Paris for a couple of days, it is the first proper little holiday we have had together, so I am ever so excited to be visiting one of my favourite cities again. I haven't been since 2010, which in my head sounds like that year was five minutes ago...but actually it is nearly a decade ago. If anyone has any great recommendations of what to see or where to eat, I would absolutley love to hear them.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Lots of love always

2018: A fresh new start

As I sit here in my Pyjamas, eating leftover Toblerone and listening to the wind blowing up a storm outside, I can finally begin to reflect on the year. A day too late I know, but the whole Christmas/ New Year period is always such a whirlwind that days blend, bodies bloat and I think it takes a good day or two to let the newness sink in.

So Happy New Year my loves, let us embark on the new but give thought to the old.

Without further ado, here is my 2017 summary....

(Small) Milestones

The year began with a bang, the January cold was softened and warmed by some new kindred spirits. And, after years of wanting to move abroad, they helped me realise the beauty of nature in England and taught me of the trees and the smells of the seasons. To them I was thankful and it changed the paving of my entire year and helped me grow my own roots here.

My plant collection grew, as did my dried flowers. My room is now brimming with old and new life, you can barely move for soil and fallen bits of lavender. But it is exactly how I like it and |I hope my indoor garden can grow even more in the coming months. 

A small moon crescent with stars is now tattooed on my right rib, one of my oldest friends got a twin one with me and it was created by another of my oldest friends, who hand poked the design herself. My first tattoo made me feel elated and I hope to give it a couple more inky pals this year. 

I gained a little more confidence.

My hair got a wee bit more curly.

My friendship circle grew.

I found the most wonderful partner in my best friend. Who'd have thought? But 9 months later and here we are. I blame the Irish accent, it is a killer. 

Travel

I didn't think I would get much of any holidays last year, due to trying to save for a new camera and not having a lot of free time, but I did manage to make it to a few magical places.

Marrakesh being the first excursion back in April. My first visit to Africa and I loved it. The warmth, the colours and the spices. It's a place you can't forget in a hurry, every corner is beautifully decorated and I wanted to carry every single tile and rug I saw back on the plane with me. But alas, a few trinkets and souvenirs had to do. Plus we got to climb the Atlas mountains, which was a truly special day.

Bulgaria was the next place in September, another lovely place and it was a delight to be near the Red Sea.  But I've never drunk so much beer in my life! I was really making the most of those 70p bottles of Bulgarian brews. 

I also really enjoyed wondering around some of the cities in England- Bath, Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool were some of my favourites. I really hope to visit more of the vibrant cities that are a couple of hours drive away this year. 

Outfits

As usual here are a round-up of some of my favourite outfits from the past year. Although I feel like I am still very much a floral dress everyday kinda gal, this year I definitely lived half the week in denim and the other in 80 denier tights. I bought my first pair of Vans and a couple of pairs of dungarees and felt very much influenced by the early 90's. I had forgotten just how comfortable skate shoes can be!

I definitely had elements of a more bohemian Bethan earlier on in the year, a lot of gypsy inspired dresses and bare feet. But as we hopped into Autumn, the berets and polka dots slowly crept back into my wardrobe and now I am a jumble sale of styles. But I am really enjoying the collage and embracing each decade.

Hopes for 2018

So, for the coming year I am 100% going to cut down my hours at work, after doing pharmacy work full-time since 2009, I feel it is time to drop a day. 

Take a photo every day- doesn't matter whether it is a selfie or of a satsuma, I am going to do it.

Read at least one book a month.

Visit 3 places I haven't been to before. Also visit more people.

Cook more- because I am useless at it and love food too much not to learn.

Stretch daily.

Get rid of all the bits and bobs sitting in drawers and old handbags, there is no use for broken fans and 12 pinecones.

Show my face more on this old blog thing ! 

So, here is to this New Year. I hope it brings you all the happiness and kindness you deserve. 

Cheers lovelies!

Lots of love always