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

October Floral

Beret~Vintage/ Dress~Urban Outfitters/ Necklace ~Good Looking Objects

Happy weekend my sweets, a pretty damp one over here in Devon- but a lovely one none the less.

I've just been busying myself with bits and bobs over the past week or so, my boyfriend is over in Morocco sunning himself and going to markets for a couple of weeks- so I have all of this free time to spare. I've even booked myself up to start a beginners yoga course, these limbs won't stretch themselves and I thought it was about time I did a little more exercise before cosy Christmassy nights in are every evening I will have until I come out of hibernation in February.

This lovely dress I picked up from Urban Outfitters a couple of weeks back, has definitely been my transitional dress into the Autumn season. As most of you will know I am a huge floral fan and this long, dark dress with an old-fashioned flowery print, is my excuse to wear the theme all year round. Red is very much a trend this season, and as it is one of my favourite colours to wear anyway, I plan on wearing a lot more of it as these cooler weeks go on.

Oh, how I love to watch all of the leaves turn golden and enjoy all of the pumpkins and Halloween snippet bits coming into every shop I enter. I still don't have any costume ideas for this year yet, but if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Lots of love always

Autumn Is Coming

Beret~Vintage/ Blouse~Zara/ Skirt~H&M/ Necklace~C/O Good Looking Objects

Hello my sweets and a very warm welcome to September....well not so warm if you live in England, but more on that later.

September has always been the month I have enjoyed the most, May and March come pretty close, but this month always seems to top them all. I love the change in season, how the trees turn into wonderful autumnal shades, beautiful root vegetables come into season and there is still enough warmth in the air to hang your washing out. Unfortunately, so far this month the weather has been pretty awful here, very windy and rainy, but hey ho- you've just got to make the most of the sunny patches.

My eyes had been on this Zara blouse for a pretty long time, I kept seeing it crop up on Instagram and I even bypassed it in store a couple of times, uming and ahhing over it and deciding whether to wait until pay day or not. Luckily enough, by the time I got my mitts on it, it was already in the sale and I couldn't have been more chuffed.

I also got a very exciting new piece of jewelry to add to my collection this month, a very sweet gift from one of my new favourite brands Good Looking Objects. This little bronze hand has been the cherry on top of my outfits recently and I love how it goes with every single thing I pop on. Its witchy vibes are also a huge plus for me.

I am off to Bulgaria on Saturday, I am so so excited to go somewhere completely new and different. A week to relax in the sunshine like a reptile and climb some mountains. I am sure I will have a whole album of pictures to show you on my return.

Lots of love always

Crimson & Hydrangeas

A big warm welcome to August, with a big basket of hydrangeas and a very, very greasy fringe (my apologies). This time of year my hair just seems to love to stick to my face.

Another few weeks have passed and it seems that life is continuing on the up and up. The fields are growing crops quicker by the day and despite the on and off rain, the vibe around seems positive and bright.

I picked up this red number in New Look of all places, not my usual stop-off point when I'm having a good old shop, but I thought I would have a browse- Oh, boy am I glad I did.
It was on an ever so warm day and I was desperately, clanging through the rails looking for something less clammy and heavy to wear than the leather jacket and jeans I was donning on that day. This crimson treat caught my eye and low and behold it was also in the sale, a very sweet treat. It has all the feels of a vintage piece, but with as couple more buttons and a cheeky slit up the side. Paired with my favourite beret, I went off to pick some wild flowers with my mum.

I need to actually start doing more with all of the dried flowers I have poking out of every crevice in my room.If anyone has any suggestions or DIY ideas then I would love to hear them.

Just a quick post today, as I am about to catch up with the new series of Game Of Thrones- yay!

I have an updated room tour post/ video in the pipeline, so hopefully that will be up soon :)

Lots of love always