I'm not sure if you remember this tricky area of our lounge? Our lounge is pretty much what sold this house to us, with the high ceilings and huge windows that let in so much light. But it was also a weird set up {you can see this post for the before} with two chimney breasts. We decided to move the log burner which sat in this alcove to another part of the room which was more central for our sofas. But then we were left with this area lacking a purpose. We filled the old fireplace with logs but it mainly just became an area that was cluttered, and didn't really fit with the rest of the room. At first, we just left it, so busy with finishing renovating the rest of the house, but then this summer - now that everything else is pretty much finished - it really started to bug me and I set about wanting to transform it. As luck would have it, B&Q then got in touch to see if I had any projects that would work with their new Farrow & Ball collection. They stock all nine of their new, cult like colours and I was itching to find a way to incorporate one of them into our house. So it all worked out perfectly, with B&Q being the experts in all things DIY and paint. I'd love to share the full transformation below...

// photo courtesy of Joules Clothing

Hello! Ok, so we're properly into November, the leaves have pretty much gone, the trees are almost bare, we've finished with the fireworks and sparkles and toffee apples and so it can only mean one thing.... let's talk Christmas! I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that in two weeks time, it will be Black Friday, in fact I think they call it Cyber Week now. In consumer terms, the world goes shopping crazy. I don't really like to encourage mass spending at Christmas, or buying tat that nobody needs and then has to store. I definitely would rather take a trip somewhere and create memories, and that's actually what we're doing with my family this year. No big presents, just a few little bits and a family Christmas trip instead. But, that being said, Christmas is probably the only time of the year that I do think it is really lovely to take some time to think about one or two thoughtful gifts that you can wrap and enjoy giving on Christmas Day. Even if it's just something tiny or fun. Plus, everyone deserves to ask Santa for one special present if you've been good all year, right?! I've really enjoyed putting this guide together and have only included pieces which I think are really great. There is a lot of tat out there to sift through but I really hope the below might be helpful when trying to tick things off of your list this year, either with buying for others, or maybe sharing a link to drop a few hints for yourself?! I posted on Insta stories the other night, as I was unsure about when to publish this, but lots of you have requested it ASAP and I love your organisation. I like to just nail my shopping in one big swoop, preferably whilst sat in my pyjamas. So here's the first edit. If I think or find anything else, I'll put together a part 2. Until then, happy shopping! I've found the best prices but I'll update you also if there are any extra promotions on anything around Black Friday. I've also included a section for Christmas entertaining/hosting but I've had requests for a Christmas dress guide so will work on that soon!

R <3 xx

I remember when driving on long car journeys, when there was nothing good on the radio music wise or if I wasn't into the topic they were discussing on Radio 4/5 live that I always used to wish there was some radio station for interesting discussion that wasn't sports related! And of course, now here are podcasts with everything you'd ever want to listen to. 

Over this past year I’ve enjoyed them more than ever, discovering how insightful they can be, filling the time whilst I’m cooking, driving or out on a walk. I’ve always enjoyed reading blogs and newspapers but I find podcasts are perfect audio versions for when you need to be hands free. I think there’s a podcast for just about every topic imaginable, some entertaining, some educational, some that you just relate to, some super interesting, especially interviews with people who fascinate me. I'm sharing some of my favourites below and would love to hear any of yours.

I wrote a few more personal kind of essay blog posts recently, so am sharing the first today. They're a little rambling but I only ever seem to write like this when I'm on a plane! So expect a few more coming up...   Unrelated, ish, photo from our trip to Byron earlier this year.

It’s a question I ask myself, and husband, whenever we travel somewhere amazing. I mean, not like some desert island where you’d have to survive on coconuts, but somewhere I could really see myself enjoying living. Like California, a leafy part of upstate New York, Florida, Princeton New Jersey, some place south of Perth in Western Australia, a suburb of Sydney or Byron Bay.