The 'me-time' tag

Danielle tagged me to answer this set of questions - hope you enjoy finding out a little bit more about me and what I like to do when I'm lazing :)

1. What do you watch or read during me-time?
Anything on my kindle, blogs, or catch up on a TV series such as New Girl.

2.What do you wear during me-time?
Pjs, onesie, cosy jumpers, slippers, trackie bottoms, etc you get the gist!

3. What are you me-time beauty products?
Lush bath bombs, Body Shop face masks, and whatever nail polish takes my fancy!

4. Current favourite nail polish?
Hmmmm. Rimmel Salon Pro in Punk Rock, though having just been on the website to find that link there's loads more I want to try!

5. What do you eat or drink during me-time?
Tea, hot chocolate, coffee, choloate, cake, ice-cream, biscuits - you know, anything that's really good for me ;)

6. Current favourite candle?
I love the Apricot Blossom scent from Next.

7. Do you ever have outdoor me-time?
Yes! I love walking the dog or going for a (rare) run by myself.

8. Would you ever go to the cinema alone?
 In theory yes, if I really wanted to see something and no-one would/could come with me. The cinema isn't very social anyway, its not like you can chat while you watch the film!

9. Favourite online shop?
H&M! I make fantasy baskets that run into hundreds of pounds. Its a shame that when I do order anything it takes so long to arrive!

10. Anything to add? What else do you do during me-time?
Its mainly online shopping and blog reading to be honest, but I do like cutting up old magazines to make collages or add bits to my Wreck This Journal. I'm trying to do a bit more drawing/painting aswell.

And I Tag....

I don't like this tagging business, I always feel like I'm bugging people to take part! I'll encourage everyone to take part, and if you do answer the questions, let me know here!

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the very lovely Little Bones, and also Jessica! Thank you both so much! It great to know that people are reading my blog and they like what they read. The Liebster Award is a great way of sharing the blogger love and finding out a bit more about the bloggers themselves.

The rules are:

• Thank and link the person who nominated you
• Answer the questions given by the nominator
• Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers and link them
• Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer
• Notify all nominees via social media/blogs

Here are the 11 questions Kourtney asked Little Bones, and she in turn asked me...

1. Tea or Coffee?

I'm going to have to say Tea. In 2014 I trained myself to like coffee, but I'm still quite wimpy and only drink lattes, so it has to be the old favourite that I've been drinking forever and ever. Milk, one sugar please.

2. What is your favourite accessory?

I thought about jewellry but I don't want to single out one piece so I'm going to go with my Fat Face Darthaven shoulder bag, which you can read all about here. Its the perfect size for everything I need.

3. What is your number one perfume?

I've loved Lancome  Miracle ever since I was given a tiny sample in Bloomingdales in 2010, and Mark gave me a bottle on our first Christmas together.

4.  Who are your favourite Youtubers/Bloggers?

Ness is the only blogger I know in real life, and her blog is fantastic too! Also watch her booktube videos if you want recommendations of what to read.  I also love Cider with Rosie, her blog is just lovely to read and her dog is gorgeous. Finally Becky Bedbug - she seems like a lot of fun and she also posts really helpful tutorials (and she's always helpful on twitter too, and funny - follow her!)

5. What are 5 songs that make you happy?

Good Morning Baltimore - From Hairspray
Accidently In Love - Couting Crows (from Shrek soundtrack)
10/10 - Paolo Nutini
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Bring It All Back  - S Club 7
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede (Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack)

Some absolute classics there. I know there's actually six but who cares?

6. Thunderstorm or Sunshine?

Ooh tricky. I love some good thunder and lightening. I don't think its ever scared me. I love the clap of thunder and watching out for that fork of lightening. Who knew weather was so exciting? Then again I love sunny days where its warm enough to swim in the sea, but I also have to plaster on Factor 50 and I hate being really hot. Sooo... Thunderstorm it is!

7. Who is your ultimate woman crush and man crush?

Zooey Deschanel and Captain Jack Sparrow (not Johnny Depp, just Captain Jack)

8. What would you do during a zombie apocolypse? 

Get myself to an island. Perhaps I should take flying lessons now, or learn how to sail... Failing that I'll just go zombie - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

9. What is your favourite pasttime?

Curling up with a blanket, a cup of tea and a good book.

10. Would you rather have no hands or no feet?

No feet. Hands are so useful! I wouldn't be able to do pottery or make up or hold hands or wear rings or bake... (I chose no feet on the assumption I'd get a prosthetic for either of these options, and prosethetic feet are easier to manage.. I think)

11. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? 

To be able to apparate. Just to click my fingers, spin around and disappear in a poof of smoke and glitter (all for dramatic effect, of course!) It would make visiting places so much quicker! And save a fortune on fuel, trains and flights.


Hope you liked my answers, they're quite intersting questions and they were fun to answer. Now to think of some questions for my nominees...

1. What is your favourite genre of books? 2. Fruit or veg? 3. Where would you most like to visit? 4. What size shoe are you? 5. Choose 5 songs/pieces of music to relax to. 6. Jeans, leggings or skirt/dress? 7. Do you prefer the country or city? 8. Which car would you most like to own/drive? 9. What do you prefer to have with dessert? Cream, ice-cream or custard? 10. Which extinct animal would you bring back? 11. Who are your favourite bloggers?

 I nominate (based on bloglovin' followers - under 200 is quite hard! Some might be a little bit over)
Sarah of Miss Sarah Louise
Abigail of Snug
Sara of Dear Skim
Ffion of A South Wales Blog
Anne-Sophie of City Cookie
Kathryn of Nimble Note
Katy of The Lilac Scrapbook
Hall Of Happiness

Sorry that's not 11... 200 followers is quite limiting! Thanks again to Little Bones and Jessica for nominating me, make sure you check out their blogs with the links at the top.

Archie Update

So this little furball is now 11 weeks old, and he's definitely getting bigger and heavier and... more vicious. Seriosuly this guy has discovered his teeth and claws in a big way! If you want to stroke him 80% of the time he thinks this is an invitation to play fight - he whacks you with his paws then sinks his little teeth in to your skin!

When he's running round, full of energy, he can get from the floor to your lap in seconds. My new boots have tiny little scratches in them and at least 2 pairs of jeans have tiny loops of thread coming out where Archie's claws have dug in.

He is super-duper cute though, so he gets away with everything!

We have to be very careful when opening the cupboard under the stairs, as more than once there's been the sound of a kerfuffle from the inside and Archie's come running out when we open the door! He's still so tiny so he can sneak in without being noticed. He likes hiding in things, and boxes, just to prove the stereotype that cats like boxes!

He likes climbing - he's always up and down the stairs or wandering around on someone's shoulders...

You can already see how much he's grown in these two photos! I think Mark is modelling him beautifully, me, not so much!
Apologies that these photos are phone pictures - a lot are saved from snapchat and the rest are taken in a hurry while Archie remains still for a millisecond!

Hope you like this little update, for more kitten pictures and videos check out my instagram (there's a really really really cute video of him squeaking/yawning)

Dr Organic Snail Gel Moisture Mask

When I first saw the advert for Holland  & Barrett's Snail Gel range, my first thought was eewwww. But then, if we look into a lot of products we use or eat, some of those ingredients can be pretty ewww too. I also thought its a bit gimmicky, but it obviously worked on me!

I've been quite intrigued to try some of the range for a while, and after reading Trona's review I thought I might as well give it a go.

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The Snail Gel range is marketed is anti-ageing, which, at the age of 21, I can't say I really need. But a little extra something can't hurt can it?

Here's what Holland & Barrett have to say about it:

Detoxifying & rejuvenating, it penetrates deep into the pores to effectively remove excess oil and impurities. Leaves skin feeling intensely purified, restored and looking wonderfully radiant. 

My skin's been extra oily recently, especially around my T-zone, so this is beneficial for me.

I had no idea what to expect to come out of the little sachet, and was pleasently surprised by a thick-ish creamy liquid that could easily be mistaken for a lemon yoghurt. Seriously the fragrance is yummy.. make sure you don't eat it!

 There's a lot in the 10ml sachet so I covered my face using nearly all the product. This might have been too much, as the instructions say "allow to dry" but mine defintely remained the same consistency. 

Another thing about the instructions - they say use as part of your cleansing regime, but it doesn't specify if you should cleanse first or if you can use it to remove your make up. To be on the safe side I removed my make up first and then used it. 

It recommends leaving it on for 10 minutes but I waited about 15 minutes because I was waiting for it to dry (even though it didn't).

After removing the mask my cheeks feel really soft but I have to say my nose and forhead still feel a bit oily, this could be because I didn't remove it properly - I only used warm water and my hands rather than a flannel or a cloth.

I think I would use this again, as its only £1.99 and it smells so good, and I want to give it another chance! I would suggest buying more than one at a time (especially if, like me, you live an hour away from any shops!)

My favourite face mask remains The Body Shop's Honey Oat 3-in-1 scrub, but at £10 its not ideal if you're on a budget. Saying that - it comes in a 100ml tub so actually works out cheaper than the Snail Gel sachet. Superdrug also do a good range of budget face masks (and they're 3 for 2).

What do you think? Have you tried any of the snail gel range?

Moochin' with the pooch - woodland and flooded river

Another lot of pictures from a walk with my lovely dog. I wanted to go somewhere that would be pretty in photos so I chose my local woods, which back on to a river which was flooded. I didn't think this through and didn't put a towel in the car - cue muddy paw prints all over my seats when we got back!

This walk was also to practice my photography skills and see what I could get out of my Nikon Coolpix - a regular point-and-shoot camera that's about 4 years old. I'm always taking photos on my phone so I thought I'd try and get the best out of my camera. Any hints/tips are welcome!

I'm annoyed that the sky is bright white in this photo, but I had to include this picture of the old Dovecot. The woods surround the ruins of an old mansion house that was destroyed after the war. I'm really gutted that the house was destroyed but I've had over 20 years enjoying these woods.

This is the edge of the woods next to the river. This little drainage ditch was overflowing onto the path. Luckily I had my walking boots on but I'd have preferred my wellies!

Believe it or not that's the old boat house - I don't think its much use now! The water level is normally where those tall rushes are - as you can see there's been quite a lot of rain recently - also the river is still tidal here.

Tess loves paddling, getting muddy and running around like a mad thing. She found a patch of water the other side of the bank to the river and was rushing around in and out of it and splashing like a child - she loves it!

Oxfam Bookshop

Charity or second hand bookshops are the perfect places to find absolute gems. Whilst visiting my friend Ruth in Manchester last weekend, we popped into the local Oxfam shop. They had one room for clothes and things and another room full of books.

My first find was a Collins 30 minute Watercolour book - with lots of tips and instructions on different watercolour techniques - hopefully I'll get a bit more arty with this!

I also picked up Polly by Freya North - I think all my Freya North books are second hand, and I've read the others in the series so I'm glad I've found this one.

Now for the interesting bit... beautiful old books!

The first is this stunning leather hard back edition of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. I love the gold filigree detailing on the cover. Inside are pen-and-ink drawings of scenes from the story. I already have a copy of Wuthering Heights, having studied it for AS Level English, but I couldn't really leave this one on the shelf.

I deliberately found this section to feature - this was scary before horror films were around! If you haven't read Wuthering Heights I thoroughly recommend it. Also, listen to Kate Bush's song of the same name - one of my favourite shower hits ;)

The second wee beauty I found was Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and features the famous poem The Jabberwocky, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Like the Wuthering Heights book, this has beautiful illustrations. This edition was published in 1931.

 I love how worn the cover is - it looks well-loved.

What do you think? Where are your favourite places to browse books? If you love everything book-ish, check out the youtube channel of Ness from Wanderness. I recommend her library/bar tour video (you'll be so jealous that this isn't in your home!) and her cover buys video, if like me you like pretty covers!

Moochin' with the pooch - the beach

On the very rare nice days we've had recently I've made sure to get out and about walking the dog. I live in such a stunning area its a shame not to make the most of it. I know I'm guilty of taking it for granted - I'm instantly reminded how lucky I am when I see people have taken whole day trips just to get to the seaside - where for me its a 20 minute walk from my house.

These are a selection of photos from the beach just before the sun set. In the next few days I'll post photos from our woodland/river walk.

Peat bogs  - a fossilised ancient forest. There's a legend about a whole country in Cardigan bay that was lost to the sea. Google Cantre'r Gwaelod for more about this. My brother starred in a school play about it in Primary School - forget nativties, we do myths and legends round here!

Is it weird that  I love the way the light is shining through this jellyfish?

My Tessy-bear - she's a 2 and a half year old border collie. Her parents were working sheepdogs, she loves herding us!

Sunsets are so beautiful - pictures never seem to do them justice! I love to watch for that last little glimpse of light before the sun completely disappears beneath the horizon. Magical.

Inspiration - sharing the blogger love

Since Christmas I've found a few new blogs that I've really taken to, and certain posts that have inspired me. I thought I'd share them on here because its important for bloggers to support other bloggers, and you might see something you like too :)

Kirstie's post caught my eye yesterday. Although "new year, new me" seems a bit of a cliche, she's approached it from a different angle and I really like her ideas. There are hundreds of goals and resolutions posts out there if you're looking for that sort of thing, but Kirstie has thought of little things you can do that might make your January (and the rest of the year) a bit brighter.
I particularly liked her daily aims, and I've written them down so I can remember to attempt them. I'm thinking of doing a weekly round up of how I've got on, what do you think?

Whilst scrolling through Pinterest I spotted this picture:

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My first thought was I really like her hair. Then I thought I really like her coat. I clicked through the links and got to her blog, Vogue Haus. Barbora is an 18 year old Czech who has the best outfits. I want everything she wears! She definitely makes Winter stylish. Her videos and posts from her travels to various European cities are great, too!

And finally, Sara commented on one of my posts, so I clicked on her profile. I'm SO glad I did! She takes fantastic photos of truly beautiful locations across the U.S. If you're wanderlusting, check out her blog!

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 I hope you like these finds! Feel free to share your own links or to blogs or particular posts you love.