Blue Monday Pick-me-up

According to the media, today is 'Blue Monday', the most depressing day of the year so far. The weather is grim, we're eagerly awaiting pay day, we haven't lost those holiday pounds and we're failing with our resolutions. Fortunately I'm not 100% spent out and my resolutions are going pretty well but I'm struggling with the cold.

I'm not a fan of ANY Monday, so to cheer myself up I have decided that this beautiful purse by Ted Baker will be coming home with me next weekend. I love that this incorporates my love of animals in a chic way, and I can't resist the animal print simply because I'm so excited about going on safari in September.



Tasoula - Safari Printed Matinee Purse by Ted Baker - £99

What are you coveting on 'Blue Monday'?

Pussybows and Peep Toes

Pussybow blouses are one of my favourite fashion creations and I own several in different prints and colours. I wear them all the time for work as they easily smarten up a comfy pair of trousers, especially when worn with a blazer jacket and black pumps. I wore this outfit for a casual midweek dinner at Wagamama with M before Christmas. It may not really be the right weather for peep toes right now but the cute look of the pumps outweighed any cold feet I may have experienced.

Top - Primark, Jacket - New Look, Jeans - Hollister, Shoes - Primark

All That Glitters

There is something really beautiful about glitter nail polish. I am drawn to anything shiny or sparkly so I was thrilled to receive a selection of glittery polishes at Christmas. Now that I have the tin foil removal technique down to a tee, I can't stop myself from wearing it. It's hard to choose a favourite as thay are all so beautiful, but I think 'Beyond Cozy' by Essie nudges ahead, purely because of the name and excellent coverage.

 

Left to right: Beauty UK Posh Polish in ''Deep Blue Sea', Rimmel Precious Stones in 'Diamond Dust', Essie in 'Beyond Cozy', Essie in 'Leading Lady' and Rimmel Precious Stones in 'Ruby Crush'.

'Beyond Cozy' and 'Leading Lady' as part of the Winter 2012 Collection set.

Peplum Perfection

I have mixed feelings towards peplum. Some outfits I love and others just don't really do it for me. I wanted to try the peplum trend in an inoffensive way, so I put together this really simple outfit that could be dressed up or down. I wore this on a casual day at work a few weeks ago and felt put together but not overdone. If I was going to wear this for a dress this outfit up, I would add a swipe of bright lipstick, a pair of heels and some statement earrings.

Top - Topshop, Skinny Jeans - Topshop, Belt - Oasis, Shoes - Dune (seen here), Blazer - New Look

Pear and Ginger Loaf Cake

As one of my 2013 resolutions is to eat more fruit and vegetables, I thought this should apply to my baking too. I was looking for a fruity but comforting cake to make, and came across this recipe on the BBC Good Food website. There's something about the spice of the ginger and the sweetness of the pears that complement each other so well. I think this would be perfect with a cup of tea on a chilly day or you could warm it up and serve it with ice cream for a more indulgent treat.

Put 200g of butter and 100g each of caster sugar and light brown sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy

When the mixture looks like this, add in two eggs and 1tsp of vanilla essence. Stir well. Add 200g of self raising flour and 1tsp of baking powder and fold into to the mixture

Add 2 pears (peeled and chopped) and 2 balls of stem ginger in syrup (drained and chopped) and mix in quickly to make sure they are evenly distributed

 

Pour the mixture in a 2lb loaf tin (greased and lined with parchment or greaseproof paper) and put in to the oven (140C fan) for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin

Mix together 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, 3 tbsp of ginger syrup and 1 tsp of water. Prick the cake with a skewer or fork and spoon over the ginger glaze.

Finished cake!

A 'Spot' of Shopping

I wore this outfit on Sunday to go shopping with M. We went to our local high street to find a birthday present for M's sister and pick up a few essentials. It has finally stopped raining here so I thought it would be nice to wear a spotty skirt and my faux fur coat instead of bundling up in a down jacket. I haven't worn a skirt in such a long time that I felt a bit exposed, but I relaxed after a while and am eyeing up plenty of skirts online to make up for lost time.



Coat - Topshop, Cardigan - Topshop, Vest - H&M, Skirt - New Look

Tights - Tesco, Boots - Aldo, Bag - Accessorize

Birthday Adventures

For my birthday in December, M surprised me with an afternoon at Marwell Wildlife. I was so excited because I'm a HUGE animal lover. Unfortunately there was a thunderstorm about ten minutes after we arrived that lasted for a couple of hours, but we took shelter in the penguin house and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Afterwards we went to one of our favourite bars in Southampton for a warm drink and a snack (I can't get enough of their calamari) and then he took me to The Chesil Rectory in Winchester as I had wanted to go for a long time but it was one of those places we never got around to trying out. The food was fantastic and the interior had a really old English, cosy vibe.

 

Penguins

Calamari with aoili

A delicious beef roast dinner

Cheeseboard, homemade crackers and spiced pear chutney

The Chesil Rectory