A Wander in the Wild...

So last Wednesday Richard and I met up with his cousin Claire and her gorgeous son George, both of whom we haven't seen in quite some time. We popped over for some dinner and caught up on the past few months events.

It really is crazy just how fast time flies. The last time we saw Claire and George was at his birthday in October. I couldn't quite believe it when I worked it out. A whole six months without seeing either of them was a long time. Surprisingly though, not an awful lot had happened in that time other than George starting nursery and all of us being ill at some point or other. 

That being said George had grown up... a lot. When we used to pop over and see him he was always very shy and looked utterly confused by the pair of us (a look shared by many people). This time he dashed out to meet us by the door and was very affectionate, not to mention chatty which took us both by surprise. For someone like me who works with children on a daily basis I expected George to start talking when he started nursery and always reassured Claire so. I had seen it time and time again with children who were shy and intelligent. I must admit it did take me by surprise and I felt myself getting quite emotional, looking down at this lovely smiley and talkative young boy. His confidence had grown enormously and he had a very polite manner about him, constantly checking up on us all and telling us about what was going on around him. He is honestly one of the loveliest children I have ever met (and I'm not just saying that because he is family) and I have seen my fair share, both good and bad. 

After a rather delicious meal we headed off to Mentmore which was their local park. Armed with a frisbee and Claire's rather large and confusing looking new camera we began to explore the woodland. George had a few first experiences- learning to play frisbee, the nasty stinging nettles and also blowing dandelions. We had a wonderful time in the cool April breeze and Claire snapped happily away with her new camera. 

I cannot sing Claire's praises enough. She is an absolutely incredible mother, with boundless amounts of energy, enthusiasm and patience. She is also a rather brilliant photographer too. 

I have worked with many different photographers- I have my brother and sister who are keen photographers and many of my friends who studied it at college and have moved on to other career paths but still hold this hobby close to their hearts. Claire is one of the best, it has to be said. She is so natural, so unassuming and has such great vision she can make a beautiful shot out of just about anything which is only enhanced further from her sympathetic editing.

This particular shoot was no exception and she has delivered some stunning action shots of the days events as well as some lovely portraits. George's eagerness to join Richard and I in ours just shows how much his confidence has grown and how affectionate he is. Claire is lucky to have such a willing and gorgeous model of her own and I wish her all the best with her company's relaunch.

I guess this post is a reflection on just how much time and new experiences can change people and that you really do have to make the most of your own free time because soon enough these precious moments can pass.

To see more of Claire's work please visit her website or like her Facebook page.

Can you hear those church bells ring...?

I bloody well can. This May is a rather busy one for the usually anti-social, 'I'm tucked up in bed by 9pm' sort of twenty year old that I am. 

I like a good routine. I don't like change and I certainly don't like socialising. I also don't like weddings. They are too merry for my liking. I also rarely know anyone at social events and spend the majority of my time wishing I hadn't gone to the bother of shaving my legs or ordering a dress that I will probably never wear again and instead wish I was curled up on the sofa with a mug of hot coffee and a codeword puzzle. Such is life.

This May, Richard and I have been invited to no less than three wedding receptions and one full blown wedding in Wales (we would have attended another in Cuba if we hadn't been the poor suckers we are, instead we are settling for the Land of Sheep). This brings about a dilemma. Not only does this mean I am going to have to go and get a whole new personality of someone who likes dressing up, going out and socialising with people, I am also going to have to get some sort of new outfit. Who knew social events could be so strenuous. 

I must sound like the biggest grump that ever lived but I can honestly only think of only three 'nights out' I have enjoyed. The first was a surprise birthday party I attended and ended up drinking three bottles of red wine to myself, fell out of my Dad's car and nearly cracked my head open while throwing up in a toilet. Not my finest hour. The second was Richard's mates leaving do when I ended up getting rather merry on a mixture of beer and cider and ended up busting some moves on the dance floor to footloose in front of the entire club with my friend. That was probably my finest hour. The last one was at Richard's Aunt's joint birthday where Richard and I drank a little bit too much and busted some truly awesome moves on the dance floor and Richard ended up ripping his trousers and I tried a strategic chunder in the courtyard. Classy. Those are the top three I would say and they all involved vomiting in some form or other.

I blame my family for this although we are all as bad as each other. They hate socialising and if anything I am the best out of all of us which is worrying.

I am however fortunate enough to have Richard by my side for each ordeal. Which only leaves the question of what to wear for such a posh occassion... 

One | Two | Three

One | Two | Three

Anyone that knows me well (I'm looking at you Mumma Rust) will be looking at some of those dresses and think I've gone utterly mad. 

I should not and do not wear anything of a cream/nude/beige nature. I can count on one hand the number of things I own that fall into that category (it's two by the way). It's not because I don't like them or it doesn't suit me, it is simply that I am an absolute child when it comes to staining my clothes. I am the sort of person that will turn up to dinner at someone's house, find out they are serving spagbol for dinner and have to ask for a tea towel to cover my outfit... and even then I will still get a stain on my previously pristine outfit. It is a big no no. 

However I am willing to risk it for a wedding as I feel as though turning up in a garish or solemn colour may set the wrong tone. I also don't wish to draw any more attention to myself than is necessary.

What dress will make the cut? Better watch this space to find out...

And so the obsession continues...

So I made it abundantly clear in my last post that I enjoy nothing more than fantasising about my dream home and all the things I would fill it with. 

I don't think I made it clear just how obsessed I am over it. About 98% of the television I watch (and I would just like to point out I don't watch an awful lot of it, mostly just in the evenings after a long day of trying not to impale myself with a pencil after the stress of teaching a child to write their name) is that of home improvements. Grand Designs, Homes Under The Hammer, Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses, Amanda Lamb's Selling Houses, Sarah Beeny's Double Your House For Half The Money, Phil Spencer: Secret Agent, Location, Location, Location, Kirstie's Vintage Home, Kirstie's Homemade Home, Kirstie's Handmade Britain, Kirstie's Best of Both World's, George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, Restoration Man to name but a few.

This obsession has now extended beyond that of television to actually commuting to visit exhibitions and events to get even more inspiration not to mention envy.

Back in October last year my sister and I took the plunge and went to Grand Designs Live at the NEC in Birmingham.

We had a fantastic day and particularly enjoyed looking at all of the interesting stalls that had innovative ideas and products for the home. I also liked picking up all of the freebies much to my sisters embarrassment.

I must admit we zoned out when it got the building side of the exhibition which was a blur of insulation, guttering and windows but my faith was restored when we reached the food court. 

We also managed to catch some of a debate on sustainable housing for the future and listened to the wonderful George Clarke give his take on the real problems with housing today.

I even got to see a pimped up camper van...

Not satisfied enough with our adventure to Birmingham, Kayleigh and I vowed to see even more. I remembered reading something about the Ideal Home Show and after a quick Google search realised there was a show taking place in a couple of months time in London. Kayleigh booked the tickets and on Sunday 30th March (yes Mother's Day, we ditched our Mum to go and look at dreamy homes) we were off to Earl's Court. 

We took the train from Leagrave to St Pancras but not before we dashed over to the amazing Kings Cross Station to get a quick snap at Platform 9 3/4. Unfortunately I didn't make it past the barrier and therefore would not be attending Hogwarts this time.  

The Ideal Home Show had more to offer us than Grand Designs Live did in that there was a lot less of the boring building and a lot more of the gorgeous homeware. We were fortunate enough to get there before it was supposed to have opened which meant it was practically empty and that gave us the chance to snoop around before the masses of people turned up. 

The show certainly didn't scrimp on the displays that's for sure. The entire court was kitted out with fake grass and had huge pieces of art such as these giant vases full of lamps and huge lamp shades hanging from the ceiling decorated with various loud prints.

 

The event definitely dished out plenty of inspirational ideas with their amazing model homes which boasted a very warm and inviting feel. All seemed to have a similar theme- Scotland. Every room we visited, every different home we saw, offered this look  and shared the same values and patterns such as log burners, tartan prints, thistles and highland cattle. The mix of old and new certainly worked and I left with leaflets on each home and room we visited.

I also love interactive pieces that the stores and stalls have on offer. I had to get in on the act with this giant frame which was on display at an antique frame stall which oddly enough was owned by a woman who lives in the neighbouring town to me. Such a small world...

We did the typical British thing and took along our own little picnic after refusing to pay the extortionate prices (we thought £2.25 for a very small cup of average tasting tea was quite enough thank you very much). This was an example of one of the very fancy restaurants they had on offer which had practically no one in it. I think a main course was over £20 and the portions were not enough to feed an average sized person.
 

They had various demonstrations on all day including cooking with famous chefs and DIY with that bloke off of Ground Force, which proved very popular.

As you can see there was plenty on offer at the Ideal Home Show and although we didn't actually bump into any 'celebrities' as we did at Grand Designs (we actually bumped into Kevin McCloud and just as we were about to ask him for a picture he told the crowd that he had done quite enough of that and wanted to be left alone- yes he really is as grumpy as he appears on telly) we still had an excellent time.

So Kayleigh, what is next on our cards? Stalking George Clarke?