Little Adventures in South Wales

Is there really a better time to get outdoors than Autumn? One cannot help but be drawn to all the beautiful colours that comes with the Harvest season and such simple pleasures can be found around each corner from colourful crunchy leaves to stomp through or being a child for a moment and joining in with jumping in puddles or standing among tall pines and oaks trying to catch falling leaves. I have not always coped that well with the weather in Wales, not after having spent 19yrs in South Africa and a naturally warm climate with long hot summers and short and mild winters but as the years go by one after another I have really come to love my mothers birthplace, especially being a naturally outdoor person South Wales and all it's green mountains, forests, manor houses and country parks have become somewhat of a playground for not for my kids but also for me. We got up to a fair few adventures during half term despite some of us not being at full steam due to all t......

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Winter style tips for hair

Winter weather can wreak havoc on hair no matter wether you have long, short, curly or straight when it comes to winter we really can’t afford to let our guard down! Personally I always find it easier to achieve well behaved hair in the spring, when the cool breezes and spells of sunshine are just the right temperature to avoid both frizz and damage. However, even summer with its heat waves and dry spells, can still be kinder on our scalps than winter is. So what do we do when the temperature drops and the snow clouds roll in ? Despite the undeniable harshness of winter weather, there are things you can do to prevent it from ruining your favourite hairstyles. And don’t worry, none of these involve shaving your head or using harsh chemicals - Quite the opposite in fact! The key to surviving winter is to shield your hair from the freezing temperatures. Over the past few years I have had long hair to very short hair and here are my top tips on keeping your hair in the ......

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Harvest at Westons Cider Mill

Apples apples apples I do love these wonderful versatile fruit and have always been partial to a little tipple of cider, especially around the Autumn winter time when hot mulled apple cider is a real treat. Each year we go searching for orchards to pick fresh apples from as I feel it's really important for my children to understand where our food comes from and that process of thought shouldn't just stop when you grow up, in fact I find the whole idea of food and drink production fascinating to see how it goes from seed to product so when I had the chance to visit Westons Cider Mill during harvest time I jumped at the chance. This family run Cider Mill has been going since 1880 and to be given a behind the scenes tour of all that goes on from the orchard to collecting, washing and processing the apples and how the pulp is used for animal feed and recycled right through to bottling the cider the tour never once became boring. Standing in the Vat shed along wi......

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Guest Post - A Lazy Persons Laundry Hacks

What do cleaning, tidying, washing up and laundry all have in common? They’re all household chores which never seem to be finished. It doesn’t matter how much time and energy you put into them, there’s still a basket full of laundry, a couple of bits of washing up left to do. And all the while there are just about a million more interesting things to do! Laundry is a job which seemingly never ends and can really stress you out. So what are us lazy people to do? We want our laundry done and out of our mind as not thinking about it isn’t an effective solution. After all we all need clothes to wear! You just don’t want to go crazy as you try to keep up with it. I put together tips and hints for speedy laundry and how to dry your clothes faster. How to do laundry faster Let’s dive into our laundry basket of hints and tips for getting your laundry done quicker 1. How often you do laundry matters Is it better to do a little laundry or a lot of laundry at once? If you find y......

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An open letter to my Best Friend and Cancer

As many of you probably already know October is a pretty important month for all us ladies as its Breast Cancer Awareness month and with 1 in 8 women being diagnosed with Breast cancer and 1 in 3 being diagnosed with some type of cancer in their lifetime means that either yourself or someone you know will be directly affected by this undiscriminating disease. Mission Deli who have turned the packaging of their wraps pink for the month of October are donating £50 000 towards Breast Cancer Care from the sales of these special packs and recently got in touch with me asking me to express the importance of friendship during trying times life throws at you. When affected like something like breast cancer friendship becomes so important with over half of women stating they couldn't get through such hard times without the support of friends. I lost my Aunt to treat cancer a few years ago but this year the big C word crept up into my life in the most unexpected way when I suddenly g......

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5 easy ways to improve your Apartment

When I first came over to the UK I lived in Edinburgh, a city I absolutely adore. What I always loved about the city was all the beautiful old flats above the shops right in the heart of the city and I was over the moon to find a wonderful two bed flat only 15mins walk from the hughstreet which I rented with a friend. Since then I have rented a few different flats and apartments and as we gear up to sell our house apartment living is still not out of the question as there is something really appealing about living right in the heart of the city in a stylish flat. I thought I would share a few tips about styling and apartment and that interior decoration doesn't have to be overly expensive. 1. Declutter    As apartments are usually a little smaller than houses the first step you should take is to bring down the clutter and simplify every room. Get rid of all trinkets and unneeded paraphernalia, and bring accessories down to the basics before trying to come up wit......

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Pond Dipping & Apple Picking at Forest Farm Nature Reserve

I love the sweetness of simplicity that seems to roll in as the seasons change from Summer to Autumn and the fruit trees ripen and Harvest time is at hand. Last year we visited Forest Farm Nature Reserve open day which is lead by the rangers of this wild green space which attracts an array of wildlife and birds. We had such a fun time last year squeezing apple juice from a variety of different apples found in the wild orchard as well as worm charming and we even spotted a Kingfisher around one of the bird hides that we made this years open day a firm date in our diary. The rangers hall is not very big and I don't think that many people know about it, which in a way is better as it's not over run by crowds in anyway. This year among being able to walk freely among the apple orchard with it's long overgrown grass and filling our basket with a real variety of different types of apples we also got to try our hand at willow weaving and a spot of pond dipping. Lu......

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Birmingham – 5 reasons why you should visit this stylish city

Birmingham might not be the first place that comes to mind as a stylish city break and is often overlooked despite it being the most populous city outside of London. Personally, I have always found this city to be vibrant, colourful and leaving me with wanting more time to explore all that is has to offer. Like most cities in the UK a lot of redevelopment has happened over the past few years tapping into the mix of cultures in the city making it a paradise for foodies. Street style and fashion has also boomed over the last decade making the city a haven for trendsetters and boutique buyers. Interior design stores have popped up over the city as well as many new stylish flats, hotels and modernised buildings and bigger budgets going into maintaining one of the many parks and green spaces across the city. I usually find myself in the city around once a year, mainly on day trips although we are planning on a short family night away as historically and culturally there is so much......

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Autumn Style and October Beauty Essentials

I have been giving my wardrobe a little overhaul lately and rediscovered these Autumn brown chinos I picked up from the Oxfam Boutique store in Cardiff city centre about two years ago and totally forgot about them, perhaps because not long after getting them I feel pregnant and let's just say they have no give in them so quickly were made redundant but I'm really enjoying wearing them now and thats the fantastic thing about putting clothes away during the summer to be welcomes again at the change of the season. I also find Autumn not only the time for jumpers but also long sleeved shirts and this Vero Moda one has always been a bit of a favourite as I am huge fan of monochrome and love the white with the black edges. I've paired it up with my Ralph Lauren bag and Bronx Brogues for a simple and causal look perfect for a spot of lunch in the city. I don't know about you but I certainly find this time of the year really starts to take a toll on my ski......

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5 Quick Furniture Hacks

We have been doing a bit interior reshuffle of our house of late, a few things have needed to be replaced, some just didn't fit our style anymore and others just needed little TLC to be brought back to life. With anything like this you learn more and more as you go along and I thought I would share a few things we have learnt and one or two interior and home design hacks for busy parents who want to inject a little style into their homes. If your furniture is looking a bit tired and worn, you will love these simple tips to help you to refresh it, and give your room a bit of a lift. Restore it One of the best ways to give your furniture a new lease of life is to restore it. This is not as hard to do as you may think. You only need some basic tools and skills to do the job yourself. Naturally, it takes time, and a bit of effort, but most people find the process interesting, fun even. If you want to learn more about restoring furniture, click this link to be taken to a 4-mi......

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