No candy before Scandi

Holler at me, summer! The sun-soaked season is just around the corner and I'm hella keen for more of the good stuff (freckles, flip flops, toes in the sand...)

I've also decided to commit to a pre-season body boost. Mostly because I ate three different types of cheese, a stack of blueberry pancakes and a whole pot of cream atop a tarte tatin this weekend.

It's time to feel fitter and healthier so I've set myself some goals before my summer hols in Scandinavia. That's right, it's NO CANDY BEFORE SCANDI.  (Yeah… soz 'bout that).

^^ Happy summer face ^^ 

Here's the plan...

Get the Glow by Madeleine Shaw: Review

Picture your dream summer self and I bet lithe limbs, glowing skin and maybs a coconut water clutched with coral-coloured fingernails come to mind. Which all seems a teeny bit daunting after a winter spent festooned in layers, munching all the chocolate.

But don't panic, because a saviour is swooping in to rescue us and our pasty chops. She's called Madeleine and she's just released Get the Glow, a fabulous new cookbook. Look... isn't it pretty?

A weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon

My absolute BFF just got married. Eeep! Her beautiful wedding is not my story to tell, but picture the most glorious day filled with love, sunshine and the biggest smiles you've ever seen and you're just about getting close.

What I will tell you is how much fun we had in Stratford, where the nuptials were based.

I'm averagely keen on celebrating anniversaries. And when I say averagely keen, I mean obsessive. You might have already guessed that from my ramblings here, here and here. Which means it didn't take long to figure out that my husband and I turned eight just before the wedding.

So we got down to Stratford a couple of days early to toast our own mini milestone.

We arrived in the midst of a spring heatwave and made our way down to the river. Swans glided along the water, couples serenaded each other on boats and I became convinced that a barge sold both sushi and ice cream until husb revealed that I'd actually misread the word 'slush'. Which was a relief because who wants to buy a 99 with a flake and sushi from the same establishment?

Anyway, we meandered along the water's edge and saw many pretty things...

The things in my home office that make me smile

After five years at a magazine in London, I packed up my desk feeling giddy slash petrified about leaving the office and working for myself. 

And on Day One of my new career as a freelancer, I hit the first self-employment hurdle. YOU HAVE TO CREATE YOUR OWN WORK ENVIRONMENT!!! What the heckers? I stood in my completely empty spare bedroom, twiddling my thumbs while wondering if it would ever feel like a 'proper' office. 

I filled it with the essentials (desk, bin, folders, even a fancy chair which is good for my back) but, 18 months on, it's the little extras in here which really make me smile. Here are some faves…