I fought The (North Berwick) Law, and The Law won

As a child my mum, her sister, brother and parents rented a holiday cottage in North Berwick during the summer holidays and spent the weeks paddling, catching crabs in rockpools and eating ice cream on the beach. My Aunt now takes her two daughters to NB every year for a couple of weeks to carry on the tradition and my mum, sister and I like to join them for a few days for a family get together.

I have always dreamed of living beside the sea...a little pastel cottage somewhere which I can fill with driftwood and treasures found on the beach. This year our half of the family only managed a day in NB, but the holiday cottage was full to bursting – ten people were all under one roof! Luckily we spent most of the day outside so we didn’t feel too much like sardines squashed in a tin inside the cottage! We managed to do plenty rock climbing, paddling in the FREEZING water, collecting shells and writing in the sand before getting completely soaked to the skin in a surprise storm!

I love how you can catch a glimpse of the sea from almost anywhere in North Berwick.

We also managed a trip down the High Street to look at all the retro sweet shops, cute cafes and quirky gift shops. The High Street is always covered in flowers – they do beautiful displays every year – this year’s theme was golf, due to The Open taking place just around the corner. This cute display made me giggle – isn’t it unusual?!

This old wooden boat filled with herbs is always a favourite sight!

Who could resist going down Quality Street?!

The teeny harbour is also worth a little visit – we love to look at all the nautical boat names!

You are never too far away from the sight of two things in NB – Bass Rock and the North Berwick Law. We climbed the Law a few years ago and you get a fantastic view out to sea and across the town. We didn't attempt to climb it this year as we didn't have enough time - although the locals compete every year to be the fastest to run up the 180m climb and back down again - the record time of 17 minutes is still unbroken from 1989!

This is my favourite picture – I didn’t need to adjust the colour on this one as it was so beautiful just as it was!

We finished the day with a haggis supper – battered haggis and chips to those non-Scots out there - and a rainbow. Another perfect little summer day out!

Where do you love to holiday in the UK? I would love to discover some more hidden treasures!

Until next time,

K x

Chic Vintique Fair - Croft

Well, long time no see! I have at last returned from an action packed week of family time. I thought I would let you know what I’ve been up to over a couple of posts as I have squeeeeezed so much in that there is just too much to tell you about in one day!

My mum is currently working in a school so gets LOADS of holidays (why didn’t it seem that way when I was at school?!) so made the trek up North to spend some quality time with my sister and I before heading up to stay with my grandparents in Scotland.

At the weekend I dragged my mum and sister to two vintage fairs and a car boot sale. That’s pretty good going for just one day!

(Ooh chipped nail varnish!)

First up was a mini vintage fair in Stockton, there were only a few stalls and we got there just as everyone was setting up, so we didn’t grab any bargains but I did take away some crafty ideas for the future! One of my favourite stall holders - Poppy Rose Vintage - was there and I am in LOVE with her vintage style brooches. How I have managed to resist them this long is a miracle to me! They also had some gorgeous embroidered stuffed hearts and bunting tea towels....drool!

The car boot sale was completely unplanned – we just saw a sign as we were on the way to the second vintage fair so decided to have a quick fifteen minute nip around. It was quite tiny as well and the only thing we came away with was something to add to an obsessive collection of my mum’s – vintage knitting patterns for children’s clothes!

Lastly was the main event of the day - the Chic Vintique Fair at the Croft Hotel, just outside Darlington. I have visited the Chic Vintique Fair before (see this post), but I never tire of spending my days off wandering around all the vintage and homemade goods.

After the fair we headed outside where we decided to treat ourselves with an ice cream from the most beautiful vintage ice cream van I have ever seen! Scoops and Smiles is a pastel and polkadot paradise! Even the interior of the van was decked out in bunting and cutesy vintage wallpaper.

I chose caramel apple, mum had rum and raisin, and my sister had mint choc chip. They were all to die for – so creamy and the flavours were delicious. We were tempted by the ice lollies too – doesn’t a cherry brandy lolly sound amazing?! The lovely lady who was serving told us that ‘Millie’ is available for hire for weddings and parties – doesn’t that sound fantastic?! I would love an ice cream van at my wedding...I won’t scare the OH too much by telling him – I’d have to get engaged first!

In the end we came home with some Christmas presents (gasp!) for both me and my mum. She got a stunning turquoise bracelet, and I got a silver ring, both from Dakotacat Designs.

As well as the usual vintage clothing, knitted things and kitsch homeware, we saw some beautiful jewellery made from sea glass – something which I have never seen before, as well as delicious smelling soy candles which you can use as hand massage oil when the wax has melted.  

We had a perfect little day out – I am just counting down the days until the next vintage fair I can go to!

More tomorrow – I’m off to drop some hints to the OH about a little vintage ice cream machine...!

Until next time,

K x

Holiday Postcard

Now that the weather seems to have turned a little more Autumnal ‘up North’, I have begun to think of sunnier places...places where you can feel the sand between your toes and the sun beating down on your face...bliss!

A couple of years ago, just before we signed up for the mortgage (gulp!), the OH and I decided that we needed a big blow-out holiday to make up for the fact that we wouldn’t be able to afford one for the foreseeable future! We had a little money saved and decided that the world was our oyster...we took a trip to the travel agent and came back with brochures on Mexico, the Maldives, African safaris and Asia. In the end we decided that we would spend five days in Thailand and the same in Bali, with a couple of days in Singapore in between. We booked up and saved like crazy for the next few months!

The holiday came and went in an instant – isn’t that always the way?! But it was filled with amazing experiences I will never forget.

In Thailand we snorkelled from a boat in the middle of the ocean – feeding fish with banana which they nibbled from our hands. We rode on the back of an elephant called Emma, and experienced a tropical storm. The hotel we stayed at was just true paradise – we ate breakfast every morning under palm trees on the beach and in the evening we tried to experience ‘true’ Thailand by going off the beaten track and eating away from the tourists. One night we drank mohitos in an open cafe and had a three course evening meal for around £2!

 

In Singapore we felt civilised drinking Singapore Slings at Raffles Hotel Bar, visited Chinatown, and walked around the circuit of the recent Formula 1 race. We walked the entire length of Orchard Road – seeing Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana and Cartier. Apparently there are around 22 shopping malls on just that one road!

 

In Bali we visited Ubud – a monkey forest, experienced true tranquillity at numerous temples and experienced an earthquake. My Dad and his family currently live in Bali so the OH and I got to experience so many places which tourists don’t normally get to visit. One of my favourite places was Tannah Lot, a temple which gets cut off from the mainland at sunset when the tide comes in. We ate freshly caught red snapper and sticky rice from palm tree leaves on the beach. We also visited Kuta – a mini Australia which is filled with surfers enjoying the strong waves.

One of the most memorable moments of the whole trip was losing my little half-brother Calum. Yes, really! Halfway through dinner one night he crawled out under the table and disappeared. After hunting the restaurant high and low we finally discovered him – sitting memorised in front of two traditional Balinese dancers who had started to perform. It was the most quiet anybody had seen him all holiday – he was totally transfixed! We took this photo straight afterwards – his giddy little smile says it all doesn’t it?! We have a ‘ladies man’ in the making here I think!

 

The iphone can’t really do justice to what we saw, but I hope it has given you some idea of what we experienced!

If my little trip down memory lane has made you think of your own holiday memories why not enter Travel Supermarket’s Holiday Postcard competition. I would love to see where you’ve been on your holidays!

Over the next few days I will get back to blogging properly – letting you know where I have been and what I have been up to for the last fortnight!

Until next time,

K x

Friday I'm in LOVE...with crossing into the mainstream

Cross stitch is starting to appear in different forms all over the place at the moment – perhaps a sign that it is gaining public acceptance much like knitting is doing? If I lived alone I would live in a home FULL of tiny little stitches in pastel colours...sigh!
A couple of these are little projects which you can create yourself - personally I have decided I NEED the doormat in my life!

These are a few of the best examples of cross stitch ‘crossing into the mainstream’ which I have spotted recently....

 

M&S CHINA (in the sale - yippee!)

 

                                                         PAINTED WALL (the most AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL thing I have seen!)

                                                                          JUMPER (New Look's nod to embellishment)

 

CANDLES

 

DOORMAT

 

Until next time,

K x

Hostess with the mostess

Sorry, lovely readers, for once again disappearing without trace for the last week!

I have a good excuse this week though – my mum has come up to visit and I get to play hostess for a fortnight. Having her visit all the way from Dorset is one of the reasons that the OH and I knew that a spare bedroom was a priority when buying our house. Which, coincidentally, was exactly one year ago last week! The saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ couldn’t be more true in our case. I always knew that I would love buying home bits and bobs but I go directly to the homewares section EVERY time I go into a shop – and clothes come second at the moment. I can’t even remember the last time I bought a pair of shoes (a miraculous cure for a self-confessed shoe-aholic!).

What neither of us anticipated was how much the OH would turn in to such a homebody! When I looked up the exact definition of homebody it said “a person who seldom goes anywhere. One not given to wandering or travel”, which isn’t exactly what I mean. He just LOVES coming home! I feel really lucky that he is so happy and comfortable here and wants to just potter about and make our little nest the perfect space for us.

 

I have managed to get a few days off work to spend with my mum and sister and our days have been jam-packed with little family outings. I thought I would share with you a little round up of the week’s events before I begin to get back to blogging properly!

 We had a little family BBQ and spent the evening sitting chatting in front of our new baby chimenea. Around 11pm some Jazz music came drifting over the garden wall from one of our neighbours and it was so beautiful!

 

We took a trip to Northallerton to snap up any charity shop bargains which were to be had. Northallerton is a beautiful little market town with THE BEST deli and unusual food shop in the area – Lewis and Cooper. I loved the way one charity shop was displaying their bits and bobs on old wooden crates!

I made ‘one hell of a cake’. That’s my official name for it. I think you can tell that I’ve fallen off the diet wagon at the moment because this little beauty had 36 individual KitKat fingers all the way round, as well as gooey chocolate buttercream icing and a chocolate sponge. My mouth is watering just thinking of how good it tasted!

 

 My sister picked up her beautiful baby Fiat 500. I. Am. So. Jealous!

I am off for a family trip to Scotland next week so hopefully I will be getting back in to the swing of blogging when I return!

Until next time,

K x

Friday (!) I'm in LOVE...with being British

Do you remember a couple of posts ago I mentioned that I was late for EVERYTHING...? Well, I had planned this post out for yesterday but managed to get caught up on my latest craft project and simply forgot to log on and upload it...oops!

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Congratulations to William and Kate on the birth of their baby boy George on Monday! Over the last year there have been so many moments to make us feel proud to be British – The Olympics, the Royal Wedding, the Queen’s Jubilee and now a new heir to the throne. I’m not going to lie – I love the Royal family. It probably started way back watching all those Disney films and dreaming that one day I would marry my own prince!

As a young girl there was nothing more romantic than watching the beautiful Jasmine being chased by Aladdin, or - my personal favourite – Ariel sacrificing her voice to be with the man she loved!

In celebration of this very British week I have collected some of my favourite British finds...

 

Union Jack Make Up Bag by Lilac Coast

 

Jan Constantine Love Britannia Cushion

 

Embroidered Union Jack Artwork by The House of Jam andWeasel

 

Cath Kidston London Cedar Mug

I was so excited to find out whether they would stick with tradition or go for something slightly different, but I think George is a great name!

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Oh, and that craft project I mentioned at the beginning of this post...sorry to mention the ‘C’ word so soon – but it was the very first of my many Christmas projects! Eek! I shall keep you updated!

Until next time,

K x

A Highland discovery

Last week the other half and I decided that we were going to make an effort to revisit lots of places from our childhood that we hadn’t been to in a while. Sometimes you forget all the amazing places which are on your own doorstep! Our first visit was to Stewart’s Park in Middlesbrough, which has had a bit of a facelift recently, and was the perfect place for a stroll on a sunny summer afternoon!

After a wander around the gardens and the museum we relaxed on the grass in the sunshine before feeding the ducks on the small lake in the park.

I think these floor tiles are so beautiful...

A totem pole which celebrates the British explorer James Cook discovering lands around Canada and Hawaii. Captain Cook was born on the site where the museum sits now.

A nod to the nautical connection of the park.

After a very relaxed afternoon (and the obligatory ice-cream!) we were making our way to the car when we made a discovery of our own - some huge Highland cows (and an ugly goat) who were happy to let us get up close and be fed with leaves and flowers!

 

You only get a sense of how massive a Highland cow really is when it’s standing right in front of you, with only a small wooden fence stopping it! They look so cuddly and soft but I would not fancy having one of these thundering towards me in a grumpy mood! 

 

We spent ages watching a young boy learning to ride his bike for the first time and both wanted to cheer for him when he finally made it away from his mum’s steadying hands (only to fall off seconds later!). It made me think of all the little milestones which we reach throughout our lives which we take for granted.

I passed my driving test in December and I had a feeling SUCH elation and pride in myself.  I know in a few years it will have lost the novelty and I won’t remember the relief of never having to stand in a windy bus shelter, passing cars spraying puddles over my feet, checking my watch and wondering where the last three buses had ended up!

Have you passed any milestones of your own recently?

Until next time,

K x