magic and sparkle

The party season is nearly upon us and I couldn't be more excited. Collectively I have approximately no invitations thus far, but it is still early and I am ever the optimist and am assuming there will be a last minute flurry of excitement... If not I'm sure my parents will take pity and bring me along to their drinks and dinner parties. 

I have organised a NYE shindig at mine for my nearest and dearest and this has certainly got me in the mindset for Christmas excess and frivolity. First things first, decorating your house and home. Whether it's a strict colour scheme or completely chintz, your home is the number one place to go wild with creativity. I have an ongoing battle with my brother regarding who is going to get the Christmas decorations. Forget the house and the jewels, we're battling it out for the baubles and decs. It's a very serious matter. 

To help you out, here are a few of my favourite things so far. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

Of course I am biased but I'm pretty convinced my house is the best when it comes to dressing itself up in its finery. Not only is the tree dripping with cute wooden decorations, frosted apple slices and a red coat to warm its feet, we drape the house in holly and ivy and have a jingle bell wreath across the door.

                

               

Oh and a LOT of mistletoe. Cheeky. 

                

                               Pucker up! 

   

     

Christmas is a huge holiday to cover in one post so I'll provide you with another in the coming weeks. Maybe the country will be covered in a white blanket in the next few weeks too..? 

                

                

Shake a tail feather, the party season is here!





L. 

arch house deli

Clifton is up there in my top five of cool places to see and do things. I love everything about it. It's beautiful buildings, coffee shops, delis and independent shops. Sarah and I had an excellent night out yesterday running around the city, jumping from bar to bar and drinking perhaps a little too much champagne. This morning, having slowly grumbled out of bed, we decided to explore the area.

Pantries are maybe my favourite rooms in a house. At home we have a walk in one- usually not very full of food but when Mum does remember to shop it's a haven of glass jars filled with exciting edibles, hanging wicker baskets and the usual chilly draft. So stumbling across 'Arch House Deli' was like entering foodie heaven. 

               

According to the sign in the door, it's been voted the best deli of the year. And I can totally see why.

   

                 

   

Breads, olives, oils and vinegars whetted my savoury appetite, whilst artisan chocolates, biscuits and tiffin sweetened my sweet tooth. 

   

   

   

The shop is wonderfully laid out. A huge wooden table in the middle is piled high with sweet treats and the surrounding walls are stacked high with jars and bottles. A little cafe is out back. Having a quick tea stop, Sarah and I discussed the pros and cons of having our own deli and how we could comfortably live in Clifton. Evidently I've seemingly become a yummy mummy overnight.... 

                

                

                 

   

I don't want to go back to school tomorrow, I'm having far too much fun. If only all weekends could be like this.



L. 

einaudi

Ludovico Einaudi is quite possibly a genius sent from heaven. His music is incredibly serene and listenable and I just love him. I have been lucky enough to see him perform before- last time it was at Trafalgar Square in a pre Olympic concert celebration and it was quite spectacular. The sun was setting and it was all terribly romantic. If you were with someone. Which I wasn't. 


Anyway he was in Oxford and I was off to see him with Hannah. Unfortunately we weren't really allowed to take photographs during the performance but I was a little sneaky and took just a few.


Before the concert we went out for a quick Italian supper. 

                 

Here are the few photos I managed to sneak during the performance.

   

                 

         

The concert was incredible and I recommend any of you to see him if at all possible. Even if you're not into classical music, this is something on a whole other level. Also he looks a bit like a sloth when he plays, presumably because he's so engrossed with his work. What a cutie. 


Afterwards we went to the Duke of Cambridge bar for a few cocktails and a catch up. The bar's in Jerricho so it was pretty cool and just a little bit edgy. I recommend you all explore this area of Oxford, it's full of hidden gems. From independent shops to handmade specialist bread shops. 

          

                

                

And it looks super cute at night with all the twinkling lights. 

                

So this rounds off my whistle stop tour of Oxford for another few weeks. I'm now in Bristol in the most incredible penthouse with breath taking views across the city and beyond. This is turning out to be quite a lovely start to my brief exeat break. 




L. 

breakfast at bills

A quick dash to Oxford on Thursday night meant only one thing for Friday morning. Brunch. 

Hannah had spied this place out before and it sounded right up my street. This morning is one of those perfect winter mornings. Cold and crisp and bright blue skies. Dreamy. There's something quite magical about Ox in this weather. Hannah and I decided it was because of the creamy white stone. Now I want a Cotswold stone house - added to the list of houses I want.. 

Anyway, back to brunch. Bills has a few other branches here and there but I reckon the Oxford one is almost definitely the best. I assume. The outside of the building is pretty unassuming except for this cool bit of wall art/signage. 

   

                

My inner interior designer nearly died when we walked in. This is a super cool place to come for brunch, lunch, dinner and even cocktails. It has a very Scandinavian rustic feel about it- a hotch potch of chairs and stools, long tables and cosy 'date tables'. We decided we would go for a date table by the window. 

    

                 

Fresh apple juice and eggs Benedict was the choice today and boy were they good.

                 

                 

                 

                       Ooop, look at that yoke run! 

                 

Having had our fill we had a perv at all the deli things. Tins of sardines adorned the walls, bottles of pink lemonade, amaretti biscuits and dolly mixture bags. Everything is just so tempting and delicious. 

                 

                 

                 

                     We were kids in a sweet shop. 

                 

                 

I love coming to Oxford, I can always find somewhere to fulfill my blogging needs. Oh and last night we went to see Ludovico Einaudi play in the theatre... I don't think I've been covered in goosebumps for such a sustained period of time ever. Ever ever ever. Just amazing. Blog post to follow. 

          

I'm now dashing off to Bristol for the weekend with Sarah as its an exeat. Hurrah! 


Have a happy Friday.



L. 

gunpowder, treason and plot

I have no good reason for the lack of blogging this week. In fact I can't even think what I've done, except play on tinder. Don't get it. It's way too addictive and let's face it, the weirdest concept ever. So sorry, I will endeveour to make up for it in this post with a whole host of photographs.

Having heard the snap crackle and pop of nearby fireworks all week, the allure of the historically renowned school firework display was somewhat appealing. Wrapped up in sheepskin and wearing wellies, myself and the girls headed to the bonfire having filled ourselves with mulled wine and all other kinds of wintry indulgence. I was also sporting a dashing Native Indian face paint design. Not quite in keeping with the theme but I like to think I was setting a trend. Of some sort... 

          

School is positioned on top of a hill and the views are a m a z ing, the perfect place for fireworks. All week the girls had been making guys to be burned. From minions to pink stretch limos, we cerimoniously watched them go up in flames in a matter of minutes. 

                

                

                

    

   Heather, Sarah and Mel- great high vis Miss. W.... Safety safety!

    

Then the fireworks started.

   

               

               

               

                              Kabooooom!!

               

               

I literally took hundreds, it's very hard to capture explosions on an iPhone.. 

               

               

Let's hope this week I spend less time on tinder and do something interesting and productive...

L.