Yorkshire Beauty

Rolling hills as far as the eye can see, forested valleys, stretching moors and silvery vapours drifting over the landscape in the early morning sun; welcome to Yorkshire.

At this time of year, although bitingly cold, the Yorkshire moors are breathtakingly beautiful, showcasing the glory of nature and sheer magnificence akin to Peter Jackson’s portrayal of New Zealand in his Lord of the Rings productions.

Having visited for a funeral, spirits were duly low, but when I encountered the stunning landscapes, I could not help but feel a sort of living presence, pulsing in every aspect of the surroundings, breathing life and energy through me. The crisp air and dewy flowers were intoxicating, as was the river with its thousands of intricate reflections that you could stare into endlessly.

Bolton Abbey was by far the most captivating place I visited. In the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, the ruins of a 12^th century monastery exist in acres of woodland that are truly staggering and simply must be experienced. We walked for hours through the woods (muddy wellies accompanying) and skipped stones along the mirrored surface, topped off with a bowl (I mean it, it was a bowl) of hot chocolate plus whipped cream plus marshmallows plus sprinkles, and thankfully I didn’t have a coronary! If walking isn’t your thing (it wasn’t mine until I met my boyfriend’s mum!) then there are still places you can visit. There are about 9462 pubs in a 3-mile radius, all of which consist of roaring log fires, engulfing leather armchairs, a monstrously-sized roast dinner and as standard, an adorable pub dog. For afternoon tea, you simply must visit Betty’s Tea Rooms in Harrogate; nearly a century old, it boasts the most delectable cream cakes and extensive collection of tea and coffee (with over 300 breads, cakes and chocolates!). If you want to explore the town, there are hundreds of quaint little shops selling petite homeware bits that are perfect for gift-giving, or try the market in Skipton with thousands of books for sale as well as puzzles, fruit, vegetables and jewellery. There is a great buzz about Harrogate, and when we went we were lucky enough to catch the Pancake Day celebrations, with local radio stations and pancake-tossing competitions aplenty.

Don’t forget all the “Ye Olde Sweetshops” either – with pineapple cubes, rhubarb and custards, bonbons, humbugs, salted liquorice, jelly buttons (how much time have you got?) they have all the old sweets as well as some new!

Penny Pinching Fashion

It’s the end of January and many of us are clawing on to our last pennies until payday (everyone hates the six week pay gap between Christmas and end of January!)

With all the sales on, it is difficult not to get drawn in (for example, Zara has a cracking sale on at the moment with their trousers/skirts selling for £9, and their blouses/shirt dresses going for just a fiver).

So instead of buying more clothes, as there is physically no room left anywhere in my flat for them, I decided to root through my drawers and see what I could find. I’m talking right to the bottom, where the bandage skirts and peplum tops are!

What I came up with had a geek chic inspiration, as it was an outfit for work but I wanted it to have a cheeky edge and be a bit playful.

I used a bit of layering with the kitted statement jumper (Next) and chiffon blouse (Primark) underneath – although it is winter, it has been particularly mild this year so too many layers would have been sweltering, especially on my power-walk into work. No, I am not a morning exerciser, I have severe issues with timekeeping… 
The skater skirt (about £6, Amazon) was a firm favourite from when I was about 18; I love the burgundy wine colour plus it is RATHER short, so being A-line skater style makes it appear more acceptable for the office.

The accessories are an accumulation of fashion internships and sales over the years. The bangles were from Fabulous magazine's fashion cupboard, as were the oversized geek glasses (which look so adorable but as I have never worn glasses they give me chronic headaches but totally worth it!) The brown leather watch with oversized gold face and Roman numerals was from Red Herring from a Debenhams Blue X Sale about 4 years ago. The bone-style Aztec necklace was from Dorothy Perkins from 2012/13 when the whole Aztec print and statement jewellery started doing the rounds – still a gorgeous piece and always gets compliments for its versatility and intricate design.

The black boots were an eBay purchase, drawn to my attention by Daisy Street. I love the panelling on them and the chunky heel with the gold buckles gives them a biker chick feel, but with the ability to still look feminine. Plus they are super comfy, and with a heel of 4 inches, you can get away with them on a night out – win win! 
If you let your hypothalamus dictate your temperature rather than your insatiable need to look good (unlike me), then try a pair of patterned tights instead of going bare-legged. Primark have a fantastic selection for £2.50 per pair. I recently picked up a gorgeous pair of 10 denier with dark love heart prints all the way up the legs - super cute and an absolute bargain.

"New year, new me"

So 2016 is finally here. ✹

          

How many of us have already said ‘New year, new me’?

And yet how many have already reverted back to their old ways – those who said they want to get in shape have signed up to the gym but not yet attended. Those who said they will be more patient on their morning commute to work shoved a fellow passenger for walking too slowly on the 1st January etc etc.

Well, I do not judge you. I think the whole ‘new me bla blah’ is so overrated and conceptually ridiculous. For two reasons:

1.       Why must we wait for a date change to dictate our new beginnings

2.       Why must we be socially pressured into feeling we have to change at all

Firstly, if you are an ogre in life, you probably already know it. (Hint: if you scream at people on a regular basis/if you didn’t get many Christmas cards/your own mother rushes to get off the phone to you, you are most likely a life-ogre. Picture Ebenezer Scrooge without the Christmas references and here you have a life-ogre). If you enjoy this life choice, and wish to be left well alone, then fair game.

If, in fact, you have a marvellous group of friends and are generally happy in life (minus the January blues) then why do you feel that you have to change? Granted, all of us have minor vices in life that perhaps we ought to keep an eye on, or those irritations that are the bane of our housemates’ lives, but these are our quirks, what makes us loveable and endearing (or so we’d like to think!).

However, if these actions are having a negative impact on your life, or on those around you, it is frightfully lazy to be aware of such annoying habits or unhealthy lifestyles and choose to wait until one single date at the end of the year to be proactive and do something about it. If you want to change then do so at your own hand – make your own choices and stick to them! Don’t be a sheep and endlessly follow the social herd because it is the easy route. Sometimes change can be difficult, especially when faced with new, unfamiliar territory but take this as a valuable lesson in self-belief and motivation, and push forward.

Nobody ever learnt anything new from staying in their comfort zone!

Secondly, I find that a lot of New Year resolutions come from the pressure put on us by the constraints of modern culture. If you are joining the gym to re/gain a healthy physique, or you are in training, or think you could benefit from more exercise in your lifestyle, then fantastic, kudos and bravissimo.

IF you are doing it to get the abs of Kylie Jenner/Hailey Baldwin/Alessandra Ambrosio (the list could go on and on…) thennnnnn perhaps this is the wrong reason, and perhaps it is comfortability in your own skin that needs to be exercised.

Celebrate yourself! ❤

We all have body hang-ups but when you realise how beautiful you are without the generic constrictions, then the resulting happiness that comes is truly liberating.  

If you are having a bit of a down day, try Gerad Kite's new book, Everything You Need You Have: How to be at Home in Your Self.
"Kite gifts his patients with something they often weren't aware they had lost: that ineffable sense of 'me-ness' that a child is born with but that many of us mislay along the way." - Daily Telegraph