I had the most wonderful weekend off with Martyn for his birthday. We only get one weekend a month together so I'm glad we headed out to explore the romantic ruin of Tintern Abbey which is located on banks of the River Wye in Wales.


Tintern Abbery was a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1131 and suffered the way most Catholic Churches in England and Wales did in the 16th. century when the Abbey and its wealth was surrendered to representatives of  King Henry VIII.

Tintern experienced a bit of a re-birth after it was discovered by ‘Romantic’ artists and poets in the late 18th century. The artist, Turner and poet, Wordsworth both visited and used the the Abbey in their work and it became a very fashionable place to visit. 

Dress: Dorothy Perkins - Shoes: c/o Cloggs  - Bag: ASOS - Headband - Crown and Glory


Poet Allen Ginsberg took acid trip at Tintern Abbey in 1967, and wrote his poem Wales Visitation. In the poem he wrote: "...the lambs on the tree-nooked hillside this day bleating/ heard in Blake's old ear, &; the silent thought of Wordsworth in eld Stillness/ clouds passing through skeleton arches of Tintern Abbey-/ Bard Nameless as the Vast, babble to Vastness!"

I blame Caroline for my most recent purchase (and no will power) because ever since I saw an Orphan's Arms t-shirt on her blog I've become hooked and always pick up some of their items in the sales. I got this directly from their outlet shops which sells older designs. It was only £18 which I think is a steal for a hand printed jumper. I love all of their literary and historical designs and can't wait for their A/W collection which they have been giving us sneak peaks of over on instagram.

I also feel like the London School of Sorcery is where you go when you finish at Hogwarts and I'm studying Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts or something... lame. HP is not real and I never got my letter to Howarts, sob. This is the perfect jumper for me because I'm always warm but this is made out of a thick t-shirt material so it's nice and light and doesn't make me have a hot flush.

It's been another very busy week for me, I spent the first half in Paris, took my mum shopping, had an imporptu wild night out (payed for it for the next three days, too old for that now) and I'm now enjoying a relatively calm weekend only popping out for a meal with colleagues tonight. I need a really good lie in...

Apparently monochrome is a big trend this season, I didn't know this while I was chosing this outfit but let's all pretend I did and I'm 'bang on trend' ;) I love all of these items together and I think this is going to become a favourite outfit for work and the weekend. I own a few t-shirts from Orphan's Arms now and I love the literary and historical prints that they have. I'm always checking their site for new stock and I snapped this t-shirt up as soon as it went into the sale.


I picked up this necklace whilst shopping with my mum in the week, cute isn't it? It was from the RI budget range where you can pick up earrings for about £2. They had loads of adorable key, heart and cross things in the range so I'm popping back next week to stock up.

I've been away a lot recently and want to catch up on some blog reading so please send me some links to post you have loved recently, feeling a little out of the loop.

I know, I know... ANOTHER Topshop basic dress. I just can't help myself, I've got this in two colours too. I picked this up a while ago when Topshop had discount and free delivery so it only cost me £18. It's stretchy and holds it shape really well even after loads of washes and hasn't faded. I think these dresses are a bit of a bargain and are really versatile. I've worn this on a night out with heels, a clutch and a statement necklace but I usually wear it with my biker jacket to work. The only problem with this dress is that it is a tad short. I'm about 5 ft 6 and its a bit indecent. If you are 5 ft 5 and about I suggest you get it from the tall section.

I really enjoy writing my gift guides every year, they give me a chance to sit down and think about what I'm getting for everyone other wise I just end up rushing into Boots and Topman and grabbing something. It can be hard to buy for male colleagues, brothers and dads. What do you buy for a younger brother? what do teenagers like, I don't know?! People always seem to find gifts for men tricky so I'm happy to help out with some ideas.


I think the kindle cover is a great present for a dad and you can chose a classic book of your choice (mine would be Sherlock Holmes) You could probably make something like this yourself too if you are crafty and on a budget.

The table tennis set is a fun present for someone in your family, you just clip the net onto your own table and voila, lots of Christmas day fun. Some of my best memories of Christmas involve playing games together like Frustration and Swingball, remember Swingball?

The alphabet mug is perfect for Secret Santa at work when you get someone you don't really know. Steve from HR can have an S mug, under a tenner, sorted!

Want to splash some cash on a loved one? This Paul Smith - Barbour collaboration jacket would make a really impressive gift. Waxed jackets are classic and if you get them rewaxed they can last a lifetime. You can get this coat from Jonathan Trumbull along with lots of other designer gifts for men.

I normally get my brother gig tickets for Christmas or his birthday which means we get to spend some  quality time together on our own and bond a bit. It also means I get to do things that I wouldn't normally do like the time I took him to see Ke$ha and had the best time. Why not get some tickets to a play that your dad or partner would love and then you get a present/fun experience too ;)

The Origins Travel buddy set is a great way to get the men in your life to look after themselves this winter. All the rain, wind and cold weather can play havoc with your skin and even the most rugged manly man could benefit from a bit of face wash and moisturiser.

I was never a huge fan of converse on guys, I love a nice pair of smart shoes. But have you seen David Tennant and what he wore when he was The Doctor? Swoon, swoon for all eternity. (I think I've mentioned Dr Who in at least 75% of posts this month)

I know it isn't even December yet but are any of you close to finishing your shopping for the festive period? I would like Matt Smith for Christmas wrapped up with a big bow, can any of you sort that for me?

I wore trousers in a post a couple of weeks ago which was a shocker but now I've gone further and bought some shorts!! These were only £5 in Primark and I've bought them in a few colours. I did have to get a size 20 but then Primark is notorious for weird sizing. I've worn them to work with a nice jumper and on the weekend.
I think I look more my own age when I wear things like this, I'm not much older than the students who come in the library where I work but don't feel like I should be wearing smart office wear like some other people I work with. I'm in wardrobe limbo, don't really know what is appropriate any more.



I have been lusting after this t shirt for aaages, I wrote about it in my Reading festival post and I'm always looking on The Orphan's Arms website.I thought £35 was a little steep for a t shirt so I held off from buying it. They also stock this brand on ASOS and I took advantage of the 20% off festival style and added another 10% off code that I got from unidays so it went down to a much more reasonable £23.



I got a size 14 and I was surprised at how big it was, I don't like tight t shirts but if you do you might want to size down with this brand. The t shirts are hand printed in the UK and the motifs reference literature and history. I love anything history(studied it at uni) and book related so the brand is a big hit with me.



I've also been wanting a pair of these shoes for a while, they need to be a little grubby though so I will be jumping in some puddles and scuffing them up a little.

P.S. got lots of lovely size 12-22 things on eBay