About 90% of my wardrobe is navy blue or black and you'll normally find my legs covered in 100 denier tights or leggings so this is a pretty wild look for me. Coral and bare legs! I wore this dress to a friends wedding a couple of weeks ago and felt suitable dressy and ladylike (the skirt is perfect for dance floor swishing) but I think this would be equally as good as a work dress with smart jacket. On a side note, I think 'Operation Grow Hair for Wedding' is going pretty well.

I'm currently feeling a little sorry for myself on the sofa with the sniffles and not feeling remotely glamorous at all like I did in the dress above.  I've got all my guide books out and a cup of tea and I'm planning my trip to Berlin with Martyn in a couple of weeks time. If you have any Berlin tips please leave some in the comments section below.

Even though Bristol is only about 45 minutes away from my hometown I've rarely taken the opportunity to explore it. I've popped over the Severn bridge to see a few gigs in Bristol but never really been able to get to know the city or get a feel for it and its long history. I was really looking forward to my trip because not only did it mean a rare weekend away with my shift working partner but it also meant I was able to find out more about my neighbouring city. 

Getting to Bristol was incredibly easy. It only took me about 40 minutes on a very comfortable CrossCounty train and I got a strong Starbucks coffee on board to get me ready for the long weekend ahead. *Fat Frocks Tip* If you travel on the weekend you can get a First Class upgrade from £5 which gives you loads of room, reclining seats, free WiFi and drinks and snacks. Perfect if you are making a long journey or just want to feel fancy. 

I also headed to Bristol's Harbourside which was once a busy dock where sailors and merchants would trade goods and set sail on voyages of discovery. Today, this redeveloped are is filled with restaurants, bars and museums. You can visit the SS Great Britain here which is a revolutionary ship designed by one of my heroes, the renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel also left his mark on the city with his iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge which I sadly didn't have time to visit.

August has been a really fun month where I have explored new places and tried new things but I've also kept some traditions alive and visited places I like to go each year with some of my favourite people. August is always a very busy month for me because it's when I celebrate my birthday but it seems most of my friends have their birthdays in August too. 

At the start of the month I headed to Berkhamsted with a large group of friends for a weekend of camping in an orchard. We spent our time around a campfire, playing games and exploring the surrounding area to celebrate a friends birthday. I find the history of railways and canals pretty fascinating so I really enjoyed our stroll along the Grand Union Canal which starts in London and ends in Birmingham. It is the longest canal in the UK but competition from the railways and its narrow size meant it was difficult to make it commercially viable in in the early 20th Century.  Our walk through the beautiful Chilterns ended in The Boat where I enjoyed a well earned Pimm's. 

My birthday was spent a little closer to home, I enjoyed a meal with Martyn and my family in Junction 28. Junction 28 has a train themed dining carriage and was the perfect start to my railway themed birthday weekend. I also had a lovely day out at the Severn Valley Railway which you can read about here.

I know a day out to a heritage railway might not be an ideal birthday day out of choice for most people, but I was really excited to visit the Severn Valley Railway for the first time on my birthday last week. The Severn Valley Railway is a steam railway running between Kidderminster and Bridgenorth. It's a 16-mile long track with a journey taking around an hour on a steam-powered train. We passed through some stunning countryside, including a view of the West Midlands Safari Park .(I managed to spot some elephants and rhinos!)

Bridgnorth was once one of the busiest river ports in Europe, but today, the Severn is a quiet haven for anglers, walkers and wildlife. The river divides the town into High Town and Low Town, the two being linked by seven sets of ancient steps and a Victorian funicular, the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway.