This Week I love...

BERTIE...My friend I went to visit at the weekend has recently got a new cat who being very mischevious manages to get himself into some very funny situations and during my stay there were frequent outbreaks of hissing, squealing and meowing and the sound of bertie running through the house creating havoc, much to everyone else's annoyance! As a result I seem to have aquired a fair few pictures of Bertie in various places and situations, being the mischievious little cat that he is so please enjoy the Wonderful Adventures of Bertie the Superkitten!

And quite possibly my favourite...

SPOTS...No, not the type you get on your face, the type I have been painting on my nails! I have discovered Andrea Fulerton's Nail Boutique which includes nail polish, glittery gems and nail art pens to decorate your nails with. At first, I wasn't sure how good the nail art pens would be but once I practised a bit they proved to be very good. All it takes is a bit of practise, a steady hand and a tissue at the ready! I bought the black one to begin with and used it to create small dots on the tip of my nail on top of a gold colour and this time I have done dots all over my nail on a light purple background colour and I have to say I am very impressed at the pen itself (and my handywork!)

INSTAGRAM...I found this new photo filter app this week and I love it. It's designed for iphones although you can access it online and as I have an ipod touch I can put the photos I want to filter onto it and then upload them to twitter or facebook and then save then to my computer through logging in online. It is a bit of a faff as it would be much easier to have an iphone with a camera so you could immediately filter the image but I think it's worth the effort! Here are a couple of photos that I have edited using the app. I am aiming to start filtering the images I put on my blog to gove them a different look so keep an eye out!

A Weekend in Salisbury!

On Friday I went to stay with my bestie, Charlotte (or Smithy to me) in Salisbury for four nights. To say we were excited was an understatement and when I arrived in the quaint little village where she lives needless to say, my excitement heightened! The pretty cottages and cute little bridge and stream surrounding her house was a much welcomed change to the university environment I am so used to. It was just like being at home.

We started off our weekend with a trip into Salisbury itself, we visited the Cathedral, which was a lot bigger and even grander than I had expected, with beautiful stainedglass windows and detailed artwork on the the ceilings.

Trying out some angles!

On Saturday night we went to watch the firework display which was being held in Whiteparish just a couple of villages away and of course I took the opportunity to exercise my photo taking abilities (or as some photos documented, the lack of them!) The fireworks were the left overs from professional companies who make them and despite being the end of the batch they really were brilliant! They had every type in what seemed like every colour!

On Sunday we went for lovely walk in the countryside surrounding Smithy's house and we were joined by her younger sister Sophie, so as you can imagine I had double the trouble to contend with and little did Smithy know the jokes that we were having as Sophie ignited the 'banter'! We finished our walk at the pub where we popped in for a drink and soon after proceeded to head home for a roast dinner, which I have to say I happily consumed!

The countryside views were lovely, I felt a million miles away from the stresses of Uni and it felt great to be breathing in some good, fresh, country air!

Monday was my last day in Salisbury and we went to 'A Splash of Colour' a paint-your-own-pottery kind of workshop where you choose a piece of pottery to handpaint and decorate. It was great fun and although I am not usually very creative I think I managed to paint something I hope will get used. We have to wait a week until they have all been fired until we get to take them home but look out for an update on how they turned out!

My few days in Salisbury, were jam packed and full of activities, but at the same time I also somehow found it really relaxing. Getting to see Smithy for a whole four days was lovely as now i rarely see her twice a week, which is really strange considering I lived with her for a whole year last year. I can't wait until the next time, however, unfortunately now it's back to reality but Salisbury; I'll be back!

Audio Test

Spinney Hollow - Evil Dead by Corin Evans-Pritchard

Pudsey gets a Makeover!

Children in Need is just around the corner and we are by now quite familiar with the yellow pudsey bear we are so used to seeing. However, this year fashion has taken over, as nine designers have taken the opportunity to each design a bear which will be auctioned off on ebay with all profits going to Children in Need. Giles Deacon, Mulberry, Kate Hillier and PPQ are all involved and there are some really original designs in the mix. The classic yellow Pudsey has been replaced with leather, floral and tartan patterns just to name a few. So get online and get bidding! Here are some of my favourites.

Liberty...Complete with Liberty bag!

Mulberry...All leather and Mulberry Tab on the back of Pudsey's neck.

Henry Holland...I love the take on his spotty eye patch.

Kate Hillier...Inspired by children patching together their toys.

Erdem...Doing what it does best; Floral all the way!

All images courtesey of Ebay.

Friends, Fireworks and Fashion!

This week has been absolutely mental, between uni work, polo, radio, going out and the horrendous rain that's hit Winchester, I have been drenched (quite literally) with things to do and at times like this, where is one to start? Well, I shall tell you where...Tanoshi Fushion in Winchester. Quite possibly THE most amazing thai and japanese restaurant I have ever been to, I mean I can't start a busy week without some decent cuisine can I?! I went with a group of four friends to celebrate the hand in of one of our assignments. The food was simply amazing and we even got a complememtary desert, which we woolfed down in no time despite claiming we were full...Proving there is always room for desert. So if you are ever in town, Tanoshi Fushion is the place to be I assure you.

It was of course bonfire night on Saturday and again the five of us decided to go and spectate. It was quite a show and eventhought it was pretty cold we huddled as peguins would, lit some sparklers and we were as happy as could be. I wish I had taken my camera to document this but my firework-picture-taking skills are definitely not my strongest skill so the camera was left in peace.

In between uni work, playing polo and embarrassing myself on student radio I have also been keeping my eye firmly on the fashion news this week and was shocked to hear that Madonna is bringing out a clothing line for the 'older clientele', apparently rumoured to be called, 'truth or dare'. Now, with all due respect, we are talking about the woman who prances around in a leotard, singing and dancing in a way most 40 year olds wouldn't so do we really think she knows what the 'older lady' wants to wear? I somehow doubt it, yet I'm sure the criticism we receives from the press and the media won't stop her, and will probably further encourage her to design more and more and prove anyone doubting her wrong. I shall prepare to eat my words!

I've also been doing some shopping myself and found these amazing nail foils in accessorize, these blue spotty ones would look great as a fun touch for a night out, they also have a floral pattern too. Fearne Cotton has also designed some for her boots make up range which look really cool too and being a lover of leopard print I shall be trying those out as soon as I get to town!

Alexa Chung is also on my radar as she becomes the new face of fashion brand Vero Moda. She seems to have been keeping herself under wraps lately but she has come back looking fierce as ever she flaunts her ever gorgeous self in front of the camera; looking effortlessly beautiful every time. oh to be Alexa...

Images Courtesey of Telegraph Fashion.