27 January 2013

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

My mum gave me this Hummingbird Bakery recipe book for my birthday in October, but, for some reason or another, I hadn't got round to baking anything from it. Yesterday I had a spare afternoon and I was feeling slightly productive, so I thought I'd give these Chocolate Whoopie Pies a go. They were easy peasy to make and I'm pretty chuffed with how well they came out! They're incredibly sickly (basically a dense sponge cake with a marshmallow filling), so next time I make them I think I'll try to them much smaller so they're easier to eat! I'm looking forward to trying out some more recipes from this book, they all look really lovely. Who cares about rainy days when you have treats like these?

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23 January 2013

Hard Rock

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It was Simon's birthday on Monday, so in the evening we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe. I've never eaten here before, and I'd heard that the food servings were big, but I was still appalled at how little I managed to eat! We made the rookie mistake of ordering a starter of potato skins to share, so by the time our mains came along we weren't as hungry as we had been when we walked in. Even Simon couldn't finish his chips – a real shocker because that boy can eat for England!
Simon took along a GoPro camera that he'd borrowed from work for the evening and he got pretty snap happy with it. It's better for filming than taking photos, and he had a lovely time filming me making funny faces (although I didn't realise at the time, sneaky!) Needless to say, I won't be sharing any of that footage...!
Simon's now on a bit of a mission to persuade me to invest in a fish eye lens for my DSLR, but I'm still having a full blown love affair with my 50mm lens so I don't think I'll be jumping into that purchase anytime soon. However, I do really like the results of the wide angle lens and I imagine the pictures would look even better when taken in daylight. 
After our meal, we went for a little stroll into Piccadilly Circus to get some more photos with the GoPro and then hopped on the tube home as it was FREEZING! When we got back we caught up with Miranda on iPlayer... Perfect.

20 January 2013

Black and White

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I'm not really one for keeping track of the weather, so I was pretty surprised when I opened the curtains to more snow this morning. I thought that Friday's snowfall would be it for the year and I was pleased to have the chance to take some more pictures as I wasn't too happy with the few I got on Friday. Simon and I were headed to the V&A today to have a look at the Hollywood costume exhibition before it closes next weekend.
I do really like snow, but I don't think it likes me so much. By the time I got to the train station my make-up had shifted down my face and I was beginning to resemble a panda. Snow tip #1: wear waterproof mascara! On the plus side, I didn't fall flat on face once – I'm not the best at keeping my balance, especially on slippery surfaces!
I took my new H&M bag with me which I bought yesterday with the last of my Christmas money. It's white on one side and black on the other, and reminds me of Cruella D'Evil – so much so that I keep bursting into the Disney tune every now and then. Simon is a lucky, lucky boy! The black and white also fits in nicely with the upcoming monochrome trend, and it can fit a lot of my junk inside, a definite winner in my eyes.
It's Simon's birthday tomorrow so I'm staying at his tonight. We're pretty full of lasagne, so I think we're just going to get cosy and watch a film. I'm also on the hunt for a jacket I saw a girl wearing on the bus the other day, but the internet seems to be failing me, boo!
What have you been doing this weekend?

19 January 2013

Fresh as Snow

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This week has been pretty magical, and not just because of the snow. On Wednesday, my sister Abby gave birth to a healthy baby boy and I became an aunty! Despite a nine year age gap, Abby and I are really close, and I felt really emotional when I heard the good news. 
Up until today I had only seen photographs of baby Vince, so I was really excited to jump in the car this afternoon to go and see him in the flesh. He's absolutely gorgeous and I was thrilled to be able to hold him. Of course, Simon and I couldn't resist buying him a few little presents, including this Simba rattle and some cute frog socks. The flowers and the Tunnock's Teacakes were for Abby – during her pregnancy she had gestational diabetes, so now she can finally make the most of being able to eat whatever she likes again.
Yesterday I had intended on going into town as I only had to work in the morning, but the snow put me off those plans completely! It was snowing quite heavily all day and, after a brief attempt at going to play in the park, I settled inside instead with an enormous mug of hot chocolate.
Have you been enjoying the snow?

13 January 2013

The Cold Snap

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A pretty necklace I wore today
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Gorgeous day by day desk calendar Simon gave me for Christmas
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Protecting my ears from the cold with the biggest earmuffs I could find
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The softest bunny from Next for my new niece/nephew 
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Cosy night in
I’m stating the obvious here, but this weekend has been cold! On Saturday I met up with my friend in London where we spent what felt like hours camped out in Caffe Nero, and today I popped into town to pick up a couple of things. Coming back to my warm flat has been heavenly after each outing, and Simon and I happily spent last night cosied up with a film and Dominos (it was half price, an offer it would have been rude to refuse!)
As I haven’t been up to anything hugely exciting, here are a few quick snaps from the past few days. I’m now off to watch Gangster Squad for my flatmate’s birthday (happy birthday Tom!), but I’m sure Ryan Gosling will be worth braving the cold for.
I hope you had a lovely weekend!

4 January 2013

A Quick Flashback of 2012

It’s crazy to think that this time last year I was planning a month long trip to Australia for the whole of February. I clearly remember the day before I was due to fly – it began to snow and Heathrow cancelled a third of their flights! Fortunately my journey wasn’t affected and I was able to embark on the 25 hour long journey without a hitch.

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I spent just over 4 weeks in Australia and, after landing in Melbourne, I met up with my friend Katie and we did a small tour of the East Coast. I didn’t have a lot of time, but I managed to squeeze in the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Sydney and of course Melbourne. I saw koala bears in the wild, visited Palm Beach of Home and Away fame, posed in front of Sydney Opera House AND worked up a particularly impressive tan, but all too soon it was time to fly back home.

Mind you, coming back home wasn’t too upsetting because my big sister Abby got married in April. Abby and Ian’s wedding was the first one I’ve ever been to (shocking I know!) and it was all the more exciting because I was a bridesmaid.

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Rumour has it that Friday 13th is supposed to be an unlucky day, but this wedding is living proof that the rumours are all just a load of rubbish. The day was gorgeous and despite the rain deciding to rear its ugly head at one point, it didn’t last and the sun came back out for the reception party.
A lot of people have described the wedding as ‘homemade’, and I think this reflects the day really well. Abby and Ian chose two beautiful venues, got crafty with fabric flowers and sourced plenty of bunting, whilst my mum made the bridesmaid dresses, cakes, and paper windmills all from scratch. The night before the wedding, Abby and I got together with the rest of the bridesmaids to make our bouquets (and I discovered I’m definitely not a natural at flower arranging). Ian also made all the ties for himself and his ushers.
Abby has never been a traditionalist and I don’t think anyone in my family was too surprised when she chose a Vivien of Holloway dress with a pink petticoat for the big day. She looked absolutely beautiful and both Abby and Ian had huge smiles on their faces all day long.
Afterwards, the wedding was featured on Rock N’ Roll Bride which you can take a peek at here.

Later in the year I moved back to London and jumped at the opportunity to go to Boston for a couple of days with one of my best friends Tasha. I’ve already blogged about that here, so I won’t go into too much detail, but I can’t wait to have another chance to go back to the US.

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I have no idea what 2013 has lined up for me, but it already sounds pretty exciting. Abby and Ian are expecting their first child this month (I’m going to be an auntie, eeek!), I’m looking forward to capturing more moments with lovely new camera and I can’t wait to catch up with my friends back in London again (I still haven’t made my way back from Chichester!)

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

1 January 2013

Punk Rock

I saw in the New Year dressed as a punk with a bunch of lovely people all sporting alternative fancy dress themes. Simon was a chimney (probably best not to ask too many questions), but there was also a cowboy, a forbidden fruit and a dinosaur amongst plenty of other good efforts. I think I look frightening and, while it was fun for one night, I don't think I'll be adopting this as my everyday style! I was glad to revert back to a pretty shirt and much less make-up this morning.

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Happy New Year everyone!
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