hobby – A Cornish Wife's Tale

Budget Buys.

July 13, 2019July 13, 2019Posted in HomeTagged blogger, budgetbuys, hobby, Home, homeware, interior, interiordesign, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, newbloggerLeave a comment

If you’re anything like me, you spend hours and hours trawling through Pinterest, looking at amazing home interior ideas and letting your inner Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen run free (remember him, avec Changing Rooms? I’m such a 90s child). The trouble is, once I’ve used up all the time I should have been spending on housework or something else menial but necessary, I realise these interior dreams are just that: dreams. Because, I do not have an unlimited supply of money. And unfortunately, almost all of my dream designs cost a lot of dollar.

However, there are ways around this. So I won’t have the whole look, but I can try to add in select pieces that will add a vibe or a theme I’ve seen and love. Some of my favourite stores to shop in for this happen to be budget stores (which is rather handy). My faves would have to be B&M, Wilkos and The Range. Sometimes you do have to sift through to find something you like but, generally, I think the products they offer are incredible value and very rarely truly reflect the price.

I’ve decided to share five of my favourite buys from recent shopping trips. These were all within the past month so it’s highly likely they’re still available!

Hello sign – B&M (think it was about £2.99)

I loved this as it brings a bit of quirk into the living room. The colour scheme for this room is very neutral so adding the pop of pink was a winner as well.

2. Lampshade – B&M (£6.99)

It’s taken me 6 months of living in our new house for me to actually buy a lampshade because, so long as we had light, it stayed bottom of the list! I was in B&M with my brother and he bought one, which jogged my memory and I picked up two of these for both bedrooms. I love the colour scheme and the mustard yellow adds some colour into our mainly grey bedroom.

3. Decorative Wall Art – The Range (£10.99)

I loved this as soon as I saw it on the website. It’s about A1 size and comes in a chunky frame., so good value for money.

4. Faux Succulents – B&M (£1.00 each)

These are adorable and bring colour to any room. I currently have some in the conservatory, on the kitchen windowsill, one in the bedroom and two in the spare room! At a ridiculous price, I couldn’t resist!

5. Photo Frames – B&M (various prices)

I decided to do a photo gallery going up our stairs after receiving beautiful iron lettering of our names as a wedding present. I thought photos would look lovely around it. I love the B&M black and white frames as they come in different sizes (both photo and frame) so it adds a different aesthetic. They do packs of 3 starting from £3.99.

Thank you so much for reading! My next post is going to be another bargain buys, but more for practical items rather than decorative.

Love KH xxxx

Tag: Beauty.

June 28, 2019June 23, 2019Posted in Beauty, Hobbies, TagsTagged aboutme, Beauty, beautytag, blogger, Favourites, hair, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, makeup, makeuptag, newblogger, personal, personaltag, tag1 Comment

I’m in Liverpool at the moment on a city break (there will be a large post up about it once I’m back!) so I needed a relatively quick and easy post to do earlier in the week to schedule. It kinda’ killed two birds with one stone as I’ve wanted to do a beauty related post for a while and so this helped with that too! So here it is: The 30 Questions Beauty Tag. Enjoy!

What was your first make up item bought?

I honestly don’t remember the exact item. When I was about 10, I can remember getting make up kits for Christmas but they weren’t branded, they were the type you would buy for a girl of about 10! I can also remember buying Miss Sporty electric blue eyeshadow. (Nice!)

2. Describe your perfect mascara.

I like a mascara that adds length but with no clumpiness. For a night out I like something that will darken the lashes but everyday just adding length will do. I currently use Maybelline’s Lash Sensational.

3. What kind of coverage do you like from a foundation?

I like a medium to full generally – as I don’t tend to go crazy on other aspects of “face make up” (contour, highlight etc) I like the base I do have to be worth its while.

4. Favourite high-end brand?

I generally don’t buy high-end. I don’t think I’ve had anything you’d classify as such!

5. What cosmetic brands have you always wanted to try but haven’t?

I used to go to a Uni with a girl who’d always get Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks and they looked fab. I’ve also heard lots about Nars and so would probably like to give them a go.

6. Favourite drug store brand?

I like Rimmel and Maybelline.

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes?

Very, very rarely. I wore them for my wedding but only because someone applied them for me! I’m just not great at applying them and generally don’t ever find myself in a situation where I want to wear them!

8. Is there any kind of make-up you can’t leave the house with?

I used to leave the house with my whole make up bag…how times have changed! Now I’ll generally just make sure I have lip balm on me, especially in cold weather. Other than that, not much!

9. What is your most cherised beauty product?

I love my Real Techniques brushes – they really do make a difference.

10. How often do you shop for make up? Do you buy as and when you need to or splurge all in one go?

I do find with make up I don’t splurge like I do with clothes. I’m not great at experimenting either and stick to what I know. I tend to run out of things at similar times so stock up as I need to.

11. Do you have a beauty budget?

Sort of – but as I tend to stick to the same products I kinda’ know my spending.

12. Do you utilize sales and coupons when shopping?

I’m a bit of a sucker for a 3-for-2!

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?

I find myself running out of brow pencil more than anything.

14. Is there a brand you can’t stand?

Not really – there’s plenty I don’t use but it’s not that I can’t stand them!

15. Do you avoid certain ingredients in products?

Not particularly – maybe I should become more aware?

16. Do you have a favourite place to shop for make up?

I pretty much do all my make up shopping in Boots!

17. Do you like trying new skincare products?

Until I found something that worked I would try new things quite regularly. But now I tend to stick to the same things.

18. Favourite bath and body brand?

Either Soap and Glory or Champneys are rather luxurious!

19. If you could only buy from one brand which would you choose?

Rimmel as it’s where I get my base products from.

20. Which brand do you think has the best packaging?

Soap and Glory – I love their slogans!

21. Which celebrity always has great make up?

I love natural looking make up – even though it must be layered on quite thick for TV it doesn’t look caked! People like Holly Willoughby and Rochelle Humes look really naturally pretty.

22. Do you belong to any online make up communities?

No – any recommendations?

23. Do you like multi-functional products, like lip and cheek stains?

I never use them!

24. Are you clumsy putting on make-up?

Sometimes, if I’m in a rush. I’m not very skilled either so to most it’ll probably look clumsy!

25. Do you use a make up base or a primer?

Not every day – I’ve tried a Barry M primer to reduce redness before and then an illuminating base but it’s not an everyday thing.

26. How many hair products do you use on a typical day?

I wash my hair every other day and use L’Oreal Dream Lengths shampoo and conditioner. Every other time I wash it I use a the dream lengths deep conditioning mask and before I blow dry, a serum from the same range. I have naturally wavy/frizzy hair but I have a keratin treatment every six months which keeps it smooth and sleek, even when blast dried. So other than the products mentioned above, I don’t use any others!

27. How long is your hair?

It’s a few inches past my shoulders now – I am trying to grow it!

28. What do you apply first: concealer or foundation?

I apply concealer under eyes and on any real problem areas (blemishes or redness) but don’t blend. Then I apply foundation over the top and blend.

29. Do you ever consider taking make up classes?

Not really – it would help me know how to apply properly but there are enough tutorials on YouTube to help with that if I need it!

30. What do you love about make up?

That it can just make you feel that little bit fresher – cover up your dark circles from a lack of sleep or a nasty spot. I like that you can apply different levels of it depending on where you are going as well.

Love, KH xxxx

Spotify Playlists.

June 24, 2019June 23, 2019Posted in HobbiesTagged blogger, creative, favouritemusic, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, mentalhealth, music, newblogger, personal, playlists, shareyourmusic, spotify, SpotifyPlaylistsLeave a comment

It’s not secret that one of my favourite things to do is – and always has been – listening to music. It suits literally every mood I can think of, can help me change a mood or help me stay in it if that’s what I need at the time.

Growing up, music was always a huge part of my life. My Dad got both me and my brother into The Beatles from the minute we were born and we also heard a broad spectrum of music growing up. He was also a DJ from when I was about 6, and he’d make me up mix tapes of all the latest tunes, whilst mixing in with lots of older stuff – he liked to educate me!

As a result, my music taste now is an eclectic mix and I love creating lots of playlists on Spotify. (You can find me under Kate Hepplewhite if you’re interested!) In this post, I thought I’d share some of my favourite playlists and why I created them. Hopefully, they’ll help you too.

I made this playlist for the ultimate chillout – I listen to it when I want to feel relaxed, whilst reading a book or even trying to sleep.

Remember what I said about liking all genres of music – soul is another genre I really like and these songs are perfect for belting out!

I LOVE the Spice Girls (I was there first time round as well!!) so I had to make a playlist dedicated just to them.

This was a real game-changer for me. When I split from a long-term relationship and I was feeling really crappy about myself, I made this playlist to keep positive, give myself some confidence and convince myself that I could indeed make it alone. Even now I’m married, and clearly not single, I add to it regularly and it’s still one of my go-to’s!

This is a playlist I created for one I feel sad, lonely or just a bit down. It may seem counter-productive to feed your sadness but sometimes you just need to stay in your mood for a bit in order to get fully out of it.

I made this playlist just after I met my husband – his taste in music features bands I’d heard of but generally not explored much. Not long after we met, we took a road trip back up to his flat in Leeds and I wanted some music we could both listen to and enjoy and thus, this playlist was born!

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my playlists. I have many others so feel free to check me out and follow on Spotify if you like.

See you soon!

Love KH xxxxx

Sharing My Art

June 15, 2019Posted in HobbiesTagged blogger, Cornwall, creative, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, newblogger, personal, shareyourart, shareyoursketchbook, sketchingLeave a comment

I was never very great at art in school: even drawing the compulsory 1cm borders around the edge of my sketchbook page, I could never get them straight! Art at school was often quite prescribed as well and the thought of copying something, or using something for inspiration was frowned upon. It kind of become something I wasn’t good at and I forgot about it for a long time.

Just under two years ago, I started doodling and tried copying a picture from a magazine. I think it was of Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast (random, I know!) I really enjoyed the process and it turned out surprisingly better than I thought it would be. I happened to be in town the next day and, feeling inspired, I popped into The Works and picked up a sketchpad and some pencils for next to nothing. I went home and copied a picture of Princess Belle and, again, I was really surprised. From there, a new love was born and since then I’ve been sketching and drawing lots more. It’s dropped off a little in the past few months but it’s still something I really enjoy and I’m really proud of.

I thought I’d use this blog post to share some of my favourite sketches. I love looking at other people’s drawings so let me know any recommendations in the comments! Also, if you like what you see, I have an Instagram account just for my sketches @katesketchings 🙂

Mood Lifters

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019Posted in Mental HealthTagged advice, blogger, Cornwall, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, mentalhealth, newblogger, personalLeave a comment

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Mental health is SUCH an important aspect of everyone’s life. The charity Mind says that “every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem.” I believe that’s probably just known cases as well. Plus. at what point do we brand something a “problem”? Some people may have mental health issues and not be aware of them, just carrying on through it and not speaking out. It is something very close to my heart and something I may do a completely separate blog post on another time.

For today’s post though, I am going to talk about things I do when I need a mood boost. Sometimes, nothing seems to work but even knowing I’m being proactive can make me feel a little better!

1. Keeping snug

Being cosy is something which helps me immensely when I’m feeling down. Sometimes, the only thing that will do is either staying in bed, or getting into bed. I love being enveloped in something and if my husband isn’t around to give me a cuddle, a snuggly blanket will do. Keeping warm helps, cups of tea, comfy clothes and, for me, a cuddle with the puppy!

2. Music

Music has always been an incredible form of therapy for me. It can put you in so many different headspaces and change your mood considerably. Sometimes when I’m feeling low, I find listening to sad songs helps me to get it out of my system, but similarly listening to happy songs can too. A few of my go-to “sad songs” are: Somebody Else – The 1975, Ocean Eyes – Billie Eilish and I’m Still Breathing – Katy Perry. My favourite songs for an instant uplift are: Friday, I’m in Love – The Cure, End of the Line – The Travelling Wilburys and Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks. Spotify is great for organising and creating your own playlists to have an instant go-to.

3. Podcasts

On the subject of Spotify, something else I love to listen to on the app are podcasts (it’s worth nothing podcasts are available in other places, if you don’t want Spotify). I love listening to podcasts when I’m at the gym, doing housework or out on a long dog walk. While it can be good at times to tune into your natural surroundings, I find listening to something uplifting can help alter my mood. At the minute, I’m loving Fearne Cotton’s “Happy Place” as it discusses a whole host of mental health issues with people in the spotlight. I find Fearne’s voice so calming as well! The other one I’m dipping into is Alice Liveing’s “Give me Strength”. It features a whole host of incredible women and provides much needed inspiration and motivation, especially in the gym!

4. Food

I mean, it would be criminal for me to write a blog post without food mentioned! Food can have different effects at different times. If I’ve been feeling low but I’ve had a burst of motivation, eating healthily helps me as it makes me feel like I’m actively doing something to help myself. I favour fruit salads covered in yoghurt, or I’ll bake some healthy oat muffins, as seen in the picture below. (I’ll be doing a blog post about these in future on my blog, so look out for that!) On the other hand, sometimes only a big, fat bar of chocolate or tub of Ben and Jerry’s will suffice, and that’s OK too!

5. Lists

LISTS ARE YOUR FRIEND. There’s nothing better than ticking off a list to feel like you’re winning at life. Keep each part of the list small and manageable. So, for example, instead of having one bullet point as “clean house”, break it down. Have: clean bathroom, tidy clothes away, wipe kitchen surfaces, hoover bedroom. You’re still making progress and you’re ticking off lots in the progress. I always feel better in a clean and tidy house too. Tidy house, tidy mind as they say.

6. Making Plans

I find that keeping busy and being productive helps me lift my mood. It can be very hard to feel productive in any way when you’re feeling particularly low, which is why I just start small. It can be meeting a friend for a half hour walk, or going shopping/for coffee with a family member. If you’re able to, plan a night away somewhere with a partner/friend or a meal out. It’s important to remember that plans don’t always have to be social though – sometimes it’s nice to make plans for just you. Plan in an indulgent bath on a midweek evening, or time to sit and do some colouring/another hobby you enjoy. Having things to look forward to always help me keep a little light at the end of the tunnel.

These are just a few things I try to incorporate into my life to keep myself ticking along. These by no means work 100% of the time but mixing it up a bit definitely helps level out my mood and give me little chinks of light!

Do you have any things you do to help keep your mood lifted? Please share them in the comments as I love to try different things! Thank you again for reading my blog, I really do appreciate it!

Love, KH xxxxxx

Tag: Get to Know Me

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019Posted in TagsTagged 30ThingsTag, aboutme, blogger, Cornwall, creative, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, personal, personaltag, tagLeave a comment

A few blog posts in, I thought it was a good time to get to know me a little bit better. I found the questions for this tag on Pinterest which, as always, is an amazing source of inspiration! Let me know of any other tags you’ve either done yourself, or enjoy reading, in the comments!

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Cornwall, not far from Plymouth. While I was born in Plymouth, I came straight home to Cornwall and have lived there every year of my life bar two, so I do consider myself Cornish!

2. Where do you currently live?

Cornwall, still. In the same place I grew up! People often ask why I haven’t moved away and the answer is simple: because I love where I live and I don’t want to!

3. Who is your first best friend?

My friend, Amy. We became friends at playgroup when we were 2 years old and went through school in the same classes and now live within 5 minutes of each other.

4. How tall are you?

I’m 5″9 – I guess I started being “above average” height at the end of primary school. In my teens I HATED it but now it doesn’t bother me. I don’t really wear heels anymore but I think that’s more of a comfort thing than worrying about my height.

5. Dogs or cats?

Hands down, dogs. My childhood dog, Dylan was a rescue and he was just the most special boy. Losing him after being in my life for 11 years was completely heartbreaking. Of course, we now have our beautiful Lola Bear and she has brought us so much joy.

6. Funniest moment throughout high school?

I’m struggling to think of one specific moment: I was very well behaved in all stages of my schooling and generally loved learning. It was probably just the moments with my friends, out on the field at lunchtime messing around.

7. What year were you born?

1993 – 90s baby!

8. Did you go to University?

Yes, I went later than most. When I finished 6th Form/A Levels, I was done with education for a bit so I went out to work as a receptionist/administrator. I had various other jobs before going back to University to study to be a primary teacher. I think the life experience I gained working for a few years before going was invaluable.

9. What is your favourite drink?

I’m a big water drinker but I am very partial to a Diet Coke. Once I get the taste for it, I can go through a phase of having one every day for a while (not the healthiest, I know). Then, I can not have any for months. I don’t really drink alcohol. I’m just not a fan of the taste of any of it.

10. What is your spirit animal and why?

I actually see a lot of myself in our dog, Lola. She loves her cuddles, loves food and a good nap – like me!

11. What perfume scent are you wearing?

I generally go for Eau Nude from Next day-to-day – it’s light but strong enough to make a difference.

12. Tea of coffee?

Tea – never liked coffee. I never liked tea until I was about 18 and how I came to drink it is a funny story… it was the first day of my new/first ever job and I was SO nervous and just wanted a bit of common ground with people. I kept getting asked “do you want a cup of tea?” on the tea round and because I didn’t want to seem rude I said “OK!” even though I’d never really liked it. Because I didn’t like the taste, I started off having it with two sugars to mask the taste. Thank goodness I grew to like the taste and managed to wean off the sugar altogether – I don’t think 10 sugars a day would have done me much good!

13. What are your life goals?

Right now? I just want to feel secure and happy in what I do.

14. What sports do you play/have played?

At secondary school, I was into most things. I’d do netball on a Monday, rhythmic gymnastics at lunchtime, volleyball on a Tuesday, table tennis on a Wednesday, trampolining, football, athletics, cross country…I loved it! The ones I’d say I was actually decent at were netball and athletics. I’ve dabbled in netball in my adult life but it’s never really stuck – even the “friendly, open to all” sessions became too competitive and cliquey and my anxiety wasn’t really up to all that. Now, I go to the gym twice a week mainly to do strengthening exercises and I really enjoy yoga.

15. Have any books you’ve read changed your life?

I wouldn’t say any have changed me to that level – there are definitely books I read that make me think or have a lasting impression though.

16. What is your favourite movie?

I’m not actually a big movie person – I can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema! I’m a huge of the Star Wars saga, though.

17. Who are your favourite YouTubers?

In my late teens/early twenties I was very much into the Zoella movement. I don’t tend to watch YouTube much now for that purpose, but I did come across some videos by Lucy Wood and she’s pretty awesome and relatable.

18. Do you speak any languages and how well?

Considering I learnt French for 3 years and Italian for 2 you’d think so but…no.

19. Are you single or taken?

Very much taken – married!

20. What is your idea of a dream date?

Honestly, anything where we can just spend time together as a couple. Going out to eat is always a winner as we both love our food. Mark always jokes about how low maintenance I am – only a few months into meeting he asked where I wanted to go to eat and I said KFC!

21. How long was your longest relationship?

About 7 and a half years. I was with someone from the age of 15 to 23. Nothing sinister, we just grew up and became different people.

22. How would you describe your fashion sense?

I mean, I’m awful at knowing “what goes with what”, so I generally stick to plain and simple. I love jeans and a white t-shirt. I like plain t-shirts with the tiniest little pattern or logo or print. Like high-waisted and really love stripes. Most of my wardrobe is black, white or grey!

23. What is your go-to hairstyle?

My hair naturally isn’t necessarily curly but it’s full of waves and kinks and can be very frizzy. For a few years now I’ve had a keratin treatment done on it, which means it stays sleek and straight for a minimum of 6 months ( I know, I didn’t believe it either, but it genuinely works!) It’s about £140 from the salon I go to which is crazy good compared to other places and it is so, so worth it. The amount of time it must’ve saved me in straightening, let alone how much healthier it is without all the heat styling. I really like wearing my hair down, so because of this treatment, my go-to is basically blast drying it and then going! On a non-hair wash day I tend to put a bit of a curl in it to distract from the greasiness…

24. How many siblings do you have?

One older brother called Jack. We’ve always got on growing up (aside from the standard sibling bickering) and we share a lot of common interests. I see him pretty much every day as he only lives a few minutes down the road.

25. What is your go-to fast food order?

Depends which fast food it is. Indian would be a chicken biriyani. McDonalds a Big Mac. KFC a Boneless Banquet (with gravy, obvs). Burger King is a Chicken Royale with Cheese. God I’m hungry now!

26. PC or Mac?

HP PC.

27. Your most memorable vacation?

When I was younger, I was very fortunate to go to America several times with my family and we had numerous amazing experiences: Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Route 66, Highway 1, Rocky Mountains to name but a few. Those are obviously very memorable. A shorter and much closer to home trip that’s very memorable for me was my after wedding MiniMoon where we went to a spa hotel in Falmouth. It was just the most lovely weekend.

28. What are your morning/evening routines?

On a work evening/morning I tend to try to be as organised as I can to avoid rushing as that can make me really stressed. I usually shower/bath in the evening so I can have a little bit extra in bed. On my days off/weekends I tend to still be up early because of the puppy but things are generally a bit more chilled.

29. Do you have any bad habits?

Staying on my phone once I’ve gotten into bed and the next thing I know it’s nearly midnight…

30. Tell us one thing about you that we wouldn’t know?

I had a miscarriage at 15 weeks late last year and it’s the hardest thing me and my husband have ever had to go through, separately and together.

And that’s it! 30 things to get to know me. Thank you so much again for reading!

Love KH xxx

May Favourites

June 6, 2019June 6, 2019Posted in FavouritesTagged blogger, Cornwall, creative, fashion, Favourites, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, MayFavourites, newblogger, personal, reading, readingblog, sketchingLeave a comment

I love reading “favourites” blogs – seeing things people have been loving watching/wearing/reading/eating. There’s so many things I’ve been loving throughout May and so I thought it was my turn to share. You’ll have to excuse the fact it’s quite an eclectic mix!

First up, we have a book I’ve been loving. Reading has always been a complete passion of mine. I can remember being 7 years old and going to the local library every Saturday, taking out the maximum allowance of 10 books and reading them all that week, only to go back and swap for 10 more the following weekend. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury of time anymore, so reading is generally reserved for the ten minutes in bed before my eyes start to droop and the words go blurry (or before my sleepy husband says he wants the light off…must invest in a reading light!) In a good month, I may manage to finish a book. This one is by Jill Mansell and is called “This Could Change Everything.” I like books with lots of characters and different narratives as it keeps me interested. This one ticks that box!

Next, onto clothes. I’m obsessed with finding comfortable clothes for work which not only look nice but that I can easily work in. My day job is quite active so it has to be comfy! One of the brands I have been absolutely loving for workwear-turned-casualwear is Popsy. They’re a small business who hand-sew all their dresses and their designs are adorable. The quality is so high and they’re so individual and different. Being a taller girl, I struggle to find dresses that have an appropriate length for work but these fit the bill perfectly. Plus – this is the best bit – THEY HAVE POCKETS!!!! This is the first Popsy dress I bought with an adorable sausage dog print but I’ve bought 6 more since then! Find them at http://www.popsyclothing.co.uk

My next favourite is more of a hobby I’ve been loving. Sketching is something I never really did up until a few years ago. I started doing it because I needed something to occupy my mind when all it wanted to do was jump from thought and thought and never settle. It made me really focus as it’s not something that comes naturally to me and I have to concentrate hard. I look for inspiration on Pinterest and just go from there! I even have an Instagram account dedicated to my sketches (@katesketchings) if you wanted to go check out more. Again, it’s not something I make much time for anymore but I started picking up a pencil again this month and I love it! In the picture are some sketches I framed and put up in our bedroom as I wanted to celebrate and be proud of my work (and it fit with our colour scheme!)

I couldn’t do a favourites post without including food as it is one of my true loves. Nothing healthy but…When we treat ourselves to pancakes some weekends, I’m all about the Nutella. However, I decided to cheat on it last month and bought Cadbury’s chocolate spread instead. Oh. My. God. It was amazing. Literally tasted like a bar of Cadburys, except it was melted and smeared all over my pancake. I’ve also found myself having a cheeky spoonful here and there. Would be rude not to…

My final May favourite doesn’t have a photo, nor is it a new favourite of mine but it had to be mentioned. Since James Corden’s absolute bomb drop of an announcement that Gavin and Stacey was coming back for a Christmas special, we’ve been re-watching the series from start to finish. It’s something we’ve always put on if we need cheering up or there’s nothing on (quite often) but we’ve properly watched it all the way through again. Yes, I can quote it word for word. No, I’m not ashamed.

And that’s it for my May favourites! I hope you enjoyed reading what I’ve been loving over the past month! As I said, I love reading other people’s favourites so if you have any links to other blog posts, let me know in the comments below 🙂

Thank you so much for joining me again!

Love KH xxxxxx

Day Tripper: Mount Edgcumbe

June 2, 2019Posted in Day TripperTagged blogger, Cornwall, daytrips, hobby, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lifestyleblogger, newblogger, personal, puppywalksLeave a comment

For my first “proper” post of this blog, I’ve decided to go with a trip out. I love hearing about people’s favourite places, what to do there, best places to eat (this one is obviously really important) and browsing their photos. Even if it’s somewhere a long way away that I’m unlikely to be able to visit, it’s lovely to see where people enjoy making their memories.

Earlier today, me and hubby took our puppy Lola (you’ll see lots of her on this blog I’m sure!) to Mount Edgcumbe. It’s a gem of a country park situated just across from the city of Plymouth. There’s beautiful scenery there, cute cafes, quirky shops and we love that it’s completely dog friendly! Often very busy during the summer/school holidays/nice weather, today’s drizzle meant it was really quiet, which I have to admit was really nice!

We started off walking from the car park through to the Italian Gardens, which has a lovely eatery called The Orangery. The colours are beautiful, even in drizzly weather.

From there, you walk along a path overlooking Plymouth, more notably the Royal William Yard (renovated naval offices, transformed into trendy apartments and restaurants). It’s a really special place for me and my husband as it’s not only where we had our first date but where he proposed to me!

Along from here, there’s an Apiary, which houses hundreds of bees! It’s part of a new project to protect and conserve our bees. It’s definitely worth a look – they even have a bee cam!

Walking up through the French gardens offers many more beautiful flowers, including a wide selection of roses and cork trees – some are so old they have grown right over into the ground!

By this point, we’d worked up quite an appetite and a rather heavy shower had set in, so we headed to The Stable for some lunch. It’s name is rather accurate, as it is literally a converted horse stable, with original stone floor and water troughs! I had a fish finger sandwich which was very delicious.

Walking back around took us past some more beautiful plants, and the impressive man-made Green Man – built for a festival the previous weekend, he sits made out of a variety of foliage, leaves and sticks. Lola wasn’t quite sure what it was!

Old canons remain pointed towards Plymouth…Lola was determined to achieve World Pawmination, but we managed to pull her away last minute!

A leisurely 3 hours later and we were back at the car. Despite the occasional drizzly shower, we all had a lovely time. We almost didn’t go this morning as the sky was very grey and the weather forecast wasn’t promising but looking back we’d have missed out on such a lovely time! Nothing a pair of wellies and a coat can’t fix – and Lola certainly didn’t mind!

I hope you enjoyed reading the first of what I hope will be many Day Tripper blog posts. Mount Edgcumbe is probably one of my favourite go-to places for a walk and a spot of lunch. Do you have any favourite places or suggestions for lovely days out? Share them in the comments below! 🙂

Until next time,

KH xxxxxxxxx

A Cornish Wife’s Tale Begins

May 31, 2019June 1, 2019Posted in MeTagged blogger, creative, fashion, hobby, lifestyle, newblogger, personalLeave a comment

Welcome to this blog; my new, personal, little space on the Internet. Everyone’s welcome – unless you’re an unkind, unpleasant human being. Then you can politely go away 🙂

I love being creative and being productive and what better way to do that than jump on the blogging bandwagon? I started blogging about six years ago at university but that was mainly about my day job and I kinda’ want to write about things a little more personal to me. It’s not that I no longer find my job interesting – I do – I just want to share other things which are important in my life.

It’s going to be a real mixture of topics: home decor, food, mental health, exercise, hobbies, trips out and my beautiful home county of Cornwall, my puppy Lola, fashion, books – anything I’m into at any one time and am finding interesting! They may be longer, chatty posts or shorter, to-the-point posts. I’m just looking forward to creating a trail of memories and discussions about topics I’m interested in and hoping to connect and share with lots of people along the way!

Any advice on blogging and WordPress in particular is most welcome but other than that, please come and say hey! I can’t wait to meet you 🙂

Love KH xxxxxxx