Tuffa Boots

Whoever is in charge of legs obviously didn't like me as I ended up with the short stumpy variety rather than the lovely long gazelle type. This has always meant that buying any boots that venture above the ankle is a little tricky. However my sister (who has the same leg issues) discovered the solution - Tuffa boots! These are designed to be riding or yard boots but are also I think nicely enough designed and made to wear as fashion boots too. It is an added bonus that they are lined in lambswool and are waterproof with a solid sole for muddy days. Living where we do, they are my 'go to choice' as they look good when we arrive at the pub but they mean I don't get covered in mud on the way there! I have worn them casually with skinny jeans or smarter with a dress and think they always look good. Therefore when I went for a sunny stroll the other lunchtime they were the natural choice.

 

 

Do you think my boots work as the ultimate all-rounder or have you found anything better? Any suggestions for these legs always appreciated.

Burn's Night

Due to having a Scottish part of the family and a natural fondness for turning food into occasions (or vice versa) we have got in the habit of celebrating Burn's Night. This year we couldn't do it on the day itself due to a triple birthday party, so we delayed until Sunday instead. We tend to use this as an excuse to eat and drink anything that we can vaguely link to Scotland, but always with haggis, neeps and tatties for the main meal. We had a MacSween haggis and I find the easiest way to cook it is in the microwave. Neeps and tatties (potato and swede) are just cooked and mashed. It may not look like the most appetising dish but it tastes fantastic, the spicy flavours of the haggis balanced by the creamy potato.

It wouldn't be Burn's Night without a wee dram or two of whisky, and luckily Mr Owl and I have a fairly large collection to choose between. Seeing as it was a 'school night' we had to resist the urge to do a complete taster session and instead settled on the Glenlivet to start as it is very smooth. We then finished after the meal with a spicier Dalmore along with our oatcakes and cheese (the French have always been allies of Scotland right?) and shortbread. I could do it all again this evening! Do you have any occasions or events you like to celebrate with food/drink, or any suggestions for how we could improve our Burn's Night next year?

 

Leather Satchel Co

It was Mr Owl's birthday in January and he decided he needed a new bag, mainly for work purposes. He liked the idea of a proper satchel, as they are robust and the ideal shape to hold papers/laptop etc but also a classic piece to invest in. After some online research he found The Leather Satchel Co who hand make all their custom satchels in the UK. Their website is very easy to use and not only gives you a large range of satchel sizes to choose from but also a huge array of customisations from the colour(s) to the straps to having your monogram embossed on your satchel. Once you have finally decided you just drop them an email with your request and they still start making it for you. It normally takes a couple of weeks depending on how customised your satchel is.
Mr Owl decided to keep his simple and classic as he was going for the largest size of a 15" Tallboy! He chose Racing Green as the colour and added on a shoulder strap pad, briefcase handle and a blind monogram. He is really pleased with the result, especially as it looks good when just used in the day casually as well as for work. I am now eyeing these up myself, can a girl have several birthdays in a year just to justify presents?

Vive l'Ecosse!

I got this lovely Zara blazer from Mr Owl for my birthday but so far have only worn it to go out in the evenings. However as the sun was shining I decided it was warm enough to wear as long as I could get several layers underneath and my tartan scarf over the top! We even had a go at some 'proper' fashion blog style photos, not bad for the first attempt, though I need to work on the posing!

I wore my red Ralph Lauren jumper over a classic Oxord Shirt with a simple black skirt. I love this jumper as it is really warm but it is cotton rather than wool which my overly sensitive skin is much happier about. I think the blazer with the scarf combination really works, but I am not completely happy with the rest of the outfit. Mr Owl suggested that it had a hint of the french teacher about it, apart from the tartan. Do you think he is right, is this tres chic or rien d'extraordinaire?

Byron- burgers not poets!

A large number of late January birthdays saw us heading into Manchester this weekend to hit the shops. Presents acquired, along with most of the contents of Paperchase, we decided to recover with a late lunch/early tea (why is there not a word for this like brunch?) Fairly new to Manchester is the Byron burger chain. Burger fever seems to have taken over in the southeast, e.g. London, based on other bloggers but until now we only had GBK as an exclusive burger venue up here.
The decor in Byron is nicely done and the staff were welcoming even though it was very quiet. We were impressed by their selection of beers, in particular US ones and so we ordered a drink while we checked out the menu.

 

 

We both decided on an original Byron burger to eat (burger, cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, onion and Byron sauce), however I went for the skin on chips while Mr Owl had french fries. We also had a bowl of onion rings to share. The burgers were served speedily with a lovely large gherkin on the side!

 

 

 

They tasted nice but to be quite honest I was expecting to be blown away by them, based on other reviews and the price of almost £10 a burger and chips extra at around £3. Blown away I was not, although the chips and onion rings were tasty. The restaurant itself was good and I like the menu and decor, however for the price and taste I suspect there are other places I would go to first.

Are you a burger fan, what are your favourite burger joints? Help this Little Owl to wise up.

 

 

 

 

Are these boots made for walking?

Ankle boots have been around for ages now, but as with most things I am a little late jumping on the bandwagon. Maybe it is because I remember ankle boots from the eighties and so they still give me a little shiver of fear! Anyhow I picked up this pair in the sales from House of Fraser online. They are by Steve Madden and were half price (though this was still quite expensive!) Trouble is I can't actually decide if I like them or not e.g.if they work with my stumpy little legs?

I decided the only way to be sure was a quick trying on session in my lunchbreak - as you do. I started off with two pairs of skinnies in different colours.

I haven't totally got the hang of how you tidy up your jeans where they meet the boot- I either end up with an untidy tuck-in or a big roll. Am sure there must be a blog out there to help me! Then it was on to a dress to see how verstile these could be.

 

 

 

 

 

So what do you think- can I wear these boots with jeans and dresses or just one or neither. Do they look good or am I just too stumpy for them? All thoughts appreciated.

 



Lakeland Break

We often try and have a few days away in the Lakes, just the two of us, at the start of the New Year before returning to work. We are both big walkers and it is nice to have a few days when the Lakes are more peaceful and we can walk off all that Christmas overindulgence.  This year for various reasons we had our holiday before Christmas rather than after. We went to stay at the Eltermere Inn in Elterwater in the Lake District. We had stayed here for our first wedding anniversary and had wanted to go back ever since. It is family run and has just 12 rooms right by the lake in one of my favourite Lake District villages. There is also excellent walking right on the doorstep.
We stayed in 'Willy Goodwaller' one of their standard rooms tucked away in the eaves. (not that I would call this 'standard')

 

 

On arrival we had afternoon tea and a large slice of lovely homemade cake in the lounge. The hotel food is excellent and in the evening we enjoyed eating in the bar with the fire burning away. There is also a lovely Georgian restaurant if you prefer a slightly more formal setting and where breakfast is served.

Afternoon tea with homemade Victoria Sponge

Scallops to start

Duck Confit and Belly Pork with Potato Dauphinoise

We got some lovely walks in while we were there, even though the weather was fairly mixed.

A few days of walking aren't the best for outfits as most of the time was spent in walking gear. However I did get to wear my lovely new jumper from Topshop along with a fabulous tartan scarf from Zara that was a birthday present from my little sister!

Now I just need to think of an excuse for us to go back again!

Two Christmases

I obviously have not totally got the hang of this blogging thing yet, as I think vanishing offline for a few weeks is definitely bad, however I am back now and therefore have a few catchup posts to do. First up Christmas; even back when Mr Owl and I were still just courting, we decided that we wanted to spend Christmas together. As my family live at the other end of the country the only option was to alternate which family is lucky enough to get us for Christmas. However as my sister and brother-in-law work in the emergency services, and therefore never get Christmas off, we always have Christmas Day 2 (or CD2: Revenge of the Mince Pies) on one of the days they are off. This means two Christmases- which personally I love!
This year we were staying up north with Mr Owl's family for Christmas Day itself, but were in our home for Christmas Eve. My family have always had a tradition of eating ham sandwhiches with a glass of champagne late on Christmas Eve. This purportedly started when my parents were waiting for us kids to fall asleep so that Father Christmas could visit and is one that we are happy to adopt as our own! (it involves champagne, nuff said!). The pub crawl around our locals beforehand is an element we inventively added in ourselves.

Ham sarnies and champers darling!

All the decorations up

Christmas Day itself was lovely, far too much food was eaten and definitly too much alcohol, starting with cheeky Buck's Fizzes in the morning.

Starting the day the right way!

The highlight of the day has to be the Playmobil castle that our nephew got with catapults, flying dragons and slingshots. I am not sure how much he got to play with it, but all the adults loved it!

Then it was off down south to do the whole thing over again. My family's Christmas (whether it is the actual day or the second go at it) always has presents under the tree, followed by a walk which inevitably ends up in the pub. Then it is back home for pre-dinner drinks and snacks.

We always have smoked salmon to start (are you starting to sense that we are very traditional/stuck in our ways) and of course turkey with all the trimmings.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with lots of lovely goodies. Do you have traditions in your family for Christmas or do you like to try something new every year? Finally what Christmas would be complete without a slice of Christmas Cake! Merry (belated) Christmas.