Sunshine

Things have been a little manic recently with work (don't they know I have a blog to write?!) so apologies for not posting yet this week. However I wanted to share some photos from the weekend, when we had a little bit of sunshine and decided to get out and make the most of it. Wellies are a must at the moment as the ground is still very wet, I got these ones a few years ago for my birthday. They are Hunter's Huntress wellies, which means they have a more feminine cut to the legs, I am sure my Dad thought that was a good thing when he got them, forgetting that my calves are not the slimmest! Despite that they are still incredibly comfy and nothing like the wellington boots I remember as a child. To keep warm whilst out I wore a jumper and gilet from Crew Clothing and hat from Barts.
I am not sure that the shape of my skirt does me any favours, and much as I love the warmth of thick woollen tights they seem to add inches, I'll have to stick to the standard opaques.

Wellingtons - Hunter

Gilet - Crew Clothing

Jumper - Crew Clothing

Skirt - H&M

Hat - Barts



Fondant Fridays #3

A little break in the weather last night meant we could escape out for some fresh air, and the sunshine made it feel like spring was almost on the way. Therefore some boyfriend jeans, white pumps and my yellow Ralph Lauren jumper seemed the obvious outfit choice to watch the sun dropping over the reservoir. Admittedly my toes were starting to go slighly numb on the stroll back, so perhaps I need to rethink this slightly until the weather warms up more. I always find this time of year tricky to dress for, with all the new colours and styles in the shops you want to start dressing for spring- then the heavens open again and it is back to wellies and jumpers. Jumpers in lighter colours with paler jeans seems to be a way to compromise (though socks are still required!) The lemony yellow of this jumper reminds me of the lovely yellow Fondant Fancies my Friday posts were named after, sadly I didn't have any of the chocolate that is always drizzled over them to hand.

Tennis

As mentioned in my last post, we went over to the Lowry on Saturday for a bit of shopping, gallery and theatre. This meant finding an outfit that would go from one situation right through to the other, and that was also warm. I opted for a Fred Perry woollen dress as you can't really go wrong with black, but I love the detail of the little collar on it. Over the top I wore my Zara overcoat. I got this a couple of years ago  but its classic cut and style means (hopefully) that it doesn't date. To brighten it all up I added my yellow Topshop bag and a bright pink Clinique lipstick.
 Mr Owl was also looking very dapper in his Reiss shirt and blazer by Nudie Jeans.

Punt & Dennis

On Saturday evening we had tickets to see Punt and Dennis performing at the Lowry in Salford. Having grown up with The Mary Whitehouse Experience before graduating to The Now Show and Outnumbered we were excited to see them live. We decided to make a day out of it and head over to Salford Quays in the afternoon. Sadly despite the arrival of Media City, the outlet shopping centre is still poor with M&S being one of the best options (though always useful for stocking up on undies). Therefore we went over to the Lowry itself to check out the latest exhibition, which was on Musical Manchester. We both loved the Body Popping poster, though not enough to try out any moves.

Then there was just time for a quick drink in the bar before filling our stomachs at Pizza Express. Finally it was the main event itself. On the whole I would say they were good, but sadly not excellent. A little disappointingly they avoided too much satire (which they are so good at in the Now Show) and stuck to slightly 'safer subjects' The Waitrose jokes were funny though along with Hugh's slight obsession with his own buttocks. It was however an entertaining night out and something we are determined to try and do at more regular intervals.

Fondant Fridays #2

This week's Fondant Friday coincides with Valentines Day so my outfit had to be something more romantic, and pink seemed the obvious (cliched) fondant colour to go for. This beautiful pink maxi skirt was from Tophop last year, I love the floaty fabric over the top of the satin underskirt. You can wear it casually in the summer with a vest and some bangles or dress it up. I also plan to try it with a chunky jumper for contrast (and probably more practical in the current weather). To stay with the romance of the day I paired it with a cream lace top from H&M and just kept to a few bracelets. What do you think- is this a romantic Valentines outfit?

Too cool for school?

Am I the only one struggling to take outfit shots at the moment with all this wind and rain? In a brief dry spell I managed to dash out to capture these- I am sure that 'wind hair' will be this year's big look! I have been meaning to post on this dress for a while, as it seems to hit two key trends at present- pastels and tartan. The dress is H&M from a few years ago, I saw it on a poster and loved it instantly, and then spent several days tracking it down. (In my head I look like the 6ft model who wore it in the poster too- honest!). The only downside is that whenever I do wear it, I generate a lot of comments about schoolgirls- which I am not going to repeat here! I still love it though, so wanted to share. What do you think- am I getting too old (sob sob) to wear pinafores?!

Marmalade

January is marmalde time as it is the only time you can get the tangy Seville Oranges needed to make it over here. So last weekend we took advantage of the rain to make this years batch. I thought I would share the recipe with you as it is so straightforward to do and makes lovely marmalade that lasts through the year.

Ingredients:
1kg Seville Oranges (I get mine from Waitrose as no one else up here seems to stock them)
2kg Preserving Sugar (not Jam sugar)
1 Lemon

Stick your whole oranges in a large pan of hot water and simmer for 2 hours until they have gone all soft.
Once cool enough take off the ends and remove all the pips. Throw the pips back in the pan of water and bring to the boil for 5mins.
Meantime chop up your orange skins very small (I use the food processor but careful not to totally blend it)

Remove the pips from the boiling water and make it up to 3 pints.
Then add your chopped/blended orange peel and all the sugar and juice of the lemon. Stir this around until all the sugar has dissolved. Then bring the pan to a rolling boil and let it boil for about 45mins

While that boils place some plates in the freezer- you can use these to check it has set. Make sure your jars are clean and sterilise them by placing them in the oven for a few minutes. I collect my jars over the year so always have an odd assortment of them.

Once the marmalde has been boiling for about 45mins you can start testing it. Spoon a small amount onto an icy plate from the freezer, then push it to see if it wrinkles. If it does then your marmalade is ready to go, if not let it boil another minute or so and try again. You can then fill up your hot jars and put the lids on.

The marmalade should keep for a year or two if well sealed and kept dry. Let me know what you think!

Fondant Fridays: #1

I have seen lots of other bloggers doing posts on pastels, which are a big trend for SS14. Looking through my wardrobe it seems amazingly I was ahead of the game here and have a lot of pastel/muted shades - in fact enough to do multiple outfit posts. I had also been considering trying some kind of linked or themed set of posts and the lightbulb pinged on (ok so maybe it is only a 16W but still!). So introducing....... 'Fondant Fridays'. Fridays will be devoted to candy coloured outfit posts.

After all who doesn't need something sweet to get through a Friday.  Now I admit this first post isn't quite how I hoped, as the rain lashing the windows kept me inside and light/flash doesn't do this look justice. (mental note to buy a pastel umbrella)
The dress is from Zara and the pale pink top is from H&M. The midi length and tying the belt over the top had a bit of a fifties feel to it, I am sure found myself sitting straighter and imagining a book balanced on my head. The necklace was a bridesmaid gift so not sure where it came from.
I would love to know what you think, you can get me on twitter @LittleOwlsBlog. Share your sweetie outfits with me using #FondantFridays

Winter Walk

On the rare occasions the sun has come out this winter we have to make the most of it, so on Sunday we wrapped ourselves up and went for a stroll around the block (with the promise of a cheeky pint at the end of it in exchange for taking photos of me). There isn't much other choice on a day like this except a large, comfortable jumper and my trusty Tuffa boots mentioned in my previous post. This jumper is actually from Topshop last year but there have been lots of similar ones around this year. Eczema means my skin is annoyingly sensitive so it was great to find a jumper in cotton that doesn't irritate it, but that still keeps me warm. Over the top I wore the Fatface parka I got for my birthday in November and a fabulously bright hat that was from my sister. I get really cold ears so always have a hat or earmuffs of some variety with me.  What do you like to do on a sunny winter's day?

P.S. the beer was a Winter Ale by Hopstar Brewery in Darwen and very nice it was too!