Spring Forward!

When we moved to our current house I made several wardrobe related resolutions, one was too try and keep our own stuff to our own room (no more filling up the spare room wardrobe with outfits) and the other was to stop rotating winter and summer clothes and just make the most out of everything. Eventually it became clear that I either couldn't keep both of those resolutions, or I was going to have to clear out a lot of stuff, so back to separating out some winter and summer things it was. As the weather has started to warm up and the nights get lighter I have found myself hesitating at putting on a thick woolly dress, so when the clocks changed this weekend I decided it was time to pack the winter gear away and get out all my lovely summery things (even if it is still too cold to wear most of it) This means pulling everything out of the wardrobe and wrestling it into vacum bags to shrink down, only to discover that winter gear takes up twice as much space and that inevitably there is a hole in one of the bags (cue a quick dash to Argos). Eventually it was done and I now feel like I have a whole new wardrobe to play with as I find things I forgot I had. Ironically saying this I am sat here writing in my usual home working attire of hoody and joggy bottoms, not a floaty summer's dress in sight, but the wardrobe is there bursting (literally) with potential!

Fondant Fridays #6

Due to this little series of posts I have now begun to associate pastel colours with Friday, which means no more work and a few cheeky beers in the pub, so my love of these shades is just increasing! Apparantly the weather might warm up again this weekend too, so even more of a chance to wear them. Anway this week's number features some pink Topshop Baxter jeans that I got last summer. I like the fact that the pink is more muted and not too bright and is therefore perhaps easier to match with other items. The top was an M&S sale bargain I think from the end of last year that I have only just got around to digging out. Like most skinny jeans you can dress these up or down, I think the look I have here would work well for a slightly smarter day outfit (due to the heels which normally means smart for me) The loose hanging of the top helps hide any tummies, so perhaps good for a lunch out (now I just need to engineer myself a lunch out as I am not sure sitting on the sofa in my joggies counts!)  Anyway as always let me know what you think.

Jeans - Topshop

Top - M&S

Walk: Nangreaves

We are both big walkers/hikers and love getting out in all weathers. Many years ago my Dad bought us a book called 'Pub Walks in Lancashire' and it was doing our first walk out of that book that we discovered the village where we live now! It is the perfect book for Sunday strolls, none of the walks are more than about 8 miles and all of them start/finish at a good pub serving proper ale. So on Sunday as the weather was looking better we decided to get out and stretch our legs. Our walk started in Nangreaves at the Lord Raglan pub. It was 7.5 miles and all fairly easy going. Like many of our walks in Lancashire it had a mix of mud, moors, industrial heritage and mud.

Walk done we collapsed in the pub for a well earned pint. The Lord Raglan has its own microbrewery on site and we decided to try a pint of the Balaclava and the Citrus. They were both extremely good and quite light.The pub has a nice old fashioned feel with wooden furniture in a mix of styles and sizes. The food also looked excellent and it was busy which is always a good sign. I think we'll definitely return to try it out. Apologies for the slight blurriness of the photos below, it was the camera not the beer honest!

Fondant Fridays #5

So this week's Fondant Friday is a lovely minty green jumper that I found the other week in Zara menswear! I figured it is perfect for a laid back spring look as it is cotton rather than woollen and a lovely pastel colour. I have worn this today just simply over a pair of Topshop skinny jeans with boots and a simple necklace for a bit of bling. However I have also styled it over a skirt and with shirts underneath to vary the look and dress it up more. The colour is also a little different (I am sure I will see it loads now I have this) which I liked. It only goes down to a medium in menswear so if you are a small wee thing then it might drown you, especially in the arms, but the fit on me is fine.
What do you think- do you buy menswear too when you like the style of something?

Jumper - Zara

Jeans - Topshop

Boots - New Look

Prettier on the inside

Well thank goodness for antibiotics I am slowly starting to feel human again, however not enough that I want to share my face with you all! However the other week I spied some lovely underwear in M&S (where else for underwear?) with a slightly vintage look to it, so I was delighted when a parcel came last week from Mr Owl to cheer me up, containing the said undies. After all who doesn't feel better when they are wearing a nice matching underwear set? There is absoloutely zero chance of me modelling these for the blog, however I wanted to share them. The longer length of the bra felt a little odd at first, but then I am sure it began to make me sit up straighter and improve my posture so a workout as well as support! I love the detail of the little buttons and lace finish.  Even better for all of you, these are now on sale in M&S so snap them up before they are gone.

 

Underwear set - M&S

Man down- send (medicinal) whisky

Normal service will be resumed shortly...

 

Fondant Fridays #4

So last week's Fondant Friday didn't happen, sorry about that, but hopefully it is all back up and running now. This week features a lovely pale blue cable knit jumper that I got for my birthday from TopShop. With it's loose boxy shape it is ideal for throwing on over a pair of skinnies. It also means you can get a few layers underneath too when it is cold. I think jumpers like this are great for this time of year, the paler colour is a nice nod to spring, but the thick jumper lets you stay warm, possibly even coat free like me, which again has more of a spring feel to it.

Jumper - Topshop

Jeans - Tophop

Boots - New Look

Galettes

I am sure everyone is sick of reading posts on pancakes, but mine are galettes and crepes so that makes it different right? As a child pancake day was always a tradition, with Dad manning the frying pans while we all sat waiting like starving chicks for our turn to come around. We always had sweet ones after tea with lemon and sugar and we were all allowed one with Grand Marnier on too! However after a holiday in Brittany a few years ago Mr Owl and I discovered galettes and decided to take pancake day to a whole new level. So now we start our meal with savoury pancakes (galettes) stuffed with potatoes, onion, bacon, mushrooms and cheese in a white wine and cream sauce, and then end with the traditional sweet ones.
I use the same batter mix for both: egg, milk and plain flour in a ratio of 1 egg to one cup of flour and one cup of milk. Blitz up, ideally a couple of hours before cooking, and leave to stand.

Meantime in a frying pan, fry the bacon, then add onions, mushrooms and diced potatoes. Add a generous splosh of white wine and cook down before stirring in some double cream. Season with salt and pepper, I also like to add some thyme and parsley. This is your galette filling.

Then you need to get busy making your actual pancakes. I tend to make them all in one batch and keep them warm under foil in the oven on a low temperature. Once cooked then you can stuff your galettes (pancakes) with the filling and grate cheese on top. Pop them back in the oven for 10mins to melt the cheese. I normally do 2 per person as they are large pancakes. This gives you time to pour a large glass of the wine you had to open in order to cook with - what a shame!

Pudding is easy- the remaining pancakes covered in a sweet filling of your choice. We went simple this year with lemon and sugar to try and offset our full stomachs!
Do you have any alternative pancake ideas or suggestions for other savoury fillings?

Swan Lake

What a crazy few weeks, but hopefully normal blogging service will resume now. Anyway I wanted to show you these lovely trousers that I picked up from M&S Outlet the other week for the bargain price of £7! I have always liked these peg leg/chino-esque style trousers but for ages convinced myself that they were not flattering on me. I have now either stopped caring or changed my mind as have acquired a few pairs recently, and for such a good price it would be rude not too. They're great when you don't fancy jeans but your legs don't like tights either (fellow eczema sufferers will sympathise). I find the hardest thing however is matching a pair of shoes to them, they do tend to work better in the summer when you can match them with sandals or flipflops. Anway for this outfit I turned to my trusty cons and matched them with a lovely shirt I had from Oasis. The orange in the swan's beaks seemed to match up well. What do you think- is this style of trousers still unflattering on me?

Trousers - M&S

Shirt - Oasis

Shoes - Converse