Well it's Spring, if only by the calendar and not by the weather (it's chucking it down out there today and is not very warm). That means I am thinking about getting my ankles out at some point in the near future. I am forever looking for classic trousers, with a pair of black slim cigarette style pants being top of the list. I buy several pairs a year and rarely keep any, they generally get sent straight back. Today I have a comparison for you between two pairs of black high waisted trousers. I do need to point out that these photos were taken...last August. I know, I know. A lot happened, an ..read more

Hello there from my little corner of the world. I hope this finds you well. Myself and my little family are all doing okay. Living quietly; which is what I need after last year. There really isn't much to report. We don't go anywhere or do anything. I roam the hillsides. I watch the birds in our garden. I am back at work, so my priorities have shifted. The precious little time I have that isn't working (from home), or caring for my one year old, is generally spent being restful or doing restorative things like yoga. 8pm is an acceptable bedtime. When the first of the snows came, our valley w ..read more

This time last year I'd just returned from a long weekend in Devon with Chris to celebrate my 40th birthday, including a stay at the utterly fabulous Burgh Island Hotel. This year's celebration of turning 41 years old on Friday couldn't have been more different! A birthday in lockdown, in our back garden. And it was just right. After my favourite breakfast - smoked salmon in scrambled eggs - we had a walk in our local forest again. No buzzard vs crow combat on this occasion, but we did hear a rather exuberant cuckoo. It's an area that's very quiet, with usually us encountering only a couple o ..read more

Good morning from the Rhondda valley!  May has arrived, and with it there's usually a sense of celebration.  It's a big month for birthdays among my family and friends.  Generally the temperature has slightly improved by this point, the flowers are out in full force, and the festivals, vintage fairs, car boot sales and antiques shows are beginning.  It's obviously a little more subdued than usual this year, less of a fanfare and more of a squeak.  This week I've been mainly feeling tired to be honest, the night feeds are taking their toll!  I think I've visibly ag ..read more

Another week in lockdown, and I am feeling conditioned to the situation. When restrictions are lifted, will I even want to leave my house again?!  I made a mental list of the places I am missing most (not including seeing friends and family) - the coast, National Trust properties, garden centres, maybe the leisure centre?  Chris added car boot sales.  There's a lot I could do without.  I am never short of things to occupy me. Wearing Before lockdown, I'd started back at my spin class, was going to mama yoga, and was clocking up the miles on walks pushing the pram. Instead ..read more

I posted on Instgram about the wisdom of my (not so) little brother about lockdown being a bit like Groundhog Day, the 1993 film starring Bill Murray.  Bill's character embraces the repetitive nature of his life firstly by being hedonistic, then he becomes depressed, before learning to find the positives and do some good - he learns new skills, and sets out to help others.  I've been hearing a lot of positive lockdown stories from friends, family, and my social media hemisphere.  People who have been meaning to 'get fit' for years are embracing online classes and making use of t ..read more

The last week has felt like a 'staycation' with the beautiful weather.  I've started each morning (after tending to the baby) with a walk around the garden whilst carrying my cup of tea.  It cools quickly outside, and I've usually drunk it halfway around our little plot.  The sun comes up over the mountain behind us and starts to touch the opposite side of the valley with colour.  There's hardly any early morning traffic to drown out the birdsong at the moment.  It all seems very peaceful.  I make a mental note of jobs to be done, and what plants are emerging from ..read more

The days have been fairly unremarkable, which makes the remarkable news every day seem even more surreal.  Each morning the baby wakes me with a combination of chatty vocal sounds, or slamming his legs down like a wrestler if he really wants to get my attention.  I feed him in bed whilst Chris brings up cups of tea.  We put the breakfast news on most days, but I don't watch it for long at the moment.  I then tidy up and put a load of washing on, or perhaps do some yoga, while the boys have a cuddle.  We eat brunch, rather than breakfast, as by the time we've bathed the baby and showered and dr ..read more

Lockdown with a baby is never dull!  I've really enjoyed reading other people's lockdown diaries, and so while it's nigh on impossible for me to find enough time to do a daily account, I have managed to frantically type a summary of the last week. A week ago today, Mothering Sunday was a beautiful sunny day. I'd bought a new-to-me dress for the planned afternoon tea with my mum, and decided to wear it anyway around the house after our decision to postpone. I dressed the baby in a powder blue vintage style babygro that was a gift from one of my nieces.  My dress was a mail order from Vintage V ..read more

What a difference a week makes.  This time last week I was enjoying a family outing to the seaside.  We had a long walk along the clifftops and down through the lovely gardens to the pier, stopping for a picnic on a park bench. I was very much looking forward to the weather picking up so that I could start enjoying more outings, after observing the 'fourth trimester' of mainly staying home snuggling up to baby.  I recently started back to my spin class, went to some baby groups, and was planning the rest of the year.  I envisaged spending my maternity leave having leisurely coffees ..read more