Oyster & Pearl | UK / Bristol lifestyle, travel, interiors, vegan food blog

Getting in

2021-07-26T10:23:00.006+01:00

I’ve mainly had good luck with the muse when it comes to writing. My therapist said something to me last week that immediately got me thinking about a piece of writing, so I did what I usually do. Which is to wait for the muse to hit (usually early in the morning, nudging me to get up and write it down before it disappears into the ether). But she didn’t come.

Interiors Post: Spring Spruce Ups with Wayfair

2021-03-05T14:10:00.011+00:00

Image Credit: Wayfair.co.uk

I’ve teamed up with Wayfair to bring you 'Spring Spruce Ups', a collection of advice, inspiration, and little DIY hacks for you to try at home ahead of the spring season. The blue sky from last weekend may have faded to grey but its spirit lives on for me, as it gave me renewed energy to get things sorted at home. Read on to find out what I've got planned...

New magazine series: Heart, body and soul for The Simple Things

2021-02-15T12:32:00.010+00:00

Half term and we can finally breathe a bit! I’m excited to share some pictures from a new series I’m fronting for The Simple Things magazine, beautifully photographed by Kirstie Young. The series is called Heart, Body and Soul: Create and cook with a simple ingredient to feed you, give to others and to lift your spirits.

Lockdown Confessions

2020-07-05T10:34:00.000+01:00

As I sorted the edge pieces from the middle bits for my latest jigsaw puzzle, it dawned on me that I have been keeping a secret, these past few years.

Interiors | Pine table makeover

2020-04-14T13:49:00.001+01:00

Anyone else find themselves drawn to happy, zoning-out activities like painting, crochet and jigsaw puzzles right now? With lockdown in full force, my favourite thing to do these past couple of weeks has been working on an old, nineties, orange pine table. Read on for some before and after shots, detailing how this chalk paint makeover happened and exactly how quick and easy it was to achieve.

Interiors | Retro bathroom basins & sinks

2020-03-03T14:20:00.000+00:00

Instagram is a dangerous app. For a while now, sponsored posts have been popping up on my feed and our house feed. The algorithm has me all figured out, especially when it comes to bathrooms. The first time I saw this Smithfield Basin from Claybrook Studio, I was smitten.

Interiors | Crittall-style steel windows and doors buyers guide

2020-02-19T12:46:00.000+00:00

If you've been anywhere near Pinterest or Instagram recently, you'll know that the number one must-have design feature right now is the Crittall-style steel door. Where we all once wanted a giant bi-fold or sliding door, with as much glass as possible for the most unobstructed view, glazing bars have become fashionable once again.

House Renovation 2020 has begun!

2020-02-10T13:51:00.000+00:00

A couple of months ago, we exchanged on our new house in Bristol. But we didn't move in. The house we bought is uninhabitable. It has no central heating or gas supply. It's a proper doer-upper. And today, the builders have begun!

Some thoughts on the 2019 General Election results

2019-12-19T12:44:00.000+00:00

'Voting is your values in action' - I read that quote last Thursday and felt optimistic that we were on the cusp of a shift towards something more in keeping with my values. I thought the pendulum had swung as far to the right as it could, and we were heading back in the other direction. Waking up on Friday morning I felt angry, fearful and sad, but mainly incredulous. How can people have voted for hate, for greed, for a manifesto that is not in their interests? And in such numbers?

9 Ways To Stay Warm Without Putting On The Central Heating

2019-11-19T13:31:00.000+00:00

Toast House & Home Winter collection

We’re part-way into November, the mercury is in single figures, and us freelance work-from-homers are feeling the chill. I have my own ways of keeping the heating off while remaining alive through the winter months, and I thought it might be worth sharing my tips here.

Motherhood mixtape | Five songs that broke my heart

2019-10-21T10:28:00.000+01:00

I know, I know, not the most enticing of blog titles! But I heard a new song about motherhood recently that made me cry and I realised I've been crying at beautiful music fairly consistently in my twelve years of motherhood. So I thought I'd list out the main culprits. You'll have your own heartbreakers, of course, but I hope these ones resonate (and no, the theme music to 'In the Night Garden' is not one of my five, happily!).

Storysmith HQ | Our dream home

2019-10-10T09:46:00.003+01:00

It's all happening. In a few weeks, we'll have the keys to our new home (nicknamed Storysmith HQ as an amalgamation of our surnames). But - alas - we won't be moving in for quite some time. It's a project you see...

Bee School | A Sunday spent learning about local Bristol honey

2019-09-30T16:19:00.000+01:00

A few weeks back, we spent a very special afternoon in the company of Bristol's newest beekeepers, our friends Sas and Ash. The kids are both big honey fans and desperate to see for themselves how hives work, so we headed up to the allotment for Bee School.

DIY WEDDING | Make up lesson plus what I wore

2019-08-12T17:00:00.000+01:00

When you're planning a wedding at quite short notice (in our case because my lovely stepson James was moving abroad for two years), most of the top suppliers will inevitably be booked up already. I spent ages trying to find a make-up artist who wasn't but to no avail. The other complication was that our wedding ceremony and the reception were on subsequent days, so I would've had to pick one - do I want professional make up for the formal pics or would I rather look my best for the party?

DIY WEDDING | How to make your own wedding rings in Bristol

2019-07-31T13:03:00.002+01:00

With just two days to go until our wedding, I should definitely be panicking now and not writing a blog post. Let's just say this is a cathartic and soothing distraction from the mayhem around us, as I talk you through the absolutely brilliant experience we had a few weeks back making our own wedding rings.

Swallows' Flight | A slice of summer in Devon's South Hams

2019-06-25T07:01:00.000+01:00

Now that we're past midsummer and the nights will begin to get longer again (thanks winter-loving friend who reminded me of this on Friday!), the possibility of a super summer like last year is fast slipping through our fingers. This month has been wall-to-wall rain, which has made me extra grateful for that sun-soaked Easter weekend we enjoyed in Devon a few months back.

A summer garden update

2019-05-27T17:54:00.002+01:00

When you have pale English rose skin like mine, finding shade in the summer is a necessity. We've spent the past few weekends waking the garden up from its wintry slumber - chopping back dead branches, clearing leaves, and planting.

Community Business Weekend part three | Wild Outdoors Day at Windmill Hill City Farm

2019-05-21T14:37:00.000+01:00

As any right-minded Bristolian will know, Windmill Hill City Farm is an institution. Whether you want an allotment or a nursery place, a place to hang with your toddler or a game of five-a-side, City Farm does it all.

Community Business Weekend part two | Bristol Ferry Boats

2019-05-17T09:59:00.000+01:00

Those of us who are Bristolians of a certain age remember the Harbourside before it was trendy (and still use the word trendy). When I was a kid, the area was a working dock and certainly not somewhere you’d head to for a cheeky post-work Aperol Spritz. The area has changed so much and is now our home - I’m happy every day that I look out over the water and see boats chugging by.

Community Business Weekend part one | What is it?

2019-05-13T14:08:00.000+01:00

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been asked to be a Community Business Weekend ambassador this year! Which means I’m going to be sharing details of the Weekend, why it’s important, and also profiling a community business local to me, all in advance of Community Business Weekend 2019, taking place 16-19 May.

Interiors | We're house hunting!

2019-05-11T12:09:00.000+01:00

I have big news... We've been scouring Rightmove because it's time for us to find a new home. Actually, scratch that. There's a lovely anecdote in the new Philippa Perry book 'The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)' where a kid says "we've already got a home, we just need a house to put it in", which pretty much sums it up.

Introducing Body Cons podcast

2019-03-11T12:59:00.003+00:00

Today is a very special day indeed. After months of hard work behind the scenes, we're ready to release our new podcast into the world! Introducing Body Cons...

Vegan menu review | The Ivy Clifton Brasserie, Bristol

2019-02-25T16:08:00.001+00:00

At The Ivy Clifton Brasserie, Bristol to review the vegan menu. And ogle the interiors.

Readers! I've been itching to try the vegan menu at The Ivy in Clifton, Bristol, for a while now, and was thrilled to be invited along to review. And here it is! Written by old hack and new vegan, Mike (rather than new-ish hack and old-ish vegan, yours truly). Over to Mike...

Travel | Barnsley House Cotswolds spa break review

2019-01-14T17:29:00.001+00:00

Thanks to an amazing couple of days at Barnsley House, we now have a new Christmas tradition. For the first time in the five years I've spent working freelance, I was determined to have an actual Christmas break. A full fortnight away from the laptop, resting. RESTING. And that began a few days before the kids broke up from school, with our quiet getaway to the Cotswolds.

All the books I read in 2018

2019-01-04T17:48:00.000+00:00

Last year, for the first time - inspired by my friend Franky - I kept track of all the books I read in 2018. And here they are, a few reviewed, a few unfinished (I KNOW!*) and with an explanation, a few just listed. Sorry to the authors of those ones, that seems so mean, doesn't it?

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