Peacock Feathers & Diamond Rings

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 28 May 2015 14:38:00 +0000

Don't forget, you can also read my parenting adventures at The Little Pip.

First Aid for Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 21 May 2015 14:36:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but often I feel my hair is is need of some love. Over-styling with too many blow-dries or straightening or if you've bleached it; likewise if you swim a lot or spend a lot of time
in the sun, or simply don't eat a hair-healthy diet, you'll find that it can become dry, brittle, dull, tangled, limp and in every other way unsatisfactory. So is it too much to ask, to give your hair the love it deserves?

Mine was like this recently until I had more than 8 inches chopped off. I'm also told the following can assist:

Eat a hair-friendly diet. Junk food, alcohol and caffeine don't do your hair or skin any favours, even though they taste appealing when you're tired.
Don't just eat healthy and nutritional food - use it on your hair too. Make an avocado and olive oil conditioning mask by mixing the two together and applying it to your hair and scalp and then put on a shower cap for half an hour. Rinse out and shampoo as normal and you'll find your hair wonderfully soft and shiny.
Eat a handful of walnuts every day - they'll provide you with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E and biotin, all of which contribute significantly to the condition of your hair.
Don't like avocado? Use an apple cider vinegar to rinse your hair. Apple cider vinegar is a traditional hair tonic and is reputed to reduce tangles, slow hair loss, cure an itchy scalp, minimise split ends and generally condition hair.
Eat enough protein. Protein is the basic building block of hair and if your diet's short of it, it's your hair that will suffer. The best source of protein is eggs and other good sources are poultry and fish. It's tougher to eat adequate protein if you're vegetarian or vegan but nuts, legumes and grains all contain it.
Make sure you also eat oily fish, which is packed with good oils - the omega 3 fatty acids. Not only do these condition your hair from the inside, they're also helpful if you suffer from a dry and itchy scalp. Which fish are oily? Salmon, herring, mackerel and anchovies are the obvious ones, so try and eat them at least a couple of times a week.
Who doesn't love honey? But did you realise this natural sweet stuff has wonderful hair-nurturing properties too? Mix it with olive oil or yogurt and use it as a conditioning mask for your hair - best left on for up to an hour. Once your rinse it off, shampoo like normal. It's great for dry hair and split ends.
Iron: a healthy scalp needs a healthy blood supply, so check whether there's enough iron in your diet. You'll get this super mineral from red meat or leafy green vegetables and your body's better able to absorb it if you eat Vitamin C rich foods at the same time.

Post in conjunction with NiceHair. NiceHair is a hair loss prevention specialist website featuring tips, tricks and advice on hair loss prevention, interviews, healthy eating, delicious recipes as well as beauty tips, product reviews and lists some of the most effective topical hair loss treatments. For more information please visit nicehair.org and get in touch.

Yurts up at Botelet for 2013 season

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:18:00 +0000

I've written many times before of my love of Botelet. Home to the yurt of our honeymoon and the yurt of our first family holiday with the baby, Botelet is my little corner of heaven in Cornwall. I saw today that the yurts are up for the 2013 season and they are taking bookings. Sadly, the baby now moving means we are unable to stay in the yurt this year but I am hoping to book a stay in one of the cotttages instead.

This is glamping at it's best and least pretentious. I really can't recommend more highly.

life lately... places I have been in London

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:15:00 +0000

The Drapers Arms, Islington... this was our first stop of the day, for a lunch which started off as 3 plus baby and ended up as 8. one of those days which just works and people join in. I had a wonderful beetroot and pearl barley risotto which the baby loved so much she ate spoonfuls off my plate. I also had the best latte I've had in a long time. So good, that I had to have another one later on. in fact, the food was universally decried to be excellent and the selection of drinks good too. there was also plenty of room for the baby, and a lovely garden. just right for a rainy Saturday afternoon but, I imagine, lovely in summer too.

the rest of the party decamped to watch the rugby, but, such is the way sometimes with children, Pip refused to sleep in the pub after lunch and so I just couldn't take her to watch rugby over tired but not wanting to settle in her buggy either. so Pip and her godmother and I wondered idly round some of the shops of Islington, trying on a few unflattering dresses in the Whistles sale, testing out some new products in Aesop and fighting amongst the debris in the remainder of the Gap sale.

Duke of Cambridge Organic Pub, Islington ... this was our second pub visit of the day; a lovely cosy way to while away a rainy miserable Saturday evening with friends. The Duke of Cambridge is Britain's first (and apparently only) certified organic pub. We sat round a big wooden table and interspersed our Kernal beers with various items from the bar and dinner menus, which are written up on big chalk boards. I'm hesitant to review the food, as such, as I only tried a starter and pudding, but wouldn't have recommended either. that said, the other people in our party enjoyed theirs, and the drinks were excellent. there was also water in pitchers on the bar, which was nice. the nicest things though were the little things; the changing table, highchairs, welcoming to the baby (who we popped into her pram in her pjs after food, and she went to sleep, allowing us to stay for a drink or two) and all the food information.

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photo credits:

Drapers Arms here | Duke of Cambridge pub here

Life lately... & Other Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:14:00 +0000

Sometimes one just happens to be in the right place. This lunchtime I was walking up Regents Street in the peeing rain, heading for the tube, when I passed & Other Stories, H&M and Cos's bigger designer sister and thought, ooh, I've read about that store in Vogue. I'll pop in and have a look. It seemed quite busy, but it was lunchtime, and it's been a while since I've been shopping on my own in town. I had a quick look round, admired some of the clothes, the dresses, colours, and some of the shoes and leather goods in particular but decided that I must try and abstain from any more purchasing.

In the end, I did buy a pair of black pants (lingerie, not trousers) which look faintly Stella McCartney-esque, like her range for Adidas perhaps, crossed slightly with more risqué styling, sort of black mesh. I can't find them online oddly or I'd share them.

And then, I thought I'd test out a cobalt coloured nail varnish as I love the colour but never want to spend too much on trendy colours. No time to test it yet but I'll report back. The packaging looks nice though, I like the way it looks like paint. And when I went to the till, I was given a free lip gloss as well. Which was a nice surprise. Which is where I found out that the shop had opened about an hour previous.

Which explains the crowds.

So, I thought the pieces were interesting and pretty reasonably priced. Some of the underwear was mor expensive than Cos, and, not quite as nice, but in general there looked to be lots of neutrals and useful wardrobe additions as well as lots of pops of colour including cobalt, neon coral and orange. I was quite taken with some of the brown/tan shoes but sadly the queues for trying them put me off. Another time perhaps.

Worth a visit, I think.

256-258 Regent Street
Near Oxford Circus tube station

Website here

life lately... places I have been in London

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:56:00 +0000

Kipferl (Austrian and Viennese Cafe and Kitchen) Camden Passage, Islington - After a week of my own tonsillitis and then the baby developing her own illness, I was in desperate need of a couple of hours to myself this afternoon. Leaving the baby with her Dad, I popped down to Islington and met my sister and her boyfriend. We were after somewhere to sit down and have a quick chat and we ended up eating wieners with rye and mustard whilst we caught up on the week behind and ahead. They also had a variety of delicious looking cakes, but having made a chocolate and Guinness cake on Friday, I passed.

Raystitch (99 Essex Road) - Raystitch is a haberdashers and cafe set up by Rachel Hart and is just across the road from where I used to go to WI when I used to live in Islington, although it didn't open until 2011. I've been meaning to go there for ages and I finally managed to go today when I realised I had to give back the cot sheets we borrowed when Pip was born and that given I can't find any I like, that I should just make my own. Sadly, or luckily for my bank account, I didn't have much time this afternoon to browse, it was more a case of rush in, find some fabric, have a quick coffee and leave again. They sell all sorts of fabric, haberdashery, my favourite Merchant & Mills supplies and they run all sort of classes. And did I mention they serve coffee. And cake? I will be back.

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Photo credits:

Kipferl | Raystitch

Material World (Perri Lewis)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:14:00 +0000

I love to make things, but I rarely buy books about the subject. Beautiful though they often are, they are usually filled with projects that either are impractical or lovely in theory but no one needs. Perri Lewis's Material World: The Modern Craft Bible is a little bit different.

For starters, it's not just about making things. It's full of general guidance, quotes, ideas and techniques. Secondly, it's about a variety of skills - and how to adapt them. Take the quilting chapter for instance; basic guidance and then instructions regarding a chair, but also discusses making quilts and other more utilitarian options. The one thing it's not is a follow by numbers guide. The key to Perri's work is adaptation "I like to think of this as the Jamie Oliver approach to craft. Whack in a bit extra of what you fancy, cut back on elements that you don't like, or don't have handy. Don't fret too much about the rules along the way, so long as what you end up with is perfect for you." which is perfect for me. If I had to follow a project exactly I would never start or finish anything. All my most creative work is when I just sit down and get on with it, experimenting and making it up. That said, having Perri's guide to basic technique and instruction (as well as inspiration) is quite helpful.

I haven't had that much time for crafting recently and barely any time even for reading, but I've enjoyed dipping in and out of this over the past few weeks. I'm not going to lie - I don't have time for a big project at the moment but this book has inspired me to get my sewing machine out and whizz up a couple of (teeny) projects. I even went to a haberdashers today and bought some material to make some cot sheets and bits and pieces for Pip's nursery.

And, and, I got some more Liberty scraps online so I can finally start Pip's quilt. It's not going to be a chair (well, not this incarnation, anyway) but it will be thanks to this book that it finally gets going.

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Thanks to Ebury Publishing for the review copy. All words, opinions and half finished projects my own. Find details of my sponsorship policy here.

Geek Girl (Holly Smale)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:37:00 +0000

Baby Pip (my very own Geek Girl?)

" “My name is Harriet Manners, and I am a geek.”

Harriet Manners knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a “jiffy” lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. She knows that bats always turn left when exiting a cave and that peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

But she doesn’t know why nobody at school seems to like her.

So when Harriet is spotted by a top model agent, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her best friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of impossibly handsome model Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

Veering from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, Harriet begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.

As her old life starts to fall apart, will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?"

Geek Girl was one of the reasons that I got to thinking about Young Adult fiction/literature last night. I pre-ordered this book last autumn sometime and it arrived last week, although it's official release date is today. What's that you say? A timely post? Anyhow.

You might have realised I love young adult fiction and, within that, strong female (teenage) characters. It was whilst I was reading Geek Girl that I realised that Harriet Manners is the first teenage character I've encountered who has a mobile (and who lives in this current decade - what *is* it that we are calling it - the 2010s?). This makes Harriet different from any character in any YA book that I've ever read and, I think, why I found it harder to relate to her.

That's not to say I didn't like or even love the book, I did. It's funny, and fast paced and well written and not too predictable. It's just that I can't get over the fact that I didn't recognise Harriet and it made me feel old and out of touch. And also made me a little worried for it will be like when Pip is a teenager. And Harriet's nemesis, Alexa, didn't even seem to be using social media to help enforce Harriet's status as a geek. Goodness knows what she'd have achieved if she did.

I found Harriet an interesting protagonist. On the one hand, I could see my teenage acquaintances in parts of her, although, strangely, not myself. I wasn't enough of a geek to be a geek and whilst I had friends, no best friend like Harriet. Neither pretty or ugly, I don't think I stood out particularly at school. On the other, as is often the case with teen things these days (don't I sound so like a grandmother) I often can't understand why a character struggles and so on, when it seems they have all the required attributes. That said, she was quite self obsessed - maybe that was the problem!

In the end, I liked that Geek Girl wasn't a simple geek to chic story - there was a lot more to it than that. Complicated relationships that all teenagers suffer; parents, friends, boys. Harriet's 'big moment' didn't really mean anything after all. Or did it? There is a sequel to come, after all.

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This was not a sponsored post. I bought my own copy. That said, in the interests of full disclosure, the author is a friend of mine. She didn't ask me to review it; she doesn't even know that I am. What she (hopefully) does know is that if I didn't like it, I would say it and I certainly wouldn't post a review here.

Young Adult Literature with female characters

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Whilst reading reviews of something else, I came across a sad statement. It said "It made me jealous of today’s teens who get such high quality literature written for them (it was a leap straight from Sweet Valley High to Jilly Cooper in my day)" Whilst I cannot be sure if we were teenagers at the same time (I was 13 in 1995) I rather felt for the author of a blog who writes about female authors that she seemed to have lacked so much in terms of teenage female role models or specifically young adult literature about female characters. Not that there is anything wrong with SVH or Jilly Cooper. I think I own almost every SVH ever written and just bought all the most recent ebooks as well.

I read avidly as a teenager and this statement made me try and think back to those books that I loved in those early teenage years. It also doesn't hurt that it's world book day on Friday.

Starting this post was like opening Pandora's box. The more I thought about it, the more books I could remember. This post will go on forever, so I am limiting it and I think it will have to be a reoccuring series. Add your favourites in the comments if you want.

My all time favourite was Rose, in A Little Love Song (Michelle Magorian). That's a book I still re-read to this day and such is my love for this book that my friend arranged for Michelle Magorian to sign a copy of this book for Pip. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, A Little Love Song is one summer of Rose's life as an evacuee, arriving a schoolgirl, leaving a strong confident woman. She gave me hope that I too would fall in love, but also that I didn't need to. And that I didn't need to change to be grown up and accepted; that by being myself, I'd be ok.

Nancy Blackett in the Swallows and Amazons series (Arthur Ransome) is my longest standing girl crush on a female character. I was 7 when I first read Swallows and Amazons and always wanted to be Nancy. She was a pirate, a sailor, independent, self reliant and the ring leader of all the Swallows and Amazons adventures. She could do everything that John could do, but was also a girl. I dressed up as Nancy Blackett for world book day when I was 10. Nancy is described by Sara Maitland as a childhood role model "who transcended the restriction of femininity without succumbing to the lure of male-identification" and a "hero who had all the characteristics necessary for the job; who lived between the countries of the material and the imaginary" (I realise that Susan does fall neatly into female gender stereotyping in many ways but also without Susan, none of the adventures would ever have gone ahead. Susan knew that the parental figures did not care so much for adventure but did care that one of them could be relied on to ensure everyone went to bed, ate meals and washed. All expeditions require a cook and organiser and in Ransome's case, this happened to be Susan).

Sadie Jackson in Twelfth Day of July (Puffin Teenage Fiction) and the rest of the 'Kevin and Sadie' series (Joan Lingard). Sadie lives in Belfast and is a protestant; she meets and falls in love with Kevin, a catholic. The series follows their relationship from Belfast, London and Liverpool and did a really good job of educating me about the Irish troubles. Sadie was pretty much everything I wasn't as a teenager and I think that's why I found her so fascinating. She wasn't going to let life in Belfast stop her from living; she was sassy and courageous and followed her heart rather than her father's instructions. We read The Twelfth Day of July in the third form perhaps, as part of our English coursework and I then sought out every other book in the series in the library. Partly, I suspect, because the relationship between Kevin and Sadie was at the core of the series and, much like now, I love a good romance. But there was far more to it than that.

Alex in the Alex series (Tessa Duder). Alex was a New Zealand swimming school girl with serious talent, training for and then competing at the 1960 Rome Olympics."I have always known that in another life I was-or will be-a dolphin. I am a pink human, caught in a net of ambition and years of hard work. In a few minutes I will dive into artificially turquoise water waiting at my feet. A minute later I'll either be ecstatic or a failure." (Alex in In Lane Three, Alex Archer). I was reminded of the Alex books when watching the Olympics last summer and have been trying to track them down again to re-read (I didn't own any of them and had to rely on the school library).

Liz in In spite of all terror (Hestor Burton). I could write reams on this book (and did, in my dissertation). Liz lives with her aunt and her family in East London poverty before being evacuated to Oxfordshire and a relatively wealthy family who really wanted a boy. She is geeky, determined and self sufficient and in the end, she and the family she is evacuated to find peace united in their grief. A common theme to my favourite books was strong female teenagers finding themselves set to a background of war and, as part of that, falling in love. Liz and Ben's love is not graphic like Rose and Alec's is, in A Little Love Song. That was written in the 1990s and shows (in a good way). Liz meanwhile remains in the late 1960s and although younger and chaster, I still wanted to be like Liz and to find but not depend on a man like Ben.

Victoria in Vicarage Family: A Biography of Myself (Noel Streatfeild), Laura in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, most of the books by Judy Blume, the list is endless. I'm not quite sure where children's literature becomes young adult literature in some places and indeed I think the boundary can be quite blurred but basically anything aimed at 10/12 years to 18 years must be a rough definition.

To be continued...

life lately... London Fashion Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:43:00 +0000

just before I succumbed to a nasty bout of what turned out to be tonsillitis and had to essentially retire to bed for four days, I did manage one outing...

London Fashion Weekend is the commercial shopping little sister to the industry show that is London Fashion Week. I say little sister, but sometimes I'm not convinced they are that close. Cousins maybe. I tried explaining how divorced they are to Marto, but he said, clothes, London, same venue, same week. How far apart can they be? Anyway, Pip and I headed down on Friday afternoon to check the place out, courtesy of Propercorn (who make my favourite Sweet & Salty Popcorn) along with my friend Miss L. Sadly our tickets didn't include either a goody bag or entrance to the catwalk events, which was rather a shame, so we wondered around the shopping instead. Pip and I had fun posing with the diet coke hunk, pouting in the Benefit photo booth (and getting a sample of their new mascara to see just what Jo sees in it - I will report back) and eating free yogurt. Maybe it's because I don't have much spare cash, or because my tastes have changed, or because I had a baby with me, but I actually found the show a little disappointing. Whilst Somerset House *is* a beautiful venue, it also has a lot of doorways, which isn't always the most pleasant in a crowd. I also felt that the selection of designers was tired and that they were selling any old stock, rather than this season's wares. It also felt very cliquey and full of people looking like they'd dresses in an effort to be shot for a street style blog photo. Rather false, perhaps. That said, I enjoyed my eyebrow wax and the coffee and chorizo I ate at Fernando & Wells and Somerset House is just stunning.

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Propercorn sent me 2 tickets and a bag of my favourite popcorn after I won a competition on their twitter feed. This is not a sponsored post as such although details of my sponsorship policy can be found here

Photo taken by the Benefit photo booth but I paid for my own eyebrow wax.

life lately... places I have been in London this week

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:30:00 +0000

St Bartholomew the Great Cloister Cafe, Farringdon I haven't been back to St Bartholomew the Great for years. It was in 2006 that I was a member of the London Lawyer's Chorus and sang in Songs of Praise which was filmed at St Barts. Last week, I took the baby down to Farringdon for a wander round and to check out a pub that a friend was thinking of applying for a job at. After a lunch of 'sliders' in a rather non-baby friendly pub with good music (I think I've been away from the pub scene too long - these appear to be a 'thing') I ended up pushing open the heavy doors of St Barts and heading into the peaceful serenity of the cloisters. The coffee wasn't bad (not brilliant, but I've had worse) the staff friendly and the location, stunning. Again, not the most baby friendly place I've ever been, but they were very welcoming to her, and I could imagine without a baby whiling away a few hours reading and thinking.

Well and Bucket pub, 143 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch - An old Shoreditch pub which is being re-opened by Barworks (no website yet for the pub). I went along to the opening night with a friend (and without the baby, obviously) and enjoyed a couple of margaritas in the basement cocktail bar. I say a couple, but it could have been three. And don't mention the glass of prosecco I drank in the outside smoking area whilst discussing all manner of things with some people we met when it started raining and we all huddled together under the sheltered parts. Obviously it was hard to tell from the opening night whether it will be a success but the place had been nicely done up and the drinks were good. I am told that they will have sliders on their menu come opening. See, sliders really do seem to be a thing.

Juergen Teller at the ICA. Juergen Teller is a contemporary photographer and the exhibition 'Woo!' at the ICA is a look through his fashion and commercial work from the 1990s onwards. I love the ICA and how it makes me feel like a little part of the art world, just by drinking coffee in the cafe, as if these sorts of things can be absorbed like osmosis. I especially enjoy people watching and the ICA is an excellent place, full of arty types having important meetings and people admiring the exhibitions. It doesn't feel touristy like some of the larger galleries. I took the baby and met up with one of my favourite ladies (who has finally moved to London) and we enjoyed a mixture of discussing the photographs and watching Pip crawl around the galleries. The image above is one of my favourites from the exhibition, not least because I find it really hard to imagine that those legs really do belong to Victoria Beckham. Teller's work spans the beautiful to the really hard to look at - an uncomfortable use of nudity for nudity sake, rather than for beauty. His own naked form features heavily in the images, often in an interloping sort of way - and the sign on the wall of the gallery could better have read "some images DO NOT feature adult nudity" (and in some cases, I wish they hadn't. I could have done without seeing a 10 foot high full frontal of Vivienne Westwood - not that I can't see his point between the dichotomy of age, beauty and sexuality- it was just one of those photos where I didn't need to see so much of it to get the point). It was a fascinating exhibition and one which I would recommend. I especially liked the way that it challenges the perception of beauty and fashion. And who knew that the Marc Jacobs campaigns pushed that perception so far - these were not images I had seen in Vogue. I must be reading the wrong magazines. (ICA, until 17 March)

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Photo credits:
Cloisters cafe from here | Well and Bucket from here | Juergen Teller via here

life locally... Chriskitch, Muswell Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:12:00 +0000

Rare is the day when both Marto and I both separately decide that we want to visit the same cafe on the same day. Independently we had both discovered Chriskitch last week and waited until the weekend so that we could go together. I was keen to try the coffee and cake and admire the vintage furniture; Marto told me that he came across the cafe on the wine forum he frequents and was excited that a chef who had worked with Gordon Ramsey and Alain Ducasse was serving food just down the road from us.

We were not disappointed. We started with cake. Lemon pound cake, to be exact. It was beautiful. I had a nice latte, Marto a mint tea. We were sat at a huge butchers block with vintage school chairs, in the enormous front window, full of light. Under foot, vintage floorboards from a factory in Islington. There were newspapers. (although we had the baby with us, so reading was impossible. but it would have been a lovely place to read, sans bebe). Sugar cubes in vintage tins.

The salads tempted us. A perfectly roasted chicken leg, drizzled with a teeny bit of oil and sprinkled with salt, to serve. A plate of a gorgeous selection of salads, as pretty on the plate as in the mouth. My favourite was leeks, peas, broccoli and samphire but they were all delicious. The chicken leg served with roasted vegetables. Mouthful after mouthful of sweet roasted garlic, pulled out of it's skin, crunchy slightly bitter almost charred lemon and chili falling apart and off the stalk. Roasted red onion. Better even than Marto cooks at home, and that is saying something. It has to be a good restaurant these days for the food to be better than we eat at home.

And then a pudding. How could you not when the owner comes over to discuss the food and recommends the treacle tart to finish. A macchiato and a little bit of chocolate torte with it for Marto (courtesy of Chris, the owner, because as he put it, "you've got to have a little bit chocolate with a macchiato").
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Chriskitch
7a Tetherdown, Muswell Hill

Yoga, Ballet (and Sweaty Betty)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:50:00 +0000

A Sweaty Betty boutique recently opened just down the road from us. Aside from being one of the few places that makes sports kit that I actually want to wear, I really like their approach to supporting women and the community by running free sports classes. Did you know that? I didn't until I went in when I wanted a swimming costume that I could actually swim in. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the kit not only looks good but also works. Since then I've bought a swimming hat, yoga leggings, yoga bra and yoga vest.

I have done a vinyasa flow yoga class for the past two weeks and almost don't want to tell people about it, because it's first come first served for the places. I hadn't ever fully thought about the fact that yoga is first and foremost about your mind, with the body a pleasing by-product, but the teacher of these classes is great at reminding us. And never before have I needed so much an hour a week to myself, conscious of only my breathing and movement from one position to another. Three classes in (I did another class with the same teacher at the weekend) and the movements already seem more familiar. Interestingly, it seemed harder today. Maybe because I'm more tired.

This month, Sweaty Betty has teamed up with Barrecore to run a month of free classes called Meet me at the barre. As a lover of both ballet and yoga, I can't wait to try this out, although I suspect it will be more exercise than I am used to. I was really excited to see that Sweaty Betty are teaming up with interesting new classes that women are interested in taking, rather than simply pushing a tired format of classes. They also have a new range of ballet/dance clothes in store, which I was pleased about, as I really struggled to find a ballet leotard which fitted my post natal boobs.

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This post contains affiliate links although this post was drafted prior to accepting Sweaty Betty as an affiliate. You can read about my affiliate policy here.

Cowshed (and introducing affiliates...)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:46:00 +0000

if you read this on the actual website, as opposed to in an RSS feed, you might have noticed some affiliate images appearing in my right hand side bar. following my decision not to return to my previous job at the end of my maternity leave, I have been attempting to supplement my (non) income through my blog.

the reality for you the reader is an occasional sponsored post - which I was already doing and you can read about my policy here and my reasoning here - although I do not limit the source of the sponsored posts - and affiliate links.

the companies that I choose to feature using affiliate links are companies that I like and would recommend regardless. basically, I may make a small commission if a product is purchased through the blog. you, the reader, never pay more for a product through an affiliate link.

in order to ensure absolute transparency - and to share products that I like - I am attempting to introduce each new affiliate link. you will see the banner and a link under the 'affiliate' tab in the right hand side bar, which will indicate which companies I have an affiliate relationship with. I find it annoying when other blogs, particularly ones with quite large readership, frequently include links to all sorts of products without being clear whether they are being paid or what the financial relationship is. this is my effort to make sure that I am clear with my readers.

which is where this post about Cowshed comes in. these products are among my very favourite toiletries and I have written before about my love and I am pleased that they are now an affiliate of PF & DR. some of my favourite products are the Organic Facial Oils by Cowshed and the Maternity and Baby at Cowshed. Pip has the entire range of Baby Cow Organics at Cowshed products which she (and we) love too.

I should also add, they do Free Delivery on orders over £55 and they always include a Free Gift with all Cowshed orders. The packaging is eco friendly and the black and white graphic boxes make useful storage (just in case anyone is in to boxes and wrapping as much as I am...)

on watership down...

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 23:42:00 +0000

we went for a family walk to watership down today, in the beautiful bright clear winter sun. we were with my parents and they very kindly lent me their camera to practice taking some photographs. here are a few that I liked. (I don't really know how to use the camera very well, so bear with me!)

we walked along past a wood and up across the down to an iron age fort. we stopped at the top briefly but it the wind was too chilly to stay for long, so we turned round and retraced our footsteps, our shadows lengthening across the hillside.

(all photos by me - except the pilon and the wheat field at the bottom, which my Dad took, but I liked)

Before Midnight

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:06:00 +0000

I read today that Richard Linklater's film Before Midnight (link contains plot spoilers) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last weekend. Apparently the sequel was mooted back in the autumn of 2012 as a finished film, but I missed this, only reading about it on A Cup of Jo this afternoon. I can't find any kind of release date but Jo mentions September in the US.

If you haven't seen either of the first two films (Before Sunrise, 1995 & Before Sunset, 2004) you must see them. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy essentially spend the first two films talking - like you might imagine the most romantic of meetings to be, where the conversation just flows and you don't even notice that it's suddenly dawn. In 1995 they have one night in Vienna; in 2004, they are in Paris for an afternoon. My husband introduced me to the first film whilst we were at university and I am sure that he envisioned falling in love to be a bit like meeting Julie Delpy (which of course it was...!).

I can't wait to see Before Midnight - just don't make the mistake of reading the Guardian review which contains both a massive plot spoiler and is strangely negative amongst a general sea of hugely positive reviews.

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Photograph: Despina Spyrou/AP

Ecover Zero (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:48:00 +0000

update - I discovered that you can buy the Ecover Zero washing up liquid at Planet Organic, if you don't fancy buying it online.

You might remember ages ago that I mentioned I'd been sent some Ecover Zero products to review. I know I said I'd write the review in a week or two, but actually, I thought it better to give the products a full test before I gave an opinion.

I was sent the washing up liquid, the washing liquid and fabric conditioner as well as a tea towel and two cloths (the soap and brushes were already on my sink).

Ecover ZERO is Ecover’s new fragrance-free range, "specially crafted to give great washing results while being suitable for sensitive skin". Ecover says that it is their " first ever range to be awarded with the stamp of approval from Allergy UK".

They have chosen to focus on the core products of Laundry Liquid, Washing Powder, Fabric Conditioner and Washing Up Liquid (I didn't get to test the washing powder) as "these core products tend to be the key culprits for irritating skin and causing allergic reactions".

I especially liked the washing up liquid and we used the whole bottle. We have reverted to the Lemon & Aloe Vera Ecover washing up liquid but purely because I had already bought it prior to the trial. I think I will try and get the Ecover Zero one though next time, as I liked the way that I felt confident using the liquid on all of the baby's paraphernalia, particularly her bottles and cups, as I really don't like the idea of her milk being scented. Aside from no smell, it lathered and behaved in exactly the same way as any other Ecover washing up liquid and went just as far. I particularly like the way that Ecover washing up liquid never feels slimy (and I am happy to use it when camping as I don't worry about chemicals going directly into the water table).

I also really liked the fabric conditioner (technical difficulties withstanding) as my main reason for never using fabric conditioner is the all pervading smell. My towels (for I only use fabric conditioner on towels) came out nice and soft and with not a hint of biscuit. The washing liquid, whilst technically successful in that my clothes were clean, I was less enamoured with, purely for the fact that I do like to have my clothes have a (very) gentle scent, particularly underwear, nappies and anything that one suspects may have come into contact with baby vomit. I find the normal Ecover liquid does a good job of this already. However, if any of my family had any allergy problems or issues with scents at all, then the Ecover Zero liquid would be perfect. Personal preference I guess. I would still recommend it.

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(Ecover answers your questions)

Where can I buy Ecover ZERO?
At the moment you can buy it online at our official retail website, Ecover Direct. We are currently looking at making it available in supermarkets, other online shops and independent stockists too.

If it’s fragrance free, what’s that smell?
What you can smell in our laundry products are the ingredients in it - surfactants that work to get your clothes clean. You should find that the smell completely disappears in the wash. Other “no fragrance” products often add masking agents so you can’t smell the active ingredients but as we wanted this range to be free from any unnecessary ingredients we chose not to use one.

I received the products from Ecover. You can find further details regarding my sponsorship policy here

A Year of Doing Good (Judith O'Reilly)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:25:00 +0000

I finished Judith O'Reilly's A Year of Doing Good last night and wanted to come here and write about it before life moved on and I didn't write anything. Light reading it may be, if you follow me on twitter you might have seen me describe it as 'human, honest and humorous'. I started following Judith's blog, Wife In the North, back before I got married or had children but despite, at that time, us being at rather different life stages, I was hooked on her diary accounting her move to Northumberland from London, pregnancy, birth and how she built a community in her new surrounds. She battled with loneliness, depression, anxiety and repeatedly running out of petrol and I could empathise with it all, albeit sometimes retrospectively since reading. The blog became a book, which I bought and read and even return to now and then, which is a mark of something being well written.

And now, her second book. Funnily enough, I bought it after doing a good deed in a cafe (returning a mobile phone which an elderly couple and their daughter had left behind on the table, leaving my baby in the care of a friend whilst I chased after them. The act reminded me of the book which had been serialised (reviewed? I can't recall) in the Sunday Times over the Christmas period and, having received a book token from my grandparents instead of their usual choice of paperback, and which I had mentally earmarked to buy on its release, I decided to go and buy.

A Year of Doing Good is more than a list of good deeds. It's a sequel to Wife in the North, although I think it would be just as enjoyable without knowing the back story. It is inspiring, as ever since I have tried gone nicer to people and have been doing my best to do a good deed myself every day, or whenever possible, even if small. I particularly liked one scene in which Judith buys a parking ticket for another family and they are then inspired to pay the good turn forward. So I have been smiling at other mothers, holding open doors, asking how people are. I wrote a card to a relative; I rang my mother in law when habitually I would have texted or emailed. I have supported a friend's new business (not just as a good deed but because I love her and her products, but still, it is support). [I have still managed to be very very cross though. And give some companies a piece of my mind. But that's another post]. As Judith discovered, doing good turns doesn't make you a better person. But I am inspired to try. (and might even record them too).

What A Year of Doing Good is, I think, is a reminder, a letter. An insight into a community. A reminder that life isn't always good to us but that a little kindness can go a small way to making a difference to people. One recurring theme through both books is Judith's first born son, a son who died in utero. Through both books she details her grief and how she has come to terms with this. I cannot relate but I think I am not too far off the mark in stating that if I could relate I would find Judith's words helpful.

So, I recommend reading. And being inspired.

One week in

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:31:00 +0000

If you made it to the bottom of my new year post, you might have seen my resolutions. Top of that list was declutter. Properly declutter. As in simplify life. After a lovely afternoon with some of my favourite ladies, one of them sent me the link to a year long project about simplifying life. A 2013 in 2013 declutter challenge. I'm not going to formally participate using their forum, but I am going to record my progress here.

Coincidentally, I had already taken the first step and this lot has already gone to the charity shop. Yes, that is an Ikea bag full of shoes. I'm not exactly sure how many items were in those bags but I think I will count it as 50. I will update my tally throughout the year. (and might even list what I have got rid of - these bags contain shoes, clothes and sheets. We also took Delilah's unused cat basket to the vet for them to use for rescue cats or in their hospital).

I am making an effort to simplify the things I do have, so investing in one nice and beautiful item and having only one, getting rid of the others. So far, Marto has bought me a beautiful Stella McCartney bra for my birthday now that I have stopped breastfeeding. We went to a lovely lingerie boutique and had it properly fitted, which was a treat in itself. I then am going to get rid of all my other ill fitting but I kept them anyway because I didn't have anything else to wear bras. I just need the baby to stop teething and settle to sleep properly so that I have a moment to do that!

So far as my other resolutions are going, My birthday money has been partly spent on some beautiful items to try and assist with three of my resolutions (go to bed earlier, read more, Internet less). I am attempting to make our bedroom a really inviting relaxing space where bedtime will be 10pm. I have bought new (sale) pyjamas, am decluttering the room, have put all my Christmas and birthday books in a pile by my bedside to read and we have managed to get into bed with tea and our book several times already this year.

Lastly, I am attempting to stop procrastinating and actually do things. This morning I changed the address on my vogue subscription. A small thing, but it's been on my mental to do list since we moved last March.

2012 in photos {January - August}

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:09:00 +0000

I'm going to miss 2012. It was always the furthest year that I could see to in the future (still is, actually). Somehow, I couldn't see beyond 30. or London 2012. The Diamond Jubilee. The year I had my first baby. Pretty monumental, personally and publicly. I think 2012 will be the year that we look back on history; the seminal year from the first 20 or so of this decade.

So here are a few of my photos from the blog.

{January}

.pregnant, snugged up with Delilah, at our cottage in Somerset, in front of our fire

. the house in Bath where 15 of my closest friends gathered to celebrate my (but really all of) our 30th birthdays

{February}

.winter walks & our last days in Somerset

{March}

.library themed baby shower at our new place in London

{April}

.baby Pip's arrival

{May}

.first family trip to the beach in Whitstable

{June}

.patriotic Jubilee pavlova

{July}

.first family holiday (Cornwall, yurting)

{August}

.paralympics (with Pip)

happy new year

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:45:00 +0000

we celebrated the last breaths of 2012 in the middle of the countryside on the shropshire/welsh border with family and dear friends. a rather more sedate new year than of previous occasions but no less memorable. Pip joined us for the earlier part of the evening, charming everyone with her lovely dress and big girl pig tails before passing out in a travel cot in the drawing room doorway so that we could eat our meal and play word games until 12am. after ringing in the new year, we took the photo of the two of us. we stood by Pip's cot, marvelling that it was no longer her birth year, that she was no longer really a baby. and then caught sight of ourselves in the mirror in the hallway. "and we're no longer teenagers" mused Marto. i stared back at our reflection and realised he was right (and not just because i wasn't wearing any make-up).

the rest of these photos were taken walking this morning. finally the rain of the last few weeks stopped and the brightest, lightest winter sun took it's place. the kind that shows up every flaw but also raises the spirits. just what new year's day needs, really, I think.

and, as the year commences, the mind turns to resolutions for the coming 12 months. and having read quite a few blogs over the course of today, my own are essentially a reoccurring theme (at the bottom if you're interested).

13 for 2013

(12 for 2012 I never posted but 11 for 2011 is here and not much seems to have changed)

. more de-cluttering. successful de-cluttering. more must leave than arrives.

. a home for everything (and that doesn't just mean better storage)

. buy less (but only beautiful things)

. go to bed earlier

. less take-away coffees

. less procrastinating

. set up business with my sister

. sort out career/income

.read more

. browse internet less (but blog more)

. decide what to do about a sibling for Pip

. be a 'better' wife and mother

. reduce 'worries' list

Marrakech, Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:12:00 +0000

I spent four days in Marrakech with my sister last week. Four wonderful days where no-one needed me and there was nothing to do but sleep, eat, read, go to the spa and spend time in the souks doing my Christmas shopping.

We stayed at the amazing Les Deux Tours, in the Palmeraie area. I cannot recommend this hotel more highly and if you are looking for somewhere relaxing and beautiful for a retreat from life, this is it. {I first came across the hotel on Liberty London Girl this time last year and thought it sounded a lovely place for a winter break}

In case anyone is planning or wanting to plan a short winter break, here's what we got up to. Marrakech makes a great choice (to my mind) for a winter break - it's warm but not hot (temperatures were between 18C-20/22C during the day time) but cosy in the evening. We were happy in short sleeves and in a bikini on our sun terrace, but it wasn't so hot as to be in any way oppressive. In the evenings, we were glad of the fireplace in our room and we required the extra blanket on our bed. Marrakech is also exotic enough to be interesting and out of the ordinary but is only a 3 1/2 hour flight from Gatwick. French is also widely spoken as well as Arabic, making it just that little bit more accessible.

As there were only 9 occupied rooms whilst we were staying at Les Deux Tours, we were upgraded to a private pool suite, complete with an enormous bed, working fireplace, huge bathroom with bath and shower and private sun terrace. We didn't actually use our pool, as it was shaded and unheated (although we could have paid to have it heated had we wished) and we had full use of the main pool which was heated and had barely any guests.

We arrived on the Friday evening and were met by a driver from Les Deux Tours which was a treat in itself. Last time I arrived at Marrkech airport I had to haggle for a taxi in a dirt car park. Actually, they have built a new terminal there in the intervening years, so there is now a taxi rank. Nevertheless, arranging the hotel driver means that the price was agreed beforehand and it was delightful to step off the flight and into a waiting vehicle. After being shown to our suite and changing for supper, we went to the beautiful restaurant for supper. Our package included two meals in their restaurant and we ate a wonderful feast of freshly prepared traditional moroccan food.

On the Saturday we awoke and headed to the sun dappled breakfast terrace for the buffet breakfast which was continental in style with additional traditional moroccan foods including pancakes made to order. It was a wonderful start to the day, and to the weekend, sipping coffee and eating fresh oranges and bread with butter and honey whilst soaking in much needed vitamin D and watching the breeze ruffling the leaves of the olive trees.

We spent the rest of Saturday morning in the spa/hammam at the hotel. We had pre-booked traditional hammams for 11am. We needed nothing at the hammam save for ourselves. We were provided with paper 'culottes' and dressing gowns. My sister and I went in together and had no issue with being naked in front of each other; if you visit with a friend and find that uncomfortable you might wish to book hammams at separate times. The spa is of ottoman design and beautiful. Contrasting soaring arches with squared off stone benches and straight edges. We spent some time relaxing in a hot steam room before being covered with savon noir and scrubbed whilst lying on a marble slab in another, slightly cooler room. I could literally feel my tensions and anxieties being sloughed off with all my dead skin. We then returned to the first room for a rose clay mud wrap and finished the treatment in the plunge pool before relaxation in a atrium lying on loungers and drinking green tea.

In the afternoon we headed into the town, getting dropped using the free hotel shuttle in the Guilez, or new town. We wanted to go to the souks in the medina, or old town, which is within the old city walls. It is a little surreal getting out of a mini bus near a McDonalds and other shops such as Aldo and then walking along a dusty road before joining throngs of people in the Djemma El Fna and plunging into a market place which sells a million of a few things over and over again, but goods aside appears not to have changed for hundreds of years.We sought out savon noir and argan oil, having the same conversations over and over again until we found a vendor from whom we were happy to buy from and liked his price. We ate our supper at stall 31 of the food stands at the Djemma El Fna, having walked around and chosen one where many locals were eating and the emphasis was placed on the people actually eating rather than luring in more and more people. The aubergines were amazing.

(this post is getting rather long. I'll be back with part two later)

my sister swimming in the pool at Les Deux Tours | sitting by the fire | lanterns decorating the walkways | sunset from our roof terrace | floor tiles | Jardin Marjorelle | looking through doorways at Les Deux Tours {all images mine}

A Winter Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Marrakech, Morroco. Turns out good things come to those who wait. Some how, the flights we wanted but weren't available are now, and the hotel we wanted to stay at announced a new, even better, deal. And so, we are indeed off to Marrakech for four days, for a small winter holiday. Four days, sans bebe. Four days to sleep, read, eat, have spa treatments and wander in the souks. Four days, to try and soothe my soul and lift my spirits.

I've been to Marrakech before, 5 years ago. A rather different kind of backpacking holiday. That trip I packed one carry on rucksack. This time, I can take a whole case. A whole case of books maybe. I don't remember the last time I read more than my google reader.

That said, I also would like to do a little sight seeing. Last time we didn't visit the Jardin Majorelle, so that is top of my list, but I would also love to hear any other recommendations. Likewise, any lovely shops or little cafes for lunch. We didn't really have anything on our list on the last visit, just wandered around and made decisions on the hoof. This time, I would like to have a back up of options, just in case.

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Photographs by the amazing Peonies and Polaroids

Loving lately: Aesop

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000

These products have made my day. I hardly get any time to myself these days and showers are usually snatched when the baby is sleeping. Each weekend though I make sure to have a long shower and use Aesop's Geranium Leaf Body Scrub which is doing good things to help smooth both my arms and my mind. Small steps. Small steps.

An afternoon in Alexandra Park

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:47:00 +0000

Last week the baby and I walked the long way home from her swimming lessons, through the park and past Alexandra Palace. The sun was blazing and although it was absolutely freezing it was a beautiful afternoon. The baby, of course, slept through it all. Which meant I had more time to pause and look at the view and take photos. The building was catching the sunlight in a way that I just couldn't catch, frustratingly, but I thought I'd share these regardless.