Blenheim Palace

Back in the deep dark depths of December AN and I decided that a weekend in the country would be the perfect way to get into a Christmassy mood and banish the winter blues. I have been wanting to visit Blenheim Palace for many years, since studying the Victorian era for my degree and so, we packed up our wellies and jumpers and hit the road to Oxfordshire.

Blenheim is beautiful and dominates the surrounding parkland, creating a truly breathtaking sight when you drive through the expansive gates and catch your first glimpse. We completely underestimated the size of the palace and quickly decided to spend the whole weekend there, one day inside the palace and the second day exploring the expansive grounds and hedge maze.

The inside was magnificent and was made even more impressive by the setting up of a banquet ready for a wedding celebration. We explored the maze of rooms, each more glittering that the last and culminating in a bright and sunny library, packed top to tail with thick hard-back volumes.

The visit was even more special as the palace had been prepared for Christmas, with sparkly lights adorning trees, holly and garlands dressing the mantels and the wonderful smell of Christmas spice wafting throughout.

I couldn't resist a couple of pictures with the trees and lights!

A was fascinated by the Churchill exhibition and by the tour guide who seemed older that the palace itself. I was more then happy to follow behind and play photographer. Preferring to soak it in alone than listen to historical facts.

Following a perfect and exhausting day we checked into a charming B and B (The Bell) in a nearby village called Charlbury, which we can't recommend enough.

We quickly bagged the sofa by the fire and spend the rest of the evening sipping wine, reading papers and toasting our toes by the fire. Later the lovely landlady served us huge bowls of bangers and mash, followed by sticky toffee pudding, which put us into a contented and satisfied trance for the rest of the night.

The next morning after the longest lie in and biggest breakfast we explored the grounds of the palace, starting with the formal gardens and then discovering the maze. The signs told us the maze would take 20 minutes to solve, however 40 minutes later we were no further to the centre!

We finished our visit with a trip to the Harry Potter tree down by the lake. A tree made famous as the tree Snape and Lily lie under in the final film! This may quite possible have been the highlight of my visit....maybe.

All in all a perfect weekend in the country. Sometimes it really is good to escape the city.

Mood - Refreshed

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November's Happy List

With carefree university days well and truly behind me, the cold, dark nights of winter are here. It is often hard to find reasons to be cheerful when your alarm goes of at 6am, and when you wake up to nothing but a rainy, grey sky. 

However, November has been filled will little moments of happiness, little moments that made me smile and so I wanted to record these to remind my that winter isn't all doom and gloom. 

1) Homemade peanut butter and chocolate brownies eaten warm from the oven with a puddle of cream and a naughty hot chocolate on the side. The most satisfying meal there ever was! (Eaten too quickly to take a snap) 

2) Early Christmas preparations, including stocking up on a warm and snuggle winter duvet cover and swapping my lightweight cotton throw for a chunky cable knit blanket.

3) Finding a wonderfully epic and exciting new series courtesy of the marvellous BBC and thanks to the recommendation from MN. The Missing has well and truly got me hooked.  

4) I may be a little late to the party but this video did all sorts of funny things to my insides. I keep watching it again and again, each time more appreciative of the beautiful choreography and the power of the lyrics. Thank you Ed, if I weren't already taken, you would be my first choice. 

5) Retro sweet friday at work. A real life sweetshop stocked with all my favourite sweets makes my Friday pretty darn sweet! All Fridays should taste this good. 

6) A quick trip back to my home town to catch up with loved ones and devour a delicious Sunday roast. Thanks JT for having me, I will be back soon! 

7) Finding a fantastic little dance studio where each class just keeps getting better and better. My body ha not felt so wonderfully achey in a long, long time. I have also taken the opportunity to try ballroom dancing for the first time, which has turned out to be a great bonding experience for our happy household. 

Photo taken on the tube ride home from Dance

8) Preparing for the arrival of miss NO this weekend for a few fun-filled days of frivolity, girly madness and Christmassy activities. 

9) Getting so close to the end of Dan Brown's 'Inferno' with AN, reading it together has been incredible, living each twist and turn at the same time. Please hurry home AN so we can finally finish it! 

10) Kate Spade's latest collection is everything a girl could want and more. Bows, sequins, pretty party dresses and just sheer glamour. I think I need to negotiate a pay rise! 

Roll on December! 

Mood - warm and fuzzy 

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Cote d'Azur

Nothing beats a girls' holiday to recover from exam stress, revision torture and to celebrate the beginning of a wonderful summer. As soon as the examiner declared "stop writing, time is up" our bags were already packed and our minds had already travelled to the wonderful and beautiful south of France for a much needed break. 

NO was a gracious hostest with the mostest who drove us around all week, prepped a full holiday jam-packed with fun-filled, relaxing activities and baked the most wonderful banana bread for breakfast. SM, JJ and I could not have felt more welcome and by the end of the week we didn't want to leave! 

Words cannot do justice to the beauty of the Cote d'Azur as as we visited each town the water only got bluer and the streets prettier. From the beautiful valley views from St Paul de Vance to the decadent harbour front in Nice we could not have had a better week exploring the coast. 

There is nothing like having a local tour guide to take you to breathtakingly beautiful and secluded picnic spots, shady forests and the coolest stretch of beach in town! 

One of my favourite days was spend exploring the flower market in Nice and then climbing right to the top of the top, up a million steps, where we were rewarded with views for miles and ice creams piled high!

JJ and I were in heaven as we stopped at patisseries for breakfast, taking our pick of fresh pastries and loose-leaf tea brewed to perfection. 

SM and I decided to spend a night sleeping under the stars in a hammock....not as romantic as it sounds when you have two people in one hammock and you wake up with a foot in your face and an ache in your back. However, our night outdoors will not be forgotten in a hurry! 

NO has the cutest little puppy who never failed to make us laugh scampering around the garden and sneaking into our beds for a morning snuggle....who can blame him, there is nothing like a morning cuddle with two hot ladies to start the day off right!

Having spent a week eating wonderful food, living in our bikinis and sampling RO's rather strong cocktails we sadly had to pack our bags and head home with promises of another trip very soon! 

Thanks to our wonderful hosts and to the girlies who kindly let me steal some of their photos...cheeky! 

Same time next year ladies! 

Mood - missing the Cote dreadfully

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