Autumn is well and truly here and with it comes my nemesis - cold, wet school runs. We live about seven minutes walk from the school so it's pointless to drive when it is raining as you can't park close enough to the school to get any real benefit, so rain or shine we walk. And you'd be surpised how wet you can get during those 14 minutes out of the house!

​One thing I've been thinking about (longing for) is a full length coat to cheat the cold, wet weather, so when Lands' End got in touch about reviewing an item from their range of coats and jackets it was a sign my days of dreading the cold, wet school runs were over.

Covering up your skin problems with makeup is never 100 percent effective. You’d far rather have natural complexion that glows with health, and makeup as an extra. You’re on the right track! After I was diagnosed with rosacea earlier this year I began to focus more on my skin care routine and less on make up.  Start with your basic, twice-daily skincare routine and make it a habit. But there’s more you can do to keep your skin looking fresh and radiant. Try these tips to max out your results.

September has arrived and with it the rain! More time to be spent curled up in front of the TV enjoying our favourite shows and movies. Here's a round up of what I've been watching over the summer...

For those of us that were able to work from home during the pandemic, the setup brought certain challenges when it came to handling the demands of the workplace as well as those of our little ones. 

Home from school, they were faced with remote education and frankly, boredom, whilst parents worked away from dining tables, sofas and home offices. 

Schools have since re-opened but many parents are still working from home, whether full or part-time, meaning our new normal has shifted drastically. But with our new virtual setup has come many learning opportunities – these are just five valuable skills many parents, including myself, have adopted since WFH began. 

Looking back at some old posts I realised now the kids are bigger I''m sharing less and less about our day to day lives, which is a shame as I originally started this blog to document my pregnancy and our lives beyond. To remedy this I have decided to resurrect an old post style where I share the highlights from my phone camera roll from the past month.

April was a busy month as we made our first trip abroad since Covid, hopping across to France on Le Shuttle and spending a week with Husband's family chilling and visiting some of our favourite places including Dennlys Parc - which is a french version of Chessington but without the massive queues! Even though it was French school holidays the longest we queued for any ride was about 3 minutes. 

We also made the most of some windy weather to get the kite out, saw most of our family over the Easter weekend (and ate lots of cheesecake and chocolate) and Mum and I saw my teen idol Marti Pellow in concert in Guildford. The last few days of April saw us clearing out the office to start our latest renovation project which is quite exciting (but the house is now a bomb site!). 

Not many photos of me as I'm dealing with a freak rosacea flare up which I've never experienced before - now you are all caught up!

I had grand plans to bake this amazing vegan, dairy free chocolate sponge cake recipe over the long Easter bank holiday weekend, only to have my intentions scuppered by illness! Disaster! But the recipe from this rich moist chocolate sponge, topped with creamy caramel sauce and crunchy salty popcorn from Kindling Restaurant in Brighton is far too good not to share with you all. My top tip is to serve with Swedish Glace vanilla soy based ice cream which is my absolute favourite non-dairy ice cream. You can even make the dessert gluten free too!

We are super lucky that Kindling Restaurant is just half an hourfrom us down the M23  in Brighton (one of our favourite places to visit), and if haven't visited you really should as Kindling is about more than just the delicious food created by Chef Holly Taylor, it is a community sharing and celebrating local produce. 

April kicks in tomorrow and all eyes are now firmly turned to Easter. Be it the Easter Sunday lunch table or as a home décor, decoration is an essential part of the Easter season. 

Eggs are obviously a must as are colourful flowers. In addition to the classic early bloomers such as good old daffs, noble geraniums are perfect for floral Easter decorations. With their beautiful blooms and vibrant colours, these flowering beauties brighten up your home, long before the bedding and balcony plant season begins.

I've teamed up with the flower experts at Pelargonium for Europe show how to create magical Easter 
decorations with noble geraniums, hen and quail eggs.

It’s been a while since I wrote a gift guide but I’m truly stumped this year as to what to get my Mum, Step Mum and Mother in Law, so I thought you could join me as I research some of the best Mother’s Day gifts available in 2022…

It’s a sweltering August in the Bay of Naples in AD 79. The Aqua Augusta, the greatest aqueduct in the world, mysteriously fails along the coastline. Newly appointed engineer Marcus Attilius must travel to Pompeii to locate and clear the blockage in the shadow of Vesuvius and get the water flowing. But instinct tells him there is more to the story... what could have caused this mysterious blockage, and could be it be a sign of a bigger disaster yet to come?

'I'll see you in court!' could be heard across the concourse of Waterloo station as I greeted one of my oldest friends last weekend to see a play I've been dying to see for ages - Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution live in a courtroom setting in the heart of London. It doesn't get much more exciting than that!