Reading

I think I am now finally clean again after an unexpected weekend at Reading Festival... my friend had a spare pass so we ended up camping all weekend. Whilst I do feel quite old at reading, and somewhat jaded... it was still brilliant fun, especially with so many teenage favourites on the bill!

My highlights were the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Warpaint, Offspring and Friendly Fires.

Back in the Shire.....

I finally made a long overdue visit to my mum in Surrey, I haven't been home since christmas! crazy! x

We went to the Gomshall mill for lunch which is the cutest pub with a mill running through the middle of it

my brother..

I ate the hugest chicken cider and leek pie - yum :) x

Then we stopped off at Silent Pool, an amazing spring and pond that is meant to be haunted.

We also stopped off in Shere, the next village on from my Mum's where they filmed 'The Holiday' and some of Bridget Jones...

Finally we went Blackberry and Apple picking in the back garden and baked an apple crumble cake - yum :)

Winning!

Yay.. I am so happy! xx Today I can announce the Aussie Winners... and as I had 7 packs to give away, and 7 of you entered I don't have to leave anyone out! xx Phew!!! xx

So the winners are:

Piera, Kathryn, Eleanor, Stacie, Laura, Hannah and German Green eyed monster (name!?) most amazing reason to celebrate - massive hugs x

I'll email you all now to get addresses and the products you'd like :) xx

Ok.... so now its time to PARTY!!!!

Well, after my past few days I am definitely ready to party!.. and how apt that on my unexpected last day at work Aussie sent me a party pack! (seriously did they know something I didn't!?)

So, to celebrate, and as the perfect way to put a little more time into my blog you too can win an Aussie party pack! ( I know - awesome!)

The 'official' reason to party is that it is Australia's 110 year Aussie-versary (see what they did there!?) but I prefer my reason... or yours.. what is yours?!

Tell me what you are celebrating or want to celebrate (speaking of celebrating anything can anyone remember where 'champagne Tuesdays' came from!? a film/book!? ) and you can win one of the the same party packs i had! x

You also get to choose which bril Aussie products you want included:

Take The Heat range – shampoo, conditioner, 3MM, heat-protection cream, heat-protection spray – For beautifully blow-dried hair wrap these products around your locks.

Miracle Moist – Shampoo, conditioner, 3MM – These heavenly products infuse moisture into dry damaged hair, leaving hair quenched, luscious, smooth and conditioned faster than you can say ‘shine on me’.

Luscious Long – Shampoo, conditioner, 3MM, leave-in conditioner – Blended with wonderful lovelies like Blue Mountain Eucalyptus extract, these products help transform weak, distressed hair into luscious locks.

Also if you are one of the seven winners then you get entered into a challenge to win VIP tickets to the Aussie party on October 29th! not just for yourself.. but for 9 friends!!!! (the last one was brilliant fun!) Aussie have said (and I quote) that this one 'will be our biggest, most exclusive party yet!

To win just follow my blog, leave me a comment explaining what you would celebrate, and some way of contacting you (email/twitter) and I'll let you know by August 23rd! Or if you have a blog and would prefer then you can do a blog post on it and leave me a link :) easy!

Terms and conditions are here

Good Luck!!! xxx

Catch up!

So, while I have been stressing over life and jobs over the past few weeks I have also....

been looting! (not really!)

been setting my hair..

been hugging polar bears

been dressing up

been to the theatre

and been dancing like a crazy person at a wedding :)

New Start

I really don't know where to begin on this post, I have always wanted my blog to be somewhere where i can be completely honest but the line between being professional and posting something on the internet is a very high and wavy one!

In short, last week I quit my job!... Although to many my job may have seemed perfect ( I organised photo shoots for a photographer) I had been extremely unhappy for a long time, and that influenced everything else in my life.. from my friendships to my blog (sorry blog!) x I have now quit, and while the stress is not quite over ( I don't have to work my notice period but am currently phoneless and was essentially kicked out of the office) I cannot wait to start my new position (same role, new photographer) and I also cannot wait to start to feel happier again.

I am never going to have a 9-5 job and love production but I cannot wait to come home (even if it is late) happy and not dragging negativity around with me.

Hopefully this will seep into my blog as I was feeling really unmotivated, and I know that at the very least I am going to use my week off to dust the cobwebs off ol' tissueclouds! x

Michelle as Marilyn

Premiering at New York Film Festival in October 'My Week with Marilyn' staring Michelle Williams looks great! It is the story of one Man's brush with Marilyn, Laurence Olivier and Arthur Miller in 1956. I can't wait! x

Sunday's recipe's

Here are some of sunday's recipes...

Lemon curd - to cook, can you believe it, in a microwave!

200g Caster Sugar

100g Unsalted Butter

250ml Lemon juice

lemon zest

3 eggs

Beat together the sugar and eggs, add the softened butter, keep mixing and add the lemon and lemon zest...

then put the whole lot in the microwave for 30seconds, take out, stir... back in microwave, take out stir and on and on until the mix is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.. then pour into jars and leave.. amazing! I am now going to make this all the time, I had no idea it was so easy!

Chocolate brownies...

200g butter

125g dark chocolate

150g plain flour

440g caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

icing sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

preheat the oven to 180c, place the butter and chocolate in medium saucepan, over a low heat and stir until melted and smooth.

place the flour, sugar and cocoa, and baking powder in a bowl... add the eggs and chocolate mixture and stir well.

place in a lightly greased 20 x 30cm rectangular cake tin.

bake for 40 to 50 mins

cool and dust with icing powder, or in my case cover in chocolate icing :)

Lemon, Coconut cloud cake... wow.. perfect with the homemade lemon curd aswell! x

for the cake:

225g unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

1/2 lemon zest

5 eggs

225g self raising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

100g desiccated coconut

for the filling and topping:

450g full fat cheese

125ml coconut cream

zest of 1 lemon

100g icing sugar

8tbsp lemon curd

100g dessicated cocnut

2 22cm cake tins

preheat the oven to 170c, butter and flour the cake tins..

to make the sponge, first beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest.

add the eggs one at a time with a spoonfool of flour between (this stops it curdling) and mixing well.

add the remaining flour, and the baking powder and coconut

mix well.

divide the mixture between the tins, place in the oven for 25 mins.

to decorate, beat together the cream cheese, coconut cream, lemon zest and icing sugar .

slice both halfs of the cake in half again. to make 4 layers.

spread lemon curd on one layer, then sit another layer on top, then spread a good dollop of the cream mixture over this one and place the third layer on top. spread over the remaining lemon curd and add the final layer. the rest of the cream can now be spread all over the top and the sides to give a cloud effect

I then covered the whole lot is sliced coconut aswell! Amazing! x

pick 'n' mix weekend

Recently I have been feeling very run down and stressed (probably the reason for the rather sparse blogging - sorry) and this weekend was a perfect battery recharge.

On Saturday Madeleine and I headed over to the Vintage Pick n Mix on Brick Lane, which was I have to admit not very good in terms of thrifting - all 80s loud shirts!.. although Madeleine found a great skirt and hat

and I did manage a few tourist scarves (which i promptly washed at home) and then we mooched about, checked out the new Vintage store Blitz... great building, slightly unreliable stock!, and had a brilliant fish and chips at Poppies.

Then Sunday was all about the kitchen. I made a roast butternut squash soup, lemon curd (how amazingly easy is lemon curd!) and then Alice came over and we baked brownies and a lemon cloud cake. YUM

The boys are off playing rebellion festival in brighton so it was so lovely to have a relaxing girly weekend.