Food and Flowers - Christmas Hamper ideas

Wow can you believe we are more than half way through November? The festive season really is approaching fast and I think it's safe to say it's officially acceptable to indulge in a cheeky mince pie and hot spiced apple tea (or mulled wine). To me food is very much connected to seasons, celebrations and brings back memories and helps create new ones as you celebrate with friends and family around a big feast of delicious treats as well as making it a time to try new things. That is why I love foodie gifts as they offer something for everyone especially for tricky people to get gifts for as they are both practical, useful and of course delicious. So as you can imagine I was very excited at the chance to review a wonderfully festive hamper from Prestige Hampers which has an array of options to fit all budgets. Mine was the Traditional Gift Basket which is basically Christmas in a box and has pretty much has everything you need to get in the Christmas mood including two ......

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Why your home needs wood flooring

As, quite possibly, your biggest asset, investing in your home is usually a smart move. So freshen up your living space and add value to your property. Change things up by installing wood flooring and give your home a classic and expensive. Then simply reap the benefits wood flooring will bring to your home if you ever want to sell. It will be well worth it! What type? There are so many wood flooring options available it’s hard to know where to start. Choose either solid wood or try engineered wood flooring, which is composed of two or more layers of wood to form a plank. Some practical concerns to think of first would be issues such as humidity levels and the condition of your subfloor. This is because solid wood is likely to expand and contract as humidity or temperature levels change. So if your home experiences humidity changes or you have underfloor heating fitted, then engineered wood flooring could be a better choice for you. What style? Lig......

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For the home

Of course there has been a lot of change the past few weeks with our new little arrival Baby G, which has meant having to convert my small home office into a nursery as well as having to install a new bathroom and retile the wall as well as working on the bedroom (photos to come soon) but for now have been picking up a few bits and bobs. I am a big fan of traditional nursery rhymes such as Peter Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh so when I saw this lovely Obaby Gliding crib from George at Asda I thought it would make a great fit for the nursery. I then recently saw this Winnie the Pooh mobile on sale at mother care and thought it would make a perfect fit We have also been keen to get more art on the walls and we I cam across this fun and super cute print from Ollie Ella which stock some wonderful kids interiors and there are few other bits and bobs I want to pick up from them in the future including their stunning Gum Ball rug. I have bene trying to kick star some seri......

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Tasty South African Dishes

Me on my first day of school in Cape Town If you read the blog regularly you will probably know that I was born in South Africa to a Welsh mother (SA Father) and Mr A has now been born in Wales to a South Africa mother (Welsh Father) so we have an interesting mix in our house when it comes to childhood memories and the food we eat. I love anything Mediterranean as the South Africa diet at times can be very similar to the greek - we are huge fans and producers of Olives and Feta cheese as well as enjoying light salads, tapas and moussaka in the summer sun.  John on the other hand is a fan of slightly heavier British style food which simply was not that common in South Africa - I mean who would want to eat a Sunday roast when its 30 degrees outside. I used to live on the slopes of the beautiful table mountain So when I was recently set a Cricket World Cup foodie challenge by Betfair to put together a yummy dish inspired by one of the 14 countries taking part and I knew ......

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Stylish Gifts for Him, Her and the Home

The women's Bixby bike which I am in love with  First of all how beautiful is this bike above...oh how I would love to have this standing in our hallway waiting to be taken out each day on adventures along the riverside. Is there really anything better than when aesthetics, design and practicality come together in seamless harmony - I think not! This is the running theme of the small but perfectly formed collection of products from the high end Detroit based retailer Shinola who opened up a London store in 2013. Instead of out-sourcing their goods to be made in cheaper countries nearly everything is handcrafted in America which to be honest is a bit of a rarity so it's pretty exciting to see it pop up in the UK, including being able to buy all their products online. Large hard linen journal £17.50 Shinola started life out as a shoe polish company which saw some investment a few years ago and with an initial focus on handcrafted watches made in Detroit, it th......

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Lovely things for the heart, home & little ones

My favourite picks from My 1st years The lovely thing about being pregnant is the nesting period, a time when you can indulge in designing a stylish space for your new arrival or update your older child's bedroom. I like to keep things fairly simple with an element of creativity and personality we are all huge believers of less is more in this household and investing in quality pieces that will last so I was really excited about Mr A trying his hand at the Italian made Sevi wooden toy drum from My 1st Years . They also have an array of beautiful gifts that can be customised with our favourites being the beautiful fabric storage bags, rocking chair and Cashmere two piece baby set. There is plenty for boys and girls and these make great gifts for baby showers as well as styling up any nursery or interior space. On first impressions it's very well made, colourful and perfect for encouraging little ones to enjoy making music. It comes with a nifty clip-on strap so your......

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Merry Christmas

So a big Merry Christmas to all of you from John, Myself and Mr A. I hope you all had an amazing time filled with laughter fun and love. It was particularly strange knowing that this would be the last Christmas with just the three of us as we prepare for the new arrival, it was also the most magical to date in terms of Mr A being aware of all the excitement surrounding Christmas day and he rushed into our room this morning, very early and still dark unable to contain himself. We had made some mince pies the night before and left out some carrots for the reindeer as well as reading a traditional story and the smile across his face seeing the plate empty and half eaten carrots was priceless. Merry Christmas everyone ...

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A Boys dream bedroom

Well with Mr A's third birthday this month and finally getting round to buying him a proper bed (he is a major wriggler and has only calmed down enough recently to be moved into a "big bed") it has also made me think about updating his room on a whole. I love his room except it's a little bit young and now that his personality is out in full force I really want to pick up a few things that are more him. We are strong believers in quality over quantity and investing in quality pieces. I love that his little chest of draws was picked up at an antique store and restored by my mother. We also love traditional characters such as Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear and it goes without staying that we opt for well built wooden toys that leave a little bit more to the imagination than bright flashy plastic toys. At the moment he is really into tractors and his train set. I have put together some simple tips on updating your child's bedroom 1. Buy quality, ......

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Raising the Maypole and other adventures

Wow what a bumper week of outdoor activities we have had. We went for a lovely walk on the common near the house and then had a family adeventure at Caerphilly Castle. We also spent a lot of time outside in the garden, eating our food outside one night and enjoyed playing in the big sandpit at the  local park. The hightlight of the week though was watching the rasising of the maypole at St Fagans, with lots of traditional dancing and music it was a great way to welcome summer into our lives and heart. The group doing the dancing were all dressed in the traditional Welsh dress and the fiddle and accordion player were amazing. At the end they got all the children to come up and dance and Mr A and I joined in, although he didn't get many of the moves down he loved swirling around the Maypole and we laughed a lot. After it finished we had a little picnic down by the farm and saw the baby calves, lambs and pigs and Mr A made me dance around all the little trees in the ......

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