What Next

I had an epiphany one evening last week while driving through Windsor Great Park. It's been a while since I had a really thought-provoking epiphany so it felt kind of nice to know that my subconscious mind is doing something other than replaying the latest Once Upon a Time episode over and over again and making me feel massively sad about the whole CaptainSwan storyline. But I digress. This epiphany came to me as I approached a set of traffic lights where two teenage girls were crossing the road on their horses. I know, typical Windsor. But it got me thinking, I need to get me some of that.

I then attempted to play out quite how I, a twenty-one year old female who's only ever sat on a horse a handful of times at a farm ground and didn't enjoy it one bit (I think it's my total lack of balance) would somehow learn to overcome these insecurities and become a jodhpur wearing babe. Not to mention that I've no idea how much funding that as a hobby would cost. Or if I could stomach being surrounded by Berkshire-bred teens. I'd be all, "kale, am I right?" and they'd be all, "why are you talking to me?". And then I'd cry.

Still, garish reality check aside, there are still a bunch of other hobbies and/or extracurricular activities I could try out to enrich myself. I mean, I'm hopeless at a lot of hobby-esque type things (hands up anyone else who managed to get hit in the eye by a rounders ball during PE! Just me then...) but I am very determined, and oh god so stubborn so I'm thinking perhaps those traits may work in my favour.

1. HORSE-RIDE
Aside from the fact I've already listed all the potential cons to this, there is still a small part of me that's like "yaaaaaassss". Windsor, what on God's green earth have you done to me?

2. TAKE UP YOGA
This I feel is a potentially attainable goal. The fact that I'm the least flexible person on the planet does set some alarm bells ringing though.

3. DO SOMETHING ARTSY LIKE PAINTING, OR MAKE POTTERY OR KNIT JUMPERS FOR DACHSHUNDS
I'm really not very gifted when it comes to all these kind of hands-on creative activities (I still remember the moment I realised I'd managed to cut a hole in my GCSE exam piece) but I spend so much time in front of a screen that getting stuck into something totally different might be a nice change.

4. LEARN TO COOK
This one I'm really down with. I've got super into food lately so I feel like now could be the time to really learn the ins-and-outs of meal creation. I am slightly nervous it'll turn out to be like Masterchef though...

5. BECOME FLUENT IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
This one I would love to do. Like, honestly love. Sadly though, my brain just isn't wired that way. Even though I did manage to (after several sobbing fits) scrape my way into getting a GCSE in Spanish, I'm so far off fluency it's unreal.

6. FLOWER ARRANGING
I took a class in this once about seven or eight years ago so I've already got a head start. Also, it could help me get one step closer to my dutch tulip farm dream.

7. MEDITATE
I tried this back in my first year of university while I was going through one of those phases. We've all been there, let's not judge. However, thanks to the age of technology, I now have the attention span of a gnat which makes sitting still for a prolonged period of time potentially problematic.

8. PLAY TENNIS
Oh god I cannot tell you how much I wish this could be my hobby but oh god I have absolutely no hand-eye co-ordination and it makes me so sad everyday to know that I've been given a lopsided brain.

9. LEARN HTML
I work in digital marketing so that alone says it all. Also, blogging. I've tinkered with HTML and coding since I started my first Piczo website way back when. Plus, if Karlie Kloss is doing it, why shouldn't I?

10. WALK, HIKE, SKIP, HACK, EXPLORE THE GREAT OUTDOORS
I read a study recently that suggests that walking just twenty minutes each day helps prolong your life (and has a bunch of other great health benefits) and ever since I got my FitBit, I've become super aware of how active I am each day. Not to mention that there's always something pretty to Instagram out in the wide world.

Or perhaps I'll just start with switching up the books I read to include all those classic novels I've never found time to try. Well, I've gotta start somewhere...
~ Eleanor xo

Easter Weekend Scenes

When your daily FitBit step count goes down and your pre-10am chocolate consumption goes up, it can only mean one thing: it's Easter! Also, rain. By the gallon.

I love Easter, I always have. So many great memories from my childhood centre around this time of year and I can't help but feel positive and upbeat. Even now, while the rain hammers down outside, I've still got my positive pants on. This is my first Easter break with a full-time job, which means I'm now part of the mass revelling in a much anticipated four-day bank holiday weekend, as opposed to two/three whole blissful weeks off from education. Still, I'm really digging it. Despite the seemingly never-ending downpour.

This weekend has been about indulging in the sweeter things (to put it mildly), enjoying the simplicity of how happy seeing a bright blue can make you (especially after Storm Katie attempts to uproot everything), and planning for the upcoming weeks. Also, lots of productive blog post writing and photo taking. Hooray for me.

Good Friday dawned as, to coin a much-loved British phrase, a gloriously sunny day. Spring was well and truly in the air and it was the perfect antidote to the hectic last couple of weeks. 

I drank large cups of coffee, basked in the sunlight and caught up with my favourite TV shows of the moment before deciding that the afternoon would be the perfect time to learn how to grate lemon zest (spoiler alert: it's much harder than it looks #lemonjuiceEVERYWHERE) by baking up some lemon drizzle slices. Because as we all know, I’m basically Mary Berry. I also took the opportunity to try out courgetti for the first time; I liked it, but it’ll never quite be pasta *deep sigh*.

Saturday rolled around and the heavens opened. Of course, this being our natural habitat, we were undeterred and headed out as planned to a newly discovered Farm Shop not far from our house. I love discovering new places; especially those that include fresh, organic and free range produce (because I’m both a middle class wannabee and about ninety years old). We picked up some delicious looking meats, honey, sauces and some bantam eggs in preparation for some mighty meals to come.

We also stopped for a little nose around the farm itself, where (in between laughing at how strange geese are) I clocked a beautiful barn conversion that doubles up as the farm’s B&B during the summer months. Just look at it. This is why #Goals was created.

After a quick coffee break at Le Starbucks (I seriously can’t get enough of these vanilla bean macchiatos), we headed towards home to cook up an immense fish pie dish for dinner because apparently it’s tradition to eat fish at Easter. What ever the reason, I am on board.

Easter Sunday dawned with a bright blue sky which meant I was able to slip on my Ugg boots and hot-foot it to my car in time to retrieve the Easter eggs I’d bought as a surprise for my parents. (I had to disclaim that the chocolate had been sitting in my car since the previous Monday so if they were melted and/or broken, I was not liable...).

Instead of chocolate eggs for breakfast, we poached a few of the bantam eggs we'd found at the farm shop the previous day and toasted up some sourdough bread to serve them on. The morning was going blissfully well and pleasantly slowly until the rain began to fall once again. After an obligatory lunch of roast lamb (I opted instead for roast chicken as lamb is the one meat I can’t stomach), we settled down for a cosy afternoon session on the sofa (me blog post writing, my parents detective show watching) while the storm well and truly hammered outside. It was a welcome change to not suffer from Sunday night blues, but instead indulge in a two-hour documentary about the queen. Wait, how old am I again…

I think the world and its wife woke up on Easter Monday thanks to the battering of Storm Katie. Luckily the majority of our garden was left intact (apart from the roof lining on top of our summer house which was ripped and half missing – we later spotted this in a heap at the bottom of our neighbours garden #SozMate. Meaning my parent's first, and rather unexpected, task of the day was to hit up Wickes, buy some replacement lining and somehow attempt to fix the thing, all while the wind continued to whip pretty ferociously. I enjoyed watching the events unfold from the warmth of the living room with a frothy latte in hand).

Eventually the sun re-emerged and the ‘I’ve got to go back to work tomorrow’ blues were momentarily silenced. I took the opportunity to prepare for the week ahead as best I could, then curled up with my new favourite magazine, a bar (or two) of Easter chocolate and a homemade berry smoothie.

---

Unsurprisingly, the majority of events this weekend revolved around the weather. That's just how British I am. Sorry about that.

~ Eleanor xo

Things To Do Now it's Spring

AKA, things I'm excited for because we're now into my second favourite season of the year. I agree, not such a catchy title, but we digress. Sunday officially marked the first day of Spring *throws petals in the air and dances*. I'm feeling rather smug that I was already aware of this before Facebook shoved one of its obnoxious announcements in my face and asked if I'd like to share it with all my Facebook friends. Errr no thanks, Mark.

While this overcast seven degree weather doesn't exactly inspire bright positive thinking, I always see Spring as the perfect time for something new. Whether it's a crazy makeover, or clearing out all the clutter you've hoarded during the winter, now is the time for change. Possibly. If you want...

1. Order iced beverages
Last week (on the one of the only sunny days we've had so far this month), I tried out the new vanilla bean iced macchiato from Starbucks and it was all kinds of tasty. My cravings for iced coffee began way back in mid-February so knowing that it'll soon be socially acceptable to order them on the daily makes me super happy.

2. Easter egg hunts
Because you can never be too old to enjoy wandering around your grandma's mahoosive garden in your favourite floral jim-jams hunting for tiny chocolate eggs and wondering how you missed a bright purple box standing out like a sore-thumb in a flowerbed.

3. Make smoothies
Fresh fruit is all the rage during springtime, especially when raspberries and strawberries come into season, so making fresh, clean smoothies is a no brainer. I like to mix mine with almond or coconut milk so it's healthy and filling.

4. Have that clean out
I cannot express how much I need to do this. Even more so because it was one of my New Years resolutions and I've done so well keeping them thus far. I have no idea where anything is and it's all getting a bit much. Not to mention I could be accused of being a bit of a hoarder if I don't get a grip sometime soon...

5. Pack away your boots
And all the rest of your overly wintery clothes. As much as I love it, I'm secretly looking forward to not having my enormous duffle coat as part of my outfit everyday.

6. Burn your favourite spring scents
Goodbye sickly cinnamon, hello chamomile & violet!

7. Instagram all the flowers
Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, anything that looks remotely flowery and will suit a VSCO filter over it.

8. Visit somewhere you love
Like the great outdoors! After months of cowering inside away from the cold, marathoning films and American detective shows, now's the best time to ease yourself back into life outside four walls.

9. Make the most of the light evenings
I am loving seeing the evenings grow lighter each day; it's a lot easier to power through working late when you aren't hurrying back to your car in the pitch black. The days suddenly seem so much longer and I actually have a desire to use them.

10. Plant something
I shall be planting sunflower seeds because they're some of my faves and I'm secretly looking forward to how tall they'll grow. Because yes, I am five.

11. Get your hair done
I'm not entirely sure why this is a Spring to-do because you can get your hair did all year round but I suppose there's something uplifting about chopping off all those split ends and ridding yourself of a wintery haystack.

12. Pastel nail colours
We all know I don't like to stick to seasonally appropriate nail polish colours, but that's not to say I won't be wearing pastelly pinks, blues and whites just like everyone else. I'm not a crazy person.

13. Try something new
Because why the hell not?

~ Eleanor xo

Five Things

1. EXPLORING HOLBORN
I rarely get to visit London these days (even though I live about a forty minute train journey away), so when I discovered that I was spending Friday living it large in our London office because we had a meeting planned, I was secretly super hyped. Holborn, as it turns out, is mega cool. Too cool for me, definitely. Maybe it's because the sun was shining, but this corner of London is truly spectacular. The number of kitch coffeehouses I strolled past during my lunch break (where I may or may not have found myself slightly lost and with a Google Maps app that refused to load) was crazy. And because I'm majorly uncool and embarrassing, I wanted to Instagram every single one. In the end I opted for the Holborn Grind, which is only a couple of doors down from the office.

2. PLAID SHIRT OVERLOAD
I'm ready to admit that I may have a problem. The number of shirts I've bought in the last few months is borderline preposterous. Nobody needs to own this many shirts. Especially when they all look practically identical. I just can't help myself, ok? Stripes, checks, navy and white are my four weaknesses when it comes to clothing. (If you're wondering, I picked up this navy check shirt and checked dress from Forever 21 this weekend. I love them, but I hate myself.)

3. CELEBRATING MOTHER'S DAY WITH SWEET PEAS
When we were kids, my sister and I had a tradition where we'd always buy our mum sweet peas on Mother's Day. I can't quite remember why we did it, or in fact, why we stopped, but this year I decided to bring it back and hot-footed it over to one of her favourite garden centres to purchase a pot. Sure, I looked a bit lost while picking out what I felt would be the perfect colour combination, and then I had the mahoosive task of trying to keep the plant alive for seven days, but the look on my mum's face when she opened it told me it was worth it. I'm such a suck up.

4. HOMEMADE SPELT ROLLS
Nothing on this earth makes me happier than freshly baked bread. Except perhaps peanut butter. But you can put that on bread so the point still stands. I have always loved our family breadmaker and because of that, I know it's a gadget I'll always have in my home, even when I'm old and grey. Making bread is so easy to do and I find it so comforting. Recently we've been using the breadmaker to create various doughs which we then roll out, shape into balls and bake in the oven. Spelt flour is one of my favourites and these rolls taste delicious!

5. UPPING MY FITBIT GAME
I've had my FitBit now for almost three months so I'd say I've pretty much got the hang of it. For a while I mostly just wore it to see how many steps I did each day without really thinking about it. The numbers weren't bad, but being the competitive person that I am, I became determined to increase my daily step count and improve my ranking on the leaderboard at work. I can't exactly compete with the people who are marathon training or who walk eleven miles to their nearest train station, but I find wearing my Flex a really good motivation to actually get up and take my lunch break outside, have a brisk walk around Windsor, get some fresh air and be back at my desk for a productive afternoon. Even when the weather is shocking (which it really has been recently) I feel so much better knowing I'm doing something good for myself.

~ Eleanor xo

The Journey to Becoming A Morning Person: Six Months On

I have a confession to make. I sleep on a bed of lies. You may remember (you and I both know you don't remember, but that's ok) a few months ago I wrote a brilliant self help guide on finding and channeling your inner morning person. I truly believed in everything I was typing. Until I realised I was totally and utterly kidding myself.

I have never and will never be a morning person. Yes, I am now conscious (to put it loosely) during many more hours of the morning than I was back during my days as a student, but I do not enjoy it. Not even one iota of pleasure comes to me from being awake before the sun is up. Some people find it very spiritual and like to tell the world about it via any means possible. But in reality, I'm all: "the sky is not awake, therefore I should not be awake".

I'm not denying that utilising my mornings gives me time to be somewhat more productive and complete a few more thangs on my never-ending to-do list, but at what cost? AT WHAT COST?! Let me unravel some of my feelings for you:

1. Prepare the night before
Technically I still do this, but not quite how I'd once envisioned. My 'preparation' mostly involves throwing together a meager sandwich using a filling that requires the least amount of effort in the world (and then regretting it at lunchtime the next day when I have to scoff yet another Marmite sandwich - see honest food diary) and then throwing on some kind of outfit that probably doesn't match in a hurry each morning based on the weather report I checked before going to sleep...

2. Replace your alarm clock with Sleep Cycle

The sound of waves now makes me grimace and I swear I hear my alarm faintly during the course of the day. Plus, nothing sets you up for a long and mucho busy day quite like discovering that your sleep quality the previous night was a less than desirable percentage score. OH WAIT. I still love the app though so...

3. Let the light in
In the depths of winter, there is no light to 'let in'. Unless you count car headlights, which I don't...

4. Get that H2O and O2
Again, Winter = impossible. IT'S BLOODY FREEZING. EVERYTHING. ALWAYS. IT BURNS. IN A COLD WAY. WHICH SOMETIMES I THINK IS WORSE THAN IN THE HOT WAY.

5. Know your schedule
Knowing my schedule means I'm not so likely to turn up to work looking scruffy as hell so I suppose this is still a valid point.

6. Make time for breakfast
'Having breakfast' and 'making time for breakfast' are two very different things, I have learnt. Most mornings become a fun old game of 'how many Bitesize Shredded Wheat can I shove in my gob at one time so I can hurry this process up and ensure I'm not massively late?'. Not nearly as many as I'd like, is usually the answer.

7. All about that coffee
Oh coffee, you are the only constant thing in my life that I can depend on. Until it's a freezing day and my gloves mean the travel mug you are safely concealed inside slips from my hands and you are dropped all over the floor. A minute's silence for all the caffeine NEEDLESSLY LOST BECAUSE OF WINTER.

8. Pump some tunes
If I hear Jess Glynn's 'Don't be so hard on yourself' one more time I swear I am going to commit. Morning radio stations need to learn to mix it up, there's only so many times a girl can listen to 'Hotline Bling' before things get weird.

I'll tell you what is fun though: voluntarily waking up at 6:30am ON. A. SUNDAY.
HA. SO FUN.
~ Eleanor xo

Five Things

1. MY (EVER GROWING) MUG COLLECTION
Up until a few years ago, I rarely ever consumed hot beverages (apart from the odd disappointing hot chocolate) so I had no need of a mug, let alone an entire collection. Now however, life is mucho differente and a collection is what I possess. All of the mugs I own have their own stories attached to them, and I really love that. Because who wants to buy a boring matching tea cup set when you can drink syrupy lattes from a mug you transported yourself from another country?

2. 'I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER' BY SHAWN MENDES
The video for this song is so perfecto that whoever produced it must go to sleep at night feeling like they are a legitimate God. I am busting out to this song so much right now. I'm talking full on lip-syncing, air grabbing, throwing my arms out in front of me; I truly madly deeply commit. And that's all while sitting in traffic while attempting to cross the M3. My fellow road users may not dig it so much. I choose to pretend otherwise.

3. HOMEMADE GINGERBREAD HEARTS
When is gingerbread not acceptable to eat? That's a trick question. It's always acceptable eat. (If you think otherwise I may have to ask you to CHECK YOURSELF).

4. TRAWLING THROUGH PUNNY VALENTINES CARDS
This is one of my all-time favourite past times during February. I LOVE funny Valentine's cards; I mean, if you're more of a traditionalist who goes for soppy cards, I'm down with that, but personally, I just love puns. Don't get me wrong, they're not mean puns, they're mostly cute or relate to some kind of inside joke because why be serious in your relationship, am I right?

5. THE ARRIVAL OF TULIP SEASON
As we all know, tulips are my one true love and I'm so happy they're finally back in season. I spent a good five minutes attempting to choose which colour I wanted, and I feel like you can never beat a warming yellow. #ISoundInsane.

~ Eleanor xo

So you impulse bought on Black Friday, now what?

Black Friday is a strange phenomenon, especially considering that up until about a year or so ago, Britain refused to believe it was such a thing. Mainly because, spoiler alert, it's an American holiday. But fast forward to today and I find myself sipping a freshly brewed latte that was just given unto me by my family's new coffee machine.

The whole thing is completely laughable, I agree. But, I'm taking comfort in the knowledge that we weren't the only ones being made total suckers out of; there were a bunch of people leaving Curry's swinging the coffee machine they never knew they wanted just as we were. We all tried not to make eye contact but we all shared something special that day. Mostly, tasty coffee.

I've spent the majority of this weekend glued to my laptop surfing every single e-commerce site known to man in the hope of obtaining things I don't really want, but sort of want because they're 20% off. Sadly, to little avail. While roughly 75% of my Christmas gifts were able to be purchased with a nice little discount (sadly I cannot disclose from where in case Secret Squirrels are listening reading, but I will say that I was mighty impressed with Selfridges), I found nothing for myself. Well, actually, I did, in the form of about four pairs of suede ankle booties. Only to find they were ALL sold out in my size. Since when was size seven so popular? {Ed's note: I found a pair of boots in my size. And bought them. Huzzah}

I mean, I like this whole discount concept because, spoiler alert, I'm a cheapskate (and hey, I've got a pretty nice coffee machine out of it), but I do think I may've become a little obsessed. Still, roll on January sales, mumma wants a Kitchen Aid!
~ Eleanor xo

An Autumnal Weekend Morning Routine

I usually wake up on a Saturday morning the way I imagine a bear emerges in the Spring after a long winter of hibernation - absolutely no idea where I am, what day it is, what time it is, or what my name is. After I manage to get my bearings (ha!) and establish it's 2015 and I'm wearing pajamas, I fumble around to find my iPad to check the time. It always seems to be around 7:50am, which means one of two things: 1) It's the weekend 2) My alarm failed me and I'm extremely late for work.

Thankfully, today it is the former; so I grab my phone, unplug the charger and observe my SleepCycle statistics for that night. Normally it tells me I haven't slept well. Shock. Then it's onto Timehop where I mentally curse the person I was on Twitter six years ago (one of today's hop highlights was "damn you wizards of waverly place and hannah montana, i need to revise!". Admittedly, if we remove the revision part, that sounds like something I'd post even today... but I digress). Then I check my mailbox; I tend to read my Quartz Daily Brief on my iPhone because I'm way too impatient to load up my laptop to check the latest news.

Time for a good stretch to put all those bones back into place and head to the bathroom; I'm one of those people who can't function unless they have a clean face (anyone else the same?). Once that's done it's on with my warm cosy slippers and down the stairs to chug a glass of water and boil up some coffee (one spoon of Douwe Egberts Pure Gold + skimmed milk + three teaspoons of Starbucks Vanilla Syrup + hot water = perfection).

I then attempt to precariously carry my mug back upstairs without spilling anything, light a scented candle (lately my candle of choice is Rain Washed Linen from Urban Market Candles), snuggle under my duvet and catch up on the latest episode of How to Get Away With Murder. This show is tantalizingly good!

Once I'm all caught up on various TV shows, what's been going down on social media and I've established there's no other way for me to procrastinate getting up properly, I head back to the bathroom and jump in a steamy hot shower; hair care and skin care inclusive, obvs.

Picking an outfit for the day takes a stupidly long amount of time, especially considering I usually end up wearing the same thing. Recently it's been my favourite Gap girlfriend jeans, a basic tee and an oversized grandpa cardigan. Simple, comfy, cosy, fab.

With very few exceptions, I go make-up free at the weekend to give my skin and eyes a well deserved break, so the only thing going on my face is moisturiser... and an array of other products that help protect my entire body from the cold.

Until finally, it's time for some breakfast! (whew!) I can never resist my favourite bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with blueberries, and on this occasion, a chopped plum (aren't I fancy). I tend to eat at the dining room table so I can catch up with my parents and plan the day ahead. My Saturdays of late tend to include running errands in my trusty Fiat 500, buying copious amounts of fresh produce and baking with spelt. It is marvelous!

You'll probably have clocked onto the running theme of things being "my favourite", that's because I am a firm believer that weekends should include nothing but your favourite things.
~ Eleanor xo

Things To Do Now it's Autumn

The clocks are mere days from "falling back", meaning it's no longer BST (that's 'British Summer Time' for those of you who aren't down with clock lingo), and we're barrelling head first into long evenings, seasonal movie marathons and heated versions of every kind of beverage (warm Ribena drinkers, I'm looking at you). So wrap up cosy and venture with me...

1. Buy an entire new wardrobe

Autumn fashion is hands down the best of the year. Flannel shirts, knitted scarfs and boots galore - it's enough to make your mouth water, am I right? A girl's gotta keep on trend, after all.

2. Eat all the food

It's the season of layering and if you're not fully embracing it by allowing puffer jackets to cover your expanding waistline then WHO ARE YOU?! Remember what Aristotle once said, "we only regret the snacks we didn't eat". (he never actually said that).

3. Take long hot baths

The kind of ones where you don't realise quite how BOILING HOT the water is until you attempt to get up and very nearly pass out (while your heart tries not to explode). Still, if you use your fanciest Jo Malone goodies, at least if someone finds you overheated and spread eagle on the bathroom floor, you'll smell DIVINE. Priorities, I am right?.

4. Start planning for Christmas

I've started using my lunch breaks to browse the Christmas sections of various high street stores. So far Marks and Spencer is my favourite, but attempting to resist the chocolate coins is only getting more difficult... (See point 2)

5. Bake all the things
(Or at least, tell yourself you're going to bake things). Embrace the pumpkin obsession that's seemingly cropped out of nowhere and get spicy! Or alternatively, try my blackberry compote recipe. *shameless self promotion*

6. Consider possible 2016 New Years resolutions and vow you will absolutely stick to them. Like, totally seriously this time.

Come January first I'll be waking up at 5am and heading to the gym. (Ha! Just another cracker from a game I like to call: #ThingsEleanorWillNeverDo)

7. Spice up your beverage order (ha! Get it? #SeasonalHumour)

I mean, hot chocolates are an OBVIOUS addition but I hear Starbucks are introducing mulled drinks (oh the perks of being a Rewards member). Why not give them a try? Sure, they may end up being gross, but at least you'll have embraced the merriment.

8. Spend time with your family 

In summer you're too busy parading around in skimpy clothes to pay your relatives too many visits, but don't you find autumnal days are the perfect time to see family, drink copious amounts of tea and chit-chat about life since your last encounter? Of course, this is usually where you find out your aunt's cousin's brother-in-law popped his clogs and you aren't sure how to react because you can't recall if you ever met them... But hey, the elderly always have their heating set to five-thousand-degrees so at least you'll be toasty warm for a few hours.

And of course, don't forget to Instagram the entire thing. It's all about the #aesthetic.
~ Eleanor xo

(Don't forget to set your clocks back by one hour on Sunday 25th!)

My Kind of Weekend

Everyone has their ideal weekend, right? Well, I certainly do, and it goes a little something like this...

Saturday morning was spent at my favourite place in the world: our local garden centre (Right, because you didn't know I've already hit middle age). After a mix up with table numbers and my dad ordering almost every item on the breakfast menu, we settled down with our lattes and breakfast plates (I went for scrambled eggs and salmon because OBVS) and gossiped about life. We then decided it would probably be a good idea to attempt to walk off the consequent food coma and went for a stroll through the outdoor plant area (I was internally squealing at all the gorgeous colours) until we found ourselves in literal heaven. And when I say heaven I obviously mean: THE CHRISTMAS SECTION. Sure, it may only be a couple of days into October, but if a garden centre deems it Christmas season, then who am I to argue?

After nearly losing myself in the seasonal euphoria and picking out a new reed diffuser for my bedroom, we headed to the farm shop and picked up some tasty local (& organic) produce, including: chocolate, cheese, plums, rye flour, carrots, duck breasts, pork & marmite sausages, loose leaf tea and a few other goodies (including beautiful sunflowers). I couldn't resist spending the remaining hours of Saturday curled up on the sofa, reading blogs and munching on these suuuper delish chocolate buttons.

Sunday was an exciting day for the minuscule sports fan inside me. I am a lover of American Football and October 4th saw the Dolphins and the Jets cross the ocean to face off at Wembley Stadium in London. While it was technically the Miami Dolphins' home game, something told me to root for the New York Jets; and it ended up being a good call because they won! #Balling. The Dolphins' put on a great show though, with fireworks, bubble machines AND water cannons firing all over the place while their team raced onto the field. I enjoyed sitting in the warm Autumn sun, snapchatting the entire Dolphins team lunging (what a view, am I right), vowing never to eat carbs again in the hope of becoming NFL cheerleader material, all while waving my flag and pretending to know anything about the game.

And in amongst all the fun, I still managed to find time to catch up on the latest episode of Once Upon A Time. #DarkSwan is goals.
~ Eleanor xo

How to help yourself become a morning person

I never used to be the best at early mornings. Perhaps it's because I've been living the student life for the past three years and it's basically the law to be bad at getting up before 10am. Now, however, I have joined the adult world, filled with 6:30am wake-up calls and very little time in the evenings to call my own (before I make a joke about how hardcore I am at being in my twenties and fall asleep some time around 9pm). The struggle is real, my friends, but here are some handy tips to help you through (and ensure you don't turn up to work with your underwear outside of your clothing...):

1. Prepare the night before
Rushing to get things done in time to get out of the door will only stress you out. By preparing things like your outfit, make up, accessories, bag and any food before you catch your z's the previous night, you'll have plenty of time in the morning to properly wake up and catch yourself up so you're ready to start the day.

2. Replace your alarm clock with Sleep Cycle

There is nothing worse on this planet than alarm clocks. But Sleep Cycle is different. Sleep Cycle uses the censors in your iPhone to monitor how you sleep and is able to pick the best time to wake you based on your time period preference. It becomes a lot easier to rise and shine when you're not shocked awake, and the wide array of pleasant alarm sounds within this app is a welcome change.

3. Let the light in
Getting up and getting going quickly is the biggest favour you can do for yourself, and letting in that all important vitamin D will only help perk you up, it's scientifically proven so you have to believe me.

4. Get that H2O and O2
Breathe some fresh air into your lungs and get a nice cool glass of water down your throat (Nutritionists say it helps kick start your metabolism, you know). Don't you feel more awake just thinking about it?

5. Know your schedule
It's a good way to *ehem* get your head in the game (yasss High School Musical reference) if you look over your agenda for the day and plan what you need to do and where you need to be.

6. Make time for breakfast
It's true what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It helps kick-start your system and powers it up again after a good nights sleep. There are loads of super quick and easy breakfast recipes online if you're not the cereal type, because being hangry is the worst.

7. All about that coffee
If you don't have time to sit down with a mug, put some in a to-go cup and drink it on your commute. Obviously, I'm not trying to get non-coffee drinkers to sign-up to a lifelong addiction to caffeine, but if you're already on the train, it's probably best to stay on board.

8. Pump some tunes
What's that? You don't have a kick-ass morning playlist on Spotify? Even if you just turn on the radio in your car, blaring some musica will help get that brain in action as you whip and nae nae while sitting at traffic lights. It's good to get your body moving and grooving, even if it does cause your fellow road users to raise their eyebrows at you...

Here's to early mornings and even earlier nights!
~ Eleanor xo

The Ban.do 2016 Agenda

Ban.Do 17 Month Classic Agenda - Ringleader, £13

Lists, organisation, planning, ordering and colourful pens make me one very happy camper. Embarrassingly so. I dare any of you to find anything more satisfying than crossing something off your to-do list. *wallows in the warm feeling of completing a to-do list*. So naturally, I'm a lover of diaries. Or as our American cousins call them, 'agendas'.

Not only do I love planning my life down to a tee (Yes, I have every kind of personal finance and budgeting app on my phone), I'm also a sucker for stationery. How do I know this? Because a few weeks ago I spent £21 getting this beauty shipped all the way from the U S of A.

I'll be honest, I've wanted a ban.do agenda ever since I first saw them on LaurenConrad.com (Lauren Conrad being my eternal idol, ever since her days on The Hills. Wow I miss that show). So when I saw their 2015/2016 agendas had just been released (and realised that it coincided with the start of my new executive job) it seemed like a sign sent from above. It would've absolutely been morally wrong not to buy one...

The immense excitement I felt when I arrived home to find this waiting for me was borderline silly; but it's so much more than a diary. The designs, layout, colouring, illustrations and everything in between have had so much thought and attention put into them that it is absolutely the most perfect receptical (love that word) of all my sporadic handwritten plans, notes and 'to do's'. I just love this thing, I'll never forget anything important ever again. Well, that is, unless I spend so long staring at the designs in awe...

~ Eleanor xo

Adventures in Wonderland | RHS Garden Wisley

This post comes to you as I attempt to nurse my 'back of neck' sunburn. I kind of feel like an eighty year old man, but I think I'm working it. I can't say I'll be venturing out in a top knot and a low back vest top again while the sun still insists of making a mockery of me, though.

The realisation that I should've SPFed up came while I was wandering through the orchards and vineyards (pretending I was on set of the Lindsay Lohan classic, The Parent Trap) of RHS Garden Wisley, and in my euphoria I began to sizzle. And my top knot seemed to attract wasps. But I marched on, after all, I was in my happy place. Because yes, I am an eighty year old trapped inside a twenty year old's body. Like, you know it's bad when your own parents make fun of you for it. Ah, love them.

Wisley has always been one of my favourite places, so naturally, when I heard they were paying homage to Alice in Wonderland, I was excited. We didn't visit purely for that reason, but it was a nice surprise to see the Gardens transformed into a near Wonderland with colourful flowerbeds and miniature statues of the characters. They even set up a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, though I think that was purely for the children, which was, as you can imagine, deeply upsetting.

We also took time to peruse the huge collection of sunflowers currently growing, enjoyed a coffee break where the air was filled with the piercing yells of several children, and then looked on in awe as we witnessed people feeding pieces of bread to the fish in the lake. Yep, definitely fell down a rabbit hole somewhere...

~ Eleanor xo

Find out more about Adventures in Wonderland here (available until August 31st)

A sisterly shopping day at Gunwharf Quays

Hands up all the party people out there who love a fabulous bargain and also a super fun day out! *frantically waves all hands in the air*. I'm not sure why that says 'all hands' when it should definitely say 'both hands'. I only have two hands, just to clear that up...

Outlet centres, I believe, are gifts sent from the Gods above. Zeus, the bearded babe that he is, gathered all his wildly powerful gal pals together and decided it was time to treat the humans below to unbelievable discounts and too-good-to-believe prices. And so, the outlet centre was born. My nearest outlet centre is 'Gunwharf Quays' in Portsmouth - an outdoor retail metropolis right on the harbour, offering marked down items from loads of high street and high-end stores. So when my sister asked me if I wanted to come along on her 'holiday shopping' trip, how could I resist?

We got some insanely good deals from All Saints, Fossil, Superdry, Jack Wills and Gap, with most stores offering an extra 30% off the already marked down ticket price. Rejoice! Oh the damage I could've done in Gap - give me all the ripped-up boyfriend jeans, am I right? 

Once our arms began hurting from carrying all the shopping, and our jaws became permanently locked in a shocked expression over just how much we managed to save during what we presumed to be a very pricey expedition (All Saints, I'm looking at you), we decided to take a lunch break at Zizzi's, one of the many restaurants located right on the waterfront. Sure, it was rather 'breezy', shall we say, but the sun was shining and I enjoyed a warm bowl of tomatoey pasta with a chunk of mozzarella cheese. Mmmm, cheese. (Most of the eateries here are the regular chain restaurants which mean they suit all appetites - my favourites places to visit are: Loch Fyne, La Tasca, Slug & Lettuce and Zizzi's).

After lunch we finished our circuit of the outlet and paid one final stop into, of course, the Cadbury store, where we had to pick up a pack of Crunchies for our dad and watched as the array of tourists picked up bars of Dairy Milk and held them as though they were prized treasure. I think we were both grateful when we had a short escalator ride down to the underground parking as our legs couldn't possibly walk any further.

We had a relaxing day meandering through the shopping streets, soaking in the various cultures, as well as the vitamin D from above us (and feeling hugely jealous of the university graduates strolling around in their robes as I still have over three months until my own ceremony. Boo!)

~ Eleanor xo