Wednesday 19 August 2015

OOTD | Cinderblock Garden

Hello everyone, how are your summers all going?

I know a few of you are probably getting bored of me talking about Cornwall still, but to be perfectly honest I don't care! It was too wonderful and too beautiful for me not to want to share it and wish I was still there.

This outfit that I'm sharing with you today, a few of you may recognise from a post on A Freak Of Fashion I wrote last year, but I love it and I feel so myself in it that I always return to it.

I wore this outfit on the day that the pictures in my last post were taken when we went to Plymouth and Looe. These pictures were taken once we returned to Newquay and as the sunset was so beautiful that night Katie and I went for a walk along Fistral Beach and took these pictures.

These are absolutely stunning so thank you and well done to Katie for taking them! I'm sorry there are so many but it was impossible to choose a few favourites. I haven't edited any of these because I wanted you all to see how gorgeous the sky was that evening without thinking it was thanks to Photoshop. Enjoy...

















So as you can see, it was stunning! The skyline looked incredible and I was so envious of all the surfers in the water enjoying the last few minutes of daylight. I absolutely adored surfing and I can't even begin to think how lovely it must have felt to be out in the waves that evening. Its no wonder that I am now set on living by the sea one day is it?

In this post I'm wearing one of my favourite dresses that I bought a few years ago in the summer sale in Warehouse. I've paired it with my vintage Levi's waistcoat, my Roxy flip-flops and my vintage sunglasses from Flip in Newcastle. Dead simple I know but as I've said I adore it and feel so comfortably myself in it that I don't care if I wear it to death.

The song this post is named after is one that I have adored since the very first time I heard it. When All Time Low brought out their new album, Future Hearts, this year there was one song that stood out for me even though they were all fantastic. Cinderblock Garden sounds like a strange title but I swear it is one of the most romantic and beautiful songs I've ever heard. I still find myself singing it randomly throughout the day and after I discovered an even more beautiful acoustic version that was it, I was completely obsessed. Please go listen to either the original or the acoustic version (they're both on Youtube) as I need more people to share my love of this song, its too heavenly.

So, I hope you enjoyed these pictures and if you aren't now dying to go to Cornwall I'm not sure you're sane, please consult an expert. As always there's more coming soon so don't go away. I hope you're all doing well.

Holly

Thursday 13 August 2015

A Roadtrip Round Cornwall and Devon

Hello everyone! I hope you're all well.

Today's post is another from our holiday to Cornwall, a little road trip to share with you all!

On the Wednesday of our week in Newquay we were scheduled in for surfing lessons with Fistral Beach Surf School who we'd be learning with that week, but the sea was too rough so they were postponed. This meant that we had to shuffle up our plans for the week and instead we took a little road trip round Cornwall and Devon.

As I've said before, my family love this part of the country and there are a lot of places that are special to us. Newquay is obviously one of them, but Plymouth is very important to my parents as they both went to university there and its where they met, a place called Rame Head a little further down the coast is also significant to them as it was a special place they used to go walking and finally the town of Looe, a place we all adore.

As Katie had never been to Cornwall before this trip it was also a wonderful chance for her to see some more of the country, and we had the best bits to show her. As Plymouth was the furthest drive we started there, crossing the Tamar and into the city. We parked by the Hoe looking over the bay then walked down the hill towards the harbour front.





I have no clue what Dad is doing but it tickled me!












First stop once we got to the water front was Cap'n Jaspers, a legendary eatery in Plymouth. This place has been here since before Mum and Dad came here for university and they came all the time. We have heard some infamous and ridiculous stories about this place and every time we're in Plymouth we always stop for lunch. Mum and Dad had tea as is the tradition at Cap'n Jaspers and even though Dad was tempted for Half a Yard of Hotdog (yes they actually serve half a yards worth of hotdog, I've seen it, its ridiculous!) he joined the rest of us with a burger.



There were loads of old bikers and punks sat outside and some of them looked truly brilliant. A little eccentric for their age but hats off to them, they are committed and clearly did not care.


Mum and Dad with their tea, just like when they were students.





We then had a wonder round some small art galleries/shops, vintage shops and Katie and I bought possibly the most delicious Devonshire fudge in the world. Katie bought some Baileys flavour fudge and I had peanut butter and some apple and cinnamon flavour. As you've probably guessed, this was not at all a healthy day!



This shop was probably my favourite that we visited that day. Its called The Book Cupboard and has floor after floor of beautiful, old and second-hand books. As some of you may know, I adore classical literature and I'm always reading. I also love traditions and old things that have been carefully preserved, which is why I've recently started collecting really old hard back books. 

I currently have four in my collection; two copies of Shakespeare's work, MacBeth and Twelfth Night, from 1925, a copy of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen from 1946 and now, thanks to The Book Cupboard, a stunning copy of my favourite novel of all time; The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton from 1936. I was so delighted to find this stashed away in one of the towering and jam-packed shelves of the third floor and it has quickly become one of my favourite things. Its gorgeous and now every time I have a craving to read a quick passage from the book I have a wonderfully old edition to read it in. 

After Plymouth, we headed to Rame Head for a little, and really rather windy, walk. 













My lunatic family...


The old watch station





Mum and Dad in their happy place.


*strike dramatic stance and stare stirringly into the distance*


And then Mum decided to practise Tai Chi, because now was obviously the time to do so!

We left Rame Head when we couldn't stand the cold and wind anymore and headed mid-afternoon to the final stop on our road trip, the fishing village of Looe. It is by far one of my favourite places in Cornwall, I think we came here on my first trip down to the south west and its stayed with me ever since. I just love the way the houses are dotted on the sides of the river bank and how they curve round the sides of the hills. They looked stupidly beautiful that evening and it was just gorgeous.






After an ice cream we also decided that we needed caffeine so we stopped at The Old Boat House which was simply lovely.















So as you can see we had a very varied day but it was absolutely heavenly and the weather treated us pretty well. It was so nice to go back to all of these places we have such special connections to and to show Katie more of the Cornish county, if she didn't fall in love with it on this day then I don't know what it will take!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and liked the pictures, have any of you ever been round this part of the country? Where are your favourite places? Next time I'll have another OOTD post so stay tuned.

I hope if any of you got your results today you achieved everything you needed.

Till next time,

Holly