Life, lately.

Original quote: Benjamin Franklin [Source]

2014, to date, has been relentlessly busy. It has been characterised, for the most part, by significant change and punctuated by such beautiful, exciting things that I simply haven't had any time at all to document along the way. Since my very brief Japan post back in June, which in itself was a couple of months overdue, I have been rather preoccupied with (in no particular order):

• Moving house - the third time in four years.
• Leaving one job and starting another - exhausting, but I love it.
• Attending five weddings - I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid for my closest friends at three of them, which was just wonderful.
• Helping to organise - and being present at! - three hen dos.
• Directing a musical.
• Welcoming a new niece into the world.

I am not, in any way, glorifying 'busy'. I only mean to say that my evenings and weekends have been tied up one way or another for quite some time. I felt it was really important to enjoy being present and mindful during all of these important life experiences, which didn't leave much time or energy for blogging about them! The new job, which is great, has also been full on. I start at 7:30am and have often been working late, till 9pm some nights. Needless to say, I'm glad to be writing again and I will do my best to fit it in as often as I can.

Japan ~ Part I

I know, I know - it's been ages again. Life lately has been busier than I could ever have imagined, both at work and at home, and I am now counting down the days to what will be the most eagerly awaited and well-deserved Summer hols I have ever had. I am not complaining about being busy, please don't misunderstand, but I am physically exhausted and rather poorly, truth be told, after burning the candle at both ends for far too long (I have just had two back-to-back Hen weekends, for example, in the middle of exam and report writing season...). I'm going to try really hard to make more time for doing nothing at the weekends over the next few weeks, so I'm hoping I'll get back on track with blogging asap.

Anyway, moving on to the important part of this post - time at last for some Japan snaps! This is just a very brief overview of some of my favourite moments from our two and a half week trip, more detailed posts on each of the different areas we visited coming soon(ish!).

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Sunday Smörgåsbord

Well, it's been a while (much to my regret), but here I am with a few snaps of life lately, shortly to be followed by the first of my Japan posts! Happy Sunday, everyone :-)

1 Easter haul! Still wading our way through it all... I'm on the look out for a new recipe to use up the last of it.

2 Our new baby girl, Cobweb! Snout is very happy to be living next door to his little sister, but Snug isn't yet convinced. They have been out to hop about the living room together, but we won't be bonding them to live together until littl'un is a bit bigger and has been spayed.

3 Pastel nails for Spring.

4 Dior Addict, Eau Sensuelle. We had some leftover Yen at the airport, so decided to treat ourselves to new fragrances. I just love this subtle scent - perfect for sunnier months.

5 Scrumptious doughnuts with hot chocolate dipping sauce from Bill's.

6 Tulips brightening up the kitchen.

7 A recent simple French supper: onion soup, fresh French bread, baked Camembert and candlelight!

8 One of my favourite Japan keepsakes - an Alice in Wonderland t-shirt dress from franche lippée.

9 Incredible seabass at The Olive Branch in Horsham.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead...

pp x

Easter Essentials

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that 2014 has been flying by absurdly fast, so much so that Easter is now only a few weeks away! We will be in Japan in the lead up to Easter, so we're unlikely to go overboard with decorations this year, but these seasonal treats are certainly inspiring me...

Splat egg, Hotel Chocolat

Sunday Smörgåsbord

This week has been SO busy at work that our weekend has been a relatively quiet one, as you will see from this week's Smörgåsbord... I cannot tell you how much we have been enjoying the Sun on our skin these past two weekends, and how excited we are counting down the days until we leave for Japan!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend!

1 Pretty pastels for Spring! Loving this gorgeous pale pink tennis drop waist dress from French Connection.

2 Tulips ~ my favourite Spring flower.

3 Celebrating a very dear friend's 30th with cheeky litres of Erdinger in the Bavarian Beerhouse, Old Street. I spent a year living in Bavaria (where said friend and I first met in fact, nearly ten years ago), and it is extremely close to my heart. Not an authentic German beerhouse experience, but a fun one all the same!

4 Terramundi pot for the boy's birthday last week. He just LOVES Disney World (so much so that we spent our honeymoon there!), so we're now planning an anniversary trip this Christmas.

5 Essie 'lilacism' ~ the perfect seasonal shade.

6 A Springtime stroll took us past this handsome fella ~ just look at all those beautiful spots!

pp x

Magpie Make & Do ~ Snickerbocker Shake

I'm not an out-and-out milkshake fan, I'll be honest. Much as I wish I did, I just don't like milk, so milkshakes for me always have to be one part milk to nine parts anything but! I don't even want to think about how many calories there are in this devilishly naughty concoction, but frankly, it tastes so good that I'm willing to overlook it, and so should you.

Magpie Top Picks ~ asos.com 25% off dresses

Asos prices are always so reasonable, that an extra 25% off seems almost too good to be true! We are off to Japan in a fortnight (squeal!), so I am trying to be good and save my pennies, but even so I am sorely tempted by these beauties...

Warehouse Textured Crepe Shift Dress

Sunday Smörgåsbord

I was so disappointed in failing to meet my blogging target last weekend, but we were just so busy and I've been rather run down of late. My Sunday afternoon/evening blogging spot came and went in a flurry of laundering and ironing, with me heading to bed uncharacteristically early. I fully intend to make up for it though with some extras this week and next...