An end. A beginning.

The little magpie has flown the nest.

Life has changed a great deal since my last post, well over a year ago, and having now settled into a rhythm of motherhood and part-time work, I am keen to return to blogging. Naturally though, my posts may have something of a different flavour now that I have entered this next chapter of my life and I wanted my blog to reflect that, so I took the decision to start over. New year, new blog and all that.

Many of the things I have written about here in the past will still feature as part of the new blog, but there will also be some parenting-related content. Without further ado then, I welcome you to visit me over at http://www.lifeandloves.me/ where I will resume sharing snippets of my life and the things that I love.

I have a great deal of affection for this little blog and I am so very grateful to each of you that has taken the time to read my ramblings over the years. Apologies for the radio silence in 2016. I do hope you will join me over at life & loves...

pp x

Café Royal

Indulging in afternoon tea is one of my absolute favourite things to do. Whether to celebrate a special occasion, to dedicate an afternoon to a long overdue catch-up with a friend or to treat someone you love just because, sitting in pleasant surroundings consuming tasty morsels for several hours is always a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, don't you think..?

[Source]

Sand dunes and salty air

Last year, hubby and I decided that we wanted to prioritise seeing a little more of this wonderful world of ours, so we saved and spent the vast majority of our disposable income on travel. We have since visited six destinations across four continents and made a lot of very happy memories along the way. I must emphasise at this point that I am not sharing this in order to boast about our good fortune in any way; we are very aware of and truly grateful for the privilege of being able to afford to travel abroad. The reason for this ~ what is to become a series of travel posts ~ is rather that I can honestly say the experiences we shared during our various trips have made us far richer than the money we spent ever could. Travel really does enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine, and for us, being away from home gives us the time and space to reconnect and enjoy one another's company without the distraction of the petty necessities of everyday life.

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Over the coming weeks, I will be blogging about various destinations that we would recommend, starting today with our summer holiday from last year...

What a difference a year makes...

This little blog has lain dormant for almost a year <sigh>, but I am finally trying to commit some time to resurrecting it now that I find myself on maternity leave!

sketch

There is no doubt about it, sketch certainly has the kind of je ne sais quoi necessary to distinguish itself from pedestrian afternoon teas. The deliciously tactile pink and gold interior of The Gallery contrives a sense of having taken up residence inside a giant clam shell, for instance.

   

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