8 Taxes Which Make as Much Sense as Tampon Tax

According to the government, sanitary products are a 'luxury' item. So lucky are half the population of the country to bleed from their genitals every month that those guys in Westminster think it's totally fair to charge 5% tax on the items that help a gal out. I mean, it's not like we don't have a choice right? I remember that day when I was 12 years old, excitedly skipping to Boots and signing up for menstruation, gleeful that decades of cramps and mood swings were ahead of me. I mean, who DOESN'T want to insert cotton wool into their private parts? Gee whizz, we're lucky.

Added Extras #4

I shouldn't have jinxed myself last week by saying I was busy. This week has made last week look like the most jolly of sunshine-y walks in the park with a full blown picnic laden with scotch eggs and a bottle of prosecco that never goes flat. I think that when I have a shitty week, I sometimes work harder to make good things happen, or at least appreciate the little goings on that may otherwise pass me by.

Ireland Road Trip: Driving the West Coast

The thing that really makes a driving holiday in Ireland is the stunning coast line. Around every corner you're hit with a new view, totally different from the last. Sometimes you see lush greenery, other times you get jagged, hard rock faces - all overlooking crashing waves that hide the small hope of seeing a visiting whale or seal.

Degustabox: September

 

This month I had to have stern words with my other half to keep his mitts off bits in my Degustabox*. The things for your sweet tooth are always top notch and so great for keeping aside for a day when you just need sugar. Or booze. That helped too.

Added Extras #3

I'm in desperate need of reminding myself of the added extras that have perked up my week. My word, I am busy with a capital B. Busy. No, actually, capitalise everything. BUSY. Christmas officially launches in my workplace on Thursday so I'm seeing life through a tinsel-tinged lens right now, but I won't bore you with that.

The Happiest Birthday

It's almost been a month since my birthday and I've wanted to write about it, but I didn't just want to tell you what I got up to. I'll be honest, I was too drunk and over excitable to do a proper review of where we went for brunch, so I gave up on the idea. But then I started looking through the photos and one thing stood out to me: SMILES.

What I've Been Eating #5

I'm a firm believer that if you live in London there is hardly any excuse to eat shit food. Yes, we all fall for a Pret for lunch when we need something quick, but that's about convenience (and give me their pulled pork and quinoa hot pots any day over a sad, sad ham sandwich). When you have time to plan, there is no point going to Pizza Express when you have Franco Manca; no point going to Burger King when you have, well, ONE MILLION other burger places to try.

Ireland Road Trip: Driving to Clonakilty

We knew that once we left Cork we just wanted to find the sea. We wanted to take coastal driving routes and see little villages and towns that we'd never heard of before, and once you're a few kilometres down the road that's exactly what you find. We knew we wanted to get to Clonakilty for our next B&B, but we had all day to get there so we headed up, up, up some steep roads to get a real sense of why Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle.

Added Extras #2

Look! I've stuck to it! This is Added Extras #2 on time, on the day I said, all scheduled and good to go. It's kind of like I'm organised, or at least giving that illusion. Let's jump straight in to it, shall we?

How to Wear Double Denim

My friend once told me that double denim is also known as the Canadian Tuxedo. This was completely news to me but she's from Toronto so who am I to argue? I think the Canadians are on to something though. I may look back at this outfit in a few years time and wonder what the hell I was doing, but I don't think I look like I've been dunked into a Levi's factory head first...

Baking With Kenwood and Debenhams

So obviously I write this blog, but I've actually worked with bloggers for years. I've scared the crap out of them at the London Dungeons and danced like a loon with them at Bestival, because planning events for bloggers is always so much fun. When my own team were planning a night of baking with homeware designer Ashley Thomas I made the decision to not only help set up the event, but also to don an apron and get my hands dirty (after washing them first, of course!).

Added Extras #1

Sometimes things don't quite fit into a category. If I listen to a song on Spotify and like it I add it to just one playlist. I don't want to break it out into 'happy', 'sad', 'gym' (ha!), I just want to listen to all the songs I like in one place. I've been struggling with how to include some seemingly random parts of my life into this blog, as they don't always warrant an entire post but they're still worthy of a mention. So here we are. Welcome to Added Extras #1!

Ireland Road Trip: Kissing the Blarney Stone

I wasn't that bothered about visiting Blarney Castle after reading a few reviews that said it was overcrowded, overhyped and overpriced. But it was raining and we needed somewhere to go that wasn't a million miles from Cork where we were still based, so we made our way there praying that the weather would improve.

[Life] September, 2015

September is always super busy for me. I make the most of the end of the school holidays and go away somewhere where there's few children to get in the way (yes, eventually I'll have my own and be a bit more compassionate, but until then...). It's also my birthday month so there's always a few celebratory drinks and dinners to be getting on with. This September was characteristically crazy but it was worth it. In October I'm mainly in London but I've got lots of plans with some of my favourite people to keep me busy in the meantime!

How to Wear White Jeans

I wear a lot of black. My ever faithful skinny jeans are that wonderful colour and I get through at least one pair a year, it's a push to even get me to wear blue jeans to be totally honest, so white is basically terrifying new territory for me. Being olive skinned I can wear white, buuuuuuut I don't. I'm super clumsy; guaranteed that at any meal I'll spill at least one thing down myself, and TWICE I have worn a white skirt on the tube and sat in something, uh, unsavoury.