Leave it all behind...

Hi everyone, I hope you have had a good week. I am sorry that I have not posted for a week, it has been a hectic few days because I have been having a little break in Anglesey, Wales and when I got back my mum came to stay with me for a couple of days. 
I have mentioned before how much I love Anglesey, and a little time away is always good. It is such a beautiful place with stunning beaches, views of the Snowdonia mountains and picturesque country roads. I never want to leave Anglesey when I go to visit and my ultimate dream is to buy a cottage there one day.

We went camping, which is good fun, even though it is not luxurious! It is nice to get back to the simple pleasures in life, and forget all the usual stress!

 The campsite was quite busy!

Clouds over the Snowdonia Mountains.

 Very simple ootd for a stroll at the beach. 

Sweater, jeans and flip flops: Primark

Bag: Marc B at Topshop. Hair: Windswept! 

Relaxing on the beach on day 2. 

Swimsuit from Tesco, sunglasses from Primark.

 It was a much sunnier day, so I went swimming a lot which was heaven! As you can see, we had a lot of treats with us such as wine and Pringles ;)

 Road trip essentials! Tea and coffee :)

During the trip we went to the beach during the day and had some delicious picnics. Day one was rainy, so we toured around the island a bit more and explored some of the bays near Holyhead. Day two was sunny, so we headed straight to the beach and spent the day sunbathing, eating and swimming. Bliss! 

I have included a little 'haul' of the items I bought at Superdrug recently:

Palmolive sensitive hand wash with aloe vera.

Frizz Ease original 6 effects serum. 

Gilette Venus Spa Breeze Razor.

Dove Summer Glow.

Solait moisturising after sun lotion with tan prolonger.

Some current non-beauty favourites: 

Coca cola: nothing bets a chilled can of this in the summer!

Nescafe Gold Blend: A lovely smooth everyday coffee.

Hershey Bar with almonds: A delicious treat.

Tesco Goodness Mini Fruit Boxes: These are great to carry in your handbag for when you need a quick healthy snack!

 Another couple of favourites:

 Having fresh flowers in the house and meeting people for drinks in the sunshine :)

It was nice to get away for a few days, although the only trouble with short breaks is that they are over far too soon. I am hoping to go away on a longer holiday later this year, but I do not have one organised yet! 

What about you, do you all have a holiday planned for this summer? Thank you so much for all of your comments! Don't forget, I read and appreciate every comment and I follow back my followers :) 

Have a great weekend, see you next time!

Camille xo.

A recent sunset picture I took. I thought this sunset was especially beautiful and it is an ideal picture to end this post :)

Higher than heavens arms...

Well, here we go...you know what I am about to say. Another week has flown by! Sorry everyone, but you know I have to say this absolutely every week! I suppose the good thing about the way that time flies is the fact that the weekends come around so much quicker! The weather is great at the moment and I am hoping it lasts for the next few days as I am supposed to be going to Anglesey, and I am hoping to have a swim in the sea. I have not been swimming in the sea so far this year and I love it so much.
I was a bit naughty today and I went shopping after I had finished some work. Before going shopping in Liverpool I also treated myself to a solo lunch in one of my new favourite places, Amici. It was a delicious lunch and it gave me time to think. One of the greatest gifts in life is clarity and I really appreciate time to think and gain clarity on certain situations, in order to move forward in the right direction.
 I do not mind doing things by myself, even though some people find the idea of dining out alone quite daunting. To me, it is second nature. I have always been very independent and I actually like my own company, living in Germany and France during my degree also made me a lot more independent, because I had to do things by myself or not at all...
Now, I just take a book or my laptop with me if  I am eating or grabbing coffee alone and I find that it is a really enjoyable experience. Ultimately, I would rather go out alone than feel that I always need to have somebody accompanying me, as the reality is that friends or family might not always be free at the same times that I am.
It was a scorching afternoon and I just needed cheering up to be honest. The lunch and the shopping certainly did the trick. After all, they call it 'retail therapy' for a reason and I was determined that I would not start the weekend feeling down.
The sun is shining, it is the weekend and I have so much to be grateful for in life, but I guess we all get the blues sometimes.  Anyway, I did not buy that much, but I got a couple of cute things in Primark and then stopped off in Starbucks to write this post.
 What are you all up to this weekend? I treasure all of your lovely comments . Thank you all so much for reading these posts and for sharing your thoughts with me. I follow back my followers and I love to check out all your blogs so do not forget to leave a link!

Until next time, best wishes.

Camille xo. 

 Recent ootd: Primark maxi dress and cardigan, Forever 21 bag.

 Lunch at Amici, accompanied by 'The Lemon Grove'. I ordered my favourite lunch of a tuna melt jacket potato with a latte to drink ;p.

 Primark: tribal print playsuit £7 

(Sorry about my miserable face, I was too hot in the fitting room!) 

 Black super skinny high waist jeans £10. Chain strap black top £6

 Black ruffle detail jumpsuit £15

 Starbucks: Raspberry and Blackcurrant ice blend, yum! 

There was a parade going on through the city centre, I  am not sure what it was for, but there were lots of interesting costumes, puppets and music! The colour and vibrancy was really cheerful! 

Flyer than a parakeet, floatin' with no parachute.....

Weekend: 

Shorts, necklace, top and flip flops-Primark.

Bag-Marc B at Topshop.

Kimono-H&M

Hello lovelies, I hope that you have all had a great weekend!

 I have to start this post with a literary recommendation. In my last post, I mentioned the books I had bought, and I have started reading the novel ‘The Lemon Grove’ by Helen Walsh. 

Well, what can I say? I was gripped from the very first paragraph.  It is a beautifully written, evocative book. The prose is so descriptive that you are immediately transported to the places she is describing. She perfectly conjures up the balmy heat and the intense emotions of being away on holiday, with the mastery of her words.It is a perfect summer read, whether you enjoy it  at home or indeed away on holiday. I would describe this book as a perfectly written study of the anatomy of forbidden desire. It is gripping, and a real ‘page turner’. Also the author lives on Merseyside. It is a small world, and she is definitely the kind of writer I aspire to be one day.

 I have had a nice weekend. I went out for drinks and a curry on Friday night with lovely friends. I had not been out for a curry before in the area where I am now living, so it was nice to try somewhere I had never been. I have mentioned before how difficult it has been settling in to a new area, and I feel so blessed to have made friends now and to go out and have fun more often. We met for a few drinks first at our favourite bar and had plenty of interesting conversation with nice people.  Because my ‘day job’ as a freelance translator is quite solitary (I often work from home, or Starbucks!) I really appreciate seeing people and having a good conversation. I really enjoy talking about art, history and world affairs, but I also enjoy just having a good old fashioned gossip...!

After drinks, we went to Shuhel Balti in West Kirby for our curry. The food was delicious. As you can bring your own drinks,  we brought good Red and Rosé wines with us! I had a starter of Onion Bhajis, which were delicately spiced and delicious, and then for the main course, I had Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice and we also shared side orders of Poppadoms and Naan Bread. The whole meal was amazing, it was nice to catch up and more importantly, to laugh. The night went by so quickly and we had such a fun time. Laughter and conversation really is the best medicine, especially when it is accompanied by good food and wine!

Drinks at The Wro before dinner.

http://www.thewro-lounge.co.uk/

Onion Bhajis.

Poppadoms.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice.

 

 Getting ready on Friday night :)

 Friday night make up. Lipstick: Kate Moss for Rimmel in '110'

Weekend make up. Lipstick: Collection cosmetics in shade 6 'Bubblegum'.

On Saturday, I went to visit my family in Derbyshire again.  It was a beautiful sunny day and I am ashamed to say I did absolutely nothing apart from sitting in the sunshine, reading and enjoying the tranquillity and the exquisite gardens. Later, we had dinner on the lawn, just pizza with salad followed by Tiramisu. A long walk down the country lane was necessary later, to burn off all the calories and to visit Buck the Shetland Pony!

Sunday was another relaxing day and I feel truly grateful to have so many blessings.
Have a great week ahead beautiful people, I consider each of you my friends and I appreciate you taking the time to read my little old blog.

 I love your comments and I read and enjoy each and every one. Until next time  J

Camille xo.

Of starry nights and Eucalyptus trees...

Hi everyone, I hope that you have all been having a great week so far and as usual I have to be boring and say my usual comment that 'I cannot believe how fast another week has flown by!' Seriously though, this year just seems to be passing at a rate of knots!
I am back with another outfit post, combined with a few ramblings about books and food! This River Island kimono, well what can I say? it is a favourite of mine but it is such a statement piece that I do not tend to wear it that often. Now that summer is finally here though, I feel as though it fits in with a bohemian, festival inspired vibe which is perfect for the warmer weather.
As the basis to any boho outfit, I don't think you can go wrong with a good kimono, a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Add sandals, a bag and plenty of jewellery and you have got the right kind of vibe going on for lazy summer days, drink in hand, watching the world go by...

 Kimono-River Island

Peplum top and shorts-Primark

Sandals-New Look

Bag-Marc B at Topshop

Blogging in Starbucks as usual! 

One of my favourite ways to relax is definitely to settle down with a good book, but I have really been neglecting reading lately. I have a Kindle, but I still enjoy getting my hands on a paperback or hardback book. The other day I wandered into Waterstones in Liverpool One to pick up some summer reading material. I was pleased to see that they were having a 'buy one, get one half price' offer, so I settled on two new paperbacks. they both sound brilliant! 

The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow

(ignore the unhealthy cake-oh well, it is fun to be bad sometimes!)

Have you guys got any good books to recommend to me for reading over the summer? 

On another note, I have been feeling a bit run down lately and when I am feeling like that, I always have a tendency to eat junk foods! Pizza, chips, chocolate, ice cream...you name it! I am definitely guilty of 'comfort eating'. With this in mind, I have been making an effort to eat more healthily lately. I usually have porridge or bran flakes for breakfast with berries sprinkled on top, a salad or a jacket potato for lunch and something not too unhealthy for dinner. It is hard to eat healthily when I go out to eat as there are always so many delicious things on the menu. I also have a really bad Starbucks habit ( as you may have noticed!) so I make sure I order skinny iced lattes there unless I am feeling naughty...then I have a caramel iced latte! I do notice a difference in how much better I feel when I eat healthily. Below are a few food ideas :)

Would you guys like to see more food posts and even recipes on here?

 Homemade vegetarian chilli to share with tortillas (recipe soon!) 

 Salad followed by Greek yoghurt and blueberries.

 Jacket potato topped with tuna, sweetcorn and a little melted cheese.

Cheese omelette with green salad. 

I always have to leave you with a good sky picture :) I took this one the other day, sunset over Hilbre Island, West Kirby. 

I am making myself hungry (as usual!) please tell me any good healthy food/recipes that you would recommend. I read and appreciate every comment and I follow back my followers. Until next time!

Camille xo. 

All black everything...

Well, I know that I say this practically every time that I post, but I cannot believe that another week has flown by again and here we are again at the start of a new one. I hope that you have all been ok and that you have had a lovely weekend.
 I think the time goes by so much more quickly when you are busy, and I have been busier than usual lately, which is good. I enjoy having things going on and rushing around more than usual.
A while ago, I bought a lovely long length black kimono from H&M and I had not had a chance to wear it until Friday.
I had the outfit all planned out, revolving around wearing the kimono with the shorts that I got recently from Primark.
Of course, it was raining, but I decided to wear it anyway...you can't let a good outfit plan go to waste right ladies?!

Kimono-H&M.

Bag, t-shirt, shorts and necklace-Primark. 

Sandals- New Look.

 Lunch at my favourite bar on Saturday.

 Tuna Melt Jacket Potato, Bacon and Mozzarella Panini and a bowl of 'Cheeky Fries' ;p

 Mississippi Mud Cake!
All in all, another lovely lunch at The Wro in West Kirby

http://www.thewro-lounge.co.uk/

One of the beautiful flower displays outside The Wro.



How did you all enjoy the weekend? I did not get up to that much, I went out for drinks on Friday night and lunch on Saturday, then Sunday was just a chilled out day in Liverpool walking by the river and watching the world go by. Later there was a spectacular sunset in West Kirby, which I loved seeing as always. I feel very lucky to live by the water and I love watching the sailing boats on the Marine Lake. It is a relaxing place to gather your thoughts. Let me know how you all are, I read and appreciate every comment and I follow back my followers.

Sunset.

Until next time!

Camille xo.