A little box of happiness for autumn: my Treat Trunk review {AD}

There is something about the changing seasons that makes me want to slow down a little. The mornings are darker, the evenings are drawing in and suddenly the thought of going out in the cold doesn’t seem quite as appealing as it did a few weeks ago. Instead, I’m dreaming of cosy evenings, a blanket on the sofa, something good on the telly and a bag of something delicious to

Read More

A personal touch: Paint A Moment {AD}

There are some gifts that are lovely because of what they are, and others that mean a little bit more because of the memories behind them. Paint By Numbers by Paint A Moment falls firmly into the second category. I was asked if I wanted to review a painting by numbers kit, all I had to do is send over a photo and leave the rest to Paint a Moment.

Read More

Film review: Mr Negative Fragile

I took a roll of Mr Negative Fragile 400 away with me to Chichester and Emsworth, which turned out to be a rather good accidental test of it. I say accidental because I wasn’t setting out to test the film. I simply wanted a roll in the camera. We were away for a night, wandering around Chichester, exploring Emsworth and staying at The Ropemaker, and Fragile came along for the ride. And

Read More

The Ropemaker, Emsworth

There are some places you stay where everything is perfectly fine, and then there are places where you find yourself thinking, I’d come back here. The Ropemaker in Emsworth is one of those places. We stayed for a night and it was exactly the sort of little South Coast escape I like. Comfortable without being stuffy, friendly without being over the top, and quiet enough that you actually feel as though

Read More

Getting out of your comfort zone

I don’t like surprises. There. I’ve said it. I know some people absolutely love them. They like not knowing where they’re going, what they’ve been bought, what somebody has planned. They enjoy the anticipation and the mystery of it all. I do not. I like to know. I like a plan. I like to know where I’m going, what I’m doing, who will be there and, preferably, what the parking

Read More

How a notebook helps your mental health

There’s something oddly comforting about writing things down. Not typing them into a notes app. Not setting another reminder that gets buried beneath twenty others. Actually writing them. Pen on paper. A shopping list. A birthday you mustn’t forget. The prescription you need to collect. An appointment next Thursday at 2.15. “Post parcel”. “Reply to Sarah”. “Buy lightbulbs”. Tiny things, really. And yet somehow those tiny things can become incredibly

Read More

Photography. Anywhere. Anytime

There is something quietly reassuring about knowing you can step outside and just go. No booking, no planning, no particular destination needed. Just you, a bit of time, and something simple enough to carry in your hand. I remember once reading that runners love running because it is so uncomplicated. You lace up your trainers, step out of the front door, and that is it. The world becomes your route.

Read More

Paris in black and white

There is something about Paris that feels like it was always waiting to be seen in black and white. Like colour is almost an interruption, a distraction from what the city is actually doing underneath all that elegance and noise. I took a set of photos there recently and I keep going back to them more than I expected to. Not because they are technically perfect or because I nailed anything particularly

Read More