Last night I was searching through holiday photos dating back to 2015 in the hope that we could recall the name of the country house with the little church in a field which sat opposite a hill with the red squirrels. Eventually C tracked it down. It made for a delight in looking through so many pictures which had never been dealt with in the usual way; holiday pictures inevitably never get the full blogging works as I take so many that it would take months to share them all and far outstay their seasonal propriety.
Maybe on a rainy day when there is no hope of venturing out and usual stream of content has run dry I will revisit some days out we spent to make the most of days past. This picture is one I remember taking. The water looks so magical and sparkly in this one. There must be hundreds, if not thousands from the last few years and plenty I reall too. Something to return on the very rainiest of rainy days.
Sophie

Now, you may not have noticed but I sneaked away for a fortnight and arrived home yesterday. It does the soul good to escape in it's entirety to a new landscape and new skies. Our destinations were the Brecon Beacons in Wales and Devon. I drank coffees to the backdrop of the sun rising and munched buttery crumpets most mornings.
The mornings waking up to this view were priceless. A window from floor to hip is a tad unusual but as it was a converted barn we stayed in, who was I to protest? Sleeping with the curtains wide open with only the gentle rolling hills and grazing horses separating us from the sun rising.
It goes without saying that we went out exploring. I have so many pictures to sort through, edit and share, hopefully many will make it here over the next couple of weeks.
There will be so much to bring you in Autumn nevertheless, we'll see what makes it into each post. I've got my new season plans and aims to share soon too.
Keep your eyes peeled.
Sophie x

I can't believe how much has been going on lately. Where do I start? We arrived home from Latitude festival in Suffolk yesterday. A whole long weekend full of sunshine, camping, big sunny skies, music, comedy... No clock-watching or convention necessary. In the round things were delightful.
Early, lazy mornings in the early warmth of the day, sipping coffee. I was ready for bed by around 11pm. The exertion of the day providing all the desire to go to sleep, although nights on a different bed - especially an airbed and unfamiliar sleeping bag are bound to be more unsettled than usual. I did get plenty of quality shuteye so can't complain in the least (unlike C who had to buy earplugs but still struggled).
I've come home with brown arms, face and half my legs, which is probably how I'll stay for the rest of the year unless we have a continued heatwave and I can miraculously even it up. I know it's a bit of a touchy subject but I always feel more alive and healthy with a bit of a tan.

The weekend before, we attended a family wedding which was a sweet day. The weather was mercifully better than the forecast and things went smoothly. It's a pleasure to share in a happy occasion. There should be more days set aside to celebrate good, positive things in life. Only weddings and funerals seem to merit a family gathering lately.

Summer itself is a real event. It's a time drain and a luxury and everything in between. I'm grateful and I'm thankful, with so much on my mind and yet letting it all go to just be quiet sometimes. Up with the sun and making the most of the daylight; getting along to the allotment to pick the bursting bounties of fruit and vegetables. Evening walks. It's going to be weird being confined to quarters over winter again, but I'd rather not dwell on that yet.

How's things for you lately?
Sophie

I'm an explorer, an adventurer. My legs were built to carry me, my nimble foot steps to keep me safe. We walk. We stroll. We trek. I observe and scrutinise.

I also chose a pretty beaded boho wrist strap   which is a stacked bangle in turquoise as you know how much I love a little bit of arm candy. Let's not forget, a holiday outfit can never be complete without a pair of sunnies. In a slight change of step I'm wearing cat eye sunglasses and I'd call myself a convert. They're robust and comfortable with great tinting. I imagine they'll be my go-to pair all summer long!

 Let's not overlook that I'd happily wear this outfit in the countryside, the beach, in town and pretty much anywhere. It's versatile.
Do you approve of my holiday style?
Sophie
Thank you to Bonprix for sending me these items to feature! All content my own.

The new season is in full swing so I wanted to share a few plans and aspirations for the new season so you can see what ought to be cropping up here over the next couple of months (I always enjoy reading Hazel's list).

I'll start with what's already done

• Get started in the greenhouse. Start off the flowers and vegetables. Tidy the greenhouse. It's been lovely and I'm enjoying it.
• Bird feeders and nest boxes. Check! C has put them all up, two feeders and three boxes. I'm so excited  We also have a little bird bath too (in the hope pigeons won't bother).
• Take a weekend away. Yes! We spent the weekend in Cumbria and were lucky with the weather. Hopefully plenty to share on that soon. 
• Write letters. Three. Posted, almost.
• Spring clean. The last year and a bit have seen something of a u-turn in housekeeping. We have been keeping everything pretty spick and span so it's just a case of upkeep.

What's still to do

• Make a start at the allotment. Sadly it's staying really wet after a lot of recent rainfall so although C has put a lot of manure over the plot, its still a far cry from being prepared.
• Bake a cake. I have a burning desire to make a Victoria sponge for the Easter weekend.
• The great bi-annual wardrobe reshuffle. Oh it's always such a mammoth ordeal but discovering clothes that were forgotten for a while is good.
• Pick flowers from the garden. I'm not sure whether I'm too early for this but we'll see!
• Swap winter for summer bedding plants. Again, not sure how early is too early!
• Make a new tablecloth. I need to source some material, which is the annoying bit. Just whipping up the sewing machine shouldn't take all that long. 
• Sort out my footwear. I need to get my summer sandals and ankle boots out. Maybe even buy some more, I have my eye on this pair of little grey boots from Daniel Footwear and also I need a pair of canvas festival shoes too
• Summer style. I have my heart set on floaty dresses and flowers in my hair. Help.

What are your plans for spring?
Sophie
This post includes a sponsored link. All content and opinions my own.

Continuing in my mission to share all the best bits of our time in the Lake District and the surrounding area.

We visited Lowther Castle quite by chance, it's not far from Penrith. We'd made a beeline for Shap Abbey which is an English Heritage site (free to visit), which is tucked away down quiet roads and finally descending into a valley. The abbey was fascinating for a short trip (under an hour), I adore learning about the history of an area; it's just mind blowing to stand somewhere so quiet and empty and to imagine what has happened in that exact spot over hundreds of years.

Back to Lowther Castle itself. It's an amazing place.

We arrived just after midday I think and decided that an early lunch would be an excellent plan. The cafe is swish, modern, clean and serves a marvellous array of eats. The food is home cooked; they serve proper hearty dishes as well as light bites and cakes plus drinks and very importantly, good coffee. We opted for a beautiful sounding meatball dish which we each polished off with great satisfaction. Great stuff!

To get into the shops, cafe and forecourt is free and if I lived nearby I'd be a-visiting just for a decent hot meal as a matter of course.

We were greeted into the Castle grounds by a very friendly chap who gave us a good idea of what was going on with the restoration and pointed out some 'must-see' parts of the grounds. I do appreciate insider information and we were made to feel most welcome. It was during the week we visited, Monday possibly, anyway it was pretty quiet and of course the grounds are so extensive that it's not going to get overcrowded.

The Castle itself is a stunning building. No roof, or windows. It's an immaculate shell of a building which in no small part reminded us of a Disney fairy-tale castle. It was so inspiring to look both from a distance at the structure and also right inside the walls where a garden has been planted. A great use of the space. The castle and grounds are undergoing restoration (since 2010 I believe) and I heard this makes them the largest restoration project in Europe. The grounds were let go completely for decades and so over the last 5 years it's been a gradual process of reclaiming it all back from nature.

We took our time wandering through the grounds as a steady stroll is the best way to take in the surroundings, especially when carrying a camera to capture all the things that catch my eye. Armed with our map and tip offs about the best parts we set off. I was immediately drawn to the mesmerising strips of wildflowers in bloom, thousands of flowers all in bloom was a spectacle indeed! There are footpaths all over the gardens and not a single 'keep off the grass' sign to be found, how refreshing!

Can I say that the rope swings for big kids were brilliant fun. I got C to give me push and proceeded to laugh my way back and forth for a few minutes. Such fun!

The walk up to the to of the Patte d'Oie was utterly worthwhile for the view. It was wonderful. We relished in it. The staircase with heart shaped steps was a romantic spot indeed; the stones were pilfered from Shap Abbey down the road!

The view from the summerhouse was amazing. Mind the drop though! The yew avenue left a feeling of how things used to be and the rock garden had an eeriness of shadows of the past. There was lots to see but to make the most of it you need to take your time and use your imagination. It's an ideal place to visit with friends or if you like to spend time walking around somewhere at a leisurely pace.

Sophie

There's something great about being away which makes you throw the usual set of timings out the window. Dinner? Who needs to be cooking when you could be out walking down a winding country lane enjoying the last of the evening sun? The quiet, peaceful air calls you outside to perambulate and take in new sights and sounds. Certain magic lingers whilst on holiday, don't you think? It's exciting to go out in the last few hours of daylight and just relish in the last glowing rays of the sun.

The luxury of staying in a landscape far removed from that which we are used to is something I took great joy in. The view of far off mountains, dry stone walls and herds of sheep grazing is so far removed from our usual environment it just takes my breath away for a moment. Lake District, I think I love you.

Sophie

I took a break. We disappeared off for a fortnight for some simplicity, fresh air and freedom. I've ensured that this blog is an extension of all things good in my life; a place where I can share all the joys I come across, but equally I never wanted to become a slave to maintaining a consistent broadcast irrespective of what's going on in my life. I don't really remember taking a fortnight off blogging since I started. Sometimes I took a few guest posts to fill the void in the earlier days, other times I rationed my own posts and scheduled them to go live while I was away (or worse still, blogged on holiday).

I'm not entirely sure I needed a break. A break from a hobby is something of a pleasure-drought it could be said. However, I suspect that C needed me to take a leave of absence from the laptop, as most evenings (all, bar a rare few) I can be found tapping away on my keys looking square-eyed into my screen until my mind gives up and I slump over when exhaustion kicks in. So it was important that whilst on holiday I was entirely present and not just 'hmmming' from behind a box. Hence no posts from me. An unexpected absence.

I have hundreds of photographs from summer which may never surface as they look distinctly 'last season' now (which saddens me) as well as the fact that I can no longer remember which ones I've looked through and edited and frankly it takes so long that I get frustrated spending so long doing something with nothing to show for it. I'm not sure how many of these holiday photos will see the light of day either; time moves so fast that often things become irrelevant before they get looked at again. In an ideal world I'd be able to instantly process a day's photographs within a few hours and share them the next morning with all the details still hot off the press, but that's just a pipe dream.

We first spent a week in the north east corner of the Lake District. This set of pictures is from when we took a short ride out of Keswick to take a little walk on a cloudy day. The threat of rain lingered in the air but that's where it predominantly stayed. I took photographs. I hope you like them.

More soon.

Sophie