On Sunday I headed up to Cromer to The Grove to check out their new glamping facilities and to have a good old nose around.

Back in the good old days, Chris and I used to go camping all the time and really enjoyed life under canvas elsewhere in Cromer in fact. The great outdoors is a wonderful thing and although personally I enjoyed getting back to basics with a bootful of equipment back then I'm rather taken with the idea of all the added luxuries that glamping has to offer. The bell tents were delightfully roomy and bright with a lovely comfortable bed and all the little touches as well as your own personal fire pit; I could well picture myself in one for a long weekend. All you need to do is arrive with your clothes, easy peasy.


As with the b&b accommodation at The Grove guesthouse you can also have a superb breakfast ordered to start the day in the second best possible way, you also get to use the swimming pool and of course you can choose to dine in their award winning restaurant


In addition, should you choose to have a wedding at The Grove they can arrange a super-tipi for your wedding party with Magical Camping. This is not just a tent by any means, it's almost like a castle inside, furnished with such beautiful items. The benches are very sweet and there are so many added touches to make things feel really special. I especially loved the bar, dance floor and the fire – perfect for toasting marshmallows (I might have treated myself to quite a few).


The restaurant at the Grove, which has recently been awarded AA two rosettes has two main dining rooms and a sitting room which look really lovely and play host to some beautiful artwork. It seems that plenty of local produce is used which is always a plus in my book too. The guesthouse has been run by the same family since 1936 which is admirable (and rare) and clearly shows the dedication to the place as well as the level of pride in keeping things just right.

I had a peep at the Mother's day menu which sounds amazing so I am rather keen to ensure we return at some point for our own dining experience.


Have you ever tried glamping? Are you tempted to?  Or have you stayed/dined at The Grove, share!

Sophie

Guess who's been spoiled and now has to 'make do' with distinctly less impressive outfit pictures? *raises hand*.

I wore this a couple of weeks back when the sun came out which lead to me dig out my leather jacket, the poor thing had been hidden behind woolen coats and (shudders) anoraks on the coat pegs. I bought the mini leather bomber thing a couple of years back now (I think) when I really wanted one and had to grit my teeth and bid something cray like £10 on ebay *winces*. Thankfully, I have made good use of it and have recently found myself reaching for it whenever the forecast declares it to be dry out. Naturally, a hint of rain would render it useless; soggy leather is pretty much punishable by goodness knows what.

These red check trousers have not seen the light of day nearly often enough lately and I'm pretty sure it's only because they had somehow become lost in my wardrobe. Just recently I've felt more experimental with colour which is why I wore red trousers with this peach jumper and nude polka dot scarf. The whole ensemble whispers rockstar to me, especially with the big sunglasses but perhaps bigger boots are needed. I wore my granny mini-wedge comfy ankle boots for maximum comfort, something I doubt is considered by bona fide rockers!


Sophie

Image credits: Bindings, Goggles, Helmet, Boots, Board,  Pants,  Jacket

Sochi 2014 was all kinds of awesome and during the couple of weeks it was on that was pretty much all we watched on TV. It's fair to say that we were massively inspired by the exciting action that we watched and plans are being put in place but I'm keeping quiet about that for the time being. The wide variety of national skiwear outfits was amusing; from the safe to boring, retro, bright, bold and even comedy. If I was taking to the slopes I'd want to put my own stamp on my look so I've put together an outfit which would be my choice of attire. From my limited knowledge of skiing and snowboarding I believe the season tails off soon so I would go for pastels in order to bring some early spring joy to the mountain. What do you think of my pastel ensemble?
Have you ever hit the slopes and what did you wear?
Sophie
This is my entry into the  Skiworld 'How to look good on the slopes competition'

Life has a funny way of keeping you guessing and since I've started blogging quite a few unexpected opportunities have come my way. Taking part in regular local twitter chats has been great fun over the past few months as I love to follow some local faces, keep up with local gossip and discovering local businesses. It's not only been great fun but there is some great support out there with plenty of encouragement and advice.

Through the #NorfolkHour chats I got to know Jon Clifton (@Jon_Clifton78) , an aspiring local photographer and was so impressed with the pictures he tweeted. Jon is currently a hobbyist photographer based in West Norfolk, hoping to turn professional in the next year. He specializes in landscape, portrait, product, marketing and event photography and is always on the lookout for new projects to help promote people/businesses and expand his portfolio. I had a good browse through his website http://www.joncliftonphotographyanddesign.co.uk/ so when he suggested we work together on a mini project together I was rather enthusiastic. How often does a girl get to pretend to be a model? (Ok, it's most weeks for me, but only with my husband Chris, so not scary at all).


We planned to take some shots at two locations and to my great delight the weather turned out to be deliciously warm and sunny, saving me from freezing to death or worse- having to wear frumpy clothes. The first place we used was Sandringham country park, somewhere which for no logical I had never been to before. It was so beautiful, especially in the dazzling sunlight so I will definitely be making a return and next time behind the camera.

I wanted to specifically wear something with a floaty skirt as springtime in the forest calls for something dreadfully impractical in my book. Navy happens to be something of a sombre colour usually but this maxi dress is so unusual, with its sparkly centred flowers and long sheer skirt that to me it fits the bill perfectly, especially when worn with white cardigan (old) and white faux litas totalling £26 in total from Amazon, I can see these coming out again and again.


It was great to work with Jon, he is such a nice guy, very patient and super talented too. The photographs have come out brilliantly and I'm so happy with the end result. I'm excited to be sharing the second lot of pictures soon too! If you are looking for a photographer in Norfolk then I would heartily recommend Jon and would like to say a great big thank you for his time and letting me use these photographs.

Sophie

Don't worry guys – I didn't go alone. I've watched catfish. The good news for Jon was that I didn't turn out to be a creepy old overweight cougar using a fake profile.

In order to ring the changes around here and keep things interesting (ha) I filmed a short outfit vlog to talk you through what I'm wearing. I've heard other fashion bloggers call them 'lookbooks' but I have no idea why; no pages involved. Making little videos is something that I wish to work on and would love you to subscribe to my Youtube channel!

Jacket - blog sale, jumper and skirt - charity shops, tights - Primark, boots - Amazon, necklace - no idea

Things have been a bit up and down in the last couple of months; we've had a few deaths in the family (nobody that close) and winter usually plays havoc with my motivation. My posting frequency dropped to an all-time low as juggling everything just wasn't working and secretly I've been having something of a crisis of confidence not only about my blog but in my abilities in pretty much everything. I've talked before about my lack of self-esteem which has rocketed skyward in the last year or so (to around average, I guess) but my trust in my capabilities has always been low. At school I was reasonably intelligent, being put in the top sets for graded subjects and achieving good but not astonishingly great marks, however my common sense and natural ability to understand concepts and instructions has always been dreadful. It seems if I can possibly grasp the wrong end of the stick, I do or fail to even find the stick for starters.

This blog has always been a place for me to waffle on about whatever crosses my mind, whether it good or bad and in that respect makes for a good way of thinking things through aloud or jotting down things I want to remember. In keeping with my new found blogging roll I have been writing about a wider variety of topics than usual, so expect some more on the way soon.

Sophie

When Holland and Barrett asked me to take a health and lifestyle MOT I thought it would be interesting to find out where I stand and how to make improvements. I've spoken before about how pathetically bad I am at looking after the 'beauty' side of my health; dry skin, severe lack of beauty regime, abstinence from moisturising. You name it, I probably forget to do it. I was sent some Aloe Vera wipes to help keep my skin fresh. I tend to use a multi stage process to clean my face; tissue to wipe off some of the foundation (my skin is so greasy that foundation tends to just float off the surface anyway), then wet wipes to get the majority off, followed by micellar water and then a while later a good wash with a sensitive facial wash. This is supposed to all be concluded with a little bit of a moisturise and as one of my resolutions I vowed to get myself into a better routine of moisturising my face in the hope that I can slow down the rate my face looks like it's ageing. Three weeks of regular attention was all I managed before getting forgetful and skipping the odd evening before abandoning it altogether. This Olive oil day cream looks rather luxurious and really ought to be applied albeit sparingly of a morning to protect my skin from the cold winter starts which seem to be drying my face out each morning.

You've probably notice that my hair is getting in worse condition in recent months, it looks and feels much drier which I put would say is partly down to the weather but mosty because I haven't been lavishing it with enough care. It really needs a regular moisturising mask but I just never seem to prioritise it and so my various tubs of gunk for that remain untouched. I was sent some Hair Food which contains vitamins and minerals needed for hair to grow and maintain good condition. Sadly, as I'm utterly rubbish and can't swallow tablets these are something I'll pass on to someone else who can make better use of them.  I've spoken before about how I really don't like nuts. As part of my attempts to eat clean and improve my diet I've taken to trying more in the way of including nuts and seeds. These almonds are sure to get eaten soon. More to come on the nut-front soon I hope.

It's no secret that I don't get enough sleep. I tried really hard last week and got a trio of early nights, two lots of over 7 hours and one full 8 hours, I was so proud of myself but conversely I did feel a bit poorly after the 8 hours, with a dull headache most of the day which I can't really explain. When filling in the Good Life MOT survey I perhaps should have elaborated that I was not gettng enough sleep because I simply don't allow enough time to sleep, as opposed to laying awake at night. Chris, on the other hand is something of an insomniac so I'm hoping these Valerian pills will be of some use to him. The lavender essential oil and lavender massage oil are really not my thing as lavender is far more of a scent either of my grandmothers would use and kind of puts me off so again, I'll pass these on to someone who can get more use. In fact I think I'll put together a giveaway with some extra goodies soon. Along with a blogsale, I HAVE to part with a load of clothes.

Thanks to Holland and Barrett for sending me this parcel! All opinions my own, as usual, as ever.

Sophie