Darling December

St. Ives

December is notoriously a busy month for most. A time to catch up with family and friends who are strewn all over the globe. I have a love of being busy although sometimes it becomes a little overwhelming don’t you think? I’ve been trying to only agree to things I really want to do, not feel obliged to do which has been tough. It’s the new version of me.. since my mum passed away at the end of October it has made me view things slightly differently. My relationship with my mum might not of been peachy but it hasn’t stopped me feeling certain emotions and realise life is short. It may sound like a cliche but I don’t care. 2019 is going to be a year of self care for me. I want to live every day and not regret anything. That doesn’t mean I am going to go and book myself on to a skydiving course, bungee jump off a bridge or attempt to climb Mount Everest. It just means I will learn to say no every once in a while. By saying no I will gain more free time to do the things I love. Getting out in the countryside for walks, travel, explore and spend time with my loved ones over blimmin’ good food and wine! I actually am a girl who appreciates the simple pleasures in life so my goals are certainly achievable.

Comptoir Libanais

My first festive trip of the season was to Comptoir Libanais in Exeter. My friend Angel and I had a fabulous Sunday lunch time sampling their Festive Feast menu. To read about our experience click here.

Denleys

Steve and I headed over to Topsham to Denley’s Essence of India. A brilliant curry house with amazing service and exceptional food. To read about our evening click here.

St Ives

My trip to St Ives couldn’t have come at a better time. This term has been long. Steve and I stayed in a cute Air BnB in the town centre which the owners had decorated for Christmas. It was a lovely touch. We had some lovely meals out and discovered some real gems. A blog post will follow of all my discoveries.

Cabinet Jewellery Pop Up

My gorgeous friend Gemma from Cabinet Jewellery asked me to cater for her Christmas pop up. The evening was a huge success with many people coming out to treat themselves to Gemma’s stunning jewellery alongside gifts from Crane & Kind, coffee from Roastworks and artwork from Rosie Harbottle – she’s such a talent!

I kept it simple with a beetroot hummus canapé and lots of festive mince pies. To drink, I made a pink rose gin and tonic complete with Maddocks Farm edible rose sugar to decorate the rim of the glasses. They were so pretty and went down a storm with the guests.

London

I spent a couple of days feeling festive in the big smoke with my sister just before Christmas. It was lovely wondering around the streets admiring the fabulous decorations as well as discovering the delights of Borough Market, Bermondsey Street and Petersham Nurseries.

Brand Ballot

I have recently been added to the exciting new BrandBallot list for the new year. BrandBallots mission is to promote real, authentic bloggers who care deeply about their work and strive to make the internet a better place. To learn more click the link here to be directed to their homepage.

Willow Well Being & Health House Retreats

I have spent two relaxing blissed out days this month focussing on self care and mindfulness. The first with Ceri from Willow Wellbeing in Silverton having the most divine Indian head massage and reflexology. The second was a day of self care with Health House Retreats. Blog posts will follow as both experiences were too good not to share. In the mean time take a look at some photos.

Of course Christmas should get a mention. Mine was spent with my family. My gorgeous Nanny, Tim, Estella, Juliet and Steve. We had guests a plenty throughout the festivities. My chum Serena came to celebrate Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve with us. An Icelandic tradition where you give the gift of a book to your nearest and dearest to open and read whilst eating chocolate. I mean, how could we not start this tradition in our household? Especially when Serena works in the library! She also joined us for our festive brunch on Christmas Day. Johanna helped us decorate our tree whilst drinking mulled wine and eating yummy finger food. Steve’s parents came to visit on Christmas Eve and we popped to one of our local pubs, Oddfellows for lunch. I feel blessed to have all these special people in my life. I also feel blessed to have met some truly wonderful people this year through work and my day to day life. They make that humdrum a little more pleasurable! My final thought goes out to all of my friends who showed me great support through a difficult last part of the year. You know who you are. Viki, 2019 will be our year! (Sorry “in” joke that only one other human will understand!)

Thank you to Angel Wade for additional photography.

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