changing seasons

Trench H&M 

Tee Brandy Melville

Jeans Dorothy Perkins

Boots MissGuided

Scarf H&M

Bag New Look

I've wanted to blog about this trench for a while now after picking it up in H&M a few months back, but despite how lovely it is IRL, it's hard to photograph well! It is a gorgeously light navy cotton, meaning its perfect for this weather where its not super cold but pretty miserable. These boots also tick all the boxes at the moment - and an absolute bargain. I'd go as far to say they are my favourite buy in recent months. Nice one MissGuided!

a roman holiday

Late on Monday night I returned to Farnham from a whirlwind few days in the Italian capital, Rome. Kat and I, along with our fellas, decided to take a short city break to explore a city we'd all been desperate to visit - and it didn't disappoint! Having not travelled to mainland Italy before (only the island of Sicily many years ago when I was much younger) I was oh so ready to soak up the culture, architecture... and food. In a brief three days, we managed to fit in all the main sights - the Vatican, Colosseum and Forum, Spanish steps, Vittoriano monument, a whole load of basilicas ... the list goes on. Unfortunately the Trevi fountain was closed for renovation works - another reason to go back I guess! We booked our accommodation through Air BnB and stayed with the lovely Roberta, in an apartment about a 25 minute walk from the Colosseum. The room was so much cheaper than any hotel in the same area and had free wifi and breakfast. Roberta gave us great tips and information about the city - I'd highly recommend her apartment, just click the link above for more info. 

I was completely blown away by Roman architecture, the buildings are just phenomenal. You have to remind yourself to look up every now and again just in case you miss something spectacular! Despite seeing the Sistine chapel in the Vatican and several other churches or basilicas, to me San Carlo al Corso really stood out - situated on the main street in Rome Via del Corsa. Its a must see! We also made a last minute trip up to the top of the Vittoriano monument, which gives amazing views over Rome. We (unintentionally) managed to coincide this with sunset which was just dreamy.  

As you can imagine, I was in absolute food heaven. Crispy pizza, home made pasta, creamy buffalo mozzarella, bruschetta, cured meats, tiramisu... and gelato. Oh my the gelato. Until you go to Italy, you've not tasted real ice cream! We quickly made our way to Giolitti after hearing rave reviews, and quickly fell in love. Between us we tried a whole load of flavours - chocolate, coffee, tiramisu, white chocolate, hazelnut, oreo, nutella, even custard! And as if that wasn't enough, it comes topped with whipped cream. I'll say that again. Whipped cream. I'm drooling at the memory, agh. Speaking of tiramisu, that was the real love affair of the holiday for me. It finished every meal, made its way into my ice cream and then on the last day we found a place that sold tiramisu in a box. If I could have filled my suitcase with them, I would have! Thank you, Pompi. 

Needless to say I took about a million pictures. Get yourself a cuppa, it may take a while!

wildwood

Yesterday I met Lorna in Camberley (Surrey) for a spot of shopping and lunch - this is becoming a fairly regular affair, which proves more and more dangerous for my bank account each time! We decided to try out new restaurant Wildwood on Park Street, just outside the Atrium. Wildwood is a chain of grill-type restaurants, serving up burgers, pasta, risotto, fish, salads... the list goes on. Naturally, I went for the classic burger - Cajun mayonnaise, gerkins, fries... topped with a cheeky slice of melted brie. Obviously. The burger was so delicious! These days I'm not a big fan of the gourmet burger; I much prefer a sloppy, greasy slider, but this really hit the spot. Super tasty, juicy and cooked perfectly. 

The restaurant has been styled to perfection; farmhouse style tables with brightly coloured and mismatched chairs, well spaced in the huge open space. The whole place feels really open, without looking sparse. Even the loo's were immaculately decorated with William Morris-esque wallpaper, just gorgeous. They even have an entire room for children to play in  which looked all kinds of fun - chalkboard walls, ball pits, the lot. Lorna and I really had to restrain ourselves! As we were leaving we saw kids queuing up for free sticks of candy-floss, again, we had to hold ourselves back! 

I was really impressed by Wildwood and definitely will be going back soon. Next on my 'to-eat' list? Baked brie, wild mushroom risotto and a divine sounding Eton mess. I don't think my next visit will be far away!

Images captured on my iPhone - apologies for the poor quality!

foodies delight

Last Saturday was spent doing something I really love - eating. Rich and I, with a couple of friends, trotted into town to the yearly Farnham Food Festival. Last year we were served up Brazilian fejioada amongst other delights - this year, chicken pea curry and butter chicken from an authentic local curry house. Delicious. We also tasted some pretty delicious Thai food, a ridiculously large chocolate twist, bacon rolls from one of our favourite local pubs, garlic turkey sausages (yes, they are a thing!) and the most creamy goats cheese. Granted, I felt pretty obese afterwards and am still working off those calories, but it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

What I wore: Topshop Jeans // Nike Thea Trainers via ASOS // H&M Jumper // H&M Scarf

buckle up

Short and sweet from me today - some new boots to swoon over. A bargain at £29.99 from Missguided and perfect for this in-betweeny weather. Is it warm? Is it cold? Is it going to rain? I don't know, but I do know that these boots will hit the spot whichever way it goes.