I'm back

I've pretty much abandoned this blog since my last post four long months ago. 

It wasn't intentional. I've often considered sitting down to write about some of the things going on in my life but I just wasn't feeling it to be perfectly honest. 

After not writing for a month or so I started to feel rather guilty and then after another month or so I felt like it had been such a long time since I had written a post that I wasn't quite sure how to get things started again. 

Would I have any readers left anyway?! 

Starting a new life in Surrey

Hello from Guildford! 

We moved out of our little London flat one week ago and what a week it has been. The packing seemed endless and it almost finished us off completely but we got there in the end.

Leaving London

The prettiest bridge in the world: Albert Bridge in Chelsea

At long last the time has come to pack up our possessions and leave behind the city I have called home all my life.

A week from today we move into our new home in beautiful Surrey. We are so relieved the search for a place to call our own is over at long last. Chris and I are now the proud owners of a lovely red-brick Victorian town house in Guildford and we are so excited to start our new life there and make it feel like home!

Five movies to cheer you up when you're feeling down

One of my favourite ever book/movie characters, Bridget Jones, slobbing out in front of the TV!

Today I've been sitting at my laptop attempting to write something half-decent for you all but the words just won't come. I think it's because I've already written a couple of posts about losing my Dad and I don't want to depress you or make anyone think this is becoming a 'grief blog'. 

Act as if

My Dad died exactly one month ago today and this past month has been one of the hardest I've ever had to endure. 

Losing my Dad so suddenly and unexpectedly has really knocked me sideways and I'm now taking some very much needed time out to rest, recover, and reflect. I'm not working at the moment thankfully so I have a little breathing space in my life while I try to come to terms with what happened. 

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die" [Thomas Campbell]

The beautiful funeral flowers I chose with my sister

You may be wondering why my blog has gone strangely silent over the last month or so. Where have I been? Why haven't I been writing my usual regular posts? Well...

On Sunday 1st March my amazing Daddy passed away. His death was sudden and completely unexpected and I miss him so much already.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Yes, that's me in the middle! This was on the banks of the River Thames photographing St Paul's Cathedral.

As a special birthday treat (thank you Christopher!) I spent a wonderful Sunday last weekend on a beginners photography workshop around London's South Bank, taught by none other than our amazing wedding photographer John Alexander (if you want to see a few of my favourite pictures from our wedding take a look at this post).

One year wiser

Today is my birthday, I am 33!

Being 32 was so great - I really had one of my best years yet (read this if you want to know why). I'm truly thankful for every opportunity that came my way during the past year and I feel very grateful to have had so many happy days and reasons to celebrate.

Learning to play the property game

We have officially started our house search - hurrah!

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have several BIG plans for 2015 and probably the biggest of these is to finally get on the housing ladder. At long last Chris and I are ready to buy our first home. We have a hefty deposit saved, mortgage broker ready to go, solicitor waiting in the wings, and all our finances in order. And we are first time buyers - i.e. chain free. It's going to be easy, I thought naively!

"Explore, dream, discover." [Mark Twain]

Happy at the Tulum Mayan ruins - a place I've been dreaming of visiting for over 10 years!

Over Christmas and New Year I was very lucky to spend 3 weeks travelling around Mexico with my husband Chris on a wonderful, exotic, much longed for adventure holiday. 

It's a country I've dreamed of visiting for a very long time and one of those places I just knew in my heart I would totally love. 

A year from now you'll wish you had started today

Chris took this pic of me in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on 31 December, as the sun set on 2014.

Think back to your life a year ago... you were probably making your New Year's resolutions for 2014 and promising yourself "this will be MY year!". 

Now, one year on, have you kept those promises you made to yourself?