family, life

A little love story…

ramblingmads

My grandparents celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary recently and on Sunday the entire family went out to lunch with them. It was postponed from the beginning of the month as my poor Grandad had shingles, but he’s all better now.

We gathered at the rather posh Oatlands Park Hotel in Surrey, not far from my mum’s hometown. Amusingly the ‘children’ now outnumbered the ‘adults’ at the table as both of my cousins and I brought our partners along.

Their story is sweet but also rather sad.

My Nan had a fairly tragic childhood and although it had a happy ending, her life was full of loss. She married her childhood sweetheart, Bill, at 18 and had two daughters (my mum and auntie). Bill died at 30 from Non-Hodgkins’ Lymphoma, leaving her a widow with two small children to support.

Meanwhile in Yorkshire, a young man lost his wife to cancer and decided to head out to ‘The Smoke’ to find work and start over.

My Nan was mainly raised by The Aunts, and it was Auntie Doll (a pretty kickass woman in her own right) who introduced her niece to the young man whose accent was so strong, she thought he was Scottish!

It was love at first sight, and then he met her little daughters and a family was formed. My mum and auntie were bridesmaids and got a new dad.

They are still very much in love and Grandad is one of my favourite people on the planet. He has taken such good care of my little Nanny. She hasn’t been very well in the last few years and he has done everything he can to keep her well.

Here’s to many more family get togethers and love.

ramblingmads

happy mail, lifestyle boxes, reviews

Happy Mail – the alternative to all those bills

ramblingmads

Every month the lovely Katie at I Heart Homes ships out little bundles of joy, or Happy Mail.

There are three price tiers, including postage, £10, £15, £25.

I subscribe to the lowest tier, as it fits through my letterbox and that matters when your post gets delivered in the rain and parcels left outside the door get soggy.

Each month the boxes are themed, and all the little treats are associated with the theme. For example August’s was ‘Time for Tea’.

image

image
June's Birds & Bees box
image
July's day at the beach

September’s upcoming box is ‘A Trip to Paris’, and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

To subscribe, or buy past boxes or any of the lovely things in the shop, visit the website.

ramblingmads

clean eating, food, healthy, recipes

Make this tonight: lettuce gratin

ramblingmads

This is a great way to get more veggies into your diet, and can be vegan or vegetarian as well. It’s adapted from a far more complicated Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall recipe previously published in the Guardian newspaper.

image
Photo from The Guardian

Ingredients

Cos type lettuces (I use two baby gems)
Olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Celery
Peas
Spring onions
Pancetta cubes
Parmesan cheese
Bread crumbs (I used Japanese panko)

Wash and chop the lettuce, drain thoroughly. Toss with oil, salt and pepper. Put it in a casserole dish. Roast at 200°c for 25 minutes – keep an eye on it, do not let it burn.

While the lettuce roasts, wash and chop your celery and spring onions. Fry them in a pan with the pancetta, add the peas (I use them from frozen), season with pepper (if not using pancetta you could add a little salt).

Remove the lettuce from the oven, scatter the veg and pancetta over the lettuce. Reserve any liquid in the pan.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the gratin. Fry the breadcrumbs lightly in the preserved oil and fat. Scatter over the gratin. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the breadcrumbs.

Serve on its own or with some crusty bread.

To make it vegetarian/vegan omit the pancetta, and switch the Parmesan for a dairy free hard cheese. You can add any other veggies that appeal too.

ramblingmads

life

Things I’ve learnt since I was 18

ramblingmads

Updating my CV this week as I start job hunting in earnest I looked at the list of exams I took as a teenager and thought about how much has changed since then.

image

Why do the things I learnt at school, learnt to pass a standardized test that tells you nothing about me now, matter so much to employers. I have 12 GCSEs, 3 A Levels, a Bachelor’s Degree and a Masters. But employers always seem to ask about those things 16 year old me did, not the 29 year old me now.

Teenagers are by nature idiots. They can’t help it, the risk assessing part of your brain doesn’t develop till your 20s, so you do unbelievably stupid things. I know I did. Then you grow up.

image

The things we knew at 16 or 18, the exams we passed (or didn’t) have such a major impact on our futures, but should we really be relying on teenagers to make those decisions. I picked an A Level subject I ended up hating, and dropped one I was passionate about, because it looked better, now I know I should have followed my passion.

Who on earth decided 18 year olds are the best people to decide their futures? I almost failed my A Levels, teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown as I was (boy, was that a fun way to spend my summer), but the things I’ve learnt since then, surely they should matter more.

image
Me at 18, i don't recognise this girl anymore

I don’t mean just academically, I have learnt how to be a person, hold responsibility, the difference between Direct Debits and standing orders (go me!) as well as plenty of other things.

image

As my twenties come to an end, and more of my friends get married, have kids, buy houses, have we cracked adulthood? Doesn’t that matter more than who we were at 18?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, fashion, glossybox, haircare, make up, reviews

Glossybox Style Edition

ramblingmads

September is a month of Fashion Weeks all over the globe in glamorous locations (New York, London, Milan, Paris…) and Glossybox have themed this month’s box for the most stylish month in the fashion calendar.

image

The box is beautifully decorated, and features five full size items to get you ready for the new fashion season.

image

Pink and khaki grey are the colours for this autumn and the whole box, including the wrapping, is on this trend.

image

Maria Nila Luminous Colour Hair Masque – sulphate and paraben free, 100% vegan, doesn’t smell too bad, suitable for coloured and natural hair, a treat from Sweden. I currently have this soaking into my newly cut hair, which needs a boost to look its best. This also comes with a 20% off voucher for the whole range.

image

Invisibobble traceless hair ring – I’ve had long hair, short hair and am the queen of the ponytail at any length. In the last few years more and more companies have produced metal-free, hair friendly bands. These claim to leave no kinks in the hair, or cause any breakage. Definitely something my hair can appreciate. There are three in the box.

image

Nails Inc polish in Uptown, there is another colour in some boxes. This is a dusky pink shade, though pink always seems like more of a spring colour. I am however a massive Nails Inc fan so this will be added to the mix.

image

Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Whesek. This greyish powder, with its hint of glitter, is perfect for autumnal smoky eyes.

image

Marsk Eyeshadow Brush Pro to complement the shimmer powder, I like the wide, fan shape of this brush for sweeping colour over my lids, plus the brush is super soft.

image

This box is incredible value – approximately £60 worth of products for £12.95.

There’s also a £15 voucher for invite only fashion brand Best Secret and a sneak peek of one of next month’s products.

really like this box – it’s very generous and features several brands I already use. The box itself is gorgeous and as sturdy as always – making it perfect for storing your make up or wrapping up for a friend’s present (obviously not an empty box!)

Will you be donning this season’s shades and looking totally on point?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, haircare, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Birchbox Birthday at Selfridges

ramblingmads

As part of their ongoing birthday celebrations Birchbox have teamed up with Selfridges to offer you the chance to build your own box.

image

For those unable to get to Oxford Street before the 27th, Birchbox has put together a special edition box available on their website for £20.

image

Featuring 8 fabulous products, including four full size treats, this is a seriously great collaboration.

Cowshed Knackered Cow Relaxing Bath & Shower Gel – with a blend of lavender and eucalyptus this smells heavenly and I like the cheeky name.

image

Eyeko Fat Eye Stick in Gilt – use this as shadow or liner, smooth and with a hint of glitter, this will make your smoky eye pop.

Nuxe Crème Fraiche de Beaute Mask – this is a brand beloved by beauty boxes and it’s not hard to see why. With plant proteins and white blossom, this hydrating, moisture-packed mask is quick and easy to use.

Philip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo & Conditioner – travel sized, volume boosting, builds thickness and body, and gets rid of those annoying flyaways.

image

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste – an unusual item in a beauty box, and while I’m happy with my usual toothpaste, if you’re looking to boost your teeth’s whiteness then this could be the one.

Soigne Nail Lacquer in Petale de Rose – this very soft pink polish from French brand Soigne, is very pretty but more spring than autumn.

image

image

Wild About Beauty Lip Pencil Duo in Fiona – this lip liner and lipstick pencil duo are soft and creamy. The colour isn’t quite ‘me’ but would work well on someone a little darker than my vampire-like visage.

image
Top - Eyeko crayon in Gilt, middle and bottom - Wild About Beauty lipstick and liner

This is a nice collection of products, and worth over £80 if bought separately.

ramblingmads

films, life, movie night

The Princess Bride aka the best film ever

ramblingmads

image

I love films, the whole popcorn, blanket, curling up on the sofa routine of movie night. But by far, The Princess Bride, adapted by William Goldman from his own novel, directed by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Peter Falk, and so many other big names (including Billy Crystal – only identifiable by his voice).

image

It was made in the ’80s (all the best things were – like me!) but retains its unique charm and humour.

image

Hadley Freeman wrote about how brilliant this film is in her book celebrating 80s movies, Life Moves Pretty Fast (well worth a read), and Cary Elwes (who played the hero Westley) wrote a wonderful memoir, As You Wish, about making it (I got it last Christmas).

image

It is eminently quotable – my favourites include “inconceivable”, “don’t bother me with trifles”, “I’m not a witch, I’m your wife” and the wonderful speech Inigo Montoya  rehearses for the moment he meets his nemesis, the six-fingered man.

Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.

It has every thing, love, death, revenge, heroes, villains, sword fights, a princess, pirates, and a real-life giant, former wrestler, Andre the Giant.

image

So, put the popcorn on, add marshmallows to your hot chocolate, pile the blankets on the sofa and watch this film – it has something for the whole family, even if you don’t like stories with kissing.

ramblingmads

books, life

Go Set a a Watchman

ramblingmads

Now, unless you live in a cave, you will have seen that sequel to the marvellous To Kill a Mockingbird has just been published. Originally written before TKAM, Go Set a Watchman sees Scout as an adult returning to her home town and her heroic father Atticus Finch.

image

Harper Lee apparently didn’t want this story published but is now elderly and frail and no one seems to be able to definitively state whether she’s agreed to it now. Her sister used to be her lawyer and handle all the press and publishers, but a new lawyer has recently been appointed and is causing quite a stir in the book world.

image

Every child at some point reads Lee’s only previously published novel, and I’m sure I can’t be the only one to have caught the film, featuring Gregory Peck’s defining performance as Atticus, on a wet Saturday afternoon. It has had a huge impact, and is beloved all over the world.

image

Between the spoilers, leaked pages, rumours, gossip and hype, it’s hard to know whether or not to read it. I’ve ordered a copy but am still apprehensive. If the author refused to publish for so long, should we be reading it? If the rumours about Atticus are true, will that noble man in Mockingbird be destroyed?

It’s a conundrum and one I fear will have no easy resolution. Some of my friends have already read it, and the feedback has been mixed. My friend Jack said I really should read it, even if only for academic purposes. But part of me, the part that loves TKAM and doesn’t want to spoil it, is really resistant.

Have any of you read it? What did you think?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, reviews, skincare

Look Fantastic 1st Birthday Edition

ramblingmads

Look Fantastic’s beauty box keeps popping up in my news feed on Facebook – so I thought I’d have a look.

They’re celebrating a birthday and the box is decorated with hundreds of thousands.

image

Inside there are eight beauty samples, from a range of brands.

TanWorx Tan Maintainer

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

Caudalie Moisturizing Sorbet

Codage Paris Scrubbing Cream

Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo & Conditioner

Caudalie SOS Serum

Phyto Hair Mask

image

There are also lots of discount vouchers for the brands in the box and also partner brands, brilliant if like me you’re a shopaholic and love a bargain!

image

The box is £15 and is available now.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare

September Birchbox

ramblingmads

A fellow September birthday, Birchbox is now five!

And to celebrate there’s a box full of birthday treats. All of which hail from the US – where Birchbox was born. Subscribers can also pick their beauty box design.

image

Bliss Lemon and Sage Body Butter – this smells quite light and pleasant, contains coconut oil and vitamin E.

image

Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Humble Brag – a 2-in-1 item in quite a hot pink, probably more likely to be on my lips than my cheeks.

image

John Masters Organics Citrus Neroli Detangler – this smells almost good enough to eat – but teamed with the next item should leave your hair shiny and tangle free.

image

The Birchbrush – a handbag sized tangle teezer style brush

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash – this very cute body wash will be useful in my washbag.

image

Benefit the Porefessional: License to Blot – one of Benefit’s newest products this little blotting stick promises to keep your complexion shine free for up to 6 hours.

image

Birchbox have also launched an app – on Apple and Android, and entered all subscribers in a draw for a trip to New York City. Finally, if you can get to Selfridges in Oxford Street, you can build your own Birchbox for £15 up till the 27th September.

This is a nice selection of items, in the last few months Birchbox has definitely upped its game.

ramblingmads