My week in photos 25

So, this weekend The Boy and I went and viewed our dream home.

I'm not exaggerating in any way, it ticked all of the boxes...apart from location. Sadly The Boy and I have mulled things over and don't think we can compromise on the area we're going to be spending the foreseeable future living in, so sadly it's on to the next. But one good thing that's come out of the viewing is that we now know exactly what style of house we're after: an older property with character features and room to extend, which luckily for me, there's plenty of in our preferred area. 

Now I just need to forget about the house I viewed on Saturday and continue with the search.

Alongside spending most evenings on Rightmove, here's some of the other things I've been getting up to over the past week.

 Clockwise from top left: My coat addiction - Taking the Warehouse five-way coat out for a Wintery walk - Homemade salmon dinner - Sunday lunch at Bobby and Carolines

 Clockwise from top left: Life-affirming lunch with Zsa - Driven to drink following the house viewing - Another sign from Diet Coke - Wool week at Hobbs - Christmas present ideas at Recipease - Afternoon treats in the office - My new lunchtime obsession from itsu - Charity shopping with The Boy

 Clockwise from top left: Art on a Friday night at the Opera Gallery - Obama by the super talented Joe Black - House hunting - Joe Black at the Opera Gallery New Bond St - Comfort food on a cold Saturday night - Loving the Christmas windows at Selfridges - Sheep in the windows at Hobbs - A sneaky selfie 

Hobbs, in a heartbeat

On Saturday The Boy and I took a trip to the National Portrait Gallery to check out the BP Portrait Award 2013, grabbed some Dim Sum for lunch at Dumplings' Legend, then strolled around Covent garden for the afternoon. 

As a keen user of instagram, I knew that changes were afoot at the flagship Hobbs store on Long Acre so was keen to check out the shops new look.

Now let me tell you, the store looks gorgeous and the collection for this season is fantastic so if you haven't shopped at Hobbs before it's definitely worth a visit as the weather gets cooler.

Here's some pictures of things which caught my eye.

This bird print blouse would be perfect for work and is a great way to introduce yellow to your wardrobe.

The quilted bags were a particular favourite of mine, great quality and really stylish.

Loving these slippers.

Cute prints on tees for the NW3 brand added a quirky twist to the range.

The window displays were beautiful and really gave you a feel for where the brand is going this season.

 Quirky touches like these ducks and the topiary dogs made for a fun shopping experience.

 I love these shoes, classic yet modern and perfect for work or a night out.

 I will definitely be buying these shoes.

 A spot for the men in our lives to take a breather.

It may have been sunny on Saturday but now that the weather has turned cooler I'll definitely be heading back to pick up some bits for the coming season.

Visit the Hobbs website here.

A place in my heart for Hobbs

With all this warm weather, naturally I can only think of one thing: when is Autumn coming? 

Sure I love nothing more than lounging outside when it's warm (albeit you'll find me in whatever patch of shade I can find) but working in this heat? No no no. Beachwear is not workwear ladies.

Therefore most day's you'll find me dreaming of what type of coat I'll buy in September or what shade of wool I'll buy to persuade Mother to knit me another snood, so these AW13 press images from Hobbs have got me even more excited about the prospect of colder weather.

Hobbs has seen a real change of pace over the past year or so, creating even more gorgeous pieces that would fit into many a women's wardrobe (and I'm addicted to their instagram account for style inspiration).

Here are some of my favourite looks for the upcoming season.

To be the first to know about the release of all these upcoming looks and more, sign up for the mailing list or visit the Hobbs website (there's still many a bargain to be found in the sale if you're quick!).

2012, the year gone by

2012 seemed both long and short at the same time, filled with spectacular moments of joy and sadness - but mostly, I loved it. Better late than never, here's a recap of some of my highlights.

Clockwise from top left: A trip to Dublin - Going on an egg hunt - A blustery day in Brighton - Climbing to the top of Glastonbury Tor (which I hope to do again this year) - The Hobbs AW12 press day - The Boy's birthday - The Nelly launch party with my wonderful girls - My very first homemade trifle

Clockwise from top left: Anti-gravity yoga (the most hilarious form of exercise ever) - Drinks on the rooftops of London town - All things Jubilee - A sunny day in Richmond - Rollarcoasters with Zsa for The Boy's birthday - Canoeing with family and friends - A trip down the river - The work Jubilee lunch

Clockwise from top left: A gorgeous wedding in France - Ballgowns at the V&A - A fantastic family holiday - Seeing the Swans of Wells - Sunrise over the gardens - Picnics in the park - Olympic fever comes to London - Welcoming the Olympics with drinks and dancing...on a boat

 Clockwise from top left: Miss Kimber becomes Mrs Holloway - A sunny trip to Bicester - Another amazing wedding - The Shining in West Brompton Cemetary - The most amazing birthday cake ever - Bobby and Caroline tie the knot - Afternoon tea for my birthday - A disastrous (but hilarious) cocktail making class

Clockwise from top left: Running the Royal Parks Half Marathon - Sheep on Oxford Street for Wool Week - My last night with the Hobbs girls - Wells carnival - Christmas in Manchester- The gift I've waited all year for - Grandad's 90th birthday - The Boy and I, ready for our close up

Sorry for all the pictures but 2012 had so many magical moments it was hard to narrow it down to only a few!

My week in photos 13

Now, those of you who read My week in photos 12 will remember that I had big ideas about starting my return to healthy eating and, although these pictures may tell a somewhat different story, by and large this week has leaned far more towards bikini than fat suit. That's not to say there haven't been some fantastical meals on the menu, as you'll see below.


The weekend in Somerset saw many a meal out (and delicious meal in) but most of those calories have been counterbalanced by lots of healthy dinners during the week - it may be winter but it's salads all the way in the L&F household.

Here's some snapshots of life for me this week.

Clockwise from top left: Some LK Bennett beauties I fell in love with at Kilver Court - A Saturday steak dinner with family (The Boy's and mine) with plenty of laughs over a Malibu and coke (or five) - Sampling some craft beers back in London with the Boy - Hitting our favourite chinese restaurant in Chinatown with Zsa Zsa. You see what I mean about the eating?

 Clockwise from top left: Some Eat frozen yoghurt at Topshop Oxford Circus to get me through a day of working in store - Pink sky over Somerset - An exciting invite - The skyline of my morning commute - A selection of amazing pies at the Raven of Bath, well recommended - A Whistles treat - Super healthy salad for dinner - Discounts galore, this particular one made me think of the Hobbettes

HOBBS NW3: the wait is almost over

When I went to the Hobbs NW3 press day a few months back I could barely contain my excitement for the AW12 collections - I was pretty much over summer and was already aching for tweeds, knits and boots. So you can imagine my delight last week when the NW3 look book was released online, hinting at the imminent arrival of some of my favourite pieces from the new collection. It was the perfect opportunity for me to take another look at what the brand has in store over the coming weeks (i.e. compile my shopping list).

Personally I'm loving all these looks but I'm particularly excited for the wide leg trousers, leather jacket and pocket midi-skirt (there's also a gorgeous duck print shirt I'm lusting after). Bring on the colder weather that's what I say.

Find out more about NW3 and shop the collection here.