Christmas at HomeSense

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015Leave a comment

Since becoming an old and boring person, one of my favourite things to do of a weekend is to go to retail parks to look at homewares. It’s genuinely exciting for me. One of my all time favourite shops (yep, even before Topshop) is HomeSense. If you’re not familiar with the joys of HomeSense, it’s part of the TK Maxx family, and for me, offers all the best bits – homewares, stationery and gifts.

So when the opportunity came up to visit the Bristol Imperial Park store to explore their new Christmas range I pretty much jumped at the chance. Bloggers were given ‘Love From First Find’ labels to hang on our favourite items and a gift voucher for any ‘can’t leave without it’ items. I did love a lot, so warning, this is a picture heavy post – apologies for any slow loading.

One of the best things about HomeSense (other than the 60% of RRP of course) is that they pretty much cover all trends. So whether you going for rustic wood, a splash of bling or on-trend copper, they’ll have you covered.

Both owls and squirrels are a big feature this year. The felted wool pom poms are a great alternative to tinsel if you’re going for a homespun look to your Christmas decorations.

I thought these chalkboard style decorations were really unusual and would be terrific for anyone who likes a monochrome look. This this the flat reindeer baubles would actually be great on the table – you could attach a name tag to the hook and make it into a nameplace/gift for all of your guests.

There is lots of choice for copper fans as the big trend of 2015. I really liked the totally of the wall copper studded hearts, robins and (bizarrely) poodles! But there was also an abundance of more classic items such as reindeers, dishes, bells and ornaments.

They also have all the classics covered such as sparkling silver and white with nutcracker figurines, snowglobes and Christmas angels, glittering gold paired with red berries and evergreens, and adorable penguins for that frosty North Pole feeling (even though penguins only live in the Southern hemisphere – sorry, can’t help it!).

I did pick a few things out for myself, starting with the polar bear topped sweet jar (£4.99*). He is so lovely, I might have to keep him out all year round. And I had to buy one of the stocking hooks. I mean it literally has my name on it! It was £7.99* and has a good weight to it. Can’t wait to see my presents hanging from it on Christmas morning!

I also have a cautionary tale about shopping in HomeSense. If you see something you love, buy it! It might not be there next time. I didn’t buy this moose head because I was worried that the other half would hate it (when has that ever bothered me at all?!) and one of the antlers was a bit broken. In hindsight, I could have easily fixed the antler, I don’t really care what David thinks, and he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a bejewelled moose head I pinned 3 years ago. Major regrets right here. I hope he went to a good home *cries*. If it is love from first find’ as the campaign goes, make sure you buy it.

Other Christmas homeware essentials are covered with plenty of cosy throws, festive candles, tableware, and modern soft furnishings. I also really rate the selection of crackers – as random as that seems, but they had some really nice options with stuff you would actually uses such as these cookie cutter ones and I also saw a giant cracker stuffed with photo booth props. So fun!

Another top tip for shopping at HomeSense – make sure you have a good root around, especially if you’re there towards the middle and end of the day. As you can see from the candles, the shelves are packed with all sorts of different items and are not always in groups, so it’s well worth hunkering down and moving things to see what it at the back. You never know what gems you might discover.

Make sure you also check out the stationery and gift sections. HomeSense and TK Maxx are my favourite places to get notebooks because they get lots of US brands no one else stocks. I am in love with the notebook pictured – soft grey, copper foiling, motivational quote, Oprah… what more do you want?! And it’s a fab place for cards, wrap and gift boxes.

Finally, the star of the show. A Christmas. Unicorn. With glittery fur. Perfection.

Have you experienced ‘Love from First Find’ at Homesense? How are you decorating for Christmas this year?

Eats | The Horse & Groom Bourton-on-the-Hill

November 19, 2015November 15, 2015Leave a comment

One thing that Gloucestershire definitely has going for it is an abundance of really great pubs. When David’s parents were visiting recently we decided to take the short (but scenic) drive to the village of Bourton-on-the-Hill to have lunch at The Horse and Groom. A traditional country inn, The Horse and Groom has won many awards over the years, the most recent being The Good Pub Guide Pub of the Year, and the Gloucestershire Dining Pub of the Year for 2016. Quite the accolades.

The atmosphere was very relaxed, as busy as you would expect for a weekend lunchtime but not overcrowded. The menu changes very regularly so instead of printed menus, it is written up on a large chalkboard and you order at the bar.

For a starter I had the feta, roast sweet potato, spinach and caramelised red onion salad with a chilli and lemon dressing. Oh my, this was just glorious! Really delicious and the portion size was good for a starter. I totally could have eaten three of these and been happy though.

David and his dad both had the Tamworth pork and chicken croquettes with piccalilli and rocket salad. This was also beautiful, the croquettes were packed with flavour and a really good texture.

For main I had the bunless griddled Dexter beef burger with red onion marmalade and horseradish mayo.

David had the griddled Longhorn ribeye steak with a garlic, shallot and parsley butter. (Couldn’t wait for me to take a photo before digging in!)

Chris went for the pan-fried Middlewhite pork chop, roasted fennel, bacon pangrattato and a green sauce.

Trish had the roast fillet of hake with curried leeks and steamed mussels.

We also got sides of chips, dauphinoise potatoes and veg. Some of the dishes come with potatoes while with others you do have to order them separately.

Overall, all of the food was great. We did wait a long time between the starter and the main being served (and the dining area was getting busier and busier in the interim), but we did forgive them for it pretty quickly. Everything was very well cooked, David’s steak was medium-rare as he likes it, and the dishes were all well-balanced flavour-wise. And, as you can see, there is something for everyone on the menu.

Of course, we had to have desserts! Trish had Granny G’s toffee meringue which came with whipped cream.

David had the apple and blackberry flapjack crumble with vanilla ice cream.

And I had the pecan and maple syrup tart with Jersey cream.

Again, all delicious. My tart was super, super sweet (as I like it) with a good short crust pastry and absolutely loads of nuts. Nothing worse than too few nuts. David’s crumble was a lovely seasonal pudding and the flapjack topping put a bit of a twist on the traditional dish. Lastly, Trish said of Granny G’s meringue, and I quote: “That was the best dessert I’ve ever had”. High praise indeed! I tried a bit, and she’s right, the ratio of cream to meringue to sauce was perfect. Kudos to Granny G.

I think this dish sums up The Horse and Groom. It’s a family business with impeccably high standards, but retains its charm. It’s definitely worth the trip through the Cotswolds (which is hardly a hardship anyway). I love the seasonal menu and the focus on local produce and I’m excited to see what’s on at other times of the year. As long as it still includes Granny G’s dessert that is!

As always, if you have any recommendations for places in the Gloucestershire area (or Bristol or Birmingham), please do leave them in the comments.

I Read the F*@#ing Books | V for Vendetta

November 17, 2015November 15, 20151 Comment

Let’s start with a quote from Alan Moore: “I wanted to give comics a special place when I was writing things like Watchmen. I wanted to show off just what the possibilities of the comic book medium were, and films are completely different.”

And another one: “If we only see comics in relation to movies then the best that they will ever be is films that do not move. I found it, in the mid 80s, preferable to concentrate on those things that only comics could achieve. The way in which a tremendous amount of information could be included visually in every panel, the juxtapositions between what a character was saying, and what the image that the reader was looking at would be. So in a sense … most of my work from the 80s onwards was designed to be un-filmable.”

So it’s been no secret that Alan Moore hates the adaptations of his books. It’s actually uncomfortable to think that he is now so unhappy with the process of adaptation that he has requested his name to be removed from all film credits. However, I don’t at all think that adaptations are valueless, nor do they render their source material obsolete.

I saw the film V for Vendetta years ago and liked it. David has had the graphic novel on his shelf for sometime so I decided there was no better time to read it than the run up to Guy Fawkes Night. The plot is essentially the same: A fascist totalitarian government has taken over England following a nuclear war (in the film it is after a deadly global epidemic). Standing against this is V, an enigmatic masked figure, an anarchist who seeks to bring the government to its knees while pursuing his own personal vengeance. Evey is a working class girl who becomes unwittingly tangled in V’s activities and must determine whether he is the terrorist the government paint him as or the catalyst to free the country.

There are lots of differences between the book and film but for me the most major one was the change to the character of Evey. In the book we meet 16-year-old orphan Evey when she is preparing to head into the city, her first night as a prostitute having been driving to desperation by her low paying factory job. She is almost immediately caught by ‘Fingermen’, police patrolmen who assault her until she is rescued by V. In the film, Evey is a young professional working for the national TV station. Her life is not without tragedy, she is still an orphan and she is also attacked by Fingermen while out breaking curfew. However, she’s not at the same level of disenfranchisement when she meets V so her willingness to work with him doesn’t ring as believable.

My other source of disappointment is the removal of Rosemary Almond and Helen Heyer. Not only are they two of the very few female characters but their story arcs are key and offer two very different perspectives to the machismo of the Cabinet members and their cronies.

Stylistically, the film is very slick, as one might expect from the Wachowski Brothers (most known for The Matrix). Again, I have to say this loses some of the grit from the book, but the slow-mo knife-fights are intended to add a sort of ‘super-human’ quality to V which is also alluded to in the book.

Overall, the book is layered and at times has an unexpected subtlety which is missing from the film version. It creates a dystopian England that doesn’t seem all that far-fetched and in V creates a symbol for anarchy which has since been adopted (rightly or wrongly). Above all, it demonstrates Moore’s (and illustrator David Lloyd’s) mastery of the graphic novel form. So while the film is good, the book is excellent.

Have you seen or read V for Vendetta? What did you think?

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints | Superdrug Exclusives

November 16, 2015November 8, 20151 Comment

It’s new Gellys time! These two are exclusive to Superdrug – I can’t find them online but they are available in store for £3.99 each. This time, the high-shine formula has been upgraded to include an intense shimmer. Perfect for the transition into full-on festive glitter (just me?).

First up, Sparkling Amethyst. it has a dark purple base with blue and red-gold shimmer. The particles are very fine so it gives a rich, deep finish.

Sparkling Ruby is the same finish-wise. A ruby red base with very fine red-gold shimmer. It’s gorgeous and the fineness of the shimmer prevents it from edging into Christmas territory.

Both of these go on very smoothly and the brush makes it easy to apply the two coats needed for full coverage. These do last slightly longer than the original flat colour formula. The shimmer stops them from peeling as fast, but they do still chip after a day or so. Still, the colour and price makes up for it.

To be honest, I can’t wait to start cracking out the Christmas colours. What are your favourite nail polishes for this time of year?

Flamingo Candles | The Melt Crowd November

November 13, 2015November 8, 20151 Comment

I’ve been getting the Flamingo Candles The Melt Crowd for a few months now. I blogged about the first one I got in August, but not since. Well, I had to share this one as I absolutely love it. Normally you get a few that you don’t love, but this one is all winners in my book. It’s just £10 per month (including delivery) and you receive 8 full size wax melts. On your first month you receive a free wax burner, and on your third month you get a selection of mini wax eggs which you can mix and match. I got this last month and received a ‘Banana Split’ selection – a few each of banana, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

Here’s what I got this time:

Blackberry and Bay. Sweet but fresh and mature
Warm Vanilla Sugar (The Melt Crowd Exclusive) It’s a shame this is an exclusive as it’s a perfect sweet vanilla scent for this time of year.
Violet & Lime. Fresh and floral.
Christmas Tree-O (The Melt Crowd Preview). Yey for Christmas scents. This one is awesome. It reminds we of Yankee Candle’s Christmas Eve, fruity but with a spicy base like a mulled wine.
Blackcurrant Jam. Yep, smells like jam. Very rich and very fruity.

Parma Violets. Just like the sweet!
Bah! Humbug (The Melt Crowd Preview) Yuummmm. Smells like peppermint candy canes.
Darjeeling Tea. A bit citrusy, clean, sweet and fresh.

So you might have gathered that I love sweet scents. Therefore every one of these will be used, savoured and enjoyed. I am absolutely over the moon with this box, although I can see that it’s been a bit of a risk, can you imagine if you didn’t like sweet smells?!

I can’t wait until the December box now, I’m hoping they go all out and put lots of Christmas scents in it. What are your favourite candles and fragrances for this festive period?

Days Out | Bourton on the Water

November 11, 2015November 8, 20151 Comment

I’ve been doing a bit more exploring of Gloucestershire. Recently we went to the most chocolate-box-twee village I’ve ever seen, Bourton-on-the-Water. It reminded me of Sandford in Hot Fuzz. Loved it. We even saw Morris dancers! It was packed with tourists and we were only there for a couple of hours but we did visit two of the main attractions – the Model Village and the Motoring Museum.

There was a model village of the model village within the model of the model village. #villageception.

The Model Village was £3.60 for entry and it was a fun 20 minutes pretending you were a giant. The models had a really high attention to detail so it was really well done. The models and the grounds are well maintained and you an tell that they kept them up to date with new signs etc.

Next we went to the Cotswold Motoring Museum. Admission was £5.25, which was good value considering how deceptively large the museum is. Plus, it’s absolutely packed!

The museum has absolutely everything – cars (of course), vintage signs, petrol pumps and motoring accessories. It also has a large toy collection, not just cars (although I loved the matchbox car display above), a real mixed lot. And it’s home to Brum – the little car from the TV show where he would go on adventures around Birmingham – does anyone remember that?

Quite a fun afternoon in all!

30 Before 30 | Read 50 Books

November 10, 2015November 8, 20153 Comments

A couple of years ago I decided to set myself a 30 before 30 challenge. In hindsight, I was over ambitious and picked stuff that involved a lot of time and a lot of money. I’ve got 16 months left and have only managed a few. That’s fine, you never know where life is going to take you really.

But I have had one success. I have surpassed my goal of reading 50 books (never thought I’d have a three hour daily commute obviously!). Here are the books that got me there, starting from 10th July 2013. Links are to my reviews if I wrote them.

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal. Vapid, insulting, not even good enough to be a nostalgia hit for the Sweet Valley fans of old.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Attwood. Terrifying vision of geneticists gone mad. A sci-fi masterpiece.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green. A teen love story. With added cancer.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. A twisty thriller. A real page turner that will probably make a disappointing movie. (I was wrong, it was a great movie! Wrote this before David Fincher signed on)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Heartbreaking, affirming tale of an extraordinary, ordinary kid starting school.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Coming of age tale with unfortunately tries to take on every issue out there so does not deal with any of them adequately.
Girlvert: A Porno Memoir by Oriana Small A.K.A. Ashley Blue. Wow. Oriana recalls her meteoric rise to porn super stardom through her systematic (and willing) abuse of her body.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Dexter is an interesting character, even if no one else in the book is.
Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Funny, charming, just delightful. A rare book that gets it’s secondary characters so spot on as well as it’s main.
What they do in the Dark by Amanda Coe. Potential to be brilliant but the distracting ‘Lallie’ storyline was ruined by the choice of narrators, especially the vapid Quintin and the random chapters by Lallie’s agent. Pretty unexpected ending.
Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson. Liked this more than I expected to. Twist was fairly obvious but empathised with main character.
Take a Look at Me Now by Miranda Dickinson. Err… not my kind of thing. Fluffy basic chick-lit.
Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse. Good paced thriller. Really liked.
Poppet by Mo Hayder. Creepy police drama about mysterious murders at a psychiatric facility. Enjoyed this one very much.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Really sweet exploration of Aspergers and relationships.
The Universe Versus Alex Wood by Gavin Extence. A buddy book about an cantankerous old man and a kooky teenager. This was surprisingly good, lots of issues tackled and very well realised characters.
Layla by Nina de la Mer. Gritty but poetic with a strong character who you can’t help but root for.
Half Bad by Sally Green. First in a trilogy about good and bad witches. Didn’t grab me and I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin. LOVE! This one and all of the other ASOIAF books listed below are well worth the read if you like Game of Thrones as you get so much more detail in the books.
Bed by David Whitehouse. About a guy who takes to his bed and pretty much ruins his families life.
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran. The fictionalised version of Moran’s How to be a Woman. Very funny.
Lighter than my Shadow by Katie Green. Sensitive look at one woman’s struggle with anorexia in a beautiful graphic novel.
Warm Bodies by Issac Marion. Not my fave but a fun little zombie novel.
The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh. Ooh, juicy, controversial, with a deplorable main character.
The Girl with all the Gifts by M R Carey. This was my favourite book of last year. It’s a post-apocalyptic book that’s scarily possible and is currently being made into a film. Read it now!
The Humans by Matt Haig. What would an alien make of what it means to be human? This is a funny and touching story.
The Shock of the Fall Nathan Filer. I didn’t love this. It was very hyped and I just found it to be a bit… meh.
Daughter by Jane Shemilt. Another domestic thriller about a missing teenager. I liked it but they’re a dime a dozen these days.
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. What happens in this book? Nothing much really. I’m glad I can tick it off my TBR list but it wasn’t anything I enjoyed.
The Deaths by Mark Lawson. The concept is grim – a father kills his whole family and himself, but it is actually a really good read. It’s not as dark as it sounds. Promise.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. A teenager returns to her families holiday island after a tragedy. A good twist and a surprising ending.
A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin
The Bed I Made by Lucie Waterhouse. Similar themes but not as good as Before we Met.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. A classic. Depression can be overwhelming but is beautifully described in this novel
Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill. Incredible dystopian YA about a world where girls are bred to please men only. Cutting.
Mortal Fear by Greg Iles. Police drama about a sadistic murderer who uses an exclusive internet dating forum to identify his victims. Brutal, but not especially gripping.
The Circle by Dave Eggers. What would happen if Google literally took over the world? It doesn’t seem that unlikely in this book. Highly recommend.
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin
A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by George R R Martin
This One is Mine by Maria Semple. Not as good as Bernadette. Actually, it’s terrible. Avoid this one.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. A college student struggles to deal with losing her sister in childhood. This is a slow-burner to begin with but then really picks up around a third of the way in.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Historical fiction looking a repression in devout Amsterdam. Sugar, sex and sin.
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. Again, it’s a ‘must-read’ so I’ve read it but I didn’t actually like it a all. Sorry.
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A non-fiction about a woman overcoming the loss of her beloved father while trying to tame a goshawk. An incredibly moving and beautiful book.
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. The second in the Maddaddam trilogy. As good Oryx and Crake and provides a good build up to the finale which I’ll read next year.
A Dance with Dragons: Dreams and Dust by George R R Martin
Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald. Surprisingly slow thriller that just misses the mark for me.
A Dance with Dragons: After the Feast by George R R Martin
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. Entertaining haunted house story set in an Ikea like store. Very much enjoyed this.
Jaws by Peter Benchley. Doesn’t live up to the film but well worth a read if you’re a fan.

Phew! I’m now hoping I can read a further 50 books before my 30th. I’ve already read another 18 so should be doable. Please give me some recommendation of your favourite books. I will read any genre (as demonstrated above)!

AlleyHope

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