Girl In The Pretty Dress

Last weekend when the rain was pouring down and my stomach was rumbling, I headed into Manchester in search of something to eat. I've wanted to visit Castlefield Market for ages but it's only held on the first weekend of the month and for one reason or another I've never been able to make it before. But I have been missing out! The indoor market is full of handmade crafts and homemade produce. With plenty of street food stalls providing sustenance along the way. I loved the relaxed vibe - a DJ was playing music in the corner and everyone ate along big communal dining tables while making new friends.  It was a hard decision, choosing where to buy lunch from, but in the end I went for a jerk chicken sandwich with the most amazing mango salsa from The Blackbird Pantry . Followed by what has to be the best brownie I've ever eaten. The stall holders were all enthusiastic and happy to chat about their products. There were lots of 'tasters' on offer too - an a...

Image via Google A couple of weeks ago I did a course on 'positive influencing'. I know it sounds a bit wishy-washy but it was honestly one of the best learning experiences I've had. I got to thinking about the little things you can do anytime to give yourself a more positive outlook (go outside, write down 3 things every day that you're thankful for, laugh out loud, etc, etc) and I realised how often my mood can be lifted by something I've read or seen online - so I've decided to start sharing these things with you guys too. Enjoy! 1. Read what these 25 famous women had to say on the subject of Female Friendship 2. Watch this video of the happiest dog playing at the beach 3. Be inspired by watching these amazing kids helping their Mum fight a hard battle 4. Listen to these Disney songs re-mixed as 90s RnB tracks 5. And if you haven't seen it already... this Obama sketch with his 'Anger Translator'

Jumper Dress: F&F | Leggings: Topshop Tall | Boots: Debenhams | Mittens: Next This time last year I wrote about my ' 14 for 2014 '. I've never been one for resolutions, but I'd suddenly found myself with a lot of spare time on my hands and it seemed like a good way to organise my spare time into something more productive and enjoyable. So far so good-intentioned... I started as I meant to go on with Number 1: Blog more - and managed to do this for the first few weeks. Then in March something rather wonderful and unexpected happened... I got a promotion at work. And all of a sudden my spare time started to shrink. So number 1 had to be re-assessed whilst I adjusted to my workload. A few of the other numbers were also neglected whilst I was enjoying my new role, so this year I've decided not to make new resolutions, I'm just going to carry some forward: 1) Blog more 2) Keep a Journal 4) Get back in the saddle and go...

I've been meaning to do this post for the past 3 months - but every time I sat down to write it I struggled to do justice to this amazing city. St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican City (as seen from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo) Two years ago I decided I wanted to go to Rome. I bought a guidebook and everything... then I bought my house. All plans for adventure had to be put on hold whilst I spent my time traipsing to solicitors, banks and building merchants. So this year, as a birthday present to myself, I decided to make it happen. I flew out on my birthday (word to the wise: if you book a flight on your birthday, make sure it isn't at the crack of dawn - no one remembers it's your birthday when it's that early in the morning!) and I got my birthday wish to stand in the Colosseum. Though I quickly learned that I've been calling it by the wrong name all my life - it's proper name is the Flavian Ampi...