Pages By Megan – Fashion

July 20, 2017 by pagesbymegan

A EVENING OF MUSIC AT BILLS RESTAURANT

This post has got to be one of the most fun posts I’ve ever put together. I really enjoyed getting a wee bit creative and combining different types of photography in one post.
Last week my best pals, myself and George headed to Bills for their Summer Of Music evening; a gorgeous summer series taking place in Bills restaurants around the country* celebrating great food, live music and basically a great summer night out with friends.

Back when I was younger, going out with friends ALWAYS involved buying a disposable camera and getting snap happy on my evenings out. I’ve always loved taking photographs, however there is something totally wonderful about film photography and whilst I’m yet to invest in a top notch film camera, I thought I’d pay homage to my younger nights out with friends, and kick it old school with a disposable camera or two. There’s just something so exciting about not knowing how the images will turn out, it made for a truly relaxed evening, of course helped by the absolutely gorgeous and swoon worthy interiors and vibe of Bills, but snapping away without the option to reshoot ’cause “my eyes are closed” or “I don’t like me in that one” was really, truly refreshing, especially in my world.
And whilst the majority of the images are underexposed, I’m thrilled with how the others turned out.

Note To Self: disposable cameras ALWAYS require the flash!

I really hope you enjoy seeing into a typical night out with George and I and our beautiful best friends Ollz and Beattie, of course with hearing about just how delicious the summer menu is at Bills.

The four of us booked a table at Bills and were lucky enough to have the best seats in the house. As we caught up on what we’ve been up to, we sampled the new cocktail menu, a Raspberry & Rosehip Collins for me, a totally delicious and oh so refreshing gin cocktail that complimented our starter choice, not to mention my outfit perfectly! George tried out the Bills draft beer and Ollz & Beattie selected a bottle of wine to sip as we sat back and enjoyed performances by Ollie Lloyd and Lucy Mayhew both of which were the perfect acts to compliment our delicious summer’s evening at Bills.

As HUGE starter fiends we all struggled to choose just one dish each from the uhhhmazing starters on offer at Bills so instead opted for the mezze sharing plates. Both the meat and the veggie mezze boards were utterly delicious consisting of spiced tortilla chips, chicken skewers, calamari, crab cakes, olives and salsa, with the veggie mezze board offering grilled garlic mushrooms, crumbed halloumi sticks (absolutely DREAMY), falafels, hummus and tzatziki.
It was the perfect way to kick off an evening with friends, we were all able to share and sample a little bit of everything which is my favourite way to dine as it eliminates the food envy woes.

I remember my first ever time in a Bills restaurant, the one on Hoxton Square in London to be precise. It was back in 2013 when I was interning and I went with my all new intern pals. I remember being totally in love with the place from the off, everything from the relaxed and uber friendly atmosphere, to the delicious food and cocktails and of course, the truly beautiful interior design. Each Bills restaurant is decked out in the most rustic of ways, vintage inspired arm chairs and threadbare rugs give it a real homely feel, however with accents of modernity which in my eyes is the perfect way to nail interiors and makes for the ultimate destination to catch up with friends, old and new.

For our mains, the boys both went with Bills Smoky Barbecue Ribs, something I could have predicted George would go for as soon as I caught sight of the menu. Beattie opted for the Sea Bass which she thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed (she didn’t stop going on about how great it was) and I went for my usual of the Halloumi Burger. I was VERY tempted by the all new Diabolo Gnocci; king prawns, spicy nduja sausage, chorizo, cherry tomatoes, garlic butter and cheese, but I’m an absolute sucker for the delicious halloumi burger, what with the red peppers, tomato hummus, guacamole AND sweet chilli sauce. But fear not Diabolo Gnocci, I WILL be back to try you out very soon.

By the time our main meals had arrived, Ollie Lloyd, the first act of the night had finished. He was SO awesome and really, really great with the crowd. Playing a mix of covers and originals acoustically it was a really wonderful way to introduce us to the Bills Summer of Music series.
Following Ollie Lloyd came Lucy Mayhew, a truly beautiful singer who again, indulged us with a mix of originals and covers; her cover choices were absolutely amazing including Arctic Monkeys- Mardy Bum, Drake and Tame Impala, the four of us were singing along whilst digging into our dishes.

In-between courses we took it upon ourselves to sample more from the Bills Summer cocktail menu, Gee and Beattie bravely discovered the Lemongrass Margarita that came garnished with a whole red chilli(!!!!) it looked seriously impressive indeed and they both bloody LOVED it, opting for a second glass to accompany their deserts. I went onto my fave of Gin & Tonic and discovered a new gin fave thanks to Bills; the Monkey 47 Gin was out of this world delicious, I certainly know what I’m ordering from now on!

Deserts tipped up and I must have said “OMG” around 131264788349543957328432 times whilst digging into my Cinnamon Donuts, but OMG they were SO insane! Warm, fluffy and sweet, what more could you want from a desert. They even came with fresh strawberries and hot chocolate and caramel to dip into!!! I’m not normally a desert kinda gal, but my goodness I’ll be ordering the donuts from here on out!
Ollz is a sucker for a cheesecake (as you can see from how pleased he is in the image above) so selected the Lemon Meringue Cheese Cake, which looked insane, whilst Beattie opted for mango sorbet and George the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

The deserts were phenomenal and the absolute perfect way to end such a gorgeous evening with friends.
It really was such a wonderful night and one I really valued as I’ve not had much time to see my good pals Ollz and Beattie lately, so it was really wonderful to sit back, relax and catch up over some delicious food, fantastic cocktails and awesome music.

I really hope you enjoyed reading up on our friends night out, it was a truly lovely evening and one I really enjoyed putting together to share with you. If you fancy checking out the Bills Summer of Music then simply head to the website here, check out the music listings for a restaurant near you and book yourself a table.
AND if you’re anything like me and want to decide what you’re having before you arrive, then the menu is here for you too… You’re welcome 😉

x M

July 18, 2017 by pagesbymegan

IT’S ALL IN THE ACCESSORIES

*Post sponsored by Sunglasses Shop & Ray-Ban*

I don’t want to jinx anything, but my goodness have we been treated to a bloody good summer here in the UK this year. I know it’s only mid July, but I am SERIOUSLY buzzing with how many beautifully sunny and down right warm days we’ve had already this summer.
In recent years our summer’s have consisted of one or two days of sun, but this year, I feel it’s been warm pretty much 80% of the time, boiling and sunny for 10%, with the odd rainy day for the remaining 10%, and for the UK and especially Manchester this is pretty damn impressive indeed.

Summer has always been a season that I’ve struggled with when it comes to dressing, which is absolutely no news to you lot. I’m never quite body confident when summer comes in from nowhere, I’m usually V behind on summer shopping so struggle with how to dress well and stay cool and I just generally enjoy creating looks that involve a heck load of layering, not something that is advisable at this time of year unfortunately.

However, this year, I’ve REALLY been enjoying styling for summer days, which is something I never, ever(!) thought I would say. It’s been more of a predictable summer than ever before so I’ve found myself investing in the perfect summer pieces to ensure I’m ready to tackle the humid city centre conditions.

Clothes are all well and good, but to be a good stylist it really is all in the accessories.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always championed clothing when it comes to spending my pocket money or hard earned cash, but in the last year or so I’ve really learnt how powerful a key accessory or two can be.

The power of the accessory is particularly powerful at this time of year, when layering up shirts under jumpers, under faux fur coats just isn’t feasible. Injecting a couple of key accessory ingredients into a look is a success story for many a styling recipe.

Take this look for example, although the & Other Stories pelican and palm print crop top is rather special indeed, this look would be nothing without the sunglasses, handbag, shoes and even the delicate jewellery; it really is all in the accessories.
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As a Sunglasses Shop x Ray-Ban ambassador for 2017, I’m very lucky to have the latest designs from RayBan in my life and I have to say that the Ray-Ban Ja-Jo is my favourite of the new designs.
As a huge, and not so quiet fan of the Ray-Ban Round Metal frames, the Ja-Jo is a welcome addition to my circular frame family. In a much larger size it’s the key to retro styling success and surprisingly very easy to style up indeed. I would even go as far as to say that I might prefer this style over my beloved Round Metals (yeah I didn’t think I’d ever say that either) there’s just something about the way in which the Ja-Jo’s frame my face, I feel they suit me ever so slightly more than the smaller styles. Clear coloured lenses are pretty dam HUGE this season and despite not being all too great for makeup-less hangover days or for people watching (something I learnt the hard way…Ooops) they’re a really gorgeous way of adding some interest to your summer looks, of course in a statement, retro kinda way.

The pink of the Ray-Ban Ja-Jo’s tie in beautifully with my arm candy of choice, a piece that once again is working to add serious sass points to my simple summer looks. The Prada Cahier box bag is the latest addition to my bag collection and I am totally and utterly in love with it.
Not only is it the most STUNNING of pink shades, that matches my Ja-Jo’s perfectly, but it’s actually surprisingly roomy for all my daily essentials, with the accordion style divides, something I often struggle with, when it comes to box bags. Expect to see a lot of the ole Ray-Ban Ja-Jo x Prada Cahier combination throughout summer and no doubt beyond!

Shoes are another great way of injecting a little bit of summin’ summin’ to your summer looks, which you know I’m a massive advocate for. Statement shoes, sunglasses and a beautiful bag are my absolute failsafes when it comes to summer styling, something I bloody wish I’d learnt a long time ago, it would of prevented many a wardrobe meltdown, thats for sure.

So the secret to my styling is out! And it is very much all in the accessories, for summer at least. What are your styling secrets and saviours? What do you think of my pink accents? Is it something you could get on board with? And most importantly what do you think of my Ray-Ban Ja-Jo’s? They come in a few other colours too, if the pink is a little too bold for you, so be sure to check em out on the Sunglasses Shop website here
I also have a very exciting 20% off discount code for all Ray-Ban’s on the Sunglasses Shop website, just quote MEGAN20 at the checkout… You are SO welcome 😉

x M

July 11, 2017 by pagesbymegan

THE ONLY TRAINER YOU NEED IN YOUR SUMMER WARDROBE

*This post is in collaboration with Nike & Reward Style*

In recent years I’ve become an absolute sucker for a trainer. Trainers are, without a doubt the most comfortable of footwear choices money can buy… No news there then right!?
The whole trainer movement was never, ever, EVER (!!!) something I thought I’d see myself loving so much. I’m 5ft4 so the thought of wearing trainers was something that would scare the living daylights out of me; how on earth was I to elongate and elevate my body whilst wearing a trainer!?!? But alas with some rather clever styling techniques I was able to make the trainer work for me and since then it has been a key part of my every day wardrobe.

Generic trainers aside, no trainers have ever tickled my pickle or floated my boat quite like that of the Nike Cortez.
Theres something about that oh so retro design, the seventies flavour that really gets my juices flowing. Ever since I spied that oh-so synonymous seventies snap of Farrah Fawcett on a skate board donning the Nike Cortez I’ve been caught hook line and sinker for the design. Having already added THAT Farrah Fawcett colour way to my wardrobe and a rather vibrant banana yellow shade, I thought it about time I injected something a little more neutral and in turn a little more versatile into my sneaker-drobe and thanks to Nike, I am now the proud owner of this rather divine oatmeal/antique gold shade which are the perfect pair of trainers to work with EVERYTHING, and boy do I mean EVERYTHING!

For a summer’s day in the city, Manchester of course, I styled up my Cortez with some wide leg, cropped jeans, my style saviour when working with short legs and trainers. This long line and wide leg shape of jean really works to elongate the leg, especially when they’re as high waisted as these bad boys. Tuck in a slogan T-shirt for the ultimate laid back summers day look and an extra couple of millimetres are instantly added to your height (trust me, this is tried & tested). Grab yourself a statement blazer, ideally one that ties in the antique gold shade of the trainer (smart ey) to be ready for all occasions… And all weather’s, we are in Manchester after all.

There’s something really rather special about combining trainers with tailoring to create a really interesting and unique look. The relaxed vibe of the denim and Nike Cortez works to tone down the structured blazer for a real boy meets girl look.
It’s a really powerful look, which is what I love SO much about wearing both tailoring and trainers, something that is stereotypically boyish really works to make me feel strong, empowered and like I can take on absolutely ANYTHING that day. Whether it be work related, hunting out the best pieces to feature in next week’s photoshoot or video, or simply spying the latest bar opening for an Aperol Spritz in the sun.

And, of course, in true Megan style I had to accentuate the retro accents of the Nike Cortez, with a rainbow snake belt and a pair of Aviator sunglasses.

July 11, 2017 by pagesbymegan

THE YACHT WEEK LOW DOWN

Why hello there everybody, I hope you’re all doing really well indeed.
Today I have one almighty huge blog post featuring the in’s and out’s of The Yacht Week, the 411, what it’s all about, what we really thought about it and everything you need to know about booking your next, rather luxurious trip.

A few weeks ago now, George and I set sail on a 5 day sailing trip around beautiful Sicily. We were invited as the guests of InStyle Magazine and it was a huge honour to say the least. We arrived on the Monday, 2 days into the usually 7 day sailing experience.

So what is it all about, I hear you ask!? Well, The Yacht Week is a week long sailing trip around 1 of 5 European routes, or across the globe in the Caribbean over Christmas and New Year. You basically grab your gal pals (a group of up to 12) or opt for sailing with another group to make memories and friends that will last a lifetime, then select your route, Croatia, Sicily, Greece, Montenegro, The Caribbean or Spain. We were on the Sicilian route, which was truly perfect for us, with a fleet of just six yachts in tow, it was the smaller of The Yacht Weeks with some, such as Croatia, having up to 70 yachts in a fleet… BONKERS!

Each yacht has a Skipper and a Hostess onboard and I have to say, we really did have the best team in the fleet.
Our wonderful skipper, Ben, truly made us feel at ease, he sailed us from island to island wonderfully and was a barrel of laughs to boot. We also had the beautiful Mulvina onboard who quickly, super calmly and deliciously prepared our breakfast and lunch each and every day. I say quickly and calmly as the kitchen on board the yacht was TINY and the dishes she knocked up every single day really did blow my mind! It was the perfect team to sail with for 5 days.

I was so thrilled to have been invited along to experience The Yacht Week myself, and to have George by my side too. It was set to be the trip of a lifetime and something I don’t think I’d ever experience otherwise. A once in a lifetime opportunity, however, having never suffered from claustrophobia or motion sickness before, I was truly gutted when I stepped inside my cabin…

Once we were on board and shown around the yacht thats when the panic set in.
With a rather snug cabin, the Sicilian heat and of course the inevitable swaying of the boat, it was a huge struggle to do anything inside the yacht, and yes that even applied when sleeping too, it was impossible. We had a tough few days and a tough few nights onboard the yacht, I have to be honest here, but after our second night, we had finally overcome our sea sickness and were ready to truly embrace yacht life!

So I thought the best way to structure this post was to do it day by day, a play by play of what we did, the islands we visited and our thoughts throughout, that of course, with some holiday outfit inspiration thrown in for good measure.
We joined The Yacht Week two days into the sail so for more information about the two days we missed, you can check out the website here.

Day One
Our first day was mostly taken up with travel. A short plane journey to Sicily followed by a car to the port and a rather exhilarating speed boat to join the fleet of yachts. We were shown around the yacht, introduced to our wonderful Skipper and Hostess and given a safety talk for best practice when onboard the yacht. It was then time to quickly get ready for an evening in beautiful Panarea.
Panarea is the trendiest and somewhat the most exclusive island of the Aeolian route, the must visit place for many young Italians. It was truly breathtaking with cobbled streets and white wash buildings alongside the port, the views were simply stunning. We met the rest of The Yacht Week guests over an Aperol Spritz (or two) before dining at a truly beautiful and oh-so authentic Italian restaurant. The beauty of The Yacht Week is that you explore each town and island with the other Yacht Week guests, meaning tonnes of friendships are to be made. It was a truly perfect evening and the most wonderful way to kick off our trip. Panarea was such a gorgeous island and somewhere I’d really love to visit and explore some more in the future.

Now for the outfits.
So bikini wise, as always I opted for the good ole high-waisters, It’s just a style of bikini that I feel most comfortable in and the two I took away with me did me proud.
I chose this rather funky and oh so psychedelic print bikini from Warehouse, mainly due to it’s sixties style print but also due to the extreme high waist of the bottoms. The bra is a simple triangle shape so was perfect for my smaller bosom’s and meant that the strap lines were pretty minimal indeed. I felt great in it and of course styled it up with my much loved Vero Moda straw hat, RayBan Round Metal sunglasses and my age old vintage Levi’s shorts.

For an evening in Lipari I went for this super cute gingham dress that I bagged at ASOS. It’s actually listed as a beach dress, but I found it to be a little too put together for a beach cover up so decided to stye it up for the evening with my new Prada baby and some lace up pom pom shoes (unfortunately now sold out) The theme for our night in Lipari was “Riviera” so the blue shade was perfect for ticking that box, a colour the majority of The Yacht Week goers went for that night too.

A number of the nights during The Yacht Week are themed, which is so fun. But with that, be sure to check the website before you pack to ensure that you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Day Two

Our second day was when I really took to Yacht Life. Sailing from Lipari to Stromboli and stopping at beautiful bays for a dip along the way. It was an incredible experience and something I am oh so totally grateful for.
The bays and ports of Sicily are truly breathtaking with some of the most crystal clear and blue waters I have ever seen.
We spent our day swimming and relaxing onboard the yacht; sunbathing on a yacht is one of my new favourite things to do (who the heck am I!?), however it can be pretty lethal indeed, as poor George found out. The breeze meant that you can’t really feel the heat and strength of the sun so lets just say George got a touch of sun burn (understatement of the year… He looked like a drumstick lolly…ha!)

For our second evening we docked up in Stromboli a beautiful island and home to one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The plan for tonight was to hike up Volcano Stromboli, an evening four hour hike to the top to view the explosions of glowing lava… CRAZY RIGHT!?

Unfortunately George and I had to opt out of the hike as George was pretty dehydrated from his sunburn and to be perfectly honest, I was quite thankful for it. Sicily is one of the hottest places I’ve ever visited, even in the evenings the temperatures remained at 30 degrees up until 8pm.

Instead, George and I took the opportunity to hydrate and set out to explore the totally adorable winding streets of Stromboli. It really reminded me of Santorini with it’s white wash buildings and blue accents throughout, it was a truly gorgeous town and one I am thankful to have seen.
Whilst I was totally envious of the achievement of the other Yacht Weekers, and the INSANE videos and boomerangs from the top of the erupting volcano, I think the hike would have most definitely have killed us both.

Although many things are planned in and scheduled during Yacht Week, it is somewhat flexible and if there is something that doesn’t quite tickle your fancy, you can stay on land or on the yacht whilst the other guests get their fix. We simply met the hikers at 10pm (they hiked from 6pm-10pm) at a Neapolitan style pizzeria up in the hills. It was truly delicious, I opted for my favourite, a Siciliana pizza, which, of course, in Sicily had to be the best pizza I have EVER had.

My outfits for day two involved an insane bikini by All Saints, not a brand I would have ever thought of for swimwear but my goodness did this beauty fit like a little dream.
Again the bottoms are super high waisted which was perfect for sucking in the old tum, whilst the lace up detailing at the side of them added a touch of femininity to the look. I also really ADORE the feather print of the bottoms, contrasted with the simple black colour of the top, a bikini that will be coming on many a vacation from now on.

For my evening of *hiking* I went for this totally adorable gingham playsuit, originally bought from ASOS last year but never, ever worn before. It was the perfect, lightweight piece to wear for a warm evening in Stromboli as it was made from a really breathable linen material. Styled, of course with the same straw panama hat, Saint Laurent white sunglasses, H&M netted bag and these super cute flat espadrilles with beautiful beaded eye detailing from ASOS.

Day Three

We kicked off day three with an action packed morning of paddle boarding, something I’ve never done before and something I really bloody enjoyed. It was actually surprisingly easy to do and I found myself stood, upright almost instantly. Unfortunately as we were all out at sea we didn’t manage to get any snaps from it, but trust me, we did it and I was excellent at it (LOL)

From there we joined the rest of the fleet for a raft party; a party The Yacht Week is known for and a party which means that all the yachts are tied together in a circle, meaning you can easily hop from one boat to another. Unfortunately for us this didn’t last long as the wind was too strong so instead we turned up the music and had our own Yacht Party instead.

After the party we sailed on to Lipari a lively pastel-coloured town known as the cultural hub of the Aeolian route and the largest island along the route. It was truly breathtaking with cobbled streets and the most gorgeous of brightly colourful architecture, the views were simply stunning. The whole town was extremely charming and totally laid back in vibe.
From there we left the other Yacht Weeker’s and opted for wine tasting at the Tanuta Di Castellaro Vineyard. I’ve done wine tasting before but never something like this. The wine cellar and estate was state of the art and like nothing I have ever seen before. We drank both red and white wine whilst in the vines overlooking the most insane of views and I have to say both were truly delicious indeed. I’m more of a red kinda gal but my goodness was the Bianco Pomice White Wine to die for!

Wine tasting done, we headed back to the centre of Lipari where we joined the rest of the fleet for dinner at Filippinos a restaurant that is part of Lipari’s history having been in the town for 110years. Fed and watered it was onto the next party at Turmalin Club, not really to mine and George’s taste but after a few glasses of prosecco we were able to embrace the *terrible* music for what it was…ha.

Day Four

Our final full day and night on the yacht went by in a beautiful, sun bathing and swimming blur. It was another wonderful day in paradise until we docked in Vulcano, an island that boasted black sandy beaches made from the volcanic rocks of the island.
It was a truly breathtakingly beautiful island, however due to the volcanic rocks the smell of sulphur was strong, and if you’ve ever smelt sulphur before, you’ll know all too well about the gross eggy odour (ha!)

Our last night was spent at a white party, not something I’ve ever been to before and tbh, I didn’t take my own advice and check the itinerary beforehand so had to hastily grab something from the Accessorize at Luton airport… LOL!
The whole fleet was dressed in white and ready to party and a few tequilla shots later we were all on the dance floor celebrating a truly incredible trip with our new friends!

The Yacht Week was unlike anything I’ve ever been to before and honestly, unlike what I was expecting. It was hard, in parts, adapting to life on board a yacht, but it was an absolutely incredible experience and an opportunity I don’t think I’ll get ever again. George and I had the best week and it is a week I will remember for the rest of my life. Sicily is also one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting and I only wish we had more time on each island to explore a little more, perhaps that’s something to note, you won’t get the chance to see much of each island by day as that’s ample yachting time.

A few tips for life on a yacht would be;

A handheld fan- It gets VERY hot at night
Don’t over pack- I packed way too much and in reality the whole Yacht Week experience is extremely relaxed indeed. Plus, you’ll want to get ready as quick as possible due to how hot it is so simple, throw on clothes is essential.
Do pack sea sickness tablets
Wear a LOT of suncream
Do check the itinerary before you leave home, Luton Airport ain’t all that great for shopping…

I really hope you enjoyed this post and learning a little more about The Yacht Week. HUGE thanks to The Yacht Week and InStyle for having George and I along for the ride. I’d love to know if you can see yourself having a Yacht Week holiday or if you’ve done anything similar before!? Lets Chat!

x M

July 6, 2017 by pagesbymegan

MY HAPPY PLACE & WHAT TO WEAR TO A FESTIVAL

Can you believe that we’re seven months into 2017 already? I bloody can’t! It seems only minutes ago that we were seeing in the New Year with our loved ones and vowing to boss this year like no other before it.
To be honest, I feel so far thats exactly what I’ve done. I really feel that this year has been pretty damn smooth indeed, albeit with the occasional hiccup along the way. But all in all I’m thrilled with the progress I’ve made and more importantly, thrilled with my happiness levels.

Happiness is everything. It’s my one true goal in life, to be happy. And I feel in the seven months we’ve had of 2017, I’ve really learnt who and what makes me happy the most.

This year I’ve learnt that one of my happy places, is definitely the countryside… Who’d have thought it ey? I’m a city girl through and through and will be forever more, but one of the many things I love so much about living in Manchester is how quickly we can be in the oh so beautiful, picturesque and breathtaking countryside. Whether that be on the outskirts of Manchester, a 90 minute drive to Helmsley (read this post here) where George’s folks live, or taking a short 20 minute train ride to West Yorkshire and visiting The Moors, it blows my mind that I can go from the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan city to greenery for as far as the eye can see with peaceful and sleepy towns such as Marsden. Being amongst the great outdoors, breathing in the fresh air and viewing some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen is a sure fired way to make me feel good, to clear my head and to inspire me once again.

I’ve done a few posts already this year about the quality of digital detoxing and getting away for the weekend with your other half, but what both of those things have in common is the fact I was submerged by nature. I simply can’t get enough of it and regularly pine for weekends that involve just that.

Sometimes I love getting away purely just to clear my head, it’s a sure fired way to leave me feeling empty, my troubles having drifted away with the wind (and boy is it windy up there)
Recently and as I’ve mentioned in this post a few weeks back, I’ve been struggling to keep up with the work load, struggling to know when to switch off and struggling to just let things be, something I’ve never dealt with before. I’ve always been a very laid back person when it comes to work, just letting things come and go as they do, with the whole “If it’s meant to be” mentality, so it’s been tricky trying to adjust to the new way in which my brain likes to work. I am currently busier than ever before and I am totally loving it and revelling in the fact that it won’t be like this forever. In fact I’m sure it’ll just be a few more months before things start to quieten down a little for that much needed countryside breather.
However, one thing I know my new wired brain likes is the great outdoors, so heading out to the countryside, to the hills, to the green for as far as the eye can see really calms me, allows me to revaluate everything and leave feeling much lighter, much happier and a heck load less stressed.

I really wanted to shoot something up in The Moors to show and let you in on the worlds worst kept secret, the power of fresh air and the great outdoors.
And for that I thought I’d don a festival inspired get-up to get you ready and geared up for the most exciting season of the year.
With festival season having recently kicked off and with my festival listing’s totting up rather nicely indeed, I am SO excited to be back amongst the fields listening to some of my favourite bands, cider in hand and wellington boots inevitably serving their purpose amongst the mud.

EEE this time of year is truly the BEST!

Being outdoors and listening to music with my pals is another happy place of mine, in fact, to me a festival is the absolute epitome of happy, care free times and I honestly CANNOT WAIT for it.

A-line mini skirts, bright and bold tee’s and knits with the all too obvious addition of waterproof coat (in a sassy pink shade OBVIOUSLY) and wellies has always been my go-to when it comes to festival styling. It’s super simple, practical yet oh-so totally me with it’s colourful palette and sixties inspired silhouettes.

The importance of happiness and clearing the mind is pivotal and is something I’m aiming to do a lot more of for the rest of the year… When things start to slow down a little might I add.
I’d love to hear where your happy place is. Is it out amongst the great outdoors like me? Or at a festival with your friends also like me? I’d love to hear em and would also love to hear your thoughts on these shots too, I think there some of the most beautiful snaps Sophie and I have ever taken, I mean, with a backdrop like that how could they be anything but?

x M