The Dining Room gets a Look-in

My bathroom journey has hit a pot-hole, and I’ve learnt a very important lesson.
Resources. Check their availability. Darn! This is the first thing you learn at marketing school! Just to give you some spiel: Your resources (Men, Money, Minutes) are vital for a project’s success and I’m missing my man. More precisely, I’m missing a builder. Through some freakish builder drought in the central Reading area, I’m without a burly pair of arms and plumbing knowledge until the end of February, so that little project is on the back burner. What’s on my mind instead? The dining room!

The dining room has been moderately neglected on the blog so far (aside from its brief mention in the Christmas post). I think it's about time it had a share of the spot-light. Introducing....

The YUP Dining Room

view from the doorway; full of light, but also junk

  I decided to put my dining room in the front room of our little terrace, which is actually furthest from the kitchen. Why? Well, that room is the first you pass when you come in off the street, so it's the most likely to become a dumping ground.

The dining room is the least used room in our house - T and I have good intentions, but often end up eating on the sofa. Therefore, a little clutter in here will help us maintain order in the rest of the house. I plan to create a beautiful yet informal space that we can enjoy, and will remain practical too.

view from the opposite corner

 There’s also the small matter of the bicycles…

looking from the window: they need a home!

Buying a house is sometimes a matter of painful compromise. Not between you and your partner, either (let’s face it, if you’re making serious sacrifices, you probably shouldn’t be buying together) – I mean in terms of want vs need. I wanted a beautiful, clean space in which I could entertain and have fancy-schmancy dinner parties… but what I needed was somewhere dry, secure and convenient in which to park my noble steed.

Hi Bikes, meet dining room wall.

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After being inspired by many an apartment therapy blog post (if it’s good enough for sophisticated new-yorkers, it’s good enough for us), we decided that the best place to store our biggest babies was right here in the house. I actually think it’s rather beautiful (although, grandparents tend to disagree). However, we did NOT have a good experience buying a bike rack. T purchased a GearUp Oak Rak (Floor to Ceiling) bike rack from Amazon at the beginning of October. It was very expensive (more than I wanted to spend) and it took a long time to arrive.


I was so angry when we opened the box. Parts were missing, and our countless attempts since to contact Amazon/the seller and get the missing parts have been futile. I do NOT recommend this seller. The goal is to have the bikes on the wall, as seen in the right picture, but.... yeah. we're still waiting.

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We also have a storage requirement. The corridor from my front door is, in my opinion, too narrow to hang coats in, pile shoes up, or dump your keys. ‘Landing strips’ are a very desirable (or essential, depending on your source) feature in a house now - no longer the hallmark of glamour models or the pages of Cosmo. That's a term for a conveniently placed coat rack and table on which to rest your hat/keys/handbag when you enter your home, as seen to the left of this text.


I hope to build that in to the dining room, creating a clever duality between storage space and entertaining space.


I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on making the most of a space like this!

Cycling: why everyone should get on their bike

My Dawes Duchess

I am obsessed with cycling. Absolutely obsessed. If you follow me on instagram or twitter, you'll know that I take photos of my bike like most people photograph their dog/child/partner. Yes, I take a lot photos of an inanimate object.

Why am I so obsessed? Well, here are some of the reasons why I love cycling.

1. Keeps you fit

Cycling is an amazing kill-two-birds-with-one-stone activity. It gets you where you need to be, and burns calories too. Don’t have time to go to the gym? Cycle to the pub/workplace/shops instead.

As a mode of transport, a bike is incredibly efficient, so a 30 minute cycle burns only around 200 calories. That’s just a little more than a small glass of wine, or a little less than a chocolate bar. However, if you cycle to your dinner date, it’s like you never ate that pasta bake. Monitor your expenditure with an app like Fitness Tracker, so you don’t over-compensate.

Cycling to work is my personal favourite: it’s really hard to fit a workout into a 9 hour day, but I can always cycle to work. I live five miles away and it’s an excellent distance for a ride that raises your heart rate but doesn’t exhaust you. If you’re much further away, have you tried substituting some of your ride with a train journey?

How do I cope without a shower at work? Baby wipes and body spray, darlings. It’s like year 10 P.E all over again.

Thames Tow Path

2. Makes you HAPPY

‘Don’t ride to add days to your life. Ride to add life to your days.’
That’s one of my favourite sayings, and it’s true. Cycling allows me to appreciate things like a gorgeous sunset, the smell of rain and the exhilaration of beating my car-driving colleagues home. Plus, exercise is one of the best cures for stress and depression. Cycling home is like having a free counselling session – pedal out that office rage!
My favourite thing to do is plan a weekend cycle with T. This summer, we went to the New Forest and cycled over thirty miles in beautiful countryside. We regularly use the site Sustrans to plan a bike-friendly route.

Henley

 3. Saves you money

 I save £5 every day I ride to work. Not running a car has, over the last 5 years, might have saved me around £17,000 (a guesstimate based upon numbers from this Daily Mail article – pinch of salt though, y’all!) which is a staggering amount. I managed to put all that towards buying my house.

My bike requires very little maintenance – maybe £40 a year – and the only fuel it needs is FOOOOD. 

Plus, there are some AMAZING not-for-profit organisations around which will show you how to maintain your bike, like Reading Bicycle Kitchen! Prices start from just £4, which is great value. Teach a man to fish, and all that...

New Forest

4. Helps you to arrive on time

‘First Great Western is sorry to inform you that the 17:33 service to READING is delayed by 10 minutes.’
GOD I hate that announcement. I also hate queueing to get on the motorway, off the motorway, on the roundabout, past the school, and around the one way system. Most modes of transport suck. On a bike, however, I can normally overtake cars, take short cuts through parks... it’s AWESOME. The only thing to make me late is my terrible outfit-choosing ability.
Google Maps has a ‘bicycle’ mode which is really rather accurate, but I would always recommend doing a ‘test-ride’ before you take a new route to work.

Thames Tow Path at 7am (near Theale)

5. It’s really very safe

…if you wear a helmet, follow the rules of the road, and wear lots of lights at night.
There is a lot of press at the moment about cycling casualties and fatalities. These are inescapably tragic and really, every single individual should work to safeguard the cyclist. However, this starts with the rider. I am shocked by the number of cyclists I see jumping red lights, undertaking other vehicles and taking risks on roundabouts. If you behave in the same way a car would at give way signs, zebra crossings or traffic lights (I know, those are tempting to skip) other road users will respect you more. They’ll also be able to predict your behaviour. There will always be bad drivers on the road. Stick your middle finger up. They're idiots.

There is also a lot of debate surrounding helmets but I'm not one to believe the here say on the internet. I recently slipped on some wet leaves (when cycling - I'm okay at walking!). I was ‘only going over the road’ on a five-minute journey, but I lost control when braking. I was actually on the pavement, but I still could have been seriously hurt - get your lids on!

The bottom line is: I’ve been riding a bike in a busy town for five years and I have never had any accidents, but I do play it safe.
The only time you'll see me without a helmet is when these amazing invisible ones are a bit more affordable
 

Thames Tow Path (near Reading)

I hope this post inspires some cyclists! Do you ride, or have a favourite way to exercise? I'd love to hear it!

A Dumb-Phone Life: A Comment on the Connected Life

 
In the marketing world, I'd be known as a 'late adopter'.

When we segment and profile customers in the industry, people like myself are given a little dunce cap and a pat on the back. There's a 'bless them, they'll get there eventually' mentality. We're not the target demographic for anything innovating. A product is launched, and we watch, warily, from the undergrowth. Will it flop? Is it worth the money? We watch thousands of other individuals exchange money for goods - an extended beta test - before we part with our cash. For me, it's an upbringing thing. Any trend must be firmly established before I shell out. It took me two years to believe in the power of the playsuit.

I was certainly late to the party with a Smart Phone. I got my first last December, over six years after the iPhone first graced our lives. It was a Samsung Galaxy S3. It's a damn good phone, don't get me wrong. It is relatively cheap (£180 from argos), attractive, light, and does all you could possibly wish for. I'm definitely a fan of an Android operating system; it's nimble, accessible, and compatible. It links to google applications like a dream.


You may have wondered why I've been so quiet.... sadly, my whole handbag was stolen on Saturday night in a moment of weakness. I lost my house keys, bike lock keys, purse, licence, debit card, nectar card, rail card and phone in one fell swoop. My bike key is the thing I'm currently missing the most; I can't cycle to work at the moment! But, a close second is my mobile phone.

the night was definitely worth it

  Scrolling, Swiping ZOmbie

As a user of twitter and instagram, my phone had been in my hand 24/7 since the day I got it. If I wasn't texting or sending Whatsapps (best app ever, by the way) I was flicking idly through reams of Pinterest or Instagram images, double-tapping as I went.

I hate to sound cliché, but I really did feel connected. I also really felt inspired. Surely it was productive, this behaviour, this constant interior-design voyeurism? It was helping me develop my own sense of style, encouraging me to make decisions about my home, informing me of trends and looks.
It wasn't. I was wasting hours watching someone else's life unfold. Mine was being wiled away in the meantime.
It's taken me some time away from the screen to realise what my phone was really doing to me. I was just another social-media zombie. T & I have spent too many evenings scrolling on our smartphones, side-by-side. We might be holding hands but we're not really 'together'. Truly joyful moments can't occur in the realms of the internet - and paticularly the passive internet.

Do I really need another smartphone?I'm sorry to say that yes, I do. Without one, I am a little at sea when it comes to arranging plans. It also makes blogging and recording moments like nights out very difficult. I'm saving up for one at the moment - though I'm not in a rush. 
When we were in Croatia, I turned my phone off for the entire week. Was I any poorer for being off the grid for a week? No. If anything, my experience in the Baltics was enriched. I read, I talked, I experienced the things in front of me and didn't just see them through an instagram filter. 
I hope that I'll approach my next phone in a more restrained way. Perhaps I'll turn it off when I'm socialising, or at home in the evening, and only turn it on for a specific use.

Has anyone had any luck weaning themselves off the smartphone? I'd love to hear about it.

All the best,
Sarah

Move-in Day Survival Guide (AKA Reading for comfort eaters)

This time tomorrow, I’ll be in my new home. That is, if all goes to plan. If it doesn’t, here’s my coping strategy*.

 

I’ll be living a stone’s throw from the Oracle shopping centre, which has a beautiful riverside and lots of excellent eateries in which to bide my time. I eat like clockwork. If I get through the day without one of my five integral meal-stops, it’s a miracle.  I plan to leave work at 12pm tomorrow (yes, I’m going in for the morning… my annual leave amount is pitiful) so if I don't get into the house by 2pm, there'll be friction....

 **this could also be known as ‘a guide to Reading for comfort eaters’

I'm delayed by 1 hour (2pm)
Chow down at Mission Burrito



image from Mission Burrito's blog

 Mission Burrito is a colourful, hearty establishment and it’s the perfect place to abate the nervous, gnawing hunger I get when things start to go wrong. A burrito with all the trimz will set you back almost £7, but it’s worth it.

(Guac shouldn’t be extra, guys! It should be free! It’s an essential! Like oxygen!)

 



image from http://www.theexchange.uk.net



Delayed by 3 hours (4pm)
Visit Patisserie Valerie
I’ll be very cross by this point.
I will need chocolate. Ridiculously over-indulgent chocolate.

Delayed by five hours (6pm)
Order a Pizza Presto
I will be fuming, I imagine. Probably pacing back and forth. I will probably have cycled to the solicitors, the estate agents AND the bank and threatened everyone with death and sulfer.
This will obviously burn up around 10,000 calories (conservative estimate) and mean I need to eat something wholly unhealthy.

image from pizzapresto.co.uk

Pizza Presto is the marmite of Reading pizza. Order it, and expect a greasy, sweaty paving-slab of a pizza to arrive around 45 minutes afterwards (they’re not super prompt). I don’t know why, but eating pepperoni swimming in a cheesy grease lake is incredibly therapeutic and this place offers serious value for money (pro-tip: never order chicken fight)

 

Delayed by 7 hours (8pm)
Round at Mix Bar
Who am I kidding?
Food won’t sate the disappointment in my soul.
Mix Bar is an amazing venue with impossibly talented staff – and prices which represent this. However, Happy Hour runs until 8pm so I can drown my sorrows and get change for a tenner.
If you’ve not been before, pop in. I'm a regular.

 

Sometimes you get a free drink, if you can find the plastic bull before anyone else....

 

 

 

 

Screw it, even if I get the keys and through the threshold, I might do these four things anyway! Unpacking can wait - nothing says 'home-sweet-home' more than unpacked boxes!

 

Have a great Wednesday, everyone x

 

 

Reading Round-Up

Reading was a treat this year! I live about 30 minutes from the site now so I felt really relaxed and low-key. I also saved a ton of money on food and drink!!

After my earlier post, swearing by Wellingtons, I didn't wear them once: the weather was far too nice!
 

So, what did I wear?
White Dr. Martens with EVERYTHING, of course :)

 

I definitely prepared for bad weather!(L-R)

1. Primark dress, £8 - Topshop Bracelets, £8 (last season) - Brandless Sunglasses (bought there), £5
2. Primark long-sleve jersey, £2 - Apple Bottom (TK Maxx) check shirt, £10 - Zara Lace shorts, £19.99

3. Motel Mesh Studded Crop, £25 - H&M black circle skirt (not shown), £9.99

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Royal Blood - Amazing two-piece that play with ferocity. I saw them on the Glasto coverage and had to head along. They lived up to expectations!
- Lower than Atlantis - hark, a post-hardcore English rock band - but with amazing lyrics and a melodic tune
- Jimmy Eat World - 90s rock I'm still shouting along to.

- Blink 182 - 'nuff said. They smashed it.

- Jamie T - oh my god, this guy.... Been out of the picture for a few years but he had everyone chanting

Did anyone go to Reading too? Festival highlights?

Reading Festival Fashion 2014 - Wellies ahoy!

Summer's over. Face it. It's WEEING it down out there.

Some idiot at the Metro told me I shouldn't wear wellies this year because it's cliché.
Actually, the biggest cliché is being that frozen, miserable girl that's crying at the first aid tent because she was wearing suede sandals with diamanté Aztec toe thongs and someone has moshed on top of her.

Bloggers, I commend you for your commitment to style. Selina from Flying Saucer looked show stopping at Wireless recently in an amazing Motel co-ordinate which I planned to emulate.... until the rain started.
I will be wearing my white docs for some of the weekend - until the defences fail and my socks start getting soggy. Then the wellies are back out, because I'm there to have fun and not to look good.¹

And I will not be wearing a kimono. Where would I store the whiskey?
See you in the pit!










¹ Though looking like a goddess by ACCIDENT would be nice.

Oracle haul: perfect polish, sassy sandals

Popped into the Oracle in Reading today and came back with a beautiful pair of very, very light summer sandals from Jones the Bootmaker (these paticular babies aren't online!) I don't normally shop here, but my Mum was after some Birkenstocks... the selection was great, the staff were lovely, and the sale meant I was within my budget!

We then spent a painstaking half an hour in boots after the perfect polish, and we ended up with 'Pearl' in Silk by Barry M (lovely texture & sheen) and Bourjois Paris 'So laque glossy' in number 4. Gorgeous, and most importantly, very complimentary.

I have disgusting runner's feet (my baby toe has a hunch back; I've got bunions like Beckham) but sometimes you need to just throw caution to wind and ditch the Vans¹

1. for one week of the whilst out of the country