"Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and
August"; —Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty
Oh hi there July! I’m not sure how June slipped past so quickly, but suddenly the summer
holidays are within touching distance! I am so excited my kitchen is nearly finished, the floor is being laid as I write this.
This month I'm most looking forward to:
Although the summer holidays certainly bring a significant amount of chaos, I am really
looking forward to the children being off from school and being able to fill our diary with
activities and lots of socialising. Not having to get up and dash out for the school run is a
treat we all enjoy and I hope to organise lots of playdates with friends who we never have
enough time to see during the school term. We have a holiday to get excited about and will
of course also be going to visit family down south and in Norfolk. Like everyone, I'm hoping
for lots of sunshine as we absolutely love going to the beaches in Norfolk and I am also
planning on making the most of our National Trust and RHS memberships during our
countrywide summer adventures!
This month I'm loving:
One of my most favourite flowers are coming into season – hydrangeas! After we made over
our garden last year, I planted loads of these most gorgeous blooms in pots on our balcony and they are just about to pop out into flower, which makes me feel so joyful! Not only do hydrangeas look incredible out in the garden, they also last really well when dried. Dried hydrangeas change colour beautifully and I love putting them into vases and making wreaths.
Here are my top tips on how best to dry hydrangeas:
This month I'm eating:
With summer in full bloom, we will be eating lots of fruit and veg that can be enjoyed
straight from British fields. The whole family loves all those delicious summer fruits
and berries like apricots, blackcurrants, cherries, and of course raspberries and
strawberries; and one of our most favourite summer activities is going strawberry picking at Spilmans. With our fabulous new kitchen now fully up and running, I am looking
forward to creating some delicious summer dishes using local seasonal veg such as new
potatoes, mangetout and broad beans.
This month I'm working on:
Whilst we have made huge progress with our sparkly new kitchen, which only needs a few
finishing touches, we have moved straight onto the next big house project! Now that the
kitchen has been moved up into our big upstairs space, we are busy ripping out the original
kitchen and have exciting plans to turn this downstairs room into a lounge and study. My
handy husband has quickly made a wonderful mess down there and I am hoping to be able
to make some real progress over the summer on renovating this area into two fabulous new
rooms.
This month I'm wearing:
There have been a few things that I have recently bought that have brought me a little bit of
joy that I would like to share!
I have been wearing this Karen Millen dress lots over the last month:- dress I absolutely love the print and it is so comfortable to wear; perfect for the summer months.
I also went to an event this week at The Principal Hotel in York hosted by Katherine Busby There was a fantastic talk by a company called Clockface Beauty who introduced their natural vegan creams. We were given some facial serum to try and I have not stopped using it! I have been using it as my cream in the morning and at night and it feels just great on my skin. I like it so much that I have now ordered their discovery set so that I try out all their other products. I will let you know how I get on with it.
This month I'm buying:
I have had my vision for our kitchen in my head for so long and am absolutely loving now
playing out this dream and buying the finishing touches. These potted ferns were a recent
find from Marquis & Dawe and Cavendish Home I am absolutely delighted with how they look!
I am loving bags at the moment and I have just ordered a new summer bag from Lily & Bean with my initials on. Another fabric bag I am loving is this from Daydress
My children are looking forward to wearing their new towelling robes from Bride & Bert. ad/pr gift
I love Lottie Maylands hand embroidered napkins, perfect for a summers table.
My favourite website this month has been Holly The Coupon Queen - I have found so many interesting things on there.
I have been working with the lovely family run company called Purdy & Figg - check them out here.
This month I'm listening to:
At the moment I am really enjoying listening to Tom Misch Happy Music - it has all the summer vibes.
I hope everybody has a wonderful July. To see how our summer projects and adventures are
Oh and before I go one of my favourite faux flower shops The Suffolks Nest have 20% off this weekend - go go go! Thank me later...
Love Caroline xxx
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