August Favourites

August Favourites time! A few bits and pieces this month. Enjoy :)

Music 

I have a new favourite album! A little band called Postmodern Jukebox and if you haven't already listened to them I thoroughly recommend that you do! My favourites are their cover of Drunk in Love by Beyonce and Fancy by Iggy Azalea.

Let me tell you a story - I found this song called One Day (Vandagg) by Bakermat and I listened to it on repeat because it's just a really good song. Nice little sample in there. And then I found out that my best friend, Callum Gordon over at Burning Reel Productions had a hand in the video and suddenly it became even better, if that was possible.

Books

I have been reading lots as always but nothing has really grabbed me this month. I've been working my way through the Cazalet series by Elizabeth Jane Howard and although they are quite good (I do love a good WWII Fiction) I'm actually more excited to buy and watch the TV series. Hopefully I will find something truly original by next month.

Home

Let's talk about my favourite home purchase for this month. Sgt Pepper. Just look at his little face. He is so freaking happy to grind the pepper. I found this chap on Amazon here.

 

If you are an avid Pourable Sunshine reader you will have read my IKEA Haul post and know that I got lots of delicious items but I do love the grey plates very much indeed. Although this is the only one that made it home. Don't try and take crockery on the tube. It will break. You will cry. You will have to take it back to IKEA.

 

Food

Some yummy new finds this month. 

Philadelphia do a Salmon and Dill tub! Who knew?! It tastes like smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches. I also like to use it in Prawn Risotto as it adds another flavour and level of tastiness.  

I think I may have found a new favourite ice-cream kids! My mouth is watering. It literally just filled with salvia at the memory of sitting down to eat this delicious tub of happiness. It is SO good.

Fashion

I'm off to a wedding this weekend and isn't just the prettiest dress. I waited patiently for this dress to hit the sales and when it finally did I snapped it up. Or so I thought. They actually still have loads of sizes in stock a few weeks in. It's very floaty on and perhaps not so great with the changing weather but I'm trying to hold on to summer for as long as possible.

 

Dress - £28 in the sale

This New Look purse is just beautiful. It's quite large but I quite like oversized bags and purses so it's good for me. Again this is more of a spring/summer purse but we can all retain some hope that the sun might just come back again.

Purse - £12.99

Ok, let's face it. The sun isnt coming back. Must mean it's time to wrap up warm in a scarf then! I purchased this little beauty in H&M after my best friend turned up at mine rocking one. She went for the colourful one but they only had black, white and grey when I went in store. It is massive - I call it my throw or rug because there's so much wool and it's very toasty but it's barely left my side since I bought it.

Scarf - 12.99

Hope you have had a lovely August whatever you have been up to and I hope these favourites give you something to listen to/buy/eat.

C xxx

IKEA Home Haul

So I was a little bit naughty and spent a little bit too much money but IKEA have just got their new catalogue in and you know I can't resist spending money on 'stuff'!

I thought I would share my spoils with you (Click the yellow text to be linked through and don't blame me if you end up spending money):

First up is this gorgeous big yellow bowl, the yellow will go beautifully in my kitchen and it's just perfect for salad giant bowls of cereal...

  Serving Bowl - £5

He has two little friends in the same range, great for dips and nuts and general cluttering of my house.

Snack Bowls - £3 for 2 pack

I decided that what we needed most in the world were two more trays for us to have. I really want one with little legs on so I can eat breakfast in bed but in the meantime these will do!

Tray - £4.50

So I don't really have anywhere for these to go but I just cannot get enough of the grey/yellow colour palette at the moment so I snapped two of these up.

Cushion cover - £9 and I got these cushions to cover!

Next up - gravy jug/milk jug/wine jug? Regardless of what I will use it for it's a pretty good jug at that with a big fat bottom.

Gravy Jug - £6

I am loving putting all of my food stuffs into jars at the moment. I think it looks much nicer that way rather than sitting in my cupboard. What else could I do then but buy more of them to try and find space for on my worktops! He's a good 'un for spaghetti!

Kilner Jar - £3

So next up I got these 4 amazing geometric glasses. For some reason they aren't available on the website but there were definitely loads in store so maybe they just haven't got round to putting them on, or perhaps they are end of line. I'm waffling. They are awesome. Enough said.

Drinking glass - £1.80

Another item to not make it on to the website are these egg cup holders. Again tying in with the yellow kitchen theme they look like mini drinking goblets!

Egg Cup - £1.50

What is a trip to IKEA without buying a candle!? A not just any candle...a grey one....

Candle - 95p

I wish I'd bought more of these to be honest but for now I just have a Cara plate and a Leigh plate. The colour and pattern of them is just gorgeous, they are slightly more grey in real life, this picture doesn't do them justice.

Plates - £3

I got the deep bowls from the same range as well. I should have bought more! Not that I needed to spend any more money.

Bowls - £3

So there you have it boys and girls, I spent too much money, I have no idea where I'm going to put everything and Leigh hates me because I'm making him go halves on the bill. But I have lots of shiny new IKEA stuff so everything is ok!

C xxx

Notting Hill Carnival

So in the 3 years I have lived in London I have never once been to Notting Hill Carnival. I have always been out of town and so I miss the fun and revelry! But this year we were around and so with glee we headed to Westbourne Park to join the madness.

We started off by walking the streets and stopping every so often to appreciate the sounds of reggae music and the smell of jerk chicken.

We ducked and weaved our way through the crowds - the amount of people is unreal! We had missed most of the procession as we didnt arrive until later but we still saw some of the floats, music and colour that the festival is famous for.

 

 After queuing for 45 MINUTES for the toilet we met another one of our friends before grabbing some jerk chicken and dumplings which set my mouth on fire but was so very tasty.

We headed down the streets finding one of the many speakers pumping out music and had a bit of a dance under the cloudy sky.

We danced into the night before heading to a pub in Kentish Town for a friends birthday. It was quite a crazy day - with SO many people. I did spend a large amount of time worrying about my bag but it was interesting to see the atmosphere and in general how people tend to react with each other. There is always a lovely people spirit at events like this.

C x

Poetry Corner

Have you lovely people ever seen the one and only poem I have written? I had to take it down off my old blogsite because I entered it into a competition - I didn't win (I know, shocking) - but it remains to date one of the things I am most proud of. I remain prouder of this than I do of the completely fantastic 'Granny's Pie' I baked. But I digress.... Let's have a little poetry corner on the blog today. Maybe it will inspire me to write another one, which is an ever looming possibility with my last course just round the corner. I hope you like it :)

The Muse and The Artist

It was spring when I sat
under the cherry blossom
you held my gaze and then,
I could breathe the smell of you
Sweet to me, compulsive
Oh how I smiled upon you
The best part of me was you,
For one more time,
Petals gathered in my hair, and by my feet
It would be, just you and I, eternal.

I felt as though I was Erato
Muse of love and poetry
Come love me as if I were,
As I will love you, ‘til life is closed to me
I’ll dance around the cherry blossom
Chanting, singing, our voices carrying
as though the wind could lift us
High on the sound,
Encircling us and elevating us towards the sky,
The crown of roses upon my head

We see before us the fountain,
Sprays of crystal droplets
The water nymphs at play,
Sprinkling the greensward, giggling, flourishing,
Casting tears of joy,
For we are the darlings of this world,
All on this earth shall rejoice, our love
the love of Gods
Magnificent in majesty and in splendour,
Laid out, and bared, for all to behold.

And I can taste your skin on my lips,
Every sense gathering, heightened
As I touch your lips, your eyelids
Tell me when you hear my heart beat,
Hands looping through my curls
Holding me gently, quietly,
Exquisitely, with pleasure,
Cradling my soul
For I, am your muse, and you my artist
My private treasure that no-one else could find

© Cara Hewitt 2009

Thanks for the Office, but no thanks

I must be the only person in the whole world who isn't happy about the fact that I now have my own office.

I mean don't get me wrong - it's the dream right? When you finally move into your own office it means you must be important enough to have one. You have all the space to put your own stamp on it and you can get on with your work without office chatter or any distractions.

Which would all be fine apart from the fact that I go crazy if I don't talk to someone at least once an hour. It actually freaks me out. Perhaps I just really like the sound of my own voice but something is wrong with me because I hate being on my own so much that I will call Leigh sometimes, not to say anything, but just so I can assure myself that the world hasn't turned into zombies and I'm the only one still alive.

I think I might have a mild case of Monophobia. Add that to my Ornithophobia (phobia of birds) and I am a bit of a mess in general.

I just love to be around people. This is why I could never go travelling on my own, because the times I'd have to be on my own would be horrific! What on earth would I do? I'd probably start talking to myself and that would be both boring and slightly crazy.

Put me in any social situation and I will thrive, I'm not shy, I will talk to anyone. Leave me in a room on my own for over an hour and I will start to panic. Even now I haven't spoken or seen anyone in about an hour and a half and I'm trying to type this post quickly so I can go and find someone to talk to.    

So whilst it's all fun and games being able to play my music and eat fish without smelling out the shared office, I wish there was someone I could share that with. Not to mention that working at a school in the Summer Holidays is already so quiet and I'm at one end of the school when everyone else is at the other makes me feel quite nervous. Also I swear this school is haunted. Maybe the ghosts can keep me company!

So thanks for my own space, but give me an open plan office any day!

Is it just me that suffers from this? Or is this a common thing?!

Excuse me whilst I go and find someone to talk at.

C xxx

100th Post

So as the title says this is my 100th post on Pourable Sunshine!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read the posts that I put up, there is nothing better than hearing that you are enjoying what I talk about and it is lovely to know that I am sharing it with all of you.

As I said recently it is easy to try to maintain a perfect facade but I am trying to bring you more of the every day and try to talk to you all like I do to my best friends, rather than portraying the unreal and unattainable.

Please do let me know in the comments below if  there is anything you want me to try and talk about, or a regular feature you want to see. Your feedback means a lot to me!

Once again, thank you for being so lovely :)

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Loving ~ Leigh for being there for me

Wearing ~ my Hawaiian print trousers and a strappy top

Anticipating ~ pay day

Eating ~ a prawn salad

Drinking ~ Guanabana juice

Wishing for ~ the end of the week

Craving ~ CHEESE

Listening to ~ All Night by Parov Stelar

Wondering ~ why I have to be so allergic to mosquito bites

Watching ~ looking forward to watching my first ever episode of British Bake Off tonight

Learning ~ that every so often it's ok to have a bad week

Searching ~ the housing sites for a home that doesn't look completely horrible

Planning ~ the best way to save some money for the future

Trying ~ to lose some weight again

C xxx