Time In London

To live your life to be scared of what others think or what people perceive is no life at all. As they say be yourself as everyone else is taken a thousand people can thunder past and you’ve no knowing what their happiness ,joy or sorrow is.

I’m never going to stop learning I’m never going to stop doing what I do or explain myself you get to know me you see what makes me tick.

So I see the street life of London the day , the time is relevant you don’t need to know even the temperature of the day though the photo may tell you that but then again maybe not.

Life is a complexity life’s a mystery and it’s one to be enjoyed , you’ll not find me in a department store staring at handbags that’s not me. You’ll find me breaking free running away from the throng of the pack. I’m not a retail magpie I need space and architecture offers me, that it offers me structure (see what I did there )

I take something mundane and ordinary and elevate it and I do this every single time I use a camera or my smart phone.My photography is always in my mines eye if I see it with my own eyes then I frame the shot in the mind and then snap the moment is captured.That moment can be released to me again when I see the image and the memories, thoughts and feelings come back.

Words I Never Thought My Hairdresser Would Say

Words I never thought my hairdresser would say does rather read like click bait you want to roll your eyes at and curse yourself for clicking through to.

When you go to the hairdressers which I don’t have to say I go to very often and when I’m there  I’m always poised to play:

Hairdresser bingo 

“You going or holiday or been etc”

“Which way to you wearing your parting ?”

“Thought about a colour ?”

“ That’s nice”

“ oooh you don’t say “

“ Want your eyebrows trimming “

They said this to my husband and he’s never been back to the barbers / hair place since.

“Is that ok ?*”

*Showing you the back of head the only time you see it.

If not had my hair don’t for well over a year and this this last year my hair was very short

So bitting the bullet I had my hair done and I solelmy promise I will not cut anymore knots out my hair and that’s a Brownie promise at that so it’s binding!

I don’t over chat as that’s not me I’d rather be silent but I’ll be polite when I’m talked to.But you know what my hairdresser was really intuitive and older despite her young years. Often we do not give the young people the credit they need and deserve. So what did my hairdresser say to me that was so profound and grounding ?

“ If you think you’ve learnt everything then you just need to give up!”

Wise words indeed...

Dragonfly Card By Jane Inspired By Art

I’m really feeling the Arts and Craft copper vibe at  the moment and it’s magical and one day I’ll get over to Stonywell which is an Arts and Crafts hub its the bees knees of arts and crafts. I’ve recently visited Canons Ashby and it’s old , it’s quaint ,it’s intriguing it’s unique it’s very much me.

Uniqueness is what I see and how I capture it is very important to me as in particular my photography is a mental health release.Having anxiety doesn’t mean you don’t leave the house for me it’s the opposite as I know what I’m going to but don’t know what treasures I’ll uncover.

While wandering round Canons Ashby I happened upon this copper screen and immediately the Dragonfly struck me. I knew just the person to send this to and I challenged Jane to make a card inspired by it.

And Jane didn’t disappoint and the crafted this  utterly stunning card and sent it to me which was a lovely surprise.

Beaulieu National Motor Museum A Must See

I have always loved cars for as long as I can remember and in particular my toy cars were my pride and joy.I was devastated when my toy cars were given away without my permission! I was gutted and I’m still gutted to this day I miss my toy cars !!My favourite car was the James Bond Lotus Espirit from the Spy who loved me and talking of Ian Flemming the author of the James Bond Books he also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang .






Ian Fleming once said: “Never say no to adventures. Always say yes, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.”







You can see this much loved car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Beaulieu car museum which is a must for a throughly enjoyable day out in the area of the New Forest.

Myself and my husband were kindly invited to Beaulieu and my husband was equally thrilled as he hadn't been back since he was a a small child ( well children are generally small ! )

The charming village of Beaulieu stands at the head of the Beaulieu River and is home to
National Motor Museum and you can have a great family day out here At the National Motor Museum you can see over 250 stunning vehicles on display from every motor here,rnaging from some of the World's most iconic land Speed record breakers to motoring oddities such as a giant orange on wheels.



New for 2018 is The Luxury of Motoring with the glittering centrepiece of 28 stunning Lalique glass car mascot on show together for the first time.The new gallery showcases a selection of the worlds most luxurious cars ever built and tells the story of their design, the people who owned them and the chauffeurs who drove them.Spanning the golden age of luxury motoring to today's aspirational cars,preceptions of taste and class are themes that are explored though a range of fascinating objects, films and rarely seen images from the National Motor museum Trust's archives.

There are many special museum displays which include For Britain & For The Hell Of It featuring Beaulieu 's iconic Land Speed Record cars, also there is The Motor Cycle Story which takes you on a journey through motorcycling history. Grand Prix Greats and Road , race and Rally which features F1 rallying, trails and drag racing exhibits, as well as clothing, trophies ,photographs,film and video of both track and road racing from its beginning to the present day.

My husband in particular loved Jack Tucker's Garagewhich secrets the sights, sounds and smells of a typical country garage from the 1930s.As a Doctor Who fan I loved that they had Doctor Who's car Bessie on display , other On screen Cars include Del Boy's Reliant Robinl as featured in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and the flying Ford Anglia used during the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

World of Top Gear has had a make over to reflect the changes it has gone through , and it was recently relaunched by Top Gear presenter Chris Harris.We are avid viewers of Top Gear and the exhibits are bang up to date including the impressive Ssangyachct built from the world's ugliest people carrier, the longest limousine selfie opportunity.The Enormodrome boasts a new studio which is in keeping with the style of the new series and in homage to the past there is plenty of vehicles and rarely seen images from the National Motor Museum.






We took the monorail to the Palace house and you can also travel on a vintage bus , the monorail gives you cracking views and I especially loved the fact it goes through the car museum giving you a unique viewing experience.

The stunning Palace House been to the Mintagu family since 1538 , the rooms are magnificent and the staff being costumed really adds to the ambiance and feel of the place.The staff will talk to you about living in a Victorian country house and you will come to understand their “Upstairs and Downstairs “ life.















The Victorian kitchen is newly restored and has a fully working Victorian range and I was able to see what would have been in my old house.

Walking through the house you’ll see also the spectacular Lower Drawing Room and Dining Hall with beautiful fan-vaulted ceilings.You’ll be able to see clearly the monastic origins of Palace House.

A private wing of the house had recently opened which gives you a glimpse of the late Lord Mintagu’s private apartment and also includes his personal library.The Lady and the Tebel tells the story of two remarkable women in the Montagu family , Pearl Pleydell-Bouverie and Elizabeth Montagu. A section of the corridor has become the first Soviet Russian art gallery in the UK,with paintings and sculptures from the Art Russe Foundation.

After you’ve marvelled at the house then gently meander it Beaulieu Abbey where you csn see a film presentation and an exhibition of the daily life of its Cistercian Monk founders, the picturesque tranquility can really be felt and seen in the Cloisers and Herb Garden.Going upstairs in the Abbey’s Domus and you will see the impressive wall hangings which depict scenes from the history of the abbey.

Have a ice cream made with ice cream from the New Forest while you wander further round the Victorian Flower Garden and an informal Wilderness Garden which dates back to the 1770s.A Ornamental Kitchen Garden is laid out on the site of the original 1872 Palace House Garden. And be charmed by the topiary display which features Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with topiary characters sitting round their “thyme for tea” herb planted table.

A poignant must see is the Secret Arny this is an exhibition which tells the story of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) which trained secret agents at the Beaulieu ‘Finishing School ‘ during WWII.The brave agents were trained at a number of large country houses around the Beaulieu Estate before they returned to occupied Europe to work with Resistance groups.Sadly many paid the final sacrifice and did not return.

You get a lot for your money at Beaulieu as all attractions are included in the standard admission entrance.Tickets can be brought in advance online 

The prices of admission are for adults £24.65 on the day or £19.50 if brought in advance and children (5-17) £12.50 on the day it £9.50 advance purchase.

Cheese Onion Ham Luxury Omelette

An omelette need not be ordinary in fact you can elevate the simple ingredients of egg into a luxury meal that you might see an a Michelin star restaurant , I am sure Gorden Ramsey will come knocking at my door soon enough. Previously when I had cooked omelettes I was guilty of adding milk to them all the time which in my mind did take away the richness of the flavour that an omelette can have

• 5 large free range eggs 
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Herbs of your choice 
• One onion chopped
• Red pepper which I roasted separately in the oven 
• ham hock, shredded (you can use leftovers, or Waitrose sell slow cooked shredded ham hock)
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 40g soft crumbly cheese ( I used Tunworth cheese which I was kindly given as a gift )

Method 

1. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until the eggs are frothy.
2. Mix in all the ingredients and mix well.
3. Heat a large non stick pan add in a knob of butter if you're feeling luxurious otherwise just use some oil of your choice.
4. Pour in the mixture and tilt the pan to make sure an even spread cook on a low flame.
5. Flip over I tend to hold a plate over and then slide the omelette back into the pan , but before you do that ensure there is enough butter or oil left in the pan.
6. Cook until the omelette is set .

I should have posted this last year but its been stuck in my blog draft posts and I thought it was time to release into into the wild and now I really want some Tunworth cheese again. It is with the rain I think a comfort food sort of day and Omelette is a comfort food in my opinion.