Christmas Meal OOTD

Merry Chrimbo!

I hope you all had a great day yesterday, and that you all got what you were hoping for :-)

First of all, apologies for not posting on here for over a week- I know it doesn't seem like long, but usually I would've posted once, if not twice in that time. When the Christmas break first started, I got really stressed and a bit upset over GCSE's and college interviews etc. so I decided to just relax and do nothing until Christmas. Now that the big day has been and gone, I'm back to my usual blogging habits (fingers crossed!).

It's a long story but we've ended up having Christmas dinner on boxing day (today) instead, so after seeing other blog posts about Christmas day/meal outfits, I thought I'd also share with you what I'm wearing!

P.S Please excuse my funny expression- I've got to get better at OOTD's!

Skull Jumper-George | Spray On Skinny Jeans-Topman | Watch-Ben Sherman | Shoes-Dr Martens |

What did you wear/get for Christmas?

Birmingham Christmas Markets

Merry (almost) Christmas everyone!

With only just over a week left 'till the big day, my family and I decided to take a trip to Birmingham for the Christmas markets.

We first visited the market (s) last year, and it was one of the most wonderful times I can remember. The weather was perfect, I had no exam, coursework or college stresses, and overall it was just a good, family day out :) (Which is something that's been hard to get nowadays with how busy life has gotten for all of us). This year we were all eager to go back and so on Sunday, we made the lengthy trip (due to traffic, weather and road works- what a horrible combination) to the city.

It was exactly like it was last year (plus a big wheel and an ice-skating rink). The little hut things that all the stall owners are in and sell their products from were the same, and even the memorable and tantalizing smell of ostrich burgers drifted through the streets once again. The official title is Frankfurt Christmas Market, and I think it is supposed to be German themed.

If you follow me on Instagram (you definitely should), then you'll have probably seen the photo I posted whilst there of an enormous hot dog type thing my Mum, Dad and I had for lunch (I can't remember the name of it sorry!), but as well as selling a phenomenal and incredibly varied amount of food (including ostrich, reindeer and buffalo burgers) (yep, people were eating Rudolf), there was also a vast array of other products (too many to list- honestly!), which made this market in particular ideal for our family of diverse interests. The market is surprisingly long as it twists and turns endlessly through the streets, which meant that there was an awful long way to walk, and an awful lot to see.

As much as I love the market (s) itself, I have to say that the best part has got to be walking there and back from the car. We walk through the most picturesque area I've ever scene which perfectly depicts a harmonious balance and combination of urban, city lifestyle, and a rural lifestyle of country pubs and long winding rivers. Here's a few photo's of the area I'm in love with (it's right next to the sea life centre!)

My family and I explored the Christmas markets for nearly 5 hours, and after devouring one of these extremely large hot dog type things each (or a pot of noodles that my brother wanted instead), a toffee apple (something I've been craving for years), and a few mouth watering coconut macaroons, we were ready to head home. Our decision to head home however was also influenced by the torrential rain that began as we reached the end of the stalls (somewhat lucky in timing I suppose), as well as the brisk wind and crammed streets which left you unable to move without injuring either yourself or another person.

Lookin' Hipster

With the day that I go to the Clothes Show Live fast approaching (I wrote this a few weeks back), I've finally given the outfit that I plan on wearing a bit of thought.

This is my first time going to the Clothes Show Live and I'm beyond excited! It's a fantastic opportunity to gain some insight into the fashion and beauty industry, as well as a chance to have a great time with friends. With the stresses of exams + coursework, a bit of retail therapy is more than welcome right now.

Not long ago, I was mortified to discover that I had been walking around Sainsbury's with an enormous rip in my dark skinny jeans. Afterwards, I spent copious amounts of time browsing many a shop until finally Topman came to the rescue. Like always, their sale was full of gorgeous pieces, and I finally decided on a similar pair of dark skinny jeans (as a replacement for the old ones), as well as these eye-catching grape/wine red/purple coloured spray on skinny jeans.

When it came to ordering them a couple of days later, I was disheartened to discover that the replacement pair of dark skinny jeans were out of stock. Although, another similar pair were chosen at the last moment and all that was left to do was wait. When they did arrive, these purple ones fitted perfectly. By that I mean that these literally mould to your leg. Boy their tight! The other black pair of jeans were excruciatingly skinny and after spending a good chunk of time doing my best to force them on, they were placed back in the delivery bag and put near the door ready for returning to our local Topman store (sad face).

Supermarket Clothes Shopping + Haul

These past few weeks I've officially found a new fashion favourite...supermarket shopping. Not the grocery kind of shopping, the clothes kind of shopping ;)

As a teen with no income, my budget tends to be pretty tight when it comes to shopping. In terms of high street, my favourite shops to go to include stores like Primark, H&M and TK Maxx. This is always because of the great prices and great clothes. Sadly though, where I live doesn't have stores like Primark and H&M so I have to wait for a nearby city shopping trip with friends to satisfy my fashion hunger.

However, in the past few weeks I've found myself aimlessly wondering off towards the clothing section of supermarkets like Sainsbury's and George Clothing at ASDA whenever I'm out food shopping with my family. I know there's quite a variety of views and opinions on shopping for clothing at supermarkets but I think it's fantastic!

Photo from here

High street stores nowadays seem to only be raising their prices more and more. Lots of brands are trying to appear as competitively priced, but really they're still pretty expensive. There are stores on the high street today that regularly charge £30 a shirt which for me is just not worth it. The upside is that these stores are fashion forward, meaning their focus is clothing and accessories. Recently however, supermarkets do seem to have stepped up their game.

Many 'big name' supermarkets tend to have their own clothing lines. For Sainsbury's (who have teamed up with fashion stars like Gok Wan) it's TU, for Tesco's its F&F and for ASDA it's George. My family nearly always goes to Sainsbury's for food shopping, and it's become a habit to go straight to the clothing section. I must admit I haven't got much experience with Tesco's clothing line but both George and TU are favourites of mine.

Photo from here

Throughout the past month or so, my wardrobe has been slowly filling up with clothes from these shops and I thought it would be great to share with you what I've been buying. Also, if you're someone who hasn't got much experience with supermarket clothes shopping, I hope this post will give you a little insight and maybe tempt you to have a look yourself? I couldn't believe how good these clothing lines are and I've found that Sainsbury's is great for the fashion basics such as jumpers, coats and t-shirts, whilst George is fab for more fashion forward clothing (they have a huge range for both Men & Women).

Haul

(Apologies for the bad quality photos- My house doesn't really have anywhere good for taking photos of clothes)

Letters From Paris...

Last month I posted on Instagram a picture of some new bedding I got whilst out shopping. I know that's such a random and odd start to a post but I promised I'd publish a few snaps of the bedding once it was 'in use'.

Near to where I live, a large B&M store has just opened up. Even though it was directly behind the Sainsbury's we shop at, I had no idea it was there! I didn't actually hear about the new store until I went to get my hair cut and the hairstylist told me about it. My Mum loves the whole 'bargain hunting' thing and I've gradually been getting into it a lot more myself recently.

For those of you who don't know, B&M is basically a chain of stores throughout the UK that sell loads of products from food to furniture at really cheap prices. It's kinda' like Poundland and Woolworths (okay I don't think it's much like Woolworths) (Oh how I miss Woolworths).

As soon as we arrived, my Mum and I dove straight in with filling up the baskets. We only went in to have a look and ended up getting to the checkout with three baskets of purchases haha. My Mum always has this 'strategy' when in shops which usually includes the way she travels around the shop. So after slowly but surely scanning each shelf, we arrived in the home interior aisles!!!!! I love interior design and so does my Mum. Meaning we were both at each end of the aisle with big grins on our faces, waving a collection of cushion designs at each other ranging from neon fluff to neutral knit.

New Blog Design

These past couple of weeks, I'm sure you will have noticed the look of my blog changing quite a bit. The reason for this is because I've just had my blog designed by an extremely talented blog designer, Serena Ozgowicz. Serena both writes her own blog, as well as running her own online jewelry store and online blog design store.

I know some of you may be wondering why I've changed my blog design so quickly after having it designed before, but I felt like I wanted a blog design that was...more me. The first blog design I had was a big mix of other designs I liked, but it wasn't one that I thought reflected me and my personal tastes.

I'm sure you'll have noticed the teal colour scheme. If you didn't already work it out, teal is my absolute favourite colour :) I wanted this colour to be used lots throughout my design but without overpowering it. It's safe to say that Serena perfectly balanced my want for a clean and simple design with teal used throughout.

Also the anchor favicon is there to show my love of anchors haha. I know it's a bit random loving anchors but I love clothes with anchors on, accessories with anchors etc. (My latest want is a long silver chain with a large sterling silver anchor on it) Also, ever since I created this blog I've loved the idea of having paint splatters. I love lots of colour so I couldn't believe how well Serena incorporated this into the design.

There's so much more I could comment on for this design including Serena's incredible attention to detail, quick response and work rate, as well as her stunning portfolio (which speaks for itself with the amount of gorgeous designs she's done).

I just wanted to do this quick post to give Serena as much credit as possible, and to let you guys know about her as well. So many blog designers are charging around £40 a design at the moment. For teens like me who don't have an income, or even for adults who just enjoy blogging for a hobby, £40 is a lot of cash to splash on a design. I'm not saying those designers are wrong for charging those prices, I'm just saying that to get such a flawless service, £25 is unbelievable.

Christmas Giveaway!*

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

*I was sent this product to giveaway but am under no obligation to give it a biased review, all views here are my own and I am not being paid or influenced by anyone*

It feels like I haven't blogged in ages! This weekly blogging thing might take some getting used to. I must say though, I have enjoyed not having to stress about getting two posts out this week (breathes dramatic sigh of relief).

I am so excited for this post as it's my first ever giveaway!!!!!!! I know I said I was going to do a giveaway when I got to 100 followers on GFC (and I still will so help me get closer to that magic number and follow me?), but I was kindly sent this brand new, unopened Philips PT920 PowerTouch Pro Shaver by John Lewis to giveaway to my amazing readers :)

Frosty Sunset | OOTD

Last Sunday, my parents decided to take a well earned break from re-decorating the house, and have a trip to a nearby garden centre.

Personally, I'm not that interested in gardening. I like helping the environment, recycling etc. and I also do enjoy attractive & well kept gardens, but actually gardening doesn't really appeal to me. However, this garden centre is not only made up of plants & gardens, oh no, it's also filled with shops, cafe's/restaurants and an ice-cream parlor. Since Christmas is coming (and the geese are getting fat) I was also excited to see the heart warming Xmas products; the garden centre has quite a reputation for it's Christmas...stuff?

I've missed posting my outfits on here and I've officially decided to make this blog into more of a personal style/fashion & lifestyle blog (of course with the odd beauty post here and there), so I realised this was the perfect opportunity to do an OOTD. We'd planned to go at around 3:00 p.m which meant because of the hour going back due to the time of year, we'd arrive just in time to take some photos in the sunset. My Dad and I headed straight to the private gardens (which really aren't that private as it only means you have to pay to get in if you aren't a member) as soon as we arrived. After scouting for some idyllic locations, and thanks to my helpful (and patient) Dad, we got some good photos. Please excuse how I look in some of them, I'm still unsure on how to pose haha.

I Heart Fab.com...

Not long ago, I was suddenly inspired from reading one of my favourite blogs; Milk Bubble Tea. It's talented writer Becky published a great post called "Loving Lately". It was basically where Becky shared with her readers what she was (you guessed it!) loving lately ;)

As soon as I read it I tweeted Becky asking if she minded if I did a similar kind of post (I never want anyone to think I'm stealing their ideas and claiming them as my own) and Becky was more than happy for me to do it. Becky did say that I didn't have to link her in my post but trust me, her blog is amazing. You'd be missing out if you didn't have a read!

The other day I spent a good chunk of my evening browsing Fab.com. I love Fab.com as it always sells the most unique, individual and well, fab things. It's such an interesting website and I can't urge you enough to have a look yourself (be warned, it's addictive).

Here's everything I'm loving on Fab.com...

*These are all from the Fab.com Website and I don't claim to own any of these images*

ASOS Wishlist

Recently, my ASOS wishlist has grown bigger and bigger. I blame Autumn. Autumn is the most amazing season for not only fashion, but style itself. Meaning I'm left with wishlists up to my eyeballs, and not enough cash to buy hardly any of it (saddest face you can imagine).

My ASOS wishlist isn't that long, but I'm still desperate for everything on it (oh gosh I sound so selfish!). My wish list is a lot longer than this, but these are the products I really want haha. I think I'll save my other wishlists for another post as at the moment, this is the one I'm obsessed with haha. The majority of my wishlist is knitwear, although I have included some sunglasses. (I'm planning ahead) (months ahead)

*All of these images are from the ASOS website, I asked for permission from ASOS on Twitter and do not claim to own any of these*

1) ASOS Flag Jumper- £30: I'm obsessed with the Union jack. I have phone cases with it on, I have bags, t-shirts, bedding, you name it. This jumper is just gorgeous and the colours aren't too strong/vibrant giving it a vintagey kind of look. I think I'm gonna order this one ;)

Versatile Blogger Award

*Note: I just wanted to say sorry as I know I promised a Halloween post, but sadly I've not had time to write it. I was at a Halloween party yesterday and although I had planned to write and publish a post when I got back home, I got back later than I thought and was unbelievably tired. I've decided not to post a Halloween post as the pictures aren't very good quality and I only want to post good content (which I don't think the post would be), but if you are interested in seeing my (awful) costume, my (terrible) pumpkin carving skills and the cakes my Mum & I made, then check out my instagram :)*

As I'm writing this, I'm poised at the computer ready to dash outside. Why? Autumnal weather has decided to ruin my day for taking blog photos (annoyed face). So I thought whilst glancing at the sky every second, why not write a post which doesn't need my own photos?

Recently, I was amazed to find out that I had been nominated twice for the Versatile Blogger Award and once for the sunshine blogger award! Emma-Jane Saunt  and Rebecca both nominated me for the Versatile blogger award and I want to say a big thank you to both of them! Also Sarah Wren was kind enough to nominate me for the sunshine blogger award :) Again, a massive thank you to Sarah! (I've had a bit of trouble finding the sunshine blogger award post so for now I've had to leave that one) That's now 3 awards I've been nominated for (Liebster, Versatile and Sunshine) and I can't thank those bloggers enough for nominating me :)

P.S You should check out all of their blogs, they're epic!

The Rise Of The Teen Blogger

Recently, I added a "The Rise Of The Teen Blogger" button to the sidebar of my blog. It was kindly made and sent to me by talented blogger Sophie from Keep Calm And Look Pretty.

 

Sophie emailed me not long ago inviting me to take part in a post she was planning which would consist of interviews with other teenage bloggers. I replied as soon as I could telling her yes! Sophie has a wonderful blog and I can't tell you how excited I was when I read the email! Soon after Sophie set over a list of fun questions for me to answer. After replying with my answers, all I could do was wait (bursting with excitement of course!)

 

 

 

Last night, Sophie tweeted all of the bloggers included in the post (myself included) informing us the post was live! I immediately went on to Sophie's blog and I couldn't stop smiling ;D

 

The post is so well written and I feel privileged to have been involved. Sophie wrote the most amazing paragraphs introducing each blogger individually and included photos relating to each interview with some Sophie had edited beautifully herself.

 

I wanted to write this post to just tell you all about the post and advise that you go and have a read. Reading it made me so happy last night and the other teenage bloggers have fantastic blogs which I really recommend you have a look at. I hope you'll have a nosy at our answers and that you enjoy the post, if you'd leave a comment saying what you think that would be fab too!

 

Here's the link to the post:

 

http://keepcalmlookpretty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-rise-of-teen-blogger_27.html

 

Thanks for reading!

 

James

 

P.S The button is also now a link, just click on it to have a read!



Liebster Blog Award No. 3!

Recently, an amazing blogger called Sophie from Keep Calm And Look Pretty nominated me for the Liebster blog award. I can't believe this is my third liebster blog award post! Thank you so much to everyone who's nominated me, it really means a lot and has made me so happy to know people like my blog :)

If you haven't read my other Liebster Blog Award posts, click here to read my first one, and click here to read my second one. There seems to be a difference in the rules from when I did my other posts, so here are the rules from Sophie's blog:

You answer the questions the last bloggers left for you

Write 10 questions of your own

Nominate 5 other bloggers

Let your nominees know that they've been nominated!

Here are my answers to Sophie's questions:

Why did you start blogging? What inspired you?

Before I started Stylish England, I had spent a good couple of years reading the blogs and watching the vlogs (I'm a natural poet) of people like Zoella, Tanya Burr, Sprinkle Of Glitter and Jim Chapman. The whole aspect of vlogging and blogging sounded amazing and I spent ages wishing I could do what they did. It was only until this year though that I finally created stylish England, but I'm so glad I did! The inspiration to start my blog definitely came from those YouTubers as well as people like Fleur DeForce.

What is your favourite high street shop? Only one!

Only one?! I'd probably have to say...Primark! I know a lot of bloggers say that, but for people who have a passion for fashion, those prices are ideal! I also like how each season Primark tend to either bring in loads of clothes for that season, or they have a section of that store devoted to say, Autumn. This Autumn I went to one and they had an entire section filled with knitwear, it was heaven.

Who or what inspires your style?

This is actually really tough. I literally find inspiration from everywhere. Chris Colfer and his character Kurt Hummel from Glee actually inspire me quite a lot. I know his character wears some outrageous outfits but both of them have a great sense of style (or his stylist does). I also use apps like Pose and Fashion Kaleidoscope a lot. These apps let your browse through thousands of pictures of male and female street style outfits. On pose anyone can post pics of their outfits and then tag what they're wearing, meaning I know exactly what stuff to look for! Sorry I went a bit off track there haha. But like I said, I do find inspiration everywhere I go, its fantastic, but it also means I'm kind of a shopaholic haha ;D

What is your dream job?

Obviously being able to blog and post YouTube videos for a living would be incredible. But otherwise, I'd love to be a head stylist or creative director, both of those jobs really appeal to me and I'm actually seriously considering trying to become a stylist. If anyone has any advice, please let me know in the comments!

If you could choose an all-expenses paid holiday, any where in the world, where would you choose?

New York City. There's no doubt in my mind ;) I love New York so much, just ask my parents or friends how much I go on about it. I would love to live there when I'm older in one of those lofts or attics (I hope you know what I mean, I don't want to live in someone else's loft! haha). I thought New York was the heart of fashion but I was surprised to find out London is the capital of fashion!

What was the most recent beauty product you bought? Do you like it?

I haven't bought any beauty products in ages! I have far too many products so I'm trying to work my way through them haha ;D I think the most recent buy for me was some hair care, does that count? If it does, I've recently become addicted  to Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Shampoo and Conditioner. I know some may think that hair care is boring, but this stuff is hair-changing. The results are amazing (and the best part, it's only £1!)

What is in your handbag on a day out?

(For me it would just be bag haha) Usually I'll keep stuff like my wallet, house keys, body spray, fragrance, notebook (keeps me organised!), pens, mirror, comb, hand cream and chapstick. Those are my essentials I tend to always have on me, otherwise I'll just randomly add things like beauty products depending on stuff like the weather (facial toner spray for those hot hot days!).

Who are your favourite bloggers and why?

I'm a huge fan of Tanya Burr, Zoella and Sprinkle Of Glitter for so many reasons! From watching their videos I know what sort of people they are and I suppose that makes it easier to relate to and understand what their writing about. I also love reading WishWishWish, the photography on this blog gorgeous and the posts are even better.

If you were given £1000 and you could either spend it all on hair and beauty, or all on clothes, what would you pick?

Clothes. Definitely clothes. There are sooooo many clothes and accessories I want at the moment, I need more money!

You are stranded on a desert island for 6 months, and other than food and drink, you can take one possession and one celebrity to keep you entertained. What and who would it be?

Possession would have to be...my phone. Even if there was no internet or signal I'd have to at least have it haha. Celebrity would be...Sprinkle Of Glitter! Simply because Louise is the funniest YouTuber, Blogger and probably person in the world ;D

My Nominees:

Fashion Is Our Religion

Cookies & Couture

Louabellex

Harriet Does Makeup

(I'll add a 5th when I can think of one!)

I've roughly done these blogs on how many GFC followers they have. Some don't have GFC so I've 'winged it' and chosen blogs I think deserve a bit more recognition :)

My Questions:

Why did you want to start a blog?

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

What is your favourite item of clothing/accessory for each season?

Favourite blogging moment?

What do you want to achieve from blogging?

If you could go on holiday anywhere, where would it be?

How would you describe your personal style?

What designer fashion show would you most like to go to?

What are your favourite brands for beauty and fashion?

Favourite ever blogs?

Thank you again to anyone who's nominated me for this award. it means a tremendous amount :) I really do recommend you have a read of any of the blogs I've mentioned in this post and my nominees in my other posts.

Thanks for reading!

James

Review | Philosophy Purity Cleanser

My skin is as annoying as skin can be. In my opinion, there's combination skin...and then there's mine. One second it'll be dry, the next oily, then dry and oily! I have an entire draw in my bedroom (it's a big draw) filled with beauty products, and yet still struggle to find any kind of product which will work with my skin (frowns, pouts and crosses arms).

Luckily though, my Mum somehow manages to find the most amazing products. Recurring brands in my Mums collection include L'Occitane, Elemis and Philosophy. I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane and Philosophy because not only do their products work wonders, but both have a different 'philosophy' (see what I did there?) Philosophy products come with certain philosophies (that word's starting to annoy me now) on them which relate to the products themselves, the Purity cleanser which I'm reviewing has a fantastic little paragraph on the front which I love.

L'Occitane is overall just a fab brand. They don't have these cute philosophies on their products, but their packaging, stores, everything about them is unique and different. The whole brand is friendly and welcoming, and with the added bonus of skin-changing products, how much better can it get? Whenever I've been into L'Occitane, I've always seen something to do with helping charities or 'Going Green' etc. so there doesn't seem to be any bad side really. I must admit, once I see a L'Occitane store, there's no stopping me. The employees are incredibly friendly and always up for a chat at the till and have some useful advice. I have to just add that when they wrap up your purchases (beautifully, I might add), they usually throw in product samples and spray the tissue paper your purchases are wrapped up in as well as the bag itself with heavenly fragrances. What a service ;)

I'm going off topic. As I was saying, in the past month my skin has gotten a little worse and I was beginning to get a bit spotty (I blame the colder weather). My Mum noticed my particularly spot prone forehead and told me to stop using my previous skincare and use Purity for a bit to clear it up.

I had used Purity before and had already been wowed by it's ability to make my skin look flawless (not exaggerating). After only a couple of days of using it again, my skin has almost completely cleared up. This is one bad-ass cleanser.

The cleanser itself is a creamy white colour and has a light yet thick consistency. My Mum and I have both found that there's little need of a moistursiser after using this cleanser (although your skin may feel a bit tight for a few minutes straight after) and our views are backed up by the description printed on the back of the bottle: Formulated for all skin types. Replaces your makeup remover, eye makeup remover, facial cleanser and toner. Deep cleans pores. Hydrates as it melts away makeup.

This one cleanser somehow manages to encompass an entire skincare regime...in one bottle! Obviously accompanying the cleanser with a moisturiser wouldn't go a miss as our skin always needs moisturising. In terms of smell, I think it smells a bit like tea. Not strongly and certainly not if you put your nose in the cleanser and smell it, but when washing your face I find myself catching the faint scent of tea :)

Overall a stunning product which is suitable for pretty much everyone. Purity keeps it's promises and succeeds in every way, will definitely be begging my Mum to re-purchase haha :D

Whats your favourite skincare or beauty product? Have you ever used these brands before? What did you think?

James

Cholmondeley Castle...

First of all, a whopping big apology to all of you. I haven't posted since last week because of a school work overload! With exams coming up in November, and coursework due in constantly, along with 2 (yes 2!) portfolios to create...from scratch, I haven't had a moment to even think about writing this post. In the past week I've really missed blogging so I'm thrilled to be at the keyboard again! Ooh! I also want to say thank you to those of you who nominated me for both the versatile blogger award, and the sunshine award! I'll have those posts up soon ;)

Also, I wanted to say a HUGE thank you so everyone who reads my blog! Recently Stylish England reached over 10,000 pageviews! I know that lots of bloggers write this, but to know that any number of people enjoy what I write means an incredible amount to me :)

Last Sunday my family and I had a trip to Cholmondeley Castle. My parents said we'd been there before but I was very small and can't remember. At first it was a bit rainy and grey etc. and my brother especially took on that bad weather attitude, do you know what I mean? Where we just get really miserable and want to go home, have a hot drink and wrap up warm ;) Luckily though, the weather soon brightened up. When we first drove in, my Dad parked the car on the side of the longest driveway I had ever seen, and we spent the first 10-15 minutes looking for Conkers. I don't know why, but I've always been fascinated by conkers haha. We struck lucky this time! As after returning to the car with a bag for life filled with conkers, we finally set off for the castle!

We didn't actually go in the castle as we were more interested in going around the gardens, but the walk (with some time spent in an extremely British tea room) (I'm loving the italic font today!) lasted for a few hours overall. Apologies for some of the photos quality. As soon as I wanted to take photos, the cameras battery was dead! In the end I took them all on my Iphone 5 so they shouldn't be necessarily bad quality haha.

I can't tell you how beautiful these gardens were. My Mum said how you could tell how much work had gone into them which was certainly true! Towards the end of the day, we were in the most stunning part of the gardens and the sunrise lit up the area with vibrant colour. If you ever have the chance to go to Cholmondeley Castle, I highly recommend you go. I hope you like these photos! I know there's a lot of them but I haven't done a post in a while and I thought, why not?

*In some of these photos I have used the chrome effect you get on Iphone IOS7 cameras, and in others I have used Auto Enhance to make the colours stronger and the photos more interesting*

Please leave me a comment below about what you thought of this post or the photos (or anything really!) and if you liked this post then please follow me on GFC :)

Thanks for reading

James