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Friday 29 August 2014

A Perfect Walk With My Favourites.

I've had such a hectic and busy week so I haven't really had much spare time, especially not really any spare time to do some blogging sadly. However, this afternoon I made sure I got to go on a lovely long walk with my cocker spaniel and boyfriend to clear my head and get some well needed fresh air. Even though the weather was horrible and it was throwing it down all afternoon we still had a lovely walk through some woods. We went a walk round one of my favourite spots in the North West, Roddlesworth Reservoir. 


I have previously blogged about this walk and how amazing it is, which can be found here. I really cannot recommend this walk enough, I've shown some of our close friends and they now love it too! It is a fantastic place to walk with your dog or simply to go for a nice walk and a picnic. The walk can either last an hour or 4 hours its up to you how long you want to be out walking for! But today due to the horrid weather we only walked round for a couple of hours.


We park up next to a pub called Hare & Hounds on Bolton Road in Abbey Village, which is  (super) dog friendly and always provides excellent service, and the staff are always very welcoming and the pub has a cosy feel to it. We have only had some snacks from there but we are always happy with the food when we go in. Also I think its wonderful when pubs allow dogs into them, as it really makes you feel so welcome, and we are definitely more likely to go in. I really don't understand why more pubs don't do it! 


I really love just walking round woods with my cocker spaniel and boyfriend, and I love feeling like I am far away from civilisation and in the middle of nowhere. This walk is perfect for that! I also love that this walk is never too busy so you aren't constantly watching out for other people and other dogs. Like I said, I cannot recommend this walk enough. We walked round one of the reservoirs and through the woods and then went to the pub! Perfect Friday. 





















Pennie enjoying the pub! 




Monday 25 August 2014

A day out with the dogs!




Today I took my cocker spaniel Pennie to a Dog and Horse Show and country fair at a local farm and produce shop in Preston called Huntley's, the event was called the  Mellor Dog School Country Fair. I went with my parents and boyfriend, and then we met up my friends Abi and Rob who also took their Border Collie Bella. Bella was so excited and hyper to be there and was so happy to see Pennie. We sometimes take them walks together so it was great to see them. 

The country fair had a few different stalls on but I think due to the bad, or rather miserable weather, not many people turned up for the event on the day. There were various dog shows  on and also some horse shows going on throughout the day. They also had different dog competitions on but we turned up late so we missed half the events but we still entered our two dogs into a couple of the events. We entered Pennie into the Best Condition and the Dog the Judge wanted to take home categories, and Pennie came second in the Best Condition competition, so proud of her! She came second to a puppy cocker spaniel who had just had his coat cut and groomed so she did really well! Bella took part in the happiest dog competition and also the dog the judge wanted to take home event, Bella won third in the happiest dog competition, which I'm surprised she didn't come first as she always has a huge grin on her face. 

We also watched some of the other dog shows and saw a police dog being trained, along with a gun dog retrieving items. I also went into the Huntley's produce farm shop and purchased far too many cheeses! Afterwards we also had a bit of a wander through their maze too which would be a great place to go to at Halloween or Bonfire night! Will definitely have to keep my eye out for events at Halloween. 

As great as the fair was it would have been great with more stalls and shows going on, especially with more animals. Also I think if the weather had been better then more people may have come to the event. Will definitely be going again next year to the fair, as it is a really lovely day out and a great chance to show off my amazing pooch! 






 





 



3rd Happiest Dog in the competition! 


2nd in Best Condition competition! 


So proud of our pooches! 




Saturday 23 August 2014

For the love of Tartan!

tartan

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten 




Heres a quick post with a wish/lust list of some of these beautiful tartan items! I love the tartan pattern so much, I am definitely a big fan for all things tartan, whether that's dresses, purses or blankets, whatever it is I love it. I just think that the tartan pattern is so perfect for autumn and winter months! I have also realised that I have always loved tartan patterns, and it is definitely not a fashion style I will never hate or not like. I do actually have a lot of tartan items in my wardrobe already but hopefully I'll get my hands on some more! 


I really love both the dresses I have shown above and think they would look lovely with black tights and big chunky boots or even black dolly shoes. Due to the striking tartan pattern I feel like everything else worn with the outfit should be simple and preferably black, same goes for the vest and skirt. The on trend and statement tartan items are ideal for the upcoming colder months. The tartan vans are also ideal for brightening up an everyday casual outfit.
   

Obviously some of the items on my wish/lust list are more expensive such as the Vivienne Westwood purse, which is so gorgeous and perfect. What I also love about the purse is the bright red interior to the purse which is really striking and distinctive, much like a lot of Vivienne Westwood's fashion range. This purse could also make a simple outfit that much more special and on trend, and would look ideal along side an autumn outfit. But ideally I'll need to keep my eye on a more feasible purse from a cheaper shop.  


I also love the statement scarfs, I have had several tartan scarves and would always love some more. The top right scarfs are cashmere scarves and I can just imagine how super cosy and warm the scarves would be. Ideally I would have a whole drawer full of these scarves to wear everyday. I have a burgundy, black and white tartan scarf from M&S and I am forever getting compliments and people asking me where I got it from whenever I wear it, so I would love to add to my collection. The other scarf in the collection above is definitely more affordable, but then again it may be worth spending more because I would much prefer the big chunky cashmere scarves because I feel like a scarf should ideally be big enough to wrap around yourself. This may also be why I love the tartan blanket. 




Do you love tartan? Would you buy any of these products? 





Thursday 21 August 2014

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.




On Wednesday evening my mum, boyfriend and I decided to take a drive to Southport, so I thought I would do a quick post with some photos of my evening out. The drive to Southport takes approximately 30 minutes from my house, and is a genuinely lovely drive down the A roads and then by the coast. Southport is a lovely coastal town with a great beach, and is a fantastic place to go for a walk and to get some fish and chips. I love driving to Southport too because the road along the coast is all uneven so its like being on a small roller coaster! I probably shouldn't think of the road like that but it is definitely fun to drive down! 







We also took our cocker spaniel with us because the sand dunes and grassland are one of her favourite places to run along and search for rabbits. We spent around an hour or so walking around the sand dunes enjoying the beautiful scenery and especially the evening sun, which was definitely appreciated after being cooped up inside all day. After our walk we went into the town centre to enjoy some fish and chips from one of the local chip shops.  










Southport also has a fantastic beach but sadly dogs aren't allowed on the beach during the summer or peak time, so we usually tend to drive further along to access the sand dunes. There is also loads of shops around the town, and lots of lovely places to walk around in Southport. The pier at Southport is fantastic to walk down and a great spot to appreciate the beautiful beach. 












Tuesday 19 August 2014

Wednesday Wish List #4

Wednesday wishlist


one / two / three / four / five / six



I thought I would do my usual Wednesday Wish List but just a brief one, as I don't have too much time to blog at the moment due to starting a new job, but I can always spare some time to do some wish list shopping! 


This week on my Wednesday wish list has very basic items and products on really. The checked shirt from New Look is a very usual and everyday look for me, I love anything checked and am definitely overdue a new checked shirt. For £13 the checked shirt is very hard to resist really, I love big baggy checked shirts, they're so comfy and create an effortless look. 


I am also after owning some more comfy trainers and would love some new vans. I love black trainers because they go with everything, especially skinny jeans, but also don't look too out of place with leggings or tights. 


Both the bags I love too, the faux black suede bag from Topshop seems perfect really. I am a sucker for anything suede or faux suede. Also I am due a new backpack too, as it would be a good idea for my new job, and for some reason I really love this animal print design.


This past week I have had really bad skin so I would love to try this new face mask from Lush, I have only used Lush bath bombs so would love to try some new and different Lush products. Has anyone used this product before? 


I also love this watch by Olivia Burton! I'm not usually keen on anything pink but this watch is gorgeous! Definitely wouldn't be one I could wear everyday, so would have to be a treat or be one to put on my birthday wish list, but that is why it is on my wish list this week! 






What's on your Wednesday wish list? 






Monday 18 August 2014

My week on Instagram #3























 



















 



















 

 

 

 



So some of the photos I've posted above are from slightly over a week ago, but I was fairly busy at the weekend so please excuse the lateness.

Most the photos are once again of my cocker spaniel Pennie, a couple of the photos also show her on a couple of different walks last week. I recently bought her a new soft toy which is the doughnut in the photos so that featured on my Instagram a fair bit too last week. The photo of her with the doughnut in her mouth makes me laugh so much as you can see her little teeth at the bottom. I also managed to get her to sit with the doughnut balanced on her head for a while as the photo shows. 

The second photo out of the lot is of Salford Quays the other friday night. My brother lives in Salford and the other friday my parents, boyfriend and I went to visit my brother and his girlfriend and had  a lovely tea and a walk round the Quays. 

Last week I also watched Princess Mononokee for the first time and really loved it, got to love a good movie night.

On my blog last week I also did a post about some new home items I bought, which feature the typography mugs here. The other night I treated my boyfriend to delicious hot chocolate and lemon cupcakes. I also made some amazing peanut butter and chocolate cookies last week (as shown in the photo) and the recipe can be found here

I have just begun training for my new job today too, which involved a lot of paper work. The last photo shows my happiness at my first day being over... haha. 







 My instagram is _katyjayne, and I follow back! 

Saturday 16 August 2014

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies! The Perfect Recipe! (Gluten Free)




A friend of mine posted some photos of some delicious cookies that she had made, and they looked so amazing! I got her to share the recipe with me as I just had to make some myself. I posted a photo of them on Instagram and Facebook and everyone told me how delicious they looked, so I had to share the recipe. 

The recipe is really so simple and easy and does not take long at all, in fact I made mine yesterday morning in no time at all. The recipe doesn't require a lot of ingredients, and is also gluten free (there is no flour involved). Once again this recipe is perfect for any peanut butter lovers out there! The cookies also have chocolate chunks in them but you can leave the chocolate out if you'd prefer a slightly healthier alternative.  

This has definitely become one of my favourite cookie recipes!




Ingredients: 
- 250g peanut butter (I used chunky but you can use smooth too).
- 150g sugar 
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp baking powder/soda
- 100g dark chocolate (chopped into small chunks, or use chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, line two baking trays with parchment paper or baking foil. 

2. Beat the peanut butter, sugar, egg and baking soda until well combined. 


3. Chop up the chocolate bar into small chunks.

4. Add chocolate chunks to the peanut butter mixture.


5. With lightly floured hands, roll tablespoon amounts of the dough into balls. 
















6. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to another plate and let them cool. 







The cookies are also perfect whilst they are still slightly warm as the chocolate is all gooey and melted. 

Also, I aimed to get the chocolate chunks into the middle of the cookies so when they are bitten into the chocolate is all gooey and soft on the inside of the cookie. 


The recipe made about 14 cookies, and go perfectly with a cup of tea!  







Here is the original recipe if you'd prefer to follow this instead. The ingredients are slightly different to the ones I used. 






If anyone has any questions about the recipe please don't hesitate to ask!