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One good thing about going to stay in the country with friends over the holidays is having a quaint little break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The other good thing is being able to use their well-stocked country kitchen to do some cooking. Since living in London with very meagre kitchen appliances I have really missed baking on the weekend. So I took this as the perfect opportunity to whip up a tart - pear and chocolate frangipane for Christmas day. Yum. What you'll need 300g shortcrust pastry 2 eggs 100g butter, melted 100g ground almonds 125g caster sugar 100g dark chocolate 2 tablespoons milk 300g pear slices in juice What to do Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius and grease your tart tin well with butter. Ensure your pastry is at room temperature and line the tin. Pierce the base with a fork and blind bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make your frangipane by combining the eggs, butter, sugar and ground almonds in a mixer until combined. In a separate bowl, combine

Can you believe it? It’s Christmas time again – I swear I was only frolicking on the beach in the south of France last week but that was in July; Five. Months. Ago. I must say I feel very privileged to have experienced my first winter Christmas season here in London this year. A cold climate at this time of year truly does make a magical transformation. I’ve never felt so much festive cheer thanks to a city that is brimming with lights, full of decorative trees and abounding with festive spirit. My only sadness is that there hasn’t been any snow – but I am hopeful that it will still come at some point! I want to say a big Merry Christmas to all you beautiful people – from whichever corner of the globe you find yourself reading. I hope that you have a magical day with those you hold nearest and dearest. I find myself writing to you from a location that is truly befitting of my first English Christmas – honestly I could be in a novel right now! I’m in a tiny country town that is home to

Italian and Spanish would have to be two of my favourite cuisines to eat, so when I discovered that there was a little restaurant named Polpo in London that was an amalgamation of both, I was smiling all the way to the table. Smack bang on Notting Hill’s high street you’ll find this eclectic little restaurant boasting a tapas menu with Italian cuisine rather than the typical Spanish – yum! Authentic wooden tables and retro red booths adorn the inside giving the venue a rustic modern feel. My friend was here in London visiting from Australia so we had plenty to catch up on whilst we sipped negroni’s and perused the menu. With a fire in our bellies (courtesy of the strong drinks) and minds longing to reminisce, we found ourselves rehashing days of old, falling back into the ease of Year 12 chats about boys, gossip and the like. Honestly you could have transplanted the restaurant to our Australian school ground and I wouldn’t have noticed! With so much chatting we worked up quite the appe

It’s that time of year again, so in the spirit of the season I thought I’d put together a 2014 Gift List of all the things I’m coveting this year… and more importantly, wish I had the money to buy myself! As you can probably see, my frequent browsing trips to Harrods have significantly upped the price tag of all my wishful delights. Never matter, a girl can dream. Feast your eyes… Prada Wallet £373 - the perfect timeless leather wallet Celine Tote Bag £2,268 - you guessed it; the perfect timeless tote to match the wallet Alaia Tailored Crepe Wool Coat £2,750 - an achingly chic coat Marc Jacobs iPhone Case £30 - an iconic phone case that looks like something from outer-space Jimmy Choo Heels £575 - I choo-se these! Yes please! Bobbi Brown Brush Set £145 - for the perfect air-brushed make-up Now, to find that millionaire boyfriend....... Photos via retailers.

A funny thing happened in London this past week. Where there was once a sea of heads in the crowd, this has now been replaced by a sea of beanies, fedoras and baker boy caps. It's official, winter has arrived. How do I know? Because it has definitely become 'hat season'. For me despite my chapped cheeks and frozen fingers I'm rather thrilled because I've always loved a good hat - not to blow my own trumpet but I seem to have been blessed with a face shape that suits them - hooray! Time to hit the stores because here are my favourites... The Fedora Ah the go-to chic fedora that has overtaken every girl's wardrobe in the last year. This modern style does urban-cool with ease and has become the token accessory of bloggers, stylists and fashionistas everywhere. Why? Because it just looks so good! The Russian Fur Hat Add a little international flair to your collection with this iconic style. Definitely one for a European winter, I can just see myself strolling throug

When I heard about the magic little medieval town of Bruges in Belgium I knew I simply had to visit. THEN when I heard it was host to one of the best Christmas markets in Europe I knew I simply had to visit ASAP! So with Christmas in the air and a cheerful spirit all around my friend and I headed off to Bruges on our adventure last weekend. If you hadn’t noticed already, we really do love Christmas and fondly refer to ourselves as little Christmas elves because we just adore the festive season. Sights Bruges, to me, is like something out of a picture book. The architecture is so distinctive with its iconic stepped shapes; there is history simply pouring out of every structure in this town. The cobblestoned paths and uneven walkways hint to times long before even my great-great-great-grandparents could remember and castle-like structures loom over the edges of the many canals to create a breath-taking sight. There are a great many things to enjoy in this place and if you do visit at Chr

As much as I’m loving London’s winter festivities at the moment, my lips are really suffering from all the arctic air! So much so that I took myself off to the store last week and stocked up on a basket full of balms (I’m serious I went wayyyy overboard). With one in every handbag, at my bedside and on my desk, I am now an aficionado on those that actually work to give you a baby-skin-soft pout. Here’s my top picks… Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter  Good old Vaseline, you can always rely on them and now they've upped the ante and brought out a new delicious smelling lip tin. You can't go wrong with cocoa butter. Paul & Joe Lip Treatment Tell me anything is Parisian and I'll most likely love it, there's just something about that word! This balm is full of uber moisture perfect for those extra icy days. Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm Since my mum first got me this a few years ago it has remained a favourite of mine: smells good, adds a sheen of colour and locks in moistu

It may only be early December but I have enough Christmas spirit already for everyone - even those of you self-proclaimed grinchs. Last week, on November 26th to be exact, I gave a contented sigh as I realised I had finished all my Christmas shopping and wrapped all the presents. Told you I was keen beans! My Christmas cheer has only been increased this week with a delightful visit to Somerset House for ice-skating. We arrived in Christmas jumpers and all, ready to enjoy the occasion under the stars. This place just sparkled with all the Christmas festiveness you could hope for - there were cobblestoned pathways, a brightly lit rink and a giant Christmas tree that induced a reflex "oooh" as soon as you saw its twinkling lights. After an aromatic mulled wine it was time to take to the ice. Skates were donned with a retro playlist to get us in the mood; the mix was Ed Sheeran, ABBA and of course YMCA had to be thrown in. We carved up the rink with absolute elegance and skill in

This year, Vogue magazine came out with a nifty little series of clips called " 73 Questions " - basically the premise is that a cameraman meets up with a different celeb each week and asks them 73 weird and wacky questions about their life. Of course it's all staged and rehearsed, but it is very entertaining with its rapid-fire style, plus there have been some insightful answers. Some of my favourites were Blake Lively who you see clearly loves to cook and Reese Witherspoon who showed she can do a nifty back-flip on a trampoline. Anna Wintour herself was interviewed and when asked what's one thing you would never wear, she answered "Head to toe black". My heart sunk when she said it because I will readily admit that I wear a lot of black, and on the rare occasion, dare I say, I wear the shade head to toe. So now that I've been informed it's a cardinal fashion sin [I must say I do disagree] I thought I better come up with an alternative. Here's f

Since I've been living here in London there are two questions that people ask me - all. the. time. Both of which I'm rather sick of answering so I've started to give weird and wacky responses just to give myself a laugh. For those of you wondering what the questions are, here are the repetitive pondering's of every stranger I meet... "Why did you move here to London?" And "do you miss home?" Truthfully the answer to the first question is a little lengthy but essentially it's along the lines of "I always wanted to live overseas, there's more career opportunity here and I love big cities." The answer to the second question is a lot more succinct: "no". My home town; the Gold Coast That's the long and short truth of it, but the horrified looks that people give me when I tell them I don't miss home is beginning to make me feel like I'm a bad person. It's not that I don't miss my family and friends but right

I may be bold and brash on the rare occasion, but for the most part I think I'm definitely a delicate and dainty girl - a taste for the finer things, feminine style and a kind spirit all come with the territory. How we dress most certainly reflects our personality and I for one think I am a true representation; fashion wise - what you see is what you get. For me this equals creamy palettes, flowing shapes, high heels and delicate jewels. Living here in Europe has really complimented my style - there are so many different brands here to cater to your look. Honestly the choices are endless [don't tell anyone but is it sacrilege to say I think there's too many!?]. That's why when I come across one I truly like I get a warm fuzzy [stylish] feeling. Meet my latest style crush - TIMI Accessories . Say hello to delicate jewels, whimsical designs and the integration of one of my true loves - animals. I'm in raptures over these two little neck pieces - perfect for autumn sty

I had the pleasure of attending a splendid blogger event in London this week, organised by the lovely girls over at Blogger Hub. When an invitation came round offering a tiki themed bar location, beauty brands in attendance, a fashion parade and cupcake decorating I thought how can I resist!? I’m so glad I attended because I came across some lovely brands, people and fellow bloggers that I probably wouldn’t otherwise cross paths with in this crazy London world. As you can probably tell by my photos I was a little obsessed with the tiki tiki [it has to be said twice] location – Kanaloa’s Hawaiian cocktails were deeeelicious. Here are some of the lovely brands I spoke to, each of which had some great products on offer… Matthew Calvin jewellery - this talented designer makes all the creations himself. With urban edgy, individual designs it's true craftsmanship. Sumayah Deria  - This young designer boasts some beautiful feminine designs; think lashings of lace and flippy skirts. Sniff