Snippets...

...of life lately.  I haven't done one of these lately and I have heaps of photos to share, some from months ago, when there were barely any leaves on the trees.  Now I'm sitting here in a summer dress, and we've just been playing in the park all morning and admiring the blossom on the trees.

We used to be quite content pootering around at home most of the time, but now E is older and, since the end of January, walking (nay, running!), our house seems much smaller, and she requires more by way of entertainment to stave away boredom. I make sure to fit in at least one exciting excursion a week and then do lots of little things around home.

A little while ago E and I went to the Museum of Modern Art in Edinburgh for a morning out.  It's in such a beautiful setting:

I hadn't checked which exhibition would be on before going - it turns out it was From Death to Death and Other Small Tales, which is all about how 20th and 21st century artists have approached the subject of the body.  Which, invariably, was pretty much all about genitalia.  I'm no prude by any stretch, and some of the art was very good, however I felt a little uneasy showing my toddler the art.  Less uneasy though than the parents of the 10 and 8 year old kids, who walked into a room that housed a massive bronze cast of a penis and balls dangling from the ceiling!  You can imagine how that went down...!

We did very much enjoy this installation though, which was essentially nylon filled with spices.  As you can tell, I'm no art expert and I'm not going to pretend to be, so I can't tell you what it represents.  I can tell you the smell in the room was incredible though - just like being in the Moroccan Souks again:



We've also enjoyed LOTS of walks to see the ducks and swans in our village.  The walk there is not much fun, at all, but once you're there it's beautiful.  I think these photos are from March:

We've also been on lots of forays around Edinburgh:

Botanic Gardens

Morningside

 West End

Trinity

And after all of that walking:

Coffee!  This one was at Peter's Yard, one of my Edinburgh favourites.

Speaking of coffee, you probably deserve one now after having made you look at all of my photos!  Go!  Enjoy!
xx

April Showers (in May)

The nice people at Joules sent E and I some wellies to review - what a very exciting mail day when they arrived, let me tell you!  E immediately shouted "shoes!" and tried to put them on by herself.  After a helping hand into them she seemed pleased as punch with her boots, and kept looking at them rather than where she was going, which consequently led to a few bumps!  And I'll admit that I also kept giving my feet admiring glances (thankfully I remembered to watch where I was going!).  I'm a fan of Joules and their clothing (this dress in this post is a particular favourite), and already own a few Joules pieces, so it was great to be able to incorporate some Joules style on to my feet!

I chose the navy floral print wellies from the women's wellies range.  I love a good floral print, and I thought the navy would be good at disguising mud!

For E I chose the ditsy pink wellies from the baby girls range.  I don't normally dress E in pink clothes, and I almost went for these lovely stripy ones, but in the end the floral ones were too cute to resist!  Joules have some gorgeous girls wellies, but sadly E is a bit too little for them yet.  

We then went on a walk in our village to test them out on a particularly damp day:

Looking for sheep, sadly none to be seen.  

The only problem about walking on a damp day is that the rain is never far away, and consequently we got drizzled on (including my camera, which has since dried out thankfully!):

Pesky rain spots!

Then the rain came on a bit too heavily for my liking so we hurried home before I got a chance to photo my beautiful wellies in a bit more detail, so after a quick wipe down at home here they are:

As pretty as they are, I'm sure you'll be wanting to know the important things - such as how comfortable they are and if they kept our feet dry.  Well, the wellies ran true to size, and are really comfortable to walk in, even on rough ground.  The soft insoles provide a nice cushion for your feet and they didn't rub our feet.  The rubber is soft and flexible making them easy to get on and off, but in typical Joules quality they feel sturdy and well-made, and I have no doubt that they will last for years and years.  Most importantly of all, they kept our feet dry, even when we decided to jump in some puddles, which is always the most important criteria of welly boots!

Now, bring on the great Scottish summertime (re: downpours) and we'll be all prepared in style!

xx

ps: If you fancy treating the little one in your life, Joules are currently running a half-term promotion, where if you spend £20 online on Little Joule clothing for girls and boys you get £5 off with voucher code LJ20.  :)

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Joules sent us some boots to review, but I received no financial recompense.  All words and opinions are my own and of course I'd tell you if I didn't like them!

Eco Happenings Over At Moral Fibres

It's been a busy old while over on Moral Fibres, my eco blog.  If you're not a regular reader over there then here are some posts you might have missed:

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Some hardwearing and stylish ethical men's clothing from Cornish company, Seasalt.
A really great crochet DIY on how to make your own reusable cotton wool pads for removing make-up.
What to sow in April and May.
An update on how I've been getting on at reducing my consumption of palm oil
My first ever eco-fashion outfit post!
Introducing Greenterest - a prototype social networking site for gardeners.
How to plant a bee friendly garden, and if you don't have a garden, how you can be more bee friendly.
A slightly more ethical alternative to Google that benefits the environment whilst you surf.
How to stop junk mail in it's pesky tracks.
And an introduction to solar water heating.

Now that I'm feeling much better, and even getting some rest in the evenings now (after a fun couple of weeks of a toddler refusing to go to bed!) I'm even hoping to blog here a bit more often too!

xx

If My Blog Were An Outfit

The other day Kirsty asked if your blog was an outfit, what would it be.

If Red Boots was an outfit it would look much like this:

Dress / Bag / Shoes (by Radley, now unavailable) / Sunglasses

A retro inspired quirky printed dress because Red Boots is all about all things pretty, quirky and vintage-esque. 

A classic satchel because Red Boots is never about fads or fashions, it's more style that doesn't date.

Some comfy shoes because visiting Red Boots should feel like you're wearing your comfiest of shoes - relaxed, informal and just all round pleasant. 

And a pop of colour because Red Boots is all about colour, never about the beige.

Also all of these things are way way way above my budget because I'm a perpetual daydreamer!

Thanks for letting me play along Kirsty, and if you haven't checked out her blog, A Safe Mooring, then you're missing out.  Just sayin'.

xx

Apartment Therapy

The doctor today told me this morning that I've got a viral infection.  I was at the surgery with E in tow, who was trying to climb out of her buggy, despite being strapped in, and the doctor said to me with a straight face to get some rest and not lift anything.  I looked at her waiting for the punch line.  Turns out it was no joke.  She clearly has never been in a position of care for a toddler.  Rest and no lifting do not go hand in hand with toddlers.  She then told me to take paracetamol, because of course I've not been taking any paracetamol for the past 8 weeks!

I felt a bit deflated after leaving the surgery that I went home, made a cup of tea and perused Pinterest while E slept.  I looked at beautiful homes - which works way better than anything at making me feel better.  Doctor schmoctor!  Turns out today I'm all about the color:

Images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I must say, that green kitchen soothes my soul better than the paracetamol has been doing so!

xx

Lust List: Yellow Owl Workshop

Apologies for the lack of posts around these parts lately.  I've been ill since March (yes), which escalated into full blown flu two weeks ago.  And then E got ill as well.  Consequently we've been ever such a happy household lately.  Thanks very much, nursery (such breeding grounds for germs)!

While I was ill I was perusing the internet and came across Yellow Owl Workshop.  I initially went to their website to look at their lovely stamp sets, but totally got sucked in by their beautiful and colourful necklaces:

Heart / Terrarium / Colour Wheel / You & Me / Canning Jar

Oh the pretty colours!  I'd take them all, but if pushed I'd say my absolute absolute favourites are the canning jar and the terrarium.

While I've been ill I've also been researching things to do in Stockholm, for our upcoming holiday.  The best thing I've found so far is the very soon to be opened Abba museum, where apparently you can sing and dance on stage alongside life-sized holograms of all four members of Abba!  Yes, I kid you not!  Life-sized mother-flipping holograms!  My mister has unsurprisingly vetoed this idea but there's still time to talk him round...!  Wish me luck!

xx

Lately on Moral Fibres

I've been busy over at my eco-friendly lifestyle blog, Moral Fibres, with a variety of different articles.  Here are some of the highlights:

My experience of using washable nappies for a year.
Why I'm reducing my consumption of palm oil in the foods I eat and products I use
My un-green habits which I'm trying to change or having difficulty changing
Stylish eco-friendly leather bags
It's follow up post: stylish vegan bags
An ethical guide to the high street - with some surprises on the leader board.  Before you click through, where would you place New Look on a sliding scale of ethicalness?  Be surprised!
A review of supercream - Weleda Skin Food
If we get some nice weather then this gardening with kids article will be useful :)
And finally, a thought provoking thought for dinner time - can eating insects save the world?

Hope you enjoy reading!

As always, thank you for your kind support and words.  It means so much.

xx