Wednesday Diary

Traveling To: Wakefield. I haven’t been here for years but I used to come to this little Yorkshire town an awful lot because it’s where my grandparents lived. It’s most famous for its cathedral (above), but when I was a teenager, literally my entire mission in life was to sneak out and go to Cinderella’s night club. I never actually did. I went to have lunch with my mum, sister and aunt (who still lives there) so did it in good style with a first class train ticket – I had my own little single seat with a tray, lots of tea and coffee and a spot of breakfast and I just watched iplayer which is something I don’t get to do enough. It was so relaxing! I got the 4pm train home after lunch and after meeting my auntie’s dog, Jilly, for the first time ever, and was back in my house by 6.45. I’m definitely doing it again.

Buying: A Pom Pom Sun Hat. I think this might be my first ever sun hat – I bought it in Matalan (HERE) of all places for £6. No idea if I’ll ever wear it but I can’t stop looking at it!

Making: Avocado & Orange Salad. I’m completely obsessed with this salad! A very basic recipe is HERE at EatingWell.com, but I also add grapes, a bit of grilled halumi and walnut pieces. It can pretty much be whatever you want – you could add chicken, any cheese at all, fries on the side or throw in a few apple slices, but who knew avocado and oranges were such a match made in heaven! I use a balsamic/olive oil dressing.

Watching: Bake Off: The Professionals. It’s no secret that I love cakes – I like eating them and I like making them, and I’m not daunted by complexity although I don’t say the results necessarily always reflect the effort! I find it so relaxing to just commit myself to a few hours of focussing only on whether my sponge will be fluffy! I’m addicted already to series 2 of Bake Off: The Professionals, where professional patisserie chefs go up against each other on challenges that are all about cake – mass catering style. Turns out that watching others make cakes is even more fun than baking them myself! It’s on BBC 2 on Tuesdays.

Reading: Beauty Industry Magazines. I picked up a huge pile of industry magazines at InCosmetics last week so I’ve been gradually working my way through them. I’m used to getting my ‘stories’ through PR and while I’m good at weeding out spin from facts, and I do plenty of on-line research, reading as though I am on the other side – manufacturing, for example – you tend to get a completely different view of the industry. Legislation, microbiology and Halal certifications are all things I know more about now – although I got far too lost on the review of silicone emulsifiers to try and tackle it again! That’s a knowledge gap I can live with.

Lusting: Hush Homewear. I’m suddenly back in the mood for shopping so I’ve ordered a few things from Hush again because I was so pleased with the last items I got (Amie Joggers). I’ve ordered the Camo Joggers (£45 HERE), the Metallic Star T Shirt (£35 HERE) and a white Metallic T Shirt (£37 HERE) in white with a metallic sheen to the finish. The T shirts are to wear with jeans and I have several black tops that will do fine with the joggers (as would the white metallic T).

Non Affiliate Link HERE.