Refining.
Noticing nuance and details improves my making and my choosing. Connecting who I am with what I make, where I do and what I do enriches my memory, my connection, my story, creating an ocean of detail.
Making clothes, travel itineraries and food.
Here, I write about that.
Leeds to Warsaw: an off-season, independent city break itinerary for Winter
Travelling in winter, my imagined itinerary for 3 nights in Warsaw. Eating modern Polish baked goods, visiting the Royal Garden of Light and a city tour in a Communist-era Fiat126p.
Refining what I want from travel accommodation
Thoughts and reflections on how I analyse and select from accommodation options for independent travel itineraries
Leeds to Hanover & The Harz Mountains: a Spring travel itinerary with mountain biking & city break
Travelling in spring, departing from Leeds, my imagined itinerary for 7 nights in Hanover and the Harz Mountains. Ideas for an active city break and leisurely exploring in Lower Saxony…
Manchester to Turin and Monferrato, Piedmont: a city and road-biking travel itinerary for early Autumn
Travelling in autumn, my imagined itinerary for 10 nights in Turin and Piedmont. Ideas for a tour of the Abarth Factory, a cocktail experience at the home of Martini, day bike tours around the rolling green hills of the Monferrato, and exciting gourmet experiences
Herringbone wool dress from 1970’s Givenchy pattern
Working with a 1970’s Givenchy Vogue Paris Original pattern, my journal post of my sewing a dress in herringbone wool. Details on total make time, adjustments and seam finishes, and lessons learnt.
Style refinement is…
Researching potential destinations
Things to consider when planning an independent travel itinerary - how to sift through all the information and plan a trip that meets my specific interests and desires
Manchester to Tallinn, Estonia - 5 nights in Winter
Itinerary journal of a winter city break in the Baltics, departing from Manchester. Where we ate, what we saw and how we enjoyed the young-meets-old cosy capital of Estonia.
Leeds to Seville and Vejer de la Frontera - 7 nights in Winter
Travelling in winter, journal and itinerary of our 3 night Seville city break followed by 4 nights biking around Vejer de la Frontera in Cadiz province
Leeds to Morbihan, Brittany: an independent travel itinerary with road biking and city break
Travelling in early summer, my imagined itinerary for 10-11 nights in Nantes and the Gulf of Morbihan. Ideas for biking, art trails, a bit of Jules Verne, eating crepes, visiting medieval towns and castles, and admiring the sunset in pretty port towns
Letting my imagination travel
Reflection on travel restrictions and what I can do instead
Manchester to Noto Valley, Sicily - 10 nights in Spring
Travelling in spring, journal and itinerary of my 10 night stay in the Noto Valley
Leeds to Avignon, France - 7 nights in Spring
Using historic Avignon as a base for exploring the Luberon and the Alpilles, an itinerary with time for biking, river kayaking and soaking up the provencal atmosphere. Our experience and verdict
Can I call myself a minimalist?
Musings on the definition of being a minimalist - am I one and should I care either way?
Making more of a transeasonal wardrobe
I have started to change the way I approach building my wardrobe for a season. The main objective of this change is to make as much of my clothing work across all the seasons if I can. I’m getting more creative about how things can be used to achieve this, and essentially ignoring all the typical fashion advice about what-to-wear-when.