Lincoln Zine Fest

My lovely friend Lou organised the first Zine Fest in Lincoln recently, so Lee and I went. It was held at the library which I think meant quite a lot of passing trade, and it was a really nice room. There were around 12 stalls, which wasn't huge but made it really nice. Lee and I were sitting between Emma, who's a friend of mine, and a person with a really AMAZING Ghostbusters tattoo!

Here's Lee behind our stall. We had some really good conversations with people and just had a generally good day! Here's to next year.

New glasses!

I last had some glasses over three years ago so I've needed some for a while, but the cost is so prohibitive that I've been waiting probably a year to replace them. Then I had the choice taken from me because I got up a couple of weeks ago, put my glasses on, and the right arm dropped off. Whoops.

I went to work with them sellotaped together like Jack Duckworth, That afternoon Lee and I went into Specsavers with me wearing my sunglasses inside. I bought my glasses from Specsavers originally, and have been a customer there for about ten years. The sales assistants told me that the spring had broken in the hinge of my glasses, and made me an appointment for more than two weeks hence.

And... that was it... I was like, so what do I do in the meantime??? And they just sort of shrugged. And then said "Don't you have any other glasses???" Well, no, not when they cost me almost £200 per pair I don't. (I have a very complex lens, due to extreme shortsightedness and non-spherical eyeballs). I felt they were rude for no reason and made me feel worthless.

So I had my eyes tested at Boots and ordered a new pair of glasses there. They would have been ready earlier than the Specsavers ones, but due to being on holiday I had to pick them up two weeks later.

I'm not used to them yet - they feel really huge on my face! My other ones were a lot smaller but it seems like the fashion now is for bigger frames. I love the colour. The prescription is stronger so everything looks a bit weird, but I know I will get used to them eventually!

Eating out in Dorset

On our last night in Dorset we went out to eat after cooking at home every other night. We drove down into Lyme Regis and parked, and ended up in the French Lieutenant's Bistro, named after the book which was set in the town. The staff were absolutely lovely, and we could see right into the kitchen which I always like. Everything was delicious and fresh.

I had wild garlic mushrooms on toast, tiger prawns stir fried in garlic and chilli, and an extremely delicious chocolate mousse. Lee had mushroom soup, chicken Diane, and homemade brownie with ice cream. I had two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc which I only like with food. The whole thing came to just under £70 which considering we had three courses each I don't think is bad!

Although the building could use a bit of upkeep, the restaurant inside is decorated beautifully. The tables weren't squashed in, either, which made for a really pleasant experience.

The moon was fully out I liked how it was reflecting on the water

And here's what I wore to go out in. This dress always feels so fancy and I like how it looks on me. My cardigan is from H&M, it's basic but perfect for this!

The next day we drove home, it took a little longer than getting there but wasn't too bad. We had such a lovely week and were so lucky with the weather. We had no rain and although it wasn't boiling hot, it was sunny and bright. I feel relaxed and re-energised!

What I Wore October 13th

On our last day in Dorset we went to Axminster and Chard, which were both nice little towns. We didn't want to be out for ages so we just had a little wander and had some lunch. I thought I'd show this outfit though, I've worn the skirt before, but this top was new in March and I hadn't worn it yet.

I know cold shoulder tops get a bad rap in plus size circles, because it often seems like EVERYTHING has them, but I like this top. I have an orange one too. It's soft and I like the cut outs because they show off my tattoos. I wore the top tucked into the skirt which is my favourite thing to do with these skirts. This skirt is linted and kind of flouncy, which I like.

I'm standing in the spare room in our cottage here because the light was best. I love this outfit and others like it because they're just easy to throw on but feel super chic.

Holiday in Dorset - Seaton, Sidmouth and Beer

On the Wednesday of our holiday we went to Seaton, Sidmouth and Beer. Seaton was a nice little town; we ate lunch on the seafront and played in the arcades. We managed to win an X Men keyring for Lee! We drove to Sidmouth but there wasn't much of anything to be seen, except for lots of old people and red sea where the cliff was being eroded into the sea! So we didn't stay there long but went instead to Beer, which is a cute little place with a lovely beach. We had an ice cream and sat for a while before going back to the cottage. Lee made pan haggerty, which is a time intensive dish which is why he only makes it on holiday!

We practically had the beach to ourselves. One of the good things about going on holiday in October is that it's always just us and retired people!

Other way

Another selfie!

Lee took this photo of me, I'm wearing this Lollidot dress that I wore here, it's very comfortable and was just warm enough for the day. 

I liked this modern sculpture on the sea

I will never get sick of taking photos of the beach and the sea, sorry!

This seagull was HUGE!

This was Sidmouth - can you see the stripe of red in the water? 

It was really odd - the water looked like blood!

And here's why - the water was eroding the cliff. This has happened in quite a few places on the Dorset coast and will, I'm sure, continue to cause landslides and such things. 

At Beer, which reminded me of Robin Hood's Bay, there were loads of boats pulled on to the beach, and paths to walk between them which was useful, because walking on the stones is really hard going!

I really liked Beer, it felt like a bit of a hidden gem. My favourite kind of place!

Holiday in Dorset - Honiton and Branscombe

On the Tuesday of our holiday we went to Honiton. It's just over into Devon and is famous for the lace they used to make there. I went in 2010 with my friend Sam, and enjoyed the little town and the lace museum. Lee and I set off quite late because I slept in horribly, but there was plenty of time for us to have a wander round the town and go into the museum. There was a lady making some lace so I had a nice discussion with her - I can also make lace, but more like the gridded, Torchon type rather than Honition, which is finer and "freer".

I didn't take any decent pictures in Honiton so you'll just have to imagine! I do recommend the town if you're ever down that way. I also bought some Agatha Christie books in a charity shop.

After Honiton we drove down to Branscombe which you might remember became famous in early 2007 when the MSC Napoli was beached close to the village and hundreds of people descended on it to loot cargo. I went in 2010 and was amused that the anchor from the ship is now in the village - I'm sure they were thrilled to receive it!

These are the books I bought - aren't those gorgeous covers? They were just £1.50 each.

I liked this boat sitting on the beach

Here's the famed anchor! 

I liked this photo so much that I made it my cover photo on Facebook!

We had an ice cream in this cafe. Branscombe is a really cute little place, it's worth a visit if you're down that way.

What I Wore at Portland Bill

I bought this dress and cardigan recently in the sale at Simply Be. They're both from the Sprinkle of Glitter collection and I liked them both. I love the pattern on the dress and the cardigan is like one of those ballet wrap-around cardigans, I LOVE it. I wore it in Ireland but didn't get a decent photo of it, so I wore it in Dorset with this dress. They look lovely together, don't they?

The dress has a navy blue background and this lovely pattern. It has a zip on the side and a tie on the waist, and thick straps. And it has POCKETS! Really lovely DEEP, useful pockets. The cardigan is also navy (I'm not sure whether the colour will show up properly on the screen) and has really nice long ties to tie behind my back.

I'm posing by the sea, and I don't care! The dress is a nice thick cotton with a slight stretch to it.

Showing off the pockets! 

The cardigan kept me nice and warm, it wasn't cold but the sea breeze was a bit chilly.