The Maze Southampton

Recently there was a new addition to the Southampton landscape. A 9,000 square foot maze made of real hedges took over the Esplanade next to Westquay Shopping Centre.

It was free (how many times can you say that nowadays?) so on what turned out to be the hottest April day in 70 years, we wandered down to have a look.

I think the other half was having far too much fun, after sticking his finger over the lense in most of the pictures, he then decided to make a run and leave me to navigate the maze on my own. It turns out there's quite a few dead ends and wrong turns to take...

After successfully navigating out just before a group of excited schoolchildren, we climbed up to the top of the old walls for a better view.

The Esplanade has been home to some great events recently. At Christmas it housed an ice rink and recently The Festival of Light - I can't wait to see what's here next.

(The Maze at Southampton is on until the 22nd April 2018)

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

World Stationery Day - win a set of planners*

Did you know that the 25th April is World Stationery Day? 

No - neither did I until Old English Company got in touch with me. They're running a competition to win a set of planners so of course I had to share it.

All you have to do is email The Old English Company and tell them what your favourite item of stationery is. I've had a sneak peek at their planners and there's some beautiful pieces on there (do you always feel a little bit more inspired to start work when you have something new and fresh to use?)

Whenever I'm planning a holiday, road trip or even a new bit of work, I always like to start something new. There's something so satisfying about starting to write on a fresh page.

And if you're wondering what my favourite bit of stationery is? Well first of all, look at this notebook - I seriously need this in my life.

And it's not just planners and notebooks - their travel prints are stunning.

So if you need a new planner (and who doesn't?) don't forget to visit The Old English Company and enter their competition. And if you win - let me know!

Good luck and thanks for reading

Cathy
xx
*This post is in collaboration with The Old English Company

Days out - Mottisfont Abbey

It's quite easy to forget what treasures are right on your doorstep. Mottisfont Abbey is one of those. A beautiful National Trust property set in the Hampshire countryside.

We visited a couple of weeks ago - just in time to miss the snow and just a little too early for the spring flowers! But on the plus side, it did mean less crowds.

The house is set in the Test Valley and with large grounds and riverside walks it's a haven for little people and four legged friends alike (although wellies may be advisable for some of the longer walks!).

Originally an Augustinian Priory, there are hints of the history of the building if you look hard enough.

The house is particularly famous for one of its guests - the artist Rex Whistler who painted trompe l'oeil murals in the entrance hall, one of his last pieces of work before being killed in the Second World War. At the time of our visit, there was an exhibition of the work of William Heath Robinson. If you like humour in art, I would definitely recommend looking at his work. 

It probably took us around half a day to visit and that included a stop for a cuppa and a look around the house. I think in summer when the grounds are drier, you could easily lose a whole day here.

At about a 30-40 mins drive from Southampton (on a good day) Mottisfont is perfect for a day out. I think a visit again in the summer to make more of the grounds would be a good idea - they look ideal for a picnic!

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

An evening at The Body Shop with Southampton Bloggers

Last week I was lucky enough to attend an event at my local Body Shop store in Southampton with other local bloggers, organised by the very lovely Alice from Alice Anne.

The evening started with drinks and nibbles and cheerful staff who immediately made us feel welcome.

After a little mooch around, we had a small talk about the new products and the history and values of The Body Shop

Although I knew the products they sold were vegetarian, I hadn't realised how many were now vegan, for example all of their make-up brushes, their Vitamin E gel moisture cream (a favourite of mine) and some of their newer products like the Oils of Life cleansing oil-in-gel.

The Body Shop are particularly known for their work against animal testing. At the moment they have a petition to get animal testing in cosmetics banned worldwide - they're aiming for 8 million signatures by end of 2018.

During April and May proceeds from the sale of some of the new ranges go towards helping the Red Panda Network save endangered red pandas in the Himalayas. If you've ever seen one of these guys, you'll know just how cute they are and how worthwhile this is.

We then had the chance to get stuck in and have a good look around at everything. I had a few questions about products old and new and everyone I spoke to was helpful and able to advise me. There was also hand massages available and lots of sampling. With so much hand cream I was beginning to be worried about being able to keep a grip on my camera!

  

It was funny to see products that I remembered from when I was a teenager - in particular the banana shampoo and conditioner (might just have bought a small bottle for old times sake).

Although I felt a bit sad when I learnt that one of my all time favourite products was discontinued, they helped me find an alternative. I even learnt about house spiders in the process...it's pretty impressive what the staff at The Body Shop know about!

We were kindly gifted an amazing goodie bag and with a 30% discount, it seemed rude not to add a few more bits to it. I've especially been wanting to try the Vitamin E eye cube for a while. Being in a stick form, it looks perfect for travel. The Peppermint foot spray is hopefully a replacement for the much loved gel which is now discontinued. Plus that Banana Conditioner which smells good enough to eat.

An overview of the contents of our goodies bags.

A big thank you to The Body Shop for looking after us and to Alice for organising the evening. I can't wait to try everything out. The face masks in particular have been squirreled away ready for a relaxing week in Devon next month.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx