Author: Deborah

Butters Cafe Lounge Bar

Butters is my new favourite place to go in Andover. It has a vintage theme with a mismatch of retro furnishings, but also a little steampunk vibe going on with the lighting. It’s a family run cafe and lounge bar which makes me love it even more and the staff are attentive and friendly.

During the day it’s a relaxing place for a cup of tea and a slice of cake to catch up with family and friends. But what I love most is the fabulous evening entertainment. On Friday and Saturday nights they off live acoustic, jazz and rock music where you can have a wonderful meal and listen to some amazing music.

Amy Baker performing at Butters Cafe

I’ve been to three live events so far and have another couple booked. My favourite so far has been Amy Baker, who on the night sang music from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Eras I didn’t think I’d know but song after song I recognised and I couldn’t stop smiling all night. She sang classics like ‘The lady is a tramp’ and ‘Get happy’ but also new songs by Caro Emerald, who I adore. I’ve also seen Sticky Toffee Jazz and James Kirby. We’re seeing Amy again on Friday and Common Ground Duo at the end of the month.

curly fries with cheese at Butters Cafe

We’ve been to Butters quite a few times to eat and it’s only recently we’ve noticed the page on the menu called Buckets. These are little buckets filled with oh so yummy fillings. My go to bucket is curly fries and I ask for cheese with it – it’s not just on top, the cheese is all the way though coating so many fries and tasting absolutely delicious. I know they’re bad for me, and we tend to share one, but I just want to eat them all by myself, they’re just so damn good! I’ve been impressed by their green thai curry, lasagne and steak, and I plan on ploughing through the rest of the menu soon.

Also, there’s a photo of James Dean in the ladies loos, and who doesn’t love James Dean. I spent the rest of the evening picturing him with his sleeves rolled up leaning on a car bonnet. Is it just me?

Author: Deborah

Here are some last minute Valentine’s Day DIY ideas if you’re stuck for something to make.

Dotted HeartsDotted Hearts

This DIY is really easy and all you need is some paper or card, a pencil with a rubber on the end and a stamp or paint. Cut out a heart shape to use as a template, and then using the rubber on the pencil, dab the colour around the template. It took me five minutes to do in my lunch break! You could do this on the front of a blank card, put it in a frame, or use permanent paint and put it on a t-shirt or a magazine bag. I’m sure there are so many more ways of using this idea.

I am really enjoying origami at the moment so I wanted to give some heart designs a try. I found this gorgeous bookmark on TheCheeseThief and the box from my trusty origami instructions website. I don’t know what I’d do without this website as it gives such clear step by step instructions. Here’s the box being made:

heart words

This heart shape filled with words is really quick to do and you could print it out to stick on the front of a card or put it in a cute picture frame. You can make it on a website called Tagxedo, which lets you choose your shape and colours and then you can add a list of words in. You could make use love words or choose some that are really personal to you and your sweetheart. There are a couple of heart shapes to choose from, but also loads of others for many different occasions. I’m wondering if there’s something I could do with this for my wedding…

Let me know if you try any of these. I hope you liked them.

Author: Deborah

nutella spread

banana and puff pastry

hot pockets

banana and nutella hot pocket

Today is World Nutella Day so how could I miss out on the opportunity to make these delicious banana and Nutella hot pockets. They are ridiculously easy and quick to make, especially if you cheat with the puff pastry like me and buy pre-made and pre-rolled. I do love making pastry from scratch but working full time with few daylight hours during the week allows me to cheat once in awhile.

My tummy was rumbling while making these and I always forget that everything is piping hot when you take it out of the oven, so please be patient and don’t burn yourself like I did.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]

Author: Deborah

Temple of Apollo
Temple of Apollo

View of Temple of Flora

Snowdrops

Temple of Flora
Temple of Flora
Hercules, Livia Augusta as Ceres and Meleager
Hercules, Livia Augusta as Ceres and Meleager in the Temple of Flora
Gothic cottage
Gothic cottage

Stourhead is one of my favourite places to visit to get away from everything. It can get busy in the summer but it never feels overcrowded and there’s always somewhere to escape to. Stourhead is a National Trust estate in Wiltshire. It has a beautiful mansion but I always come here for the grounds. There is a beautiful lake surrounded by paths for you to wander around. One thing I love about visiting in the winter months is that dogs are allowed at all times, so there’s lots of beautiful pups running around. It also means I annoy my other half by constantly saying I want a puppy.

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you might recognise the Temple of Apollo from a scene in the Pride and Prejudice movie where Mr Darcy declares his love for Elizabeth. You can really get lost in the romance here with all the knocks and crannies around the place. The last time we went I was kind of expecting a proposal, but that came later. You can actually get married in the Temple of Apollo and if I could guarantee no rain, that’s exactly where I’d do it! If it did rain I could channel my inner Elizabeth Bennett, although that wouldn’t work out so well for my partner if I rebuffed him. Really, if you haven’t seen the film you really should. However the Pride and Prejudice series is so much better, so if you have six hours spare watch that instead, or as well.

There are some magical spots that I didn’t want to photograph so I don’t spoil the surprise for you. It really is a wonderful place to visit if you get the chance.

Me

Author: Deborah

Instagram – I’ve been trying out origami this month and I wanted some inspiration. There are so many origami channels on Instagram but this is definitely my favourite as it has animals. Origami_dog‘s channel is filled with brilliant origami and I wish I could even half of what they do. Their skills are just beyond marvellous and the animals are so intricate and just wow.

A photo posted by @origami_dog on

Music – My favourite music this month is actually an old favourite – I’m wondering if I’m showing my age by revealing this. I’ve been getting a bit stressed at the moment and one album that always seems to chill me out is When It Falls by Zero 7, which was released in 2004. I remember at the time thinking their website was the most amazing one ever. It looked like the album cover and you could click on the colour brain ‘stems’ to navigate the site. The album just completely relaxes me and I love all the songs on it. This is my go to bath accompaniment.

Tea – I love my tea. This one is from a shop called Char and I was given it for Christmas by my other half. Firstly, it’s beautiful – I could just look at it and breath in the smell all day. This is their Earl Grey Supreme but the store has hundreds of different teas to try. I’ve only just realised this is a local shop to me, but they have a good website.

Char Earl Grey Supreme tea

Moment – My favourite moment this month was going out for my mums birthday to a lovely local pub. All our family was there for a much needed catch up and a few drinks. Although my dessert was a highlight too, a beautiful raspberry pavlova tower.

Stationary – I go through so many diaries each year because I keep finding ones I like, so this year I’ve decided to have one for home and one for work – a beautiful one rather than a crappy black one we get provided with. I love my hearts one as it slips in my handbag and is perfect for every day. The flowery one has a day to a page so I can scribble my to do list in it while at work. There’s something very satisfying about ticking everything off by the end of the day. And I just want to shout out the amazing erasable pens from Muji at the bottom – I don’t know what I ever did before erasable pens! My 2015 diaries

My personal 2015 diary

Author: Deborah

What I'm reading

I love reading but I never seem to have the time, which is why I’m still reading Christmas themed books a month on. I love curling up with a good story or exploring another country in a travel book. At least this time I’m getting honeymoon ideas rather than day dreaming of holidays in Hanoi or California. I think my honeymoon plans are a bit OTT and I can only dream, but that’s another post.

I adore Jenny Colgan books and have been reading them for years. I really like chicklit and how I can be completely absorbed into someone else world for a bit. After a stressful day at work there’s nothing better than a bath and a good girly book. The Christmas Surprise is the third book (threequel?) in her Rosie Hopkins sweet shop novels. I’m half way through and I’ve already cried with the characters and laughed out loud.

I recently was given The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman which I’ve seen a lot about on Twitter. To be fair if this was in a shop the book cover wouldn’t have screamed “pick me up” at me, but the blurb has proven to me that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Once I’ve finished my current read this is the book that’s coming to bed with me.

When I was younger I loved the library. Winchester library was always my favourite as it had so many books to choose from. My local library now isn’t that bad but I tend to use it for nonfiction. I’ve been crocheting for about a year now on and off but taught myself from guessing patterns and I do make quite a few mistakes. I found this book on display in the library and thought I should start from scratch and learn some of the basics again to make sure I’m doing it right. This books has really easy directions with drawings to help you learn. It has a useful conversion chart between UK and US and tells you all about the different yarn – why do the Americans have to call Aran yarn Worsted, and chunky bulky, it’s so confusing! There aren’t really any patterns in it but it’s a really good introduction to crochet.

Author: Deborah

fish and chips

How do people find time to cook? While I was at uni I loved to cook and bake, experimenting with ingredients and trying to recreate dishes I’d seen in films. But since I started working full time, the last few years I’ve found cooking a real struggle. Especially in the winter when by the time I leave work it’s dark and the last thing I want to do when I get in is spend hours concocting new recipes.

But I miss it. I miss stirring melting chocolate on the hob and watching through the oven door as food is bubbling away. So my aim is to cook one new recipe a week, which doesn’t seem like much but we usually eat pasta, pizza and soup – although it is homemade soup as it’s so quick and easy to whip up.

I was perusing Twitter when I saw a promoted tweet by Tesco with a rather yummy looking recipe for healthy fish and chips. It looked pretty simple with not many ingredients so I thought why not, it’s worth a go.

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About me

Hi there, I’m Deborah. I live in Hampshire with my husband and spend my time baking, making and getting out in the fresh air. Find out more or get in touch.

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