I make no apology for this, this is pure unadulterated pleasure of the girly variety, although if your a chap who loves indulging in his feminine side, please do go ahead. It makes the perfect pre Christmas gift and for the fifth year running I have been lucky enough to secure one, although to be honest, with the Americans being on board and able to purchase for the first year, I wondered whether I would be.  Sadly at the time of writing it is now sold out online, but it is still available in store, should you feel the need to hop on a train.

It arrived half an hour ago, I’ve squealed with delight, and am resisting the temptation to open all the boxes. Ive just had a couple of peeks and it looks so good.

It is the ultimate, much sought after beauty advent calendar, with a selection of high end treats that truly do make one feel wonderful. I’m like a child in a sweetie shop, I just can’t wait for the 1st of December.

Happy Christmas to me, and why not!

Feeling the need to blow the country cobwebs out and feel the buzz of the city I headed for London for the day, two exhibitions beckoned along with a little light shopping. Firstly I headed for the V & A, it was such a glorious day. That there were many picnickers enjoying their lunches while enjoying the warmth of the day. I’d come to see Frida Kahlo’s exhibition which I had been promising myself to see for months! I only just made it!  To be honest I wish I hadn’t bothered. It made me feel so sad. I had no idea about all of her health problems, of which there were many, the constant pain she was in, how bedridden she became for long stretches of time,  the loss of a leg that effectively ended her life in great pain and many other trails and tribulations were explained. It was grim, really grim. I was glad to get out of there. There were some highlights and pieces of work that I enjoyed, her art of course and its always good to poke around another womans make up bag and see the exact shade of lipstick that was favoured and make up she preferred. But again, it was good to leave. So I did, and quickly trundled along to Piccadilly Circus and walked up to the Royal Academy of Arts to see Oceania.And just as an aside there was this ,A transitional piece called the Pyshco Barn, which was first commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its roof garden. Most amusing it was.

Oceania, what can I tell you. I remember going to see Ice Age Art, arrival of the modern mind,  at the British Museum in June 2013. It was the most awe inspiring exhibition that I have ever seen, pieces of that work stay with me in my minds eye and the emotional experience of when I saw them is still fresh. Well, this was like that. This is the best thing (in my humble opinion) that I have seen in five years. If you can go, go. (I say that quite a lot, I’m sorry) but do, honestly, you will not regret it. I’ll probably go again this week, I might pop along again after that.

Oceania brings together around 200 exceptional works from public collections world wide, it celebrates the civilisations that cover almost a third of the world’s surface from Tahiti in Polynesia to the scattered archipelagos and islands of Melanesia and Micronesia. I think these are my favourite pieces, they are navigation charts made of wood, cane and shell from the nineteenth century. I simply love them.

And as photography was allowed, I’ve included a few snap shots in this blog post for you to enjoy. I think the art is amazing.  After such a wonderful time gazing at this awe inspiring exhibition, I walked to Selfridges and did a little light shopping. Isn’t this florist, inside Selfridges just wonderful.

And then homeward bound was I, happy and content.

The allotment started to look a little tired at the start of the summer due to the lack of rain. It was only hubbys tenacity with a watering can that kept everything alive, but I won’t lie, it was touch and go for a while and sadly the onions and garlic didn’t make it. But a lot of vegetables did and we have enjoyed them all. So it’s time to really get on top of the plot and autumn digging gives me such a strong feeling of satisfaction. With our trusty back saver. Start at one end and with an hour or two a day work your way to the other, missing the parsnips as one digs.Purple sprouting and red and white cabbages for winter slaws. Savoys just starting to fill, summer cabbages nearly ready, cauliflowers and brussel sprouts and lovely black kale should make our meals interesting this winter. Sadly I forgot about the leeks I was just so busy.The greenhouse was emptied of its tomatoes today as we discovered blight on our toms. Hopefully some will ripen, some will become fresh green chutney and some will be green fried tomatoes. A tray of cauliflower spikes, purple sprouting and black kale to enjoy. Enjoying the view. This was taken a few days ago, we are even further ahead now, a few more days and we will be winter tidy, ready to batten down the hatches and enjoy our winter woolies, warming stews and coal fires.

Just as I was getting to the last few pages of Becky Sharps extraordinary life, from last months unboxing – and very enjoyable it has been too, this landed on my door step. Que excitement. I love that I never see any previews for reading in heels, no matter how hard I look, so it is always a complete surprise.

Olivia Sudjic’s acclaimed debut novel Sympathy. An addictive book about Instagram and infatuation, the writing is thrilling and crisp. I read a few pages last night and I felt butterflies in my tummy, I know already it’s going to be a gripping read. I’m so glad I joined Reading in Heels, just for this book alone. Our treats this month include a face mask and some bath and shower oil which smells divine.And tea and the tastiest wine gums I have ever eaten.

A little more info here.It has been a real treat having a book a month sent to me, especially when they have been so well chosen. 10/10 from me so far.