New in | August

This blog post is back from August that I've been sitting on for a while. Sorry, but alas it is finally up!

I've had a few new purchases recently that I'm totally in love at the moment, despite having them a couple of months already. I'm so in awe of them I've almost refrained from using them in case they tarnish. Gal can not be having that!

1. My new phone case | Willow of London
    www.willowoflondon.co.uk

I'm obsessed with personalised things. You name it, I'll either have it or want it. Like a magpie drawn to shiny things I was in love when I when I came across London based company, Willow of London. I stumbled upon the awesome company on Instagram and any girl knows how much shopping can happen on Insta, am I right? See it, want it, get it. WOL's pretty mix of simple designs and fun prints means there's a design for everyone. I couldn't decided. I wanted them all if I'm honest but at £39 a pop I think I'm going to have to stick to just one (for the time being anyway). As soon as I can justify a new one to my bank manager (ahem myself) I will though. The new designs featuring French Bull dogs and Dacshounds are too cute. They are almost too much cuteness, I've had to hold myself back from ordering one. Their products are not just appreciated by many bloggers and customers, their fans also include celeb customers such as Rochelle Humes, Rita Ora, Binky Felstead and Ladies of London star Caroline Stanbury, who even has her own collection for Willow of London. I had excellent customer service with great response time and couldn't recommend them more. Their stuff is just to die for, go on treat yourself to an ultra chic phone case this sunny September. I just need to get myself a more autumnal/wintery coloured one now.

Make sure to follow them on Instagram, you can check them out here.

2. Blog notebook | Chroma Stationery
    www.chromastationery.co.uk

Both my phone cover and my personalised notebook I was so impressed with when they arrived I avoided using them for as long as possible. The suspense was overwhelming and I nearly caved so many times. 100% worth it. I recently took it to Croatia with me for all my jottings down and it just came in so handy. Chroma are a fantastic company that I've used in the past for a present for someone. I love what they stand for and their flexibility. They will literally put anything on a notebook for you! So of course they're very popular in the blogging world because there are plenty of girls around, like me, who swoon at the thought of their blog's logo printed on to something very real. And they're useful, they're not just some unnecessary item that you're going to coo over because its pretty. Every girl that likes to write needs something she can write all her inner ramblings for in and bloggers alike for upcoming blog posts. It looks very profesh in meetings too, bonus. You can get them in loads of different gorgeous colours and there are also a few different styles of notebooks, to match your needs. It's safe to say this wasn't my last purchase. I will be buying all my future blogging notepads from Chroma. This little pink book has got me so excited for writing. I also bought my best friend and fellow blogger over at www.twentysomethingxo.com one at the same time. Now we match in super cool style and it's like a friendship thing. She adores hers too and I'm not surprised. The guys over at Chroma Stationery rock! Thanks for my awesome pad guys.

I'm itching for the grey next, let me know which ones you love! If you have one, you can share a picture below or tweet me @kchardenengland

You can follow Chroma on Insta here.

3. My new shoulder/clutch bag | Topshop
    www.topshop.co.uk

I picked up this little beauty in the sale a few weekends back. It's a gorgeous colour, a pinky nude that comes back in every season. The effortless gold detailing makes it look expensive, when in actual fact it was a bargain at just £18. It's real leather as well and it's timeless classic shape means that this will be a key accessory for many years to come (for as long as it lasts). A great investment to team up with many outfits. It can be styled as a casual day shoulder bag or dressed up as a clutch for those glam night outs. It also comes in white. Be sure to check out the Topshop sale for other great finds!

Update: it now comes in black for this A/W collection. Shop it here.

I love black at the moment, I'm totally digging the all black, biker chic and a simple black leather bag teams up with this kind of outfit so well. You can never have enough black. Even better, this bag channels the vibe of a Whistles clutch but for under the price. Good steal girls, good steal.

Shop this gorgeous deep green clutch (a hot colour this season) here

Reaching new goals | 1.8.15

Last weekend marked quite a momentous occasion for me. I finally fit back into my first size 10 piece of clothing.

For anyone who doesn't know me this may seem a trivial thing to celebrate, but for me it was a real turning point in my journey to recovery. I cried like a girl who just received the best news ever and it was beautiful. I was a size 8-10 before I was ill. I've pretty much been that size my whole life and never really used to lose or put on weight. I always used to stay around the same bench mark weight of 10 stone. That may sound like a lot to some but I'm tall so I can carry it well. I was never skin and bones just slim. I'd never gone to the gym before being diagnosed and instead just stayed healthy and active by partaking in sports such as netball and cheerleading, chucking in the occasional run for good measure. I was 10 and a half at my heaviest, in first year of University (before I had my condition) and 9 and a half at my lightest when I was toning up for Zante back in 2012. Then second year came and weight that I could't explain slowly started creeping on. By my 21st birthday, although still a slim size 10 I was starting to notice I had a belly that wasn't there before and wasn't feeling as comfortable wearing my usual outfits out anymore. 

December 2014 at one of my consultant appointments I had my last weigh in before I started my journey to snatch back my life and to loosen the grip back from my condition that I felt was holding my life its hostage. I weighed in at 13 stone 10 on the 6th December 2014. 

Since I started my journey over 8 months ago now I've lost just over 2 stone. Amazing right? Well, wrong. I can't tell if I've been numbed of my success by the fact I've still got such a long way to go in order to be fully happy with what I've achieved or whether it's because I've just been desensitised of all that two stone actually stands for. I should listen to my friends, my family, work colleagues, randomers that know me from the gym and my favourite gym instructor etc because they all know just how far I've come in that little space of time and how greatly my "common" condition affected me.

Little by little after buying a whole new wardrobe to accommodate my new size I have finally started being too small for my new clothes. I've now had to buy a whole new wardrobe twice over because the size 14 work trousers I bought in the christmas sales from River Island no longer fit me and will end up around my ankles if attempted to be worn. With my dream and sole goal to get back the old me it's only fair that fitting back in to my old clothing sizes is a demonstration of just how successful I've been in my pilgrimage to find the old me.

You'll notice I reference the old me and the new me a lot. Though the new me has been 'me' for the last 2 years, I didn't like her. I don't like her. She's hateful and loath full to herself and the one that completely lacks in confidence. A far cry from old and normal me. I was unhappy, even depressed and had a stinking attitude towards life because of how unhappy it was making me. My outlook on life changed and I couldn't see the positives anymore. I couldn't see that this day would ever come. I was so pessimistic that I was ever going to get better. And you know most people look back and think what was I thinking? I was being such a wet flannel? Yeah well I haven't got that, I can still remember the hateful thoughts I had about myself and still, to some extent, still have. I can remember  just how difficult I found everything and how much daily tasks like University and cheer practice were such a chore for me. I also remember coming home and crying because my housemate had eaten my chocolate. I mean seriously, get a grip Kate. That's when I knew how drastically I'd changed from being the happy go lucky, outgoing and adventurous Kate to the now overweight, moody, irrational and tired imposter. Except it wasn't an imposter really. It was me, the new me and the product of my condition. That I had to get my head round and I knew I needed help. I accepted that and I wanted it. I forced my consultant to give me a dietician appointment and as much as she was lovely, she was useless. She told me nothing new or even knew any foods that could help with my condition. I was aware from my own thorough research that certain foods have a bad affect on people with thyroid problems. All my weight loss was my own doing, my own motivation, determination and hard work. No one helped me, I had helped myself. It's so invigorating and empowering in myself. A lot of the time you can only get better if you help yourself and want to help yourself. No matter how many people you have wanting to help you.

I definitely wanted to help myself for me, not for anyone else and although I have loved ones who want me to be back to my old self for me too as well as who have been my rock in support ♡♡ it's just not enough you have to want to do it for yourself.
Nothing beats finding your own triumph to mark just how well you've done...clearly people telling me how well I'd done wasn't enough. I still have all this self doubt clouding over those thoughts.

Thankfully, my sign came in the form of a gorgeous floral sixties mini skirt from Topshop. I loved the turquoise linen piece even when it was full price but being a mini skirt, usual thoughts ran through my head "you're too fat to wear that", "you'd look embarrassing in that even in a size 14". Mum and I were browsing the sales when I walked past in on the sale rack, only one left. I pointed out how much I loved it with such pain in my voice. Mum remarked how beautiful it was and asked the size. It was a size 10. It would never fit me I thought. Shame, but ah well. After some convincing by mum however I tried it on over my jeans. Drum roll please...IT FIT. IT BLOODY WELL FIT (I'm hyperventilating at this stage in the shop) I'M SORRY, CAPITALS ARE TOTALLY NECESSARY. A Topshop size 10 finally fit me again!!! In my mind it was a scene out of an american chick flick. I'm thinking along the lines of my favourite 90s classic, Clueless. It was as if an amazing gospel choir came out from behind the clothing rails and started singing "oh happy days".

Now I've found my restored confidence in kicking this weights butt and finally seeing results it's only spurring me on further. I can't wait for you all to make the acquaintance of the new and improved, slimmer but stronger me.

7/7: the terrorist attack on London through my eyes

News broke slowly. There was a terrorist attack on London! Fragmented bits of information came here and there. Slowly we put it together to form our own tragic assumptions, with disastrous consequences.

School etiquette soon broke down and in a matter of minutes no one was paying attention. Everyone was simply trying to get hold of their loved ones, why? We didn't even know why, we just knew it's all we could do. There were vicious rumours of a bomb, we knew nothing for certain at that stage. 

Naturally, the networks were down. Of course they were! This made the situation even harder for teachers to control (who were dealing with the potential that their own loves one were harmed in the attack). Panic stricken teenagers burst out into the corridors of the west London girl’s school, in a swarm of maroon and light blue, the colours of our uniform. The hallways and classrooms were abuzz with noise, but there was a dark undertone. There wasn’t any happiness or laughter, just a chilling ring to the chatter and cries that sent clammy hot sweat down each individual groove of your spine. There had been a terrorist attack on London I muttered in my inner thoughts. Whaaaat? The day was July 7^th 2005. I was twelve at the time.

An ominous black cloud seemed to have formed out of nowhere over our school, despite the pristine blue skies up above us. It sent many into shock, acting zombie-like, trudging around the grounds of the school looking lost. Whilst others were sent into hysteria running round desperately trying to get through to their parents. At the time nearly all of us had mobile phones but html wasn’t what it is today so no one looked at the BBC news website. We had to totally rely on our teachers for information. What we could scramble together? There had been several bombs that had gone off, some on buses, some on tubes. Fuck, basically...nearly every commuter in London had the possibility of getting caught up in one of the attacks. The more nuggets of information that penetrated through, what felt like a force field around our school, seemed to act like a mini bomb going off for us too. We were locked in our school. The main school gates were physically locked and we weren't allowed to leave until normal time if collected, for safety reasons. Great, how would we get through to them to find out they were safe if the networks were down, oh and also if you don’t mind mum can you come and pick me up from school because they’re refusing to let us out with terrorists on the loose? My mum has never been tech savvy and has never had a mobile phone, always ideal in these kind of desperate and delicate situations. It was safe to say I was freaking the HELL out. Bloody hell mum, I thought. 

The hours ticked by and finally, when the networks started to ease up from congestion, people managed to start getting through to loved ones. I was frantically ringing my home phone on repeat in a bid to speak to my mum and make sure she was home and safe. Luckily I left school that night because my friend's parents had answered their daughters calls and came to collect them. I was so relieved for my friends! Their loved ones were safe, others weren’t so lucky. We heard reports claiming hundreds of people had already been rushed to hospital and many dead.

Our ordeal, if you can even call in that in the grand scheme of the terrible things that happened that day, was over. For people all across the city theirs was very much on going, into the night and will continue forever. The people of London and Britain will forever remember that day and what they were doing when they found out the news. I was locked in my school for my own safety and I’m forever grateful. At the time I lived in W9 and walked to school with friends to W10 where our school was. I’ve never been so grateful for living in an awkward place which meant I couldn’t get direct public transport to school.

There were no sirens. No fires ablaze, no smoke, no lifeless bodies or blood, or shrill cries for help. I was safe and tucked up in the comfort of my mother’s embrace. I was incredibly lucky, many no longer had that blessing. Four bombs went off that day devastating people’s lives wherever the debris settled. 52 innocent people lost their lives but will never be forgotten. May we keep them alive by continuing to tell stories about them and by honouring them. We didn’t just lose 52 people that day as a country; we also nearly lost seven odd hundred that were injured, caught up in the catastrophe. One can only imagine that the total number of people affected by those events were numbers well into the thousands. Of all the family's, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues etc who lost loved ones that day, and for those whose’ loved ones lives changed forever that day, stay strong. Every day since 7/7 brings more hope.

My day on July 7th 2005 was scary, but I will never moan or complain about that day for I didn’t lose my entire world. I just hope those still with us and those departed are all sure on one fact, 7/7 will never be forgotten. Angels on this earth or angels up above, you are still loved.

How to: summer smooth legs

Happy Sunday fellow bloggers and blog readers!

Summer's here and what better way to waste your Sunday afternoon than reading a blog post by me!

Girls, we all know just how hard it is, to achieve those fabulously fierce and ever desirable goddess like legs. You know the one's I'm talking about...the ones in the Venus adverts. Seriously, who creates that shit? Those legs are works of dark sorcery. Now apart from stating that Harry Potter and his world might indeed be real, this blog is one to help you perfect your luscious leg routine. After all girls, our pins, are one of our best features. Now it’s time to rock them, IT’S SUMMER!

Here are my top tips, to frock-worthy pins in 15 minutes...

1. Exfoliate those bad boys! Get the dead skin off, make them shine like iridescent pearls. My favourite one to use at the moment is St. Ives. Exfoliating sometimes brings out an even better tan as it leaves the skin soft, radiant and flake free. I love this one as it smells divine of peaches, and feels really summery. Why I love it most of all? It doesn’t damage the environment like a LOT of exfoliators on the market do as it doesn’t contain Micro plastics. It amazes me just how many people aren’t aware of the devastating effects micro plastics known as micro beads, have on the planet and the creatures that share it with us. Our wildlife that live in our rivers and our seas suffer for our beauty. Fishes and even plankton swallow our by-products of exfoliators and it slowly kills them. If you do one thing to do stand up for our animals - buy a natural exfoliant, like St. Ives. 

(Btw. I'm going to do a blog post shortly on the best products around for micro plastic free skin care)

2. In shower moisturisers are a god sent! I don't care what anyone says they are, god looked down and thought you know what lazy girls need? Moisturisers that you can apply in the shower! My favourite is Nivea Body In Shower Moisturiser. It smells gorgeous and leaves my skin feeling 110% more subtle and full of moisture. I normally leave on for two or three minutes because I like to think the more it can soak up but you can literally apply and then shower off if you like. I love the Cocoa butter one as it smells unreal! Kissable legs anyone? 

Superdrug is where I normally buy mine as I love how they always have great deals on my favourite products. It's like they know exactly what I need every week!

3. Moisturise again! It may be a bitch to moisturise once you're out as well but if you do it makes those legs all the more worth it. I recently discovered Vaseline Spray and Go. Another godsend! For lazy girls like me who never really think to look after their skin (well unless they've been in the sun recently) this is ideal. No fuss, no faff, just spray it on and with one swoop of the hand it's rubbed in. It also absorbs ridiculously well so that you can dress immediately and not be sticky or get cream marks on your outfit. Again I've gone for the cocoa butter option because its smells beautiful and then there's no mix of aromas coming from me.

4. You can never have too much cocoa butter! Finally I finish off with the Body Shop's body butter in cocoa butter. I've had this poor years from a very special friend of mine and it's genuinely the best thing I've ever smelt. It's full of richness and vitamins adding an extra glow to your legs making them super shiny and super stand out. 

Kate takes on Croatia | Kate vodi Hrvastku oluju

Sorry guys, excuse the title of this blog post - it's not strictly true! But I did have to say something to get you to read it...


After numerous shots of Rakija with my family, alas I have returned safe and sound, from Central Europe.

From where exactly? Well, deep in the middle of Europe, you'll find an undiscovered diamond. The once deemed next Cote d'azure, is where you'll find up-and-coming holiday hotspot, Croatia. Queen of the Adriatic. Known to locals as Hrvatska. Okay so that might be a self-confessed title (by me) but I think it's very apt!

Beautiful, untouched, unspoilt and cultural. Croatia really does have it all. With an interesting history to boast, it has everything you might look for in a perfect getaway. Beautiful architecture, beaches, old ruins, cities, festivals and clear bluey-green seas that seem to blend perfectly into the horizon far off into the distance. I could go on but no one wants to read a blog post ALL day, do they?

So here's what I got up to whilst away:


Tuesday

We arrived shortly before midday after a pleasant flight with British Airways. Outside the airport, it was 21 degrees in Zagreb. #YES

Some pictures from the beautiful old part of Zagreb on my first day. These are the streets where you'll find the Croatian government.

Some family picked us up from the airport and we headed towards the city centre to grab a bite to eat, before we ventured east towards the Hungarian border. A gorgeous spot of lunch of traditional Croatian food, in the radiating sunshine, set the rest of the day up to be a good one.

What follows lunch in Croatia? Cake, of course! I had a gorgeously rich, indulgent, creamy raspberry and hazelnut cake. Btw, you'll spot a pattern forming here. After most meals, my entries feature cake. As they should do!

The view from our cake stop

After a few photos taken, my mum and I headed for the coach station. Where next? A four hour journey east to Osijek, the city where my family are from.

It was stiflingly hot on board. It felt as if we were in the midst of high summer in Croatia. Not exactly a great time, but it certainly was an experience. I got some sleep and also got to see some of the countryside at sunset. Beautiful.

Within ten minutes of pulling into Osijek, I was sat in my family home surrounded by my loved ones. My grandfather built the bungalow over 50 years ago. Back then it was the first house on that street. 

Naturally weeks before we arrived, my mum had been on the phone to my aunty planning my favourite meals. Dinner was served. A starter of a traditional clear soup with spaghetti like pasta in it. For main, roast piglet and mlinci (pasta cooked in meat juices). It was perfect, I couldn't be happier. That's when they pulled out the big guns...Kolače (Cake to you and I)

The first night I couldn't sleep from excitement, a few things had changed, like a new extension for example, but it was still the same one story house I had spent my childhood summers growing up in.


Wednesday

I slept in a bit late, waking up at 11am but that didn't matter, my mum had my favourite breakfast waiting for me!!

Prstiče, freshly baked bread rolls, shaped in fingers with a special salty topping.

It doesn't look it but it's so heavenly.

Unfortunately I had woken up with my jaw still aching badly as it had been doing for the last two weeks, so my uncle came home from work early to take me to an emergency dentist appointment. Anyway to cut a long story short, a suspected wisdom tooth turned out to be a mystery. After the cheapest X-ray ever (just £15) I was still in pain so mum treated me to have my hair done.

There I had the best blow dry I've ever had in my life. It was 50 Kunas. JUST FIVE POUNDS!
If all you girls don't flock to Croatia for that reason alone, yo crazy! It took no time at all and the best part, it lasted 3 whole days. The shampoo they washed my hair with was even better than the John Freida products I use at home. My hair normally lasts two days without a wash but starts getting greasy on the second day. This time it didn't and Tijana, my hairdresser used a hair spray spritz that wasn't heavy and rigid like most hair sprays. It held my curls perfectly, with bounce, volume and left them feeling ever softer. Best value for money. I felt like amazing.

Excuse the no make up selfies of my hair

Croatia is a lot cheaper than the UK for most things. Things that seem average to us, is a lot of money to them as their wage is not comparable. I gave Tijana a 15 Kuna tip (£1.50 to us) not that generous at all considering we start tipping our hairdressers over here two to three pounds minimum. She was so grateful it was so cute. I had made her day.

I was over the moon too, the pampering continued. Mum and I then went and had our feet down for 80 Kunas each. £8, eight blooming pounds. Such a bargain. Now feeling like new woman we headed back for lunch at home with the family. With everyone home from work we had a lovely traditional lunch, followed by, yes you've guessed it! More cake

Evening plans involved going out for coffee at Hotel Waldinger, a pretty swish joint by Osijek standards. Coffee is big Europe, at any time of the day or night. It's european culture, a way of life to them and its one tradition I really wish we had over here but we don't have the weather for it. It's normally warm enough in Croatia, Spain, France etc to sit out and have coffee at 10pm at night. Croatia, like the rest of Europe is lined with great coffee shops.

Even the loos were swish. The wallpaper in there was pretty cool, all textured and sass-ified.

The food is meant to be amazing there but sadly on this trip I didn't have time to sample it. It was a pretty chilled day but I was exhausted so we opted for an early night, retiring at 11pm.


Thursday

Up bright and early for coffee with my mums childhood best friend and her daughter Anamarija. Anamarija taught me Croatian when I was younger.

We had our drinks in the beautiful old part of Osijek, Tvrđa. It was still lovely weather. Sadly cooler than before, but still warm enough to sit outside.

A stroll down river Drava's bank, meant I got to see some of the still worn-torn buildings that I never appreciated when I was younger. They had fallen victim to the war back in the 90s. A lot of Croatian families lost husbands, brothers, fathers etc in the great war. My uncle fought for his country and we were incredibly lucky we didn't lose him. That part hit home but only made me appreciate how close I came to not having an uncle who's treated me as his daughter. I'm very lucky to have such a beautiful human being as the head of our family.

On a lighter note, not far from the riverside we came across the church my mum fulfilled all her passings in the Catholic religion. My mum was christened and had her holy communion and confirmation in the beautiful church pictured below.

Lunch was another large dose of mlinci and roast piglet. It was safe to say that I was turning half pig myself. Insert lots of pig emojis here.

After cake, I visited my grandparents grave. They're buried together in a graveyard just behind their house. I love going as it keeps me grounded and humble. I wasn't fortunate enough to ever meet my grandparents but I'll always love them and spending time with them. It means a lot and like most people named after a loved one; it's a privilege to be named after my Grandmother.

That evening we had a date with family friends and it was so good to be out, all of us, as a family. Seeing people we've known and cherished for many years. Just like many times I was home with my aunty and cousin earlier on in the week, Rakija, a Croatian liquor was involved. From the outside we sound like an alcoholic family but it's just a treat to celebrate that we are all together again. My aunty made chocolate flavour Rakija and it was exquisite. Strong, rich, dark and smooth, how some people like their men. Heavenly, a bit like drinking alcoholic Nutella. As you can imagine, equally amazing. After a beautiful spread of lots of cured meat and cheese for dinner and gifts exchanged, my cousin and I ducked out early for a night in drinking with her friends. It was a lot of fun. My cousin is only a couple of years older than me and I've always looked up to her like a big sister. It took me right back to my summers on the coast drinking and hanging out with my cousins and our friends we met on holiday at the seaside. I sadly called it a night at 1.30am and feeling slightly 'happy' shall we say?

Friday

Good Friday.

With easter nearly upon us and being catholic, in a catholic country, we didn't eat meat that day. Instead my aunty fried some lovely fresh water fish in flour, another fabulous Croatian delicacy. We spent our final day chilling around the house, spending the day as a family. Easter is very important to us and it was nice to spend it together for once. It's hard them being so far away. We only really see each other once a year, if we're lucky. Our time was limited sadly as Ryanair changed our flight time to three hours earlier. We were now leaving at 4pm instead. I must admit, whilst my first experience of Ryanair wasn't as great as flying with British Airways, it is fantastic to have such a cheap way to travel to Croatia. It's even better because no one has ever flown direct to where my family are from before. I normally have to fly to Budapest or Zagreb. Either way it means a further four hours of travel after my flight and someone having to come pick my sorry arse up. Osijek Airport is a twenty minute drive from my family home and because it's so tiny (consisting of one large room as the terminal lol) it meant everything was so quick and easy. It was stress free and including the one bag we checked in weighing 15kg our flight only cost us £25 each. Seriously 210% worth it. I would really recommend anyone wanting to travel to Croatia this summer to use Ryanair. I know I will. So cheap and coaches to whatever destination you require once you're in Croatia are really cheap too. Although you can get other cheap airlines like easyjet that fly to Croatia, in peak times like summer, prices rocket. So be sure to book early guys!

The ice tea is some much better in Croatia!

As for me, my plans are to return to the coast somehow this summer. I hope to improve on my Croatian again, keep my heritage alive and stay close to my family. Now University is out the way, I really have no excuse.