There's no place like home...

I love to travel, experiencing new cities, cultures, relaxing in an environment  where you can switch off from your everyday life.
Waking up each morning excitedly, knowing a day full of discovery lies ahead.
Having just returned from the hot tropic's of Barcelona, a week surrounded by tapas, glasses of wine, the scent of Hawaiian tropic on my skin..Las Ramblas, getting lost in the streets of the Gothic Quarter....sitting in a beach bar with my friends drinking mojito's and sharing a bowl of nachos while people-watching.I was in my element. 

But where I differ from most of my friends is that if I am away longer than a couple of weeks my heart aches for home. I was the friend left behind while people deserted Dublin for the States, Australia, backpacking around Asia or simply across the sea to London.
I would follow their adventures by email, each time responding with a 'oh you are so lucky, I wish I was there'.  But what held me back?


I had no mortgage, no children, and at the time no boyfriend. An ideal time for me to disappear to pastures new.
The truth is that my family kept me here. I don't say this with any resentment. I simply couldn't imagine missing out on my nieces or nephew growing up, Sunday dinner's in my parents house...birthday parties...Christmas Dinner's...or just knowing that I could jump on my bike and cycle to my Mum's for a coffee and a chat(And from time to time a much needed hug) whenever I liked.


When we landed in Dublin Airport greeted by the cold air, I think I was the only person still smiling..all I could think of was meeting up with my loved one's and filling them in on all of our adventures!


I think Dorothy says it best  ''Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home – home! And this is my room – and you're all here – and I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And... oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!''

Ali

 x

These are some of my favourite things.....

A cheap & cheerful home improvement...





Bring the pub to your home with this very stylish book 

Too many choices, will I make

 The Southern Belle, The Alabama Slammer or The Couture Fizz..

Mojito's on the beach in Barcelona...

A modern day Dorothy shoe...from Miu Miu

Magpie Spy

A very stylish piggy bank....

...makes saving that bit easier!

 

Movie Night...
This week The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

And finally...the rain is pouring here in Dublin so a visit to Topshop

for this frilly protector is a must!

And the beat goes on...

As Saturdays go I was having a lovely day, excited to catch up with friends, free from meetings, 1 hour lunch breaks and the hardest decision I had to make was 'What to have for breakfast?' (porridge with banana's, honey and a sprinkling of cinnamon..opted for the banana on it's own when I realised we had no milk)
With a beep from my Blackberry or Blueberry as my Mum likes to call it (pet name for her is 'Dotty' due to the fact she has many of these slip ups),my plans for brunch were suddenly cancelled leaving me with a free day..boyfriend was off doing his best Pelé impression so looked like I was going solo.
I decided the only option was to jump back into bed for some much needed rest and relaxation..for me that's grabbing my laptop and watching REALITY TRASH TV - The Rachel Zoe Project.
After this very 'tiring' activity I was in need of a nice long hot bath...a pouring of *hidden Jo Malone Bath Oil, basil, lime & mandarin and I was good to go.
*Hidden - following an incident of boyfriend pouring the entire contents of a bottle in following a footie injury...I nearly saw red, he offered his Radox, I implied he would need more than a bath if he used my 'stuff' again...

Various activities later...(staring at my eyebrows in the mirror wondering if one was bushier then the other, painting of nails and walking around the apartment doing my best Adele impression)....claustrophobia set in.

Throwing on some clothes, I decided I would pop down to our local caff and have a well deserved cappuccino! Sitting by the window I heard a song playing lowly in the background and when I heard it I smiled to myself. 'God Only Knows' by the Beach Boys.
I was instantly taking back to myself as a 14 year old, the song was played to me over the phone by a boy who couldn't quite say he liked me to my face. At the time, sitting at the bottom of my stairs clutching the phone to my ear I was embarrassed and like most young girls went silent and then very quickly changed the subject. Although at the time it had little or no effect on me, sixteen years later it's a very different story, If I hear that song I am taken back in time, thinking of the friends I had, (some lost and others still a very big part of my life) the experiences we had and who we aspired to be.

I think everyone has this in their lives, whenever 'Summer of 69' is played I manage to count for three seconds and boyfriend announces 'ah I love this song...it always reminds me of my 21st, did I tell you that story'.
There are so many songs that could make up the soundtrack of my life to date...42nd Street - from the musical of the same name (Age 10, incessantly tap dancing on the kitchen tiles before AND after my tap class, much to the annoyance of both of my sisters (16 &  17 at the time) who were trying to impress their boyfriends while their maniac sister tapped away singing the song), Girls & Boys by Blur (Age 15..my first concert with my best pal..we felt like adults, but as soon as the concert was over we ran to my Dad's car for a lift home with the hope he would let us stop for chips..him grunting as all he wants to do is get back for Match of the Day instead of collecting two giggly teenager's)
Teardrops by Womack & Womack, (Age 17, my Debs...dancing with people who are still my friends today, hugging each other and getting excited for college life)......Anything by Sinatra (Age? Timeless.My grandad Paddy, who loved all the greats Frank, Dean, Elvis...a play of Sinatra when I am with my family and we don't have to say a word to each other as at that moment we are all thinking of the same person)

Songs have memories, good and bad, but I treasure everyone of them as all of these experiences have made me the person I am today, and I honestly don't think I turned out too badly...of course we all have our off days, nobodies perfect:) 

Feeling perky after my coffee and I return to the apartment, switch on my laptop and start typing...MTV is on in the background 'Sounds of the 90's' have come on, I hear the beat of a song...and I stop typing...I am instantly back in Ibiza, dancing on a podium with friends...but that's another story I just simply couldn't bore you with :)

Ali
x

These are some of my favourite things.....

A leopard never changes it's spots...

and for me it will ALWAYS be in my wardrobe!

Getting inspiration for nails from my fab cocktail ring..

New York in Dublin..Coffee & bagels

 Going....

 Going...

 Gone!!!!!

Adding these Carnaby Boa Snake Hunter Wellies to my winter wardrobe..

and releasing my inner musical goddess :)

Style Crush: Nicole Richie...

The Heidi inspired plaits, red lips, monochrome Dries Van Noten and a splash of colour from her Chanel clutch...effortless style at it's best.

The perfect way to end a Saturday night..

 a serenade by candle light :)

 

Fridays child is loving and giving..

Fridays are my favourite day of the week. Fact. Everyone is in a great mood, my office is full of excitement - discussions of where the girls are going that night...what outfits they are wearing (spending money they don't have to wear something that they can't be seen in again for fear of fashion/social suicide)...the countdown to half five so that they can run out the door and start their weekend. Now that's enough about the 23 year olds in my office, as for me.....
Fridays are for huge hoodies, baggy trousers, hair tied up in a messy bun and the biggest decision to be made is what SKY+ programme we should watch first. Tonight boyfriend announced 'it will also be a PIZZA night' accompanied by beer (my contribution) some Modern Family, An Idiot Abroad 2 and possibly some inappropriate comedy from Fresh Meat.
And to be perfectly honest I ADORE these nights. I won't admit it to boyfriend as I need him to think that I still expect romance after nearly four and half years together.
Following a week of work where I am surrounded by fashion and beauty...what's hot and what's not...stressing over which outfit I should wear to work and wondering why oh why I can't justify spending all my Rent on a new Celine Shopper. I love to switch off and just go back to basics.
Friday is MY night of rest.

Fast forward ten hours and all systems are go!
Saturday morning: a nice long hot bath while reading this weeks Grazia magazine and I am energised, hair blow dryed, make up applied (fail-safe process: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, YSL Touche Eclat, Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, Nude Shadow from my Chanel Prelude Eye Palette, a slick of Sephora Black Eyeliner, Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara, some coral blush by Chanel 'In Love' and a pout full of Benefits 'What are you wearing' and I am good to go)
I love to play dress up depending on my mood, one day I am going for preppy chic the next I am full on biker girl in leather jacket or the caped crusader in my selection from Zara, Selected Femme and ASOS. I admire peoples style and I love to take aspects of what I see on the street, catwalks, magazines and blogs but I still know that when I switch off and remove this I am equally as happy.
Something I wish my 23 year old self realised at the time.

These are some of my favourite things.....weekend edition

Dissecting NYLON Magazine for lover's of popular culture & fashion; this month's cover features my new style/acting crush Elizabeth Olsen

Mary-Kate & Ashley who?





Getting inspiration from cookbooks for Sunday dinner..

Taking 'Norma' for a cycle to visit my parents

Lusting after this Topshop MAC...oh pay day please arrive!

Meeting up for brunch with friends

Catching up with The Rachel Zoe Project season:4
Too much Chanel for one person :)

My newest obsession....at home

Hammered metal lamps - my bedside table needs them!  

And finally....this weeks hidden gem

In case you hadn't realised already I love food and cooking, the whole experience that comes with it. Whether it be preparing a meal and chatting while entertaining friends or eating out in a restaurant.

Thankfully my friend, let's call her Fashionista (wardrobe I wish I could raid, introduced me to the world of fur..sadly mine is faux) is equally as obsessed with food as I am.

We sometimes email each other descriptions of what we made for dinner the previous night, drooling and then deciding we are so hungry we must go for lunch immediately!

So that's how we found this weeks hidden gem, accompanied by Fashionista I stumbled upon a cafe situated in the world of music...well a record store. On the top floor of Tower Records, Soundbites cafe is nestled behind cd stands with views of Wicklow Street.

If I hadn't overheard someone talking about the tasty food they had there I probably would have walked right out. But as I approached the cafe I realised why this is slowly becoming the place to go for lunch by all City worker's looking for a relaxing yet affordable lunch(two things that are missing from the majority of cafes in the city).

Soundbites is quirky with a mishmash of chairs, posters hanging on the ceilings, sweet music playing (I recognised the Edward Scissorhand soundtrack while I was there), retro wallpaper and friendly staff.

The real attraction is the food..open for breakfast and offering bacon butties, granola with fruit...lunches of curried parsnip soup, brie and spinach focaccia ..goat cheese tartlets, stews and scrumptious desserts - we wanted the brownie but for once resisted (next time it will be mine) 

We left the cosy cafe after a good gossip,with a full tummy..making plans for our return.