Christmas & New Year: my snapshots

Christmas and New Year flew  by in a blur of family, friends and food. I've arrived in 2012 in a new city, new house and new job, and after a lovely festive break, I'm looking forward to getting back to regular blogging on Lemonade Pockets. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

{pre-Christmas dinner at Riding House Cafe}

{Christmas wrapping}

{For Christmas we were Devon-bound, and found time for lunch at ODE cafe in Shaldon - great sea view}

{stocking fillers}

{perfectly divine make-up check opportunity}

{blustery Boxing Day walk}

{cafe at the Topsam ferry - sadly closed on Boxing Day}

{festive foliage}

We spent a few days away over the New Year with friends at a house just outside the pretty village of Presteigne, which we found on Alastair Sawday's. A day trip to Ludlow was in order, as we'd heard good things about the town, with its castle, vintage, charity and home shops. The charity shops didn't deliver many good finds, but other shops we loved were Pepper Lane Vintage, Bodenhams for the boys, 55 Mill Street, Black Bough and Dickinson's Period House Shop. We also wanted to stop by Ludlow Food Centre on the way home, but alas time had run away with us, and as it was New Year's Eve, we had to dash home to doll up.

{55 Mill Street - a selection of vintage home wares}

{gold necklace from Ludlow charity shop}

{lovely lunch at The Olive Branch}

A stop on the way home in the market town of Ledbury, which in my student days was a favourite stomping ground for their excellent charity shops, led us to find the new Ledbury Design Quarter and the beautiful shop Hus & Hem. A current obsession with the series The Killing has led to an obsession with all things Scandinavian, and so a browse in this shop was heaven, and almost killed me with its choice of stylish offerings. I am hankering after this cushion by Abigail Borg, which has just gone into the sale.

{from Hus & Hem in Ledbury;s Design Quarter}

{drip free, smoke free, soot free candles - large choice of colours}