Gimme Pizzaaaa!

My sister and I made an ultimate pizza, with a sourdough, spelt and rye base, pesto, passata, vegetables and cheese. The best part is that everything (apart from the cheese, base, and mushrooms) came from our allotment - even the pesto and passata were homemade! There were courgettes, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, onion, garlic, spring onion, beans and sweetcorn. It turned out absolutely great. I will definitely be making this pizza again.

 Jess xx

Canal Boating

A long-awaited post which I have been meaning to make since mid-July... way back then, at the beginning of the first real heatwave in years, I went canal-boating with my family. I thought I'd share with you some of the beautiful snaps we took while we were there.

Jess xx

The Girl Without the Dragon Tattoo (just the hair of Lisbeth Salander)

Top: Zara sale

Jeans: Charity shop, £3.50

Hoodie and jacket: my younger sister's

Rucksack: Fjällraven känken

Time for a change! I chopped a great deal my hair, shaved the sides, and shortened my fringe. I am aware how great a change this is, but I felt I needed this - for now, anyway. I'm not going to go into reasons for my exactly I chose to do so. But I do want to make a comment on the way many people have been viewing this change.

Many friends and family members have looked a little dismayed that I am not (at present) dressing in my '30s and '40s get-up. It is great that they are expressing an interest in what I wear and how I behave, but it really opened my eyes to how people EXPECTED me to dress. I am indeed aware that 1940s attire suits my body shape, and makes me stand out. I am aware this new look makes me stand out. I don't get admiring stares when I go down the street. I get side-glances and strange looks. And this is okay.

What is not okay, however, is the level that I realise people are pressured into dressing a certain way. I have no qualms about being stared at or ignored. I don't feel that dressing as a '50s housewife one day and Lisbeth Salander the next is a scary choice to make. But many people do and this is a sad thing. People will choose not to express themselves fully because of the way other people will look at them. What is so demeaning about a tattoo, or a hoodie, or piercings, or fake tan? It is a look, a way to express oneself. Somebody's appearance has nothing to do with their IQ. Don't be so quick to judge.

Anyway: have a couple more pictures:

Jess xx