Spring blooms

Wow, two outfit posts in a row. I very nearly didn't post these photos as I'm feeling pretty downcast with the way I look at the moment. I seem to have spent more time off the wagon than on it recently, and despite numerous declarations of intent, I can't seem to motivate myself enough to go swimming, run to work or reduce my portion size. And I need a hair cut, and a dousing of fake tan, but hey ho, here's where I am right now, warts and all.

These photos were taken in the little patch of pretty wilderness by my flat, which over the last few weeks has burst into life. I've also just spent the last week in France, eating cheese, drinking wine, walking, reading and pottering on my mum's land. Those short few days spent lazing in the grass made me realise how much I love being outside with the sun on my face. The thought of returning to a glaringly-lit, air conditioned office, with just the smallest peek of blue sky taunting me from my desk, was depressing. As my holiday came to an end, I even found myself scouring an online job board in search of a new career where I could roam around outside in the dazzling sunshine, perhaps as a landscape architect, a tree surgeon or an archaeologist. Now that I'm back in the office though, it's not so bad. I know the sun will set way into the evening, and my walk home will be warm and hazy. Wouldn't it be nice though, to unplug from work at the drop of a hat, scoop up some proofreading and lay in the park for the afternoon, sipping a cold drink and listening to the chirrup of birds, the buzz of insects in the grass?

This skirt was an impulse buy from River Island, which I actually rather love. Unfortunately it's not at the website at the moment, but I've spotted it in a few local stores in the sale for around the £12 mark. The top is a New Look staple, as are the shoes, and the necklace was from Accessorize.

I love spending time in France with my mum because I make sure to have no plans whatsoever. As soon as I got there and slowed down my normal pace, I got sick, which is a sure sign to me that city living is a lot more stressful than I sometimes appreciate. Before I travelled I read a post by Rosie about making and breaking daily habits, and I'm keen to make sure that some of the habits I picked up in France - reading every day, sleeping for at least eight hours, not always rushing around everywhere - stay with me, as well as focusing on some new ones too, like nourishing my body properly, looking after my skin and spending more quality time with friends.

I'm probably contradicting myself now by saying I have lots of exciting things in the pipeline, although I've carefully spread them out to avoid a bottleneck of exhaustion. This week I'm heading back to see The Drowned Man by Punchdrunk with Frank because it was SO GOOD the first time. Then I have a lovely long walk on Saturday, 'wings night' with one of Frank's friends and hopefully some park chilling and reading too! What have you got planned this week?

Follow me on GFC | Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook This site contains links to outside sources including paid affiliates. Queenie and the Dew is not responsible for the content of any third party website.