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Holloway Road is grimy, noisy and inconsiderate, the cars that speed selfishly towards Highbury are still in motorway mode. The return leg (north side) is even worse as the lanes don't allow for bicycles and those behind the wheel honk furiously at the cyclist who dare to cross their path, rest assured it's not pretty. It does have it's plus sides though - a few considered businesses, Outpost a wonderful 'fair trade hand craft' type shop and a good cafe Spoke (both are a little out of my price range though) I can just about gather enough change for a tea £2.50, whilst I hot desk in the cafe. I'm keen on Elli's florist who sold me a money plant for £1.25 cheaper and friendlier that Columbia Road, Crystal £5 for a massive vegetarian turkish stew with bread, salad and rice (enough for two people) and the amazing Michael's a greek greengrocers with amazing olives and perfect plantain.

What's especially great about Holloway Road though is the authentically crap car boot sale, there are crack heads who set up makeshift stalls in the dingy alley at the back of McDonalds just outside the looming steel fence selling old Nokia chargers and really naff clothing, the stench of weed and desperation is palpable "I just wanna make a few sales, then I can fuck off" was one sentiment I overheard. (It reminds me of my heady days in Dalston, the Saturday morning market was then a shit pile of junk). I go there a lot as it's super close to my house and I love thrifting... I'm at my happiest expertly scanning piles of junk, like a lioness hunting it's prey. What's great about Holloway Road car boot is that in amongst all the scratched plastic, Primark dresses and rusty broken tat, there are a few (not many) wonderful things lying in wait.  

I do particularly well with shoes, plants, plates, knifes but not so great with records, clothes or plant pots (the eternal hunt), each week there are the regulars and then the unsuspecting newbies that get pounced upon by the heavily skilled staunch ladies who barter with baffling conviction. This can be entertainment in itself. 

This week was no exception I swung by on route home from Columbia Road, purchased two items and generally wandered chatting to crazies and soaking up the atmosphere. 

The candelabra was £2.50 from a lovely stall of antique looking trinkets and in really good nick. I'd bought an old light fitting from there a few weeks earlier and had glossed it white ready to stick in the bedroom. However it has sat incongruously with me for a week as it doesn't quite match my Victorian cast iron bed, black fireplace and dark wood. Glad I found real thing in brass. I reckon the other one will be great in the bathroom for when I'm relaxing with my Epsom salts.

The boots were 50 pence and at size 5 they were annoyingly too small. But I'm currently super skint so bought them as an investment. They are now in my to be eBay'd pile.

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What does £10 get you these days?

The Jumble Trail project is going from strength to strength we hit a new first this weekend with two trails happening in two places at the same time, both Bristol and Birmingham had trails on Saturday. 

I was at the Bristol Jumble Trail hosting with my friends Tom, Matt & Charlie, I cruised the stalls taking pictures and making small purchases (nothing over £2 as my budget is pretty tight at the moment), we even baked and sold cakes for extra spending money, I think I came off about a £1 better off by the end of it (once I'd paid for the ingredients and spent my money on all the items pictured), whats great though is that some of the items I bought home cost me nothing at all. 

I've been wanting to make a trip to Columbia Road Market as my house is in need of a green injection, my plant quota has dipped since moving and still not reached the optimum level - Lavender & Bay (free from neighbours garden), cactus £2, cuttings (free collected whilst feeding/petting friends cat).

I'm always on the look out for nice kitchen bits, in particular I was craving some chop sticks and a set of tongs but also came across other items here is a run down with prices - bottle stopper, chopsticks and wooden spoon, free (from a help yourself pile), enamel baking dish £1, spiced greengage chutney £1.50, tongs 30p.

Other purchases included novelty animal candles 10p each, book - Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho 50p, book - Gil Scott Heron - The Vulture 50p, antique picture plate from old light £2, stained glass boat with anchor £1, perfume samples 20p each, clip on earrings 20p each pair, I also purchased a fragrance oil burner for my dear housemate for 30p. 

Total spend = £10.40

It was a fantastic day, it's amazing what you can find when you're on a budget. I loved how sweet everyone was on the trail, super friendly and relaxed, I met this young girl who really inspired me with her brightness and sheer sense of fun, its amazing how small interactions can really give you a lift and get you thinking. 

It was wonderful to see the Bristol Pound (pictured) in use, a local currency that encourages people to think about where they spend their money, it can only be used in Bristol, think local, shop local! 

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I've been using a mooncup for about two years now, I was gifted one in India from Lucy (pictured - taken by me in Arrambol, Goa) a hippy goddess with a lovely perspective on the world, she had bought a stack to sell and hadn't quite shifted them all. My leaving presents were (the mooncup), a litre of Goan Tequila called Feni in a plastic water bottle and homemade deodorant (made from eucalyptus and other natural ingredients). Sadly the deodorant didn't quite match up to Mitchum and was left behind in my old house, the Feni disappeared long before it hit UK shores.

The mooncup however has been a wonderful and long lasting union, until I misplaced it somewhere, whoops! Fortunately my new one (pictured) has arrived today. I need to cut off the end slightly - it doesn’t need to be that long inside, just enough to grab and pull it out.

I got on with it immediately, perhaps because I’d heard all the stories of mishaps I decided right there and then I would be a modern woman and embrace progress.

Placing my fingers inside my vagina has always been natural, and then the blood? I’m not squeamish, I’m vegetarian by choice I wonder what the difference is between the bloody steak of a dead cow and the warm red tissue spurned from my loins. I don't need a applicator or a bleached thread with cotton wool that could give me toxic shock syndrome to protect me from handling my own excess material.

I certainly don't need to be paying £3.69 for a pack of tampons at local shop, especially as 20% goes directly to the government. 

Woman up! Buy yourself a moon cup, don’t try it, commit to using it, reject social norms, trust me they’ll be no turning back… you can sleep in it, wear it for longer than a tampon, you won’t get sick and certainly won’t have to pop to the shop to buy anymore sanitary products.

http://www.mooncup.co.uk/ 

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#bbc #radio #london https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wONJCV7kGdw #jumbletrail #jumblist #massive #wicked #wicked

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#openingceremony #glastonbury #choir #stonecircle getting our voices ready for sunset!

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#openingceremony #glastonbury #choir job done, the fire is burning and the pagan gods summoned - now let the dancing commence!

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#downtherabbithole #hiddentunnel #Grimms #fairytale #well #portugal #sintra #cheekbones #magical

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#beach #sunset #sea #space #nowifi #love #portugal

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#ladiesonly #swimming #bapsout #hampstead #nature #pondlife best thing to do in #London on a #summers day

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Odemira, Portugal.

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#nofilter #portugal #thrift #vintage #bargains #recycle @jumbletrail @kelli_photo #lisbon #hunting

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#portugal #sunset #naturewalks #countrygirl #naturalhabitat @kelli_photo

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#portugal #aloevera #sunburn #nature #healing @kelli_photo

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#Portugal #Sintra #QuintadaRegaleria #interiors #friends @kelli_photo

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Inspiration afternoon - on the hunt for summer shorts

Today I'm wearing a pair of red Planet shorts that just about fit me (I seem to have filled out a little over the British winter) back to the gym with a vengeance! 

Whilst enjoying said shorts, white shirt and black blazer I thought it might be nice to investigate the new realm of shorts on offer, loose, stylish and smart and stumbled upon Clover Canyon's summer collection. 

I like there futuristic floral patterns and flattering shapes, bright and fashionable enough to carry me through summer and beyond.

Seems as though I'm behind the times as all the stars are wearing them.

Too pricey for my budget but I did check eBay and Etsy they had a nice jumper for £75. I think for now I will just use the style as inspiration for future purchases. There are so many pattern options about at the moment, I reckon Zara or Dalston junction for African prints might satisfy my colour/print hunger for now. 

Elle have ran a great feature on shorts last year 2013, and they still look relevant now, I mean shorts are like bra's exactly how much can they change each season! And I like about 70% of them, about 90% of the models have their hands in their pockets, perhaps a compulsory pose?!

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Free ice skating Somerset House

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