LONG TIME...

... no write. I know. I have been wretched. I have myriad excuses. I got married. I had a honeymoon. I moved house. I got stuck in a whirlwind job that spared me no moments for style musings and missives. I feel awful for my silence over the past months.

I have to be honest, I'm not sure if and when I'll blog again. I don't know if this new life will ever afford me the time to wax pretty on the stuff I love. But I felt terrible - and appallingly impolite, for not bidding you a proper adieu - for now anyway.

Perhaps, when I have time, I'll stick up some pictures of our gloriously perfect wedding day (I know, cliche etc, but it really was), and share snaps of my newly purchased vintage Parker Knoll rocker (about to be recovered in peridot chenille from Designers Guild), and tell you about my latest adventures in ice cream making (salted caramel... pink peppercorn...), and swoon here over the Fall fashion that has sort of made it okay for Summer to end.

Until then, thank you so much for reading.

And for your lovely messages and support.

xxx

MR WHIPPY

Can't resist these lightbulbs!!!

LUNCHTIME OBSESSION: JEANS

The sun is shining. London's parks are overflowing with pink limbs, picnic blankets and bottles of cava. The slowly-baking pavements are empty. I am sitting in my vast, yet equally empty office, wishing I could be beating down those pavements, to stock up on some sugared almond-hued jeans (I'd like a nude pair, to be worn with bright sandals and a slouchy white vest). There's nothing more frustrating than having to resort to the internet for your shopping fix. Wait, there is - working on Good Friday when you should be enjoying the Parklife too...

ZOO IN A TEACUP

How cool are these Japanese cups? I'd love to surprise my guests during a tea party. To be served with animal crackers, naturally.

I HAVE BEEN MOSTLY...

...not blogging, but I don't need to tell you that. Instead of putting fingertips to keyboard, I have been making giant pom poms (60 of them), researching signature cocktails (vodka, ginger and rosemary lemon drops for me), fretting over wedding shoes (sold my Louboutins on eBay, bought and returned some Pradas, settled on some Michel Viviens), learning to waltz (gulp), oh and putting in ten-hour days at my newspaper job.

Things I have lost since we last spoke: Two pairs of Marc Jacobs sunglasses, just as the sun has started shining, but also, delightedly, and through sheer determination, gym sessions and total avoidance of carbs, three inches off my waist (imagine how smug I was at my dress fitting - this new body will be maintained til exactly one day after the wedding!!).

Things I have gained since we last spoke: A few honeymoon purchases (courtesy of See by Chloe, JCrew and H&M) which I've squirreled away until we island hop around Greece, wedding rings (a uber skinny gold band for me), a giftlist at Heals (nothing is more fun than selecting Jonathan Adler napkin rings!!) and a new Jamie Oliver favourite recipe.

The best thing I've done since we last spoke: My hen weekend in Berlin, which will go down as one of my most delightful mini-breaks EVER. Three days with my best friends, a bike tour through Berlin, a thermae spa, splits on a restaurant table (twice), a dance club til dawn, a woozy lunch at Berlin House, rooftop hair-of-the-dogs, funny gifts, racy dares, a lovely book filled with memories, ramblings and a few dodgy pictures of hairstyles, outfits and weight gain I'd rather forget.

It made me realise that my girlfriends truly are the best in the world. Classy, raucous and amazing. A girl couldn't be more blessed.

I KNOW I CAN'T EAT THESE...

... but I'm still smitten with these beautifully ornate chocolate eggs from Fortnum & Mason. With more than a hint of Victoriana, the charmingly old-school creations are actually made with moulds from the F&M archive. Give me one of these over a Mars multibox anyday (although, actually, don't give me any - survivingly the onslaught of chocolate to our Daily Mail desk is almost impossible. Today is was a collossal Hotel Du Chocolat egg, after nibbling a morsel I have hated myself all afternoon... Dieting is a bitch)

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Today, movie stars aren't so special. They have no mystique, no aura of the unknown. They just aren't deliciously untouchable anymore. They tweet snaps in their bathroom and reveal unsavoury snippets about colonics and vajazzling. We know every shoddy secret of their break-ups and protein-only diets, we see their unsightly lumps and bumps in glorious technicolour.

I know they don't get a lot of opportunity to play it old school (and as an ex-employee of Us Weekly us punters secretly lap up all those gory details), but at the news that the last doyenne of Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor passed away today, I realised sadly that that golden era of elegance has slipped away too - before our very eyes. Okay, so the friendship with Michael Jackson was slightly odd, and admittedly in her latter years, Liz didn't quite have the glamour of her youth, but she truly was the epitome of a movie star - including the goddesss-like curves, string of lovers, violet eyes and iconic movie roles. The Renees and Jennifers and Demis and Camerons of this world have a lot to live up to. But there really will only ever be one Queen Elizabeth.

IN FULL BLOOM

I spotted these gigantic flowers twisted around an old step ladder a few months ago while at the Mulberry headquarters. As I marvelled at them, the PRs revealed they'd be officially unveiled at the fashion show in January and would finally find a home in the shop windows, along with the Spring collection. Well here they are in their full fuchsia glory. The uber bright shade is unique to Mulberry but the oversize blooms are available in white from a London prop shop and will be making an appearance at our May nuptials... stay posted for pics!

THIS SUMMER I WILL BE MOSTLY WEARING...

...short shorts and sassy skirts and bright colours and brighter lipstick and messy up-dos. I worship at the altar of J.Crew. I know that sometimes it can feel a little preppy and maybe for you Americans, who read this, boring and obvious. But for me, the clashy colours and feel-good pieces, styled with a bit of fashion attitude, are exactly what I want to wear. When I stumbled across this show a while back, I thought I'd save it to share when the sun is finally shining. Hope it inspires you as much on this glorious Spring day, as it has done me...

CALORIE COUNTING

I am seriously trying to diet. It's just a little over two months til our big day and I feel like if I'm ever going to be able to focus on shifting the pounds it's now. So far, so good. In the last ten days I have lost an inch and a half off my waist. Having a pretty boy trainer definitely helps - plus an even more gorgeous fiance to look fabulous for...

My eating habits have morphed from spaghetti and scones to spinach and soya. I am limiting my portion sizes too. I still have toast for breakfast, but just one slice, and it's wholemeal and it's paired with fruit and yoghurt. I'm sort of enjoying it. Not in a way that I could imagine the regime lasting for ever (life without spaghetti is too tragic to consider), but feeling a little bit slimmer is putting a certain spring in my step.

Yet today something happened to scupper everything. We got sent the new Peyton and Byrne cook book - British Baking. It's out next week and if you're attempting any kind of Spring slim, steer clear. It has the most perfect elegantly English recipes, from Victoria plum cobbler to homemade crumpets. The pictures are so utterly lovely that my stomach squeaked torturously!! It's worth buying, just to stroke the pictures for a few months. Believe me, once those honeymoon bikinis have been modelled, I'm getting my apron on...