Cornish Adventures 2021: Exploring North Cornwall by Tour Bus

I've always thought that Cornwall, with it's beautiful coastlines and pretty harbour villages, would be an amazing area to see by tour bus, but in all my years of holidaying there, I'd never seen or heard of any in the area.

That all changed on our first night in Perranporth last September, when an Atlantic-Coaster open-top double decker bus came cruising past us, promoting tours to St. Ives and Padstow. We both turned our heads, and I think we knew there and then what we'd be doing that weekend. We looked the tour operator up back at the caravan, and decided it would be the perfect way to ease ourselves in to our holiday. It just so happened that the tour bus came right in to our holiday park, Perran Sands, which was clearly a sign we had to go.

Two days later, on our second full day in Cornwall, the morning sea haze parted and transformed in to blue skies and blistering sunshine, blessing us with the perfect weather for sight-seeing. We stocked up on cold drinks, and drove along to the touring reception, where the tour buses pick up at Perran Sands, having decided we'd get on the first bus that arrived and see where we ended up. We didn't have to wait long for a bus to come rumbling along, and I was pleased to discover it was the route that would take us west along the North coast of Cornwall from Perranporth to St. Ives. (I bloody love St. Ives).

We bought our tickets from the (very grumpy) driver, which came to just £18 for the two of us, and made ourselves comfortable on the upper deck. It was already half full with other sight-seers, but everyone was spaced out enough that I didn't feel too concerned about catching Covid.

We left Perran Sands around 11:30am, and headed in to Perranporth. Its first stop was at one of my favourite places- Perranporth Beach. The tide was out past Chapel Rock, and the beautiful golden sandy beach was already filling up with people and their dogs enjoying the late summer sunshine. It looked so idyllic, I was tempted to get off the bus to do the same, but alas, the beach would have to wait. I settled for a few photos while passengers came and went, and then we were on our way again.

From Perranporth, the Atlantic Coaster took us along the North coast of Cornwall, through beautiful countryside, pretty Cornish towns, and stunning coastlines including stops in St. Agnes, Portreath, Porth Towan, Hayle, and St. Ives- and others in between. Apart from Perranporth and St. Ives, I had never visited any of the other places before, despite three and a half decades of holidays in the area. It was great to see lots of places I'd never seen before, and to view Cornwall through new eyes. We passed so many beautiful beaches and estuaries, rugged coastlines with azure seas, working harbours with boats beached at low tide and the scent of seaweed heavy in the air, and peaceful seaside villages sheltered by hills laden with orange and purple heathers. In between, we'd pass miles of crop and dairy farms backing on to the sea, and moors of heather and scrub, drifting from scorching sunshine in to chilly pockets of sea haze that felt like we were cruising through the clouds. 

St. Agnes was a sleepy little village strung with colourful bunting that looked like a good place to stop for a quiet drink in one of its pubs or cafes.

I instantly fell in love with Portreath, a pretty seaside village on the North Coast surrounded by green hills blooming with heather on three sides, and edged by a beautiful sandy beach on the fourth. It looked so picturesque, and I'm still dying to go back and visit it properly on foot. Hopefully we will this September.

There was so much to see in the bustling port town of Hayle, from the harbour to a beautiful estuary. The tide was out when we drove along it, but the scenery was still gorgeous.

Like most city tour buses, you could get on and off the buses at the designated stops to explore places as many times as you wanted, but as we were both still recovering from the pain of the journey down, we just rode the bus in a loop, which took a little under four hours. We did have to disembark in St. Ives for ten minutes while the driver had a break- which was no hardship as we had a gorgeous view of the harbour and sea to enjoy. It was so beautiful in the hazy sunshine, and the water looked turquoise and crystal clear under the blue sky. It was lovely to take it all in, and watch the boats and paddle-boarders on the water. I will never tire of seeing St. Ives; it's one of my favourite places, and easily one of the most beautiful places in England. 

After our quick break in St. Ives, we were back on board, and enjoying the journey in reverse, noticing things on the other side of the road that we'd missed on the way down, like cute little graveyards hidden behind thickets of trees. It wasn't as interesting on the way back, but I still enjoyed the views and being out in the sunshine, as well as getting a second look at the places that had caught my eye on the way in.

The only issue we had with the Atlantic Coaster was that its returning drop off point at Perran Sands wasn't the same place it picked up. The bus stop was across the road from the holiday park, and quite a walk from the touring reception, where we'd left the car, which really isn't practical for people with disabilities or chronic pain. And probably not for people with young kids or the elderly, either. Even if you're abled-bodied, it will leave you with a trek back to your accommodation because Perran Sands is huge. Neither of us could comfortably walk it, so we had little choice but to get off the bus at the stop before in Perranporth, and grab a taxi back to the site instead. Luckily, it was only a mile down the road, so it only cost us a fiver, but still... 

We had a forty-five minute wait for a taxi, so we treated ourselves to gelato from a great little ice cream shop just behind Perranporth Beach car park called Pavilion Ice, and ate them on the sea front with a gorgeous view of the beach. The Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno gelatos I had were so delicious, and just what I needed in that heat. I'd highly recommend them. I'm definitely going back to try some other flavours this September.

Despite the slight inconvenience, neither of us minded sitting on the sea front in the scorching sunshine for almost an hour. Perranporth Beach is another of my favourite places, and really, who can be unhappy sitting under cornflower-blue skies, looking out at a golden sandy beach and aquamarine sea, and watching the waves roll on to the shore?? Not me, that's for sure. It was a beautiful day, and nice just to relax, take in the view, people-watch, and see all the cute dogs having so much fun on the beach. I could've sat there all day. 

It was nearing five P.M. by the time we got back to our caravan to put our feet up with a cold drink after an enjoyable day of sight seeing. Our trip filled the day nicely, without taking the whole day, but if you used the Atlantic Coaster to get off and explore some of the destinations on foot, you could easily spend the entire day sight-seeing and making memories, and really get your money's worth. 

We had a great time exploring the Cornish coast in the late summer sunshine, and it was a great way to see more of Cornwall- and scope out places to go back and explore on our future travels- without over-exerting ourselves. Chronic pain limits how far I can go on foot, but taking the Atlantic Coaster allowed me to take in all of those beautiful places and even spot new things in places I knew well, while saving energy sitting reasonably comfortably on my backside. And all for the bargain price of £9! Not bad for over three and a half hours of sight-seeing.

We enjoyed the Atlantic coaster so much, we're already planning to take one again on our next trip to Cornwall. There are other tours I'd love to take, including one that goes down to The Lizard peninsular, on the south coast, and another that travels west along to Land's End. The Padstow tour sounds great, too, but being more familiar with the places on its route, I'd rather explore other areas first.   

If you're ever in Cornwall and want to do some inexpensive sight-seeing, give the Atlantic Coaster a try. I couldn't recommend it to you more.     

What's the best place you've ever explored by tour bus? 

                                                                                                                

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Erstwilder x Pete Cromer 4.0: Wildlife Jewellery Collection

Waiting to find out what Erstwilder's next collecton will be is part of the fun of collecting their awesome jewellery, and I could not have been more surprised when a new Pete Cromer collection dropped last month.

After three fantastic collaborations, I never expected we'd get a fourth from them, but the best surprises are the ones we don't see coming. The Pete Cromer collections, which see the Australian artist's colourful contemporary artwork reimagined as resin jewellery, have been some of my favourite ranges to date, and the latest collection has been no exception.

The new Wildlife collection has, unsurprisingly, been inspired by Cromer's Wildlife series, which is made up of beautiful paintings of wild animals from around the world. There are lions and tigers, toucans and macaws, crocodiles and pandas, and so much more, with the designs reproduced as brooches, necklaces, rings, earrings, and even scarves. 

The collection was split in to two parts, with a smaller first release in late June, and a larger second drop in mid-July. There were soooo many pieces I would've loved to have collected, but I had to limit myself to one piece from the first release, and bought three from the second. Narrowing down my favourites took forever- especially with the second release- as I fell in love with everything.

Who'd like to see what I got?

So, even though I could only afford one piece from part one of the collection, there was no doubt in my mind which brooch it was going to be. I needed the toucan brooch in my life. I've always loved toucans, and The Tactful Toucan brooch is a little work of art, bringing Cromer's toucan painting to life with startling accuracy. It's amazing how Erstwilder are able to translate his art in to resin, including all of the little details and pops of colour that make Cromer's work so distinctive, but on a much smaller scale. Some of the detailing is tiny, but they've recreated it all flawlessly. The end result is a striking toucan brooch with a body made from textured black and silver resin, and an impressive beak crafted from plain orange and glittery raspberry. It's been embellished with colourful shapes in a mix of different plain and textured resins, including little pops of blue, green, yellow, pink, silver, and more. It's an amazing piece, and I love it so much. I can't help thinking it would make a great tattoo.

My favourite piece from the second part of the collection has to be The Cautious Camel brooch. I don't know what it is about it exactly, but I think it has so much character, and it's cute face just makes me smile. It's body is made up of buff, camel, grey and taupe bubble and pearlescent resins, but as you'd expect from Pete Cromer, it's anything but plain and boring. It's decorated with a bridle of colourful dots and scallops in a variety of jewel colours, as if it's dressed up for a fun parade instead of leading a caravan through the desert, and the colours make it such a fun piece to pin to a summer outfit. It's so pretty.

Another piece I found myself instantly drawn to was The Learned Lemur, which I partly chose because I have a dress with lemurs on it that it will go perfectly with, and also because it reminded me of the time I did work experience with ruffed lemurs when I was at college. The Learned Lemur is a fantastic ringtailed lemur brooch, crafted from the most amazing galaxy-effect resin that appears grey from a distance, but is actually a beautiful mix of grey, green, blue, and purple. It's tail has the characteristic ringtailed stripes in pops of black, white, green, blue, and grey, and it has gorgeous light grey pearlescent markings on its face and chest. And as you'd expect, it's finished with a scattering of colourful little shapes in true Pete Cromer style. 

It took me a while to narrow down my short list of favourites- which also included the tiger, macaw, and giraffe- to pick my final piece, but in the end, I just couldn't resist the meerkat brooch, The Masterful Meerkat. Whether they're comparing meerkats or singing Hakuna Matata with a warthog, everyone loves a meerkat, right? I think this little guy is adorable, and its cute little feet, layered on top of the body, won me over. He's made from a mesmerising pearlescent taupe resin, with plain buff, black, tan, and taupe markings on his face and chest, and decorated with a variety of shapes in shades of blue, white, yellow, and black, all inlaid in to the resin. I'm not often drawn to neutral-coloured accessories as I prefer things a little more colourful, but Master meerkat doesn't blend in to the background. It's a great statement piece, sure to be a great conversation starter, and will be perfect for trips to the zoo. Now I just need Pete Cromer and Erstwilder to make a warthog brooch for the ultimate brooch pairing.

There are still quite a few pieces available from the collection, so if you've fallen in love with these designs as much as I have, be sure to check out the selection from Erstwilder and their stockists.

Did you buy anything from  the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Wildlife collection? Which piece is your favourite?

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What I Got For My Birthday

It was my birthday at the beginning of the month- not that I celebrated it this year. I spent the day in bed sick with Covid, self-isolating from my family, and feeling too upset to celebrate after missing a trip to Brighton and a concert I'd been dying to see the day before.

It barely even registered that it was my birthday, except for the birthday cake, and presents from my family that got left outside my bedroom door, which did actually help to cheer me up a little. How can cake and presents not make you smile?!

I might do something fun to make up for my ruined birthday plans once we've all fully recovered from Covid, but for now I thought I'd keep with tradition, and give you a peek at the lovely presents I was gifted this year.

My parents gave me a couple of pairs of earrings and a set of cardi clips from Erstwilder. The cardi clips are a pair of gorgeous pink and white cockatoos (galahs?) called Pinky Promise from last year's Erstwilder x Jocelyn Proust collection. They're made from the prettiest pearlescent, bubble, and textured resins, and the best part is they're so versatile. They can be worn as cardi or collar clips, but also pinned closer together as a double brooch. I love them! I think the glittery cream opalescent flower earrings were from the same collection, but I can't remember which the plain black bubble resin cat earrings belonged to. Maybe one of the Halloween ranges? Doesn't really matter; they're cute, and will be perfect for spooky season.

I also got some money from my parents so I could choose something I wanted, so I pooled my birthday money, and put it towards this beautiful Bumblebee and Small Polka Dot Monty radio from Emma Bridgewater. I've been looking for a new bluetooth speaker for a while, as I've had nothing to play music on- except for straight off my phone or laptop- since my last speaker broke a couple of years ago. I've been tempted by the heart print Emma Bridgewater radio for ages, but just as I was thinking about buying it with my birthday money, I stumbled across this one and fell in love with it there and then. It's so unique, and I love the colourful bee and polka dot print so much. I've never seen a gadget quite like it. I haven't set up the radio or alarm clock features yet, but it's so easy to connect your phone or iPod to it to play music, and the bass on it is impressive. The sound quality is amazing. It even has a USB port at the back so you can charge your phone from it! It isn't cheap at £100, but if you sign up to the newsletter on the Emma Bridgewater website, you get 15% off your order, making it a much more reasonable £85. Trust me, it's worth every penny.

My younger sister bought me the Robin Hood Loungefly Wallet that I've been lusting over for the best part of a year, and it is amazing. It's blue and green with silhouettes of trees and bushes in the background, and a pattern of characters from the film in the foreground. There's Robin Hood and Little John (not running through the forest), Maid Marian and Clucky, her lady-in-waiting, Prince John and Sir Hiss, and even the little bunnies and turtle. It's so cute! The inside is petrol-blue with a pale blue lining printed with items associated with the film, like Robin Hood's hat, quivers, gems, and arrows and targets. It has space for notes and several cards, but annoyingly doesn't have a place for coins. You can kind of make a pocket out of the space behind the cards, but it's not ideal. Luckily, I don't often have much cash on me, so I'm sure I can make it work.

Along with the wallet, my sister gave me the coolest pair of Truffle Shuffle socks with the worm from Labyrinth on them. They're bright blue and red, and lovely and thick. I've always loved the worm from Labyrinth, so they're the best socks ever!

On my birthday, my other sister dropped a gift bag of presents off on the doorstep for me, not wanting to risk coming in and getting infected. She and my brother-in-law gifted me four books, and a lovely selection of treats from Marks and Spencer's. I sense she was trying to cheer me up after I got sick and our plans fell apart. The sugar definitely helped. I was given Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (which I've wanted to try after enjoying the Shadow and Bone books), The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Jade City by Fonda Lee, and Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I've only read Every Heart a Doorway so far, and it was a weirdly good but morbid little read. I can't wait to read all the others. As for the sweet treats, I was given some cookie dough bites, a couple of bags of chocolate peanuts (my fave M&S treats), some chocolate covered popcorn, and a couple of cakes in a jar. The Trillionaire one was particularly delicious. Would definitely recommend.

And one of my lovely friends sent me a gorgeous parcel of goodies wrapped in peach-coloured polka dot tissue paper. She sent me the sweetest selection of items, including a llama keyring, a set of cute wooden animal photo pegs, a bookish pin, a mint-green scrunchie featuring black and white dogs with patches that remind me of Rosie, a birthday candle and flower seeds in a little matchbox, some flower stickers, and a map-print pill box, that will be so handy for carrying my painkillers in my bag.

I'm really grateful for all I was given this year, so thank you to everyone who gave me a present. You're the best!

What's the best birthday present you've ever been given?

How I Caught Covid-19

Well, it finally happened. After two and a half years of trying to avoid it, the ol' Corona Virus finally caught me.

And, would you believe, I got infected the first time I let my guard down, and went without a mask in public?! It's like a storyline from a teen soap opera to scare kids in to being sensible, except it really did happen. 

I came down with cold symptoms two days after I got home from seeing Ronan Keating live in Bournemouth at the end of June. It was my first concert in almost three years, and my first time in a large crowd since before the pandemic. I haven't been anywhere else in ages, so there's no doubt where I caught it. I went in intending to wear a mask to try to stay safe, but it was so hot in the venue that I felt faint, and had to remove it before I'd even made it in to my seat. I felt anxious about it at first, but it felt just like old times, and I soon forgot about it and let myself relax. That was definitely a stupid move on my part, but I only saw a handful of mask-wearers in a crowd of thousands, so I doubt wearing a mask would've made much of a difference, anyway. With everyone singing and screaming along to the show, the virus must've been a thick smog in the air. I didn't get too close to anyone, but there was someone coughing nearby, which I can hear in most of the videos I took of the gig, so I'm totally going to blame that person for going to the gig sick and infecting me. (Although, there were probably loads of people there who were Covid-positive, whether they knew it or not). 

I tried to wear a mask as much as possible for the rest of our trip to Bournemouth, including in taxis and shops, but I also made the mistake of not keeping my mask on on the bus because, again, I was uncomfortably hot from the heatwave. I just popped it on whenever people were boarding or disembarking the bus, so if I didn't catch Covid at the concert, it will have been on the journey there or back.

I feel so stupid for being so complacent because I've been so careful since the pandemic began. I haven't been near people in public without wearing a mask, I regularly anti-bac my hands, and I still disinfect any parcels that come in to the house just to be on the safe side. I've tried to be extra careful to keep my family safe, and because my immune system isn't as strong as it used to be, and what do I do? I undo two and a half years of caution by trying to enjoy one of my favourite pastimes without overheating, and get so distracted by a singing Irish man that I catch it anyway. Oh, well, at least I caught it doing something I love. It was worth it.

We stayed over night and got home the next afternoon. I felt fine at first, but two days later, on the Sunday, I woke up with a sore throat, and a temperature, and started getting the sniffles. I did a test right away, but I didn't test positive until another two days later, five days after the gig. (It's definitely important to keep testing if you get cold symptoms, because it can take five days or more to show).

Fortunately, Covid hasn't been much worse than a bad cold for me, except that most of the symptoms have stayed much longer than with a normal cold. The first couple of days I was positive were awful. I had such a high temperature, I was sweating through my clothes; my whole body felt like it was on fire. I felt fatigued, I got sharp pains in my abdomen (not cramps, stabbing pain), and my whole body ached, with all of my joints and usual pain points hurting much worse than usual. I almost completely lost my voice, I got a terrible dry cough that I just couldn't clear as there was so much mucus on my chest, and my poor nose ran like a tap. There was also a day at the beginning where my breathing was a bit laboured, and I felt like I couldn't breathe properly when I laid down, which was all I wanted to do as I felt like crap. It was like there was a crushing weight pushing my organs in from the sides. Luckily, the laboured breathing only lasted a day, and once my temperature broke and the cough began to loosen, I didn't feel too bad. It didn't linger too long in my head and sinuses the way a cold can, so that made it a lot easier to deal with. It's mostly been a lot of sneezing, a raw throat, and burning up with a temperature, with a dry wheezing cough on and off. In all honesty, I think I've had worse colds, so I've been very lucky.

I began to feel more like myself after a week or so, but the symptoms persisted, and I kept testing positive until day thirteen (day fifteen with symptoms), when I finally tested negative again. I'm still a little wheezy almost three weeks on, and still have a cough, although, it's thankfully not persistent, and mostly just gets irritated when I eat or talk. Hopefully I'll be able to shake it off really soon. I'm so over it now.

I've spent the last three weeks isolating in my bedroom, missing another concert I'd been looking forward to for two and a half years (I'm still devastated), and spending my birthday in bed on my own, in the hopes of not spreading Covid to anyone else. I only left my room to use the bathroom while I had Covid, but despite isolating, wearing a mask, and disinfecting anything I touched, everyone in the house (except the dog) caught it, anyway. My Mum was the first to catch it a few days after I did, but she had been around me before I tested positive. My younger sister got it a few days after that, and my Dad several days later, and while I feel incredibly guilty (and have been blamed daily for them catching it), I refuse to take full responsibility since neither of them stayed away from either myself or my Mum while we were infected. I'm not being blamed for their recklessness. I at least tried to contain it, and even stayed away from Rosie, in case she got sick, too- even when she was breaking my heart scratching at and howling outside my bedroom door, not understanding why I couldn't let her in. 

My family catching Covid has been one of my biggest fears since the pandemic began, particularly because of health conditions and with my parents getting older, but thankfully, nobody's had any complications, and we've all had quite mild cases. Even my Dad, who has chronic asthma, got through it easily. I'm just grateful we caught it now and not two years ago, when the virus was stronger and much more serious. My parents were lucky and were both negative again after just 4-5 days, and are recovering well. My sister still has it, but is definitely doing a lot better.

Miraculously, my other sister, who came with me to the gig, came away unscathed. I was beginning to wonder if she was immune, and was thinking of sacrificing her to Big Pharma as a cure for mankind, but now she and my brother-in-law have got it, too. Though, thankfully I can't be blamed for that; it sounds like she caught it from a colleague at work. 

Covid is definitely rife in the UK again at the moment. So many people are catching it after avoiding it all this time. I don't think there's a lot we can do to avoid it now that so few are wearing masks in public. It's clearly still very contagious, and we're just going to keep catching it like colds and the flu unless masks are made a legal requirement again. (Which I don't see happening). I don't think most people need to fear it anymore, but it's still better to try to keep vulnerable people safe, and avoid getting sick yourself. I'm going to keep wearing masks in public and anti-bac-ing my hands to avoid catching it again too soon, and next time I go to a gig, I'm going to try to keep a mask on. If only to avoid another three weeks of blame from my family. Their scorn was worse than the virus!

If you're going to a gig or a festival this summer, or are going to be in any kind of crowd, I'd definitely advise against going maskless, or you might come home with more than a band t-shirt and a heart full of good memories. Learn from my mistakes!

Have you caught the dreaded Corona Virus yet?

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Birthday Wish List

It's been a minute since I last shared a wish list on the blog, and with family asking for present ideas for my birthday this weekend, I thought it would be fun to put a little birthday wish list together.

I like to blog a birthday wish list every year, but they're always just for fun. I might show it to family if they ask for ideas or buy one or two things from it if I'm gifted any money for my birthday, but I never expect to receive anything from it. It's merely a most-wanted wish list to daydream about and remind myself what I have my eye on. Plus it allows me to share my cool finds with you that I think you might like, too, which I love to do.

This year, my birthday wish list is a typical mix of quirky resin brooches, fun bags and purses, books, dresses, beauty, and more. They're mostly things I want, but a few things I need, and it's a fun, light-hearted mix. The red panda brooch, Robin Hood wallet, and The Severed Moon journal are my ultimate favourites.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22

1. I love the look of this beautiful guided journal, The Severed Moon, from the author of Shadow and Bone.

2. This red panda brooch from the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Wildlife collection is a little work of art, and still at the top of my brooch wish list.

3. Lady Vintage Lyra dresses are a favourite of mine, and this new passion-fruit-printed number looks so fun and summery.

4. Robin Hood has always been one of my favourite Disney films, so this Loungefly wallet is everything. It even had Skippy and his siblings, the little turtle, and Clucky, Maid Marian's lady-in-waiting, on it!!

5. The matching Loungefly Robin Hood backpack is also amazing. Though, do I really need two Loungefly Robin Hood backpacks??

6. Speaking of bags, how cute is this Corner Shop pouch bag from Vendula London? The bunting detail and pick 'n' mix stand are so cute.

7. I love a good hot air balloon, and the Erstwilder Around the World brooch from their recent Fan Favourites collection is so pretty. I think this recolouring might be better than the original.

8. I really want a new pair of Converse low tops for kicking about in on comfy days. I've not had a new pair in over a decade! At the moment I'm drawn to this red pair...

9.... and these gorgeous dark green ones. I used to love my old green high-tops.

10. I'd still love to add this Erstwilder x Wizard of Oz Toto brooch to my collection. Who doesn't love a terrier in a basket??

11. I've been a bit obsessed with the Shadow and Bone books lately, and now I've exhausted the Grishaverse, I'd really like to try some of Leigh Bardugo's other books, like Ninth House, as I enjoy her witty writing style.

12. The Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray is amazing, and I could do with a new bottle after recently using the last of mine up.

13. It's hard to say if this dress will be as pretty in person or even suit me, but this Yours floral smock dress looks so lovely and summery.

14. How cute is this set of pastel nail polishes from Nails Inc? It's reminds me of a set of pastel nail polishes I had from New Look in the late nineties which were scented like ice cream!

15. I don't need another wallet, but this Loungefly Alice in Wonderland classic book zip wallet is so tempting. Alice in Wonderland is another of my all time favourite Disneys.

16. Another Erstwilder x Pete Cromer brooch I've got my beady little eyes on is this funky little Patient Panda. I definitely need a panda in my brooch zoo.

17. I know this bag has popped up on a few of my wish lists over the years, but I'd still love to get the Zatchels Sugarcube bag in red. I have one in oxblood, which is great for A/W, but too dark for S/S, so I'd love a brighter colour for the warmer seasons. They're fantastic little bags.

18. The YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer is the best primer I've ever tried, but I used mine up ages ago, so I'd love a new bottle. It's not cheap, though, so I'm probably dreaming.

19. I'm in love with this Joe the Monkey Lover brooch from Erstwilder- another Fan Favourites recolouring. What girl doesn't need a glittery monkey in a pair of glasses in her jewellery box?!

20. I've wanted a new speaker for a while, as I don't have anything to play my music off of upstairs, except for straight off my laptop or phone. This Emma Bridgewater bluetooth heart-print radio looks ideal, and so pretty, too.

21. I love the look of these green wide fit leather espadrilles from Simply Be. Simple but cute.

22. And how incredible is this Loungefly Care Bears mini backpack?! It would've made the coolest school bag in the eighties.

And that's my birthday wish list for 2022.

What's on your wish list right now?