I hope you all had a lovely Easter break and like me you stuffed your face with chocolate and washed it down with wine?

Before the commencing of the stuffing and guzzling, Lee and I had driven down to Burford to stay with his lovely auntie, uncle and cousins along with their three adorable shitzus and what a lovely weekend it was.

Haggis and BenjiHaggis and team

Getting inked up for Easter

Although I have to say, the drive down (which took approx. 6.5 hours from Cumbernauld, inclusive of an hour’s stop for a Burger King) was not the most comfortable, having taken the not so wise decision to add to the tattoo on my back.   Following our honeymoon trip, Lee and I both agreed to get a compass tattoo and around this I of course had to add more butterflies, anyone who knows me knows that I am slightly obsessed with butterflies and if I acquire anymore, I will start to look like some kind of butterfly sanctuary…still got a bit of work to add to the tattoo and following this I will post a pic.

As I sat for 2.5 hours ‘getting ink done’, I got the usual why the hell did I start this process again feeling.  As the guns in the room buzzed away however, I remembered that getting a tattoo is the type of pain which you get used to, but if you are contemplating it, don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t sore…because it is.  I guess it could be compared to getting continuous bee stings.  There are certain areas of the bodies which are worse though, with the ribs being the sorest, the spine is not too fun either so maybe bear this in mind when picking an area of your body to tattoo.

The outline is the sorest part of a tattoo to sit through and this is because the gun used has a different type of head, which penetrates/ stabs deeper into the skin.

Tattoos aren’t for everyone of course, but I love them.  To me they are like artwork, artwork that is constant and so if you do decide to get one, best to make sure the image you pick is one that you love, or that you won’t end up hating in years to come.  My mum, aka wee Lindy, is someone who hates tattoos and so this post is likely going to be the way she discovers my new additions…

Burford

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Lee’s family live in an absolutely stunning house in an area that is said to be the ‘southern gateway to the Cotswolds’ and just 30 minutes outside Oxford.  Burford is likely a place I would never of seen without a link to it, but having visited the town twice now, it is has become one of my top places to visit in the UK.  Here’s a bit of blurb (with link to the website where you can find more info):

Burford, one of England’s prettiest small medieval towns is a busy community of about 1,000 people.  The town merchants were granted a charter to hold their own markets over 900 years ago, and the current business people, who have developed this site continue the long tradition of good service and the supply of excellent luxury and essential goods to both residents and visitors.

With its long history of hospitality, beautiful Cotswold architecture, exclusive shops and galleries and one of the top twenty churches in the country. Burford makes a perfect place to visit and stay.

On a visit, be sure to explore the town’s little laneways; stand in awe of the beautiful Cotswold architecture (when I found myself really focusing on this as my fave feature of the town, I had a sudden epiphantic moment…’I really am getting old’ as I stood smiling at the beautiful buildings and brickwork used across the town, and of course that led to a question I often ask myself  ‘when the hell did this getting older malarky happen?’); enjoy a vino by the fire in one of its many old worldy pubs; and take some coinage into the many quirky little shops where you can pick up some really nice bits and bobs for the house (we purchased a lovely art deco pic in a really rather nice gold frame for only £30, reduced from £55 – a bargain from Burford)

An absolute must, is a visit to Vintage to Vogue, which is a fabulous second hand clothing store with some of the most amazing items from the 1920’s an 1930’s I have ever seen. The concept of the shop is such that you take your old clothes to the owner, who will then decide if she wants to stock them and if so, whatever she sells them at, you receive 50% of the sale. There was even a pair of ‘Louboutins’…if you are into that kind of thing…

Oxford

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On Easter Sunday Lee and I’s original plan was to head into London for a bit of shopping but due to some pretty intense engineering works on the train line, we decided against it, which was just as well as most of Oxford Street was shut due to the holiday!

So instead we journeyed to Oxford with Lee’s cousins, Alexandra & Christopher.  Having been before and done the whole ‘punting’ touristy, wearing a hat and almost toppling the boat thing, this day turned into a bit of a pub crawl, starting with beer garden the Head of the River (the perfect spot for people watching in the sunshine), then moving to the Bear, which is the oldest pub in Oxford and ending with a couple of pitchers in a good old Wetherspoons (would highly recommend the Cheeky Vimto pitcher).

Oxford, like Burford, is a beautiful place to be.  Everything from the historic architecture (there I go again), wonderful shops and very classy culture, makes it a memorable town.  I have only ever been during a public holiday, but would love to visit during term time to see all the students in their robes… I can only imagine it is all very Harry Potter-esque.

Exciting times yet to come

I am delighted to announce that Pink Tartan Doll is getting a make-over.  It’s time to move the look from slap dash to more stylised and so watch this space over the next couple of months…

Friday tomorrow, yeehaa, have a good weekend all x