The Tale of the Dreaded Spring-Clean

The incident happened last weekend, it was spur of the moment and as if I had been taken over by another being, a more tidy and house-proud being, a being who enjoyed the delights of BHS homeware and a humble teacup lamp.  This 'incident' was so shocking that should you continue to read on then feel free to gasp out loud in astonishment, I won't judge you, in fact, I implore you to gasp out loud as I recount to you......*pause for dramatic effect*.....'The Tale of the Dreaded Spring-Clean'.

Have I caught your attention?  Good.  Dramatic openings aside, spring-cleaning is no walk in the park and a nightmare for someone like me who has a tendency to be sentimental over the most pointless of items like the pair of flip flops I found hidden in my wardrobe and which hadn't been worn since summer 2007.  Simply put, the flip flops reminded me of an amazing holiday that I'd been on and despite the fact that they were slightly broken, I had held on to them all this time along with the memory.  The thing is, and this is what I discovered last weekend, my memory of that holiday can still exist without the flip flops sitting at the back of my closest, just like my memory of my best friend's eighteenth birthday party isn't dependent upon me keeping that one dress that I wore to it and haven't worn since.  I decided that I would much rather give the dress to a charity shop and know that it can help to create a new memory for someone else rather than hanging out in my closet and never getting to see the light of day!  The clearing out and fancying up of my room was a lengthy (and at times soul-destroying) process and I relied on A LOT of Taylor Swift's music to get me through it.  Probably too much.  I had 'Style' stuck in my head for five days straight after my spring-cleaning escapades, not that that's a bad thing.....although I'm not sure that it's a good thing either?  I don't know.

I can't deny the fact that I'm still a sentimental fiend and wasn't quite able to part with everything that probably could or should have been thrown out but I was probably the toughest I've ever been when spring-cleaning my room so yay me and fifty points to Gryffindor, or something like that anyway!

In truth, the best part of tidying out my room was being able to get some new bits for it and fix it up shabby chic-style, we're talking new bed sheets, a bed runner (didn't even know those were a thing until I bought a Kylie Minogue one in a sample sale for £2.50 reduced from £75. BARGAIN.), new cushions, candles, lights, lamps, photo frames, storage boxes and vases - there was no stopping me, I was a homeware buyng fiend and one that couldn't be stopped - feel free to check out the fiendish results in the photos below:

Glamour and Roald Dahl's 'The Twits' - best combo!

Note to self: do not try and drink tea out of these guys, could
be potentially catastrophic.

All my favourites.

 

No better storage box exists on this planet.

 

Tea cup lamp? Check.  Harry Potter storage box?  Check.  Clutter-free room?  CHECK.  Turns out spring-cleaning isn't so bad afterall, and as for the ending of 'The Tale of the Dreaded Spring Cleaning', well, let's just put it this way - I'm pretty sure that I'll be living clutter-free ever after.  The end.

 

 

Because you're not a true Brit if you don't enjoy a good afternoon tea...

Afternoon tea, I live for it and as harsh as this sounds, in my opinion, you are not a true Brit if you don't enjoy a good afternoon tea.  I like finger sandwiches, I like scones, I like tea and I LOVE cake.  So much. 

I like to think of myself as something of an afternoon tea connoisseur (and what I mean by 'afternoon tea connoisseur' is that I just really REALLY like cake. A lot!) and I've had a fair few afternoon teas at various hotels and cafes around the UK and even had one in the Middle East when I spent a week in Qatar last April and I've yet to be let down by one.  However, I experienced the best afternoon tea by far just last weekend for my brother's 28th birthday when I was introduced to Juliets in Tunbridge Wells (and before you accuse me of some heinous grammatical error, there's meant to be no apostrophe!) and my eyes were opened for the first time to a world of delicious cakey goodness!

When we stepped inside Juliets, the atmosphere was buzzing and it rocked a quirky, shabby chic, almost Shoreditch vibe which I couldn't help but be mesmerized and swept up by.  Everyone who worked there was lovely and they were totally on it with the service despite the place being packed out.  I also adored all their crockery (I never thought I'd ever use the words 'adored' and 'crockery' in the same sentence.  I've changed.), their mismatching teacups and saucers, plates and spoons and quirky teapots made me feel like I had fallen down the rabbit hole and was hanging out at the Mad Hatter's tea party awaiting Lewis Carroll's pen to hit his paper and write up some terrific adventure for me to partake in.  Alas though, Mr Carroll must have been busy that day as no adventure came my way other than the marvellous onslaught of tea, sandwiches, scones and cake (which I was totally ok with, by the way!). 

I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty boring with my tea, I always opt for the standard English Breakfast Tea but it's a decision I've never regretted and what with me being incredibly fussy, it's a decision that has always stood me well, however, Juliets do offer a varied selection of teas if you're feeling more adventurous than me (which you probably are, because I'm a tea bore!).  There's also the option to add a glass of Prosecco or a Bellini to your afternoon tea which is never a bad thing!

Our selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes were brought out to us and I nearly passed out when I saw them on their stands with the anticipation of the soon-to-be feast being almost too much for my excited self to cope with.  The cakes included carrot cake, chocolate brownie and lemon tart and I'm just going to put this out there - the lemon tart was like a little piece of lemony heaven hanging out on my taste buds.  Juliets offered the best scones I've had at an afternoon tea as well, in fact they were probably my favourite element of this entire tea-centred meal, which is weird for me to admit considering I'm not a huge scone lover, so you know, big deal for me and all that! 

I honestly can't wait to go back there, even if just for a piece of one of their homemade cakes.  It was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon with my parents and brother and a great way to celebrate a birthday. 

I would thoroughly recommend Juliets to anyone, even if you don't live near Tunbridge Wells, it is well worth the trip.  Trust me, you won't regret it (mostly because it's impossible to regret anything that involves cake, am I right?!).