Melbourne, we're back!

I know I'm due to write a huge post on St. Lucia and things you absolutely have to do if you ever go there but whilst that is in the process of being written I thought I would give you all a little update.

On Wednesday 8th August the boy and I set off to Heathrow Airport accompanied by my parents and boarded a flight to Melbourne on a one way ticket.  This is my new home - yikes!

A little background on the situation: I originally moved to Melbourne in September 2009 for (a different) Australian boy.  After almost two years of long distance and therefore much anticipation, things did not quite go to plan with that relationship and five months after arriving I found myself newly single and halfway across the world from all my friends and family.  Sadly the end of the relationship coincided (to the day) of my grandmother's death.  I headed home for the funeral and got my head together.  Instead of wallowing in self pity and staying home to lick my wounds I came back to Melbourne to see out my visa (much to the annoyance of the ex, I'm sure [in fact I believe "Melbourne is my city, not yours" was a phrase that was used during one conversation about my return].) and partied like I'd never partied before.  Enter Aussie boy number two:

This relationship, however, was not to be a "happy ever after" for me either (yet)!  

Due to the difficulties of being in a relationship where two different nationalities are involved I had to head home for a few months whilst the boy holidayed in Thailand with his friends (that was easy!).  I found my way back to him but it was very difficult not being allowed to work and having to leave the country every three months - especially without knowing if I'd be let back in every time I returned to Australia.  Eventually we found ourselves living in London and preparing for our "Offshore Temporary Partner Visa" (on the basis of a de facto relationship) so that I could return to Melbourne with full working rights and finally live "happily ever after".  Hundreds of pages (I'm not joking my application was honestly about two inches thick) and thousands of dollars later I have ended up in Melbourne.  

The journey is not over yet as I am still a tourist and have not been granted the visa.  However, it should be granted between October 10th and November 11th (grants take 5-6 months and we only applied in May).  This does leave me at a slightly loose end because I still cannot work so I spend my days trying to think of fulfilling ways to fill up my time.  I feel like Hugh Grant in About a Boy...

"I find the key is to think of a day as units of time, each unit consisting of no more than thirty minutes. Full hours can be a little bit intimidating and most activities take about half an hour. Taking a bath: one unit, watching countdown: one unit, web-based research: two units, exercising: three units, having my hair carefully disheveled: four units. It's amazing how the day fills up, and I often wonder, to be absolutely honest, if I'd ever have time for a job; how do people cram them in?"

Except unlike Hugh Grant I don't have the joys of English day time television to keep me occupied (honestly Australian day time TV is incredibly boring and full of adverts/infomercials).  If only I had a Roberta-Flack-singing-bobble-hat-wearing young boy to buy trainers and offensive rap music for.

Anyone have any ideas of things I can do (preferably non-expensive ideas so I don't have to spend my boys hard earned cash!)??

Cardiff, Wales

The boy and I had so much fun in Cardiff this weekend.  We were visiting my little sister at university so I'm afraid I don't have many cultural photos of the city or anything like that, all the photos are just of us going out.

I really miss university sometimes, I had such an amazing group of friends there and now we're all split apart and hardly see each other (one lives in Ireland, one in Scotland, one in Spain and me in England and soon Australia).  I get so nostalgic when I think about it.  Uni really is one of the best times of your life - if you're there right now definitely make the most of it.  People used to say that to me all the time when I was there and I don't think I really listened, but definitely regret that now!

Anyway, here we are re-discovering our early twenties!

 My sister and the boy out for drinks

I am wearing

Top: Aztec Latino Suntop £26 @ Topshop

(I think this is sold out but there are similar styles here, here, and here. Or just browse their Aztec stock here.

Skirt: £4 @ Primark

Shoes: Unknown store in Aus

We were actually out with more people than just the three of us as opposed to what these pictures suggest!

 Thoroughly hungover the next day.

We had a bit of a nightmare getting home as our bus was delayed by two hours, but we made it.  Back to work yesterday - I am literally counting down the days until I leave (12 working days, just so you know!)

Hope you all had fantastic weekends too.  What did you get up to?

Love,

Charlotte xxx

It's a Family Affair

Being Father's Day I popped home to Surrey for the weekend to spend some time with my lovely dad.

My dad is sincerely one of the most intelligent, well-read men I know.  He really is someone I admire and I always think any man I am ever with will have a lot to live up to in terms of my expectations of personality and intelligence.

The day was very relaxed and my grandfather also joined us.  We went out for lunch and drank far too much   Champagne and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and I was even able to stick to my new healthy eating plan (within reason... I did sneak a few crisps if I'm 100% honest).

Slight contrast between mine and my sister's cards (mine is the little owl one!)

I'm wearing: 

sheer shirt from Primark

 black top from Debenhams

denim skirt from Topshop

leggings from Cotton On

earrings and shoes from Accessorize 

and my necklace was a graduation gift given to me by my beautiful sister which she bought in Thailand.

Oh, hello freckles from Greece.

I love it when my freckles come out in the summer - does anybody else get them?  Love them or hate them?

My great auntie recently died and my mother and father have spent the past few days driving up and down from Newcastle after sorting out all the belongings in her and my great uncle's house (he died a couple of months before her).  After lunch we spent some time pouring over old family albums and studying some paintings from the house.  One of the framed pictures was actually a coat of arms given to one of my uncle's relatives by King Henry VIII.  Pretty interesting stuff actually! 

My granny and grandpa's wedding photo (they had a joint reception with my granny's twin and her husband hence the double wedding thing going on!)

I also have been left a fur jacket by my great auntie... I'm still not quite sure if I should take it or not.  What are your thoughts on fur?  I would never buy it but seeing as this jacket is ridiculously old and has already been made I probably would wear it without a guilty conscience. 

Look surly

  What do you guys think?

I hope you all had lovely weekends and enjoyed father's day :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I definitely don't call my Dad "Daddy" anymore but I thought it sounds a lot friendlier than Dad for a title...

I am home in Surrey for the weekend as (as the title above implies) it's my dad's birthday.  He is 61 so it wasn't a particularly huge celebration as 60 was the big landmark for my parents last year.  We had some drinks and nibbles and then headed out for a lovely, long dinner at a country pub I used to work at.

Playsuit Motel Rocks

Leggings Dylan Long Leggings @ Cotton On

Shoes Peep Toe Wedge @ Lipsy

I love this little playsuit but it really irritates me that there is no hook and eye clip at the top of the zip as the zip ends at the broadest part of my back and it constantly slides open and unzips itself!  I think I'm going to have to stitch a little hook and eye at the top there.

I have spent the rest of the weekend drinking and watching Laguna Beach with the boy (I used to be obsessed with this show and it gives me a little bit of nostalgia watching it again as I probably haven't seen an episode since about 2007). 

I must admit I'm generally addicted to television.  The shows I constantly watch are: Grey's Anatomy (absolutely hands down my favourite), 90210 (guilty pleasure - I hate Annie), The Lying Game and The Apprentice.  What do you watch?  Any guilty pleasures?

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend!

Sunshine and Lace

This weekend the sun is out in London and I have to admit that although it feels a little selfish to be happy about it (considering we are in the middle of a drought and all) I couldn't be more pleased.  The cold, wet and miserable weather was making me, well...miserable! 

My skin has been acting up a bit recently and I can't really think why - I haven't drastically changed anything in my diet or skincare routine (which is very minimal if I'm honest) so, although it makes me feel incredibly self-conscious I decided to brave the day without wearing any make-up and just a little of my best friend Nanoblur (more on this another day).

I don't have much to blog about today if I'm honest.  On my one outing out of the house today (yes I know, I'm very exciting and I spent most of the day on immigration forums looking up my case officer - time well spent, obviously!) I decided to embrace the warm weather and show a little leg.  This is my favourite maxi skirt.  It's perfect for those in-between days where it's warm but you don't want to go all out in shorts or a mini skirt and when it's a little colder I can even wear tights underneath it and I still get the same effect.  People always comment on this skirt when I wear it out so I thought I would share it with you all.

Crop Tee in Blue £8.00 @ Topshop

Skirt: Sportsgirl 

(I think this has been discontinued now but there are some alternatives on ASOS here, here and here)

Shoes: Aldo

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and if you're in the UK enjoy this long-awaited sunshine.