A Weekender with Timex

It seems like every other weekend we have things going on this year; a trip to the forest, spending time in Brighton, family get-togethers for Easter...That's the beauty of this time of year though, and I'm never really one for sitting around and relaxing, so it's been suiting me just fine. We'd actually been planning to stay over in Liverpool to celebrate our 9th anniversary, but when the opportunity to spend the weekend in the Forest of Dean came up we had to re-jig a little.

We have a crush on Liverpool. It's our favourite city in the region, and we try to visit given any glimpse of opportunity. It's one of the first cities we visited together as a couple. There's just something special about it, with a totally different feel + buzz from the rest of the North West. For this weekend we partnered up with Timex, to show you how we might spent a typical weekend together.

Liverpool is known for its independent culture and free spirit, with many small businesses flourishing over the years, and many more on the rise and gaining credibility in the city centre. One such brand is Cow&co., a modern design store-cum-bookshop-turned-cafe, nestled just off the main shopping area. Its tiny interior doesn't hinder the amount of well designed pottery, homeware + magazines that lines the shelves - not forgetting the cafe part too. I hear their bagels are the best in town.

My Creative Space with Boden

 Wearing - Sandown Jumper c/o Boden | Jack Spade Chinos | Trainers c/o New Balance | CHUP Socks | 

Watch c/o Paulin Watches | Ray-Ban Glasses

We're all quite nosey by nature aren't we? Twitching curtains and ear wigging at the bus stop has slowly morphed into what we now call social media. We now see a lot of people's lives, but one thing I've always enjoyed is seeing around people's homes, especially those who work in a creative industry. Boden recently invited me to share My Creative Space, and although I still don't officially have an office (I'll work wherever I can find, and in this post it's at Hollie's parents' house), I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know myself + Hollie a little better.

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How do I start the Day: Porridge, Tea + Emails

I usually wake up at about 7:30 throughout the Winter. I start most days with a large bowl of porridge with honey and cinnamon, BBC1 News on the telly and my head in emails. If it was the Summer I'd be at the gym for 7:30, but that isn't likely to happen in this freeze.
 

I'm Currently Reading: Cool Beer Labels by Dan Bellon + Steven Spegg

For anyone who's been reading Buckets & Spades for a while you'll probably know that this book is ideal for us. It sums us up. Beer, check, labels, check, stories about design and funny little anecdotes, triple check. There's ain't a lot of reading to be done, but that just suits me fine. The Tintin comics and Printed Pages magazine aren't far behind either.

What's in the Collection: Anything + Everything
Me and Hollie are both proper collectors. It's mostly stuff linked to pop culture, graphic design, and childhood keepsakes. We each have little corners around the house where we gather bits and bobs - can you spot the 3D model of Old Man Buckets?! We're currently pretty obsessed with the LEGO Simpsons minifigures. Nearly got the whole set!

What Am I Wearing: Something Comfy + Relaxed

I'm all about getting up early, showered, dressed and ready for work - it's my way of preparing for the day. I feel more productive if I'm properly dressed and ready to go. Ain't no work getting done in pyjamas. Today I'm wearing the Boden Sandown Jumper from their SS14 collection, relaxed Jack Spade Utility Chinos, Made in England trainers by New Balance and my favourite socks by CHUP. I was also very kindly send this cracking watch by Paulin Watches, which we featured back in December.

What I'm listen to: Not That Much Actually

I'm easily distracted so I don't tend to listen to music while I'm working, but lately when I've been trying to relax First Aid Kit, St. Vincent + Johnny Cash have been on-hand. Hollie's the musical one out of us two, she's amassed a pretty impressive collection of old and new vinyl.

A Special Memory: Visiting Savannah, GA with Hollie

We travelled to Savannah back in 2013, and instantly fell for its charm. The city is jam-packed with all sorts of cool facts, historically important events and extremely warm + welcoming people. Around every corner you're hit right in the face with another fact-bomb. A truely fascinating place, and somewhere we'd love to visit again some day. American road trip maybe?

My Guilty Pleasure: Pro-Wrestling

Not sure if it's classed as guilty if you're not embarrassed by it, but I'm a big fan of Pro-Wrestling. It stems from loving it as a kid (as most of us did), but I got back into it about three or four years ago. It's way better than any soap opera in my opinion, plus the live shows are a riot. Austin 3:16 said I just whopped your ass!

The Engagement Present: Alessi Bottle Opener

We didn't really make a huge fuss when we got engaged, we tend to keep our personal lives pretty low-key. We did however treat ourselves to this limited edition spotty bottle opener by Alessi. He keeps me company most days when I'm working alone.

What's in the Planning: Travel More, Explore More

I didn't explore that much earlier in my life but I'm more than making up for it in my late 20s. Next week I'm in Brighton, Birmingham and potentially there's a short trip to Gevena on the cards (fingers crossed!). Then there's this Euro Road Trip that myself + Nik are trying to arrange, we've pencilled it in for May. We so need to make that happen!

Hopefully you feel you know me a little more about me after this look into My Creative Space. A big thank you to Boden for inviting me to be a part of this series.

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Orlando Photo Diary Part 1

Top to bottom -

 View from Hollie's parents house, numbered lamp post, Day out at Disney's Animal Kingdom including an African safari, petting zoo within the park where Hollie finally got to meet a Llama, colourful ice cream truck, lead up to the crazy mountain ride, totally scared on the Dino ride, huge insect with found on the path (about the size of your palm), an afternoon spent in Disney's Hollywood Studios

Top to bottom -

Timex watch with interchangeable straps was a birthday present from Hollie's parents, bicycle display in Gap, me and Hollie by the wonderful lake at Celebration, and again the lake at night, Celebration's finest ice creams and Art Deco cinema, lost but we didn't care, get your guns this way, shopping at Millenia Mall where I bought a shirt and baseball cap in Urban Outfitters, test driving Hollie's swimming cap, water tower near the house, view from the front at night, American chocolate bars are 10 times better than ours in taste and names, old coke crates in Anthropologie, jerk chicken on sweet potato mash and salsa at Bahama Breeze, on IDrive at night makes for some immense views

I'm back! With many photos and stories to tell, so instead of waffling for now I'm hitting you guys with a couple of picture heavy posts.  We really did have the best time, it reminded what an amazing place America is and how wonderful the people are. I'll explain more later but for now just enjoy part 1 of my photo diary.