Loves of my life!

Ok, so it goes without saying that my kids will always be the loves of my life, but I’m talking about some other loves.

My ‘boyfriend’ (still feels strange to be saying that outside of my teen years), my Pixiecat and Popsiecat, and some of my fave QVC brands, too!

Let’s start with the boyfriend then… darling Jamie. We’ve been together for a little over a year now, but we’ve known each other for about fifteen as acquaintances from a larger friend group.

He hails from Scotland. I adore Scotland and even lived there for a while when my parents lived up in Lochinver. The Highlands are so soul-restoring and magnificent. 

Jamie decided to surprise me on my last visit to Scotland, and I had no idea where we were going until we got there. It was in stunning Pitlochry.

As we are both vegans, he had found a completely vegan, environmentally friendly, unique place. It’s the UK’s first completely vegan hotel. It’s called Saorsa 1875.

No, we didn’t get any discounts or back handers for mentioning it… I just thought I’d share because I truly adored it and their ethos. 

For every dinner they cook they plant a tree, all their toiletries are organic, and they source produce locally. It’s the brainchild of mother and son Sandra and Jack McLaren, who are utterly delightful!

I’ll let you do your own research on the hotel, food and so on, but I thought I’d mention that Sandra has another son who is in the British Armed forces. I discovered this when she admired the trilogy Poppy Collection brooch I designed with QVC to raise funds for The Royal British Legion and Poppy Scotland.

She said it was just what she’d been looking for, and asked where she could get it. She was due to go to London to see her son march past the cenotaph. Sadly, I knew it had already sold out so I asked her if I could make a gift of my brooch for that special occasion and in thanks of her son’s service.

She was very touched and accepted. I, luckily, had two of the gold version. One on my bag and one worn as a brooch. It made my day to do that for her and she, very kindly, gave us a very strong complimentary cocktail each! Her son, Jack, is quite the experienced cocktail maker!

Whilst in Scotland my bag was much admired, too! It’s the Kipling Today’s Special Value offer for today! I was lucky enough to trial it and I love it!

This ‘tan’ colour looked amazing with the backdrop of Pitlochry in autumnal glory. It’s a perfect size, too, and I love the little pouch inside.

I used that to house my passport, phone and purse as it had the extra security of the key fob securing it to the inside of the bag. Very handy when going through the airports.

I’ve always loved my Kipling accessories but even more so since becoming vegan and wanting alternatives to leather. Check it out on our homepage. It’s a fab deal.

Speaking of deals… one of our Big Deals for next week (Sunday to Sunday) is an orthopaedic Pet Bed from Silentnight. Regarded as one of the UK’s most trusted bed brands, Silentnight promise quality, handmade upholstered beds and mattresses which have passed regular and rigorous in-house testing.

With over 70 years’ experience, it’s their mission to help everyone find their perfect sleep solution… even pets!!

The contoured foam layer helps to support and distribute weight evenly to reduce pressure points and create a better sleeping environment. It has a plush inner cushion for comfort, and is covered in a durable outer fabric to withstand wear and tear, scratching and stains.

It also has a removable machine washable cover to help keep the bed clean and fresh. The high sides on the bed keep your pet cosy and secure, with a dropped front to allow easy access. There’s even a non-slip base to prevent movement.

Now, this is the honest to goodness truth… I’ve tried countless pet beds for my two but they usually prefer a cardboard box! I was even given another brand of pet bed for them to try from QVC some time ago but no, not for these two eccentrics!

Well, to be fair they got in the pet beds when I put them in some packaging (kind of like a bag around it) but would only stay in with the wrapping around it which looked awful! They’ll choose handbags and cardboard boxes over a pet bed any day.

I can honestly say I wasn’t holding out much hope they’d like these, but I agreed to give them a try. How WRONG was I? Pixie (who famously had her own cardboard box with her name written on it by my son) took to it immediately!

Popsiecat tried it and walked away, choosing Pixie’s now empty cardboard box… but, lo and behold, she gave it another try and now I can only get them to leave the beds with a shout of “foooooooodies!!!”

I am seriously amazed. Whatever it is, experience in bed-making or wizardry, these pet beds are a must! They look so stylish, too… far more so than an old cardboard box, ha ha!

One final MAJOR thing to tell you about is the forthcoming Dyson TSV for Saturday. Well, we never thought it would happen. We’ve been asking for years if we could have a Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer as a Today’s Special Value, but the answer was always no… until now!!

Finally it’s happening! I bought mine a couple of years back and I love it. My best friend, Steven, had wanted one for years and finally has one and couldn’t love it more!

The great thing is you can buy it now ahead of the rush, and what’s more, if you do you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win £2000 worth of Dyson products!!!!

If, like me, you already own the hairdryer, you can still enter the draw by buying any Dyson product! I can vouch for the air wrap, the fan and the vacuums. I’ve been the biggest Dyson junkie for years! Good luck, and let me know if you win!

I look forward to catching up again soon, and don’t forget you can join me on my other social channels for more regular updates.

Lots of love,

Catherine