A Week in July

A Week in July

I filmed a week in July and thought you may like to see... (Ashley's YouTube)

What Happens When you Break up?

What Happens When you Break up?

Everyone has experienced a break up at some point in life and everyone knows that they are just a bit shit...

I have uploaded a video on my YouTube channel discussing what happens when you break up and ways to make the process a little less dire :).

Making Hangovers More Fun

Making Hangovers More Fun

Hangovers are not fun, fact.

On a hangover day, I retreat into a cave of darkness, eat KFC, watch Netflix and just write the day off as a bad one. Last week, I decided to buck that trend, leave the house and actually enter society. If you are going to join me and be one of the 'brave one's' who leaves the confines of the bed then there are four things you absolutely need to do:

1. Shower, that booze scent is probably going to follow you around for most of the day but any attempt at masking that is definitely the way to go.
2. Put on a fancy outfit, including shoes that will brighten most peoples days (sunglasses are also a must).
3. Hair of the dog, always. 
4. Take a pal on the journey with you.

I had a few reasons that taking a 'write off' day wasn't going to work, for one it was sunny, but more importantly, I was absolutely desperate to take my new shoes out for a walk. Me and Milla entered the outside world, nursed and beer and then went for a jaunt around our local park. Anywhere you can walk into and you feel like you are wandering into some type of magical land covered with wild flowers is a good idea any day.

This was also the day I found my dream winter coat in the newly refurbished 'Jim Dandy' vintage shop in Camberwell, you will see her just as soon as I can wear her without collapsing into a pool of sweat. Fate it appears, came a'calling.

I felt better, Milla felt better and the shoes were welcomed into my life.

Top & Pants - Topshop, Shows - ASOS, Sunnies - Vintage, Bag - TK Maxx

Love Lambeth Country Show

Dress - Topshop, Sandals - Dune, Sunnies - Vintage

Love Lambeth Country Show

The Lambeth Country Show is becoming an annual tradition for me, it is the highlight of the South London summer calendar (yes, even including you Brixton Splash). For the past three years, as soon as that LCS weekend hit, I have donned a fancy outfit and marched myself straight to Brockwell Park and then, almost immediately to the Chucklehead Cider stand.

This year, the outfit choice was this seventies vibing, shirt dress of dreams. This dress was the dress that you buy despite it possibly wiping out your finances for the rest of the month, just because you can't live without it - having the dress counteracts the hardship... not a massively healthy view on clothing items as saviours of the modern day, but anywhoo...

I'm not sure I have ever explained my love of dogs to you, if I haven't, I have probably saved you a good few hours worth of gushing. Just so you don't feel left out, I will touch on the subject now. I ADORE dogs, I want my own as soon as I am a capable enough person to look after something other than myself. LCS always gives me the perfect opportunity to indulge from afar as dog spotting is rife. I'm not usually a Chihuahua fan, but we were ransacked by three of the lads and were fully won over.

Usually, I make time to take in the all the sights and sounds the show has to offer, including big veg, camel racing, delicious food, haystacks... (you know the country show drill) but this year, it was about cider, dogs and good company. I was fully content sitting, having a little tipple, talking and swaying to the wonderful music that is always hanging in the air.

Safe to say my head feel rather flat the following day, but as always - completely worth it. Until next year my friend.

#This Girl Can

#This Girl Can

'This Girl Can' is a nationwide campaign, supported by Sport England and I think it's bloody wondrous. The main aim is to get all girls, regardless of shape, size or sporting ability to get moving.

Everyone deserves to feel good, everyone deserves to feel their 'best self'. People don't tend to do certain activities (or anything for that matter) due to the fear of being judged, This Girl Can is about changing attitudes. There were all the words to say about this, so I thought I would express them via my YouTube channel (ashleyfauguel)!

Let me know your thoughts on this campaign, has it inspired you to make change?

Rowdy Ramblers

Rowdy Ramblers

One sunny, delightful Saturday in July - I went on a ramble and it was rowdy, the 'rowdy rambler' title can live on. A lovely lady has been organising these rather fantastic rambles for years, this was my first, it was splendid.

It was quite an achievement to add to my list making it to Victoria station on time - we were all meeting at 10.30 am, I woke up at 9.30 am, hungover. I arrived lagging behind my pal, iced coffee, headache tablets and a Pret tuna baguette in hand. Hurdle number one had been tackled. We were starting the walk / hike / ramble in Hassocks before making the 11 mile walk to Lewes to travel back.

As you have probably grasped by now, the place / places were beaut. There is something magical about escaping the city for the day, wandering through fields and getting a big hit of fresh air. The meandering paths turned rather frequently into uphill paths, my bum muscles complained the next day, I however, did not. Half way through, we stopped at one of the most wondrous pubs I have ever stumbled across for a refuel with food and cider to help us on our way. The pub had an abundance of charm, local ciders and a bow of free tampons in the ladies (what a bloody nice touch eh?).

So, a run down of the day - hangover, iced coffee, train, fields, sun, merchandised hats, a mirage ice cream van, fields, hikers with walking sticks, cider, fields, greeness, air, sheep, pub lunch, cider, fields, forest, views, fields, road, laughter, 'banter', rowdiness, cider, pub, train, tube, walk, dirty burger, bed.

All in a days work, as they say... If you have any brill suggestions for new rambling destinations, do leave me a comment - I have caught the 'rambling' bug it seems. Speak soon x

Doing things you know you shouldn't.

This isn't going to be one of those posts where I suddenly feel the need to purge my soul and reveal that I was a shoplifter when I was a teen (I wasn't) or one of those kids that sat in the graveyard drinking three litre bottles of 'White Lightening' (that however, I was). 

It is more a case of realising that I do things I know full well I shouldn't on a daily basis, examples of this strange behaviour can / may include:

• Watching sad films (*can also include -listening to sad music) when feeling down, knowing full well it will only allow me to wallow further into the cave of sadness.
• Buying something that I know will leave my bank balance looking sickly.
• Disliking some people without any need.
• Losing touch with people.
• Feeling sorry for myself. W A L L O W I N G helps no-one.
• Eating the entire contents of two sharing bag of salt & vinegar kettle chips (this example was donated by a pal...obvs)
• Listening to the Twilight audiobook for a third time when I am not a crazed teenage fangirl (also donated by a pal..)

All relatively normal human behaviour and when I realise I am doing it 'those things I know I shouldn't' I chide myself for being a complete mard-arse. (for the non-Northen folk - 'mard-arse' - spoiled, sulky, sullen, having a tantrum, being a whinger, being difficult OR go with the Arctic Monkeys, they summed it up rather splendidly) 

So, that (as they say) is that - tell me your secrets...

I also went to Highgate Cemetery - more on that beaut later... but for now, I thought they added (quite marvellously) to my dramatic mood.

Favourite Places_01: Vauxhall Beach

Trousers & Socks - Topshop, Top - Brandy Melville, Coat - H&M, Converse

Favourite Places_01: Vauxhall Beach

Everyone has places that they go to, places they rely on to provide comfort, happiness, fun, peace or just a place to take a cig / cider break... these places are important. A lot of my favourite places in and around London are random nooks and secret places (I like to think anyway, not the most trodden of paths). I thought I would start a series revealing a few good'uns, first up - 'Vauxhall Beach'.

Vauxhall Beach is probably an odd place for me to take on as one of my favourite places, but you know, it's happened. On first viewing, I was instantly taken in by the fact that it is a mini 'beach' near Vauxhall, central London is not famed for it's beaches... not only that but it's in a place which is just far enough away from 'Southbank mania' to be hidden, peaceful and feel like mine. You can hear cars zooming past, people cracking on with their days but it's muffled by the sound of the tide an dthe occasional metal detector beep. I almost enjoy the exterior noise - it feels like life is carrying on whilst I am stood collecting myself and taking a breath in the eye of the storm (poetic eh?...)

This has been a place where I have found myself drinking cider and eating strawberries with pals after a long day, a place where I have come to be mad at the world, feel happier with myself and a place I once helped hunt for 'art piece standard' wood but instead uncovered a dead cat. It's a place I want the important people to understand and 'get' but almost not 'get' too much...

Anyway, that's that - Vauxhall Beach, carry on as you are.

As you many have noticed, I have decided to crack back on with my YouTube channel, because you know what, it made me happy and what better reason is there to do something? 

Primark Haul Video | October

Primark Haul Video | October

I did a bit of shopping, cue haul...

Please watch, like and subscribe - I waffle regularly on my YouTube if that's your type of thing...

Things That Have Made Me Smile

Things that have made me smile

1.   Popping open my top bottom on my jeans, and letting it all hang out after eating the tastiest Lebanese food at Comptoir Libanais.

2.   Gaining 9 followers on my YouTube channel - there are now 31 people who can stand to hear me talk....

3.   Watching utter rubbish on Netflix whilst drinking peppermint tea in my house coat at 1am.

4.   The new Drums album - Encyclopedia.

5.   Listening to my guilty playlist when work is BUSY.

6.   Finding the black mules I wanted desperately sat on the shelf on there own in my size in Primark.

7.   Facetiming Allan about utter rubbish.

8.   Succumbing to a bagel breakfast. The best days follow a bagel breakfast.

9.   Tyler Oakley's 'Psycho Babble' Podcasts. The gossip necessary for a weekday.

10.  Watching 'Cilla' and drooling over the ridiculously cool Sixties clothes.

11.   Going home to Manchester.

The Weekend Vlog 06

The Weekend Vlog 06

I always know going home to Manchester for the weekend will be a good one, but this weekend was particularly great! I went home to take my Nanna for afternoon tea for her birthday but I managed to squeeze in drinks, shopping, haircuts and ALL the food.

Come along :) - The Weekend Vlog 06