What I Wore: Warehouse pink dress

This is a new dress I got for my Great Aunt's ninetieth birthday party, which we attended last weekend down in Kent. Unfortunately I was far too busy to think about getting a decent photo of me wearing it! But it's the kind of dress I love wearing and so I'll show you a picture of it hanging up instead. This was on sale at Warehouse, a shop where I quite often find pretty, feminine dresses perfect for special occasions. They usually have a good sale and I think this dress was down from £75 to £40. It's very well made so I think I got a bargain. What are your go-to shops for party dresses?

I'm linking up with Transatlantic Blonde's What I Wore Wednesday.

Tasty Tuesdays: Tasty Benefits

Apologies on the lack of cooking today but, as we have been away from home for most of the last week, I haven't been cooking and have nothing to post! So instead I decided to show you the pudding I had this evening, and share with you some happy food facts. I have been enjoying lots of lovely summer fruits recently and some of my favourites are nectarines, watermelon and of course all the wonderful berries that we can pick locally during the warm months. Recently I found out that strawberries are a potent anti-ageing food due to their high vitamin and antioxidant content, plus strong anti-inflammatory properties. They can really help prevent wrinkles! I was also pleased to discover studies have proved that eating low-fat dairy, particularly yoghurt, helps you lose body fat. It especially helps you stay trim around the tummy area. So this is a great summer dessert packed with health and beauty benefits. I may just eat it every day!

I'm linking up with Honest Mum's 'Tasty Tuesdays'. I'm really enjoying this fantastic linky and it looks like there are some great recipes to check out this week. Do click on the link below to have a look!

What I Wore Wednesday

Today's outfit is one from a rare Saturday night out! We had a girls' night at the comedy club Jongleurs thanks to my little sis who had won tickets. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had a good laugh, particularly at the headline act Janey Godley who is a great Glasgow comedienne. My new favourite thing is this Kimono jacket from River Island - good for dressing up a pair of jeans!

Kimono jacket from River Island, top from Warehouse, jeans from New Look, sandals from New Look, bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

As per my usual Wednesday outfit post, I am linking up with Transatlantic Blonde. Check out the other links there for some outfit inspiration.

Days out: Inchcailloch

Inchcailloch is a little island on Loch Lomond which we have been visiting since my childhood. On Saturday we took a big family excursion to picnic and bathe at the lovely beach there. From Balmaha, it's a short ferry ride then about a mile of walking through woods to the side of the island where the beach is found. The children loved the experience of travelling on the boat then playing in the Loch all day. It's our tradition to have a barbecue on the beach so we had our sausages and burgers for lunch. It really was an idyllic day out on one of the warmest and sunniest days we have had this year.

Make! Spicy prawns with artichoke salad

When I have prawns in my fridge, I usually can't resist using them to make a classic linguine involving loads of chilli, garlic and olive oil. However, during the amazing heatwave we are currently experiencing, my cravings are for something much lighter but equally tasty.

Today I concocted this simple and delicious prawn dish which took just a few minutes to put together. The salad is artichoke hearts (from a jar), baby plum tomatoes and cucumber all diced and tossed together. The prawns were pan fried in chilli-infused olive oil. Then I dressed everything with a liberal drizzling of garlic-infused olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Yum - it was such a perfect, fresh and light meal for a day like this.

What kind of thing do you like to eat on hot days?

I'm linking up this recipe with Honest Mum's lovely new feature 'Tasty Tuesdays'. Do check out her amazing baklava recipe and all the other linkers' :)

Novel & Nails

This pretty blue polish is 'Lapis of Luxury' by Essie. I can't quite believe it took me until now to discover the novels of rather classic author Molly Keane (better known by her pen name M.J. Farrell). I recently enjoyed the wit and romance of 'The Rising Tide' and now I'm getting stuck into 'Good Behaviour'. What are you reading or wearing on your nails just now?

Make! Cheat's pizza

Unexpected lunch guests? Nothing in the fridge? I keep these pre-rolled pizza bases in the freezer for moments like these. You can top them with anything, stick them in the oven for 15 minutes, and there you have a pretty tasty lunch that everyone will enjoy! Try topping with a bit of passata, frozen veg and grated cheddar - your kids will love this. This post is not endorsed by Asda, I simply love these pizza bases for their ease of use. They are even rolled onto a sheet of baking parchment which you can just slap straight onto a baking tray. I love minimum time expenditure in my everyday meal prep!