Rockin' around the Christmas tree...

We awoke to bright sunshine and milder temperatures this morning - which made it a lot easier to get up and head out to buy a Christmas tree!

I haven't had a real Christmas tree for years, so it was extra exciting to swap the fake for fir.  Excitingly for our bargain hunting sensibilities, all the trees were the same price, regardless of size, so of course, I picked out a big tree!  It's the biggest Christmas tree I've ever had, and by the time we got home, I was so giddy with excitement, that I had to calm myself down with a Bailey's coffee...

So, the Christmas music went on, the tree went up, and we set about decorating this new addition to our household...

The tree colour scheme in our home has been blue, silver and gold for the past few years.  This time though, we threw caution to the wind, and added red baubles and multi-coloured lights to the mix.

My lovely friend Erika sent me these cherry bow decorations that she made last year - so of course, they went up on the tree again this year!  Aren't they cute?!

In keeping with the Christmassy theme, we dressed for the occasion - me in red and green, and Aaron in snowflakes!  Of course no Christmas is complete without the appearance of a Santa hat...

 

 

We actually ended up moving all the furniture out from behind the tree, and moving the sofa over after these photos were taken, so it fits in that corner even better now...we haven't taken any photos since the re-shuffle though...yet!

So the tree is up, and the house smells great!  Now all our lovely tree needs is some presents underneath it....

Pancakes, pies and pondering...

Well, it's 14 days 'til Christmas, and judging by all the lovely comments on my last post (thank you!) I'm not the only one who is feeling festive!

We headed to Portobello Market last weekend - primarily so that I could visit What Katie Did, as the market itself has become a little disappointing, from my own personal shopping perspective, over the last couple of years.

I had a lovely time in WKD, not only because the helpful shop assistants plied me with mini mince pies and mulled wine but also because I treated myself to a new purchase...*wink*....whilst loverboy waited patiently.  Although, really, it was probably just as much fun for him, as he got to eat mince pies whilst watching me try on various undergarments....*wink*...

Those mince pies put us in the mood for dancing, and as we wandered past various stalls blasting music, we added a little jive to our day out.  If you have been reading the blog for a while, you will know that we rather enjoy dancing in the streets...

Our impromptu boogie was good preparation for an evening of dancing at R'n'R Old School's Rockin' Christmas Party which we attended on Saturday night.  The turn out was smaller than usual, but we still had fun, with more space on the dance floor!

Sunday was brunch day, and we headed to the Alice House in West Hampstead for a cooked breakfast and a catch-up with friends.  The food was yummy, but whilst I enjoyed my eggs royale, when I saw the pancakes that my friend ordered, I had a moment of food envy and decided that I would have to return to try them!  The sight of those puffy, fluffy pancakes made me nostalgic for our Team Brunch outings in the USA...

We ended the weekend by watching The Sapphires.  If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend this movie - it is thoroughly enjoyable, with a fantastic soundtrack to boot.

Now, a change of subject, but with the new year approaching, I have been thinking of how to improve my blog.  I am reluctant to change the name, although, I feel that as I am no longer a blonde, it seems a bit strange now...

Also I have been thinking of perhaps updating the look and layout - what do you think?  Would you prefer an updated design?  How do you find the colours and theme overall?  Is it easy on the eye when reading?

Finally, what would you like to see more of?  Should I start doing outfit posts?  Would you like any tutorials?  Please feel free to offer any input on which posts you have enjoyed reading, and what you would like to see featured more on Incendiary Blonde.  All suggestions welcome!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

December is here, which means the Christmas month has begun!  I have to admit, I am already feeling very festive, and this year is especially exciting, as it's my first Christmas as a Mrs!

Yes, this year will be a very merry married Christmas, and so we headed out this weekend to soak up some festive cheer...

Covent Garden has to be one of the most twinkly, bauble-icious spots in London around Crimbo, with huge sparkly trees, a giant red-nosed Rudolph, over-sized Christmas ornaments and a big advent calendar made out of lego!

There was also a big Jack Daniel's tree made out of wooden barrels...for that little extra merriment...

Being so near to Somerset House, we walked over to see the ice skating rink, and discovered there was also an indoor Christmas market, full of goodies.

Then we spotted another winter wonderland featuring more ice skaters....made entirely out of chocolate!

Of course, mulled wine also made an appearance this weekend...

Our tree is not going up yet, as we usually wait until it's a bit nearer to Christmas.  What we haven't wasted any time in doing, is enjoying some yummy stollen!  I also had my work Christmas party last week, so I think it's safe to say that the season to eat, drink and be merry is officially upon us!