Summer lovin'

Anyone else feeling a little conned that it's September already?

These are a few of my current obsessions that I'm hoping will remind me of summer even when it's growing dark, grey and gloomy outside...

1. Coconut-scented shower products
A few weeks ago, I bought alberto balsam's  coconut and lychee conditioner (which you can buy for £1 or less from pretty much any supermarket/Superdrug/pound shop), and a tube of shower 'smoothie' from the "I love..." coconut & cream range. 

These products are liked Hawaii in a bottle- I can't get enough of the fact that my hair smells like a tropical island and my skin smells like a Bounty bar. 

Ooh, talking of which, is anyone else reminded of the Dawson's Creek theme-tune when they hear the latest Bounty ad music? No? Just me then...

2. Summer dresses
Throwing on a pretty cotton dress gives that instant summer-time feeling, and a single-item outfit is always a winner when you're as lazy as me :p I particularly like dresses that can be easily adapted to winter wear with the addition of a chunky cardigan, thick tights, and winter boots. This dress is my current favourite, after I picked it up at a recent car boot sale for a bargainous 50p! Very Wizard-of-Oz, no? 

A rare photo of my face- hope you appreciate it!

3. Bountiful berries and baking cakes
Tom and I are lucky enough to have raspberry and blackberry bushes growing in our back garden- which means we're basically living The Good Life from April to October (without the dungarees). 

Several of my relatives visited us for lunch yesterday, so I thought I'd whip up an afternoon tea treat of a Victoria sponge cake crammed with fresh berries. It went down very well indeed (with a cuppa or two, obviously!); even though I was rather liberal with the potentially sneeze-inducing dusting of icing sugar.

4. Cheesy holiday snaps
I've felt like the luckiest girl in the world this summer, as I was not only able to go on a wonderful National Trust mini-break with Tom, but I also spent a week on the Norfolk Broads with Fran, our Toms, and two other ruddy awesome couples I'm proud to count amongst my friends. I'm planning to write more about our brilliant break in a later post, but wanted to share a few of my favourite pictures from the week now: 

The crew

Aaaar we be pirates

And pranksters... teehee

This deer had nothing to do with the boat- but LOOK how pretty!

We saw lots of windmills, but none so lovely as this one, with a heart made of bunting... 

...Which totally set the mood for on-board romance :)

5. Sunshine-bright vegetables
How gorgeous are these courgettes (or zucchini to my friends across the pond)?!? The brightest yellow I've ever seen, and an absolute bargain from my lovely local veg man who sells tons of tasty locally-grown goodies at the Sunday car boot in Lewes. 

And how awesome is this broccoli? Yep- broccoli(!) It's called Romanesco Broccoli and I think it tastes like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. The bright spring green perks up warm summery salads, and it's Christmas-tree shape adds a seasonal touch to wintery comfort-food dishes covered in gravy. Yum!

6. FREE Emily Peacock Cross-Stitch Circus Letter Patterns
Announcing The Most Important And Exciting Discovery of 2012; if you click on this link you will be able to download FOR FREE an alphabet and ampersand designed by Emily Peacock in her signature circus style. FOR FREE. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find them). 

When I found this page I actually did a little dance. The letters aren't quite the same as the ones Emily sells from her online shop- as she designed this set to be given away as a free gift with CrossStitcher magazine- but they are still jaw-droppingly beautiful! I've nearly finished the word I chose to cross-stitch, and will (of course) share it with you all as soon as I've snipped off the final thread. 

Emily's designs remind me of summer because they're so bright and colourful, but cross-stitching also reminds me of cosy, crafty winter evenings under my patchwork blanket in front of the TV. Maybe winter won't be so bad after all...

Have you got any fail-safe things that bring back summer memories in the depths of winter? What have been some of your favourite things from this summer? I'd love to hear!

Katie xxx